THE SOUL'S EXCELLENCY: OR, A sweet Meditation of the preciousness of the Soul of Man. A Subject fit for every man and woman in the world, to fix their best and choicest thoughts upon: who desire to begin heaven here, and to live with God in heaven for ever.  
By J.O.  
Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently,  Deut. 4 9 
Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward, but he that keepeth his soul shall be far from them,  Pro. 22.5 
Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him which is able to destroy both body and soul in hell,  Matth. 10.28. 
London, Printed for R. W. at the Star under Peter's Church in Cornhill, 1648.   
DEUT. 6.7. 
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou sittest down, and when thou risest up.  
 depiction of a teacher listening to a pupil read aloud in a schoolroom   

THE SOUL'S EXCELLENCY, OR A sweet Meditation OF The preciousness of the Soul of Man, etc.  
Poor men and women, young and old; your manner is to soothe up yourselves in your own vain fancies and conceits, of something or other here below; wherein you place a great part of your happiness, and upon which you set your hearts, and for which you bestow a great deal of pains and time: And you do esteem most precious of all things else in the world, ye, it is your manner to dote after these low and empty shadows as though there were some superexcellency in them.  
When God knows the best creature under heaven is but mere vanity, and he that enjoys the most of it, doth enjoy it but with vexation of spirit: and yet poor souls you are not willing to be crossed in your hasty pursuit after them, but run the hazard of soul and body, and all to gain that which is but loss; and lose that which is the greatest and most happiest gain.  
True it is, that the mighty Creator hath adorned the World with abundance of his works of wonder, and hath made every thing beautiful in its time, but yet not comparable, (though all set together) with the least glimpse of God's countenance to the Soul. Indeed we have a large book of the creatures in which we may read much of the Creator, and see much of God in, but we have one more near, and should be more dear unto us then ten thousand Millions of worlds, were there so many; which is our dear and most precious souls; which is the masterpiece of the whole Creation.  
And yet poor people how basely do you esteem of your precious souls, that very hardly can you bestow one hours serious meditation upon the peace and welfare of your souls in all your life time. Very hardly can you spare out of that mass of love you have to the world one dram of love or pity to your poor souls.  
O the precious soul can no man value, the price of it is beyond any man's reach; and the loss of it beyond any man's recovery.  
You rich Merchants that fetch your treasures from far and find out the treasures hid in the sand, and bowels of the earth; did you ever amongst all your rich gems and precious pearls and costly stones; find out any thing to counterpoise the soul: can all your treasures laid together ransom one poor 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, St. Augustine saith, One soul is worth a thousand bodies; what are ten thousand bodies to one soul?  
The body is of much worth, but in comparison of the soul, ten thousand bodies are worth nothing, they differ as much as flesh and spirit, as light and darkness, 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 carrions, and loathsome dungeons: S. Augustine is so bold as to say, that the soul of a fly is of more excellency than the glorious Sun in the firmament; of what worth and excellency is the soul of man, then think you? o most precious soul 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 Sun, Moon, and Stars, with all the Celestial bodies; the earth with all her wonders, mountains and valleys, pleasant meadows and woods, fruitful 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 beautiful and glorious; stand by all pleasure's beauty; riches, honours, wisdom, learning, Arts and Sciences, Kingdoms or Empires, yea, all that is on this side heaven, all created excellencies whatsoever, I say, If I were Lord Paramount of all these, had them all at my command, what is all this to my precious immortal soul? true, I may say with David, Psal. 104.24, 25. O Lord, how manifold are thy works? in wisdom hast thou made them all, the earth is full of thy riches, so is the Sea also great and wide etc. But what is all this tome, if I lose my precious soul? My soul, my soul, is more precious than all these.  
The soul is all in all to us, saith Tertullius, The soul is a little demigod or Angel, many have so called it, saith Clemens Alexandrinus, the soul is a part of heaven, saith Hipparchus.  
