II. In Sleep the whole Body resteth, but many Times the Spirits of some Men are troubled; tho the outward Man is at rest, yet the inward Man is sorely disturbed, whereas the Bodies and Spirits too of others are at rest and quiet: So in the Death of the Wicked, tho their Bodies be at rest, yet their Souls are tormented. 'Tis the Opinion of some Men that the Soul sleeps with the Body, and is wholly senseless of Joy or Misery until the Resurrection. But that doubtless is a great Error: For tho it be granted that many Operations ⟨p. 399⟩of the Soul do cease when it departs from the Body, yet the Soul sleeps not. There are some Acts of the Soul which are organical; and there are other Acts which are inorganical, or immaterial. The Organical Acts, that is, whatsoever the Soul acts by the Members of the Body, those Acts must needs cease at Death; but the Soul can act of it self without the Assistance of the Body,1 as we may collect by many Experiments, while our Bodies and Souls are joined together. How often do we find our Souls at work, when our Bodies lie still and do nothing? When Sleep binds up all our Senses, and shuts up the Windows of the Body close, that we can neither hear nor see? yet then the Soul frames to it self, and beholds a thousand various Shapes, and hears all Sorts of Sounds and Voices; the Soul then sees, and hears, and deviseth, discourseth, grieves, rejoices, hopes, fears, chooseth, and refuseth: all this the Soul doth in Dreams and Visions of the Night, when deep sleep falls upon Man. What Meditations have some good Men had in their Sleep! they have had Scriptures wonderfully opened to them, and have been grieved when they waked to find the Matter gone from them. God seals up Instruction sometimes to his People in their Sleep. Also in Ecstasies and Ravishments the Body is, as it were, laid by as useless and uninstrumental to the Soul. I knew a Man in Christ fourteen Years ago, so the Apostle saith, whether in the Body I cannot tell, 2or out of the Body I cannot tell, God knoweth, &c. Now if the Soul was not capable of a Separation from the Body, and in that separated State capable of such divine Ravishments, Paul might easily have resolved the Case and said, he was taken up in the Body, but he could not tell whether the Soul acted with his bodily Organs, or without them.
II. In Sleep the vvhole Body resteth, but many Times the Spirits of some Men are troubled; tho the outvvard Man is at rest, yet the invvard Man is sorely disturbed, vvhereas the Bodies and Spirits too of others are at rest and quiet: So in the Death of the Wicked, tho their Bodies be at rest, yet their Souls are tormented. 'Tis the Opinion of some Men that the Soul sleeps vvith the Body, and is vvholly senseless of Joy or Mysery until the Resurrection. But that doubtless is a great Errour: For tho it be granted that many Operations ⟨p. 399⟩of the Soul do cease when it departs from the Body, yet the Soul sleeps not. There are some Acts of the Soul which are organical; and there are other Acts which are inorganical, or immaterial. The Organical Acts, that is, whatsoever the Soul acts by the Members of the Body, those Acts must needs cease at Death; but the Soul can act of it self without the Assistance of the Body,1 as we may collect by many Experiments, while our Bodies and Souls are joined together. How often do we find our Souls at work, when our Bodies lie still and do nothing? When Sleep binds up all our Senses, and shuts up the Windows of the Body close, that we can neither hear nor see? yet then the Soul frames to it self, and beholds a thousand various Shapes, and hears all Sorts of Sounds and Voices; the Soul then sees, and hears, and deviseth, discourseth, grieves, rejoices, hopes, fears, chuseth, and refuseth: all this the Soul doth in Dreams and Visions of the Night, when deep sleep falls upon Man. What Meditations have some good Men had in their Sleep! they have had Scriptures wonderfully opened to them, and have been grieved when they waked to find the Matter gone from them. God seals up Instruction sometimes to his People in their Sleep. Also in Ecstasies and Ravishments the Body is, as it were, laid by as useless and uninstrumental to the Soul. I knew a Man in Christ fourteen Years ago, so the Apostle saith, whether in the Body I cannot tell, 2or out of the Body I cannot tell, God knoweth, &c. Now if the Soul was not capable of a Separation from the Body, and in that separated State capable of such divine Ravishments, Paul might easily have resolved the Case and said, he was taken up in the Body, but he could not tell whether the Soul acted with his bodily Organs, or without them.
- 1Caryl.
- 22 Cor. 12.2, 3.
