but prefer the care of the Soul before all the World for it is more to be valued than Ten Thousand Worlds Wherefore take heed to your selves and be Wise in time before it is to late for though you know not what the Soul is because you see it not neither can you feel it yet it is a Particle which came from Heaven and when it goes out of the Body it goes to God to Live for ever it sleeps not neither doth it die for it is Immortal and of an Immortal Nature and so impossible to be destroy'd for we have our Saviours own Word for it when he saith Ye cannot kill the Soul St. Luke 12. 4. and when he saith My Father is the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob St. Matt. 22. 32. whereby he plainly shews that the Soul which is the nobler part of Man tho it be taken from the Body is alive for saith he My Father is the God of the living and not of the dead as dead but of the living that are dead So that thâ— Souls of all departed people are alive for althougâ— their Bodies are crumbled to Dust from whence theâ— were taken their Souls are with God that gave them or in some place of Gods appointment according 〈◊〉 their lives have been Because God have prepared maâ— Mansions for us St. John 14. 2. and as we have improved our Talent so shall our Station be St. Paâ—â— also saith That one Star differeth from another Star 〈◊〉 Glory and since these things are so let us not loâ— a Minutes time but improve it to the Glory of Goâ— and our own Souls Good and begg of him to giâ—â— us a Heart inflamed with Love and winged wiâ—â— Duty that we may give up our Souls totally to hâ—â— Adorable Majesty that he may dwell in the Throâ—â— of our Souls for ever And after this Life we may 〈◊〉 admitted to the Vision of Bliss and have free Inteâ—course with all Holy Souls in those beautious Regions Fourthly 'T is evident that Spirits fill no rooâ— tho they could see all things which point is veâ—â— dubious and unsertain for that Holy Souls can behoâ—â— the visible Actions of Mortal Men to us is altogethâ—â— uncertain tho we doubt not but they do behold whaâ—soever is Acted in those Regions where they dweâ— in those Infinite Dimensions or Heavenly Habitations tho they are inriched with Liberty and made brigâ—â— by Knowledge derived from the Illustrous and Illumâ—nated Power of the Omnipotent God who is infinitâ— Communicative to be Good and to do Good to 〈◊〉 Mankind and hath made the Soul of Man on purpoâ—â— that it might see him in his Kingly Country wheâ— St. Paul saith We shall be like him for we shall 〈◊〉 him as he is not as we now behold him darkly througâ— a Vail in deep Obscurity but Face to Face in Unvaâ—â—ed Glory And if the Eye of the Body that was maâ—â— for the World being so little a Ball of Earth aâ—â— Water can take in all and see the visible World i. e. â—hat part of it on which the sight of the Eye can be â—resent much more is the Soul able to see and be preâ—ent with all that is Divine and Eternal tho the Soul 〈◊〉 unhappily divided from God is a weak and inâ—onsiderable Creature but when United to God 't is 〈◊〉 Transcendant and Celestial Thing God being its Life â—reatness and Power for as the Apostle saith he â—hat is ioyned to the Lord is one Spirit for his Omniâ—resence and Eternity fills the Soul and makes it able 〈◊〉 contain all hights and depths and all things may â—e in it as it were by Thoughts and Intellections and Magnanimous desires are the Natural result of such 〈◊〉 Magnanimous Capacity Such a Soul then in respect â—f its Capacity is an Immovable Sphere of Power and â—nowledge and by imagination is able to pass â—â—rough the Centre of the Earth and through all â—xistencies for it is most Capacious and Swift Comâ—and it then by thought to go into India and sooner â—â—en thou canst bid it it will be there not as passing â—â—om Place to Place but by Thought and Immaginaâ—on suddenly in a moment as you may send it to â—eaven by the slight of a Thought as you may at any â—â—me command it to fly tho not by the assistance of â—ings in a Bodyly manner but after the manner that â—ouls pass from Place to Place not locally but after â—e manner of Spirits For the Soul of Man is said to 〈◊〉 an Immutable Essence his Power of Reasoning is â—ive even when 't is quiet and the Body unactive â—is one and the same for Nature in all Men tho not â—r Indeuments of it self equally inclined to Great â—ransendent Things tho in most Men 't is misguided â—â—ffled and suppressed but where it has the common â—ssistances that God has prepared for it it is a Miracuâ—â—us Creature and of near alliance to the Divine Maâ—sty For a Man being Wise and Holy his Soul is 〈◊〉 it were in the Heavenly World and it 's no trivial â—â—jury can make him contend being Liberal and Magnanimous he is prone to do Heroical Things and to make himself Venerable to his very Adversary being averse to all Wroth Clamour and Anger scarcely in any thing being defective and becomes a great Man by contemning Danger having an Infinite felicity in his Dayly view and may justly strengthen himself in the hopes of Divine assistance knowing the Infinite value of his Soul and believing the Blessedness that is in reserve for it by reason of the greatness of interiour Bliss and is therefore environed with the bright Beams of his own injoyments and always beggeth of God that as Sin hath abounded so may Grace superabound that all Souls may receive the Blessed advantages of the Divine Forgiveness that all may have the Blessed Assistance of Grace to lead us into all Virtues which are themselves our Aids to bring us to Glory For these acquire good Habits and infuseâ— Grace causing us to incline to the secret Study of Felicity that we may be even now possessed with sincere and pure delights for Godliness is a kind of God-likeness a Divine Habit or Frame of Soul that may fitly be accounted the fulness of the Stature of the inward Man. For 't is an Inclination to be like God to please him and injoy him and he may be said to be God-like that is High and Serious in all his Thoughts Humble and Condescending in all his Actions full of Love and good Will to all the Creatures and bright in the Knowledge of all their Nature Covering all the Treasures of God and Breaths after the Joys of Heaven Recollecting all his broken and scattered Thoughts nothing less than the Wisdom of God will please the God-like Man for God-likeness is the comment of Amity betwixt God and Man Eternity and Immensity are the Sphere of his Activity and are often frequented and filled With his
some of the Nerves which hinders the motion from being continued in the Part affected of the Body as far as the Brain which is the Seat and Organ of the Senses because the impression have some palpable let or hindereance and cannot be carried or arrive through the exterior Senses of the Brain which are called Internal But our Souls Naturally like other-Created Spirits ought not to have any dependance upon our Bodies for to have the Ideas of things they ought only to have immediately dependance upon God and by Consequence ought only to have Union with him but this Supreame Spirit having been pleased for the reasons we have said and for many others which we conceive and for more yet apparently perhaps which we do not conceive that our Souls should have their Thoughts and their Sentiments their Desires and Affections upon the occasion of the Body to the end that they should be a continual Subject of Victory and Meritorious Exercise by the assistance of Divine Grace which is of it self Victorious over the Impure delectation of Concupiscence whereof it invincibly suspends the Charm by the Heavenly and inward Taste which it gives us of God of our Duty and of Eternal Happiness for Divine Grace causes 〈◊〉 to love Order and Duty in spight of our selves making us sensible that we owe to God an infinite â—â—ve of Complacency wholly disinteressed and wholly pure for which we ought to love his Eternal and Sovereign Beauty with all the strength and motions 〈◊〉 our Hearts for this alone will convey to us true â—â—â—asure for this will furnish us with Order Truth and Justice which will undoubtedly prevent all Irregularity Which Order is to be beloved by all Spiâ—its and all upright Hearts in all the Parts of the World for this have some affinity to the Sovereign Beauty of Nature and of the Supreame Essence who â—s the Lively and Eternal Source of Order Equity and Duty the Eternal and Substantial Truth which do not discover it self but by Rays by degrees escaping â—ut from God clearing the obscure Clouds of our disorderly Desires that we may Love and Adore our Sovereign Creator who gives us the weak glimmering of his Ineffable Beauty in that Virtue and Duty which he causes us to Love which is as it were the Charm of the Supreame Being For all that we love in the abstracted Idea of our Duties or in the real Charms of the Creatures is nothing but the Splendor and the Rays or the Shadow of that Charm of Sovereign Beauty and Perfection which Gloriously shines â—n the Supreame Nature from whose Beams it is that Nature Commences equally in us the love of Complacency and the love of Union that we may be filled with Contentment with Pleasure and Love Truth Justice and Equity and all other Graces and Virtues whom we love invincibly under the Ideas and under the Names of Truth of Justice of Beauty of Virtue of Duty or of Equity which shine in all Places of the World and makes it self seen loved and adored invincibly by all Hearts in all Ages for these all preceed from the glimmering and glances of Gods Original Beauty which is so amicable by it self that as Corrupt as we are we cannot hinder our selves from loving it because it flows from the Sovereign Nature of God. 2. The Soul of Man have no Power of giving iâ— self neither the Idea nor Knowledge nor Sentiment of any particular thing but it is God who hath alâ— Perfections dwelling in him that Instructs and Inlightens the Souls of Men for his