A39675:1081
Pneumatologia, a treatise of the soul of man
Pneumatologia, a treatise of the soul of man wherein the divine original, excellent and immortal nature of the soul are opened, its love and inclination to the body, with the necessity of its separation from it, considered and improved, the existence, operations, and states of separated souls, both in Heaven and Hell, immediately after death, asserted, discussed, and variously applied, divers knotty and difficult questions about departed souls, both philosophical, and theological, stated and determined, the invaluable preciousness of humane souls, and the various artifices of Satan (their professed enemy) to destroy them, discovered, and the great duty and interest of all men, seasonable and heartily to comply with the most great and gracious design of the Father, Son, and Spirit, for the salvation of their souls, argued and pressed / by John Flavel ...Pneumatologia, a treatise of the soul of man wherein the divine original, excellent and immortal nature of the soul are opened, its love and inclination to the body, with the necessity of its separation from it, considered and improved, the existence, operations, and states of separated souls, both in Heaven and Hell, immediately after death, asserted, discussed, and variously applyed, divers knotty and difficult questions about departed souls, both philosophical, and theological, stated and determined, the invaluable preciousness of humane souls, and the various artifices of Satan (their professed enemy) to destroy them, discovered, and the great duty and interest of all men, seasonable and heartily to comply with the most great and gracious design of the Father, Son, and Spirit, for the salvation of their souls, argued and pressed / by John Flavel ...
London: printed for Francis Tyton, 1685
TEXT. › The USES of the Point. › Inference 3 › Consideration 3: Consideration III.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Consideration III.
Much of that little precious time of departing Souls, will be unavoidably taken up and employed about the inexcusable pressing calls and necessities of distressed nature: all that you can do for your Souls must then be done only by fits and snatches in the midst of many disturbances and frequent interruptions: So that it is rarely found that a dying man can pursue a serious Meditation with calm and fixed thoughts: for besides the pains and faintings of the Body, the Abilities of the mind usually fail. Here also they fall into a sad Dilemma, if they do not with utmost intention of mind, fix their hearts and thoughts on Christ, they lose their comfort, if godly; and their Souls if ungodly: and if they do, ⟨p. 296⟩Friends and Physicians assure them they will destroy their Bodies. These are the straits of men bordering close upon eternity: they must hastily catch a few moments in the intervals of pain, and then are put by all again.
Much of that little precious time of departing Souls, will be unavoidably taken up and imployed about the inexcusable pressing calls and necessities of distressed nature: all that you can do for your Souls must then be done only by fits and snatches in the midst of many disturbances and frequent interruptions: So that it is rarely found that a dying man can pursue a serious Meditation with calm and fixed thoughts: for besides the pains and faintings of the Body, the Abilities of the mind usually fail. Here also they fall into a sad Dilemma, if they do not with utmost intention of mind, fix their hearts and thoughts on Christ, they lose their comfort, if godly; and their Souls if ungodly: and if they do, ⟨p. 296⟩