10. SERM. X. The First Sermon on the Excellency of the Soul.
SERM. X. The First Sermon on the Excellency of the Soul.
I have endeavored to show somewhat unto you about the Excellency of the Name of God, and likewise the Excellency of Jesus Christ, and what he is, that so you might have right apprehensions of God and Christ. Now in the third place, I shall desire to show you somewhat about the Excellency of your own Souls: And to that end attend to Matth. 16:26.
For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own Soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his Soul? – Matth.
16:26.
Our Savior going himself to suffer, tells his Disciples what they must expect in the following of him, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me. These are the terms, saith
Christ, upon which you must follow me, you must be willing to deny yourselves, and to take up your cross, to suffer hard things if you follow me. Christ would have his Disciples know the worst at first, and not please themselves in a fools Paradise, thinking that by following of him they should get great matters to themselves in the world; no, saith he, expect no
such matter, but deny yourselves, and take up my cross. But this may seem to be hard, it may be our cross may be the loss of all, the loss of our lives, and must we take up that? Yes, saith Christ, in the verse before my Text, be not solicitous what your cross is like to be, only be willing to take it up.
And the truth is, the more willing you are to take it up, the better will it be for you, and you will get nothing by seeking to shift for yourselves, For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. It may be when you meet with sufferings in the world, you will think to shift this way, or that way, but you will get nothing:
If you would save your lives by forsaking the truth, it is the only way to lose your lives: But if you be willing to lose your lives for my truth, you shall save them; or what if by forsaking me and my truth, when you meet with suffering, you should save your lives, and your estates, and live bravely in the world, do you think you are any gainers by this? You are infinitely mistaken: If you cast up the account, you will find that you have gotten nothing all: For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? And thus you see how the words come in.
These words that I have read unto you, are of exceeding serious consideration: And indeed they should be as Thunder in every man's ears.
Some Scripture that a Minister may preach on, may concern some particular person in a Congregation more than others: But here is a Text concerns everyone that hath a soul, Man and woman, high and low, old and young,
What shall it profit any one to gain the whole word, and to lose their own soul? — I have read of one that gave counsel to John King of Portugal, that he would repeat this Text to himself, and spend one quarter of an hour in the meditation of it, What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? And that he would make the words of this Text to be the
close of his prayer continually, What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? This was wholesome counsel; and certainly the tight meditation and understanding of this Text would be of admirable use to every soul. You have in the words these two things plainly hinted.
First, That there is in every man a soul, a spiritual substance, besides what is visible and sensible.
And secondly, That this soul of man is more worth than all the world, it hath that excellency, that if a man gains all the world, and loses that, when he hath cast up his account, he may put his gains in his eye, he shall find himself a miserable creature.
We might make more divisions, or subdivisions of the words, but I will content myself only with those two things, and speak chiefly to the latter.
Now to make way for that, I will speak a little of the former, What is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his soul? His Soul.
Every man hath a soul, a rational spiritual substance beyond that that is visible or sensible; in Job 32:8. But there is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth him understanding. There is a spirit in man besides the bodily substance that you see, there is a spirit in man, such a spirit as is capable of the inspiration of the Almighty to give understanding, &c. And in Gen. 2:7, it is said, That God formed man of the dust of the earth, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Here is another manner of man's-creation, then of other creatures; God did but say of other creatures let them be, Let the earth bring forth creeping things &c.
And it was so: But when he comes to man, he forms man out of the dust of the earth, that is for his body, and for his spirit, he breathes into his nostrils the breath of life. I have read of a people that would not be persuaded that there was any difference between beasts and them: And truly there is
somewhat to do to persuade carnal hearts of any great difference between a beast and them in relation to God, or to another life: But certainly there is a spirit in man, there is somewhat beyond that body of thine that is visible, which doth infinitely concern thee to look to.
For first, We see that there are actions in men that are beyond that which concerns the body at all: And therefore surely there is a spirit in man, besides what the body is; the highest actions of men are such as do not concern the body, as thus, The knowledge of the heavens, the knowledge of Angels, of spirits, what hath the body to do with such things? The knowledge of the mysteries of the Gospel, and the conversing with them, they are abstracted notions from all kind of bodily substances; the knowledge of God and Christ, yea the very knowledge of Mathematical notions, many notions there are in Arts and Sciences that are abstract from all bodily things; certainly then there is a spirit in man beyond that bodily substance that doth appear common with the brute beasts.
