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 third way to Hell discovered.

* 1.1III. A vast multitude of precious Souls are lost for ever, by following the Examples, and being carried away with the course of this World. 'Tis indeed a poor excuse, a silly Argument, that the multitude do as we do; yet as Iunius rightly observes, Mens Consciences take Sanctuary here, and they think themselves safe in it: for thus they reason, If I

do as the generality do,* 1.2 I shall speed no worse than they speed; and certainly God is more merciful than to suffer the greatest part of Mankind to perish: they resolve to follow the beaten road, let it lead whither it will.

Thus the Ephesians in their unregenerate state walked ac∣cording to the course of this world, Eph. 2.2. and the Corinthi∣ans were carried away unto dumb Idols, even as they were led, 1 Cor. 12.2. just as a drop of water is carried and moved according to the course and current of the Tide: For look as every drop of water in the Sea is of one and the same com∣mon nature, so are all carnal and unsanctified persons: and as these waters being collected into one vast body in the Ocean, unite their strength, and make a strong current this way or that; so doth the whole collective body of the unre∣generate World, all the particular drops move as the Tide moveth. Hence they are said to have received the spirit of the world, 1 Cor. 2.12. one common Spirit or Principle acts and rules them all, and therefore they must needs be carried away in the same course. And there are two special consi∣derations that seem to determine them, by a kind of necessi∣ty to do as the multitude do; the one is, that they find it the easiest and most commodious way to the flesh, here they meet with quietness and safety; hereby they are exempt from reproaches, losses, persecutions, and distresses for Con∣science sake: rest is sweet, and here only they think to find it. The other is the prejudice of singularity, and manifold tribulations they see that little handful that walk counter to the course of the World involved in; this startles them from their company, and fixes them where they are. Against such sensible Arguments it is to no more purpose to oppose spritual Considerations, motives drawn from the safety of the Soul, or importance of Eternity, than it is for a man to turn the Tide or course of a River with his weak breath.

Add to this,* 1.3 That as one sinner confirms and fixeth ano¦ther, wedging in each other, as men in a crowd, who must move as it moves; so they make it their business to render all that differ from them odious and ridiculous. So the Apostle notes their practice, and Satans policy in it, 1 Pet. 4.4. wherein they think it strange, that ye run not with them into the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you;

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, they gaze strangely at them, as the Hen that hath hatched Partridge-eggs, looks strangely after them when she seeth them take the wing and soar aloft, not knowing that they are of an higher kind than her own Chickens. And that is not all, they not only gaze at them as a strange genera∣tion; making them signs and wonders in Israel, as the Pro∣phet speaks, but they defame, revile, and speak evil of them, representing them as a pack of Hypocrites, as turbulent, fa∣ctious, seditious persons, the very pests of the times and pla∣ces they live in; and all this, not for doing any evil against them, but only for not doing evil with them, because they run not with them into the same excess of riot. Thus the World smiles upon its own, and derides those that are afraid to follow them to Hell, by which it sweeps away the multitude with it in the same course.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Quam frigida & jejuna sit e∣orum desensio, qui exemplo, &c. potentio∣rum se tutos pu∣〈…〉〈…〉 Jun. Pa∣••••••. lib. 2.
• * 1.2

  Argumentum turpissimum est turba. Seneca.
• * 1.3

  Nemo errat sibi ipsi, sed demen∣tiam spargit in proximos. Sen.