11. SERM. XI. The Second Sermon on the Excellency of the Soul.
SERM. XI. The Second Sermon on the Excellency of the Soul.
F or what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own Soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his Soul? –
Matth. 16:26.
I shall add one thing more, which shows the excellency of the soul in the relation that it hath to God, and that is this,
That it is satisfied only with God himself, there is nothing can fill the soul of man to satisfy it, but God himself. For the true object of man's understanding, it is not this truth, or the other truth, but truth in general, and the highest truth, and that is God; and the object of this soul, it is not this or that good, but good in general, the highest and the chiefest good, and that is
God: Let all the creatures in the world present themselves before the soul of man to be the portion of him, Mans soul would say, these are not the things that can satisfy me; saith Austin, Lord thou hast made us for thyself, and our heart is unquiet till it comes unto thyself, and this is the excellency of man's soul, it is above all creatures; it is a virtue in the soul of man to have a holy kind of pride, to think all creatures in the world to be too little to be
the portion of it, and God takes this well, he likes it well, that we should know our own souls, so far, that we should have this kind of pride of spirit, as we may so call it, or rather a right elevation of spirit, to look upon all creatures in the world, as too low, and too mean to be the portion of one immortal soul.
Many other things were delivered about the excellency of man's soul, that so you might know something of your worth, that you are too good to be slaves to the Devil, and it is good for you to know your own worth in this thing, that so your hearts might be elevated above those bare things that you sought to have your happiness in; all those that ever have had true wisdom, have accounted souls to be very precious. I remember Sozomen the Ecclesiastical Historian saith of the Martyrs, that they suffered torment in their bodies, as if they were other folks bodies, and not their own, they looked not upon them as any part of themselves, but on their souls as themselves; and so you find it in Scripture that it is the soul of man, that is a man's self. Compare for this, my Text in Matthew, with Luk. 9, where you have the same speech of our Savior setting out the excellency of a man's soul. In the one it is, What will it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? In the other it is, If he lose himself; this is all one, the losing of a man's soul, and the losing of himself: for a man's self it is his soul, as for the body it is but the case, it is but the outside, and so indeed some of the Heathens accounted their bodies. Anaxarchus, when he was beaten in a Mortar to death by the Tyrants, he calls to them, Beat, Beat as long as you will, you beat but the outward part of Anaxarchus, it is but the vessel in which he is.
The Devil himself hath high esteem of souls, the Devil cares not, so be it he may gain men's souls, what they have for their bodies; the Devil doth not
envy any wicked man to prosper in this world, to have a healthful lusty body, and to have stature and strength, and beauty; But now, if he sees that there be any means for the good of their souls, he envies that, may the Devil have but their souls, he cares not what they have other ways. But we come to the application of this first point in my Text, Of the excellency of man's soul.
And the first Use is this, Surely then we ought to look upon every child of man with some reverent respect and honor; there is not the poorest child (as I told you the last day) that lies crying at your doors for a crust, but hath a soul in it more worth than heaven and earth. And the consideration of this should make us look upon the meanest child, servant, the poorest body, with an honorable esteem and respect; however the glory of their souls be darkened for the present, yet they have still in them such souls as are capable of a kind of infinite good, more than all the other works that ever
God made, except the Angels; do not look upon your servants that are under you with scorn and contempt, do not use them doggedly, as if they were brute-beasts; Remember, though you be a Master, a Mistress, a Governor, you are a Governor of one that hath an immortal soul, more worth than all the world. A good man, saith the Scripture, is merciful to his beast, and surely then a good man will be merciful to one that hath an immortal soul, and it may be an immortal soul better than his Governor; how many have more respect to Dogs, to brute-beasts, than they have to servants and children, and poor people, who have immortal souls? I have read of the Turks, that though they be noted for most cruel people to men, as you heard of their cruelty to those in the Gallies, yet they are very pitiful to brutebeasts, and therefore they will give alms and stipends out of charity, to maintain brute-beasts withal; and there is a story of a youth that abusing a
bird that had a long bill, was like to have been stoned to death in the street, they did so hate cruelty to those kind of creatures, though they be cruel to men. Many have this Turkish disposition, that are dogged and cruel to those of their own kind, to those that have immortal souls together with themselves, though pitiful even to brute-beasts. This is the first Use, Look upon all that have these souls with an honorable respect, considering they have that that is of so much worth.
