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 ...

USE II. Of Reproof.

IN the next place let me press you to regulate your love to your Bodies, by the rules of Religion and right Rea∣son: I must press you to love them, though Nature it self teacheth you so to do; but I press you to love them as Chri∣stians, as men that understand the right use and improve∣ment of their Bodies. There are two sorts of errours in our love to the Body, one in Defect, the other in Excess: both come fitly here to be censured and healed.

I. Some there be that offend in the Defect of love to their own Bodies, who use them as if they had no love for them, whose Souls act as if they were enemies to their own Bo∣dies. They do not formally and directly hate them, but consequentially and eventually they may be said to hate them, and that

(1) By defiling them with filthy lusts, so the Apostle speaks, 1 Cor. 6.18. Every sin that a man doth, is without the Body, but he that committeth Adultery sinneth against his own Body: in other sins, 'tis the Instrument, but here 'tis both Instrument and Object; not only God, but your own Bodies are abused, and wronged by it. The Body may be considered two ways, either

• 1. As our Vessels, or,
• 2. As the Spirits Temple.

1. As our Vessel or Instrument for natural and Spiritual U∣ses and Services: and on that account we should not injure or defile it, 1 Thes. 4.4, 5. but possess it in sanctification and honour. The lusts of Uncleanness, Gluttony, and Drunken∣ness quench the vigour; blast the beauty, and destroy the health and honour of the Body; and so render it both natu∣rally and morally unfit for the service and use of the Soul.

2. And the injury is yet greater, if we consider it as the Spirits Temple. On this ground the Apostle strongly convin∣ceth, and disswadeth Christians from these abuses of the Body, 1 Cor. 6.15, 16. He argues from the Dignity God will put upon our Bodies by the Resurrection, ver. 13, 14. They are to be transformed, and made like unto Christs glorious Body: and from the honour he hath already put upon the Bodies of the Saints, in their union with Christ, ver. 15, 16. They, as well as the Soul, are ingrafted into him, and joyned with him; they are his Temples, to be dedicated, hallowed, and consecrated to his service. O let them not be made a sink for lusts, or meer strainers for meat and drink.

(2) By macerating them with covetous lusts, denying them their due comforts and refreshments, and unmercifully bur∣thening them with labours and sorrows about things that perish. (1) Some deny their Bodies due comforts and re∣freshments, which the natural and positive Laws of God both allow and command. Their Souls are cruel Step-mo∣thers to their bodies, and keep them too short; not out of a prudent and Christian design to starve their lusts, but to advance their estates. Of this evil Solomon speaks, Eccles. 6.22. There is an evil which I have seen under the Sun, and it is common among men; A man to whom God hath given riches, Wealth, and Honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his Soul, of all that he desireth; yet God giveth him not power to eat there∣of, but a stranger eateth it. This is vanity, and it is an evil disease. Tenacity is a disease of the Soul, like that of a Dys∣cracy in the stomach, which so indisposeth it, that it cannot receive with any appetite or delight the best refreshments at a plentiful Table. (2) And others there are that wrong and

abuse their own bodies by laying unreasonable and unmerci∣ful loads upon them, especially loads of grief and sorrow, wasting and weakning them beyond all rules of reason or Religion. If a friend or relation die, they have less mercy on their own Bodies, than a conscientious man hath on the Horse he rides. Cares and sorrows are as deadly to the Body as a Sword, 1 Tim 6.10. Intense and immoderate griefs about Worldly losses and crosses have slain their ten thousands: and which is strange, the Soul seems to take a certain kind of pleasure in loading and tormenting the Body. There is a real truth in that strange expression of Seneca,* 1.1 Sorrow it self hath a certain kind of pleasure attending it.

The Souls of some mourners do willingly excite and pro∣voke their own griefs, when they begin to abate, which is like the whetting of the knife that grows dull, to make it cut the deeper into the Body.* 1.2 Thus, as Seneca observes, Some Parents that have lost their beloved children, willingly call to mind their pleasant sayings, and pretty actions, to find a kind of pleasure in a fresh shower of tears for them; when, poor hearts! sorrow hath so broken them already, that they need consolations under their present sorrows, ra∣ther than irritations of new ones. And the Souls un∣mercifulness to the Body, is in such cases farther discovered by its obstinate refusal of all that is comforting and relie∣ving: So it is said of Rachel, Jerem. 31.15. Rachel weep∣ing for her children, would not be comforted, because they were not. So the Israelites hearkened not unto Moses, because of the anguish of spirit, and the cruel bondage, Exod. 6.9. Thus we studiously rake together, and exasperate whatso∣ever is piercing, wounding, and over-whelming; and shut our ears to all that is relieving and supporting, which is cruelty to our own Bodies, and that which hath so far bro∣ken the health and strength of some bodies, that they are never like to be useful instruments to the Soul any more in this World. Such deep and desperate wounds have their own Souls given them by immoderate grief, as will never be perfectly healed, but by the Resurrection. Of those wounds the body may say as it is Zeth. 13.6. These are the wounds with which I was wounded in the house (or

by the hand) of my friend: thus my own Soul hath dealt cruelly and unmercifully with me.