The soul is the Idea and Sampler of all the world, for excellency and worth, saith Paphinous, and what can be said more to set forth the excellency of the precious soul.  
Yea, farther, Plato is of opinion that the soul is next in degree to the eternal God of Heaven and earth. Alas, then, what will it profit a man though he 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 dear to us as our own souls be; alas, if we lose our souls, what are all they to us?  
The soul than it seems is a very precious piece, nothing in the whole Creation so precious, Oh! what heart is able to think or conceive 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 poor frail perishing bodies a lump of clay, then about our most dear and precious fouls, our eternal souls.  
The soul is the wonder of wonders, as the Philosopher calls it, & so it is, saith David, I am fearfully and wonderfully made; what tongue can express, or heart conceive, the excellency and worth of the soul?  
Shall we then spend no time to think and meditate of this choice piece, the immortal soul? shall we be continual drudges and slaves to these vile bodies, and do nothing for the soul? shall we feed, pamper, and cloth and adorn the body and let the soul starve and perish? shall we be so nice and choice, and circumspect about our bodies, that there may not be a pin amiss, and shall the soul in the mean time go naked and bare, languish and pine away, and no care be taken for it? or can the soul live and subsist in a spiritual way without spiritual food and clothing o! no, no, dear friends, be not deceived, the soul must have spiritual provision, as the body hath temporal, 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 do; that die he must) o! 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 soul what shall I say of thee thou eternal 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 faculties, on and on infinitely, saith the School, In infinitum, Thom. Aquin.  
And seeing then the soul is so great a matter, the Horizon of the visible and invisible world, saith Aquinas, shall we not set a high value upon the soul, shall we run the hazard of eternal ruin of the soul for toys, shadows, impostures, vanities and empty lies; for so be all things in the world in regard of our most precious souls: ye lies, bubbles, vanities, empty vanities, ye, lighter than vanity itself; 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 prise it in a spiritual way; yea, and to melt at the very heart and tremble at the loss and ruin of the soul, or highly to prise Divine grace, consider seriously:  
First, the sin of the soul is so great as no tongue can express the greatness of it; as the Apostle saith, Rom. 5.12. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, etc. Consider well, that sin was not barren, neither did it enter into the world alone, but death follows close at the heels of sin, not barely the death of the body, but that which is far greater, the death of our most precious and immortal 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, etc. Yea, and sin though it came by one man, and that but one sin, only the breach of one Commandment yet is multiplied on and on to such an infinite numberless number, that passes the skill of the best Arithmetician in the world to sum up the total of them; consider farther the nature of the least sin, is to damn the poor souls in hell, and that for no less time but for eternity; woe to my precious soul, then if God should charge but one of my least sins, 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 poor soul stands guilty of: who shall be able to undergo the wrath of God? Isa. 33.14. Who among us shall dwell with devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burn?  
Secondly, the loss of the soul is unrecoverable, it is the greatest loss in the whole world, the loss of health, friends, goods, lands, honours, good name, or any other things, ye, life Itself is in comparision of the soul, rather to be accounted gain then loss; though it be a great loss if these and all that might be named should light upon man, yet all this is nothing to sin: if all the evil of punishment should fall upon one man, ye, all that hath befallen the whole race of mankind, yet all this were nothing to the evil of sin, these could only hurt the body; but sin endangers the soul, and many times damns 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 leprosy of the soul, it spreads itself over all the powers and faculties of the soul: 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 kills the soul; no danger to the danger of sin, no loss to the loss of the soul, all gain is loss with a witness if the soul lost for earthly gain: What advantage will it be for a man to gain the whole world, and lose his own soul, Matth. 16.26.  
