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To be more carefull for the Body then the Soul, a thing justly reproveable. [ 1408]
THere is a Parable of a Woman, which travelling with child brought forth a twin, and both children being presented to her, she falls deeply and fondly in love with the one, but is carelesse and dis••respectfull of the other; this she will nurse her self,* 1.1 but that is put forth; her love grows up with the child she kept herself, she decks it fine, she feeds it choicely; but at last, by overmuch pampering of it the child surfets, becomes mortally sick, and when it was dy∣ing, she remembers her self and sends to look after the other child that was at nurse,* 1.2 to the end she might now cherish it, but when the Messenger came, she finds it dying and gasping likewise, and examining the Truth, she understands that through the Mothers carelesnesse and neglect to look after it, the poor child was starved, thus was the fond partiall Mother to her great grief, sorrow, and shame, deprived of both her hopefull babes at once: Thus every Christian is this Mother, the children are our Body and Soul; the former of these it is, that Men and Women fall deeply and fondly in love with, whilst indeed they are care∣lesse and neglect the other, this they dresse and feed, nothing is too good or too dear for it; but at the last the body surfets, comes by some means or other to it's death-bed, when there is very little or no hope of life, then Men begin to remember the Soul, and would think of some course to save it, the Minister he is sent for in all haste to look after it; but alasse,* 1.3 he finds it in part dead, in part dying, and the very truth is, the owner through neglect and carelesnesse hath starved the Soul, and it is ready to go to Hell before the Body is fit for the Grave. And so the foolish fond Christian to his eternal shame and sorrow lo∣seth both his Body and Soul for ever.