The soul immortal.
6. The soul is immortal, it will have a sensible being forever, and none can kill the soul (Luke 12:4; Matt 10:28). If all the angels in heaven, and all the men on earth lay all their strength together, they could not kill or annihilate one soul. No, I will speak without fear, if it may be said, God cannot do what He will not do; then He cannot annihilate the soul: but, notwithstanding all His wrath, and the vengeance that He will inflict on sinful souls, they yet shall abide with sensible beings, yet to endure, yet to bear punishment. If anything could kill the soul, it would be death; but death cannot do it, neither first nor second; the first cannot, for when Dives was slain, as to his body by death, his soul was found alive in hell—He lifts up his eyes in hell, being in torment' (Luke 16:23). The second death cannot do it, because it is said their worm never dies, but is always torturing them with his gnawing (Mark 9:44). But that could not be, if time, or lying in hellfire forever, could annihilate the soul. Now, this also shows the greatness of the soul, that it is that which has an endless life, and that will, therefore, have a being endlessly. O what a thing is the soul!
The soul, then, is immortal, though not eternal. That is eternal; it has neither beginning nor end, and, therefore, eternal is properly applicable to none but God; hence, He is called the 'eternal God' (Deu 33:27). Immortal is that which, though it has a beginning, yet has no end, cannot die, or cease to be; and this is the state of the soul. It cannot cease to have a being when it is once created; I mean, a living, sensible being. I mean by living, only such a being as distinguishes it from annihilation or incapableness of sense and feeling. Hence, as the rich man is after death said to 'lift up his eyes in hell,' so the beggar is said, when he died, to be 'carried by the angels, into Abraham's bosom' (Luke 16:22,23). And both of these sayings must have respect for the souls of these men; for, as for their bodies, we know at present it is otherwise with them. The grave is their house, and so must it be till the trumpet shall sound, and the heavens pass away like a scroll. Now, I say, the immortality of the soul shows the greatness of it, as the eternity of God shows the greatness of God. It cannot be said of any angel but that he is immortal, and so it is, and ought to be said of the soul. This, therefore, shows the greatness of the soul, in that it is as if it were abiding so like him.
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