CHAP. 1.

DIseases are the interests of Sin; till Sin there were no such things: For this cause (in general) many are weak and sick: Let a Man take the best air he can, and eat the best food he can, let him eat and drink by Rule, let him take never so many Antidotes, Preservatives, and Cor­dials; yet Man by reason of Sin is but a crazy, sickly thing for all this. For (as one saith) all sicknesses of the body proceed from the Sin of the Fuller's Comment. on 11 Chap. of 1 Cor. p. 79. Soul: I am not ignorant that the Lethargy ariseth from the cold­ness of the brain, that the Dropsie floweth from waterish blood, in an ill affected Liver, that the Spleen is caused from melan­cholly wind, gathered in the mid-riff; but the cause of all these causes, the fountain of [Page 7] all these fountains, is the Sin of the Soul.

And this Truth, from the Fountain of Sacred Writ, will be clearly derived un­to us: Our Saviour said unto the Man, that had been thirty-eight years diseased, Behold thou art made whole, sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee, John 5. 14. Jesus thus warning him, by shewing him the cause of his infirmity, which was Sin.

Those Physicians that derive all Dis­eases from natural causes only, do not well understand that Text; for it is Spiritually discerned.

All sickness is certainly the fruit of Sin; and many Physicians will acknowledge it, being induced thereunto by a consequence, from an instance of a particular (though Epidemical) disease; namely, the Plague or Pestilence, which is concluded, not only from the Word of God, Lev. 26. 25. but also from the confirmed, constant, and re­ceived opinion of all Ages, to be Flagellum Dei pro peccatis Mundi, The rod of God for the sins of the World: The word Plague (in the Greek [...]) signifying no less; for 'tis so furious a disease, as it disdains any [Page 8] general method of Cure, when it is in its rage. So that we must needs conclude that (whatever be the natural causes of Di­seases) Sin is the supernatural, and meri­torious cause, not only of this, but also of all other Diseases. Let me instance but one particular disease more; the Palsy, when our Saviour was about to cure a Man sick of that disease (Mark 2. 5.) he first pronounced forgiveness of Sins to him; to shew that his Sins were the cause of his disease. I confess diseases in the godly are many times God's love tokens, and he doth not alwayes aim at the demonstra­ting of his justice in punishing sin, when he layeth sickness upon Men; (for some­times he layeth it upon his own Children for other ends, as for the trial of their Faith, and Patience, &c. as we see in Job's example) yet it is true, that God doth not chastise, or punish those that are innocent, but such as deserve it by their sins; other­wise he should be supposed as unjust. Sin then, the Spiritual disease, is the original and procuring cause of every natural disease, so as if there were no sin, there should be no sickness.

[Page 9] But here peradventure some may ob­ject, and say, how do this appear expe­rimentally, and exemplarily in some vi­cious Persons, whose blood danceth in their veines, and whose bones are moist­ned with marrow, who are in health, when he whom Christ loveth is sick, John 11. 3. as 'twas said of Lazarus? To this I answer, that the like matter bad almost stifled, and amazed Job, (Job 21.) and Asaph, (Psal. 73.) but they soon understood a rea­son of the several dispensations of God's Providence. One general reason might be this; it may well stand with God's Pro­vidence, as he is the Father of Mercies, and the God of Justice, (as he shall see cause) to let both his Mercy, and his Ju­stice meet together, both upon the wicked, and the Godly. As for instance, many times he conferreth benefits upon the wic­ked, and suffereth them to go free from punishment: there is his mercy; though short, and temporal: but the evil that is in them, he punisheth Eternally; there is his Justice. Again many times he pu­nisheth the sins of his best Servants with [Page 10] temporal afflictions; but their goodness he rewardeth with Eternal blessings: there is his Justice in punishing temporally, his Mercy in rewarding Eternally; and in both these the wisdom of God's Provi­dence is discovered. So more particular­ly, God doth sometime permit, the wicked to have a sound body, with a di­seased Soul, and the Godly a diseased bo­dy with a more sound Soul. But yet, for the most part, in the revolution of expe­rience we shall find, that where sin reignes most, there most diseases, as hand-maids are attending upon her: And though e­very general Rule in Grammar hath its exception; yet take this as general with­out exception, that Original, and like­wise Actual sins are the seeds of bodily diseases: Though by Gods Mercy, and Providence all things, even the sharpest, work together for good to them that love God, Rom. 8. 28.

Yea, Sin is not only a Spiritual or su­pernatural cause of bodily diseases; but also of shortness of life. For (as one saith) through Sin our bodies are become nothing, [Page 11] but the Pest-houses of diseases, and death. Sin hath corrupted Mans blood, and rendered his body mortal and vile: Before Sin our bodies were immortal: (for death and mortality came in by Sin) but now Alas! they must return to dust, and 'tis appoin­ted to all Men once to die by Statute Law in Heaven (and 'tis well if they die but once, and the second death hath no power over them) they must see corruption: and this is the wages that Sin allows to its Servants; (For the wages of Sin is death, Rom. 6. 23.) this is the largess or con­giary that Sin gives to its Souldiers, viz. death of all sorts; this is the just hire of the least sin; and this hire is seldom long detained from them that have deserv'd it most.

As the Lord for the wickedness of the World reduced Man's age, from almost a thousand, to an hundred and twenty years, Gen. 6. 3. and afterward from that, to Moses his Arithmetick, three score years and ten, Psal. 90. 10. So now for the same cause, he hath reduced it to a very little pit­tance, not only to 70. but to 7. for in Law, [Page 12] no man's life is valued more: so that the life of Man is but a span, and the weavers shuttle is no more swift than it is, Job 7. 6. Especially, when many vices are woven into it; for then God's justice soon cuts it off, as a Weaver cuts off his web from the Loom, sometimes before it be finished: For every disorderly Person, that hath shortned his dayes by his sins, may say as Hezekiah did once: I have cut off like a weaver my life, Isai. 38. 12. i. e. as some Expositors render it, I have shortned my life by my sins. Thus Er, and Onan, in the 38th. Chap. of Genesis, by their sins con­tracted their lives into the wicked man's abridgment, viz. into less than the moye­ty, not living out half their dayes. Yea, so unquestio able is this truth, that it was taken for granted in Job's dayes; as ap­peareth by Job's interrogation: How oft is the candle of the wicked putout? and how oft cometh their destruction upon them? Job 21. 17.

What pleasure hath he in his house after him, when the number of his moneths is cut off in the mid [...] 21. And in Solomon's dayes it became a Proverb: The years of [Page 13] the wicked shall be shortned, Prov. 10. 27.

A truth that is exemplified in most of the wicked Kings of Judah, and of Israel.

First, The Kings of Judah: Abijam, a wicked King, reigned but three years, 1 Kings 15. 2.

Jehoram, of whom it is recorded, that he did evil in the sight of the Lord, he reig­ned but twelve years, four with his Fa­ther, and eight alone, 2 Kings 8. 17.

Ahaziah, a wicked King, reigned but one year, 2 Kings 8. 25.

Athaliah, a wicked Queen, an Usur­per, she reigned but six years, 2 Kings 11. 3.

Ahaz, a wicked King, reigned but un­to the 37 ^th. year of his age, 2 Kings 16. 2.

Amon, a wicked King, reigned but two years, and lived but twenty-four, 2 Kings 21. 19.

To be short, several others of the same Line, are Chronicled with short Periods; Sin, and a sudden death reigning in them successively.

Secondly, We may instance in the Kings of Israel.

Nadab, the Son of Jeroboam, a wicked [Page 14] King, reigned but two years, 1 Kings 15. 25.

Baasha indeed reigned twenty-four years; but Elah, his Son, reigned but two years; being slain in his drunken hu­mour, by his Servant Zimri, 1 Kings 16. 8, & 9.

Zimri, a Conspirator, reigned but se­ven dayes: for burning the King's House over him with fire, he died. Now the cause is recorded: 'Twas for his sins which he sinned, in doing evil in the sight of the Lord, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did, to make Israel to sin, 1 Kings 16. v. 15. to 20.

Omri, a superlative Sinner, reigned but twelve years, 1 Kin, 16. 23.

Ahaziah, the Son of Ahab, was an Ido­latrous King, and reigned but two years, 1 Kings 22. 51. He being sick, sent Mes­sengers to enquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether he should recover of his disease: but had his judgment by Elijah, who said, Thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die: which came to pass according [Page 15] to the word of the Lord, which Elijah had spo­ken, 2 Kings 1. And now what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Jehoram, Zachariah, Shallum, Menahem, Peka­hiah, Pekah, and some others, who through sin lost their lives with their Kingdoms; being cut off by the hand of God's ven­geance, either before, or in their middle age: And although some of the wicked Kings of Judah, and of Israel, did reign many years, by the permission of a long suffering God; yet the instances are so few, that they are much overballanced, by the short lives of those already men­tioned.

