(1.) In his tenderness over them in times of distress and danger; as a tender father will not leave his sick child in other hands, but sits up and watches by himself, and administers the cordials with his own hands ; even so the great God expresseth his care and ten- derness. Isa. Ivii. 15. " I dwell in the high and holy place, with " him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the " spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." Behold the condescending tenderness of the highest majesty ! Is a soul ready to faint and fail, O how soon is God with it, with a re- viving cordial in his hand ! lest " the spirit should fail before him, '' and the soul which he hath made ?" as it is, ver. 16. Yea, he put it into Christ's commission, " to preach good tidings to the '' meek, and to bind up the broken-hearted," Isa. Ixi. 1. and not only inserts it in Christ's commission, but gives the same in solemn charge to all his inferior messengers, whom he employs about them. Isa. XXXV. 3. '' Strengtlien ye the weak hands, and confirm the '' feeble knees ; say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, '' fear not."
(2.) His special regard to souls is evidenced in his severe prohibi- tions to all others to do anything that maybe an occasion of ruin to them. He charges it upon all, " That no man put a stumbling- " block, or an occasion to fall in his brother's way," Rom. xiv. 13. that by the abuse of our own liberty, " we destroy not him for '' whom Christ died," Rom. xiv. 15. And what doth all this signify but the precious and invaluable worth of souls ?
12. Lastly^ It is not the least evidence of the dignity of men's
A TREATISE OF THE SOUL OF MAN". 167
souls, that God liath appointed the whole host of angels to be their guardians and attendants.
" Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for " them who shall be heirs of salvation ?'' Hcb. i. 14.
Are the?/ 7iot ?] It is not a doubtful question, but the strongest way of affirmation ; nothing is surer than that they are.
Ml] Not one of that heavenly company excepted. The liighest angel thinks it no disparagement to serve a soul for whom Christ died ; well may they all stoop to serve them when they see Christ their Lord hath stooped, even to death, to save them. They are all of them.
Ministering' sjjirlts.] Asir^^yrAo, 'Trvsv/xala^ public officers, to whom their tutelage is conmiitted : To them it belongs to attend, serve, protect and relieve them. The greatest barons and peers in the kingdom think it not below them to wait upon the heir apparent to the crown, in his minority ; and no less dignity is here stampt by God upon the souls of men whom he calls.
Heirs of salvation.'] And in some respect nearer to Christ than themselves are ; on this account it is, that the angels delight to serve them. Christ's little ones upon earth have their angels, which always behold the face of God in heaven, Mat. xviii. 10. and there- fore saith our Lord there, " Take heed you despise not one of those little ones ;" they are greater persons than you are aware of. Nor is it enough that one angel is appointed to wait upon all, or many of them, but many angels, even a whole host of them, are sometimes sent to attend upon one of them. As Jacob was going on his way, the angels of God met him ; and when he saw them he said, " This is God's host," Gen. xxxii. 1, %
The same two offices which belong to a nurse, to whom the fa- ther commits his child, belong also to the angels in heaven, with respect to the children of God, viz. to keep them tenderly whilst they are abroad, and bring them home to their Father's house at last. And how clearly doth all this evince and demonstrate the great dignity and value of souls ? Was it an argument of the gran- deur and magnificence of king Solomon, that he had two hundred men with targets, and three hundred men with shields of beaten gold for his ordinary guard «very day ? And is it not a mark of far greater dignity than ever Solomon had in all his glory, to have hosts of angels attending us t! In comparison with one of this guard, Solomon himself was but a worm in all his magnificence.
And now lay all these arguments together, and see what they will amount to. You have before you no ordinary creature : For (1.) It was not produced, as other creatures were by a mere word of command ; but by the deliberation of the gi'eat council of heaven. And (2.) Such are the high and noble faculties and powers found
168 A TREATISE OF THE SOtJL OF MAV.
in it as render it agreeable to, and becoming such a Divine originaL Yea, (3.) By reason of these its admirable powers, it becomes a capable subject both of grace here and glorv hereafter. (4.) Nor is this its capacity in vain ; for God hath made glorious prepara- tions for some of them in heaven. (5.) And purchased them for heaven, and heaven for them, at an invaluable price, even the pre- cious blood of Christ. (6.) And stampt immortality upon their actions, as well as natures. (7.) Both worlds contend and strive for the soul, as a prize of greatest value. (8.) Their conversion to Christ is the triumph of heaven, and rage of hell. (9.) The lamps of gospel-ordinances are maintained over all the reformed Christian world, to light them in their passage to heaven. (10.) Great rewards are propounded to all that shall heartily endeavour the salvation of them. (11.) The care of heaven is exceeding great and tender over them. And (12.) The heavenly hosts of angels have the charge of them, and reckon it their honour to serve them. These things, duly weighed, bring home the conclu- sion vAth demonstrative clearness, to every man's understanding, That one soul is of more value than the whole world ; which was the thing to be proved. What remains, is the improvement of this excellent subject, in these following inferences.
Iivf'. 1. The soul of man, appearing to be a creature of such trans- cendent dignity and excellency, this truth appears of equal clear- ness with it ; That it was not made ^ for the body, hut the body for it; and therefore it is a vile abuse of the noble and high-born soul, to subject it to the lusts, and enslave it to the drudgery of the in- ferior and more ignoble part.