And then secondly, If man's soul be of so much worth, how can we look upon many people, but have our hearts raised in the meditation of the dreadfulness of God's Justice upon men for sin? Thus, God hath made man an excellent creature, and given to everyone a soul more worth than the world; but now when we look upon some people that have lost the beauty of their souls, and now have no other use of their souls, but it may be all their days to be employed in scraping of kennels, and raking in the dustheaps in your streets, in attending upon horses and swine; and this is all that they have to do in their lives: Oh what a low condition is man fallen into, that hath no other use of such a rational immortal substance that God hath given him, but merely to make him serviceable all his days, to tend swine, beasts, horses, scrape kennels, and such kind of things as these are!
But you will say, It is lawful for men to be employed in these, and poor people must be employed in them.
That is true, It is lawful to be employed in such things, but now, when men and women have such poor and mean employment, and have no higher thoughts but merely to get bread by such employments, and their souls busied all their days about nothing else but those things, this shows the woeful fall of man, and manifests a dreadful fruit of God's Justice upon the children of men for their sin, Certainly, Man that was made in honor is
become like the beast that perisheth in this regard: And when we see the condition of men to be so low, so base and vile as they are, so beneath the excellency of a rational and immortal soul; Oh let us raise our thoughts to the meditation God's divine Justice, it is a fearful fruit of the justice of God upon man for sin; what, is this the creature that hath an immortal soul made by God more worth than ten thousand worlds? That lies scraping from morning to night in a kennel, and hath no other thoughts for any higher excellency, but only if it can get a lump of bread to live by, there is all they have to do, as if they were born for no other end? Oh! Think then, is this the creature that hath such an excellent soul? Surely sin hath made a great breach between God and man, and hath brought man-kind into a very low and mean condition, and yet worse are those than these that have no other use of their souls than to be drudges to the Devil, and slaves unto their lusts, but of this we shall speak to more afterwards; but now I only mention it, as to give a hint to the meditation of God's justice upon man for his sin.
Thirdly, If the soul of a man be of so great an excellency, then certainly it must needs be an honorable work for to be busied about souls, an honorable employment for God to set one man or more to look to, and tend the souls of others: Oh! What a difference is there in the employment between working in Wood and Iron all day long, or scraping in the dust heaps (as before) and in an employment of attending upon souls! To be used by God as the instrument of converting of these souls, and bringing of them to their former excellency in which they were made, yea and to raise them to a higher excellency than ever they had in the first Creation! If we prize men's employments by the subject of their employment, then certainly this is the most glorious employment that any Creature in the world can be capable of, what is the reason you account a Gold-smith a better trade than a Black-
smith? But because of the subject that the one works about rather than the other; one works upon Iron, and the other upon Silver and Gold; therefore one is a more honorable Trade than the other: Now, if the subject upon which they work makes one to be more honorable than the other; what
Trade in the world can be so honorable as the work of the Ministry? That works altogether about immortal souls, in bringing them to God, to live to God, and to enjoy communion with him: why do we account a Physician a more honorable Profession, than a Horse-leech? One looks to the bodies of Beasts, and the other to the bodies of Men; If there be such a difference between the body of a Beast, and the body of a Man, that he that is employed about the one is accounted honorable, and he that is employed about the other is accounted low, then certainly the employment of the Ministry must needs be honorable, for it is about souls.
The Magistrate looks unto your peace, the Lawyer to your estates, the Physician to your bodies, and the Divine to your souls; though outward respects may be given more, and should be to the Magistrate, yet certainly the employment about immortal souls, must needs be the honorablest in the world: It is the honor of the Angels, in Psal. 91, to take care of the bodies of the Saints: If it be the glory of Angels to take care of God's people, what glory is it that God puts upon the Ministers of the Gospel to look to souls?