Much also of this truth might be obser­ved, in the short Periods of the wicked reigns of sundry Princes, not only of this, but of other Nations: but thus much shall serve to have delineated, and demonstra­ted sin to be in general, a Spiritual or Mo­ral cause of bodily diseases, and shortness of life, supernaturally effected.

CHAP. II.

Most sins are sins of the flesh; which are so named, because through our flesh (to wit our seed) or through Carnal generation, sin is conveyed into the whole Man, Soul, and Body: Also for that the flesh, or body is the instrument to execute the lusts of our natural concupiscence, Rom. 6. 13. Thus Piscator, and Peter Martyr do judge. Now these fleshly lusts, we must understand, have a powerful influence and operation, in the production of fleshly or bodily diseases: And this will appear by an examination, of the numerous off-spring of excess and intemperance, which in many places of Sacred Writs, is deemed no less than the transgression of the bounds of God's Law.

Now the off-spring, or fruits of intem­perance are these.

[Page 17] First, It brings upon us almost all di­seases.

Secondly, It takes part with diseases, and makes them often incurable.

Thirdly, It shortens our dayes, and makes us die in Agonies. From whence cometh soreness, and weariness, melancholy and heaviness of Spirits, stiffness and pain of joints, belchings, crudities, feavers, dis­tastings of meat, loss of appetite, and o­ther tempestuous evils, but from excess and intemperance? These experimental effects, who can deny? since almost every Man carries about him, and within him a convincing argument thereof. Whence is the multitude of Physicians (saith a modern Physician) but from the H. Brook in his Conserva­tory of Health. frequency, and multitude of diseases? and whence that frequency and mul­titude, but from excess? This (saith he) is generally confessed, but the practise still continued, the understanding assents, but the affections over-rule. Now Intemperance in general, may be thus described: It is an inordinate and immoderate appetite, or desire in our affections, pleasures, gifts, [Page 18] and the use of the Creatures; more par­ticularly, it is taken for an inordinate ap­petite, and immoderate desire, and use of meat and drink; and this is when a due mean is exceeded in the too liberal and excessive use of them; so that Gluttony, and Drunkenness are the two main sup­porters of Intemperance, which is the Mo­ther of most diseases. Democritus said, that intemperate Men were Valetudinis suae pro­ditores, Betrayers of their own health, and killers of themselves by their pleasures: He spake it of intemperance in eating, and drinking; of which, and also of other sorts of intemperance, I shall further treat in the following Sections.

CHAP. III.

THat we may term an accidental cause, which produceth its effect, not na­turally and immediately by it self, but by accident or chance or fortune, as the Lo­gicians define it. Now how many sad ac­cidents do sometimes result from sundry sins; which expose Men to divers Diseases, and also to shortness of life, may appear by this following accompt, which (the greater part thereof) I must crave leave to draw from, and illustrate by a Colle­ction of several Instances in History.

First, In relation to Gluttony and Drun­kenness, we find these following recorded, and adapted to our present purpose.

Gregory of Tours reporteth of Childe­rick a Saxon, that glutted himself so full of meat and drink over night, that [Page 84] in the morning he was found choked in his bed.

Anacreon the Poet, a grand Consumer of Wine, and a notable Drunkard, was choked with the husk of a grape.

Philostrates, being in the Bathes of Sin­vessa, devoured so much Wine, that he fell down the Stairs, and almost broke his neck with the fall, Martid. lib. 11.

Alexander the Son of Basilius, and Bro­ther of Leo the Emperour, did so wallow and drown himself in the Gulf of pleasure, and intemperance, that one day (after he had stuffed himself too full of Meat) as he got upon his Horse, he burst a vein within his Body, whereat upwards, and downwards issued such abundance of blood, that his life and soul issued forth withal, Melanct. lib. 4.

Within few years of my own know­ledge (saith mine Author) three, not far from Huntington, being overcome with drink, perished by drowning; when be­ing not able to rule their Horses, they were carried by them into the main stream, from whence they never came out alive [Page 85] again; but left behind them visible marks of God's justice, for the terrour and ex­ample of others, Beard's Theater of God's Judgments.

Holofernes, while he besotted his senses with excess of Wine, and good chear, Ju­deth found means to cut of his head, Ju­deth 13.

Yea, woful experience doth make ma­nifest almost every day, in one corner or other of this Land, that the Lord punish­eth many with sudden death and destru­ction, even in the midst of their drunken fits: although some again (to shew his delight is in Mercy, and not in the sudden destruction of his Creatures) he punisheth with some lingring distempers, whereof this vice of Drunkenness is often an acci­dental cause, by exposing such Persons to heats and colds, (the adventitious causes of most Diseases) to falls, bruises, fra­ctures, dislocations, wounds, contusions, combustions, &c. which are the occasions or accidental causes, not only of many Or­ganical Diseases, but also Similar; as might be made apparent, if right reason, [Page 86] or mature experience were consulted. And therefore let that Proverbial Sentence, Drunken folks seldom take harm, be here­after exploded by all sober Persons; con­sidering how harmful and prejudicial this enormity hath been declared to be, both to Soul and Body.

And now, because Vina parant animos Veneri, Whoredom is usually ushered in by Drunkeness, we will in the next place con­sider Lust, Adultery, Fornication, Un­cleanness, &c. as accidental causes of Di­seases; but especially, of shortness of Life. And here I might shew how all immo­derate, and unseasonable use of Venus doth impede Concoction, and so consequently produce Diseases: But I shall rather touch upon it, as a contingent cause of Venereal Pox, which, as in the former Chapter, we considered as a Natural ef­fect, in respect of the virulent Contagion communicated; so in this, we look upon it as contingent and accidental, in respect of the Persons communicating in the above­mention'd sins.

But I shall choose rather to insist upon [Page 87] those sins, as accidental causes or occa­sions of shortness of Life; and to that end shall illustrate the Point by these ensuing Instances.

Shechem, the Son of Hamor the Hivite, ravished Dinah, Jacob's Daughter, for which cause Simeon and Levi, her Bre­thren revenged the injury done unto their Sister, by slaying Shechem, and with him all the Males that were in the City, Gen. 34.

In the 19th. and 20th. Chapter of Jud­ges, we read that the Levite's Wife ha­ving forsaken her Husband to play the whore, certain Moneths after he had again received her to be his Wife, she was given over against her will to the villanous and monstrous lusts of the men of Gibeah, who so abused her for the space of a whole night together, that in the morning she was found dead upon the threshold: Which thing turn'd to a great destruction and overthrow, not only of those Children of Belial in Gibeah, which committed such lewdness and folly in Israel, but also of their abettors (the Benjamites) who lost above twenty-five thousand Men in the [Page 88] slaughter, through that occasion. Thus the first voluntary lust of the Levite's Wife was most justly punished by a second rape amongst the lustful Gibeonites, whose lust when it had conceived, brought forth sin: and sin, when it was finished, brought forth death.

Amnon, one of the Sons of King David, was so strongly enchanted with the love of his Sister Thamar, that to the end to ful­fil his lust, he traiterously forced her to his will: But Absalom, her natural Bro­ther (hunting for opportunity of revenge for this indignity towards his Sister) in­vited him two years after to a Banquet with his other Brethren, and after the same, caused his Men to murder him for a fare-well, 2 Sam. 13.

The same Absalom that slew Amnon, for incest with his Sister, committed himself incest with his Fathers Concubines, moved thereto by the wicked counsel of Achi­tophel: But it was the fore-runner, and oc­casion of his overthrow and untimely death 2 Sam. 16, & 18 chap.

Rodoaldw. the eight King of Lumbardy, [Page 89] being taken in Adultery, even in the fact, was slain without delay by the Husband of the Adulteresse.

Anno 659. in like sort John Maletesta slew his Wife, and the Adulterer together, when he took them amidst their embrace­ments, Chron. Phil. Melancton. So did one Lodewick Steward of Normandy, kill his Wife Carlotta, and her Lover John Laver­nus, as they were in bed together.

At Naples it chanced in the King's Pa­lace, as young King Frederick, Ferdinand's Son, entered the privy Chamber of the Queen his Mother, to salute her, and the other Ladies of the Court, that the Prince of Bissenio waiting in the outward Cham­ber for his return, was slain by one of his own Servants, that suddenly gave him with his sword three deadly strokes, in the presence of many Spectators: Which deed he confessed that he had watched three years to perform, in regard of an injury done unto his Sister (and in her to him) whom he ravished against her will, Bemb. lib. 3. Hist. Venet.

The Spaniards that first took the Isle [Page 90] Hispaniola, were for their Whoredoms and rapes, which they committed upon the Wives and Virgins, all murdered by the Inhabitants, Benzoni Milan.

Infinite are the Examples that might out of History be collected to this purpose: But to avoid prolixity, let it suffice only to add hereunto, that for these and the like sins, many thousands in the World, in every Age, have either by the rage of jealousie in the Persons wronged, or by the revenging Sword of the Higher Powers punishing wrong, suffered the condigne pu­nishment of death.

