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 IV.

WHat an invaluable Mercy is Iesus Christ to the World, who came on purpose to seek and to save such as were lost?

In Adam all were shipwrackt and cast away, Christ is the plank of Mercy let down from Heaven to save some. The loss of Souls by the Fall had been as irrecoverable as the loss of the fallen Angels, had not God in a way above all humane thoughts and counsels contrived the method of their Re∣demption. 'Tis astonishing to consider the admirable Har∣mony and glorious Triumph of all the Divine Attributes in this great project of Heaven for the recovery of lost Souls. 'Tis the wonder of Angels, 1 Pet. 1.21. the great Mystery of Godliness, 1 Tim. 3.16. the matter and burden of the triumphant Song of redeemed Saints, Rev. 1.5. and well it may, when we consider a more noble Species of Creatures finally lost, and no Mediator of reconciliation appointed be∣twixt God and them: this is to save an earthen Pitcher, whilst the Vessel of Gold is let fall, and no hand stretched out to save it.

But what is most astonishing is, that so great a Person as the Son of God, should come himself from the Futhers bo∣som, to save us by putting himself into our room and stead, being made a Curse for us, Gal. 3 13. he leaves the bosom of his Father, and all the ineffable delights of Heaven, dis∣robes himself of his Glory, and is found in fashion as man,

yea becomes as a worm and no man, submits to the lowest step and degree of abasement to save lost sinners. What a low stoop doth Christ make in his Humiliation to catch the Souls of poor sinners out of Hell! Herein was love, that God sent his own Son to be the propitiation for our sins, 1 Ioh. 4.10. and so God loved the world, Ioh. 3.16. at this rate he was content to save lost sinners.

How seasonable was this work of Mercy, both in its ge∣neral Exhibition to the World in the Incarnation of Christ, and in its particular Application to the Soul of every lost sin∣ner by the Spirit! When he was first exhibited to the world, he found them all as lost sheep gone astray, every one turn∣ing to his own way, Isa. 53.6. he speaks of our lost estate by Nature, both collectively or in general, we all went astray, and distributively or in particular, every one turned to his own way, and then in the fulness of time a Saviour appeared.

And how seasonable was it in its particular application? How securely were we wandering onwards in the paths of destruction, fearing no danger, when he graciously opened our eyes by conviction, and pulled us back by heart-turning Grace! No Mercy like this: it's an astonishing act of Grace that stands alone.