338 on the Excellency cf the Soul. -fo high and put fuch glory upon,what are they kfied about in moll people? I remember Gregory Nyien , hee tells of tome , and among oihers of Origen, to bee of that opinion, that the fouls of men were made altogether at the firíl Creation, and lived glorious fpirits till they finned againil God, and all those that finned againfl God were thruft into the bodies of men, as into a prifon, and thofe that did not fin,they live fill with God in glory. And 3erome, as I re- member in his 3 2. Epift. fpeaks of that opinion that did prevail; and wee finde Plato, though a heathen, hee fpeaks of the fouls of men , and thought that they were made al- eogether before their bodies, if not from eternity. Thefe men they thought the fouls of men fo precious , as that they could not come into the bodies of men but for their faults, as a punifhment to them , becaufe they faw how meanly mens fouls lived while they were in their bodies, and therefore thought it impoffible for fuch a precious foul as a man had, to come to live fo meanly , were it not for Gods anger punifhing the foul for fome fin or other : Dh do not dishonour them by imploying of them about un- worthy and low things. Thirdly,, Do not difhonour them by defiling of them by cafting filth, and dirt upon them. Would not a Prince ac- count himfelf difhonoured,to have the filth and dirt of the frreet to bee cart into his face ? Certainly, when thou doeft defile thy foul by fin , when thou doeft fin , thou doeft as vile an a& as calling dirt in the face of a Prince. There is no Princes body upon earth fo excellent as the foul of the pooref't and meaneft man , no filth in the world fo vile as the filth of fin, and by thy fm thou doeff.caft this filth up- on thy foul , and fo doeft all befinear it, anddefile it. You love to have clean and handfome bodies, and are loath to come, into company all befnaeared and befooted : Oh but how often do you go into the prefence of God molt abominable and loathfome ! oh do not put that difhonour up;n your fouls ! Fourthly, Do not difnonour . your fouls by making them
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