Pneumatologia, a treatise of the soul of man wherein the divine original, excellent and immortal nature of the soul are opened, its love and inclination to the body, with the necessity of its separation from it, considered and improved, the existence, operations, and states of separated souls, both in Heaven and Hell, immediately after death, asserted, discussed, and variously applyed, divers knotty and difficult questions about departed souls, both philosophical, and theological, stated and determined, the invaluable preciousness of humane souls, and the various artifices of Satan (their professed enemy) to destroy them, discovered, and the great duty and interest of all men, seasonable and heartily to comply with the most great and gracious design of the Father, Son, and Spirit, for the salvation of their souls, argued and pressed / by John Flavel ...

Inference VIII.

ARE Souls and Bodies tack'd together by so frail a thing as a puff of breath? How vain and ground∣less then are all those Pleasures men take in their Carnal Pro∣jects and Designs in this World!

We lay the Plot and Design of our future earthly felicity in our own thoughts, we mould and contrive a design for a long and pleasant life. The model for rai∣sing an Estate is already formed in our thoughts, and we have not patience to defer our pleasure till the accomplish∣ment of it, but presently draw a train of pleasing Con∣sequents from this Chimaera, and our thoughts can stoop to nothing less than sitting down all the remainder of our days, in the very lap of delight and pleasure: For∣getting that our breath is all the while in our Nostrils, and may expire the next moment; and if it do, the stru∣cture of all our Expectations and Projects come to no∣thing in the same moment: His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his dust; and in that very day his thoughts perish. Psal. 146.4. The whole frame of his thoughts falls in∣stantly abroad, by drawing out this one pin, his breath. Tis good with all our earthly designs, to mingle the serious thoughts of the Dominion of Providence, and our own frailty, Iames 4.15 If the Lord will, and we live.

'Tis become a common Observation, that assoon as men have accomplished their earthly designs, and begin to hug and bless themselves in their own Acquisitions, a suddain and unexpected period is put both to their Lives and Plea∣sures, as you may see Luke 12.19, 20. Dan. 4.30.

O then drive moderately, you will be at the end of all these things sooner than you imagine. We need not vi∣ctual a Ship to cross the Chanel, as they do that are bound to the Indies. What is your life? It is even a Va∣pour, which appeareth for a little while; and then vanisheth away, James 4.14. In one moment the Projects of many years are overturned for ever.