A85953:480
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 3: The Third 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.
1 Why first when he lives idly, and makes no use at all of it, any more than if he had but the soul of a Brute. Psal. 24.5. speaking of him that had not lift up his soul unto vanity, I remember the old Latin Arius Montanus turns it, He that hath received his soul in vain. And indeed most people do receive their souls from God in vain, or to no purpose, they make no more use of them than the Philosopher said of the Swine that had his soul only as salt to keep the flesh from stinking; there is all the use many ⟨p. 237⟩men make of their souls, only to keep their bodies from smelling, and from corruption.
1 Why first when hee lives idlely, and makes no use at all of it, any more than if hee had but the soul of a Brute. Psal. 24.5. speaking of him that had not lift up his soul unto vanity, I remember the old Latin Arius Montanus turns it, Hee that hath received his soul in vain. And indeed most people do receive their souls from God in vain, or to no purpose, they make no more use of them than the Philosopher said of the Swine that had his soul onely as salt to keep the flesh from stinking; there is all the use many ⟨p. 237⟩men make of their souls, onely to keep their bodies from smelling, and from corruption.
Secondly, We dishonour our souls when we employ them about low and mean things unworthy of them, and make them to be the chief things that we employ them about; It is the misery of man so to do, that I spake of before, and it is the sin of man so to do: How many men that have such precious immortal souls as these are, know no higher good to employ them about, than to be it may be all day or night in shuffling a pair of Cards, or casting of Dice, or at Tables? there is the highest good that they know how to employ their souls about. What a poor mean low thing is this, what a dishonour to such a soul as this? If so be any of you have servants that are of good breeding, good parentage, that are of excellent parts, that have lived long with you, that have skill in your Trade, if you should set them to do nothing but pick straws, they would account it a great dishonour put upon them. Truly what do you with these precious immortal souls of yours that are so much worth, even more than the world, but employ them in such poor things, even to pick straws as it were? if a man should have pearls, that every one of them were worth a Kingdom, and he should know no other use to make of them than to stop holes in Mud walls, one would think it, as to be great folly in him, so a great dishonour put upon those pearls that are of so much worth; why your souls are more worth every one of them than all the Pearls and Kingdoms in the world, and for you to do nothing else but spend the strength of your souls about gathering of a little dirt together here in this world, it is a great dishonour to your souls.