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 eighth way to Hell shut up by six weighty Considerations.

1. You that attend upon the Ordinances, but believe them no more than so many dev••••••d Fables, nor heartily assent to the Truth of what you hear; know assuredly, that the Word shall new〈…〉〈…〉 do your Souls good it can never come to your hearts and affections in its regenerating and sanctifying effi∣cacy, whilst it is stopt and obstructed in your understandings in the act of assent. And thus you may sit under the best

Ordinances all your lives, and be no more the better for them, than the Rocks are for all the showres of rain that fall upon them: Heb. 4.2. The word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. This is Satans chief strength and fastness, wherein he trusteth: he fears no Argument, whilst he can maintain this Post: the Devil hath no surer Prisoner than the Atheist: there's no escaping out of his possession and power, whilst this bolt of Unbelief is shut home in the Mind or Understanding. An unbelieved Truth never converted or saved one Soul from the beginning of the world, nor never shall to the end of it. Those bodies that have the Boulema, or Dog-appetite, what∣ever they eat, it affords them no nourishment or satisfaction, they thrive not with the best fare: just so it is with your Souls, no Duties, no Ordinances can possibly do them good: as in Argumentation, no Conclusion, be it never so regu∣larly drawn, and strongly inferred, is of any force to him that denies Principles.

2. If you assent not to the Truth of the Gospel, you not only make God speak to your Souls in vain, which is fatal to them; but you also make God a lyar, which is the greatest affront a Creature can put upon his Maker: 1 Ioh. 5.10. He that believeth not God, hath made him a lyar. Vile dust, darest thou rise up against the God that made thee, and give him the lye! An affront which thy fellow-Creature cannot put up or bear at thy hands. Darest thou at once stab his Honour, and thy own Soul? Are not the things which thou lookest on as Romances and golden Dreams, a meer Artifice neatly contrived to cheat and awe the world? Are they not all built upon the Veracity of God? which is the firmest foundation and greatest security in the world. Hath he not intermingled for our satisfaction, not only frequent asser∣tions, but his asseverations and Oath to put all beyond doubt? And yet dare any of you lift up your ignorant blind Understandings against all this, and give him the lye? Sure∣ly the wrath of God shall smoke against every Soul of man that doth so, and his own bitter, lamentable, doleful ex∣perience shall be his conviction shortly, except he repent.

3. Dare any of you give the thoughts of your hearts as certain conclusions under your hand, and stand by them to the last, and venture all upon them?

Wretched Atheist, bethink thy self, pause a while, exa∣mine thine own breast, whatever thy vile Atheistical thoughts sometimes are, is there not at other times a fear of the con∣trary? A jealousie that all these things which thou deridest and sportest thy wicked fancy with, may and will prove true at last? When thou readest, or hearest that Text, Ioh. 3.18. He that believeth not, is condemned already; His Mittimus is already made for Hell: Doth not thy Conscience give thee a secret gird, like a stitch in thy side? Dare you venture all upon this issue, that if those things you find in the Word be true, you will stand to the hazard of them? If that be a truth, Mark 16.16. He that believeth not, shall be damned, you will be content to be damned? Or if, Rom. 8.13. be a truth, That they which live after the flesh shall dye, you will run the hazard and bear the penalty of eternal death? If Heb. 12.14. prove true, That without holiness no man shall see God, you will be content to be banished from his presence for evermore? Speak your hearts in this matter, and tell us, Don't you live betwixt Atheistical surmises, that all these are but cunning artifices; and fears that at last they will prove the greatest Verities?

4. Hath not God given you all the satisfaction you can reasonably desire of the undoubted truth and certainty of his Word? What would you have, which you have not alrea∣dy? Would you have a Voice from Heaven, the Scriptures you read or hear are a more sure Word than such a Voice would be, 2 Pet. 1.19. or would you have a Messenger from Hell? He that believeth not the written Word, nei∣ther would believe, if one should rise from the dead, Luke 16▪ 31. View the innate Characters of the Scriptures, is it not altogether pure and holy? full of Divine Wisdom and awful Majesty? and in every respect such as evidenceth its Author to be the wise, holy, and just God who searcheth the hearts and reins? Look upon the Seals and Confirmations of it, hath not God confirmed it by divers Miracles from Heaven, a Seal which neither Men or Devils could counterfeit? And

don't you see the blessing and power of God accompanying it in the Conversion and wonderful change of mens hearts and lives, which can be done by no other hand than Gods? Say not, the Miracles which confirm the Gospel are but un∣certain Traditions, and except you your selves see them wrought, you cannot believe them. There are a thousand things which you do believe, though you never saw them; and what you require for your satisfaction, every man may require the same for his, and so Christ must live in all parts of this World, and repeat his Miracles over and over in all Ages to satisfie the unreasonable incredulity of those that question their truth after the fullest Confirmation and Seal hath been given, that is capable to be given, or the heart of man can desire should be given; and if all this should be done, you might be as far from believing, as now you are; for ma∣ny of those that saw and heard the things wrought by Christ, contradicted and blasphemed, and so might you.

5. Satan who undermines your assent to these things, is forced to give his own: he that tempts you to look on them as Fables, himself knows, and is convinced that they are realities, the Devils also believe and tremble, Jam. 2.19. they know and feel the truth of these things, though it be their great design and interest to shake your assent to them: they know Christ is the Son of God, and that there will be a day in which he will judge the World in righteousness, and that there are Torments prepared for themselves, and all whom they seduce from God, Matth. 8.29. If you ungod God, you must unman your selves, yea, not only make your selves less than men, but worse than Devils.

6. In a word, let thy own heart, O Atheist, be Judge, whether these be real doubts still sticking in your minds, af∣ter you have done all that becomes men to do for satisfaction in such important cases? Or whether they be not such Prin∣ciples as you willingly ••oment and nourish in your hearts, as a protection to your sensual lusts, whose pleasures you would fain have without interruptions and over-awings by the fears of a Judgment to come, and a righteous retribution from a just and terrible God! Examine your hearts in that point,

and you will soon find the cheat to be in that I here point you to: you have not studied the word impartially, nor brought your doubts and scruples with an humble, unbiassed, teachable spirit to those that are wise and able to resolve them, much less prayed for the Spirit of Illumination; but willingly entertained whatever Atheistical Wits invent, or the Devil suggests, as a Defensative against the checks of Conscience, and fears of Hell in the way of sin. You are loth those things should be true, which the Scriptures speak, and are glad of any colourable argument or pretence to still your own Consciences. Is not this the case? The Lord stop your desperate course, your paths lead to Hell.