betray themselves, always brings them off victoriously. Nay, though they many times not only. yield to these piratical spirits, but join their forces with them to resist and beat off their merciful friend and deliverer; yet he doth not therefore presently abandon them, but being infinitely concerned for their rescue, follows them even to the mouth of the enemy's harbour with his blessed motions and importunities, and never gives over the pursuit of them till he hath either actually recovered, or left them past all hopes of redemption. And when he sees that they are utterly lost by their own madness and folly, and that it is in vain to follow them any further, he casts a sorrowful look upon them, and like a grieved friend, after the utmost strugglings and extreme efforts of his affronted goodness, unwillingly leaves them to their own sad fate, and gives them up, as it were, with the tears in his eyes. And can you think this blessed Spirit would be so industrious as he is in his ministry for souls, that he would take such infinite pains to save them, be so extremely urgent and solicitous for their welfare, if he did not know them to be a sort of beings of an inestimable worth and value? O blessed God! what are not our souls worth, that are worth all the pains thy blessed Spirit takes to save and make them happy! that not only thou thoughtest worth all those vast thoughts and counsels, which thou hast spent upon them; that not only thy Son thought worth all those vast condescensions he stooped to, to put those thoughts in execution; but thy blessed Spirit also thinks worth all that unwearied pains and endeavour, all that incessant care and importunity which he employs about them to

save and rescue them from sin and misery! Doubtless, those beings must needs be exceeding precious, for whose safety and welfare all the blessed Trinity are so unspeakably concerned.

4. Let us consider the vast price which the holy angels put upon souls: for though they are the crown and top of all the creation of God, and do by their essential perfections border nearest upon him; yet such is their opinion of the souls of men, that they think it no disparagement to converse with and minister to them; but from the beginning of the world till now, have been always ready to maintain a close intercourse and intimate correspondence with them; and so far forth as they are permitted by the laws of their invisible world, they are continually attending to stretch forth a helping hand to them in all their needs and necessities. Though they are the most illustrious courtiers of heaven, yet they disdain not to be the life-guards of souls, to pitch their tents round about them, as the Psalmist expresses it, Psalm xxxiv. 7. and interpose between them and their danger; to prompt them to, and assist them in their duties; to strengthen them against, or to remove their temptations; to comfort them in their sorrows, and chase away from them those malignant spirits, that are always about them watching all opportunities to seduce and destroy them: hence Heb. i. 14. they are said to be ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation. And how much they are concerned for the safety and welfare of these precious beings they are charged with, is evident by that passage, Luke xv. 10. There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. So consi

derable are the lives of souls to the angels of God, that though they are always entertained with the most ravishing pleasures, yet heaven itself cannot divert them from being overjoyed at the repentance of a perishing soul, and celebrating its recovery with a new festival. And whenever the happy news is brought them, that such a dying soul is revived, they not only attend to it in the midst of all their joys and triumphs, but upon the hearing of it they shout for joy, and fill the heavens with a new acclamation. And whenever such a penitent soul hath bidden adieu to the body, those blessed spirits stand ready to receive and guard it through those legions of malignant spirits that do always infest these lower tracts of air, and to conduct it safe to those happy abodes where it is to lodge till the resurrection; for it is said of Lazarus's soul, Luke xvi. 22. that it was carried by angels into Abraham's bosom: all which is a clear demonstration of the vast esteem which those blessed angels have of souls. For can it be thought that such noble beings, who have a God and themselves to converse with, and have so immediate a prospect both of his beauty and their own, to exercise their faculties and employ their contemplation, would be so ready and willing as they are to attend upon souls, and minister to their safety and happiness, if they had not a mighty value and estimation of them? Surely, if these immortal spirits within us were not unspeakably dear and precious, those angelical beings, who have always the most sublime and enravishing objects before them to employ and entertain their faculties, would never have thought it worth the while to stickle so zealously in their affairs, and concern themselves so much about them: and

thus our Saviour himself argues, Matt. xviii. 10. Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven; that is, Do not undervalue any soul; for how mean or little soever some of them may appear to you, they are under the guardianship of those blessed angels that are the courtiers of God, and do always attend upon his majestic presence.

5. And lastly, Let us consider the vast price which the devils themselves do put upon souls. For ever since those malignant spirits, through their own pride and ambition, revolted from God, and conspired to make war with heaven, and revenge their expulsion thence, the constant drift of all their designs and actions hath been to seduce and ruin them; being conscious, that of all the beings that are within the reach of their power, there are none so dear to God as these; and that by seducing from him these his most precious creatures, they shall do him the greatest spite, and most effectually revenge upon him their own damnation. For, doubtless, were there any beings below the moon more dear to God than these, they would bend their force and malice against them, and not make these, as they do, the only centres of their mischievous activity. Had they any nobler game to fly at, their ambitious malice would disdain to stoop to the quarry of souls; but because of all others these are the noblest and best worth the ruining, therefore do these malignant spirits turn all their artillery upon them, and level all their fiery darts against them. And how ambitious they are of seducing our souls, and training them on to perdition, is evident by the infinite wiles, and snares, and stra

tagems they contrive against them; by their unwearied diligence to watch all opportunities against them; to surprise them where they are careless, and assault them where they are weakest, and cheat them with disguised suggestions; to inspect their humours, and apply themselves to their interest, and nick their tempers with convenient temptations: and if, after all their labour, craft, and contrivance, they can but seize the game they hunt for, the blood of a soul is so rich a draught, that they think it a sufficient recompense for all their painful and mischievous devices for St. Peter tells us, that they go about like roaring lions, seeking whom they may devour. And to be sure, those malignant spirits would never be so impertinently mischievous, as to spend their time in catching flies; and did they not know our souls to be noble preys, they would never go so far about as they do, nor take so much care and pains to catch and insnare them. So that from their unwearied diligence to seduce and ruin us, we may most certainly conclude, either that they are very foolish devils, or that our souls are very precious beings; but howsoever, their diligence to destroy them is a plain argument that they esteem them precious, it being by no means to be supposed, that such wise and intelligent beings as they are, would so much concern themselves, as they do, about things which they had little or no esteem for.

And thus you see at what a vast rate our souls are valued by the whole world of spirits: how from the highest to the lowest, those best and wisest judges of the just worth of souls do all unanimously concur in a great and high estimation. So that whether we value them by their own natural capacities, or by