Thirdly and lastly, To summ up all further Addition, that might be look'd upon as necessarily relating to this Chap­ter, consider in few words, that immode­rate Anger, Envie, Hatred, Malice, Self­murder, unlawful Duels, Treason, Mur­der of others, Despair, Rebellion, Theft, Ambition, Covetousness, immoderate Grief, Atheisme, Blasphemy, Witchcraft, and such like, do either immediately by themselves, or mediately by other sins accumulated, and a succession of unpros­perous [Page 91] events attending them, prove acci­dental causes sometimes of Diseases, but most commonly of an untimely death. And so I proceed to the fourth Chapter as followeth.

CHAP. IV.

THis Chapter may seem to have some relation to the First; and so it hath in genere: but in regard it differs from it in specie; I have here placed it, as one of the chief Corner-stones to adorn & strengthen, yea as a Top-stone to finish and complete the four-square building of this First Part of my Discourse.

But before I descend to particulars, give me leave here to lay down somewhat in general terms, as praeliminary to the pre­sent design.

Though God be the proper, efficient [Page 92] and super-natural cause of Diseases; yet as sin is the immediate cause of God's wrath and anger, and a provocation of his vindictive Justice, in this respect it may be termed a principal (though not immediate) cause or occasion of Diseases, more especially, of such as depend not up­on the ordinary chain of second causes, but being above the Sphaere of Nature, are inflicted by the almighty, and unlimited power of God. And this the great Se­cretaries of Nature, as Philosophers and Physicians should do well to observe, ac­cording to the advice of Hippocrates, who would have a Physician to take special no­tice, whether the Disease came from a Divine super-natural cause, or whether it follow the course of Nature. How this place of Hippocrates is to be understood, Paracelsus is of opinion, that such Spiritual Diseases (for so he calls them) are spi­ritually to be cured and not otherwise: But of this by the way in general. I shall now descend to Particulars; whereof I shall make demonstration de facto.

And First, of the abuse of the Ordi­nances [Page 93] of God, viz. the Word and Sacra­ments. Theopompus a Philosopher, being about to insert certain things out of the Writings of Moses into his prophane Works, and so to abuse the sacred Word of God, was striken with a Frensie; and being warned of the cause thereof in a dream, by prayers made unto God reco­vered his senses again, Joseph. Antiq. lib. 12. cap. 2. This Story is recorded by Josephus, as also another of Theodectes a Poet, that mingled his Tragedies with the Holy Scriptures, and was therefore striken with blindness, until he had recanted his impiety.

In a Town of Germany called Itszith, there dwelt a certain Husband-man, that was a monstrous despiser of the Word of God and his Sacraments: He upon a time in the midst of his Cups, railed in most bitter terms upon a Minister of God's Word, after which going presently into the Fields to over-look his Sheep, he ne­ver returned alive, but was found there dead, with his Body all scorched and burnt as black as a coal; the Lord ha­ving [Page 94] given him over into the hands of the Devil, to be thus used for his vile propha­ness, and abusing Holy things, Dr. Justus Jonas in Luther's Conferences reporteth this to be true.

If you shall despise my Statutes (saith the Lord) or refuse to hearken unto my Law, I will visit you with Consumptions, and burn­ing Agues, and heaviness of heart, Lev. 26. 15, 16. Moses for neglecting the Sacra­ment of Circumcision (which is much the same, (see Rom. 4. 11. & Col. 2. 11. 12.) in a Spiritual sense, with that of Baptisme) was struck immediately by the Lord, and fell so sick by the way, that it was thought he would have died: And it came to pass, by the way in the Inn, that the Lord met him, and sought to kill him, Exod. 4. 24. Which words are by some Elucidators (Bishop Hall, &c.) thus understood, viz. that the Lord appeared visibly unto him, and sensibly afflicted him with some sud­den and violent disease, which he knew to be done, in regard of his neglect of his Sons Circumcision.

Eutychus for sleeping at the Sermon, fell [Page 95] down so as he had slept his last sleep, (Acts 20. 9.) but that a merciful God, by the hands of Paul, did raise him up again, to teach him (and by him all Church­sleepers) the future danger of such negli­gence and irreverence in his House: His deadly fall not being so much accidental, as a judgment from God.

And as concerning the unworthy recei­ving the Lord's Supper, St. Paul telleth the Corinthians, [...], For this cause, many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep, 1 Corinthians 11. 30. i. e. For these abuses of this Holy Sacrament, the hand of God hath been upon many of you; so as many of you are afflicted with divers kinds of Diseases, and many of you are striken with a temporal death, here called sleep. Now from the Apo­stles declaring this to be the true cause of that sickness and mortality that was a­mongst them, it is to be supposed that either they looked not after the cause at all, but took it to come only as a thing of course, or (which is more probable) that they mistook the cause, imagined that to [Page 96] be the cause which was not. A great mor­tality there was amongst them, many died, but that they thought might pro­ceed from the distemperature of the Bo­dy, or from the corruption of the Air, or from want of exercise, or from not ob­serving a good diet, or from immoderate labour: Some they thought might die of one of these causes, some of another. But the Apostle passeth all these over, and maketh known unto them, that however these might be considerable as causes in their due places; yet the true, main, and principal cause they were utterly ignorant of; and that was their abusive and ne­gligent receiving of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper: For this cause many are weak, &c.

A truth which had any less than an A­postle delivered, he would have been esteemed a setter forth of new Doctrine: Or had the Apostle delivered it in any dark and obscure Phrase, flesh and blood would have found out twenty Interpre­tations, before ever they would have thought of this: But the Speaker is so [Page 97] Divine, and the speech so plain, that it cannot be mistaken: [...], saith the Text, For this cause, because of your un­worthy receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, many are sick, and many sleep. Hence was that speech of Saint Anselme taken, who saith, that many Diseases that reign in the Summer (though Physicians may impute them to other secondary causes) proceed from Peoples irreverent receiving that Sacrament at Easter.

That de facto this is a truth, see the 2d. of the Chronicles, and the 30th. chap. v. 20. where you shall find, that for some a­buses and disorders committed in the Ce­lebration of the Passover, the Jews were smitten with some troublesom disease: For 'tis here said, that upon Hezekiah's Prayer the Lord healed the People: which implieth plainly that they were diseased and sick before; and yet this de­fault was only in the circumstantial Points of that Sacrament: For 'tis there also said, that every one had prepared his heart for to seek God. Some defect there was only in some Ceremonial Rite to be observed. [Page 98] Now what we find applied to the Pass­over, we may without fear apply to the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper: For how­ever they differ in circumstances, yet for substance they are the same. Sickness, we see, was sent for the abuse of that; and therefore the same punishment appointed for the abuse of this, yea inflicted; wit­ness the Corinthians, who for this cause were plagued with divers Diseases, and sundry kinds of death. And indeed it is not unlike, that since these Corinthians, there have been many thousands, who for the very same cause have not (as the Psal­mist saith) lived out half their dayes, but have been swept away out of the Land of the living, and gone down with sorrow into the Grave. True then it is de facto, God hath thus plagued the sinful neglect and abuse of his Sacrament.

I will now also demonstrate, that de jure it must needs be so; and this will ap­pear, if we consider the sin it self to be Camelinum peccatum, A sin of a very large size, burdened with those following ag­gravations; (namely) that 'tis a sin im­mediatly [Page 99] against Christ's own Person, robbeth God of that which he is most tender of, his honour, and is in the judg­ment of the Holy Ghost, 1 Cor. 11. 27. (I suppose if will-fully committed) no less than a spilling and shedding of the precious blood of Christ, Heb. 6. 6. In a word, that 'tis a sin paramount like Saul higher then his Fellows. And therefore let us judge in our selves, whether the wages of such a sin unrepented of, can be less than Corporal plagues, and temporal death. For, if we contemn the sacred Bo­dy of Christ, how can we think that God should take any care of ours? If we make no reckoning of Christ's death, 'tis but just with God to disregard ours. Oh then as we tender our health and our lives, let us never dare to approach unto that dread­ful Table, without due reverence and a competent measure of preparation.

Secondly, Concerning the Prophaning the Lord's day, Sacriledge, &c. we read several Instances of God's wrath upon such, declared in Corporal plagues and destruction.

[Page 100] A certain Godly Minister preaching, and pressing the sanctification of the Sab­bath, and taking occasion herein to make mention of that Man, who by the special command of God was stoned to death, for gathering sticks upon the Sabbath day; Hereupon one in the Congregation stood up and laughed, and made all the haste he could out of the Church, and went to gathering of sticks, though he had no need of them: But when the Peo­ple came out from the Sermon, they found this Man dead, with the bundle of sticks in his arms, lying in the Church Porch. This is attested by a credible Author.

