A39675:537
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.
1. Now is the proper season for the predominant love to be discovered, it can be hid no longer: And the love of life is the predominant love in all such persons. For do but compare it with their love to Christ, and it will easily be found so: They love their lives truly and really, they love Christ but feignedly and pretendedly; and the real, will and must prevail over the feigned love. They love their lives fervently, and intensely, they love Christ but coldly and remissly: And the fervent love will prevail over the the remiss love. Their love to their Bodies hath a root in themselves, their love to Christ hath no root in themselves, Matth. 13.21. and that which hath a root must needs outlast and outlive that which hath none.
2. Because when life is in hazard, Conscience will work in them by way of Discouragement; 'twill hint the danger of their eternal state to them▪ and tell them, they may cast away their Souls for ever in a Bravado, for though the cause they are called to suffer for, be good, yet their Condition is bad; and if the Condition be not good as well as the Cause, a Man is lost for ever though he suffer for it, 1 Cor. 13.3. Conscience, which encourages and supports the upright▪ will daunt and appal the Hypocrite, and tell him, he is not on the same terms in Sufferings, that other men are.
2. Because when life is in hazard, Conscience will work in them by way of Discouragement; 'twill hint the danger of their eternal state to them▪ and tell them, they may cast away their Souls for ever in a Bravado, for though the cause they are called to suffer for, be good, yet their Condition is bad; and if the Condition be not good as well as the Cause, a Man is lost for ever though he suffer for it,