Majesty alone is the Life of every thing that Lives and the Light of every thing that is Enlightned who gives us all the Sentiments and all the Ideas which we receive or have from the occasion of our particular Bodies and from others which environ us Tho to clear this point 〈◊〉 be obscure and difficult and yet is very Important and Necessary in Order to make us comprehend our dependance upon God who is alone the All-knowing Being by himself as he is an existent Being by himself For it 's God alone who hath Essentially of himself and by himself his Eternal and Subsistent Idea by which he can distinctly see all things possible present and to come The Created Spirits who are not Thinking Beings of themselves much less Spirits knowing by themselves or in themselves the things which are exterior to them and therefore they have need to receive the Ideas of particular things from God that they may have a knowledge of them For if they had the Idea of one sole particular thing out of themselves there would not be any Idea which they might not have neither would the Soul of Man have been Ignorant of any thing if she had had a Power by her self to Form and Idea of the least thing but by Consequence would have had the Idea of all things But since of her self 〈◊〉 cannot form any one Idea by Consequence she cannâ—â— form many For to imagine she could would be no sensical and trivial Our poor Soul goes gropâ—â—â— through all the Bodies who environs it searching 〈◊〉 a Pleasure and Contentment which should satisfie iâ—â— but no Pleasure nor Treasure can give the Soul trâ—â— satisfaction but God who is the alone Sovereiâ— Pleasure which makes the Soul thus search after hiâ—â— and him allone it is we ought to regard with all oâ—â— Strength Might and Motion seeing his Majesty râ—gards our Soul by all the Rays of his Infinite Essenâ—â— For his Wisdom it is who is our Satisfaction our 〈◊〉 and Contentment yea our Sovereign Felicity Oâ— Bodies then are but as it were our Souls burden at best but a House upon the Road of Eternity Wheâ—â— fore we ought to seek for a lively Idea of our dâ—peâ—â—dance upon this Supreame Being and upon all Divine Attributes that we may the better appreheâ—â— his Sovereign Perfection whose Nature is Supream and yet is graciously pleased to operate continual in us and rules over us in all our ways and in divers operations Our Souls do not make the digsâ—ion in us the Circulation of the Blood the Natuâ—â— and pureâ—y Animal Respiration in us the Soul beiâ—â— altogether Spiritual have no Power to act this waâ— but there is nothing which we certainly know bâ—â— the Soul is the active cause and principle of it which she have gain'd the Empire either to do not do as she pleases we may therefore reflect up her Faculty which she have of thinking of willinâ—â— and determining her self which are the two oâ— active Faculties that we know in her for the othâ—â— passive and receptive Faculties of which she haâ— essentially the Empire as well as the certainty of thâ— double Faculty and of all the Acts that preceeâ— there from and we may see that she suspends 〈…〉 Thoughts and her Reasonings puts them by determâ—â—â— and applies them as she pleases to new Matters which always present themselves and thus she is Mistress of â—â—er Will without the motion
that carries her towards God in general If she be not preoccupy'd â—nd transported with some Passions or other but the â—oul can by no means be the formal or physical Cause of the heat which is in our Bodies for it is impossible to conceive that a Spirit should produce heat yet â—y their Virtue and Operation they make the Body move by Empire and by Will and yet this the Soul is â—aid to do out of it self but whatsoever is done in us Physically is done by the act of our Body and its Life for there is in us a material principle of vegetaâ—ion or a vegetative Life which the Soul doth not â—ause so there is likewise a certain kind of acts of â—eeing of Hearing of Tasting of Smelling of â—ouching of Self-moving or of Sensibility in the â—ody in which the Soul hath not any part to which â—â—e doth not Influence any thing and to which she â—ath not so much as a Sentiment 3. To think and know is the Life of Spirits who â—eceives Being from the first of Beings or the prinâ—â—ple of Beings the Great Almighty from whom â—â—ery thing that is receiveth without ceasing its â—eing by a perpetual and never interrupted Communiâ—n of the Supreame Essence by reason that he is the â—rinciple of Life or the Essential and Original of â—ife It must needs be that every thing that Lives â—eceives continually a Life from him by a like Inâ—â—uence and by a like Communication of Life and by â—onsequence every thing that thinks and knows â—hinks and knows by him since to think and know the Life of Spirits This is the solid Metaphysick â—f St. Augustin and the Theology of others who â—ith agreeeble to the Scriptures that an Angel and Man differ without doubt for an Angel is a Spirit â—hich God makes tryal off out of the Body and â—hose Thoughts and Affections he hath not subjected to the dispositions of a Body and a Man is a Spiritâ— which God makes tryal off in the Body to which he subjects it before he Crowns it with Eternity But the Soul of Man if God had not disposed of it after that manner would have had no need of a Body wherefore the Union of Souls with Bodies is a hard and difficult Empire which God doth exercise over them and which if his Majesty would not sweeten the rigoâ—â— and difficulty of it by the Pleasures of agreeable Sentiments which he hath annexed to the Acts and Operations of Souls in Bodies It could not be a tryal but a Misery nay the Fathers maintain that if God should not Spiritualize Bodies that is to say take away from Souls the dependance which their present State gives them upon Bodies they could not have so firm a hope of being raised again as now they have because he would not put the Just Souls whose approved Fidelity deserves to be Crowned into Bodies that should constrain them and which enslaved their Thoughts which is what Spiritualized Bodies cannot bear because Spiritualization of Bodies will consist in this precisely that they should no longer exercise an Empire over the Souls and that they should be no longer a Charge an Obstacle and an Incumbrance to them for the Body cannot in any manner act upon the Soul so as to Illuminate it or Affect it Physically or Immediately by it self for the Body cannot subject the Soul to be United to it nor can the Soul be willing to submit to the Body which humbleth and constraineth it It is therefore God the Author of universal Nature that is the Immediate and Efficient Principle and Cause of the Union of Souls and Bodies for his Wisdom acteth as universal Cause in the whole frame of Nature 't is evident then that none but God alone can give the Soul the Sentiments and Ideas which she hath from the occasion of the Impressions which are made upon the Body for 't is the Author of Nature which enlightens us by the Ideas which we receive upon the occasion of the Impression of exterior Objects and who affectionates to the Conversation of the Body by the agreeable or disagreeable Sentiments which he gives us to make us know by way of instinct that which is profitable or hurtful for the Converâ—ation of our Bodies and of Humane Species This action he joyns to that by which he moves our Bodies when our Thoughts and Wills require it and is properly the action by the which he Unites our Bodies to our Souls and our Souls to our Bodies This is the active or actual Union which the Schools call the Unitive action of God which is joyned to the Immutable Decree and Will by the which he hath determined to continue it so long as the structure of the Body shall subsist and makes in the Soul and in the Body that Estate of Union which is called Passive and Formal Union and this the Almighty doth by the Essential act of his Supreame Nature for his Essence and Nature is infinitly pleased to act thus continually esteeming it his Pleasure and his Glory by which also he is the occasional Cause of all the Eneffable Pleâ—sure of Holy Souls and so much the rather because the Analogy of the Divine conduct Inspires us to acknowledges an occasional Cause of all our Joy and Fâ—â—icity As there is an occasional Cause of the Torments of the Reprobates for each of these he is pleased to make tryal off in the Body by their Obedience or Disobedience annext to each of which is Felicity or Misery for these shall go into Life Eternal but the Wicked into endless burnings 4 Our Body is a Structure full of Harmony whereby all the Parts are United to one common Center which is the Brain wrapt up in Membranes and distributed and divided into divers Compartments proper to receive and retain the Traces and Impressions which the Divine Image shall inâ—amp upon it We say also that the Soul is â—â—n the Body but we take care not to conceive it For all that as truly and properly contain'd in the Body it is United to the Body but we may not conceive her as poured into and mingled with the Body or as adjusted to its extent by a co-extention and immediation of Greatness of Figure or of Substance but they have the greatest part of their Thoughts and of their Ideas and of all their Sentiments of Pleasure and of Pain by the occasion of their Body because they act upon the Body by the action of the Will which removes them and moves them in the manner as have been already said The Learned say that they are no otherways in the Body therefore every thing we conceive beyond this will be false contradictory and extreamly dubious That which we call good Sense and Judgment is nothing but the Power and Faculty which the Soul hath to Order and Regulate our Thoughts to suspend and stay them that she may consider and maintain their Connexion and Dependence But she is said sometimes to loose this Faculty
