A85953:435
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.
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.
Secondly, Not onely 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 shews the excellency of the soul, it is able to understand the first beeing, God himself, and to make God to bee 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 beeing, 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 beeing; it is capable of working towards this first beeing, as the last good of all, which is the same way and kinde of working, as God himself doth work.
Thirdly, And it is capable of enjoyment of the communion with God himself; What is Gods happiness, but to enjoy himself as the only good? Now the soul of man is capable of the enjoyment of God, of having communion with the infinite first being of all things, and so he is capable of living the same life that God himself lives; for so the Scripture saith,1 That the Heathens were estranged from the life of God; so that it appears then, that believers are not estranged from the life of God, but do live the life of God in the enjoyment of communion with himself: For indeed there could be no communion, except there were living the same kind of life; as thus, A man and a beast cannot have communion together, why?