Yet secondly, There is a power in man to curb his body, to deny himself of that which is most suitable to the body, saith Paul, 1 Cor. 9:27. I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection. Surely there is somewhat in man that is above the body, that hath so much command of the body, as it appears the spirit of man hath to beat down the body, If thou beest a man given to thine appetite, when thou sittest at the table of a great man, put a knife to thy throat, a man is able, to curb his appetite; though the body hath never so strong a desire to such and such things, yet the soul of man is able to curb his body and deny it: If thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, or thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out. There is a power in man to deny the body that which it desires never so much, which a beast cannot, that cannot deny that which is suitable to his sense every way, except there be some stronger
sensitive thing to take him off: But man is able to deny his sense, when there is no sensitive object before him to take him off: By that dominion that the soul of man hath over his body, he is able to curb his body, and to deny his body, therefore surely there is a spirit in man.
3. Again, That which the Scripture makes the chief actions of man to consist in, which have any reference to God, is such things that are done by somewhat beyond the body. Whatsoever a man doth, if it be but only the body that is exercised, and sense, it is not acceptable to God. Bodily exercise profiteth little, saith the Scripture, and 1 Cor. 13:3. What if I give my body to be burnt? A man may give his body to be burnt: there all the senses may concur in it, and yet if there be not a spirit in man to act this upon any higher ends and grounds, than anything that is bodily can reach unto, it is worth nothing, it is not regarded.
Fourthly, There is a spirit in man beyond this bodily substance: for when this bodily substance is decaying, moldering away, there are many thoughts in a man about an eternal estate, and more fresh and lively sometimes when the body is moldering away, than ever there was before; there are no creatures but Angels and men that take any cognizance of an eternal estate, that take any thoughts about what is to come hereafter. Now we say, Nature doth nothing in vain, surely God would not have put such kind of workings in man about another condition, after this body shall molder away, but that there is somewhat that doth concern some other part of man besides that bodily substance of his.
Fifthly, and then lastly, There is certainly a spirit in man beyond his bodily substance: for we know that there are real pains and torments upon a man's spirit. The burdens of conscience in the reflex act that a man's conscience hath upon himself summoning of him to appear before the great
God: Though a man's body be in never such health, and hath all outward accommodations about him, as music, good cheer, friends, estate, yet there is that horror and torment in his spirit, sometimes through the consciousness of the guilt of sin, that he is not able to bear: nay were there not somewhat beyond this bodily substance, certainly this could never be; verily then there is a spirit in man, and hence therefore you see that there is somewhat doth concern you all beyond your present, outward, and bodily condition. Let no man think that he hath provided well for himself, when he hath provided money, and house, and lands, and good cheer, and clothes, and such kind of things; do not think that thou art happy in that: for these are things that concern thy outward man, there is still another substance in thee that thou art to look after, that takes little notice of such things as these are.
Neither do you think that you have provided well for your children, when you have provided an estate, an inheritance, somewhat to leave them, know, that there is another substance in your children, besides that outward bodily substance you look upon. Do you see a fine feature, comely parts, comely countenance, and your children finely clothed? I but know there is a spirit in that child besides that bodily substance that you are to look to: Certainly man is very far fallen from God, that none scarce takes notice of his own spirit: We do not only naturally live without a God in the world, so as to know little of that infinite divine Spirit that is the first being of all things; but we live without the knowledge of our own spirits, of our own souls:
Truly few men there are that know their own souls. As a man by his eye sees things that are without him, but he doth not see his own eye; so by the soul we come to understand many things without us, but yet how little do we understand of our own souls? Well might the Psalmist therefore complain, and say, in Psal. 49:20. Man that is in honor, and understandeth
not, is like the beasts that perish. God did indeed make man at first in honor, but now he is become like the very beasts, he doth mind little or nothing more than the very beasts themselves, he blesses himself if he hath but content for the body for a while, as if there were nothing else concerned him; I appeal unto your consciences in this thing, whether the uttermost sphere of your thoughts have been any further than merely within the compass of bodily content: If you should come to a beast, and talk to it about Trades and titles of honor, and Arts and Sciences, and such kind of things, why what is all this to a beast? Give a beast hay or corn, and such kind of things that are suitable to it, and it minds that more than it doth any high notions that you are able to tell it; and truly thus it is with sensual men, even as the Atheist who saith in his heart, That there is no God; so a kind of Atheism there is in their hearts to say they have no souls, that there is no difference between them and the brute-beasts; hence it is that they savor spiritual things so little. Tell carnal men of the excellency of the Name of God, Tell them of Jesus Christ, how wonderful he is, of the wonderful mysteries of the Gospel, and of the things of eternal life, they are dry things to such a one, he savors them not: Tell him of money, and meat, and drink, and sports, and clothes, and such kind of things, they are suitable unto him, there is some savor in them; but for the great things of the Kingdom of God, and of eternal life, there is no savor at all in them; and thus far is man fallen from God, and lives for the most part, as if so be he were capable of no higher good, but merely to eat and drink, and live for a while here like a beast: Thus doth the Devil gull and deceive most of us: Now my brethren, this is a work that I have undertaken, and it concerns as much the Ministers of God to show unto you what you are yourselves, what God hath made you, as to show you what God is, and what Christ is, that you may come to
understand yourselves; you can never come to know your reference unto God, until you come to know what God hath made you; this is therefore my scope in this Scripture, to show unto you what God hath made you, and that you have souls within you, and souls of exceeding great worth (I will not say infinite, for none is infinite but God himself) but more worth than all the world, than all the creatures that God hath made, except the Angels in heaven: The souls of the children of men are most excellent creatures; did but a man or woman consider seriously that they have souls in them beyond their bodies, it would raise them up a little.