II. Others offend in the Excess and extravagancy of their love to the Body, and these are an hundred to one in number with those that sin in defect of love. My friends, upon a due search it will be found, that the love of our Souls generally degenerates into fondness and folly: There is but little well tempered and ordinate love found among men. We make fondlings, yea, we make Idols of our own Bodies, we rob God, yea our own Souls, to give to the Body. It is not a natural and kindly heat of love, but a meer feavourish heat which preys upon the very Spirits of Religion, which is found with many of us. This feavourish distemper may be discovered by the beating of our pulse in three or four particulars.

(1.) This appears by our sinful indulgence to our whi∣ning appetites; We give the flesh whatsoever it craves, and can deny it nothing it desires; pampering the Body, to the great injury and hazard of the Soul. Some have their conversation in the lusts of the flesh, as it is Eph. 2.3. Trading only in those things that please and pamper the flesh: They sow to the flesh, Gal. 6.8. (i.e.) all their stu∣dies and labours are but the sowing of the seeds of pleasure to the flesh. Not an handful of spiritual Seed sowen in Pray∣er for the Soul all the day long; what the Body craves, the obsequious Soul like a slave, is at its beck to give it. Tit. 3. 3. Serving diverse lusts and pleasures, attending to every knock and call, to fulfil the desires of the flesh: O how little do these men understand the life of Religion, or the great design of Christianity! which consists in mortify∣ing, and not pampering and gratifying the Body, Rom. 14. 13, 14. And according to that rule all serious Christians order their Bodies, giving them what is needful to keep them serviceable and useful to the Soul, but not gratifying their irregular desires: giving what their wants, not what their wantonness calls for. So Paul, 1 Cor. 9.27. I beat it down, and keep it under; he understood it as his Servant, not his Master. He knew that Hagar would quickly peark up, and domineer over Sarah, expect more attendance than

the Soul, except it were kept under: These two verbs, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 are very emphatical; the former sig∣nifies to make it black and blue with buffeting, the other, to bring it under by checks and rebukes, as Masters that understand their place and Authority use to do with insolent and wanton Servants.

It was a rare expression of an Heathen, Major sum, & ad 〈◊〉〈◊〉 natus▪ quàm ut corporis mei sim mancipium: I am great∣er, and born to greater things, than that I should be a drudge or Vassal to my Body. And it was the saying of a pious Divine, when he felt the flesh rebellious and wanton, Ego faciam, aselle, ut non calcitres: I will make thee thou Ass, that thou shalt not kick. I know the superstitious Papists place much of Religion in these external things, but though they abuse them to an ill purpose, there is a necessary and lawful use of these abridgments and restraints upon the Bo∣dy; and it will be impossible to mortifie, and starve our lusts, without a due rigour and severity to our flesh. But how little are many acquainted with these things? They deal with their Bodies as David with Adonijah, of whom it's said, 1 Kings 1.6. His Father had not displeased him at any time, in saying, Why hast thou done so? And just so our flesh requites us by its Rebellions and Treasons against the Soul: it seeks the life of the Soul, which seeks nothing more than its content and pleasure; this is not ordinate love, but fondness and folly, and what we shall bitterly repent for at last.

(2.) It appears by our sparing and favouring of them, in the necessary uses and services we have for them in Religion. Many will rather starve their Souls, than work and exercise their Bodies, or disturb their sluggish rest: thus the idle excuses and pretences of endangering our health, oftentimes put by the duties of Religion, or at least lose the fittest and properest season for them: We are lazying upon our beds, when we should be wrestling upon our knees: The World is suffered to get the start of Religion in the morning, and so Religion is never able to overtake it all the day long. This was none of David's course, he prevented the dawning of the morning, and cryed, Psal. 119.147. and Psal. 5.3. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord, in the morning will

I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. And indeed we should consecrate unto God the freshest and fittest parts of our time, when our bodily Senses are most vigorous; and we would do so (except God by his providence disable us) were our hearts fully set for God, and Religion lay with weight upon our Spirits.

Some I confess cannot receive this injunction, being na∣turally disabled by prevailing infirmities, but those tha•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉, ought to do so. But O how many slothful excuses doth the flesh invent to put off duty! We shall injure our health, &c. O the hypocrisy of such pleas! if profit or pleasure call us up, we have no such shifts, but can rise early, and sit up late.

