V

A

PREFACE

TO THE

ENSUING TREATISE;

§. I.

SHEWING,

The Neceffity of Caring for the SOUL.

HE only intent of this enfuing Treatifeis, to be a fhort and plain direction to the very meanest Readers, to behave themfelves fo in this world, that they may be happy for ever in the next. But because 'tis in vain to tell men their duty, 'till they be perfuaded of the neceffity of performing it, I fhall, before I proceed to the Particulars required of every Christian, endeavour to win them to the practice of one general duty preparatory to all the reft; and that is, the confideration. and care of their own Souls; without which they will never think themselves much concerned in the other.

2. Man, we know, is made up of two parts, a Body and a Soul: The Body is only the hufk or fhell of the Soul, a lump of flesh, fubject to many difeafes and pains, while it lives, and at laft to death itfelf; and then 'tis fo far from being valued, that 'tis not to be endur❜d above ground, but laid to rot in the earth. Yet to this viler part of us we perform a great deal of care; all the labour and toil we are at, is to maintain that. But the more precious part, the Soul, is little thought of, no care taken how it fares; but, as if it were a thing that nothing concerned us, is left quite! neglected, never confidered by us.

3. This careleffness of the Soul is the root of all the fin we commit; and therefore whofoever intends to fet upon a Chri

A 3

ftian

ftian course, muft, in the first place, amend that. To the doing whereof there needs no deep learning, or extraordinary parts; the fimpleft man living (that is not a natural fool) hath understanding enough for it, if he will but act in this by the fame rules of common reafon, whereby he proceeds in his worldly business. I will therefore now briefly fet down fome of thofe motives which ufe to ftir up our care of any outward thing, and then apply them to the Soul.

4. There be four things efpecially which use to awake our care, the first is the worth of the thing; the fecond, the usefulness of it to us, when we cannot part with it without great damage and mischief; the third, the great danger of it; and the fourth, the likelihood that our care will not be in vain, but that it will preserve the thing cared for. The Worth 5. For the firft, we know our care of any worldly of the Soul. thing is anfwerable to the Worth of it; what is of greatest price we are most watchful to preferve, and most fearful to lofe: No man locks up dung in his cheft, but his money, or what he counts precious, he doth. Now in this refpect the Soul deferves more care, than all the things in the world befides, for 'tis infinitely more worth; firft, in that it is made after the image of God; it was God that breathed into man this breath of life, Gen. ii. 7. Now God being of the greateft excellency and worth, the more any thing is like him, the more it is to be valued. But 'tis fure that no creature upon the earth is at all like God, but the Soul of Man; and therefore nothing ought to have fo much of our care. Secondly, The Soul never dies. We ufe to prize things according to their durableness: What is most lafting is moft worth. Now the Soul is a thing that will last for ever; When wealth, beauty, strength; nay, our very bodies themfelves fade away, the Soul ftill continues. Therefore in that refpect alfo the Soul is of the greatest worth; and then what strange madness is it for us to neglect them as we do? We can spend days, and weeks, and months, and years; nay, our whole lives, in hunting after a little wealth of this world, which is of no durance or continuance; and, in the mean time, let this great durable treasure, our Souls, be ftolen from us by the evil.

6

6. A fecond motive to our care for any thing The mifery of is the usefulness of it to us, or the great mif- lofing the Soul. chief we shall have by the loss of it. Common reason teaches us this in all things of this life. If our Hairs fall, we do not much regard it, because we can be well enough without them: But if we are in danger to lofe our eyes or limbs, we think all the care we can take little enough to prevent it, because we know it will be a great Mifery. But certainly there is no Mifery to be compared to that Mifery that follows the lofs of the Soul. It is true, we cannot lofe our Souls in one fenfe, that is, fo lofe them, that they shall cease to be, but we may fo lose them in another, that we should wifh to lose them even in that; that is, we may lose that happy eftate to which they were created, and plunge them into the extremeft Mifery: In a word, we may lose them in Hell, whence there is no fetching them back, and fo they are loft for ever. Nay, in this confideration our very bodies are concerned, thofe darlings of ours, for which all our care is laid out; for they muft certainly after death be raised again, and be joined again to the Soul, and take part with it in whatever ftate it is. If then our care for the Body take up all our time and thoughts, and leave us none to bestow on the poor Soul, it is fure the Soul will, for want of that care, be made for ever miferable: But it is as fure, that that very Body muft be fo too. And therefore, if you have any true kindnefs to your Body, fhew it by taking care for your Souls. Think with yourfelves, how you will be able to endure everlasting burnings. If a fmall fpark of fire lighting on the leaft part of the Body, be fo intolerable, what will it be to have the whole caft into the hottest flames? and that not for fome few hours, or days, but forever? So that when you have spent many thousands of years in that unfpeakable torment, you fhall be no nearer coming out of it, than you were the first day you went in. Think of this, I fay, and think this withal, that this will certainly be the end of neglecting the Soul; and therefore afford it fome care, if it be but in pity to the Body, that must bear a part in its Miseries.

in.

