heavy Heart; and then we shall retain the Virtue, though we lofe the prefent Satisfaction of our Obedience. God fees the Sincerity of our Hearts, and will affuredly reward us at the laft. Although the Devil (who hath a great Hand in these Thoughts also, as we find in the Parable of the Sower, Mat. xiii.) doth continually vex, and trouble us with them; yet let us wait upon God with Patience, and an humble Obfervance of these Rules laid down, as far as we are able; and then we shall be in no Danger by Reason of fuch Thoughts, though we fhould be grappling, and fighting with them, as long as we live. It is impoffible (I think) that we should be totally freed from them in this fluid Medium; in this state of Frailty and Corruption; that the Mind should be quite cleansed of these Annoyances. But yet we are to confider that our Life is a continual Warfare; and our Condition here a State of Imperfection; and that therefore we are not to despair, as if we had done no Good, because we have not attained to what this Life cannot afford.

But to comfort ourselves with this, viz. that if in Obedience to God's Commands, we maintain the Combat, and fight against them, and ufe fuch Remedies as are prescribed, God will accept our Endeavours, pafs by our Infirmities, and grant us at laft a Complete Victory in Heaven above, which alone is Confummation;

where we shall be free from bodily Weaknesses (which many times greatly adminifter to fuch, and indeed I think to moft other Evil Thoughts) and from all the Feebleneffes and Impotencies of the Mind; from all vain and enticing Objects from without; and from all the Treachery of Corruption from within; from every wanton Glance, every vain Imagination, and every idle Thought.

CHAP. IX.

Melancholy and Defpairing Thoughts. E are now come to the laft kind of evil Thoughts, which I fhall more particularly handle in this Treatise, viz. Sad, Melancholy, or Defpairing Thoughts. And in order to our taking a true Obfervation of these, and applying proper Remedies against them, we are to take Notice, That the Occafion of thefe Thoughts is partly in the Habit and Conftitution of the Body. This is undeniable to any Person that hath made but the leaft Obfervation in Things of this Nature; for those Perfons, who are most of all troubled with this kind of Evil Thoughts (for fuch they are to be reckoned) are hypochondriacal and hysterical People, and whofe Conftitution is impaired by fome bodily Disease ;

and therefore the Remedies against them, muft be partly Natural, and partly Spiritual. But yet I hope I fhall not be thought to trespass, if I happen to speak a Word or two of the former.

Dea bona valetudo- Health, is the greatest of temporal Mercies, and that without which we can but weakly profecute our Spiritual Concerns, It is the Soul of Life; and as we can never be too thankful to God for it, so every Act of Excess, whereby it is impaired, is a greater Sin than Men are aware; because it is the great Advantage of Health and Vigour of Body, that it renders us capable of ferving God, and of duly preparing ourselves for the eternal Enjoyment of Him. Every Disease hath an Influence upon the Soul; and the Indifpofitions of the Body, do and will affect the Mind, notwithstanding all the Dreams of the Stoics. But of all the Diseases incident to Human Bodies, that of Melancholy deferves most to be pitied. It should not be flighted with the reproachful Names of Whimfy, and mere Fancy. It is a great Injury done to Perfons who are affected with it, to difregard their Complaints, and laugh at their Miseries. Though they should not indulge them, yet some Pity is due to them. Did they but know the Woe and Anguish, the Terror and Amazement, that they endure; could they but be fenfible of half their Mifery, they could not choose but pity them. An hypochon

driacal or hysterical Perfon, that is deeply af fected with the Disease, is an Object that as well deferves Compaffion, as any other whatfoever. And if I fhould endeavour to give you an adequate Description of that Malady, it would fill a Volume. What an infinite Variety of Thoughts of all kinds, are the Effects of it! Which being in a great measure owing to the Disease, the Hurry of the Imagination following that of the Animal Spirits, there are fome Natural Remedies to be made use of, for which I must leave you to the Learned in Nature, who will tell you, that very much depends upon Obfervation and Exercife. That to be morigerous* and moderate in Eating and Drinking, and to be much in bodily Exercise, but not violent, is moft proper Advice. If a Perfon hath but the Virtue to be regular in his Way of Living, and the Patience to continue in bodily Exercife, he doth a great deal towards making his Life more eafy, and his Thoughts more comfortable. For every thing that tends to make the Blood and Spirits lively, regular, and vigorous, tends to dispel the Blackness and Heaviness of the Thoughts. Which therefore whoever is fo unhappy as to be afflicted with Melancholy, muft ftudy; he muft (I say) apply himself to the Use of such Things as tend to cherish his Blood, and exalt his Spirits; to

* An obfolete word fignifying "obedient to cuftom or rule."

Ed.

which all vicious Extremes are directly contrary. The Learned Phyficians will also tell you, That none are more voracious of Medicines, than Melancholy Perfons; but that their Defire in that is no more to be indulged, than in many other Things; and that there may be too much, as well as too little-But I am gone too far this Way. I would only have it observed, That Sad, Melancholy, and even despairing Thoughts, are sometimes the Confequences of this Disease; for fuch it is, as much as a Fever, or any other; and therefore the Phyfician must be confulted.

But although the Infirmities of the Body do very much conduce to fuch Thoughts as these, yet we should be mindful, that there is the Hand of God in them too; and not fo to lay the Blame upon Natural Indifpofition, as to have no other Thoughts about it. We may not think that this Cafe is purely Phyfical, and that therefore there is no need of any Spiritual Remedies; for there is.

I. The first of which that I conceive to be proper, is a strict and faithful Examination of our ownfelves. We must call ourselves to an Account, fearch into our own Hearts and Lives, and see what we have been, and done. And perhaps we may find some great and wilful Sin, that we have been guilty of; or fome Wrong, or Injustice, that we continue in; which happens to be the Cause of all our Blackness,