Yea, if time would permit, or this En­chiridion extend to it, I could expatiate upon such Instances, as might likewise demonstrate, that not a few have, upon the breach of the fourth Commandment, been striken by the immediate hand of the Almighty, with lameness, and sore Di­seases. And for Sacriledge, that hath been severely punished in like manner: As in Antioches Epiphanes, who fell sick with [Page 101] grief upon the remembrance of the evils he did at Jerusalem, in taking away the Vessels of gold and silver that were there­in, confessing that for this cause his trou­bles came upon him, and so suddenly died, 1 Mach. chap. 6. Also it is recorded that wicked Alcimus, for his violation of the Sanctuary; and his sacrilegious enter­prises, was immediatly taken with a Pal­sie, so that he could no more speak any thing, but died suddenly with great tor­ment, 1 Mach. 9. cap. 54, 55, & 56. v. Again, Ananias and Sapphira his Wife, for their Sacriledge cloaked with hypo­crisie, at Peter's rebuke fell down dead, Acts 5. 5. & 10.

Thirdly, Swearing, Blasphemy, and Perjury do sometimes in a supernatural manner, occasion Diseases and shortness of Life.

Mr. Fox, Acts & Mon. p. 2101. telleth us of one, named John Peter, Son-in-Law to Alexander that cruel Keeper of New­gate, who being a most horrible Swearer and Blasphemer, used commonly to say, If it be not true, I pray God I may rot ere I [Page 102] die: And not in vain, for he rotted away indeed, and so died in misery.

I read of a Perjuter that forswore him­self to the end to deceive and prejudice another thereby: But he had no sooner made an end of his false Oath, but a grie­vous Apoplexy assailed him; so that with­out speaking any one word he died within few dayes.

That Story in Eusebius is very remar­kable, concerning Narcissus a good Bishop of Jerusalem, and three lewd Varlots his Accusers, as it is recited by the above­named Mr. Fox. Narcissus intending to accuse three notable Malefactors of their misdemeanors, they thought to prevent his accusation by first laying a grievous Crime to his charge, and to get credit thereunto, each of them bound it with their severeral Oaths, one wishing to be consumed with fire, if it were not so, an­other to die of some grievous disease; the third to lose both his eyes: Narcissus seeing three to one was odds, gave place; but what became of these perjured Fel­lows? the first was consumed by a fire [Page 103] set in his House: the second was taken with a strange Disease, that over-spread his whole Body, which brought him to a miserable end: the third seeing God's judgments upon his Brethren in evil, con­fessed the fault, for which he continually shed such abundance of tears, that he wept out his eyes, becoming blind thereupon, Euseb. lib. 6. p. 101. God who takes no­tice of Mens Oaths, takes vengeance of their breach and violation.

Also we find recorded, that in the Reign of the Emperour Anastatius, there was a certain Arian Bishop, whose name was O­lympus, who, as he was washing himself in a Bath, belched forth many blasphemous speeches against the blessed Trinity; whereupon lightning fell down from Hea­ven upon him three times, and he was burnt and consumed therewith, Paul. Dia­con. in the History of Anastatius.

There was also in the time of Alphon­sus, King of Arragon, a certain Hermite called Antonius, a monstrous blasphemer, that belched out vile and injurious speech­es against Christ Jesus, and the Virgin [Page 104] Mary his Mother; but he was striken with a most grievous Disease, even to be eaten and gnawn in pieces of Worms, until he died, Aeneas Silvius of the Acts of Al­phonsus.

Fourthly, Pride, Vain-glory, Ambi­tion, Haughtiness do sometimes produce the like effects, in the like manner, as may appear in these following Instances.

Antiochus, (the same with the afore­named Epiphanes, p. 100.) a notable Ty­rant and Persecutor of the Jews, in his pride and fume said, That he would come to Jerusalem, and make it a common burying place of the Jews: But the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel smote him with an incu­rable and invisible Plague: For as soon as he had spoken these words, a pain of the bowels, that was remediless, came upon him, and sore torments of the inner parts, 2 Mach. 9. Howbeit he nothing at all ceased from his bragging, but still was filled with pride, breathing out fire in his rage against the Jews: But it came to pass that he fell down from his Chariot car­ried violently; so that having a sore fall, [Page 105] all the Members of his Body were much pained; And soon after, the Worms came out of his Body, and while he lived in sorrow and pain, his flesh fell away, and the filthiness of his smell was noy­som to all his Army: And so the wrath of God ended this proud Man's miserable dayes.

The other is that of King Herod, sur­named Agrippa, which put James the Bro­ther of John to death, and imprisoned Pe­ter, with purpose to make him tast of the same cup, Acts 12. This Man was puffed with Sacrilegious pride; for being upon a time seated in his Throne of Judgment, and arrayed in his Royal Robes, shewing forth his greatness and magnificence, in the presence of the Ambassadors of Tyre & Si­don, who desired to continue in Peace with him, as he spake unto them, the People shouted and cried, that it was the voice of God, and not of man: Which titles of honour he disclaimed not, and therefore the An­gel of the Lord smote him immediately, be­cause he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost, Acts [Page 106] 12. 23. Josephus relateth the Story, how that Herod not reproving nor forbidding his pernicious Flatterers, was presently taken with most grievous and horrible gripes in his bowels; so that looking up­on the People he uttered these words: Behold here your goodly god, whom you but now so highly honoured, ready to die with ex­tream pain, Jewish Antiq. lib. 19. cap. 1. Thus did this miserable Man exemplarily verifie the Wise man's Proverb: Pride goeth before destruction: and an haughty spi­rit before a fall, Prov. 16. 18.

Fifthly, Adultery, Fornication and the like, are also sometimes, supernaturally, occasions of Diseases, and shortness of Life, as may appear de facto in the suc­ceeding Instances.

Claudius of Asses, Counsellor of the Par­liament of Paris (a Man very ill affected to the Professors of the Gospel) commit­ted villany with one of his waiting Maids, in the very midst whereof he was taken with an Apoplexie, which immediately after made an end of him, Beard's Theater of God's Judgments.

[Page 107] In Northamptonshire a Noble Man's Ser­vant, of good credit and place with his Master, having familiarity with another Mans Wife, as he was about to commit villany with her in a Chamber, he fell down stark dead, with his hose about his heels: which being heard (by reason of the noise his fall made) of those which were in the lower room, they all ran ha­stily up, and easily perceived both the villany he went about, and the horrible judgment of God upon him for the same, Ibidem p. 372.

Pliny telleth of Cornelius Gallus and Q. Elerius, two Roman Knights, that died in the very act of filthiness, Plin. lib. 7.

Pharaoh having taken Abram's Wife from him, was plagued with great plagues by the Lord, and thereby compelled to restore her, Gen. 12. 17. Also Abime­lech, King of Gerar, for taking away the same Woman, even Sarai (afterward Sa­rah) from her Husband, though the non-execution of Abimelech's intention might partly excuse him, and the integrity of his heart, and innocency of his hands might [Page 108] plead for him, was yet notwithstanding forewarned, and admonished by God in a dream, saying unto him: Behold thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken: for she is a mans wife, Gen. 20. 3. And a little after God saith unto him: Now therefore restore the man his wife: for he is a Prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou and all that are thine, Vers. 7.

Also the lustful Sodomites for that sin, which deriveth its name from the wicked place of their Habitation, were smitten with blindness, Gen. 18. 11. A just and proper punishment to stop up those lights, that were the windows or inlets, and outlets of such abominable lust and concu­piscence.

Lastly, what shall I more say? (to bor­row the Apostle's Phrase, Heb. 11.) for the time would fail me to tell of Miriam, who for sedition was punished with a Le­prosie, Num. 12. 10. Of Gehazi, that for covetousness and dissimulation; of King A­zariah, who for not removing the high [Page 109] Places, 2 Kings 5. 27. 15. 4, & 5. and King Uzziah, that for invading the Priest's Office, 2 Chron. 26. 20. were smitten with the same virulent Disease: And of Bel­shazzar, who for rioting and revelling a­mongst his pots, had the end of his life, as well as Kingdom, denounced against him by a bodiless hand-writing upon the wall, the Lord's decree, Dan. 5. and also of a Cloud of witnesses more, in Divine, and Humane Records, portending a showr of wrath and vengeance from Heaven upon all impenitent Sinners, even in this life, by Corporal plagues, and destruction. I shall therefore add only thus much more to the summ, and then give you the total, viz. that as God is a supernatural Agent, and his Power is not to be limitted to Na­tural means, in regard it is evident by many instances that he can, and some­times doth work without means in the production of sundry Diseases and mortal Distempers: (a truth not much taken no­tice of by such as would comprehend all causes and effects within the Sphaere of Nature) so likewise the Devil, by God's [Page 110] per­mission, for the punishment of some sins, hath power to cause sickness, and that su­pernaturally: So he did afflict Saul with the vehemency of a frenzy and melan­choly Distemper, 1 Sam. 16. 23. So he did the Lunaticks, Mark 9. and many Dae­moniacal Persons with strange maladies; Luke 13. yea, and still doth act over his old part in these last dayes (though not so frequently as in Christ's) getting pos­session in many, even in this Nation, as History, and our own experience can de­monstrate. And as he can perform this by himself, so likewise by his Complices, and Instruments, as Witches and Magi­cians, who by God's permission can cause most Diseases, yea sometimes death it self to such as they bear malice; as might more fully appear de facto, by a Book intituled, The Arraignement and Trial of witches at Lancaster and York: But yet their power is so limited by an Higher, that not all whom they spleen are subject to it; but only, or mostly, such as will not be gathe­red under the wings of God's Providence and protection, straying so far in sin, as [Page 111] until they become a prey unto Satan and his Hellish Spies; who will at least infest their Bodies with Diseases and sudden mortality; though mercy, perhaps, may step in betimes to redeem their Souls. And thus may we discern the truth of this Point, that those sundry sins, which I have mentioned in this Chapter, are in a supernatural way principal occasions of bodily Diseases, and shortness of Life.