from the dismal Thoughts that 't is impossible to acquire the good so much wished for for we should not be afflicted penetrated and overwhelm'd with the Privation of good if we did not Love it which made St. Augustin say That the Eternal Dispair of the Reprobates in Hell is a true Love of the Sovereign good but this being a nicity that concerns us not we may not with saifty dive into it or amuse our selves about it but strive to be Cloathed with the true Love of God whereby we are sure we may be qualified to enjoy the full Bliss of Heaven the true hopes of which fills every Holy Soul with exceeding Joy even such reviving Joy as may give him some small glimmerings even in this Life of what hereafter will undoubtedly be his Portion in those Glorious Regions above where every true Penitent will be a Favorite of that great tremendious King who is the searcher of every Heart and observer of every Action here and the Infinite rewarder of every Virtue hereafter To him therefore be Glory and Praise Might Majesty and Dominion ascribed by us â—nd all the whole Creation now and for ever A Recapitulation of the moral consequences drawn from what have been established concerning our Souls and for the Conviction of our Duties and the Condemnation of Disorder NO Man of Reason can believe that Ingratitude is an Ornament to Nature or that Injustice Meâ—s a reward nor that Treachery is a Virtue or an Honest and Commendable Quality nor on the contrary that Justice Fidelity and Gratitude are things Condemnable and Wicked Men make Laws according to their Fancy they make themselves Obey'd for fear of Punishment when they have the Power in their Hands But it 's remarkable that Men who make Laws cannot make themselves Obey'd nor be Beloved or Beleived when they act things disagreeable For Unjust and Tyrannical Laws People pay only an exterior Obedience to their Commands but the Heart and the Spirit cries out and demandâ— Justice from him whom all Men naturally feel over their Heads as a Protector of Justice and an avengeâ— of Oppression and Unjust Authority We sometime receive Unjust Laws but we do not believe them to be Just for all that but as to the natural Laws oâ— Duty and Consciences all Men receive them and be lieve by an invincible Determination of a Superioâ— Light which equally perswades them alike for Natural Light convinces us with invincible force and this is an Infallible Character of Natural Light. Conscience is then in us undoubtedly Natural and as certain as it is an Essential Companion of our Nature and a Propriety inseparable from our Soul From hence arises in us by the help of Grace all Moraâ— and Christian Virtues because it is impossible to conceive that Corporeal Nature can be the subject oâ— Magnanimity of Justice of Fidelity of Continencâ— and of Truth for a Corporeal Nature alone cannoâ— have the Light of Order or of Duty or the Inclination or Determination of Duty or the Pleasure oâ— Performance or the Pain of the Violation of Duty for Duty Order and Justice have no Bodies they arâ— things totally Spiritual and Intelligible and there fore without the assistance of the Soul cannot havâ— the Idea or the Sentiment of them because it is by the Soul that they are Ingrafted and poured into ouâ— Corporeal Nature God having assembled togetheâ— both these in one single whole not as one but acting by this Indubitable Method God have prescribed by reason of their dependance one upon another or to say better the Union betwixt each other and are all animated with one and the same Influence of Divine Life and marked with one and the same resemblance and equally Impelled by the same Love of Duty For which reason we are obliged to Love and to Accomplish all the extents of Justice of Truth of Charity and of Civility and of Mutual or Reciprocal respect towards all Men upon the consideration that this Life is short and troublesome and all things in it are frail and perishable and the noblest Pleasures in it are essentially false as well as empty they leave the Heart even during this Life Sick and Famished and if not retired from before Death they will leave the Soul Eternally deceived by a cruel Privation and an insupportable desolation of regret For the best injoyments of this Life are a perpetual alternativeness of real Cares and Torments all things here being but false shadows of Repose and lucid Intervals of Reason a Theater of Eternal Mutations a Chain interlinked with short and transitory Felicities and long and durable Miseries a vehement and impetuous Whirl-wind of Hurry and Ambition which after having much tormented and agitated the Body and Soul having raised a Thousand snares in the Heart and Spirit it disappears into Air and Smoak for so it is that this Life doth not exercise it self but upon the false and perishable Objects of Time and â—s deceitful and deceiving Oeconomy whereas the nâ—ture Life exercises it self upon Objects wholly True and wholly Solid because the future Life is â—ut as it were one Day all Uniformity for there very Holy Soul will Eternally be United to eversting Triumphs and Felicities for there every Soul â—ill be Essentially Living infinite Happy and Joyous no here it have been exercised in Trouble in the future Life it shall rest in Glory and endless Felicities as the Apostle saith Such as Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard nor Heart conceived 2 Cor. 12. 4. Much less can the feeble Eloquence of Man express by any description that his Idea or Sentiment can conceive to put into Method to declare or so much as describe Our Soul is said to commence when it goes out of the Body That which we call time is taken either by relation to the duration of the abode of every Soul in its Body or by relation to the duration of the whole present Oeconomy of the visible World destined to the Tryal of the Souls in the Bodys and in whatsoever signification we take Time in opposition to Eternity it signifies precisely a State of Instability of Change and Vicissitude i. e. a State which ought to have an end for these are two things which enter Essentially into the Idea which is called Time Vicissitude and End the space of the duration that our Souls are in our Bodies is called Time for these two Reasons First because it is to have an end And Secondly because in the interim so long as it endures it holds us exposed to a Thousand Chainges and Vicissitudes and which is to be lamented that Vicissitude of being obnoxious to pass from Good to Evil from Virtue to Sin to Crimes or Vice but on the contrary Eternity is Immutable and an Interminable State and Order of things As much as Time includes Instability and End so much does Eternity excludes both Time speaks Changeâ— and End Eternity speaks the Being always the same and never ending Thus as our
carries a desire of being united to him and which makes one Man pleased with another that is called sympathy And when on the contrary this sensation is made with confused sentiments oâ— disagreement and straingeness that is called antipathy And this is the general Idea of sensation which are the Knowledges that we have by the determination of present Objects by which we are able to chuse to do Acts free and voluntary tho there is 〈◊〉 distinction to be made betwixt free Acts and voluâ—â—tary Acts for every thing that is free is voluntary but every thing that is voluntary is not free but no thing is voluntary in us but what is made by the determination of the Will for this is a necessary and iâ—â—vincible motion of our Souls towards God causing 〈◊〉 invincibly to love Good in general with a full deteâ—mination of our Mind and Will by the which also wâ—â— shun Evil and every thing that hurts and afflicts 〈◊〉 and we persue some times one particular Good thaâ— an other as they more or less immediately concerâ— us for Liberty is always accompanied with the Wilâ— Now Liberty is precisely that Empire which we haâ— of being able to determine our selves which to chuâ—â— and which to refuse when the Objects are presentâ— to the perceptive faculty of the Soul. We mâ— easily shut our Eyes and not let that reflective Lig â— to enter in from the superficies of the Object whiâ—â— Ingraves it in our Retina But yet we cannot hind â— the Impression of Light if once it be entred into 〈◊〉 Eyes nor that ordor of savor if they have affected those Nerves which are proper to carry the Impression of them to the Brain But our Soul cannot see the Objects in those passages of the Brain nor the species as in Pictures as we have endeavoured to â—llustrate in our former presuppositions This is a thing which we know by an indubitable sentiment We may then presuppose that it is not all these Taâ—les whereon the Soul sees the Object she being formally knowing having in her self a lively representation or an inward sentiment of the Objects which â—â—ders themselves present by the material Impression â—hich is received in the Body by the assistance of the â—ctive faculty of Thinking which is sometimes calâ—â—d the faculty of Reasoning for by these the Obâ—cts which strike the Senses are lively represented tobe passive or the active faculty of the Thinking Soul â—hich come from the diversity of the temperament â—nd from the material Structure and Harmony of the â—ody by which the Understanding the Judgement â—d the Memory with all the other Natural Qualiâ—â— receives advantage to act every one its part â—hen occasion shall present in its proper season for â—e Soul is inclined to all great and transcendant â—â—ings The Mind is sometimes said to be the Soul â—â—erting its Power into Heroick Actions wherefore great Soul is Magnanimous in effect i. e. when our â—nd is applied to mighty Objects and such a one said to be the Son of Eternal Power and the Friend infinite Goodness a Man whose inward State is raculous and his Complexion Divine because he lights in the Celestial way of true Bliss he turns his â—mporeal Riches into Obligations by wining Souls God and thus gaining