A39675:551
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.
It hath been observed by some discreet and grave Ministers, that before their remove from one place to another, God hath permitted and ordered some weaning Providence to befall them, either denying wonted success to their labour, or alienating and cooling the affections of their people towards them, which not only makes the manner of their departure more easy, but the grounds of it more clear. Much so it falls out in our natural death, the comfort of the World is embittered to us, before we leave it. The longer we live in it, the less we shall like it. We overlive most of ⟨p. 150⟩our Comforts, which engaged our hearts to it, that we may more freely take our leave of it. It were good for Christians to observe the voice of such Providences as these, and answer the Designs of them, in a greater willingness to die.
It hath been observed by some discreet and grave Ministers, that before their remove from one place to another, God hath permitted and ordered some weaning Providence to befal them, either denying wonted success to their labour, or alienating and cooling the affections of their people towards them, which not only makes the manner of their departure more easie, but the grounds of it more clear. Much so it falls out in our natural death, the comfort of the World is imbittered to us, before we leave it. The longer we live in it, the less we shall like it. We overlive most of ⟨p. 150⟩our Comforts, which engaged our hearts to it, that we may more freely take our leave of it. It were good for Christians to observe the voice of such Providences as these, and answer the Designs of them, in a greater willingness to die.
1. Is thy Body which was once hail and vigorous, now become a crazy, sickly, pained body to thee? neither useful to God, nor comfortable to thee; a Tabernacle to groan and sigh in? And little hopes it will be recovered to a better temper; God hath ordered this to make thee willing to be divorced from it. The less desirable life is, the less formidable death will be.