O Friends, why hath God given you Bodies, if not to waste and wear them out in his service, and the service of your own Souls? if your Bodies must not be put to it, and exer∣cised this way, where is the mercy of having a Body? If a stately Horse were given you on this condition, that you must not ride or work him, what benefit would such a gift be to you? Your Bodies must, and will wear out, and it's better wear them with working, than with rusting: we are generally more sollicitous to live long, than to live use∣fully and serviceably, and it may be our health had been more precious in the eyes of God, if it had been less pre∣cious in our own eyes? 'Tis just with God to destroy that health with diseases, which he sees we would cast away in slothfulness and idleness. Think with thy self, had such a Soul as Timothies or Gaius's been blessed with such a Body as thine, so strong and vigorous, so apt and able for service, they would have honoured God more in it, in a day, than perhaps you do in a year. Certainly, this is not love, but laziness, not a due improvement, but a sinful neglect and abuse of the Body, to let it rust out in idleness, which might be imployed so many ways for God, for your own and others Souls. Well, remember death will shortly dissolve them, and then they can be of no more use; and if you ex∣pect God should put glory and honour upon them at the Resurrection, use them for God now, with a faithful self-denying diligence.

(3.) It appears by our cowardly shrinking from dangers that threaten them, when the glory of God, our own and others Salvation,* 1.3 bid us expose and not regard them. Some there are, that rather than they will adventure their flesh to the rage of man, will hazard their Souls to the wrath of God. They are too tender to suffer pain or restraint for Christ, but consider not w••••t sufferings are prepared for the fearful and unbelieving in the World to come, Rev. 21.8. How ma∣ny sad examples do the Church-Histories of ancient and lat∣ter times afford us, of men who consulting with flesh and bloud in time of danger, have in pity to the Body ruined their Souls?

There be but few like minded with Paul, who set a low price upon his liberty or life for Christ, Act. 20.24. or with those worthy Iews, Dan. 3.28. who yielded their Bodies to preserve their consciences. Few of Chrysostoms mind who told the Em∣press, Nil nisi peccatum timeo, I fear nothing but sin; Or of Basils, who told the Emperor, God threatned Hell, whereas he threat∣ned but a prison. That is a remarkable Rule that Christ gives us Mat. 10.28. The sum of it is, to set God against man, the Soul against the Body, and Hell against temporal suffer∣ings, and so surmounting these low fleshly considerations, to cleave to our duty in the face of dangers. You read Gal. 11 16. how in pursuit of Duty, though surrounded with dan∣ger, Paul would not conferr or consult with flesh and bloud, (i. e.) ask its opinion which were best, or stay for its con∣sent till it were willing to suffer; he understood not that the flesh had any voice at the Council-table in his Soul, but wil∣ling, or unwilling, if duty call for it, he was resolved to ha∣zard it for God.

We have a great many little Politicians among us, who think to husband their lives and liberties a great deal better than other plain-hearted and too forward Christians do; but these Politiques will be their perdition, and their craft will be∣tray them to ruine. They will lose their lives by saving them, when others will save them by losing them, Matth. 10.39. For the interest of the Body depends on and fol∣lows the safety of the Soul, as the Cabin doth the ship.

O my Friends, let me beg you not to love your Bodies into Hell, and your Souls too for their sakes: be not so

scar'd at the sufferings of the Body, as with poor Spira to dash them both against the wrath of the great and terrible God. Most of those Souls that are now in Hell, are there upon the account of their indulgence to the flesh: they could not deny the flesh, and now are denyed by God. They could not suffer from men, and now must suffer the ven∣geance of eternal fire.

(4.) In a word, it appears we love them fondly and irre∣gularly, in that we cannot with any patience think of death and separation from them. How do some men fright at the very name of death? and no Arguments can perswade them seriously to think of an unbodied and separated estate. 'Tis as death to them, to bring their thoughts close to that ungrate∣ful Subject. A Christian that loves his Body regularly and moderately, can look into his own grave with a composed mind, and speak familiarly of it, as Iob 17.14. And Peter speaks of the putting off of his Body by death, as a man would of the putting off of his cloaths at night, 2 Pet. 1.13, 14. And certainly such men have a great Advantage above all others, both as to the tranquillity of their life and death. You know a parting time must come, and the more fond you are of them, the more bitter and doleful that time will be. Nothing except the guilt, and terrible charges of con∣science, put men into terrours at death, more than our fondness of the Body. I do confess, Christless persons have a great deal of reason to be shie of death: their dying day is their undoing day: but for Christians to startle and fright at it, is strange, considering how great a friend death will be to them that are in Christ. What are you afraid of? What, to go to Christ? to be freed of sin and affliction too soon? Certainly, it hath not been so comfortable an habi∣tation to you, that you should be loth to exchange it for an Heavenly one.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Inest quiddam dulce tristitiae, Senec. Ep. 806.
• * 1.2

  Cum occurrant Sermones corum jucundi, conver∣satio hilaris, officiosa pietas; tunc ocali ve∣lut in gaudio relaxantur. Sen. Ep. 806.
• * 1.3

  Here the Soul receives a deadly wound upon it self, to¦ward it ••ff from the Bo∣dy. So did Spira.