The souls excellency: or, A sweet meditation of the preciousnesse of the soul of man. A subject fit for every man and woman in the world, to fixe their best and choisest thoughts upon: who desire to begin heaven here, and to live with God in heaven for ever. By J.O.

THE SOULS EXCELLENCY, OR A sweet Meditation OF The preciousnesse of the Soul of Man, &c.

POore men and women, yong and old; your manner is to sooth up your selves in your own vain fancies and conceits, of some∣thing or other here below; wherein you place a great part of your happinesse, and upon which you set your hearts, and for which you bestow a great deale of paines and time: And you doe esteem most precious of all things else in the world, ye, it is your manner to dote af∣ter these low and empty shadows as though there were some superexcellency in them.

When God knows the best creature under heaven is but meer vanity, and he that en∣joyes the most of it, doth enjoy it but with vexation of spirit: and yet poore soules you are not willing to be crost in your hasty pursuit af∣ter them, but run the hazard of soul and body, and all to gaine that which is but losse; and lose that which is the greatest and most hap∣piest gaine.

True it is, that the mighty Creator hath a∣dorned the World with abundance of his works of wonder, and hath made every thing beautifull in its time, but yet not comparable, (though all set together) with the least glimps of Gods countenance to the Soule. Indeed we have a larg book of the creatures in which we may read much of the Creatour, and see much of God in, but we have one more neer, and should be more deare unto us then ten thou∣sand Millions of worlds, were there so many; which is our deare and most precious souls; w^ch is the master-piece of the whole Creation.

And yet poore people how basely doe you esteem of your precious souls, that very hardly can you bestow one houres serious meditation upon the peace and welfare of your souls in all your life time. Very hardly can you spare out of that masse of love you have to the world one

dram of love or pitty to your poore souls.

O the precious soul can no man value, the price of it is beyond any mans reach; and the losse of it beyond any mans recovery.

You rich Merchants that fetch your trea∣sures from far and finde out the treasures hid in the sand, and bowels of the earth; did you ever amongst all your rich jems and precious pearls and costly stones; finde out any thing to counterpoyse the soul: can all your treasures laid together ransome one poore soul from destruction?

No, here the whole Creation must be silent; the soul is beyond all, nothing is found in them to be compared to the soul, S^t. Augustine sayth, One soule is worth a thousand bodies; what are ten thousand bodies to one soul?

The body is of much worth, but in compa∣rison of the soul, ten thousand bodies are worth nothing, they differ as much as flesh and spirit, as light and darknesse, as heaven and earth; and why not as much as heaven and hell? what are so many bodies without the soul but so many stinking carions, and lothsom dungeons: S. Augustine is so bold as to say, that the soul of a flye is of more excellency then the glorious Sun in the firmament; of what worth and excellency is the soul of man, then

think you? ô most precious soull what may be compared to thee? surely nothing, come down to the dust all things in the world then in comparison of the soul.

Stand by on the left hand, or sit down at my footstool, all you creatures, yea, the best of creatures, yea, the very heavens, with all their glorious ornaments, the Sunne, Moon, and Stars, with all the Coelestiall bodies; the earth with all her wonders, mountains and valleys, pleasant medows and woods, fruitfull trees, birds, beasts, sheep, oxen, lambs, and horses, little or great beasts, or curious fowls, with all the seas admirable wonders, gold, silver, precious stones, and what ever the heart of man can conceive to be most beautifull and glorious; stand by all pleasures beauty; riches, honours, wisdome, learning, Arts and Scien∣ces, Kingdoms or Empires, yea, all that is on this side heaven, all created excellencies what∣soever, I say, If I were Lord Paramount of all these, had them all at my command, what is all this to my precious immortall soul? true, I may say with David, Psal. 104.24, 25. O Lord, how manifold are thy works? in wisdome hast thou made them all, the earth is full of thy riches, so is the Sea also great and wide &c. But what is all this tome, if I lose my precious

soul? My soul, my soul, is more precious than all these.

The soule is all in all to us, sayth Tertullius, The soule is a little demi-god or Angell, many have so called it, sayth Clemens Alexandrinus, the soul is a part of heaven, sayth Hipparchus.