But this next Point that is the main and principal, Did they but know the worth of their souls, it could not but raise them very high above those poor empty vanities that they have minded all this while: Therefore there is in man not only a soul, but that that is more worth than all the world, that if it should be lost, that man that gained the whole world, would be a great loser in his bargain.
Know therefore this, that there is not the poorest man or woman living, nay not the poorest child that lies begging a crust of bread at your door, but this child hath a soul in it that is more worth than heaven and earth, this poor ragged tattered child that lies in rags, I say, crying at your threshold, and begging a piece of bread, it hath a soul in it that hath greater excellency than the Sun, Moon, and Stars, than all the Heavens, than the Sea, than the Earth, put all the creatures in the world together, that are under Angels, the spirit of this poor child hath more excellency in it, than all these things, and that is the thing that I am to make out unto you.
Why natural life hath more excellency in it than any creature that hath no life. I remember Austin saith of a Flye, because it hath life, that it hath more excellency in it than the Sun its self, because though the Sun be a glorious
creature, yet it hath no life in it; life in the meanest creature hath a greater excellency than anything else that hath not life.
But now the soul hath the highest natural life that is, and capable of the highest happiness that any creature is capable of, and therefore more excellent than all the world; But that we shall come too in its order.
The excellency of the soul may be discovered, first, In the relation it hath to God, God doth challenge a peculiar relation to the spirits of men; and therefore in Heb. 12:9. God is called the Father of spirits, Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? As if God did not so much look after, and regard your bodies, the outward man, but he is the Father of spirits. And in Zeck. 12:1. There is likewise an expression to the same purpose, That God did form the spirit of man within him: God accounts it a special part of his glory, that he makes the spirits of men; he is the Father of spirits: But now I shall not enter into that controversy of the Generation of the soul; thus far these Scriptures with others do evidence, that God hath a more special hand in the producing of this spiritual substance, than he hath in other Creatures.
2. And further, The soul is only under God's command: No Creature can have power over the soul of a man, he may force his body, but his soul cannot be forced by men or Angels.
3. Yea, And it is under the power of no Creature to inflict evil upon it:
Fear not them, saith Christ, that can kill the body, and can do no more; there is all they can do, they can but kill the body, fear not them, but fear him, who after he hath killed the body, hath power to cast the soul into Hell, yea,
I say unto you, fear him, saith Christ. So that it appears by the Text, that there is no Creature can do hurt to the soul; the Devils themselves they cannot do it; they can propound objects before the soul, but except the soul
do consent, they cannot force it; it is only God that hath power over the soul, therefore saith Christ, fear him, that is, fear God that hath this power; all other creatures, this is all their do, as we may say, they are able to kill the body.
4. But further, The excellency of the soul of man, in reference unto God, appears especially in the large extent of capacity that it hath to receive the Image of God, and its ability to work according as God doth work himself, and to enjoy communion with God, and to receive the communication of those choice excellencies that God hath to communicate; these things show the excellency of the soul: the large extent I say of the soul in the capacity it hath of good (of divine good.) As First, It is that that is capable to have the Image of God stamped upon it; Whatsoever the body hath, it is but in way of reflection from the soul; we know those Princes that are great and rich Princes, except necessity compels them, do not use to stamp their Image upon Leather, or Brass, or Copper, but upon the choicest metals, upon Gold and Silver: So when God would have a Creature upon which he would stamp his Image, he doth not choose a mean Creature, the brute beasts, or any sensitive Creature, but he chooseth the most excellent of his Creatures, Angels, and the spirits of men, that are, one as Gold, and the other as Silver, and the great God stamps his
Image upon these two, and only upon these two; these are the two Principal Metals, Gold and Silver, Angels and men's spirits, upon which God did stamp his Image in their first Creation.
