petty services, but in sucli services as are high and honourable, noble and weighty ; and will you imagine that ever the great and glorious God would have sent his Son, his own Son, his only-begotten Son, his bosom Son, his Son in whom his soul delighted before the foundations of the earth was laid, to redeem poor sinners' souls, if this had not been a great work, a high work, and a most glorious work in his eye ? John i. 18, and Pro v. viii. 22-33. The creation of the world did but cost God a word of his mouth, ' Let there be light, and there was light,' Gen. i. 3 ; but the redemption of souls cost him his dearest Son. There is a divine greatness stamped upon the works of providence, but what are the works of providence to the work of redemption ? What are all providential works to Christ's coming from heaven, to his being incarnate, to his doings, sufferings, and dying ; and all this to ransom poor souls from the curse, hell, wrath, and eternal death ? Souls are dear and costly things, and of great price in the sight of God. Amongst the Komans, those their proper goods and estates which men had gotten in the wars with hazard of their lives, were called Peculium Castrense, of a field purchase. Oh, how much more may the precious and immortal souls of men be called Christ's Pecu- lium Casirense, liis purchase, gotten, not only by the jeopardy of his life, but with the loss of his life and blood ! ' Ye know,' saith the apostle, ' that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as with silver and gold, from your vain conversation, received by tradition, but with the precious blood of the Son of God, as of a lamb without a spot,' 1 Pet. i. 18, 19. Christ, that only went to the price of souls, hath told us that one soul is more worth than all the world. Mat. xvi. 26. Christ left his Father's bosom, and all the glory of heaven, for the good of souls ; he assumed the nature of man for the happiness of the soul of man ; he trod the wine-press of his Father's wrath for souls ; he wept for souls, he sweat for souls, he prayed for souls, he paid for souls, and he bled out his heart blood for the redemption of souls. The soul is the breath of God, the beauty of man, the wonder of angels, and the envy of devils. It is of an angelical nature, it is a heavenly spark, a celestial plant, and of a divine offspring. It is cap- able of the knowledge of God, of union with God, of communion with God, and of an eternal fruition of God, John xiv. 8, and Ps. xvii. 15. There Is nothing that can suit the soul below God, there is nothing that can satisfy the soul without God. The soul is so high and so noble a piece that it scorns . all the world. What are all the riches of the East or West Indies, what are rocks of diamonds, or mountains of gold, or the price of Cleopatra's draught, to the price that Christ laid down for souls ? It is only the blood of him that is God-man that is an equivalent price for the redemption of souls. Silver and gold hath redeemed many thousands out of Turkish bond- age, but all the silver and gold in the world could never redeem one poor soul from hellish bondage, from hellish torments. Souls are a dear commodity. He that bought them found them so ; and yet at how cheap a rate do some sinners sell their immortal souls ! Callenu- ceus tells us of a nobleman of Naplas that was wont profanely to say that he had two souls in his body, one for God, and another for who-
186 ELEVEN INFERENCES DRAWN FROM
soever would buy it ;l but if lie hath one soul in hell, I believe he will never find another for heaven. A person of quality, who is still alive, told me a few years since, that in discourse with one of his servants he asked him what he thought would become of his soul if he lived and died in his igno^-ance and emnity against God, &c. He most pro- fanely and atheistically answered that when he died, he would hang his soul on a hedge, and say. Run God, run devil, and he that can run fastest let him take my soul. 2 I have read^ of a most blasphemous wretch that, on a time being with his companions in a common inn, carousing and making merry, asked them if they thought a man had a soul or no ; whereunto when they replied that the souls of men are immortal, and that some of them after death lived in hell and others in heaven — for so the writings of the prophets and apostles instructed them — he answered and swore that he thought it nothing so, but rather that there was no soul in man to survive the body, but that heaven and hell were mere fables and inventions of priests to get gain ; and for himself, he was ready to sell his soul to any that would buy it. Then one of his companions took up a cup of wine, and said, sell me thy soul for this cup of wine ; which he receiving, bade him take his soul, and drank up the wine. Now Satan himself being there in man's shape, bought it again of the other at the same price, and by and by bade him give him his soul, the whole company affirming it was meet he should have it, since he had bought it, not perceiving the devil ; but presently, he laying hold of this soul-seller, carried him into the air before them all, to the great astonishment and amazement of the beholders ; and from that day to this he was never heard of, but hath now found hj experience that men have souls, and that hell is no fable ! ^ Ah, for what a thing of nought do many thousands sell their souls to Satan every day ! How many thousands are there who swear, curse, lie, cheat, deceive, &c., for a little gain every day ! I have read that there was a time when the Romans did wear jewels on their shoes. Oh that in these days men did not worse ! Oh that they did not trample under feet that matchless jewel, their precious and immortal souls ! 0 sirs, there is nothing below heaven so precious and noble as your souls, and therefore do not play the courtiers with your poor souls. Now the courtier does all things late. He rises late, and dines late, and sups late, and goes to bed late, and repents late. Christ made himself an offering for sin, that souls might not be undone by sin ; the Lord died that slaves might live ; the Son dies that servants might live ; the natural Son dies that adopted sons may live ; the only-begotten Son dies that bastards might live ; yea, the judge dies that malefactors may live. Ah, friends, as there was never sorrow like Christ's, so there was never love like Christ s love ; and of all his love, none to that of soul love. Christ, who is God-man, did
^ As before.— G. * This pioua gentleman was with me in May 1673, at my house,
' Discipulus de temp. Serm., 132.