The soule is the Idea and Sampler of all the world, for excellencie and worth, sayth Paphi∣nous, and what can be sayd more to set forth the excellencie of the precious soule.

Yea, farther, Plato is of opinion that the soul is next in degree to the eternall God of Heaven and earth. Alas, then, what will it profit a man though hee win the whole world, and lose his own soul? Mat. 16.26. The very Angels and Archangels, the Cherubins and Seraphins, and all the powers of heaven are not so deare to us as our own souls be; alas, if we lose our souls, what are all they to us?

The soul then it seemes is a very precious piece, nothing in the whole Creation so pre∣cious, Oh! what heart is able to think or con∣ceive the excellency of the soul?

The soul is the best thing in the world, were there as many worlds as there be sands on the sea shore: as many as the Epicureans Diog: Laert: thought, infinite of worlds, what could all these profit if we should lose our souls.

Oh! what fools and mad men are we to slight our precious souls, to prefer a base lust before the precious soul; to take more pains, cost and care about our poore fraile perishing bodies a lump of clay, then about our most deare and precious fouls, our eternall souls.

The soul is the wonder of wonders, as the Philosopher cals it, & so it is, saith David, I am fearfully and wonderfully made; what tongue can expresse, or heart conceive, the excellency and worth of the soul?

Shall we then spend no time to think and meditate of this choyse piece, the immortall soul? shall we be continuall drudges and slaves to these vile bodies, and doe nothing for the soul? shall we feed, pamper, and clothe and adorn the body and let the soul starve and pe∣rish? shall we be so nice and choyce, and cir∣cumspect about our bodies, that there may not be a pin amisse, and shall the soul in the mean time goe naked and bare, languish and pine a∣way, and no care be taken for it? or can the soul live and subsist in a spirituall way with∣out spirituall food and clothing ô! no, no, dear friends, be not deceived, the soul must have spi∣rituall provision, as the body hath temporall, or it will starve and perish for ever (for ever) a sad word: as once a dying man said (thinking

seriously what he was to doe; that die he must) ô! this word for ever is a sad word to me, if it were not for that word forever; how well would it be for me.

O the most excellent dear and precious soull what shall I say of thee thou eternall soul (I had like to a said infinite soul) true it is the soul is not infinite but though it be not, yet may it be Amplified in the extent of its facul∣ties, on and on infinitely, saith the School, In infinitum, Thom. Aquin.

And seeing then the soul is so great a mat∣ter, the Horizon of the visible and invisible world, sayth Aquinas, shall we not set a high value upon the soul, shall we run the hazard of eternall ruine of the soul for toyes, shadows, impostures, vanities and empty lyes; for so be all things in the world in regard of our most precious souls: ye lyes, bubbles, vanities, emp∣ty vanities, ye, lighter then vanity it self; and not worthy to be spoken off, in regard of the soul.

You that would take a serious survey of the souls excellency, to purpose, so as to prize it in a spirituall way; yea, and to melt at the very heart and tremble at the losse and ruine of the soul, or highly to prize Divine grace, consi∣der seriously:

First, the sin of the soul is so great as no tongue can expresse the greatnesse of it; as the Apostle sayth, Rom. 5.12. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, &c. Consider well, that sin was not barren, neither did it enter into the world alone, but death followes close at the heeles of sin, not barely the death of the body, but that which is far greater, the death of our most precious and immortall souls: so that the most godly man or woman in the world may justly cry out with Paul, O wretehed man that I am, who shall deliver me, &c. Yea, and sin though it came by one man, and that but one sin, only the breach of one Commandement yet is mul∣tiplyed on and on to such an infinite number∣lesse number, that passes the skill of the best Arithmetician in the world to sum up the to∣tall of them; consider farther the nature of the least sin, is to damne the poore souls in hell, and that for no lesse time but for eternity; woe to my precious soul, then if God should charge but one of my least sinnes, though but a thought, upon it; I might cry out undone, undone, for ever; if one sin be so great and the curse and punishment of unexpressible and unsufferable, what may be said of all those Millions of Millions of sins which one poore

soul stands guilty of: who shall be able to undergoe the wrath of God? Isa. 33.14. Who among us shall dwell with devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?