Secondly, Not only to have the Image of God upon them, but they are able to work as God himself works; No other Creature is able to do so, but Angels and men's spirits: And this is the principal thing that shows the excellency of the soul, it is able to understand the first being, God himself,
and to make God to be the last end of all things; what is God's work, wherein the very happiness, as I may so say, of God himself consists, but in the understanding of himself, as the first being, and the working unto himself as the last end, and the enjoyment of himself? That is God's own happiness: Now of such excellency is the soul of man (however by sin it is depraved) that it is capable of the understanding of an infinite eternal first being; it is capable of working towards this first being, as the last good of all, which is the same way and kind of working, as God himself doth work.
Thirdly, And it is capable of enjoyment of the communion with God himself; What is God's happiness, but to enjoy himself as the only good?
Now the soul of man is capable of the enjoyment of God, of having communion with the infinite first being of all things, and so he is capable of living the same life that God himself lives; for so the Scripture saith, That the Heathens were estranged from the life of God; so that it appears then, that believers are not estranged from the life of God, but do live the life of God in the enjoyment of communion with himself: For indeed there could be no communion, except there were living the same kind of life; as thus, A man and a beast cannot have communion together, why? Because they live not the same life one with another, their lives are of different kinds: so, were it not that the soul were capable of the same life that God lives, it could not be capable of communion with God.
Fourthly, And further, The soul is of such a nature, as it is capable of the communication of the choicest excellencies that ever God did, or will communicate unto any: Certainly there are very glorious excellencies in God, in the infinite fountain of all good, in the infinite first being of all things; and this God being an infinite good, doth take infinite delight in the communication of his goodness; Now I say, the souls of men are of such a
large extent, as they are some way capable of the enjoyment of any good that God hath to communicate, which he hath revealed in his word; yea, and the truth is, when we hear of God's communicating of himself to his Son, that hath a human soul as well as a body, we cannot but conceive that a human soul is of that large extent, as it is capable of the highest and excellentest good that God hath to communicate to any Creature. We cannot but think that the soul of Jesus Christ hath as much of God's goodness communicated to it, as ever creature had, or can have; now the soul of Jesus
Christ is of the same nature with our souls, as his body; he took the same kind of flesh as we have, only there was no sin; and so the soul, it is the same kind of soul that we have, only it was not sinful, as ours are: Now, if the soul of Jesus Christ be capable of the highest good that God the infinite good hath to communicate to any creature, then the souls of men and women are also: howsoever you have looked after your souls no further, but only to be serviceable to your bodies, to get meat and drink, and be as it were salt, as the Philosopher saith of the Epicure, that the soul serves for no other end to him, but to keep his body from stinking; yet know, whatsoever thou art, though now a sinful wretched vile creature, and art deprived of the chief excellency that thy soul is capable of, yet that soul of thine that thou hast, is capable of the highest good thing that an infinite God hath to communicate: Oh that God by your owning of this, would a little but raise your spirits to think that you have been deluded and deceived all this while: this is the excellency now of your souls, in reference unto God.