And truly, in this thing God hath put more glory upon Men, than upon Angels; for God hath not made it to be his set ordinance that Angels should convert souls, but he hath made it so that men should be made use of to convert souls by preaching the word; and let all the Angels in Heaven show an employment so honorable as this employment is. You would account it a great honor to have the Body of a Prince to watch over; Surely there is no immortal soul but is more precious than all the Princes in the world; and if
the Lord should give unto you the care of all the Creatures, except the souls of men, it were not such an honorable work as to give you the care of any one immortal soul; saith the Apostle, in 2 Cor. 4, the beginning, Let a man esteem of us as the dispensers of the Mysteries of Christ: Let them esteem of us; it is true, Ministers of the Gospel should be willing to lie under the feet of any to do good to their souls; but because we know that it is a great hindrance to the work of their Ministry, when brutish carnal spirits have low and mean esteem of their work; therefore we find that the Apostle would ever be setting up the honor of this work, Let a man esteem of us as the dispensers of the Mysteries of Christ, and in 1 Thes. 5:12,13. We beseech you brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, and to esteem of them very highly in love for their works sake; And so in Heb. 13:17. Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account: that they may do it with joy, and not with grief; for that is unprofitable for you. Oh it is a sad thing! If one that God sends to watch for the souls of people, shall be forced to return his account to God with sorrow of heart, and say, Lord, thou that knowest all things, knowest what desires I have had, and what endeavors to do good to the souls of this people, how it hath been my study, my prayer, to find out what might be most profitable for their souls, how willing I was to venture my life in seeking to do good to their souls; but Oh Lord! I have spent care, and study, and strength, and even almost my life in vain; little good do I find done to the souls of this people; Lord, they reject thy word, they contemn it, they mind it not; there are other things that their hearts are upon, to follow the lusts of their flesh, as if so be they had no immortal souls to look unto; I say, if any faithful
Minister of God shall go to God and make his moan thus unto God with
grief and trouble of heart, it will be very ill for you; it will be a fearful moan in the ears of God against a people, when any Minister shall justly make this to God against them; therefore saith the Apostle here, Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief. Consider, so far as any have charge of souls, it is a heavy burden that is upon them, a heavy weight; surely, whosoever should take charge of so many thousand souls as belongs to this Congregation would have weight and burden enough upon his shoulders, you should pity them that have this charge over you. I remember Chrysostom in his writing upon this very
Scripture, saith, He wonders how any of these that are here said to watch over men's souls, how any of them could be saved, because the charge is so great that is upon them: And I have read of one being called to the work of the Ministry, would by any means avoid it, and professes that he would not for all the world have the charge of a soul one day upon him. Certainly it is a great work, and requires very much seriousness and diligence to have a soul committed to one. If a man had a precious Pearl committed to his charge, that were worth ten thousand pound, that he must look to it, and keep it, he would hardly be able to sleep quietly after he had so great a charge committed to him; And truly, if men are careful that have but beasts committed to them, as Jacob said concerning his Uncle Laban's cattle, that he looked to them so as that he endured the frost in the night, and the heat of the day; much diligence and care then should they have, that have the charge of souls: But we let that pass.
Yet in the fourth place, If souls have such excellency, then certainly those who have most soul-excellency, are the most excellent people; we may judge here who they are that are the most excellent upon the earth, The
Righteous is more excellent than his neighbor; perhaps his neighbor is richer than he, hath a comelier body than he, but yet he is more excellent, why? Because all excellency must be judged by that that is most proper to the Creature, and that that is the chief part of the Creature; as if you would judge of the goodness of a knife, you will not judge by the haft of it, whether it be good or no, but you will judge by the metal of the knife, you judge by that wherein the chief of the knife is; so, if you will judge of the excellency of a man or woman, you must judge of his excellency by the excellency of that that is most proper to him: Now, for Sense, for the body, why the brute-beasts they have sense, they have flesh and blood as well as we, only we differ in these rational immortal souls that God hath given to us; therefore such, whose souls are filled with divine excellency, they are to be most honored, they are indeed the Lords and Ladies of the world; therefore the Scripture speaks of those, whose out-sides were mean enough; in the latter end of the 11th of the Hebrews, that wandered in sheep-skins and goat-skins, yet they were such as the world was not worthy of them.