Secondly, the losse of the soul is unrecovera∣ble, it is the greatest losse in the whole world, the losse of health, friends, goods, lands, ho∣nours, good name, or any other things, ye, life It selfe is in comparision of the soul, rather to be accounted gaine then losse; though it be a great losse if these and all that might be named should light upon man, yet all this is nothing to sin: if all the evill of punishment should fall upon one man, ye, all that hath befallen the whole race of mankind, yet all this were no∣thing to the evil of sin, these could only hurt the body; but sin endangers the soul, and ma∣ny times damnes the soul forever.

Nothing can defile the soul but sin, sin is the plague of the soul, it infects where ever it comes, it is the leprosie of the soul, it spreads it self over all the powers and faculties of the soule: sin is the Canker of the soul, it frets out every grace; sin is the Gangreen of the soul, it must be cut off: or it proves, Noli me tangere, and kils the soule; no danger to the danger of sin, no losse to the losse of the soule, all gain is losse with a witnesse if the soul lost

for earthly gain: What advantage will it be for a man to gain the whole world, and lose his own soule, Matth. 16.26.

Lastly, consider, the excellency of the soule appears chiefly, in the ransome and price that was paid to redeem it from eternal wrath and misery, it was no small price; this argues the soule to be a most famous and excellent piece, that when by sinne it lay exposed to eternal wrath, and misery; there could be none in heaven nor earth found to satisfie Divine Ju∣stice, nor to make an Attonement, but the Lord Jesus Christ must come down from Hea∣ven, and lay down his life to ransome the soul; nothing lesse then, then the bloud of Christ will serve to ransome the soul. Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of Rams, or with ten thou∣sand rivers of oile? shall I give my first born for my transgression, even the fruit of my body; for the sin of my soul? Mich. 6.7. No, this will not doe, it must be the bloud of the Lamb (Christ Jesus) slaine from the foundation of the world; so precious is the soul, the bloud of Buls Goats, and Lambs, &c. Will not serve turn. O most precious soul, what is there under heaven to be compared to thee? the soul, the soul; shall I hazard my soul for a pin, for a trifle, for a shadow, for in comparison of the

soul all created excellency whatsoever are lighter than vanity it selfe.

You worldlings, that take so much paines rooting in the world to joyn house to house and land to land till there be no place, (for the poore to dwell by you) that you may be placed by your selves in the midst of the earth, Esay. 5.8. Woe unto you, sayth the Lord of Hosts; Let me tell you, your gain is like to eternall losse with a witnesse, if you exchange earth for heaven, gaine the world and lose your precious souls: O! my dear friends, be warned betimes, and make all your worldly employments and your temporall gaine to be suborinate to the eternall peace of your souls, make not earthly imployments, heavenly im∣pediments, use the world no more then may make you more fit for the spirituall welfare of your Noble and most precious souls.

Woe to you Drunkards, ver. 11. that can rise early to follow drunkennesse, and to you that continue till night, till the wine inflames you; it will be a sad bargain to you if you drink away your souls, and while you drownd your estates, and your wits, and health, you drownd your poor souls in the bottomlesse gulfe of hell.

Woe to you that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as with cart ropes, ver. 18. surely

it will goe ill with you one day, if you for the profit or pleasure of your sin lose your souls: O, my beloved, set a greater prize upon the soule, then to sin away the eternall blessednesse of your souls.

Woe to you who ever you be, that call evill good, and good evill, that put darknesse for light, and light for darknesse, ver. 20. &c. Will you thus flatter away the happinesse of your im∣mortall souls? ô poor people! what will you doe, if you lose your souls?