7. The third motive to the care of any thing, is its beThe Danger ing in Danger; Now a thing may be in Danger the Soul is two ways: First, by enemies from without: This is the cafe of the sheep, which is ftill in danger of being devoured by wolves; and we know that makes the fhepherd fometimes the more watchful over it. Thus it is with the Soul, which is in a great deal of danger, in refpect of its enemies: Thofe, we know, are the world, the flesh, and the devil; which are all fuch noted enemies to it, that the very firft act we do in behalf of our Souls, is to vow a continual war against them. This we all do int our baptifm; and whoever makes any truce with any of them, is falfe, not only to his Soul, but to his vow alfo; becomes a forfworn creature. A confideration well worthy our laying to heart. But that we may the better understand what Danger the Soul is in, let us a little confider the quality of these enemies.

8. In a war, you know, there are diverfe things that make an enemy terrible; the first is fubtlety and cunning, by which alone many victories have been won; and in this refpect the Devil is a dangerous adverfary; he long fince gave fufficient proof of his fubtlety, in beguiling our first parents, who yet were much wifer than we are; and therefore no wonder, if he deceive and cheat us. Secondly, The watchfulness, and diligence of an enemy makes him the more to be feared, and here the Devil exceeds: It is his trade and business to destroy us, and he is no loiterer at it: He goes up and down feeking whom he may devour, 1 Pet.v. 8. He watches all opportunities of advantage against us, with fuch diligence, that he will be fure never to let any flip him. Thirdly, An enemy near us is more to be feared than one at a diftance: For if he be far off, we may have time to arm, and prepare ourselves againft him; but if he be near, he may fteal on us unawares. And of this fort is the flesh; it is an enemy, at our doors, fhall I fay? nay, in our bofoms? it is always near us, to take occafion of doing us mifchiefs. Fourthly, the bafer and falfer an enemy is, the more dangerous. He that hides his malice under the fhew of friendship, will be

able

able to do a great deal the more hurt. And this again is the flefb, which, like Joab to Abner, 2 Sam. iii. 27. pretends to fpeak peaceably to us, but wounds us to death; 'tis forward to purvey for pleafures and delights for us, and fo feems very kind: but it has a book under that bait, and if we bite at it, we are loft. Fifthly, The number of enemies make them more terrible; and the world is a vaft army against us: There is no state or condition in it, nay, fcarce a creature, which doth not, at fome time or other, fight against the Soul: The Honours of the world feek to wound us by pride, the wealth by covetousness, the profperity of it tempts us to forget God, the adverfities to murmur at him. Our very table becomes a fnare to us, our meat draws us to gluttony, our drink to drunkennefs; our company, nay, our nearest friends, often bear a part in this war against us, whilft either by their example, or perfuafions, they entice us to fin.

9. Confider all this, and then tell me, whether a Soul thus befet, hath leisure to fleep? Even Delilah could tell Sampfon, it was time to awake, when the Philistines were upon bim. And Chrift tells us, If the good man of the house had known in what bour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have fuffered his house to be broken up, Mat. xxiv. 43. But we live in the midst of thieves, and therefore muft look for them every hour; and yet who is there among us, that hath that common providence for this precious part of him, his Soul, which he hath for his house, or indeed the meanest thing that belongs to him? I fear our Souls may fay fo to us, as Chrift to his Difciples, Mat.xxvi. 40. What! could ye not watch with me one hour? For I doubt it would pose many of us to tell when we bestowed one hour on them, tho' we know them to be continually befet with most dangerous enemies. And then, alas! what is like to be the cafe of these poor Souls, when their adverfaries beftow fo much care and diligence to deftroy them, and we will afford none to preferve them? Surely the fame as of a befieged town, where no watch or guard is kept, which is certain to fall a prey to the enemy. Confider this, ye that forget God, nay, ye that forget yourfelves, left be pluck you away, and there be none to deliver you, Pfal. 1. 22.