Your Soul, Your Greatest Concern

English pastor Matthew Mead, in 1788:

Christ is precious, as being the Redeemer of precious souls. The promises are precious, as making over this precious Christ to precious souls. Faith is precious, as bringing a precious soul to close with a precious Christ, as he is held forth in the precious promises.

O! take heed that thou art not found overvaluing other things, and undervaluing thy soul. Shall thy flesh, nay, thy beast be loved, and shall thy soul be slighted? Wilt thou clothe and pamper thy body and yet take no care of thy soul? This is as if a man should feed his dog, and starve his child. . . . O! let not a tottering perishing carcass have all your time and care, as if the life and salvation of thy soul were not worth the while.

--Matthew Mead, The Almost Christian: or, The False Professor Tried and Cast, 13-14