A39675:382
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
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.
This Doctrine sticks close to the nature of Man; it springs up easily, and without force from his Conscience. It hath been allowed as an unquestionable thing, not only among Christians, who have the Oracles of God to teach and confirm this Doctrine, but among Heathens also, who had no other Light but that of Nature, to guide them into the knowledge and belief of it.1 Learned Zanchius cites out of Cicero an excellent passage to this purpose: In every thing (saith he) the consent of all Nations is to be accounted the Law of Nature: And therefore with all good Men it should be instead of a thousand Demonstrations: and to resist it, (as he there adds) what is it, but to resist the voice of God? and how much more, when with this consent the Word of God doth also consent? As for the consent of Nations in this point, the learned Author last mentioned hath industriously gathered many great and famous Testimonies from the ancient Chaldeans, Graecians, Pythagoreans, Stoics, Platonists, &c. which evidently show they made no doubt of the Immortality of their Souls. How plain is that of Phocylides? [Greek or Hebrew] Speaking of the Soul, in opposition to the Body, which must be resolved into dust, he saith, But for the Soul, that is immortal, and never grows old, but lives for ever. 2And Trismegistus, the famous and celebrated Philosopher, gives this account of Man, That he consists of two parts, being mortal in respect of his Body, but immortal in respect of his Soul; which is his best and principal part. Pluto not only asserts the immortality of the Souls of Men, but disputes for it, and among other Arguments urges this,3 That if it were not so, wicked Men would certainly have the advantage of righteous and good Men, who after they have committed all manner of evils, should suffer none. But what speak I of Philosophers? the most barbarous Nations in the World constantly believe it *The Turks acknowledge it in their Alcoran; and though they grossly mistake the nature of Heaven, in fancying it to be a Paradise of sensual Pleasures, as well as the way thither; ⟨p. 102⟩by their Impostor Mahomet; yet 'tis plain they believe the Souls immortality, and that it lives in pain or pleasure after this life.