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 III.

WHat a matchless madness is it to cast the Soul into Gods Prison, to save the Body out of Mans Prison!

Men have their Prisons, and God hath his: but because the one is an Object of Sense, and the other an Object of Faith; that only is feared, and this slighted all over this unbelieving World; except by a very small number of men who tremble at the Word of God. Now, this I say is the height of madness, and will appear to be so in a just Collation of both in a few Particu∣lars. (1) Mans Prison restrains the Body only, Gods Prison Soul and Body, Matt. 10.28. The Spirits of Men (as my Text speaks) are the Prisoners there. O what a vast odds doth this single difference make? A thousand times more than the cap∣tivating and binding of the greatest King or Emperour differs from the imprisonment of a poor Mechanick, or Vagrant Beggar. (2) In Mans Prison there are many comforts and unspeakable re∣freshments from Heaven, but in Gods Prison none, but the di∣rect contrary. You read of the Apostles, Acts 16.25. how they sang in the Prison: the Spirit of God made them a Banquet of heavenly Ioys, and they could not but sing at it: though their

feet were in the stocks, their Spirits were never more at li∣berty. Algerius dated his Letters from the delectable Orchard of the Leonine Prison: where saith he, flows the sweetest Nectar. Another tells us Christ was always kind to him, but since he be∣came a Prisoner for him, he even overcame himself in kindness. I verily think, saith he, the Chains of my Lord are all overlaid with pure Gold, and his Cross perfumed: but the worst terrours of the Prisoners in Hell, come from the presence of the Lord, 2 Thes. 1.9. God is a terrour to them. (3) The cause for which a man is cast into Prison by men, may be his D••ty, and so his Conscience must be at least quiet, if not joyful in such Sufferings. So it was with Paul, Acts 28.20. For the hope of Israel am I bound with this Chain: This diffuses Joy and Peace through the Con∣science into the whole man; but the cause for which men are cast into Gods Prison, is their sin and guilt, which armes their own Consciences against them, and makes them as you heard before, Self-tormentors, terrours to themselves. What odds is here? (4) In Mans Prison, the most excellent Company and sweet Society may be found. Paul and Silas were fellow Priso∣ners. In Queen Maries days, the most excellent Company to be found in England, was in the Prisons: Prisons were turned into Churches. But in Gods Prison no better Society is to be found, than that of Devils, and damned Reprobates, Matth. 25.41. (5) In Mans Prison there is hope of a comfortable deliverance; but in Gods Prison none, Matt. 5.26. Thou shalt not come out thence, till thou hast paid the last Mite. 'Tis an everlasting Prison.

Compare these few obvious Particulars, and judge then what is to be thought of that man, who stands readier to cast himself into any guilt, than into the least Suffering? What is it but as if a man should offer his Neck to the Sword, to save his hand? The Lord convince us what trifles our Estates, Liberties, and Lives are to our Souls, or to the peace and purity of our Consciences.