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 ...

The seventh way of losing the Soul discovered.

VII. The seventh beaten path to destruction is by ground∣less presumption; praesum••ndo sperant, & spirando per••unt;

by presumption they have hope, and by that hope they pe∣rish.

There are divers objects of Presumption, amongst which these three are most usual and most fatal: viz.

That they have

• 1. That Grace which they have not.
• 2. That Mercy in God they will not find.
• 3. That Time before them which will fail them.

1. Many presume they have that Grace in them, which God knoweth they have not: So did Laodicea, Rev. 3.17. Thou sayest, I am rich, and have need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable, poor, blind and naked. Here is a dangerous Conspiracy betwixt a cunning Devil, and an ignorant proud Heart, to ruine the Soul for ever: they stamp their common Grace for special: they put the old Creature, by a general Profession, into the new Creatures habit, and lay a confident claim to all the Priviledges of the Children of God.

2. They presume upon such Mercy in God, as they will never find: they expect pardoning and saving Mercy out of Christ, in an unregenerate state, when there is not one drop of Mercy dispensed in any other way. The whole oeconomy of Grace is managed by the Mediator, Iude v. 21. all saving Mercies come through him, upon all that are in him, and upon no others. God is indeed a merciful God, and yet pre∣sumptuous sinners will find Judgment without Mercy, be∣cause they are not found in the proper way and method of Mercy. Thousands and ten thousands carve out and dispose the Mercy of God at their own pleasure, write their own Pardons in what Terms they think fit; and if they had Gods Seal to firm and ratifie them, it were all well: but alas! it is but a night-vision, a dream of their own brain.

3. But especially, men presume upon Time enough for Repentance hereafter: they question not but there be as fit and as fair opportunities of Salvation to come, as are alrea∣dy past; and in this snare of the Devil thousands are taken

in the very prime and vigour of their youth. That age is voluptuous, and loves not to be interrupted with severe and serious thoughts and courses; and here is a Salvo fitted ex∣actly to suit their inclination, and quiet them in their way, that they may pursue their lusts without interruption.

I cannot follow the sin of Presumption at present in all these its courses and ways, and will therefore apply my self to the case last mentioned, which is so common to the world.