(2.) It is a foolish loss, because we lose the soul for things of no value ; worldly things are infinitely below the soul, they are nonen- tities. Prov. xxiii. 5, " Wilt thou set thine eyes on tliat which is not?" The world is but a bewitchery, these things glister in our eyes ; but at death we shall say, we have set our eyes on that which is not : he that thinks to find happiness here is like Ixion, that hugged the cloud instead of Juno, and like Apollo, that embraced the laurel-tree instead of Dajihne. Now to lose the soul for such poor inconsiderate things, is a foolish thing ; it is as if one should throw a diamond at a pear-tree, he loseth his diamond.
(8.) It is a foolish loss, for a man to lose his soul, because he himself hath a hand in it ; is it not folly to give one's self poison? a sinner hath his hands imbrued in the blood of his own soul : " thy destruction is of thy- self," Hos. xiii. 9. " They lay wait for their own blood," Prov. i. 18. The foolish sinner nourisheth those lusts that kill his soul ; the tree breeds the worm, and the worm eats the tree ; were it not folly for a garrison to open to the enemy that besiegeth it ; the sinner opens to those lusts which war against his soul, 1 Pet. ii. 11. this is a foolish loss.
2. It is a fatal loss to lose the soul.
(1.) It is an unparalleled loss, because in losing the soul there are so many things lost with it ; as a merchant in losing his ship, loseth many things with it; his money, plate, jewels, spices. Thus he that loseth his soul, he loseth Christ, he loseth the Com- forter, he loseth the society of angels, he loseth heaven.
(2.) It is an irreparable loss : other losses niay be made up again ; if a man lose his
health, he may recover it again ; if he lose his estate, he may get it up again ; but if he lose his soul, this loss can never be made up again. Are there any more saviours to die for the soid? as Naomi said to her daughters, " Are there yet any more sons in my womb?" Ruth i. 11. Hath God any more sons? or will he send his son anymore into the world ? Oh no, if the soul bo lost ! Christ's next coming is not to save it, but to judge it. Christi-ui, remember thou hast but one soul, and if that be gone, all is gone. God, saith Chrysostom, hath given thee two eyes, if thou losest one, thou hast another ; but thou hast but one soul, and if that perish, thou art quite undone. The merchant that ventures all in one ship, if that ship be lost, he is quite broken.
(3.) The loss of the soul is an eternal loss; the soul once lost, is lost for ever ; the sinner and the furnace shall never be parted, Isa. xxxiii. 14. As the sinner's heart will never be emptied of sin, so God's vial shall never be emptied of ^^Tath : it is an eternal loss.
Branch 3. Do what you can to secure the main chance, to save these precious souls. In times of danger men call in their debts, and labour to secure their estates; let me tell you, all you who are yet in your natural estate, your souls are mortgaged; if your land were mortgaged, you would endeavour to redeem it ; your souls are mortgaged : sin hath mortgaged them, sin hath laid your souls to pawn, and where do you think your souls are ? the pawn is in the devil's hand, therefore a man in the state of nature is said to be " under the power of Satan," Acts xxvi. 18. Now there are but two ways to fetch home the pawn ; and both are set down. Acts XX. 21. " Repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ" Un- ravel all your works of sin by repentance, honoiu: Christ's merits by believing : divines call it saving faith, because upon tliis wing the soul flies to the ark Christ, and is secured from danger.
5 A
738
THE SOUL'S MALADY AND CURE.
THE SOUL'S MALADY AND CURE.
Luke V. 31 . " They that are whole need not a physician^ hut they that are sich.^*