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 I.

IF upon a fair and just account there shall appear to be more gain to Believers in Death, than there is in Life: reason must needs vote death to be better to them that are in Christ, than life can be; and consequently it should be desireable in their eyes.

'Tis a clear dictate of reason in case of choice to chuse that which is best for us. Who is there that freely exercises reason and choice together, that will not do so?

What Merchant will not part with an hundred pounds worth of Glass Beads and Pendents, for a Tun of Gold? A few Tinsell Toyes, for as many rich Diamonds? Mercatura

est amittere, ut lucreris, that is true Merchandize, to part with things of lesser, for things of greater value.

Now, if you will be tried and determined by Gods Book of Rates, then the case is determined quickly, and the ad∣vantage appears exceedingly upon deaths side, Philip. 1.21. To me to live, is Christ; and to die, is gain.

Objection

True, it might be so to Paul, who was eminent in grace, and ripe for glory; but it may be loss to others who have not attained the heighth of his holiness, or assurance.

Sol.

The true and plain sense of the Objection is this, whether Heaven and Christ be as much gain to him that enjoys it, though he be behind others both in grace, and obedience; as it is to them who are more eminent in grace, and have done and suffered more for its sake? and let it be determined by your selves: but if your meaning be, that Paul was rea∣dy for death, and so are not you: his work and course was almost comfortably finished, and so is not yours: his death therefore must needs be gain to him, but it may be loss to you; even the loss of all that you are worth for ever.

To this I say, the Wisdom of God orders the time of his peoples death, as well as all other Circumstances about it: and in this, your hearts may be at perfect rest, That being in Christ you can never die to your loss, die when you will. I know you will reply, that if your Union with Christ were clear, the Controversie were ended: but then you must also consider, they are as safe who die by an act of re∣cumbency upon Christ, as those that die in the fullest assu∣rance of their interest in him.

And beside, your Reluctancies and Aversations to death, are none of your way to assurance; but such a strong aversa∣tion to sin, and such a vehement desire after, and love to Christ as can make you willing to quit all that is dear and desireable to you in this World, for his sake, is the very next door or step to assurance, and if the Lord bring your

hearts to this frame, and fix them there, it is not like you will be long without it.

But to return, Paul had here valued life, with a full allow∣ance of all the benefits and advantages of it, To me to live is Christ: that is, if I live, I shall live in Communion with Christ, and service for Christ, and in the midst of all those Comforts which usually result from both. Here's life with the most weighty and desireable benefits of it laid in one scale, and he lays death, and probably a violent death too; for of that he speaks to them afterwards in Chap. 2.17. thus he fills the Scales, and the Balance breaks on deaths side, yea, it comes down with a 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, a far far better.

But here falls in (* 1.1 as an Excellent Person observes) a Rubb in the way: there are in this case two Judges, the Flesh and Spirit, and they cannot agree upon the values, but con∣tradict each other. Nature saith, It's far far better to live than to die, and will not be beaten off from it. What then? I hope you will not put blind and partial nature in competi∣tion with God also; as you do life with death: but seeing Nature can plead so powerfully, as well as Grace, let us hear what those strong reasons are, that are urged by the flesh on lifes side, and what the Soul hath to reply and plead on deaths side, (for the Body can plead and that charmingly too, though not by words and sounds) and then determine the matter as we shall see cause: but be sure prejudice pull not down the Balance.

I. The Pleas of Nature for life, and against dissolution.

And here the doleful voice of Nature laments, pleads, and bemoans it self to the willing Soul,

O my Soul, What dost thou mean by these thy desires to be dissolved? Art thou in earnest, when thou saist thou art willing to leave thine own Body and be gone? Consi∣der, and think again ere thou bid me farewel, what thou art to me, and what I have been and am to thee; thou art my Soul, that is, my Prop, my Beauty, my Honour, my Life, and indeed, all that is comfortable to me. If thou depart, what am I but a Spectacle of Pity, an abhorred

Carcass in a few moments? A prey to the Worms, a Cap∣tive to Death? If thou depart, my Candle is put out, and I am left in the horrours of darkness.

I am thy House, thy delightful habitation, the House in which thou hast dwelt from the first moment of thy Crea∣tion, and never lodgedst one Night in any other: every Room in me hath one way or another been a Banquetting-room for thy entertainment, a Room of pleasure: all my Senses have been Purveyors for thy delight: my Members have all of them been thine Instruments and Servants to execute thy Commands and Pleasure; if thou and I part, it must be in a showre: thou shalt feel such pains, such tra∣velling throes, such deep emphatical groans, such Sweats, such Agonies as thou never felt'st before. For Death hath somewhat of anguish peculiar to it self, and which is un∣known, though guessed at by the Living. Beside, when ever thou leavest me, thou leavest all that is and hath been comfortable to thee in this World: thy House shall know thee no more, Iob 7.10. thy Lands, thy Money; thy Trade, which hath cost thee so many careful thoughts, and yielded thee so many Refreshments, shall be thine no longer: Death will strip thee out of all these, and leave thee naked.

