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 ...

Argument V.

THere are many Scriptures which very much favour, if they do not positively conclude the Souls inclination to and desire to be re-united with its own body, even whilst it is in the state of its single glorification in Heaven; certainly our Souls leave not our Bodies at death, as the Ostrich doth her Egg in the sand, without any farther regard to it, or con∣cernment for it, but they are represented, as crying to God to remember, ave•••••• and vindicate them, Rev. 6.1••, 11. How long, Lord, how long wilt thou not avenge our blood? our blood, speaks both the continued Relation, and suitable affe∣ction they have to their absent Bodies.

And to the same sense a judicious and learned Pen ex∣pounds that place, Iob 14.14. (which is commonly, but I know not how fitly, accommodated to another purpose) all the days of my appointed time will I wait till my change come: which words by a diligent comparing of the Context appear to have this for their proper scope and sense.

Iob in the former verse had expressed his confidence by way of Petition,* 1.1 that at a set and appointed time God would remember him, so as to recal him out of the Grave; and now minded to speak out more fully, puts the Questi∣on to himself, If a man die, shall he live again? And thus answers it, all the days of my appointed time (that is, of the appointed time which he mentioned before, when God should revive him out of the dust) will I wait till my change come: that is, that glorious change, when the cor∣ruption of a loathsome Grave, should be exchanged for immortal glory: which he amplifies, and utters more ex∣presly, Ver. 15. Thou shalt call, and I will answer; thou shalt have a desire to the work of thy hands, thou wilt not always for∣get to restore and perfect thine own Creature. And surely this waiting is not the act of his inanimate sleeping dust, but of that part which should be capable of such an action: q. d. I, in that part which shall be still alive, shall pati∣ently wait the appointed time of reviving me in that part also which Death and the Grave shall insult over in a tem∣porary triumph in the mean time.

Upon these grounds I think the inclination of the separa∣ted Spirits of the just to their own Bodies, to be a justifiable Opinion. As for the damned, we have no reason to think such a re-union to be desireable to them: for alas, it will be but the increase and aggravation of their torments; which con∣sideration is sufficient to over-power and stifle the inclination of nature, and make the very thoughts of it horrid and dreadful. To what end (as the Prophet speaks in another case) is it for them to desire that day? It will be a day of darkness and gloominess to them; re-union being designed to compleat the happiness of the one, and the misery of the other.

But before I take off my hand, and dismiss this question, I must remember that I am Debtor to two Objections.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Mr. How's Blessedness of the Righte∣ous, p. 170, 171.