Lastly, consider, the excellency of the soul appears chief, in the ransom and price that was paid to redeem it from eternal wrath and misery, it was no small price; this argues the soul to be a most famous and excellent piece, that when by sin it lay exposed to eternal wrath, and misery; there could be none in heaven nor earth found to satisfy Divine Justice, nor to make an Atonement, but the Lord Jesus Christ must come down from Heaven, and lay down his life to ransom the soul; nothing less then, than the blood of Christ will serve to ransom the soul. Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of Rams, or with ten thousand rivers of oil? 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 do, it must be the blood of the Lamb (Christ Jesus) slain from the foundation of the world; so precious is the soul, the blood of Bull's Goats, and Lambs, etc. 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 itself.  
You worldlings, that take so much pains rooting in the world to join house to house and land to land till there be no place, (for the poor to dwell by you) that you may be placed by yourselves in the midst of the earth, Esay. 5.8. Woe unto you, saith the Lord of Hosts; Let me tell you, your gain is like to eternal loss with a witness, if you exchange earth for heaven, gain the world and lose your precious souls: O! my dear friends, be warned betimes, and make all your worldly employments and your temporal gain to be suborinate to the eternal peace of your souls, make not earthly employments, heavenly impediments, use the world no more than may make you more fit for the spiritual welfare of your Noble and most precious souls.  
Woe to you Drunkards, ver. 11. that can rise early to follow drunkenness, 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 drowned your estates, and your wits, and health, you drowned your poor souls in the bottomless gulf of hell.  
Woe to you that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as with cart ropes, ver. 18. surely it will go 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 soul, then to sin away the eternal blessedness of your souls.  
Woe to you who ever you be, that call evil good, and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness, ver. 20. etc. Will you thus flatter away the happiness of your immortal souls? o poor people! what will you do, if you lose your souls?  
Woe to you that are wise in your own eyes, ver. 21. etc. your wisdom is but folly and madness, how many be there that think if they have but wisdom enough to drive on an earthly design, to be skilful in trading, or in Arts and Sciences, or the like, think themselves happy enough, though they be as ignorant for their souls as the beast, and is not the greatest number of poor mankind in this condition? and yet poor creatures, tell them but of their gross 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 yourself, and they scorn 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 tells 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 tells you what you get by reproving such, Prov. 9.7, 8. alas, poor creatures, will you not pity your own souls? I pity you, and oh that you would but pity yourselves.  
Truly the most men take more care for their beasts, a horse, an ox, a sheep, a hog, or a good dog then for their souls; nay, they take more care for their old shoes then for their souls, for a pig or a goose than their souls, for a cup of ale, or a piece of bread, then for their dear and precious souls: nothing so base and inferior under the Sun, but it is looked after with far greater pains, diligence, and industry, than the immortal soul, any thing for back or belly more than for the soul; hence it is that men are so glad to hear that the soul dies with the body, that it is not immortal; and some, that's there no such thing as a day of judgement, or a heaven, or a hell, that the Scriptures are but men's inventions, that threaten are but bugbears to keep men in awe; and a thousand such things as those, that so they may more safely and securely sin away their precious time without any thoughts of the hazard and loss of the soul therefore they can put far from them the evil day, and make a jest of sin.  
But these men shall be no precedent for me to walk by, seeing the soul is so precious, and the loss of it so irrecoverable, the price of it so great, and happiness of it so full of joy unspeakable and full of glory: Worldlings take your fill, eat drink, get you riches and honours, yea, fill yourselves brimful with whatsoever the world can afford you, but let not me taste of your delicates, o my soul, my soul is ten thousand times more precious to me, and so much the more precious, because it was bought with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ for whom I account all things loss, and do judge them to be dung that I may win Christ, and might be found in him, etc. Phil. 3.7, 8, 9 this makes my soul leap for joy.  
My body is from the earth, my soul from heaven, woe is me, if for transitory profit or pleasure, or honour, or the like, I should lose my own soul.  
Farewell, the world then, there's nothing in thee that can satisfy my soul; welcome Christ Jesus, in whom satisfaction is made in abundance: Farewell all earthly pleasure, and treasure, my treasure is in heaven, there lie all my comforts, there will I treasure up my soul, where Christ my treasure is, Lord Jesus, thou art my souls refuge, my soul is so much the more precious because it is in thy keeping, and no man or devil can take it out of thy hands.  
