The soul is immortal and it will have sensibility forever. No one can kill the soul. If all the angels in heaven, and all the men on earth, could lay all their strength together, they cannot kill or annihilate one soul. If it may be said; "God cannot do what he will not do'; then he cannot annihilate the soul. Notwithstanding, all his wrath and vengeance that he will inflict on sinful souls, they yet shall abide as conscious and 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 the first nor second death. When the rich man died as to his body, his soul was found alive in hell (Luke 16: 34). The second death cannot do it, for the worm never dies, but is always torturing them with his gnawing (Mark 9:44). This shows the greatness of the soul; it has endless life and will always be living. O what a thing is the soul! The soul is capable of understanding invisible things: angels, yea, the highest and supreme being, even the holy God of Heaven. God sought the souls of man for companionship, and the soul is capable of communion with him when the darkness of sin is removed. The soul has intelligent powers, and it can know and understand depths, heights, lengths, and breadths, in those high, sublime, and spiritual mysteries that only God can reveal and teach; yea, it is capable of diving unutterably into them. God has made the creature capable of hearing, knowing, and understanding his mind when opened and revealed to it. I think I may say, without offence to God or man, that one reason why God made the world was that he might manifest himself not only by, but to the works which he made. O what great things are the souls of the sons of men!
John Bunyan, Works 1:116-117, Voices from the Past, Richard Rushing, ed., Banner of Truth Trust, 2009, pg. 27.
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