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 IV.

What an excellent creature is the Soul of man, which is capable not only of such preparations for God whilst it is in the Body; but of such sights and enjoyments of God when it lives without a Body!

Here the Spirit of God works upon it in the way of grace and sanctification, Eph. 2.10. The scope and design of this his workmanship is to qualifie and make us meet for the life of Heaven, 2 Cor. 5.5. For this self same thing, or purpose, our Souls are wrought or moulded by grace into quite ano∣ther frame and temper than that which nature gave them: and when he hath wrought out and finished all that he in∣tends to be wrought in the way of sanctification, then shall it be called up to the highest injoyments and imployments for ever, that a creature is susceptible of.

Herein the dignity of the Soul appears, that no other Creature in this World beside it, hath a natural capacity either to be sanctified inherently in this World, or glorifi∣ed everlastingly in that to come, to be transformed into the image, and filled with the joy of the Lord. There are My∣riads of other Souls in this World beside ours, but to none of them is the Spirit of sanctification sent, but only to ours. The Souls of Animals serve only to move the dull and slug∣gish matter, and take in for a few days the sensitive pleasures of the Creation, and so expire; having no natural capacity of, or designation for any higher imployment, or enjoyment.

And it deserves a most serious animadversion, that this vast capacity of the Soul for eternal blessedness, must of ne∣cessity make it capable of so much the more misery and self torment, if at last it fail of that blessedness: For it is apparent they do not perish because they are uncapable, but because they are unwilling; not because their Souls wanted any natu∣ral faculty that others have, but because they would not open those they have 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••••ceive Christ in the way of faith and obedience, as others did

Think upon this you that live only to eat, and drink, and sleep, and play, as the Birds and Beasts of the field do; what need was there of a reasonable Soul for such sensual imployments? do not your noble faculties speak your de∣signation for higher uses? and will you not wish to exchange Souls with the most vile and despicable Animal in this World, if it were possible to be done. Certainly it were better for you to have no capacity of eternal blessedness (as they have not) if you do not enjoy it; and no capacity of torment beyond this life (as they have not) if you must certainly endure it.