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 ...

§. 4.

This Internal way of speaking and Communication among Spirits, is much more noble, perfect, and excellent, than that which is in use among us by words and signs: and that in two respects, viz.

in respect

1. Of clearness.

2. Of dispatch and speed.

in respect

1. Of clearness.

2. Of dispatch and speed.

1. Spiritual Language is more clearly expressive of the mind and thoughts, than words, writings, or any other Ex∣ternal signs can be. The greatest Masters of Language do often cloud their meaning for want of words fit and full enough to express it: truth suffers by the Poverty and Am∣biguity of words: many Controversies are but meer strifes about words, and scufflings in the dark, by the mistakes of each others sense and meaning: few have the ability of put∣ting

their own meanings into apt, proper, and full expressi∣ons; and if they can, yet others to whom they speak, want an answerable ability of understanding, and clearness of ap∣prehension to receive it. If we could discern the true and na∣tural sense of things, just as it is in the mind of the Speaker or Writer, How many Controversies would be thereby quickly ended?

But Spirits unbodied so conveigh their sense and mind to one another, that there can be no mistakes: no darkning of Counsel, by words without knowledge; but one receives it just as it lies in the others mind.

2. Spiritual Language is more easie, and of quicker dis∣patch. Some men have voluble Tongues, and are much more ready and presential than others, their Tongues are as the Pen of a ready Scribe: and others, no less ready with their hands, which keep pace with, yea, out-run the Tongue of the Speaker, as Martial notes,

* 1.1Currant verba licet, manus est velocior illis; Nondum lingua suum, dextra peregit opus.

Yet all this is but bungling work to the ready dispatch of Spirits, one act of the Will opens the Window to discern the mind of another clearly: so that the converse of Spirits must needs be more excellent in both respects, than any we are accustomed to, or acquainted with in this World. I will shut up this Question with

Notes

• * 1.1

  Martial. Epig. lib. 14. Ep. 176.