Shall the pleasure or profit of sin carryme headlong to destruction? shall I hazard my precious soul for honour, case, or preferment? shall my own will be my law, or my own opinion my rule? shall I embrace every false principle in Religion, and drink in every unsound Tenent, and dangerous and damnable Doctrine that the world swarms with in these days, to the ruin of my soul? No, my soul cost more than so; the precious blood of Christ was not thought too dear for to redeem my soul 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 glass, but the beauty and excellency shall be most splendent, when corruption hath put on incorruption.  
But, I say, thrice happy are you if you now at last will resolve to study the safety and eternal welfare of your precious souls, neglect no opportunity to do your souls good.  
Besides, consider what hath been said. Death gives no warning; As soon comes a Lamb's skin to the market as an old sheep, 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 ye dead, and come to judgement.  
Consider also the longest day hath his night, and Methusalem, had his period, and our lives are compared to things of the swiftest motion, and shortest continuance; he that hath passed many years, 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 years; seeing that men, ye the most of men by many days do procure many deaths; and others in a short space attain to the life of infinite ages.  
Consider that the body without the soul is but a corrupt carcase, and the soul without God, is but a Sepulchre of sin.  
Daily study God in Christ, get better acquaintance 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 gain, riches or poverty is gain, prosperity, or adversity is gain, liberty, or imprisonment is gain; good report, or evil report is gain, honour, or dishonour is gain. What poor soul is there in this wide world that would not trade in such a commodity that brings in all gain, and no loss. O my dear soul, soar up daily in Communion with Jesus Christ who is thy true and perfect gain.  
Lastly, Consider that all we do while we live in this vail of tears is, or should be for eternity, and we hazard the ruin of our poor and precious souls, for eternity; we would count that man a very fool, and worthy to beg his bread, that having fair demeanes, and a rich trade that would bring him in thousands, and with all, a time limited to enjoy it, and after the end of that term 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 himself into an unrecoverable debt, and at a certain day be turned out of all naked, and miserable; truly few or none would pity him.  
But poor creatures it is so with the greatest part of the world, the Lord hath given us a limited time here in this world, great demeanes, 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 inesteemable treasure, Jesus Christ, here's treasure indeed! Oh, my friends, trade apace for your souls, for what is all this continuance of Gospel, and Gospel opportunities, and offers of grace, yea, free grace, and eternal salvation? but for thee who ever thou art, to trade in, for thy spiritual advantage. Now, woe unto thee if thou squander away thy time, and waste thy rich treasures and die an unrecoverable, nay, an eternal beggar. But thou mayst gather honey while some lasteth, hearken to the voice of Christ while he calls, lay hold upon him, take him on his own terms, Isa. 55.1. Ho, every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money: come ye, buy and cat, ye come, buy oil and milk without money and without price. Here is Christ freely tendered with all his graces, and this is your feed-time, he that expects to reap the benefit of a fruitful harvest, must not sow Tears, and Thistles, for such as a man soweth, such shall he reap. And he that lives under Gospel disspensations and will continue in unbelief, drudging for the Devil all his days, 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 temporal way, which is that we live in a hard and pining time, many thousands languish under bodily scarcity: let me tell you, you have loathed heavenly Manna, and willingly starved your precious souls, and I must tell that it is just with the Almighty to starve your bodies first, and then to destroy both, but that his mercy 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 will be your chiefest work, if you have any care of them; you know not, the youngest of you, how near an end your day is, make haste, as death leaves you judgement shall find; 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, therefore now whilst he saith, Seek my face, say thy face, Lord will I seek; and when he saith, Come unto me all ye that are weary, etc. Say, Come Lord Jesus come quickly, a day in the house is better than a thousand, etc. My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord, etc. What will it profit a man though he win the whole world, if he lose his own soul.  
FINIS.