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.

THe foretasts we have had of Heaven already in the Bo∣dy, should make all the Saints long to be unbodied for the full and perfect fruition of that Joy; seeing it cannot be fully and perfectly enjoyed by the Soul, till it hath put off the Body by death.

That there are Praelibations, First-fruits, and Earnests of future glory given at certain seasons to Believers in this life, is put beyond all doubting, not only by Scripture-Testimo∣nies, but frequent experiences of God's People. I speak not only with the Scriptures, but with the clear experience of many Saints; when I say, there are to be felt and tasted, even here in the Body, the Earnests of our Inheritance, Eph. 1.14. The first-fruits of the Spirit, Rom. 8.23. The sealing of the Spirit, Eph. 1.13. The very Ioy of the Lord, 1 Pet. 1.8. of the same kind, though in a remisser degree with that of the glorified.

That the fulness of this joy cannot be in us whilst we ta∣bernacle in Bodies of flesh, is as plain. When Moses desired a sight of that face which the spirits of just men made perfect, do continually behold and adore, the Answer was, No Man can see my face and live, Exod. 33.18, 19, 20. q. d. Moses, Thou askest a great thing, and understandest not how unable thou

art to support that which thou desirest: should I shew thee my Glory in this compounded state thou now art, it would confound thee, and swallow thee up. Nature, as now constituted, cannot support such a weight of Glory: a Ray, a glimpse of this light overpowers Man, and breaks such a clay Vessel to pieces: which is the reason why the Resurre∣ction must intervene betwixt this state, and that of the Bo∣dies glorification.

And it is not to be doubted, but one main end and reason why these foretasts of Heaven are given us in the Body, is to embolden the Soul to venture through death it self for the full enjoyment of those Delights and Pleasures. They are like the Grapes of Eshcol to the faint-hearted Israelites; or the sweet Wines of Italy to the Gauls, which once tasted made them restless till they had conquered that good Coun∣trey where they grew, Rom. 8.23. We which have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we our selves, do groan within our selves, waiting for the Adoption, viz. The Redemption of our Bodies.

Well then, reflect seriously upon those sweet tastes that you have had of God and his love in your sincere and secret addresses to him, and converses with him. What an holy forgetfulness of all things in this World hath it wrought! How insipid and tastless hath it rendered the sweetest Crea∣ture-enjoyments! What willingness to be dissolved for a more full fruition of it! God this way brings Heaven nigh to your Souls, out of design to overcome your Reluctancies at death, through which you must pass to the enjoyment of it. And after all those sights and tastes both of the truth and goodness of that state, shall we still reluctate and hang back, as if we had never tasted how good the Lord is! O you may justly question, whether you ever had a real taste of Jesus Christ; if that taste do not kindle Coals of fire in your Bo∣somes: I mean ardent longings to be with him, and to be sa∣tiated with his love.

If you have been priviledged with a taste of tha•• hidden Manna, with the sight of things invisible, with Joys unspeak∣able and full of glory; and yet are loth to be gone to the fountain, whence all this flows: certainly you herein both cross the design of the spirit in giving them, and cast a vile

disgrace and reproach upon the blessed God, as thinking there is more bitterness in death, than there is sweetness in his presence. Yea, it argues the strength of that unbelief which still remains in your hearts, that after so many tastes, and tryals as you have had, you still remain doubtful and hesi∣tating about the certainty and reality of things invisible.

O what adoe hath God with his froward and peevish Children! If he had only revealed the future state to us in his Word, as the pure Object of Faith, and required ••s to die upon the meer credit of his promise, without such Pawns, Pledges, and Earnests, as these are; were there not reason enough for it? But after such, and so many wonderful and amazing Condescentions, wherein he doth, as it were, say, Soul, if yet thou doubtest, I will bring Hea∣ven to thee, thou shalt have it in thy own hand, thy eyes shall see it, thy hands shall handle it, thy Mouth shall taste it; how inexcusable is our Reluctancy?