244 On the Excellency of the Soul. the foul , the ceafing indeed of our bodily lives is the lots of our lives , but it is not fo with the foul , for the foul of no man or woman (hall bee loft fo. Yea, and this would not bee the greateft lofs for the foul to ceafe to bee. There are two degrees .of evil that are beyond the evil of ceafing to bee; to bee miferable, to bee in pain and torture, is worfe than not to bee and to bee finful , is worfe than to bee in pain ; and therefore the cea- fing to bee , is not the greateft evil What is the lofs of the foul then ? Firfi, The lofs of the foul it is firft in the privation of it of all the good and excellency that the foul is capable of, the, privation of the true good that the foul was made for. Secondly, It confifs in its departing and wandring from God As a Cheep is faid to bee a loft Cheep that wan- den up and down in the wildernefs ; fo that is a loft foul that wanders away from God, the fountain of all good. Thirdly, It confifis in the fubje&ing of it to that mi- fery and evil that is contrary to what good it is capable of. And then fourthly , and laftly , in the fuccourlefs and helplefs condition that it is brought into ; wee ufe the phtafe of Loft to all thefe things; when á man hath loll his eftate, wee account fuch a man as a loft man and when a man is brought into à great deal of mifery, that heret ©fore was in a great deal of happinefs, wee account fuch a man to bee a loft man ; but efpecially when a man is fuccourlefs and helplefs , when bee hath no way t9' help and relieve limfelf,'then he is a loft man indeed : And according to the degrees of thefe four things then a foul may bee faid to bee loft.. And here for the prefent every man and wo- mans foul in the world by nature is a loft f ul. Fiat , Every man and woman, as they come into the world are deprived of the glory and excellency that God did indow the fouls of men withall in their firft creation , wee are all deprived of tlXe dory of God, faith the Scrip
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=