Indeed, a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit; we read of the Ark, the outside was of Badgers-skins, it had a poor and mean outside, but within were the Cherubim's, and Gold was within; And so, many have very mean outsides, but within there is a great deal of excellency; and others that have brave outsides, and well clad without, yet if you look within them, oh what vile souls have they! The heart of the wicked is little worth, saith the Scripture; Perhaps his Land may be somewhat worth, and his House, but his heart is little worth; As many a man that hath perhaps a hand full of sores, yet may have a fine embroidered Glove upon it; and a dunghill may be strewed with herbs, and in the winter time filthy dunghills you know are covered with white Snow, that in a fair frosty day look as glistering as the
Snow that is upon a fine Meadow, but still nothing but filth: So it is with many a man that hath a fine outside, covered over it may be with a great many outward excellencies, but within their spirits nothing but carrion, nothing but abominable stuff that is filthy and loathsome in the eyes of God; as a sore leg may have a fine stocking or boot upon it; and so a sore putrefied soul may have a brave outside upon it. But that God that is a Spirit, that looks unto Spirit, and those men that know what spiritual excellency means, if they see a man or woman have a filthy, defiled, corrupt soul, they cannot but esteem of them accordingly. Whatsoever the body, or the outside be, those are the most excellent in God's esteem, and the holy
Angels, and the Saints, that have the most excellent souls, for that is the best part of man.
But fifthly, If the soul of man be so excellent, Oh let us bless God for our souls, bless God, I say, that hath given unto you these immortal souls that are of so great a worth: Oh what cause have every one of you to bless God that he did not make you a Toad, a Dog, a Snake, that he did not make you any vile brute creature, but that when you were before him in the common lump out of which God made his creatures, that he would rather choose you to be one that should have an immortal soul, so precious, rather than to be a brute creature? Bless God, I say for this, for by this means,
First, You are looked upon by the Angels themselves, with honor, and with respect, till such time as the Angels certainly know your Reprobation, and that you be sent down to hell: Though you be wicked for the present, and your souls be defiled, yet the Angels know nothing but that these souls, though now much fallen from God, may be such as may live with them to enjoy eternal communion with God together with them, and therefore they look upon you with honor.
And the providence of God it is more towards you, than towards any other creature in the world. Doth God take care for Oxen? Saith the Scripture:
True, the providence of God it is over all his works, there is not the least worm that stirs without his providence. I, but doth God take care for Oxen?
That is, as if the Holy Ghost there should say, the providence of God over other creatures, it is nothing in comparison of that it is over the spirits of men, over those that have immortal souls: When God looks upon the creature, that he hath given an immortal soul too, why saith God, My
Providence shall in a special manner be over this soul: And certainly the thoughts of God have been from all eternity working towards those that have immortal souls, in a more special manner than towards any of his other creatures; how ever you think of God, yet that is certain, God hath had his thoughts towards you one way or other from all eternity, and intends to fetch out a great deal of honor to his name from you one way or other, and therefore his Providence is towards you; God observes you, and marks you what way you take, his eye is upon you, for he intends to bring some great glory out of you, God will not lose his creature fully, you may lose your own souls, but God will not lose the glory that he might have from you, but he will have glory from you one way or other.
And if God hath given you immortal souls, you have cause to bless him, because whatsoever you are now, yet you are such as are capable of all the good that ever Jesus Christ hath purchased, and therefore it is a happy thing for one to have an immortal soul, because they are not out of capacity of receiving that good that the Lord Christ hath purchased for his people; the brute beasts are not capable, they are capable of no higher good, but to eat and drink, and live here a while, and have their senses to be pleased, and there is an end of them, but know, whatsoever thou art, thou art capable of
all the good that ever Christ hath purchased, and therefore thy condition is a great deal better in that respect than the condition of all other creatures in the world. And thou having a soul within thee, God hath made thee for eternity one way or other, and he intends for to have thee to live to all eternity in one condition or other: Now it is I say, a happiness to be made such a creature, as that God should have thoughts about from all eternity.
It may be you will say, It were better that it were otherwise with us.