Fifthly, And yet there is in the next place A further reference that your souls have to God, and that is the contiguity, as I may so speak, with God himself: that is, of all things that are here in this world, the soul of man it is that that is next unto God himself: Next to God, you will say, what do you
mean when you say that the soul of man it is contiguous unto God? I mean this, that God hath made all creatures for himself, but he hath made them all for himself to come to him by man; he hath made all these inferior things in the world for man, and man for himself, and so God comes to attain the end of all things in this world by man, so that man is next unto God: God would have the glory of all the creatures in the world, but how? By man: saith
God, All these things that I have made, I will have them be in subjection to man, for so they were in their first Creation; and as I shall appear in all other of my works, so shall this creature honor me, and fear me, and admire me, and magnify me, upon the taking notice of, and receiving in that good that there is in any creature: All the goodness there is in the creature, it comes to me, but how shall I have the glory of it all? Why, I will make a creature that shall be as it were between me and other creatures, that shall partake of the nature of other creatures, but so as he shall have a certain kind of divine Beam of my excellency, and shall be able to take notice of me and to receive in my goodness; what he doth receive in of the sweetness of the creature, he shall receive it in as my sweet, and my goodness;
Incomes from me; and so he shall reflect it upon my face again; so that man's soul is like a Glass; as you see a Glass that takes the beams of the Sun that shines upon it, and casts it toward the Sun again, as upon a wall; the beams of the Sun comes into the Glass, and then the Glass can reflect it this way, or that way: So the glory of God shines in the world, and man's soul is as the glass, and when it was in its first purity, was as a clear crystal glass, and received in all the beams of God's glory, all the glory of God I say, that did shine in all his creatures, was received into man's soul, as the beams of the Sun into a glass, and now man was able to reflect the glory of these beams upon the face of God again, and to return all again to God; for
as all things that are good come from him, so all good should return again to him; but now, how comes the Lord to have an enjoyment as it were of his goodness that he lets out from himself? How comes he to have it return back again to himself? Why, the way of his returning, it is by the Angels in heaven, and the spirits of men; these are the two excellent creatures that God doth make use of to fetch in all the glory that he hath from all his creatures, that they in an active way should reflect it all upon the face of God again; certainly the soul of man is of an excellent nature then, that is contiguous with God himself, next unto him; It is no matter whether a man be rich or poor, learned or unlearned, yet he hath a soul that is capable of this.
Yet further, For the excellency of the soul, as it is excellent in relation to God, so in relation to the Angels. It is of the same kind of nature that they are of, they are spirits, and so is the soul of man, yea it hath the very same name with God himself, God is a Spirit, and so is the soul of man; it is of the very same nature with the Angels, and so is able to converse with them as well as with God himself; but for the way and manner of converse with those spirits, that is little revealed in the word, and therefore we can say little of it.
And further, The excellency of man's soul, it will appear in the excellent endowments of it: Look upon the soul of man in his fallen estate, and what admirable endowments some men have, as in the excellent knowledge that some men have of Arts and Sciences, the knowledge of the heavens; it is a very glorious thing that they are able to ascend up in their understanding, and to know all the motions of the heavens, and can tell you to a minute of an hour what kind of motions there will be, as appears plainly by eclipses:
The arts of Navigation, that they can compass the world up and down that
way: If it were but in these sensible things that we see so much art in, as in these mighty buildings, which shows that a man out of a deal of rubbish can raise and erect such a building as this is, this shows the excellency of man's soul; and if there be so much excellency in it naturally, that it can do such things, then what can it be raised unto, and enabled unto by a divine power?
What can it do when it is enlarged by grace, and made partaker of the Divine nature?
And further, The excellency of the soul appears in the immortality of it:
Fear not them that can kill the body, and can do no more. Certainly if the soul were mortal, as the body is, then that man that kills the body, kills the soul too, and therefore we may fear a man not only because he can kill the body, but because he can kill the soul; but saith Christ, Fear not them that can kill the body, and can do no more. The soul is as an Eagle, when a man dies, that gets out of the Cage, and so it flies away; saith Stephen, when he was to die, Lord Jesus receive my spirit: Why, if so be that his spirit had died with his body, he need not have said, Lord Jesus receive my spirit. And so St. Paul, I am in a straight, and know not what to do, whether to live or die, but he thought it was better for him to be dissolved, it was not to be destroyed, it is but a dissolution, he rather desired a dissolution, that he might be with Christ, which is best of all: Certainly, it was this that made the straight, If I die, I shall be with Christ immediately, and if I live, I shall enjoy some communion with him, and likewise do a great deal of service for him: If Paul had thought that his soul and body should have died both together, certainly he would have desired to have lived, rather than to die; for when he did live, his soul did enjoy communion with Jesus Christ, and he did do abundance of service for him: Now is it possible to think that a man that did so much service for Christ as ever man did, and that enjoyed
so much sweet communion with Jesus Christ, that such a man should be willing to die? Certainly no, but that he knew that upon the dissolution of his body, his soul should enjoy further communion with Jesus Christ, than it could do here: It is an immortal substance, it runs parallel with eternity; of such an excellent nature the soul of man is.
And then further, in this appears The excellency of it, that it is the measure of all other kind of excellency. The soul of man is the measure of all other kind of excellencies, as thus, look how far anything may be subservient for the good of the soul, so far that thing hath an excellency in it; and if it be not subservient for the good of the soul, it hath no worth and excellency in it; as thus, Suppose a man have a great estate in the world, great comings in, many friends, many places; now there is some excellency you will say in these things: but are these subservient for the good of thy soul, that thy soul can enjoy communion with God so much the better?