the Affections of the â—se For to be rich in the Hearts and Affections Good People can be no deformity and every such â—n is as it were his own end while he considers it 〈◊〉 for nothing is more conducive to the 〈…〉 Honour of the Holy Man than to be bountiful and munificient for this proves true Riches to his own Soul and puts a double lustre upon that noble Jewel for this beautifies it and makes it truly aimable and Praise worthy all these being shut up in Goodness For these Men make themselves truly great by Enriching others for the Eccho of their Works are sweet and pleasing in the Ears of all that are surrounded with them and may be said to be like the Sun in the Rays of his Glory and Reigns like a King by the sole Power of Virtue and thus beautifies their Religion for these delight in the felicity of all that accost them and thus puts Embroiderie on Religion by the chearfulness of their Spirits and the Heroick Actions of their Souls and thus carries a Light wherâ—ever they go and attracts the esteemâ— of every Good Person so that these Men move in a Sphere of Wonders their Lives are a continuaâ— strem of Miracles for they are always sacrificing their Persons and Possessions to the benefit of thâ— World. Benifits and Blessings are their Life-guard foâ— that they live Holy and Temperate and strive to iâ—â—mediate the Wisdom of Angels whose guardian Shâ— is never wanting to their assistance so that their iâ—ward House is a Habitation of Joy and Felicity anâ— so brightens their outward behaviour that almost aâ— their Actions yields a spectacle of Contentment 〈◊〉 every beholder There is a generous confidence dcoursed in all their Actions and some glimps of Heâ—ven in all their Behaviour Therefore a Life beautifie with Virtues is the greatest Gift that can be give to Man. For the return of it in Holy Actions is aâ—ceptable to God For when all things shall be râ—vealed the Life of these secret Persons shall perfect appear in all their perfections May we therefore careful to adorn our Persons and Palaces with thâ— kind of Riches seeing they are so Delectable aâ— Pleasant For these Men have a Love within the Souls that is willing to impart all these incomprehensible Treasures and Glories to every Soul for such a Mind and such Affections must Perfume and Eâ—rich our Sacrifices For the Greatness and Goodness of our Souls consists in such inlargements for a Will inlarged with an infinite Fancy is a prodigious depth of Goodness for infinite Desires and Intentions of pleasing God are real Objects to his Eye for such a Soul being all Love would do Millons of things for â—ts Object For infinite Love puts an infinite value on the Gift wherefore it must needs be Magnificence to give a Gift of infinite value and infinite valuable every Good and Pious Action in the Eyes of him who have told us that no Thought or Action shall â—emain uncovered but every Thought Word and Action shall be seen clearly by all for ever And all â—hall be admired for their inward Piety and Holiness â—nd every discovery of Virtue in one shall be an occasion of Joy in each other so that every secret Virâ—e that have been long concealed but only to those â—ho have enjoyed the benefit of it shall be a new â—ause of Eternal Joy to all when in Heaven it shall clearly discovered For our Actions in passing pass ot away but in the Sphere of our Life abideth for 〈◊〉 so that a Good Man's Life all at once is a Myerious Object interwoven with many Thoughts â—ccurrences and Transactions and ought to be preâ—â—ted to God like a Ring a
Hand To serve and chear thy frailty up command Indulge thy weary Flesh with new supplies And change of Garments of the purest die Refresh thy limbs annoy'd with sweat and toil With costly Baths thy Head with precious Oyl What e'er thy Hand endeavours that may gain Contentment spair not either cost or pain For there is no Hand to work no Power to save No Wisdom to contrive within the Grave I find the swift not always win the prize Nor strength of Arm the Battel nor the Wise Grow rich in Fortune nor the Men of skill In favour all as Time and Fortune will â—en knowing not their time as Fishes are â—ar'd in the Net Birds tangled in the snare So be the Sons of Men surpriz'd with fears When mischief falls upon them unawares This Wisdom have I seen beneath the Sky Which wisely weigh'd deserves the Wiseman's Eye â—ut when I set my busie Heart to know â—isdom and Heavens strange workings here below For Night and Day my studys did deny Sleep to my Eye-lids slumber to my Eye Striving to note each action under Heaven Endeavouring to observe and have given My Soul to God in due Obedience having Sought for true spiritual Wealth worth keeping But the poor fruitless labours of deluded Man Are vainly spent being short as a span Or seeming pleasures serves to requite Long leagues of travel for one drops delight Of airy froth how are ye forc'd to borrow Strong gales of hope to sail through Seas of Sorrow Why do we thus afflict our labouring Souls With dregs of Wormwood and carouse full Bowls Of boyling Anguish to what hopeful end Dâ—oyl we our craizy Bodies and expend Our sorrow wasted Spirits to acquire A good not worth a breath of our desire A good whose fulsome sweetness clogs and cloys The Soul but never lasts nor satisfies How poor an Object pleases and how soon That pleasure finds an end how quickly noon How quickly Night and what to Day we prize Above our Souls to morrow we despise Beneath a trifle what in former times We own'd as Virtues now we tax as Crimes Tell me my Soul What would'st thou buy Go in and Cheapen let thy curious Eye Make her choice they will present thy view With numerous Joys buy something that 's new The Wiseman's Eyes are in his Head they stand Like Watchmen in the Tower to guard the Land. At length I cast my serious Eyes upon My painful Work and what my Hands had done And there I find my Hearts delight was all my gains My pleasure was the portion of my pains I gave my Eyes what e're my Heart requir'd I denied my Soul no Mirth my Spirit desir'd All sorts of Musick the Spirits delights had I To please my Spiritual Ear was beauties to my Eyes Yet knowledge then affords my Soul no rest My roving Thoughts tried Mirth and was possest Of all the pleasures Earth could lend yet I Found Mirth and Pleasure all but Vanity I laugh'd at laughter as a toyish antick And counted all Earths pleasure no less than frantick Since Hearts that wisely foolish do incline To costly fare and frolick Cups of Wine For in those pleasures I find but little solid good To Crown the short liv'd Days of Flesh and Blood Tho some build great magnifick Palaces and fraim Vast buildings to the glory of their name Planting Vineyards whose plump clusters might Make them fruitful Orchards for their delight Rejoycing their Souls with Earthly treasures With curious Gardens to refresh their pleasures Yet true Wisdom can discern but little real good Mistaken Earth so much admiring stood What profit hath my Wisdom then thought I The height of Wisdom hath her Vanity The foolish bauble and the learned bays Are both forgotten in succeding Days Impartial Death shall Cloath the dying Eyes Both of the Ignorant and also of the Wise Therefore I hated life for from the events Of humane actions flows many discontents Then slighted I all that my Hand had done In seeking happiness beneath the Sun For what I did I cannot call my own â—nothers Hand must reap what mine has sown Who knows if my surviver is to be A Wiseman or a Fool However 't is he Must spend with ease what I have earn'd with pain And Souls vexation this is all so vain For which my Soul thus fool'd with vain persuits Of blossom happiness that bears no Fruits Some Men there be whose elaborate gains The fruits of lawful cares and prudent pains Descend to those who know not pains nor art This is a sore vanity and afflicts the Heart For what reward hath Man of all his droyl His Evening trouble and his Morning toyl His Hearts vexation and his griefs that run Through all his labours underneath the Sun. ' I view'd the Chair of Judgment where I saw ' Instead of righteousness a perverted Law. ' I view'd the Courts of Equity and spy'd ' Corruption there and Justice wrap'd aside ' Oh! then thought I the of Judge Heaven shall do ' Right to the Wicked and the Righteous too Then puzzel'd in my Thoughts I thus advis'd Heaven suffers mortals to be exercis'd In their own miseries that they may see They are yet not much more happy than the Bee They substance of Flesh tho not the same Yet dust to dust both must turn from whence they came Which rightly way'd it seems the better choice For Man to suck his labours and rejoyce Since flashly troubles doth all things so unframe That Earths Content doth scarce deserve the name Considering this what can we advise Since we berefit of Wisdom labouring to be Wise Alas is it not enough that we poor Farmers pay Quit-rent to Nature at the very Day And at our dying Hour bequeath to thee Our whole substance for a Legacy I mus'd again and found when pains had crackt The harder shell to some heroick act Pale envy strikes the kernel with taxation Oh this is vanity and the Souls vexation Thus pausing Contemplation shew'd mine Eye A new prospect of humane vanity When the droyling Hand thinks nothing can supply The greedy wants of his insatiate Eye He robs himself not knows for whose relief This is a vanity and a wounding grief Woe to the Man whom danger meets alone For there 's no Arm to help him but his own But if some help put in a timely stroak The Cord that 's three-fold is not quickly broke If eithers feeble Shoulders be betray'd To a sad burden there 's a mutual aid To be a poor Wise Child is judg'd a thing More honourable than to be a vain King. My Soul to what a strange disguis'd good Art thou bewitch'd oh how hath Flesh and Blood Betray'd thee to a happiness that brings No comfort but from transitory things Are not the shady Bowers of Death more sweet Than the scorching Sunshine where we Hourly meet Fresh evils like a Temes whose deluded breath Tickles our Fancies till we laugh to Death When thou hast bound thee to