A Corollary. The Result of the whole preceding Discourse is, that as the Body by a powerful influence works upon the affections of the Soul; so the Soul works most effectually upon the qualities and temperature of the Body, producing by her Passions and perturbations wonderful al­terations, as most Diseases, and some­times death it self. For sin is the cause of that excess, which is in the qualities of which our Bodies are made, and conse­quently of the Diseases that proceed from thence, which afterward bring death to the Body. But this is not all: for some­times it comes to pass that when those ef­fects are not produced by such natural [Page 112] means; the mind being corrupted and viciated, doth draw them down from Heaven, being supernaturally wrought, for the greater testimony of God's power and vengeance upon obstinate Offenders. So then that is most true which Plato saith in his Charmides: Omnia corporis mala ab animâ procedere; All the mischiefs of the bo­dy proceed from the soul. And thus much shall suffice to have run over the First Part of this Undertaking, which was to demon­strate by Natural Reason, and also by Di­vine, and Humane Testimony, that vi­cious and irregular actions, and affections prove often occasions of most bodily Di­seases, and of shortness of Life.

CHAP. I.

THe cause of the Disease being known, the Cure is the more rea­dily wrought; and in this respect I shall be the more brief in this my Se­cond Part; because Contraria contrariis il­lustrantur, Contraries are illustrated by con­traries; [Page 114] and that in such a manner, as the First Part being admitted for a truth, the Second may Regulâ contrariorum, By the Rule of contraries, succeed as a neces­sary consequence. But before I proceed to further illustration, I shall explicate the terms. By the term vertuous we may understand godliness, honesty of life, and good manners: For the word [...], vertue, according to the ordinary known notion of it, signifieth probity of manners among Men, as the generical word that contains all Moral and Christian vertues under it, in which sense it is used by St. Paul [...], If there be any vertue, Phil. 4. 8. And also by St. Peter, (2 Pet. 1. 3.) as you may take notice of by viewing the O­riginal, and the Annotations of the learned Dr. Hammond upon the same. So by the word regular we understand, such actions and affections as are squared according to the direction of God's Word, which is a rule to go and work by. As many (saith the Apostle) as walk according to this rule, (or Canon) Gal. 6. 16. Hence the Scriptures are called Canonical, because [Page 115] they contain, and give a perfect rule of Faith and manners unto the Church; which is bound to walk obediently, according to this rule, and to give testimony to it, and not by her authority to over-rule it, and the sense of it, as many do without blush­ing. Likewise by this term regular, we may apprehend and comprehend what­soever is according to the dictates or rules of right reason, in the whole course and carriage of a Moral, Prudent, Christian, and Religious conversation. And this I might easily prove, by shewing the great congruity that is between that light, and the Laws, that God hath placed in our Souls; and the duties of Religion that by the expresness of his written Word he requires from us; and demonstrate that reason teacheth all those, excepting on­ly the two positives, Baptism, and the Holy Eucharist, as a learned modern Au­thor hath said before me in his Sermon ad Clerum, upon Rom. 12. and latter part of the first Vers. —Which is your reason­able service. But I shall now proceed to something more proper and adaequate un­to [Page 116] the present purpose; and that is to lay down a Plat-form of the succeeding Argument.

In the next Chapter I shall demon­strate in general and particular, that ver­tuous and regular actions and affections are, in a super-natural sense, conducing to the preservation of health, and prolon­gation of life; and in the third Chapter shall shew you that such actions and affe­ctions do in a Natural sense conduce to the same end of health and long life; and in the fourth Chapter prove that the same means, through the blessed influence of Divine Providence, do become occasions of the same Natural effects; and in the last Chapter shall answer some Objections briefly, and then conclude the whole.

CHAP. II.

IF we search the Scriptures, we shall find a great Cloud of witnesses and te­stimonies ushering in this truth, viz. that a life led in Religion, vertue, and the fear of God, doth conduce much to the health of Body, and also length of dayes: As for instance, it is written, Ye shall serve the Lord your God,—and I will take sick­ness away from the midst of thee, Exod. 23. 25. Also long life is promised as a blessing un­to them that keep the Commandments in these ensuing words, —That he turn not aside from the Commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his dayes in his Kingdom, Deut. 17. 20. Also in these: That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his [Page 118] voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy dayes, Cap. 30. vers. 20. Again health is pro­mised upon like conditions: Be not wise in thine own eyes (saith Solomon) fear the Lord and depart from evil: It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones, Pro. 3. 7, 8. Thus Jesus Christ, the grand Exemplar of innocency and integrity, was without sin, and therefore without sickness.

More particularly, these blessings are held forth as temporal rewards of sundry Moral, Civil, and Religious acts and du­ties; and this may appear both by Di­vine, and Humane Authority.

First, then in respect of obedience to Parents, we find long life promised as a motive to it in the fifth Command­ment: Honour thy father and thy mother; that thy dayes may be long upon the land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, Exod. 20. 12. Which the Apostle calleth the First Com­mandment with promise, Eph. 6. 1, & 2. viz. the first affirmative Commandment; or the first in the second Table; or the first of all the Ten with promise, in particular [Page 119] to them that keep it. Which promise sheweth that a more plentiful blessing, in this kind, followeth from our obedience to this, than to the other Commandments. And yet I confess, obedience in general meets with the same blessing; as the Psal­mist doth denote unto us: What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many dayes, that he may see good? keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.

Depart from evil, and do good: seek peace, and pursue it, Psal. 34. 12, &c.

However there lieth a special Emphasis upon the particular observance of the aforesaid Commandment, by an express and particular promise of long life. But doth this promise alwayes hold? Yes sure­ly, it holdeth generally and for the most part, in comparison of the wicked, who do not live out half their dayes; Psal. 55. 23. and if it fail, it is but rarely; and then in exchange for the better, that (as the Prophet saith) The righteous may be taken away from the evil to come, Isay 57. 1. I say but rarely it fails; for to say other­wise were to make the promise of no effect, [Page 120] and the tenor of the Commandment very ambiguous. But do not the disobedient live long also? truly they have no pro­mise for it; and commonly they are cut off by an untimely death; or if some of them be reprived until old age, they are but comparatively few, being reserved only as so many examples of God's mercy and forbearance, as the rest (being many) are soon cut off, as examples of his justice. Long life then is most commonly the reward of obedience and piety to Parents; And it must needs be so, when Divine Providence, which is more then a Wall of brass to encircle and secure us, taketh such especial care in the protection and preservation of such as are endued with that eminent vertue; as appeareth by what Aristotle telleth us, viz. how that from the Hill Aetna, there ran down a torrent of fire, that consumed all the houses thereabout; yet in the midst of those fearful flames, God's especial care of the Godly and obedient, shined most brightly: For the River of fire parted it self, and made a kind of lane for those [Page 121] who ventured to rescue their aged Pa­rents, and pluck them out of the jaws of death. Ipse dixit, [...], Arist. de mundo cap. 6.

If Providence then wrought so much in a miraculous way for the preservation of the lives of Heathens, to reward their duty shewed towards their Parents; surely, Christians, the Children of God (whose obedience to Parents springeth ori­ginally from their obedience to their Hea­venly Father) may with much more con­fidence depend upon the same Providence for the like preservation, and so by con­sequence the prolongation of their lives, as a reward of the same duty.

Now though I have insisted upon the afore-mentioned Commandment in a li­teral sense, yet by the rules of extension, requisite for the interpretation thereof, we are to understand there, not only our Natural Parents, but as Spiritual Fathers, 1 Cor. 4. 15. as Ministers, and political Fathers, Gen. 45. 8. as Magistrates, and oeconomical Fathers, 2 Kings 2. 12. 5. 13. as Masters, and matrimonial Fathers, as [Page 122] Husbands, Eph. 5. 22. to all which a re­spective obedience may, I suppose, claim a share or portion in the promise of long life.