Then these things are good to thee; but if so be that these things hinder the work of thy soul, and do not help it forward in the service that it is most capable of, and made for, there is no excellency in these things. And indeed
I know no one better sign that a man doth understand the true worth of his soul than this: What doth he account to be the measure of the excellency of all the things of this world? Thou wouldest fain have an estate, and outward things in abundance, as other men have: Why thou sayest they are the good creatures of God, I grant it, they are so; but now wherein dost thou think the excellency of these creatures doth most consist? Certainly if thou comest to know the true worth of thy soul, thou wilt say, God gives me these outward things, and blessed be his Name, by a more large portion of these things am
I enabled to do more large service for God; my soul is freed from incumbrances in the world, and they do help forward the work that my soul
is specially concerned in, viz. the service of God, and therefore I account it a greater good to enjoy these things, than to be without them: now if thou comest to reason in this manner, it is a sign that God hath shewn thee what the true worth and excellency of thy soul is.
But that I might draw to a conclusion, This is that that above all things will demonstrate the worth and excellency of the soul, The great price that was paid for it. That Jesus Christ should be willing to lay down his life to purchase the pardon of the sin of thy soul, to deliver thy soul from eternal misery, this shows the great worth of the soul; We are not redeemed by silver and gold, saith the Apostle Peter, by any of these corruptible things, but by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. According to the price that is paid for one, you may know the worth of such a one: Suppose there were divers men that were taken captives, one is but an ordinary Mariner, you will say perhaps forty pound will redeem such a one; but suppose the other be a Gentleman, or a Knight, a Noble-man, there must go five hundred, or two or three thousand pounds for their redemption, according to the excellency of the man, so must be the price of his ransom: So my brethren, when we consider the price of men's souls, that were taken captive by sin, what was paid for them, it was a price that was more worth than ten thousand thousand worlds; certainly the soul is of an excellent nature: Indeed it cannot be imagined that Jesus Christ would have taken man's nature upon him, and died an accursed death to have saved the whole world from being dissolved; Suppose it had lain upon this, that heaven and earth must have been dissolved, except Jesus Christ would take man's nature upon him, certainly Jesus Christ would have suffered heaven and earth to have gone to nothing, rather than to have done as he did: But when Jesus Christ saw that these immortal souls by their sin were brought into such a condition, that
they must perish to all eternity, except he come and take their nature upon him, and lay down his life, and die an accursed death, saith Jesus Christ, rather than such precious souls which my Father hath made capable of enjoyment of so much good from him, and bringing glory to him, rather than these should perish, I am content to come and die, and suffer the wrath of my Father; surely the price that was paid for souls, doth hold forth the great worth of them: In the death of Christ we may read in large characters the worth of a soul.
And my brethren, Even the body its self, because it is as the case of the soul, it is a very excellent thing. Of all the corporeal things that ever God hath made, the body of man is the most excellent thing, therefore David in Psal. 139, speaking of his body, saith, ver. 14. I am fearfully and wonderfully made, marvelous are thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well. And then ver. 15. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest part of the earth.
When I was curiously wrought, the word in the Hebrew signifies Embroidered; the body of man is Embroidery; and hence in Gen. 2, it is said there, that God formed man, and here in Psal. 139. God did embroider him: And therefore Gallen that was an Atheist a long time, when he came to see the Anatomy of a man's body, he cried out, Now I adore the God of Nature. Now the Lord hath wrought the body so curiously, because it is the case of the soul, and that being such an excellent creature, must have a suitable case. As if you have a curious Watch, you will not put it into an illfavored dirty leather case, but will have a curious silver case for it. Now because the Lord did make a curious piece, the soul of man, which was the master-piece of God's creation, next to the Angels, therefore he puts it into a very curious case; this shows the excellency of those spirits that are within
us; howsoever they are now defiled with sin, yet thus they were made at first. When we are speaking to men about their own excellency, one would think that then they should attend.
I have spoken of God and Christ's excellency, they may seem to be things above you: But now I am speaking of your own excellency, what you are, and what you are capable off. Oh remember this you poor people and others, for (as we shall show afterwards) you have souls as excellent as the greatest men in the world. And there is nothing to the contrary, but you may have that spiritual substance of yours filled with so much good as is infinitely more worth than ten thousand thousand worlds, if you have hearts to look after it.