Love The Peace of Sinners how much move Sue and thirst intreat lament and grieve For all the Crimes in which they live And wait and seek and call again And long to save them from their Pain My Memory 's like a searce of Lawn Alas It keeps things gross and lets the purer pass Which makes me loath my self so vile O base repute 〈◊〉 better starve then eat such empty fruit Yet dear Lord let me ne're Confounded be Since all my Hope is plac'd in thee True Joys alone contentment do inspire Iâ—rich content and make our Courage higher The true fear of God desire and love Must in the height of all their rapture move For content alone 's a dead and silent Stone The real lite of Bliss is Glory reigning on a Throâ—e O let me in a lively manner see Dear Jesus Eternal Joys in thee Inable me to Praiâ—e thy Majesty with all my might Whose Grace and Favour is Sweet yea Infinite O let me Love thee since thy Divine care Hast promised me a share in thy Kingdom fair 'A Sea that 's bounded in a Finite Shore ' Is better far because it is no more ' Should Waters endlesly exceed the Skies They 'd drown the World and all what e'er we prize ' Had the bright Sun been Infinite the Flame ' Had burnt the World and quite consum'd the same ' That Flame would yield no splendor to the Sight ' 'T would be but Darkness tho 't were Infinite ' One Star made Infinite would all exclude ' An Earth made Infinite could ne'er be view'd ' But all being bounded for each others sake ' He bounding all did all most useful make ' And which is best in profit and delight ' Tho not in bulk he made all Infinite ' He in his Wisdom did their use extend ' By all to all the World from end to end ' In all things all things Service do to all ' And thus a Sand is endless tho but small ' And every thing is truly Infinite ' In its relation deep and exquisite ' O Lord be thou within me to strengthen me ' Without me to keep me ' About me to protect me ' Beneath me to uphold me ' Before me to direct me ' Behind me to reduce me ' Round about me to defend me O Lord I beseech thee give me a longing Affection after the Pleasures of thy Holy Spirit because they are noble and will advance my Soul to Eternal Happiness make me often Contemplate the Joys of Heaven the hopes of which is the Joy and Comfort of my Soul. A short Discourse of the Mortality of the BODY and Immortality and Excellency of the SOUL Isaiah 26. 19. Thy dead Men shall live together with my dead Body shall they arise Awake and Sing ye that dwell in Dust For thy dew is as the dew of Herbs and the Earth shall cast out the dead Glory be to God on high and on Earth Peace Good will towards Men. Hallelujah 1. FIRST and above all let us consider how short and uncertain our lives are which are subject to a Thousand Frailties and Casualties and to Death every moment insomuch that our whole life is but short and troublesome and as a Wind that passeth away and cometh â—ot again which is evidently declared by the various â—nstances of the Mortality of Frail and Mortal Man That our very sleeping and waking is but a kind of living and dying nay Morning and Evening is but 〈◊〉 a Embâ—em of the representation of Death and the â—esurrection For God hath given every Man but a short time to be upon Earth so that upon the well â—encâ—ing it our well being in Eternity depends Whereâ—ore Divines say that every Hour or our Life after â—e are capable of receiving Laws and knowledge â—f Good and Evil we must give an Account how â—e spend our Time to the Judge of Men and Angels Therefore we must remember we have a great Work to do many Enemies to Conquer many Evils to preâ—ent many Dangers to go through many Necessities â—o serve much Good to do many Friends to support many Poor to relief besides the Needs of Nature and Relation our Private and Publick Cares so that God hath given every Man Work enough to do that there is no room for Idleness and yet there is room for Devotion Wherefore he spends his Time and Wealth well that imploys it in the Service of God by setting a part a great Portion of it for Religion and the Necessity of Mens Souls by filling up all the spaces of his Time with Devotion and by taking from Sleep to imploy in this Exercise Secondly Let him consider that hath but little â—leasure that he ought to set a part some solemn Time for the Venerable Worship of God Thrice in the Year at least tho he buy it at the rate of any Labour and Honest Art for the quiting of Worldly Business let him attend wholly to Fasting and Prayer in the dressing up of his Soul by Confession Meditation and deep Humiliation that he may make up his Accounts renew his Vows and improve his Time to the Glory of God and his own Souls good Seeing that we know not the Day of our Death we ought with all Care and Diligence to prepare for it that if it be our Lot to die Young we may also die Innocent before the Sweetness of our Souls are defloured that we may attain this favour of God that our Souls have suffered a less Imprisonment by being speedily freed form the load of the Body For at Death our Souls are equal to the Angels and Heirs of Eternity For it is observed by some that after the time that a Child is Conceived he never ceaseth to be to all Eternity so that if he dies Young or Old hâ— hath still an Immortal Soul and laid down his Bodâ— only for a time as that which was the Instrumenâ— of his Trouble and Sorrow for he will certainly havâ— a more noble Being after Death than he hath here Seeing these things are so let us endeavour to stamp Religion on our Souls that God may deliver us from Unrighteous dealings may we therefore always havâ— an Ear open to hear the just Complaints of the Poor and a Heart full of pitty to support them for the Soul must have the Prehemency over the Body because it is more Noble and infinitly more to be valu'd than the Body for the Body is to turn to Dust within a little time but in the mean while it is nourished by sleep which refreshes it and revives the Spirit Wherefore it is said of sleep it 's a kind of Death and whatsoever we take from sleep we add to Life Thirdly Wherefore be saith Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light Ephes 5. 14. Arise thou sleepy Soul call upon thy God Jonah 1. 6. suffer it not to be drowsy or sleeppy when it stands upon the briâ—ks of Eternity
a vail I mention this not to divert any from aspiring to the highest degrees of Perfection but to reprove that preposterous course many ta 〈…〉 est weight upon those things 〈…〉 least and have more Zeal for 〈…〉 then for express downright Comm 〈…〉 the one to commute for the contemp 〈…〉 For some Men are apt to scruple small thi 〈…〉 not startle at Injustice or Oppression which 〈…〉 to be rectified that Men may have an equa 〈…〉 to all the Commands of God not letting any 〈…〉 slip their Observation For he that breaks the 〈…〉 command is guilty of all not but that he that brea 〈◊〉 them all is guilty of more severe Punishments then he that breaks but one But the meaning is he that breaks one shall not go Unpunished being deeply guilty of Disobedience God having required an equal regard to all his Precepts and who so gives him not their whole Heart offers to him but a lame and unacceptable Sacrifice for any thing less than the full power of our Wills cannot please God who is of purer Eyes than to behold any the least Evil with approbation for his Wisdom being so pure a Majesty cannot be pleased with any thing that is impure of Heart Necessary is it therefore to give him the full of our Mind Will and Soul or as our Catechism expresses it To serve him with all our strength in every Centure of our Lives For the more we serve him the more and better shall we be regarded honoured and rewarded by him the searcher of all Hearts Of the excellent Qualification of the Soul from its high Extraction ALthough Men do not know the Soul neither can they see it because it is like the Eyes of our Bodies it sees every thing but it self but it self 〈…〉 assuredly know that by it we 〈…〉 inabled to do actions of Piety 〈…〉 Consciences dictates to us what is 〈…〉 done for that is a good and faith 〈…〉 that whensoever we do amiss we do 〈…〉 our Souls and stupifie our Consciences 〈…〉 Evil or cause others so to do But to a 〈…〉 let us begg of God to give us a chast Spi 〈…〉 is the Crown of faithful Souls Wherefore 〈…〉 said of Virginity that it is the Life of Angels 〈…〉 animal of the Soul the advantage of Religion which is a mutual a strong and voluntary inclination to the Worship of God for it is empty of Cares and ought to be full of Prayers which are fed with Fastings it is very advatagious to Devotion and Retirement for whosoever is careful of his Time and Behaviour shall not be robbed of his reward for his good intentions Secondly Then fail not of being eminent in your Generations for Virtue and Piety by being burning and shining Lights unmingled with any manner of Evil that you may follow the Lamb wheresoever he goeth But above all be Humble for that is the Ornament of our Holy Religion and it makes you to differ from the Wisdom of the World. For our Learning is then best when it teaches us Humility for to be proud of our Learning is the greatest Ignorance in the World for our Learning is so long in getting and so very imperfect that the Learnedest person in the World knows not the Thousandth part of that which he is Ignorant of so that he cannot attain to any Maturity of Knowledge proportionable to that of Angels No Man therefore has any cause to boast of his excellency for what thou hast thou hast received from God and art the more Obliged to return him Thanks for it and thou art bound to improve the Grace that he hath given thee to his Glory Consider then that thou wer't nothing before thou as Born and what wer 't thou in the first Regions of â—y dwellings before thy Birth but uncleaness What â—â—ast thou for many Years after but Weakness and â—â—ailty As the Psalms expresses It even as the smoak â—at vanisheth away Ps 102. 