In the Second place, devout and zea­lous Prayer, in a super-natural way pro­cureth bodily health, and so by conse­quence length of dayes, to enjoy the same. Sick Abimelech was sent to Abraham a Pro­phet to be healed by prayer: Now there­fore (saith God) restore the man his wife: for he is a Prophet, and he shall pray for thee, &c. Gen. 20. 7. So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, v. 17. So then Abimelech was healed by God as the su­pream and efficient cause, by prayer as the instrumental. Hence it is the Son of Si­rach adviseth us: My son, in thy sickness be not negligent: but pray unto the Lord, and he will make thee whole, Eccles. 38. 9. And also soon after sheweth us, that the good success of Physicians depends upon something beyond the Sphaere of Natural means; and that is prayer unto the Physi­cian of Physicians, the Lord omnipotent: There is a time (saith he) when in their [Page 123] hands (i. e. the Physicians) there is good success: For they shall also pray unto the Lord, that he would prosper that which they give for ease and remedy to prolong life, Ibi­dem v. 13, & 14.

This excellent issue of devout Prayer is further declared in these following In­stances. Hezekiah being arrested by a vio­lent and dangerous distemper, for some arrears due to the great Landlord of Hea­ven, and Earth, was further afflicted by a sad message of being turn'd out of the tenement of his Body by death: But by his humble supplication and mournful prayer unto his merciful Lord, he had a Lease of his life granted him for 15. years, subscribed with a promise, according to God's own order, and sealed with a mi­racle, to confirm it further, upon the dial of Ahaz, as you may see more fully by a recourse to the sacred Text, 2 Kings 20. 1, &c.

I have read, that on a time there was a meeting appointed at Haganaw, upon the Rhine, where the Reformed Divines were to meet, and in a friendly manner, to [Page 124] debate differences: But, as Melancthon was going thitherward, he fell sick at Vi­naria: Luther and Cruciger hearing of it, by long journeys hasted to him: and as soon as Luther saw how miserably he was wasted with his Disease, with sighs and tears he brake out into this speech: Alas! how precious and profitable an instrument of the Church is miserably weakened, and ready to perish? And therewithal, falling up­on his knees, he prayed most earnestly for his recovery. And afterwards Melan­cthon confessed, that if Luther had not come, he had died, Clark's Lives of the Fathers p. 247.

Yea, it is written of this Luther, that by his prayers he could prevail with God at his pleasure. Praying for the recovery of Myconius, he let fall this transcendent rapture of daring Faith: Fiat voluntas mea, Let my will be done; And then comes off sweetly: Mea voluntas, Domine, quia tua, My will, Lord, because thy will. Beatus est qui habet quicquid vult, & nihil male vult: Blessed is he that hath what he will, and wills nothing but what he should.

[Page 125] Also I find recorded, that the Lady Ann Henage, lying sick of a violent fea­ver, which her Physicians deemed to be mortal; Mr. Fox was sent for, to be pre­sent at her ending: and when by instru­ctions and prayer, he had prepared her for death, he told her, that she had done well, in thus fitting her self for her dis­solution, yet that she should not die of that sickness. A Knight, her Son-in-law, being by, told him in private, that he had not done well, in thus discomposing her mind with hopes of life. To whom Mr. Fox answered, That he said no more then what was commanded him: for it seemed good to God that she should recover. Which al­so came to pass, as an effect of fervent prayer, which prevailed, when Natural means failed, Idem 794.

King Edward the Sixth, as he was con­stant, and fervent in his private prayer, so was he as successful therein, witness this Example: Sir John Cheek, his School­master, fell desperately sick, of whose condition the King carefully enquired e­very day: At last his Physicians told him, [Page 126] that there was no hope of his life, and that he was given over by them, for a dead Man. Nay (said the King) he will not die at this time, for this morning I begged his life of God in my prayers, and obtained it. Which accordingly came to pass, and soon after, Sir John, beyond all expecta­tion, wonderfully recovered, Ful. History of the Church p. 424.

It is said of St. Augustin, in a Relation of his life, that he was alwayes powerful in prayer, so that sometimes thereby he cast out devils, and sometimes restored sick Men to their health.

It would perhaps be tedious to the Rea­der to annumerate any further instances to this purpose, as by demonstrating what a wonderful decrease there hath been sometimes observed in the weekly Bills of mortality, in several Places of this King­dom, graciously succeeding, upon the hum­ble and devout prayers of God's People: And therefore I shall content my self to insist only upon St. James his Canon: Is any sick among you? let him call for the El­ders of the Church, and let them pray over [Page 127] him, annointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up: and if he hath committed sins, they shall be for­given him, James 5. 14, & 15. By the Elders of the Church we may understand the Pastors, or Ministers of the Church, who are to be sent for by the sick, that they may pray for him, and with him: And their faithful prayer shall be a means (ordinarily) to save that sick Per­son from the danger of his Disease, and whereas sins are the cause of his sickness, even those sins of his shall upon humble and devout prayers be done away and forgiven.

Now as concerning the Ceremony of anointing the sick Body with Oyl in the Name of the Lord, this was an extraor­dinary thing, communicated to those which had gifts of Miracles, used by them as an outward Symbole, and sign of the Spiritual healing; and so we deny not but it was an extraordinary temporary Sacra­ment; but now that Miracles are ceased in the Church, still to retain the outward [Page 128] sign, is a vain supertitious imitation; al­though St. James his Oil, and the Popish Ointment do much differ, See Fulke on the Rhem. Test.

Again this usage as a bare Ceremony, was not instituted by Christ, or any way commanded to be continued by the Apo­stles or their Successors in the Church, even while the gifts of Healing did con­tinue amongst them; but was by the A­postles themselves very frequently omit­ted in their working of Cures; as the learned Dr. Hammond hath observed in his Annotations.

Prayer then, you see, was the more, yea the only effectual and substantial perfor­mance, or means in the Cure, and the Ce­remony of annointing may now reasonably be omitted.

Obj. But against the use of prayer, some may object the words of Job, Job 7. 1. Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his dayes also like the dayes of an hire­ling? What need then of prayer, when every Man's time upon Earth like the Sea, is bounded, so as hitherto shall it come, but no further?

[Page 129] I answer only hereunto, at present, that this may be a general Objection a­gainst the use of all other means, as well as Prayer, in relation to the cure of Di­seases, and prolongation of life, and there­fore shall be answered in its proper place designed.

A 2d. Object. Against, some lukewarm Christians may object further, and say, I have often prayed upon the account of health, for my self and others, in time of sickness; but all my prayers have, like Arrows shot up to Heaven, returned upon my own head, without doing their errand.

Solut. To this I answer: Our prayers many times come short of Heaven, be­cause they are not winged with zeal and importunity: It is the importunate Beg­gar that getteth an Alms: They that faint in their prayers, have such a faint heart as never winneth a fair blessing. And therefore as a Corroborative against such faintings, let us consider, how oft we use a Medicine for the Body, before it can be whole, how many stroaks on Oak [Page 130] must have, before it will fall, how over and over again we plough our Lands and delve our Gardens, before we can have our expectation; and also how frequently Earthly Kings must be attended upon, be­fore Suiters can obtain their suite. Sure­rely favours and mercies, even from the King of Kings, would be slighted and un­dervalued, if fetched with a faint word. And therefore let us (vis unita fortior) join force to force, prayer to prayer, and so by a holy violence of zeal, besiege the Kingdom of Heaven; and in time it will surrender its self to our lawful desires and requests. For (saith the Apostle) the effe­ctual fervent prayer of a righteous man avail­eth much, James 5. 16. Indeed if our pray­ers be without life, or come out of fained lips, or be distracted with wild and wan­dring thoughts, or if they be tainted with hypocrisie, pride, or incredulity, we can look for no favourable audience from Hea­ven: For God heareth not sinners: but if a man doth his will, him he heareth, John 9. 31. God heareth not Sinners, that is, wilful, presumptuous, and impenitent Sinners: [Page 131] But if a man doth his will, (by active, and passive obedience) him he heareth, that is, either explicitely, by granting the indi­vidual or particular thing requested, or interpretatively, by granting that which is aequivalent, or far better. Now if a righteous Man prayeth for health, and a prolongation of his temporary life; and God still continueth him upon his Bed of sickness, and within a short time, by death giveth him Eternal life, in ex­change for his temporary, herein is no se­vere repulse or denyal, but a more favou­rable audience, more satisfactory conces­sion, and more Princely donation. But you will urge, that this last way of grant­ing Requests, doth not fully answer the scope of the present Point. Hereupon I must reply, that though the return of our most faithful prayers must be determined, and their success limited by the will of our Heavenly Father, according to the words of Christ Jesus: Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt, Matth. 26. 39. yet we must understand, that it is the will, and usual favour of the Almighty, [Page 132] to grant the very things we desire, and stand in need of, commonly by means; and herein chiefly and principally by faithful prayer, which without Natural means is often found more effectual then Natural means without it. And to en­courage us to make trial of such excellent means, we have a promise from Truth its self: I say unto you, whatsoever things ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them, Mark 11. 24. And this brings me to propose or pre­scribe.

