Matthew Poole and continuators on Matthew 16:26

26 For what is a man pro[illegible: 1 letter]ited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own Soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his Soul?

Our Interpreters by Translating the same Word Soul, in the Verse which they had Translated Life, v. 25. let us know that they understood it here of that Essential part of Man, which we call the Soul, in which Sense it could not be understood in that Verse, for it is impo[illegible: 1 letter]sible in that Sense to los[illegible: 1 letter] our Soul, for Christ's sake. Some think that it hath the sa[illegible: 1 letter]e Sense here, as in that Verse, and that our Saviour argueth here, from the less to the greater thus, Men will lose any thing, rather than their Lives. Skin for Skin, and all that a Man hath for his Life, and this is but reasonable, for if a Man lose his Life to get the World, what will the World gotten do him good? what can [illegible: 1 letter]e a proportionable Exc[illegible: 1 letter]ange, or Co[illegible: 1 letter]pensation to him for that? Now if you value your Te[illegible: 1 letter]pory Life at that rate, how much more ought you to value yo[illegible: 1 letter]r Eternal Being and Existence? It cometh much to the same▪ only the Sense is pl[illegible: 1 letter]iner, if we take it as our Tran[illegible: 1 letter]lators have taken it, for otherwise p[illegible: 1 letter]rt of the Argument is not expre[illegible: 2 letters]ed▪ but left to be understood, or supplyed from the next Verse. So as the Sense is this, Besides Bodies which may be killed by Persecu[illegible: 1 letter]ors, you carry about with you Immort[illegible: 1 letter]l Souls of infinite more value, and besides a temporal Life, of which you are in possession, there is an Eternal State, which awaiteth yo[illegible: 1 letter]. You are Creatures ordained to an Eternal Exi[illegible: 1 letter]tence, either in Misery, or in Happiness. Admit you could by plea[illegible: 1 letter]ing your selves, denying me, Shifting the Cross, declining a Life according to my Precepts, and Example▪ prolong your Te[illegible: 1 letter]poral Life, yet what will you get by it, considering t[illegible: 1 letter]at by it yo[illegible: 1 letter] must suffer loss as to yo[illegible: 1 letter]r Eternal happy Exi[illegible: 1 letter]te[illegible: 1 letter]ce, for I shall then deny you be[illegible: 1 letter]ore my Father▪ and his Angels, c[illegible: 1 letter]n any thing you can get or save in this World, be a proportionable Exchange for Eternal happiness?

Marginal references: Psal. 49.7, 8