3. A great debtor then â—â—t thou to God to thy Parents to the Earth and all â—â—e Creatures For all Men that have ever been were â—â—ressed with Hunger and the Frailties of human Naâ—re so that the best and wisest Persons are subject â—o the Necessity of Nature wherefore there is great â—â—ause of Humility for the Spirit of Man is light and â—oublesome his Body is bruitish and sickly he is conâ—ant in his Folly and Errour inconstant in his Manâ—er and Good Purposes his Labours are vain intriâ—ate and endless his Fortune is changeable but selâ—om pleasing his Wisdom comes not till he be ready 〈◊〉 die or at least till he have spent great part of his â—â—me in wast His death is certain always ready at â—he Door but never far off upon these or the like Meâ—â—itations If we dwell on them or frequently retire 〈◊〉 consider them we shall see nothing more reasonable â—an to be Humble and nothing more foolish than to â—e Proud Humility consists not in railing against our â—â—lves or wearing mean Cloaths or going softly or â—â—bmissively but in a hearty and real mean Opinion â—f our selves Thirdly Believe thy self then an unworthy Person 〈◊〉 heartily as thou believest thy self to be Hungry Poor 〈◊〉 Sick when thou art so love to be concealed and 〈◊〉 esteemed off Be not troubled when thou art â—ighed and undervalued and when thou hast done â—ny thing worthy of praise return it to God who is â—â—e Giver of the Gift and Blesser of the Action and â—â—ive him thanks for making thee the Instrument of is Glory Secure a good Name to thy self by being â—irtuous Pious and Humble and when People have â—n occasion to speak well of thee take no content in â—raise when it is offered thee but let thy rejoycing be in Gods Gift but let it be alay'd with Fear lest thâ— Good bring thee to Evil. Pray often for Gods Gracâ— with Humility of gesture and passion of desire thaâ— God may be Glorified by thy Example of Humility which may be as well in a low condition as in a ricâ— Begg God 〈◊〉 irriâ—h thy Soul with all Graces anâ— when thou had attained them give God thanks 〈◊〉 them Pâ—ide hinders the acceptance of our Prayerâ— Humility pierceth the Clouds and will not give oveâ— till God accepts neither will it depart till the mosâ— high regards For he resisteth the Proud but 〈◊〉 Grace to the Hâ—mble St. Jam. 4 6. Then begg Gâ—acâ— and Pardon that it may be a remedy and relief aâ—gainst Misery and Oppression and be content in 〈◊〉 conditions begg Tranquility of Spirit Patience iâ— Affliction that we may gain Love abroad and Peacâ— at home Coâ—sider the blessed Sâ—â—iour of the World 〈◊〉 who left the 〈◊〉 of his Father the Lord of Glory 〈◊〉 who took upon him the liâ—e of Labour and came tâ— a State of Poverty to a Death of Malâ—fâ—ctouâ—s to thâ— Grave of Death and the intolerable Calamitiâ—s which we deserved Therefore it 's but reasonable that wâ— should be as Humble in the
so weighty a conclusion 〈◊〉 may return to this most certain and most compendious way to her own Happiness which is to be acquired by bearing Afflâ—ction patiently and endeavouring to overcome whatever tempts her during the time of this her Pilgrimage â—ith a careful preparing of her self for her future Condition by such Noble Actions and Heroick Qualifications of Mind as shall render her most welcome to her own Country which belief and â—uâ—pose 〈…〉 in an utter in câ—pacity of eâ—ther 〈…〉 at nothing but what is not in the Power of Mâ—n to confirm upon her with Câ—urage she â—ets upon the main Work and being still more â—aithful to her self and to that light that asiâ—â—s her at lasts she tasts the Fruites of her Future Harveâ—â— and does more then presage that great Happiness that is accrewing to her and quits her from the troubles and anxieties of this preâ—â—nt World stays with it in Tranquility and Content 〈◊〉 at last leaves it with Joy. Therefore let us furâ—â—er consider that the Soul has Four Qualities beâ—â—use her Faculties are Fourfold The First is Unâ—erstanding The Second is the Will The Third 〈◊〉 the Memory The Fourth is the Affections 〈◊〉 Heart which is the principle Seat of the Rational 〈◊〉 The Mind is the inward Act. The Thoughts 〈◊〉 the Mind the Fountain of Counsel the soul of Life 〈◊〉 understand by the Mind and live by the Soul. 〈…〉 A Deceision or a Demonstration of the Mutual and Reciprocal Relation betwixt the Soul and the Body 1. THE true Love of God raises the Soul to the highest Perfection the purest and fullest Love shall wear always the weightiest Crown of Gloâ—y Where this Love is if it meet with hard Precepts it desolves it into sweet promises and fills the Heart with the shining Beauty of Soul ravishing delights by Divine Respiration giving it true Repose causing the Delights and Pleasures to be as Capacious as the Soul that lovely Creature of God whom his Majesty is always pleased to fill with an Ineffable Pleasure in perpetually extending their Knowledge of Intellection by Consequences and Lights always New which they draw from their Light and their Knowledge always acquired they always find something to be discovered in the Immense Spaces of Truth they always find some-Shing to be enlightned with of the Perfection of the aupream Essence which they always see all entire and ill exposed to their Eyes and which they never knew so perfectly but that there always remains something further to be known and discovered they always Drink of this Lively and Eternal Spring and are always a Thirst they drein from thence every moment by a full and entire Knowledge of the intuitive Vision but they always find it full and inexhaustable to Reason and Intellection which they always make a further Progress into and further still find something to be known in the Fountain of its infinite Incomprehensibility The Reprobate Souls do also find by the exercise of their reasonings a Thousand and a Thousand New dispairs in their State of Reprobation and Misery The Prophets say they always remain awake to the End they may always see their Misery and Woe which does express the exercise of the active Faculty in Unhappy Souls which proves that all Souls have out of the Body the exercise of the Faculties of Perceiving of Imagining and of Recollecting which they do not exercise here but dependent upon the Body For thus we say without difficulty that they may compare one thing with another that they Conceive the Nature of Bodies by pure Intellection by which they form Universal Notions from whence they draw Consequences and frame Ideas but these Ideas do not cause us to Believe that the Body and the Soul can be united like two Liquors or like two Metalls which are melted one with the other which are made either by an Unctuous or Viscous Humor which binds the Parts of them together nor by Nails Pegs and Joynts We may not imagine here any thing material for we are to cut off every thing that presents it self Corporeal to our Spirits for we are to conceive precisely only a mutual and necessary Dependance in such a manner as God has directed and disposed which is the way to conceive the manner how our Souls are in our Bodies as well as we are capable to comprehend They are not in us by a Local and Corporeal Circumscription they are not there as Liquor is in a Vessel or as a Bird is in the Nest or Cage or as the Body is in the Air which environs it but they are in us as God is in the World in which we must conceive him as saith St. Augustin Much more containing than contained for we may remember that tho the Nature of the Soul is a Spiritual Nature which doth as Essentially exclude Local extention and by Consequence all sorts of Ideas of Local Presence such as we commonly conceive under Corporeal Images of Immediation of Preportions and of Coextention of Substances as it doth Essentially include the Grounds and the Acts of the knowing Faculty Bodies have their proper Fashion of being within Places and Spirits have theirs likewise there is nothing of likeness betwixt one and the other for to think otherways were to subvert and destroy both Corporeal and Spiritual Nature for it is with the manner how the Soul is in the Body as it is with the Soul it self We cannot comprehend it as oft as we conceive it by Imagination what Corporeal Image so ever we make of it or under what material Form soever we may conceive of it for the manner how the Soul is in the Body is altogether as Spiritual as is the Substance of the Soul if it be demanded after this in what Part of the Body the Soul is or whether she is in all the Body the Question will be difficult to resolve However the Learned say that all the Soul is in all the Body and all of it in the Essential and Integral Parts of it as God is in all the World and in all the Parts of the World not by that Co-extension and Local Chimerical Presence which gross Spirits do imagine but by the intimate Presence of his Essence Essentially operating in all the World. We must say the same of the Soul that it is in all the Body by relation of its dependance and activity but this does not hinder but that we may say she is more properly and more particularly in the Brain since it is by that Part that the action of the Soul upon the Body immediately Commences and that all the actions of the Body upon the Soul terminâ—tes wholly in that Part as it sensibly appears by that which interrupts and suspends the action of the Soul upon the Body and the action of the Body upon the Soul for as often as it happens that the action of the Body upon the Soul is interrupted it is because there is some relaxation or some obstruction in