I confess such is the condition of some through their sin, living and dying in it, that it were better ten thousand times that they had been Dogs, or Toads, and Serpents, I but that is but through thy wickedness, but it cannot be said of the vilest alive, for there is none of you, but for ought Angels or men know, may live eternally to the praise of God's grace in Christ, you have such kind of natures as are capable of it. Now it is true, if you should die in your sins, then it might be said at that instance when you die in your sins, that it had been better that you had been Toads or Serpents, or anything in the world: But were not this a sad thing for a man that hath such an excellent nature, to live and die so that they may wish hereafter that they had been Toads or Dogs? How many are there that are willing, so they may live like a beast, to die like a beast, I but that thou canst not bring thyself to die like a beast, thou must be infinitely worse, or infinitely better than the brute beasts. But bless God that thou hast a nature capable of so much good, whatsoever thou art in other respects, though God hath made a great difference between thee and others that are of the same kind in thy outward estate, God hath made a great deal of difference between poor and rich, between a poor Alms-body that lives in so mean a condition, and between a Noble-man, a Prince, an Emperor; I but this difference is made in the outward estate and body, but there is no such difference made in their souls,
thou hast as precious a soul within thee, that is naturally as good as ever any Emperor had in the world, so Philosophers say of the souls of men, men's souls are equal, and one is not better than another by nature, what they are better by is afterwards, by education, or by common gifts of the graces of God, but by nature all men are equal. And therefore that wherein man's excellency is, is in his soul, thou art as high as any Emperor in the world, and therefore it is that the Scripture would have no difference made between the souls of men, in Exod. 30:15, you shall find there by that Scripture, that God would not have difference made of the souls of men, it is said in the 14th verse, Everyone that passeth among you, that are numbered from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the Lord; God would have an offering from every one of them: Now mark what he saith in the 15th verse, The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel when they give an offering unto the Lord to make an atonement for their souls; There must be the same atonement made for souls, both for the rich, and for the poor. And as we spake the last day in opening the excellency of the soul, it appears by the price that was paid for it; so here they are equal in this, that the poor man's soul must have as great a price paid to save it, as the richest man in the world. And therefore bless
God for thy soul in this, that he hath made thee equal with the Kings and Princes of the world in that that is thy more noble, and more excellent part.
And bless God for soul-mercies above all mercies; If the soul be so excellent, then I say, bless God that hath granted thee soul-mercies, though he hath denied thee bodily-mercies, it is no great matter; as suppose, If so be that God should take away the sight of thine eyes, yet if he opens the eyes of thine understanding, of thy soul, thou art happy: Suppose that thou art lame in thy body, yet if thou canst walk in the ways of God's
Commandments, and run there, thou art a happy creature: It may be thou wantest food, I, but if God feed thy soul with spiritual Manna, feed thee every day with food from heaven, and take care for the feeding of thy soul, thou art not so miserable as thou thoughtest thyself; thou hast tattered clothes, I but if God hath provided the righteousness of his Son to be a garment to cloak thy soul, every time thou appearest before him, thou art a happy creature in that, therefore when thy heart is ready to murmur, that God hath denied thee bodily mercies that he hath granted to others, think with thyself, I but hath not God recompensed me in soul mercies? I make no question but there are many souls that bless God that ever they have lived to this time, though they have suffered hard things for their bodies, many that have lost, and been plundered of all, yet bless God that they have lived to the time wherein there was so much plenty of the food of souls: Oh those truths of God that have been revealed unto us since those times, but had those that had the power before, had the power still continued, we had never had such truths made known unto us, they account all recompensed in soul-mercies, in Eph. 1:3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Mark what the Apostle saith there, his heart is filled with this,
Blessed be God, and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; Wherefore? That he hath given us good trading, and good incomes, that hath given us food and raiment, we are to bless God for this, I but the Apostles heart was above this, therefore saith he, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things in Christ, they are the blessings indeed that we have cause to bless him for, spiritual blessings, soul-mercies; as for bodily-mercies, we know that the Heathens and Reprobates have had as great a share in as any in the world;
but blessed be God, though we be denied these outward bodily favors, yet we have spiritual blessings. Oh thanks be to God, and the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. And this now would be a good argument that you do know the worth of your souls; if you can be blessing of God for spiritual blessings in Jesus Christ, above all blessings, and account yourselves rich enough, if you have the riches of spiritual blessings.
