Meditations of the Miseries of the Soul in this Life.

THE Misery of thy Soul will more e∣vidently appear, if thou wilt but consider.

• 1. The felicity she hath lost.
• 2. The misery which she hath pulled upon her self by sin.

1. The felicity lost, was first the Fruiti∣on of the image of God, whereby the Soul was like unto God in*knowledge, enabling her perfectly to understand†the revealed Page  44 Will of God. Secondly, True holyness, by which she was fre• from all prophane er∣ror. Thirdly, Righteousness, whereby she was able to incline all her natural powers, and to frame uprightly all her Actions, pro∣ceeding from those powers: With the loss of this Divine Image she lost the love of God, and the blessed Communion which she had with his Majesty, wherein consisteth her life and happiness, if the loss of Earthly Riches vex thee so much, how should not the loss of this Divine Treasure perplex thee much more;

2. The misery, which she pulled upon her self, consists in two things:

• 1. Sinfulness.
• 2. Cursedness.

1. Sinfulness is an universal corrupti∣on, both of Her Nature and Actions: for HeraNature is infected with a proneness to every sin continually, thebMind is stuffed with Vanity, thecVnderstanding is darkned with Ignorance, thedWill af∣fecteth nothing but vile and vain things: All HereActions•re evil; yea, this defor∣mity is so violent, that oftentimes in the regenerate Soul the Appetite will not obey the government of Reason and the Will wandreth after, and yields consent to sin∣ful motions. How great then is the vio∣lenc• of the Appetite and Will in the Repro∣bate Soul, which still remains in her na∣tural corruption! hence it is, that thy wretched Soul is so deformed with Sin, defiled with Lust polluted with Filthiness, outraged with Passions, overcarried with Page  45Affections, pining with Envy, overcharged with Gluttony, surfeited with Drunkenness, boiling with Revenge, transported with Rage, and the glorious Image of God trans∣formed into the ugly shape of theaDevil, so far as it oncebrepented the Lord that he ever made Man.

From the former flows the other part, of the Soul's Miseries, calledcCursedness whereof there are two degrees.**

• 1. In part.
• 2. In fullness thereof.

1. Cursedness in part is that which is in∣flicted upon the Soul in life and death, and is common to her with the Body.

The Cursedness of the Soul in Life is the wrath of God, which lieth upon such a Creature so far, as that all things, not only Calamities, but also verydBlessings, and eGraces, turn to ruine.fTerror of Consci∣ence drives him from God and his service, that he dares not come to his Presence and Ordinances; but isg given up to thehsla∣very of Satan, and to his own Lusts, and vile Affections.

This is the Cursedness of the Soul in life; Now follows the Cursedness of the Soul and Body in Death.