In the Third place, Faith as an excel­lent means conducing likewise to the health of Body, and (consequently) pro­longation of life; and this in a super-na­tural way also. There was a Woman vexed with an uncomfortable Disease twelve years, She suffered many things of Physicians, Mat. 9. 20. some torturing her with one Medicine, some with another, none did her good, but much hurt, She had spent all her living upon them, Luke 8. 43. and herein, saith Erasmus, was Bis misera Her sickness brought her to weak­ness [Page 133] weakness to Physick, Physick to beg­gary, beggary to contempt. Thus was she vexed in body, mind, and estate; yet Faith healed her. Her wealth was gone, Physicians gave her over; but her Faith did not forsake her: Daughter, be of good comfort, thy faith hath made thee whole, Mat. 9. 22. There was a Woman bowed down with the Spirit of infirmity eighteen years, Luke 13. 11. yet loosed. There was a Man bedrid eight and thirty years, John 5. 5. & 9. a long and miserable time, when besides his Corporal distress, he might perhaps conceive from that, Eccl. 38. 15. He that sinneth before his Maker, let him fall into the hand of the Physician; that God had cast him away; yet Christ restored him. But may some say, it is not men­tioned that either of th [...]se two last were cured by Faith. I answer that doubtless Christ saw the seed of Faith in them, (though it were but as a grain of mustard­seed) and so rewarded them accordingly.

Again, we may instance in the Samari­tan, whose Leprosie though hard to cure, yet Faith was able to do it; Thy faith hath [Page 134] made thee whole, Luke 17. 19. But may some say, it was not properly his Faith, but Christ's vertue that cured him: Why then doth not Christ say, Mea virtus, and not Tua sides, My vertue, not thy Faith hath made thee whole? True it is, his vertue only cures, but this is apprehended by Man's Faith. The miraculous Cure was attributed to Mans Faith, not as to the efficient cause, (for that was Christ's Divine vertue) but as to the instrumental cause, or means by which he apprehen­ded and applyed to himself that Divine power, by which he was healed. Thus in the afore-mentioned place, or instance in the 9th. of Math. it is written, that the Woman which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind Jesus and touched the hem of his garment. For she said within her self, if I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. And in Mark 5. 30. we read that when that di­seased Woman had touched him, Jesus knew in himself that vertue had gone out of him, and he turned him about in the press, and said, who touched my clothes? Yet speak­ing [Page 135] to the Woman, he mentioneth not his vertue, but her Faith; Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole, Mark 5. 34.

Object. But here some may object, that the gifts of Healing with other miraculous Gifts are ceased in the Church; and so (consequently) Prayer and Faith must needs be ineffectual to the Cure of bodily Distempers, without the conjunction of Natural means.

Answ. To which I answer; 'Tis true, the Doctrine of the Gospel having been long since sealed and confirmed by so ma­ny Miracles in the Primitive Church, there is now the less need of them, more parti­cularly, of the gift of Healing; and there­fore I shall not urge those Miracles which the Church of Rome boasteth of, as wrought of late times by some of her Sons, or with her extend the promise of our Saviour, Mark 16, 17, 18. to all future times and Ages of the Church; yet thus much I may avouch, that as God is still able to work Miracles, so he hath some­times, even in this latter Age, wrought miraculously, for the convincing the pre­sent [Page 136] times of Atheism, and the further confirmation of our Faith in the Gospel. And this Mr. Valentine Greatraks, in his Printed Letter to the Honourable Robert Boyle Esq maketh appear: Wherein he giveth an Account of divers strange Cures by himself performed as the instrument. Whereunto are annexed about sixty Testi­monials of several credible Persons, (most of them eminent and worthy) of the chief matters of fact therein related. Which printed Certificates being examined and compared with the Original Testimonials, which were left in the hands of Mr. Star­key the Stationer to that end, (namely) for a certain evidence to Mr. Boyle, and for the full satisfaction of all those that are any wise scrupulous, that they might see that they were verbatim the same: In this respect. I suppose it unreasonable to interrogate with Nicodemus, How can these things be? John 3. 9. seeing there is such a clear demonstration de facto, of what was seen done.

I confess (saith a learned modern Au­thor of our own) I cannot see any reason, [Page 137] why God may not yet for the conviction if In­sidels, employ such a power of Miracles, al­though there be not such necessity of it, as there was in the first propagation of the Gos­pel; Yet God may please (saith he a little after) out of his abundant provision for the satisfaction of the minds of men, concerning the truth of Christian doctrine, to imploy good men to do something which may manifest the power of Christ to be above the Devils, Dr. Stillingfleet's Origines Sacrae, pag. 270. To be short, as our Saviour being in the flesh had power on Earth to cure incura­ble Diseases miraculously, that is with­out Natural means; so being in Heaven, his power is no less (but rather greater) over all bodily Diseases to cure them, with or without means, whensoever he will. So that this may comfort us in time of dangerous sickness, though our Disease be incurable by Physick, or any Natural means; yet in this case we are to remem­ber, the absolute power of Christ Jesus our Lord, who can heal us without means, if he see it expedient for us: And that his will doth in this case frequently concur with [Page 138] his power, note further that Man's extre­mity is God's opportunity, where Man's help faileth, Christ's help beginneth. Let us then seek to him by Prayer, and rest on him by Faith; not neglecting ordinary means, by a too frequent dependance up­on, or expectation of miraculous Cures, nor yet forgetting, that if the means fail, or cannot be had, his power is not tied to means, but is above them, and can, and doth sometimes, recover us without them, when he seeth it good for us. I con­clude the Point then thus, that Gods bles­sing upon the Natural means, and his blessing without means, are each received (most successfully and comfortably) by the hand of Faith; which is the extraor­dinary means conducing to the health of Body, as the ordinary to the health of Soul.

Fourthly, Repentance, if true and sin­cere, doth in the same extraordinary way conduce to the health of Body, and pro­longation of Life. And this may be pro­ved, First, in express terms, and Secondly, by consequence.

[Page 139] First, In express terms, by sundry Texts of sacred Writ. Miriam by repentance was freed from the Leprosie, Num. 12. 11. 21. 7. The Israelites repenting obtained a remedy against the fiery Serpents, and thereby were delivered from imminent death. David after the death of seventy thousand of his People, by repentance pre­vented the destruction of Jerusalem, 2 Sam. 24. 16, & 17. Rehoboam and the Princes re­penting at the preaching of Shemaiah were delivered from destruction, 2 Chr. 12. 7. Hezekiah having received a message of death, upon his repentance had his life lengthened by a Lease from above two lives more, in our Law, Isay 38. v. 1. 10. 6.

Secondly, By consequence. For sub­latâ causâ tollitur effectus, the cause, which is sin, being taken away, the effect, which is bodily sickness and shortness of Life, (as I have fully declared and evinced in the former part of this Treatise) must needs cease and be removed, or prevented and avoided. And therefore Repentance, as you see, may rationally be concluded, effectual for the health of the Body, and the [Page 140] prolongation of a temporary Life, as it was alwayes granted propitious to the health of the Soul, in order to ever lasting Life.

To summ up all, let us not think it in­credible, that these vertues and graces should in such an extraordinary manner conduce to the preservation of bodily health, removal of sickness, and prolon­gation of Life, when we consider the pow­er of God, with whom all things are possi­ble, Mat. 19. 26. and the manifestation of that power; not only in the sundry mi­raculous cures of bodily Diseases, re­corded in the Old and New Testament, but also in some such cures (or very like them) taken notice of in our modern Hi­story, and experience. The miraculous Cures, in both Testaments, the Reader may take notice of at his leasure: I shall instance now only in Humane Story, and modern Evidence.

A late intelligent Author, and faithful Relator, telleth us that to the Kings of Eng­land, quatenus Kings, doth appertain one prerogative, that may be stiled super-ex­cellent, if not Miraculous, which was [Page 141] first enjoyed by that pious and good King Edward the Confessor; that is to remove and to cure the Struma or Scrofula, that stubborn Disease called The Kings Evil. Which manifest cure (saith he) is ascri­bed by some malignant Nonconformists, to the power of Fancy, and exalted Ima­gination; but what can that contribute to small Infants, whereof great num­bers are cured every year? Dr. Chamber­lain in his present State of England. The manner of the Cure is briefly thus re­lated: There is an appointed short Form of Divine Service, wherein are read (be­sides some short Prayers pertinent to the occasion) two portions of Scripture, taken out of the Gospel, and at these words [They shall lay This is true when the sore is in the glandules of the neck: but when it is elsewhere, it is said by some that have been often touched, that the King gently touch­eth only the cheeks of the party grie­ved. their hands on the sick, and they shall recover.] the King gently draws both his hands over the sore of the sick Person; and those words are repeated at the touch of every one.

Again at these words, [Page 142] [That light was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.] per­tinently used, if it be considered that that Light did never shine more comfortably, if not more visibly, than in the healing of so many leprous and sick Persons. At those words, the King putteth about the neck of each sick Person a piece of Gold, called (from the impression) an Angel, because in value about two thirds of a French Pistol. Thus far He.