and Power when the Motion of the Blood Humours and of the Animal Spirits or of the Fibres of the Brain which is the Organ of the Internal Sense which are annexed the Species of things that is to say the Impressions which remains of the Objects are disordered and embroiled in such sort that the Natural Order and Connexion of these Species cannot be observed and kept but are confusedly and tumultuously excited and stired up by a tumultuous and irregular agitation of the Organ in which they reside from whence comes necessarily that kind of Folly which consists in a disorder and a fantastick Confusion of Thoughts without Order and Dependance or Connexion because the Fibres of those Parts of our Bodies arâ— scorched up on which the Soul usually acts and to say this may not shake a Truth so well Establisheâ—â— and Proved that it needs no further Illustration therefore let it be our Care and Study to seek thâ— Kingdom above rather than to puzle our selves in the nicities of Nature or the manner how our Soul acts in our Body for better it is that the Soul and Body be free from pollution than to understand all the knowledge our Nature is capable of being enlightned with for 't is not he that understands al Mystâ—ies or all Secrets but he that is Obedient and Dutiful to the Divine Laws that shall be filled with Joy in the Heavenly Ierusalem that Place of spotless Purity where no Impure thing can dwell Wherefore our Lord chose rather to Suffer any Indignity than that we should continue in the Guilt of Sin because any pollution unquallifies us for his Kingdom and Robs us of the Happiness of being meet to be Citizens thereof For since Fruition is the end of Knowledge it is of great moment to us so to demean our 〈◊〉 as not to be unfit for the Union of Glory and amongst other aspiring Knowledge the due Knowledge of a Mâ—â—â—s self is highly conducive to attain to this Happiness for such a Knowledge shews him the Humility of the Frame he ought to be in to qualify him to be worthy to enter into this Glorious City where every Holy Soul will be beloved of Angâ—ls and admired of Men Such qualified Persons beâ—â—g the true Friends of God seeing they have defined to Wâ—â—ship God in the inward Court of their Souls as well as in the out Court of his Sanctuary and in the admiration of him in all his Works of Wonder for there is nothing of more concern to us than to be truly sensible of his exceeding Mercy which ought to be deeply It graven in all ouâ— Minds so as to raise our Sons to a high pitch of Gratitude for all the benefits we have momently received from him the rememberance of each of which are reviving Comforts and are able to cheer the Hearts of the most dejected Penitents for the true Sense of this assures them that they shall be for ever Blessed even to such a Perfection as to be Perfect Sovereigns in his Glorious Kingdom where every one will be a Sovereign Prince being Blessed with infinite Injoyments such as the beholding the unvailed Vision of God and the sweet Society of Saints and Angels where God Essence and Works will satisfie all Holy desires all Blessed wishes and eager Thirst after Purity and every Heavenly Injoyment 5. The Will which is that Invincible and Insurmountable movement which pusheth on all knowing Natures towards God is without doubt and Operates perpetually in Just Souls and in Reprobated Souls but it is there and Operates there very diversly The Just Souls have found the good they sought they are arrived to the term they have so long persued they imbrace it they possess it they lose themselves they plunge themselves drown and ingulph themselves in it When they are arrived to the Place of their repose to the Center of their Desires to the port of their Wishes they have nothing more to follow to search after in this Fortunate State they pâ—ssess because they taste with an inexplicable Tranquility and an incomprehensible Satiety the Soveâ—eign good and therefore are fully satisfied content and quiet But this Tranquility and this Satiety does â—â—t lull them to Sleep nor ever cloy them the Will â—atisfied and arrived to its term does not cease proceeding on always It Operates and Sturs up it self Eternally in a most happy repose these Holy Souls are always satisfied and always a Hungary always at quiet and always sturred up they Will and Desire always that which they have and would always have more for they are immediately United to the Sovereign good and to all his Joys and are always till vehemently desirous of being more United to â—im Thus the Will hath its Excellency and Perâ—ection in Holy Souls without any of the Imperâ—ections it is at present subject to for now it 's not â—ble to ballance it self betwixt True and False good for at present it 's sotting and wavering betwixt the False Images of good which the Immagination and the Senses presents to it in the present State and betwixt the true and solid goods which Instinct and Reason Philosophy and Religion preposses to it It is happily drawn in by the Presence and Injoyments of the Sovereign good whose Immensity draws them and carries them by force and fastens them to his Sovereign Beauty and to his Soverigâ— Delights for it 's his Wisdom in whom they see the Source of good and as it were all the true Treasure and Foundation of Life giving Excellencies and therefore cannot be turned aside by any False good but there is a vast difference betwixt these happy Souls and the Souls oâ— the Reprobate as to their final State for as to the latter of these the Fountain of good repulses them and throws them back from the Vision oâ— Glory and in the same time wounds and transperceâ— them with a Thousand deadly Darts they are Etâ—rnally thirsting after Pleasure but have Eternally nothing but Grief Pain and Dispair for their Portion So that the Will placed in them to be the beginning and seat of their happiness is found to be the Eternal principle and seat of their unhappiness and dispair for as all the agreeable Passions will be in Holy Souls so all the Afflicting ones will be in Reprobate Souls The Dispair of the Soul lies in the seeing and perceiving the Impossibilities of a voiding Evil and the not being able to attain the good she persues which must needs be a dejection and a discouragement accompanied with profound sadness because of this crue Sentiment of Privation and yet by some is called truly and properly Voluntary because the Will is thaâ— Motion by which the Soul is driven on invincibly toâ—wards God to Unite her self and to be United to him which is the Love of God in general and maâ— be called properly Voluntary for when the goâ— which is aspired after cannot be acquired Dispair bâ— consequence succeeds for the resentment of the Appetite preceeds
present State in the Body is Time so our future State out of the Bodâ— is Eternity the due consideration of which ought to Penetrate us and cause a General and Universaâ— Change in our Ideas that now in time we may sâ— prepare for Eternity that we may be Eternally happy when Time shall be no more Now of these twâ— States the one appears infinitly Precious and Essential and the other infinitly despisable We ought therefore earnestly to endeavour to render our selves worthy of being rewarded by him to whom the secrets of all Hearts are at present unclosed and now immediately relate our selves to him by our Confession of our dependance upon his Supereminent excellency over us and over all the World that we may â—â—el indubitably the Pleasures and Delights which he contains for his Goodness is ready to discover the Charms and Beauty of his Sovereign Nature to all â—ho desire to be united to him by shewing Love and Charity to all their Christian Brethren that when God â—hall make up his Jewels they may be found worthy of â—eward at the end of the present Oeconomy when his Mâ—jesty shall put an end to the Vicissitudes of Time when â—e shall fix all things in an immutable and an eternal Orâ—er when he will give a beginning to the New World â—nd when he will re-establish all the Bodies and reâ—nite every Soul to that Body which she animated â—pring this present life this will â—e do who calls â—â—mself the Resurrection and the Life the first born â—mongst the dead the Father of Ages to come he 〈◊〉 whom we are all raised up again in a Mistery and â—â— a Figure and will undoubtedly raise us effectually 〈◊〉 the last Day For then we shall be even in our â—odies like Angels disfranchised from the businesses â—d the inclinations which we have upon the occaons of the Body St. Paul also teaches us that our â—odies shall be Spiritualized and we may upon this â—â—inciple decide with certainty that the re-union of â—odies doth not at all change the Foundation of that â—â—ate of the Soul out of the Body the manner and â—â—â— cumstances whereof we have been illustrating â—r when our Bodies shall be Spiritualized by the â—surrection they shall be no more a charge to the 〈◊〉 tho the Learned say That the Nature of our â—dies shall not be chainged so as to become knowâ—â— Natures or cease to be extended Substances but that the Body shall be no more an obstacle oâ— hinderance in any thing to the Soul but our Bodies will serve to do Honour and Glory to the God of Nature Our Bodies after they are raised will have a perfect and sovereign agility that is to say an intire indifference for all sorts of motion which will cause them without any resistance to be carried every where whether the Souls would have them for then they will have neither Levity nor Gravity but will be aâ—â— light as the Air and as swift as a Thought thâ— Bodies of themselves have not either lightness 〈◊〉 weight so as to ascend or descend but being afters they are raised from the Grave Spiritualized theâ— will by the Almighty Power be able to do this wheâ— our Bodies shall be replaced with our Souls and ouâ— whole Man will be replaced in a much purer structure than ever it was at first before it was defile by Sin. From whence we may see the excellenâ—â— train of the Divine System of Religion which without doubt clear and certain that the Universâ—â— Resurrection will be a Circumstance of that