glad to be affifted, that it seems to me equally fitted for both forts of Readers, which fhall bring with them a fincere defire of their own, either prefent or future advantages. The Devotion-part in the Conclufion is no way inferior, being a seasonable aid to every Man's Infirmities, and hath extended it felf very particularly to all our principal concernments. The Introduction hath fupplied the place of a Preface, which you feem to defire from me, and leaves me no more to add, but my Prayers to God, "That the Author, who hath taken

care to convey fo liberal an Alms to "the Gorban fo fecretly, may not mifs to "be rewarded openly, in the vifible pow

er, and benefit of this work, on the "hearts of the whole Nation, which "was never in more need of fuch fup

plies, as are here afforded. That his "All-fufficient Grace will blefs the feed "fown, and give an abundant encrease, "is the humble request of

Your affured Friend,

March 7, 1657.

H. HAMMOND.

A

PREFACE

To the Enfuing

TREATISE

Shewing the NECESSITY

Of CARING for the Soul.

Sect. I.

T

HE only intent of this enfuing Treatife, is to be a short and Plain Direction to the very meaneft Readers, to behave themselves fo in this world, that they may be happy for ever in the next. But becaufe 'tis in vain to tell men their Duty, till they be perfwaded of the neceffity of performing it, I fhall, before I proceed to the Particulars required of every Chriftian, 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 concern'd in the other. A 3 2. MAN

2. MAN, we know, is made up of two parts, a BODY and a SOUL: The Body only the husk or shell of the Soul, a lump of flesh, subject to many Difeafes and Pains while it lives, and at last to Death it self; and then 'tis fo far from being valued, that 'tis not to be endured 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. concern'd us, is left quite neglected, never confider'd by us.

3. This Carelefnefs of the Soul is the root of all the fin we commit, and therefore whosoever intends to fet upon a Chriftian courfe, 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) bath understanding enough for it, if he will but act in this by the fame rules of common Reafon, whereby he proceeds in his worldly bufinefs. Iwill therefore now briefly fet down fome of thofe Motives, which use to stir up our care of any outward thing, and then apply them to the

Soul.

4. There be FOUR things especially, which use to awake our Care; the first is the Worth of the thing; the fecond, the Ufefulness

of

The worth

of the Soul,

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 preferve the thing cared for. 5. For the First, we know our care of any worldly 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 Sout deferves more care, than all the things in the world befides, for 'tis infinitely more worth ; first, in that it is made after the Image of God, it was God that breathed into man this breath of life, Gen. 2.7. 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 use to prize things according to their Durableness: what is moft Lafting is moft Worth. Now the Sout 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 respect also, the Soul is of the greatest worth; and then what trange madness

A 4

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 ftollen from us by the Devil,

The mifery of lofing the Soul.

6. A fecond Motive to our care of any thing, is the USEFULNESS of it to us, or the great Mischief we shall have by the lofs of it. Common reafonteaches 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 lose 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. 'Tis true, we cannot lose our Souls, in one fenfe, that is, fo lose them, that they shall cease to Be; but we may lose them in another, that we should wish to lose them even in that; that is, we may lofe that happy eftate, to which they were created, and plunge them into the extreameft mifery. In a word, we may lofe 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