Woe to you that are wise in your own eyes, ver. 21. &c. your wisdome is but folly and madnesse, how many be there that thinke if they have but wisdome enough to drive on an earthly designe, to be skilfull in trading, or in Arts and Sciences, or the like, thinke them∣selves happy enough, though they be as igno∣rant for their souls as the beast, and is not the greatest number of poor mankind in this con∣dition? and yet poor creatures, tell them but of their grosse ignorance, they will be ready to fly in your face and tell you, they know as much as you can teach them, and they are as wise as your selfe, and they scorne to live so long in the world, to be taught what is good for their souls now, and the like, but alas, all this while the Holy Ghost tels them, they be

but fools, or at the best, there is more hope of a fool then such a man, Prov. 26.12. And the same spirit of God tels you what you get by reproving such, Prov. 9.7, 8. alas, poor crea∣tures, will you not pitty your own souls? I pitty you, and oh that you would but pitty your selves.

Truly the most men take more care for their beasts, a horse, an oxe, a sheep, a hog, or a good dog then for their souls; nay, they take more care for their old shoos then for their souls, for a pigg or a goose then their souls, for a cup of ale, or a piece of bread, then for their dear and precious souls: nothing so base and inferiour under the Sunne, but it is looked af∣ter with far greater pains, diligence, and in∣dustry, then the immortall soul, any thing for back or belly more then for the soule; hence it is that men are so glad to heare that the soule dies with the body, that it is not immortall; and some, that's there no such thing as a day of judgement, or a heaven, or a hell, that the Scriptures are but mens inventions, that threat∣nings are but bug-bears to keep men in awe; and a thousand such things as those, that so they may more safely and securely sinne away their precious time without any thoughts of the hazard and losse of the soule therefore they can put far from them the evill day, and make a jest of sinne.

But these men shall be no president for me to walke by, seeing the soule is so precious, and the losse of it so irrecoverable, the price of it so great, and happinesse of it so full of joy un∣speakable and full of glory: Worldlings take your fill, eat drink, get you riches and honours, yea, fill your selves brimfull with whatsoever the world can afford you, but let not me taste of your delicates, ô my soule, my soule is ten thousand times more precious to me, and so much the more precious, because it was bought with the precious bloud of the Lord Jesus Christ for whom I account all things losse, and doe judge them to be dung that I may winne Christ, and might be found in him, &c. Phil. 3.7, 8, 9. this makes my soule leap for joy.

My body is from the earth, my soule from heaven, woe is me, if for transitory profit or pleasure, or honour, or the like, I should lose my own soul.

Farewel, the world then, there's nothing in thee that can satisfie my soul; welcome Christ Jesus, in whom satisfaction is made in abun∣dance: Farewell all earthly pleasure, and trea∣sure, my treasure is in heaven, there lye all my comforts, there will I treasure up my soule, where Christ my treasure is, Lord Jesus, thou art my souls refuge, my soule is so much the

more precious because it is in thy keeping, and no man or devill can take it out of thy hands.

Shall the pleasure or profit of sin carryme headlong to destruction? shall I hazard my precious soule for honour, case, or preferment? shall my own will be my law, or my own o∣pinion my rule? shall I embrace every false principle in Religion, and drinke in every un∣sound Tenent, and dangerous and damnable Doctrine that the world swarms with in these dayes, to the ruine of my soule? No, my soul cost more then so; the precious bloud of Christ was not thought too deare for to redeem my soule and shall I cast it away for a straw or a pin?

Beloved, you see how precious a piece the soul is, but you have but a small glimpse of it at a little crevice, the worth and excellency of the soul appears not in open view now, while we are in this earthly tabernacle; but here we see all things darkly as in a glasse, but the beauty and excellency shal be most splendent, when corruption hath put on incorruption.

But, I say, thrice happy are you if you now at last will resolue to study the safety and eter∣nall welfare of your precious souls, neglect no opportunity to do your souls good.

Besides, consider what hath been said. Death gives no warning; As soone comes a

Lambes skin to the market as an old sheeps, it is an old Proverb, which we see daily verified: Carry this paper daily in your pocket, and the meditation thereof daily in your hearts, and think of that dreadful sound, Arise yee dead, and come to judgment.