Thou hast also, since thou becamest mine, contracted ma∣nifold Relations in the World, which I know are dear unto thee. I know it by costly experience: How hast thou made me to wear and wast my self in Labours, Cares, and Watchings for them? But if thou wilt be gone, all these must be left exposed, God knows to what Wants, Abuses, and Miseries: for I can do nothing for them or my self, if once thou leave me. Thus it charms and pleads: thus it lay∣eth as it were violent hands upon the Soul, and saith, O my Soul, thou shalt not depart. It hangs about it much as the Wife and Children of good Galeacius Carracciolus did about him, when he was leaving Italy to go to Geneva (a lively Emblem of the Case before us.) It saith to the Soul as Ioab did to David, thou hast shamed my face this day, in that thou lovest thine Enemy Death, and hatest me thy friend. O my Soul, my Life, my Darling, my Dear and only one, let nothing but unavoidable necessity part thee and me. All this the Flesh can plead, and a great deal

more than this, and that a thousand times more powerfully and feelingly than any words can plead the case. And all its Arguments are backt by sense: Sight and Feeling attest what Nature speaks.

II. The Pleas of Faith in behalf of Death.

Let us in the next place weigh the Pleas and Reasons, which, notwithstanding all this, do overpower and prevail with the Believing Soul to be gone, and quit its own Body, and return no more to the Elementary World.

And thus the power of Faith and Love, enable it to reply.

My dear Body, the Companion and Partner of my Com∣forts and Troubles in the days of my Pilgrimage on earth, great is my love, and strong are the Bonds of my affections to thee. Thou hast been tenderly, yea, excessively beloved by me: my cares and fears for thee have been unexpressi∣ble: and nothing but the love of Jesus Christ is strong e∣nough to gain my consent to part with thee: thy interest in my affections is great, but as great as it is, and as much as I prize thee, I can shake thee off, and thrust thee aside to go to Christ.

Nor may this seem absurd or unreasonable, considering that God never designed thee for a Mansion, but only a temporary Tabernacle to me: 'tis true I have had some comfort during my abode in thee, but I enjoyed those Com∣forts only in thee, not from thee; and many more I might have enjoyed, hadst thou not been a snare and a clog to me.

'Tis thou that hast eaten up my time, and distracted my thoughts, ensnared my affections, and drawn me under much sin and sorrow. However though we may weep over each other as Accessories to the sins and miseries we have drawn upon our selves, yet in this is our joint relief that the Blood of Christ hath cleansed us both from all sin.

And therefore I can part the more easily and comfortably from thee, because I part in hope to receive and enjoy thee in a far better condition than I leave thee. It is for both our interest to part for a time: for mine, because I shall there∣by be freed and delivered from sin and sorrow, and imme∣diately obtain rest with God, and the satisfaction of all my

desires in his presence and enjoyment, which there is no other way to obtain, but by separation from thee: and why should I live a groaning burthened restless life always, to grantifie thy fond and irrational desires? If thou lovedst me, thou would'st rejoice, and not repine at my happiness. Parents willingly part with their Children at the greatest distance for their preferment, how dearly soever they love them: and dost thou envy or repine at mine? I lived many Months a suffocating obscure life with thee in the Womb, and neither thou nor I had ever tasted or experienced the Comforts of this World, and the various Delights of sense, if we had not cast the Secundine, and strugled hard for an entrance into this World. And now we are here, alas, though thou art contented to abide, I live in thee, but as we both lived in the Womb, an obscure and uneasie, and unsuitable life. Thou canst feed upon material bread, and delight thy self amidst the variety of sensitive Objects thou findest here; but what are all these things to me? I cannot subsist by them; that which is food to thee, is but Chaff, Wind, and Vanity to me. If I stay with thee, I shall be still sinning, and still groaning: when I leave thee, I shall be immediately freed from both, and arrive at the summ and perfection of all my hopes, desires, and whatsoever I have aimed at, and laboured for, in all the duties of my life. Let us therefore be content to part.

Shrink not at the horrour of a Grave: 'tis indeed, a dark and solitary house, and the days of darkness may be many: but to thee, my dear Companion, it shall be a Bed of rest: Yea, a perfumed Bed, where thy Lord Jesus lay bef••••e thee. And let the time of thy abode there, be never so long, thou shalt not measure it, nor find the least redious∣ness in it. A thousand years there, shall seem no more in the Morning of the Resurrection, than the sweetest Nap of an hour long seemed to be, when I was wont to lay thee upon thy Bed to rest.

The worms in the Grave shall be nothing to thee, nor give thee the thousandth part of that trouble that a Flea was wont to do. And though I leave thee, Jesus Christ shall watch in the mean time over thy dust, and not suffer a grain of it to be lost. And I will return assuredly to thee again at the

time appointed: I take not an everlasting farewel of thee, but depart for a time, that I may receive thee for ever. To conclude, there is an unavoidable necessity of our parting; whether willing, or unwilling, we must be separated: but the consent of my will to part with thee for the enjoyment of Jesus Christ, will be highly acceptable to God, and as a lump of Sugar to sweeten the bitter cup of death to us both.

This, and much more the gracious Soul hath to say for its separation from the Body, by which it is easie to discern where the gain and advantage of death lies to all Believers! and consequently how much it must be every way their in∣terest to be unbodied.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Mr. How in Mrs. Margaret Baxter's Fu∣neral Sermon.