Glorious Solemnity of Justice which God will make at thâ— consummation of Ages for the consecration of hâ— Eternal Temple for the overture and commencâ—ment of his Immortal Reign for the solemn Coronation of his Royal Majesty and for the compleat Trâ—â—umph of Man-God for the justification of his Prâ—vidence and the full Declaration and Maâ—â—festatio of his Glorious Will at the end of this preseâ—â— Oeconomy of Time. The Scripture speaks of Hoâ—Souls as if they had the Pleasure of walking on thâ— Globes of the Heavens and to be in the midst of thâ— Stars to walk upon the Sun and the Moon after tâ—â— manner of Spirits it accommodates it self to oâ— ross manner of speaking and of conceiving tâ— most Spiritual things under Corporeal forms whicâ— may be called a clear distinct Idea of the visibâ—â— World which God gives to Just Souls they waâ— after their manner upon the Arches of Heaven they are capable of being at the same time at both the Poles of the World they are said to fill its whole extent they are in both the Hemispheres Their Horizon is not at all a limited Horizon which never permits us to see here but a little portion of the Universe it is not bounded But by the bounds of Nature We do not at present see these Heavenly Bodies but only these parts of them which reflects the light upon us We do not see the Sun the Moon the Stars and the Terraqueous Globe of the Earth and the Seas but only one side of them But the pure Souls immediately â—nlightned by God as they are they see at the same â—ime the whole Globe of the Sun all the Face of the Moon both the Hemispheres of the Earth there is â—o Antipodes to them they all see at one view all the â—air prospects of Nature and all the beautiful Table of â—he visible World for besides that their Knowledg universal in this respect so it is not at all successive â—ut all full and clear at once so that they see all things least by reflection by which we compare one â—hing with the other to observe diversities and sinâ—â—arities by which we pass on from that we know that we do not as yet know which may be called â—e proper species of reasoning which brings into the â—orld all the Arts and Sciences as proper means to tend Knowledge as is an effort and agitation of â—hought but this is to be understood of the preâ—â—â— Life But what we spake before we spake of 〈◊〉 future Life i. e. of pure Souls made Glorious by Majesty on high who presides over all our Knowâ—â—ge and over all our Sentiments and causes them us in spite of us and all this by the assistance of 〈◊〉 admirable and illuminating Wisdom which are 〈◊〉 Essâ—ntial Character and Attributes of that which 〈◊〉 call Divinity or Supreame Nature so that a reâ—â—e and an attentive Man cannot be ignorant of 〈◊〉 excellent Truths by the assistance of the provident Wisdom of our great Creator for he it is that teaches us that the Luminous Body of the Sun with the Firmament shews perpetually his Glory every thing sympathysing with each other in the mistaken Miseries which Men call good till their Spiritual Eyes are open and they see they are deluded by great mistake when the sensation by which one Man doth see and understand an other is made with a confus'd sentiment of Pleasure and with a certain agreement which
Garland or a Jewel to a â—agnificent Benefactor Therefore we had need to be â—ry choice in the mixture of our Flowers and cuâ—â—ous in the enammel of so rare a Present that it may â—ove to us a Royal Diadem to adorn our Souls for 〈◊〉 Therefore to let any dirt or blemish be in it â—ould be inconsistent to our Felicity Therefore â—ight and clear apprehensions Divine and Ardent â—ffections are highly necessary to this Compleatment â—eing upon the sincerity of the affections and intenons depends the Honour of the Work it concerns every one therefore to cleans his Heart from all Impurity and Insincerity that his whole Man may be an acceptable Present to God that his infinite Immensity may graciously accept him and all his Works for his Wisdom never rejected the sincere but endews them with inward and outward Ornaments such as an infinite clesiâ—e and delight in Goodness enabling them always to Love his Eternal Majesty with an infinite Love and Deiight greatly Thirsting to be fully satisfied with him and him only for the Soul is to Noble a thing to be satisfied with any thing less than his Transcendent Majesty whose Goodness extends to all even to the Unthankful But he is most the Friend of those who delight most in him for infinite Love and eternal Blessedness are near ally'd for all Delight springs from the satisfaction of violent desires for which cause when the desire is forgotten the Delights are abated The coming of a Crownâ— and the Joy of a Kingdom is far more quick and powerful in the surprize and novelty of the Glory than the length of its continuance The greateâ— part of our Eternal Happiness consist in a greatfuâ— recognition not only of our Joys to come but oâ—â— Benefits already received True contentment is thâ— full satisfaction of a knowing Mind i. e. a long habiâ— of solid Repose after much Study and serious Consiâ—â—deration or a free and easie Mind attended with Pleaâ—sure that naturally ariseth from ones present Condâ—tion yet to be content without a true Cause is tâ—â— fit down in our Imperfections and to seek all onâ— Bliss in ones self alone and as it were to scorn aâ— other Objects which is in it self a high piece of Pride that renders a Man good for nothing but makes him Arrogant and Presumptious in the midst of his Blindâ—ness whereby he leads a living Death by shuting uâ— his Soul in a Grave in that it tramples under Foâ—â— the Essence of his Soul which in Truth turns his Fâ—licity to Malevolence and Misery or in other Word Disorder and Confusion Therefore Man is an unwelcome Creature to himself till he can delight in his present Condition provided his Condition be such as is pleasing in the sight of God for this must be the Condition that can make our pleasure exquisite For otherways we shall be tormented with the contriety of our desires The happiness of a contented Spirit consists not only in the fruition of its Bliss but in the Fruits and Effects it produceth in our Lives which makes every Virtuous Man truly Great within and Glorious in his retirements Magnanimity and Content are very near aly'd they spring from the same Parents but are of several Features Fortitude and Patience are Kindred too to this incomparable Virtue for these fill a Man with true Pleasure and great Treasure which makes him Magnanimous and truly Great not in his own Thoughts but in the sight of God The Magnanimous Soul is always awake the whole Globe of Earth is but a Nut-shel in comparison of his Injoyments for God alone is his Sovereign delight and Supreame complacency So that nothing is great if compared to a Magnanimous Soul but the Sovereign Lord of all Worlds But Man divided from God is a weak and inconsiderable Creature But every Soul united to God is a Transcendent and Celestial thing for God is its Life its Greatness and its Power its Blessedness and Perfection for he that is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit 1 Cor. 6. 20. His Omnipresence and Eternity fills the Holy Soul and makes it able to contain all heights and depths and lenghts and breadths whatsoever In a Word it 's the desire of every such Soul to be filled with the fulness of God. Magnanimous desires are the Natural results of a Magnanimous Capacity the desire of being like God of knowing Good and Evil. But in a grosser sence this was the destruction of the Old World Not that it is Unlawful to desire to be like God but to aspire to the Perfection in a forbidden way by Disobedience and following our own Inventions by seeking to the Creatures in opposition to the great Creator A Magnanimous Soul if we respect its Capacity is an immovable Sphere of Power and Knowledge far greater than all Worlds by its Virtue and Power that it passeth through all things the Centre of the Earth and through all existencies and allsuch Creatures as these he counteth but Vanity and Trifles in comparison of his true Object the great Almighty whose Transcendent Goodness desendeth in full Showers upon all Men by his communitive Goodness which is freely extended to every Man. The Seven last WORDS our Saviour spoke upon the Cross I. FATHER forgive them for they know not what they do O Lord forgive me wherein I have forgot thy Presepts and done that which is Evil. To the good Thief II. This Day shalt thou be with me in Paridise O God say to my Soul in the Day when thou takest it from my Body This Day shall thou be with me in Heaven III. Woman behold thy Son. In Futurity let me behold the Vision of Bliss IV. Eli Eli lama sabachthani that is to say My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Forsake me not in my greatest Afflictions V. I thirst Grant that I may thirst for thee the Fountain of Living Waters VI. Father into thy Hands I commend my Spirit Receive my Soul when it is returning unto thee VII It is finished Finish my Course with Joy and grant O Jesus that I may be worthily qualified to receive that sweet Voice of thine Welcome to the Kingdom prepared by my Father Meditation for the Sick. THEY that Glory in their Ancestors in the Nobleness of their Birth and Blood must make their Beds in the dark and acknowledge Corruption for their Father and the Worm for their Mother and Sister they that are already Dead and crumble away to make room from us that must come after them are secluded from Men but live with Angels Dust thou art and to dust thou shalt return Gen. 3. 19. What Man is he that liveth and shall not see Death Psal 89. 48. Our Bodies shall return to the Earth from whence they were taken but our Spirit shall return to God that gave it Eccl. 12. 7. It is appointed for all Men once to die Heb. 9. 26. We must needs dye and are as Water spilt upon the Ground that cannot be gathered up