The soul is the man

Someone recently shared with me an excellent excerpt from Matthew Henry's private letters, this one to a friend:

What if I should, therefore, (having no other business at present), give you a few serious lines, which may, perhaps, be of some spiritual advantage to your soul. I have been lately thinking of some great scripture truths or principles; the firm practical belief of which would be of great use to a Christian, and have a mighty influence upon the right ordering of his conversation; and they are some such as these: . . .

The soul is the man, and that condition of life is best for us that is best for our souls. It fares with the man as it fares with his soul. He is the truly healthful man whose soul prospers and is in health. He is the truly rich man, not who is rich in houses, land and money, but who is rich in faith, and an heir of the kingdom.

Those are our best friends that are friends to our souls, and those are our worst enemies that are enemies to our souls; for the soul is the man, and if the soul be lost, all is lost. (emphasis added)