A85953:434
Gospel-revelation in three treatises, viz, 1 The nature of God. 2 The excellencies of…
Gospel-revelation in three treatises, viz, 1 The nature of God. 2 The excellencies of Christ. And, 3 The Excellency of mans immortal soul. By Jeremiah Burroughs, late preacher of the gospel at Stepney, and Giles-Cripple-gate, London. Published by William Greenhill. William Bridge. Philip Nigh. John Yates. Matthew Mead. William Adderly.Gospel-revelation in three treatises, viz, 1 The nature of God. 2 The excellencies of Christ. And, 3 The Excellency of mans immortal soul. By Jeremiah Burroughs, late preacher of the gospel at Stepney, and Giles-Cripple-gate, London. Published by William Greenhill. William Bridge. Philip Nye. John Yates. Matthew Mead. William Adderly.
London: printed for Nath. Brook, 1660
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Treatise 3 › Sermon 1: The First SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul.
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.
As First, It is that that is capable to have the Image of God stamped upon it; Whatsoever the body hath, it is but in way of reflection from the soul; we know those Princes that are great and rich Princes, except necessity compels them, do not use to stamp their Image upon Leather, or Brass, or Copper, ⟨p. 210⟩but upon the choicest metals, upon Gold and Silver: So when God would have a Creature upon which he would stamp his Image, he doth not choose a mean Creature, the brute beasts, or any sensitive Creature, but he chooseth the most excellent of his Creatures, Angels, and the spirits of men, that are, one as Gold, and the other as Silver, and the great God stamps his Image upon these two, and only upon these two; these are the two Principal Metals, Gold and Silver, Angels and mens spirits, upon which God did stamp his Image in their first Creation.
As First, It is that that is capable to have the Image of God stampt upon it; Whatsoever the body hath, it is but in way of reflection from the soul; wee know those Princes that are great and rich Princes, except necessity compells them, do not use to stamp their Image upon Leather, or Brass, or Copper, ⟨p. 210⟩but upon the choicest metals, upon Gold and Silver: So when God would have a Creature upon which hee would stamp his Image, hee doth not chuse a mean Creature, the brute beasts, or any sensitive Creature, but hee chuseth the most excellent of his Creatures, Angels, and the spirits of men, that are, one as Gold, and the other as Silver, and the great God stamps his Image upon these two, and onely upon these two; these are the two Principal Metals, Gold and Silver, Angels and mens spirits, upon which God did stamp his Image in their first Creation.
Secondly, Not only to have the Image of God upon them, but they are able to work as God himself works; No other Creature is able to do so, but Angels and mens spirits: And this is the principal thing that shows the excellency of the soul, it is able to understand the first being, God himself, and to make God to be the last end of all things; what is Gods work, wherein the very happiness, as I may so say, of God himself consists, but in the understanding of himself, as the first being, and the working unto himself as the last end, and the enjoyment of himself? that is Gods own happiness: Now of such excellency is the soul of man (however by sin it is depraved) that it is capable of the understanding of an infinite eternal first being; it is capable of working towards this first being, as the last good of all, which is the same way and kind of working, as God himself doth work.