Words whereby we may be saved. By Thomas Vincent, sometime minister of Maudlins milk-street,…

1. Consider, it is the salvation of your Souls which I would have you endeavour after, the salvation of your precious souls; your souls are more precious than your bodies, and they are more precious than the whole world.

1. Your souls are more precious than your bodies, they are by far your more excellent part: the original of your soul is more immediately from God: he formeth the spirit of man within him, Zach. 12. 1. they are beams, they are streams that issue forth immediately from God; moreover they carry more of the impress and image of God upon them as they are invisible, spiritual, rational, free, immortal; they have also more high and excellent operations than the body is capable of, as of the ⟨p. 7⟩understanding, conscience, memory, will, affections; and I may add that if there be any lustre upon the body, it doth receive it from the soul, when the soul is gone, the beauty is gone; whatever motion or use there is in the body, it doth depend on the soul; when the soul is departed, the body can neither hear, nor speak, nor see, nor walk, nor do any business; the body is a rotten stinking carcass without the soul; and whilst the soul doth abide in it, the body is the inferior part, the body is but the Cabinet, the soul is the Jewel; the body is but the house of clay, the soul is the living inhabitant; the body is as it were the beast (as one saith Corpus homini jumentum) which the soul doth make use of to carry it from one place to another; the body is the servant, it is the soul that rules, O labour then after the salvation of your souls, which are your most excellent part; what care do some take to preserve their bodies? much more reason have you to endeavour the salvation of your souls: when London's Fire was burning the houses, those who could not save all their goods, took care to save those which were the most precious, especially their money and jewels; O whatever become of your bodies here, whatever sickness or hardship they be exposed unto, labour to save your jewels, your precious souls; the Cabinet will be spoilt, the clay and mud-wall will be broken down, and the soul will survive the body; O take heed that when your souls come forth of their houses of clay, that they be not cast into the deep and dark prison of Hell.