Other things that
show the greatness of the soul.
Second, We will now
come to other things that show us the greatness of the soul. And,
He that
has lost himself will never be more at his own disposal.
(1.) He that has lost his soul
has lost himself. Now, he that lost himself is no more at his own disposal.
While a man enjoys himself, he is at his own disposal. A single man, a free man,
a rich man, a poor man, any man that enjoys himself, is at his own disposal. I
speak after the manner of men. But he that has lost himself is not at his own
disposal. He is, as I may say, now out of his own hands: he has lost himself,
his soul-self, his own self, his whole self, by sin, and wrath and hell hath
found him; he is, therefore, now no more at his own dispose, but at the dispose
of justice, of wrath, and hell; he is committed to prison, to hell prison,
there to abide, not at pleasure, not as long and as little time as he will, but
the term appointed by his judge: nor may he there choose his own affliction, neither
for manner, measure, or continuance. It is God that will spread the fire and
brimstone under him, it is God that will pile up wrath upon him, and it is God
himself that will blow the fire. And 'the breath of the Lord, like a stream of
brimstone, doth kindle it' (Isa 30:33). And thus it is manifest that he that
has lost himself, his soul, is no more at his own dispose of, but at the dispose
of them that find him.
He that hath lost himself, is not
at liberty to dispose of what he hath.
(2.) Again, as he that has lost
himself is not at his own dispose, so neither is he at liberty to dispose of
what he has; for the man that has lost himself has something yet of his own.
The text implies that his soul is his when lost, yea, when that and his all,
himself is lost; but as he cannot dispose of himself, so he cannot dispose of
what he hath. Let me take a leave to make out my meaning. If he that is lost,
that has lost himself, has not, notwithstanding, something that in some sense
may be called his own, then he that is lost is nothing. The man that is in hell
has yet the powers, the senses, and passions of his soul; for not he nor his
soul must be thought to be stripped of these; for then he would be lower than
the brute; but yet all these, since he is there, are by God improved against
himself; or, if you will, the point of this man's sword is turned against his
own heart, and made to pierce his own liver.
The soul by being in hell loses nothing of its aptness to think, its quickness to pierce, to pry, and to understand; nay, hell has ripened it in all these things; but, I say, the soul with its improvements as to these, or anything else, is not in the hand of him that hath lost himself to manage for his own advantage, but in the hand, and in the power, and to be disposed of as is thought meet by him into whose revenging hand by sin he has delivered himself—to wit, in the hand of God. So, then, God now has the victory and disposes of all the powers, senses, and passions of the soul for the chastising of him that has lost himself. Now the understanding is only employed and improved in and about the apprehending of such things as will be like daggers at the heart—to wit, about justice, sin, hell, and eternity, to grieve and break the spirit of the damned; yea, to break, to wound, and to tear the soul in pieces.
