246 On the Excellency of the Soufi. power in any creature in heaven and earth to fave them : Chrift beholding how fuch precious fouls were every one of them loft, if hee had not come to fave them, hee was plea- fed to come from heaven to feek sand to fave fouls thus loft. Now though fouls bee for the prefent in a loft condition, yet there is a further lofs of the foul than this ; for if the foul be neglected here , it will bee loft for ever ; there are many that are loft now for the prefent , and yet afterwards Chriift finder them, and there is joy in heaven at the find- ing of theirs; but there is a lofs that íhall bee eternal , and that lofs is more dreadful than the former , yet the former bath the degree of it , but that the perfection of the for- mer : Now the lofs of the foul in hell confafts in thefe three particulars. Firf} , The full and perfect eternal rejection of the foul from God, and from all good in him together, with the fui- nefs of all kinde of evil that the foul is capable of ; this is the condition of a loft foul that periíhes. Secondly, And then in, the next place it confifts in the Making of this foul to bee perfectly fenfible of the lofs of that good, and of all the evil it is poffeft withall , making of it perfectly fenfible of it : Here men and women are in loft conditions, but they know it nor, they are nor fenfible of it But God will bring the foul into fuch a condition, as it fhall bee made perfectly fenfible of the lofs of all the good that it might have had,and of all the evil that is upon it. Thirdly, And then laftly,It (hall bee in fuch a condition, fo fuccourlefs, fo helplefs, as is not onely beyond the power of Angels, and all inenfb help it:; but I fay, fo fuccourlefs, fo loft , as that Gods mercy , and all the good there is in Chrift shall never fave it , and as God hath fet and ordered things,can never fave it. Now then thefe things being opened to you, you will underftand what this Text means : When you read this Text you, think theremaybee truth in it , and in general you will akin unto it , but if you cone to underftand but ncef e things then indeed you cannot but all fubfcrihe to it and
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