A85953:591
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 5: The Fifth 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.
Quest. Wounding, how you will say?
Answ. By that I mean the commission of sins against conscience; to commit a known sin, and a wilful sin, oh this gives a wide gash in the soul, a most fearful wound! every sin against conscience gives a wound that requires a salve to heal it, that is more worth than a thousand worlds; the sins against conscience, against light, against knowledge, they are deep wounds unto the souls of men; and it is not usual for such wounds to be healed, for they do not only strike at the life of the soul, but they harden the heart of the sinner exceedingly, and keep off the means that might do the soul good; thou goest abroad into company, and there thou committest a sin against thy conscience, oh thou hast given a gash to that precious soul of thine, thou hast given it a deep wound, and except thou lookest to it, and that presently, thy soul perhaps may die for ever! A man that hath received a deep wound, he presently sends for the Chirurgeon, and if it bleeds well, he hopes the cure is more hopeful: so when thou hast committed sin, if indeed it bleed, that is, if thy soul presently be sensible of it, and affected with it, and mourn and lament, and so seek after the Chirurgeon, there may be hopes; but men and women do wound their own souls by wilful sins, sins against their consciences, and yet they are not sensible of them, they do not so much as bleed, but they lye in the very open Air, as it were, and are not bound up at all, Ah! thousand thousands there are that die and perish this way.
Answ. By that I mean the commission of sins against conscience; to commit a known sin, and a wilful sin, oh this gives a wide gash in the soul, a most fearful wound! every sin against conscience gives a wound that requires a salve to heal it, that is more worth than a thousand worlds; the sins against conscience, against light, against knowledge, they are deep wounds unto the souls of men; and it is not usual for such wounds to bee healed, for they do not onely strike at the life of the soul, but they harden the heart of the sinner exceedingly, and keep off the means that might do the soul good; thou goest abroad into company, and there thou committest a sin against thy conscience, oh thou hast given a gash to that precious soul of thine, thou hast given it a deep wound, and except thou lookest to it, and that presently, thy soul perhaps may die for ever! A man that hath received a deep wound, hee presently sends for the Chyrurgion, and if it bleeds well, hee hopes the cure is more hopeful: so when thou hast committed sin, if indeed it bleed, that is, if thy soul presently bee sensible of it, and affected with it, and mourn and lament, and so seek after the Chyrurgion, there may bee hopes; but men and women do wound their own souls by wilful sins, sins against their consciences, and yet they are not sensible of them, they do not so much as bleed, but they lye in the very open Air, as it were, and are not bound up at all, Ah! thousand thousands there are that die and perish this way.