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 V.

IF there be so many ways to Hell, and so few that escape it, how are all concerned to strive to the uttermost in order to their own Salvation.

In Luke 13.23. a certain person proposed a curious que∣stion to Christ, Lord, are there few that be saved? He saw a multitude flocking to Christ, and thronging with great zeal to hear him, and he could not conceive but Heaven must fill proportionably to the numbers he saw in the way thither: but Christs answer, ver. 24. at once rebukes the curiosity of the Questionist, fully solves the question propounded, and sets home his own duty and greatest concernment upon him. It rebukes his curiosity, and is as if he should say, Be the number of the saved more or less, what is that to thee? strive thou to be one of them. It fully solves the question

propounded, by distinguishing those that attend upon the means of Salvation, into Seekers and Strivers. In the first re∣spect there are many who by a cheap and easie profession seek Heaven, but take them under the notion of Strivers (i. e.) persons heartily ingaged in Religion, and who make it their business, and so they will shrink up into a small number; and it presseth home his great business and concern upon him, Strive to enter in at the strait gate.

By Gate understand whatsoever is introductive to Blessed∣ness and Salvation. By the Epithet, strait, understand the difficulties and severities attending Religion, all that suffer∣ing and self-denial which those that are bound for Heaven must count and cast upon. And by striving understand the diligent and constant use of all those means and duties, how hard, irksom, and costly soever they be. The word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 hath a deep sense and Emphasis, and imports striving even to an agony: and this duty is enforced two wayes upon him, and every man else, first by the indisputable Soveraignty of Christ from whom the command comes; and also from the deep interest and concern every Soul hath in the commanded duty. It is not only a simple compliance with the will of God, but what also involves our own Salvation and eternal Happiness in it: our great duty and our great interest are twisted together in this command; your eternal happiness depends upon the success of it. A man is not crowned, ex∣cept he strive lawfully, i. e. successfully and prevalently. O therefore so run, so strive, that ye may obtain. If you have any value for your Souls, if you would not be mise∣rable to Eternity, strive, strive. Believe it, you will find that the assurance of Salvation drops not down from Heaven in a night-dream, as the Turks fable their Alcoran to have done in that lailato hanzili, night of demission, as they call it; no, no, the righteous themselves are scarcely saved: ma∣ny seek, but few find; strive therefore as men and women that are heartily concerned for their own Salvation. Sit not with folded arms, like so many heaps of stupidity and sloth; whilst the door of Hope is yet open, and such a sweet voice from Heaven calls to you, saying, Strive, Souls, strive; if ever you expect to be partakers of the Blessedness that is here to be enjoyed, strive to the uttermost of your abilities and

opportunities. Such an Heaven is worth striving to obtain; such an Hell is worth striving to escape; such an invaluable Soul is worth striving to save.

I confess Heaven is not the purchace or reward of your striving! No Soul shall boastingly say there, Is not this the Glory which my duties and diligence purchased for me? And yet on the other side it is as true, that without striving you shall never set foot there. Say not, it depends upon the pleasure of God, and not upon your diligence; for it is his declared will and pleasure to bring men to Glory in the way, though not for the sake of their own striving: as in the works of your civil Calling, you know all the care, toil, and sweat of the Husbandman avails nothing of it self, except the Sun and Rain quicken and ripen the Fruits of the Earth; and yet no wise man will neglect plowing and harrowing, sowing and weeding, because these labours avail not without the influences of Heaven; but waits for them in the way of his duty and diligence: rational hope sets all the world a∣work. Do they plow in hope, and sow in hope, and will not you pray in hope, and hear in hope? You that know your Souls to be hitherto strangers to Christ, and the regene∣rating work of the Spirit; how is it, that you take them not aside sometimes out of the distracting noise and hurries of the world, and thus bemoan them?

O my poor, graceless, Christless, miserable Soul, how sad a case art thou in! others have, but thou never feltest the burden of sin; thousands in the World are striving and labouring, searching and praying to make their Calling and Election sure: whilst thou sittest still with folded hands in a supine regardlesness of the mi∣sery that is hastening on upon thee. Canst thou endure the de∣vouring wrath of God? Canst thou dwell with everlasting burn∣ings? Hast thou fancied a tolerable Hell? Or is it easie to pe∣rish? Why dost thou not cast thy self at the feet of Christ, and cry as long as breath will last, Lord, pity a sinful, miserable, un∣done, and self-condemning Soul? Lord, smite this rockie heart, subdue this stubborn will, heal and save an undone Soul ready to perish. The characters of death are upon it, it must be changed or condemned, and that in a little time. Bowels of pity, hear the cry of a Soul distressed, and ready to perish.

And you that do not understand the case and slate your

Souls are in, you have never a Bible near you? O turn to those places, 1 Cor. 6.9, 10. where you will presently find the more obvious marks and characters God hath set upon the children of perdition; and if you find not your self in that Catalogue among the unrighteous, Fornicators, Idola∣ters, Adulterers, Effeminate, Thieves, Covetous, Drunkards, Revilers, Extortioners, &c. then turn to Ioh. 3.3. and so∣lemnly ask thy own Soul this question, Am I born again? Am I a new Creature? Or still in the same condition I was born in? What solid evidence of the new birth have I to rely upon, if I were now within a few gasps of death? Am not I the man or woman who live in the very same sins which the Word of God makes the Symptoms and Characters of Dam∣nation? And doth not my Conscience witness against me, that I am utterly void and destitute of all that saving Grace, and a meer stranger to the regenerating work of the Spirit, without which there can be no well-bottom'd hope of Salva∣tion? And if so, are not the tokens of death upon me? Am not I a person markt out for misery? And shall I sit still in a state of so much danger, and not once strive to make an escape from the wrath to come? Is this vile body worth so much toil and labour to support and preserve it? And is not my 〈◊〉〈◊〉 worth as much care and diligence to secure it from the everlasting wrath of the great, just, and terrible God? O that the consideration of the wrath to come, the multi∣tudes all the world over preparing as fuel for it, and the door of opportunity yet held open to Souls by the hand of Grace to escape that wrath, might prevail with thy heart, Reader, to strive, and that to the uttermost, to secure thy precious Soul from the impending ruine.