And then further, Oh if the soul of man be so precious, What great pity is it that God should not have the honor of men's souls, of such a noble and excellent creature; it is great pity that there should be any creature under the Sun that God should not have the honor of; that God should not have honor from every pile of grass, from every bit of bread that is eaten, from every stone in the street: But now that God should give to mankind such an excellent spirit, a soul more precious than all the world, and yet that God should not have the glory of this, Oh this is an evil thing under the Sun indeed, this must needs go to the heart of God; for the truth is, God hath his glory from all other creatures by the soul of man. As for other creatures, he hath his glory but passively from them, but for man's soul he doth expect to have his glory actively from that: that man by his soul should come to know this God, the infinite first-being of all things, should fear him, and worship him, and serve him, and have communion with him, and praise him; and therefore David in Psal. 103. My soul praise thou the Lord, and all that is within me praise his holy name. And again, he concludes, My soul praise thou the Lord. And so in Psal. 104. Now upon the consideration of what hath been said of the excellency of our souls, we should lay a charge upon them, that they do honor God, and serve God: What a sad charge will this be to many a man at the great day, when God shall say, Haddest thou been
made a Dog, I never had had so much dishonor as I have had, I should have had more honor if I had made thee a Dog, there I should have had my honor passively, and no dishonor from thee? But now, thou being made an immortal soul, as it was capable of honoring me, so of sinning against me; the more excellent a thing is, the more capable of evil it is, as well as of good; no creatures, but Angels and men are able to sin against God. Oh it is pity that God should not have the honor of thy immortal soul. God had more honor from Nebuchadnezzar, when he was driven out among the beasts, than when he sat upon the Throne as a King.
And then further, that should have been another Use, to have labored to persuade you to take heed of dishonoring these souls of yours. God hath put a great deal of glory and excellency upon them, do not you dishonor them; and many ways should have been said how men do put dishonor upon their souls; only for the conclusion; Oh that you would but learn to love your own souls: To love them. It is a strange exhortation you will say to exhort men to love their souls: Oh, that you would but do it, Psal. 22. David calls his soul his Darling, the souls of men should be indeed their Darlings, not their bodies. It was a speech of a Courtier to his friend, saith he, I love you as mine own soul; Oh saith he, then you love me not at all; if you had said you had loved me as your body, then I should have thought you had loved me, but I see no love you have to your soul; It was the prayer of the Apostle
St. John in the Epistle that he writ to his host Gaius, I suppose you that know Scripture, are not unacquainted with it, in his third Epistle, Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper, and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
I shall close all I intend for the present with this Scripture; it seems that Gaius was a holy man, but a man of a weakly and sick body, and therefore
St. John writing to him, he prays thus, Above all things, I desire that thy body may but prosper, as thy soul prospereth. As if he should say, O Gaius, thou hast an excellent gracious soul, endued with admirable graces of the Spirit of God, full of God thy soul is, though thy body be weakly: Oh that thou hadst but as good a body, as thou hast a soul. It seems Gaius had more care of his soul a great deal, than of his body: but now my brethren consider this, Would not this be a curse to most men for one to pray thus for them,
Oh Lord, give them such bodies, as they have souls? It were as much as to say, Lord, Let that body be blasted, let it be filled with diseases, let it be filled with rottenness, let it consume away, let it be a noisome and loathsome body, for his soul is so; The souls of most men are filled with diseases, are noisome and loathsome in the eyes of God. It is a happy thing, my brethren, to have better souls than bodies, that was the happiness of Gaius, and so it would be your happiness, if you could say so; you have great care of the bodies of your children, I, but have you a greater care of their souls? If you have, it would be an excellent sign that God hath made you to understand what true excellency means. It is a great question among Divines, and among Philosophers too, about the propagation of the soul, how it comes in, whether by the Parents, or immediate creation; truly there is one argument that it is not like to come in by the Parents, because we see that there is scarce any Parents that have any care of the souls of their children, but altogether caring that their bodies may be fine, and that they may be brave; and as they look at their children, so they look at themselves, they love their bodies to the uttermost, to make provision for the flesh, but no further. What a deal of do would there be, if when any of your children goes abroad, or husband, or wife, If you should hear that they have gotten a fall and broke their legs or arms? But now when you go abroad, and fall
into sin, and get a wound to your souls, as every sin it gives a deadly wound, yea such a wound as only the blood of Jesus Christ is able cure it; and there is nothing made of all this, as if we were nothing but lumps of flesh: Oh have a care of your souls, and labor to love them, and make them to be your Darling; you had need have a care of them, for as they are precious, so they are tender; as it is with Watches and curious Instruments, those that are most curious are the easiest hurt, the very air will put them out of temper; and so the souls of men, because they are things so excellent, they are things of a very curious nature, and a little thing will hurt them. As a little thing will hurt the eye, for that is a more excellent member than your finger or leg; so the soul is a more excellent part, and therefore it is that that is most in danger to be hurt and mischiefed, yea and to perish, and if your soul perishes, your body will follow after, what will become of that if your soul be lost and perish? But the only way to love your bodies well, and aright, it is to love your souls.