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 VI.

DOth the Soul overlive the Body, and abide for ever? Then 'tis a great evil and folly to be excessively careful for the mortal Body, and neglective of the immortal Inhabitant. In a too much indulged Body, there ever dwells a too much neglected Soul.

The Body is but a vile thing, Philip. 3.21. the Soul more valuable than the whole World, Matt. 16.26. to spend time, care, and pains for a vile Body, whilst little or no regard is had to the precious Immortal Soul, is an unwarranta∣ble folly and madness. To have a clean, and washed Body,

and a Soul all filth (as one speaks) a Body neatly cloathed and dressed,* 1.1 with a Soul all naked and unready: a Body fed, and a Soul starved; a Body full of the Creature, and a Soul empty of Christ: these are poor Souls indeed. We smile at little children, who in a kind of laborious idleness, take a great deal of pains to make and trim their Ba∣bies, or build their little houses of Sticks and straws. And what are they but children of a bigger size, that keep such ado about the Body, a house of Clay? a weak pile, that must perish in a few days! 'Tis admirible, and very convictive of most Christians what we read in an Heathen. I confess (saith Seneca) there is a love to the Body im∣planted in us all,* 1.2 we have the Tutilage and charge of it, we may be kind and indulgent to it, but must not serve it, but he that serves it, is a servant to many cares, fears and passi∣ons. Let us have a diligent care of it, yet so as when Rea∣son requires, when our Dignity or faith requires it, we com∣mit it to the fire.

'Tis true, the Body is beloved of the Soul, and God re∣quires, that it moderately care for the necessities and con∣veniences of it, but to be fond, indulgent, and constantly sollicitous about it, is both the sin, and snare of the Soul. One of the Fathers being invited to dine with a Lady, and waiting some hours till she was drest, and fit to come down, when he saw her, he fell a weeping, and being demanded why he wept, O saith he, I am troubled that you should spend so many hours this morning in pinning and trimming your Body, when I have not spent half the time in Praying, Repenting, and caring for my own Soul. Two things a Master commits to his Servants care, (saith one) the Child, and the Childs cloaths: it will be but a poor excuse for the Servant to say, at his Masters return, Sir, here are all the Childs cloaths neat and clean, but the child is lost. Much so will be the account that many will give to God of their Souls and Bodies at the great day. Lord, here is my Body,

I was very careful for it, I neglected nothing that belonged to its content and well-fare; but for my Soul, that is lost, and cast away for ever, I took little care or thought about it. 'Tis remarkable what the Apostle saith, Rom. 8.12. We owe nothing to the flesh, we are not in its debt, we have given it all, more than all that belongs to it; but we owe many an hour, many a care, many a deep thought to our Souls, which we have defrauded it of, for the vile Bo∣dies sake. You have robb'd your Souls, to pay your flesh. This is madness.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Carzv. p. 148.149.
• * 1.2

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 insit••m esse nobis corpo∣••is nostri cha∣ritatem. Fa∣te•• nos hujus gere••e tutelam, nec nego indul∣gendum illi: ser••iendum ne∣go. Multus e∣nim serviet qui corpori servit, qui pro illo nimium timet, qui ad illud omnia refert; hujus nos ni∣mi•••• amor timoribus inquietat, solicitudinibus onerat, contumeli••s objicit: bones••um ei vile est c••i corpus nimis charum est: agatur ejus diligentissimè cura: ita, tamen, ut cum exiget ratio, cum dignitas, cum fides, mittendum in ignem sit. Seneca, Ep. 14. p. 545.