Consider also the longest day hath his night, and Methusalem, had his period, and our lives are compared to things of the swift∣est motion, and shortest continuance; he that hath passed many yeares, and purchased little profit, hath had a long being, and a short life, for life is more to be measured by well doing, then by the number of yeares; seeing that men, yee the most of men by many dayes doe procure many deaths; and others in a short space attaine to the life of infinite ages.

Consider that the body without the soul is but a corrupt carkasse, and the soul without God, is but a Sepulcher of sin.

Daily study God in Christ, get better ac∣quaintance with him, it will make thee happy in thy soul, in thy body, in thy family, in thy calling, he that hath Christ shall be a gainer by all things; life, long or short; is gaine, riches or poverty is gaine, prosperity, or ad∣versity is gaine, liberty, or imprisonment is gaine; good report, or evill report is gaine, ho∣nour, or dishonour is gaine. What poore soul

is there in this wide world that would not trade in such a commodity that brings in all gaine, and no losse. O my deare soul, soare up daily in Communion with Jesus Christ who is thy true and perfect gaine.

Lastly, Consider that all we doe while we live in this vail of teares is, or should be for e∣ternity, and we hazard the ruine of our poore and precious souls, for eternity; we would count that man a very foole, and worthy to beg his bread, that having faire demeanes, and a rich trade that would bring him in thou∣sands, and with all, a time limited to enjoy it, and after the end of that terme he must be turned out of all, only to live upon what he had formerly gained and treasured up; or else starve and perish: Now if this man should squander away his time, wast his demeanes, spend up his stock, run himselfe into an unre∣coverable debt, and at a certaine day be turned out of all naked, and miserable; truly few or none would pitty him.

But poore creatures it is so with the greatest part of the world, the Lord hath given us a limited time here in this world, great de∣meanes, and a rich trade that would bring in Millions, and ten thousand Millions, that is, he hath given us his glorious Gospel, which daily reveals more and more, of that inesteem∣able

treasure, Jesus Christ, here's treasure in∣deed! Oh, my friends, trade apace for your souls, for what is all this continuance of Gos∣pel, and Gospel opportunities, and offers of grace, yea, free grace, and eternall salvati∣on? but for thee who ever thou art, to trade in, for thy spirituall advantage. Now, wo unto thee if thou squander away thy time, and wast thy rich treasures and dye an unrecover∣able, nay, an eternall begger. But thou mayst gather honey while some lasteth, harken to the voyce of Christ while he calls, lay hold upon him, take him on his own termes, Isa. 55.1. Ho, every one that thirsteth come ye to the wa∣ters, and he that hath no money: come yee, buy and cat, ye come, buy oile and milk without mo∣ney and without price. Here is Christ freely ten∣dered with all his graces, and this is your feed-time, he that expects to reap the benefit of a fruitfull harvest, must not sow Teares, and Thistles, for such as a man soweth, such shall he reap. And he that lives under Gospell dis∣spensations and will continue in unbeliefe, drudging for the Devill all his dayes, let him expect such a harvest at the end of his life.

Friends, in the conclusion let me mind you of one thing that England is now sensible enough of at this day, in a temporall way, which is that we live in a hard and pining time, many

thousands languish under bodily scarsity: let me tell you, you have loathed heavenly Man∣na, and willingly starved your precious souls, and I must tell that it is just with the Almigh∣ty to starve your bodies first, and then to de∣stroy both, but that his mercie is very large, and he is unwilling to destroy a people that do not willingly refuse to come in unto him.

These unquiet hard times, should now put us upon making provision for the safety of our souls, and I hope, it wil be your chiefest work, if you have any care of them; you know not, the youngest of you, how neer an end your day is, make haste, as death leaves you judge∣ment shall finde; let this comfort every poor soul, that you can never be so willing to receive the Lord Jesus, as he is to embrace you, if you will but lay down the Arms of rebellion and come in unto him, therfore now whilst he saith, Seeke my face, say thy face, Lord will I seeke; and when he saith, Come unto me all yee that are weary, &c. Say, Come Lord Jesus come quickly, a day in the house is better then a thou∣sand, &c. My soule longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord, &c. What will it pro∣fit a man though he win the whole world, if he lose his own soule.

FINIS.