Now the effect is clear de facta, and from experience, and cannot therefore be rationally denyed; and 'tis as clear that the cause must be super-natural, in regard that neither the hands of the King, not the piece of gold given by him, have any natural or accidental power, or tendency in themselves, to effect or produce such a Cure; especially in Infants, whose ima­gination cannot be wrought upon, and dis­posed for the furtherance of it by such out­ward applications as are then used.

Another Instance to our present purpose, we may find in a modern Collection, be­ing true and faithful Relation of one Sa­muel [Page 143] Wallas, who was restored to his per­fect health, after thirteen years sickness of a Consumption, taken from his own mouth; who for the last four years lay bed-rid, and so weak that he could not turn himself therein without help: By which Distem­per his Body was so parched and dried, that he was almost like a Sceleton, but up­on this Cure he recovered his former health and strength, whereby he was en­abled to follow his Trade, being a Shoo­maker, and living at Stamford in Lincoln­shire: whereof he gave a large account, (to which I must refer you for further sa­tisfaction) with much affection, and sen­sibleness of the Lord's mercy and good­ness to him, upon April 7th. 1659. Now the Story, as it is at large, being much noised abroad, divers Ministers met to­gether at Stamford, to consider and consult about it; and for many reasons were in­duced to believe, that the cure was wrought by the Ministry of a good Angel, Clark's Mirror, vol. 1. p. 18.

More such Instances as these might be inferred and exhibited to the Reader: but [Page 144] (I suppose) those already mention'd are a full demonstration of God's omnipotent power, that he can work without means; and also of his distinguishing mercy, that he sometimes doth so, for the benefit, wel­fare and encouragement of the Godly, who are made either Administrators, or Receivers of this gift of bodily health. And this may more fully appear, if we consider that Edward the Confessor (as Dr. Peter Heylin's Cosmog. noteth) was a man of that holiness in his life, that he received power from above to cure many Diseases, besides the Kings Evil; and that Samuel Wallas was cured chiefly by observing the supposed Angel's injunction in these words, But above all, whatsoever thou doest, fear God and serve him; as it is recorded in the afore-mention'd Story, to which I re­ferred. The consideration of which In­stances doth assure us, that God's Chil­dren have in a super-natural manner been sometimes agents, and sometimes Patients, in bodily Cures, and by consequence may be so still.

And as touching longaevity, the time [Page 145] would fail me to tell of Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Phi­neas grandchild of Aaron, Joshua, Job, Elizeus the Prophet, Isaiah the Prophet, Tobias the elder, and Tobias the younger, old Simeon, Anna the Prophetess, St. John the Evangelist, Simeon the Son of Cleoph as, called the Brother of our Lord, and Bi­shop of Hierusalem, Polycarpus, Disciple unto the Apostles, and Bishop of Smyrna, Dionisius Areopagita, contemporary unto the Apostle St. Paul; Aquila and Priscilla, first St. Paul the Apostle's Hosts, after­ward his Fellow-helpers; and some others whom I could name, who by ancient Re­cord appear all severally (excepting Simeon that was the Prophet, Luke 2. and St. John the Evangelist) to have survived an hundred years; and this not so much through strength of nature, as the extraordinary grace of God thus rewarding their Moral, and Christian vertues.

Now to conclude this Chapter: though we are not to depend wholly upon Spiri­tual means, and super-natural assistances for bodily health and length of dayes; [Page 146] yet we must principally and chiefly respect them, being as hinges upon which Almigh­ty God doth frequently turn the course of Nature. For in him (as the Apostle citeth it out of Aratus the Poet) we live, and move, and have our being, Acts 17. 28. And Job testi­fieth as much when he saith, I have sinned, what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? Job 7. 20. Job knew as well as Paul, that the wages of sin was death, and having sinned, how should he avoid that death, but by addressing himself to God, who is the preserver of Men? without him there is no Balm in Gilead sufficient, Jer. 8. 2. no Physician there that is able to recover the health of the People. Which is true as well in a natural as in a metaphorical sense. Hezekiah's lump of Figs may be a sove­raign Plaister, but the prolonging of his life came from God; the waters of Be­thesda were in themselves likewise very so­veraign, but it was after they were mo­ved by the Angel from Heaven. We may, yea we must use all honest and good means to preserve this our Tabernacle of clay from ruin and dilapidation; I say we [Page 147] must thankfully embrace the good means, which nature or art can minister unto us, for the preservation or recovery of health; The skill and experience of the judicious Physician may be made use of: And though it were Job's complaint, that there were many Physicians of no value, Job 13. 4. And though such as these be mention'd with ignominy in the Gospel; that instead of taking a­way the poor Womans superfluous blood, they had sucked away her necessary main­tenance: She had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse; Mark 5. 26. I say though such unskil­ful Empiricks be mention'd with infamy, as deserving reverence or reward from none but a Sexton, who finds most of his employment from such Physicians despe­rate unskilfulness; yet those of skill and ex­perience, and of conscience, are worthy of a double honour, of reward & maintenance. Luke the able, and beloved Physician, de­serves a remembrance in St. Paul's Catalo­gue, Col. 4. 14. And such a Physicians skill may be made use of with good success. But yet in the use of secondary means this pro­viso [Page 148] must go along, we must ascribe the main honour to God: For it is from him that health springeth forth speedily, as is hinted to us by the Prophet Isa. 58. 8. Let them therefore who want health, to­gether with an honest use of the means, address themselves with Hezekiah unto God, who is the Fountain of health; and he will hear their prayers, see their tears, and grant them either that which they de­sire, or that which he knoweth in his al­wise Providence to be better for them.

And for us that do enjoy the blessing of health, let us return our humble thanks unto God. The living, the living, they shall praise thee, as we do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth, Isa. 38. 19. And we cannot praise him better then in the words of our Church: To thee, O God, who hast redeemed our souls from the jaws of death; we offer unto thy Fatherly good­ness our selves, our souls and bodies, which thou hast delivered to be a living Sacrifice unto thee; to thee which doest restore the voice of joy and health into our dwellings, we offer the Sacrifice of praise and thanks­giving, [Page 149] lauding and magnifying thy glorious Name, for such thy preservation & providence over us, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Vid. the two last Forms of Thanksgiving.

CHAP. III.

A Life led in Religion (as the Lord Verulam, in his History of Life and Death, noteth) seemeth to conduce to long Life. There are in this kind of life, these things; leisure, admiration, contemplation of Hea­venly things; joyes not sensual, noble hopes, wholesom fears, sweet sorrows; lastly, continual renovations, by obser­vances, penances, expiations; all which (saith he) are very powerful to long Life. Unto which, if we add that austere diet, which hardneth the mass of the Body, and humbleth the Spirits, no marvel, if an extraordinary length of life do follow; [Page 150] such as was that of Paul the Hermite, Si­meon Stilita the Columna Anchorite; and of many other Hermites and Anchorites. Now hereunto I may add, that by the same rule or reason, that such a life doth conduce to long life, it doth likewise be­come propitious to bodily health. More particularly and plenarily these following graces and vertues, Religious acts and dispositions are to be considered as effectu­al in some measure to the end designed.

First, Faith, as it is attended with a confidence of recovery, hath naturally a powerful influence upon the Body: For confidence (as Galen saith) doth more good then Physick: And this it doth through the strength of imagination. Now such is the force of imagination, and a Man's con­ceit in working effects in the Body, that Hippocrates exhorteth Physicians, if two kinds of Meat were to be ministred to a Patient, the one healthful, and the other a little hurtful, or not so good as the o­ther, that they should prefer this being much desired, before that not so well liked: And generally, both Philosophers [Page 151] and Physicians maintain, that the opinion and confidence of the Patient importech much for the cure of any maladie. The reason is plain; for the imagination here­in (though erroniously conceiving things better then indeed and really they are) causeth a vehement passion of hope, where­with followeth an extraordinary pleasure in the things: Which two passions awake or rouse up the purer Spirits, and unite them together, qualifying and refining them in the best manner; which thus combined, do most effectually co-operate with Nature, and strengthen her in the performance of any Corporal action or vi­tal operation, in order to the mastery and expulsion of noxious humours. Which brings me to say somewhat.

In the Second place, of Hope, which of all the passions is most advantagious for health and long life, in regard the Spirits therein, which corroborate and quicken all the parts, are moderate, she stops, and keeps them back that they cannot dis­sipate, nor make any vehement agitation; for if the Spirits be too active and violent [Page 152] in their operations, they may produce strong actions, but it shortens our dayes, because those Spirits easily scatter, and so consume the Natural moisture, which Hope useth not to do; because, I say, it keeps the Spirits in a temperate motion, and preserves them from wasting too fast. Therefore (as the afore-cited Lord Verulam saith) they which fix & propound to themselves some end, as the mark and scope of their life; and continually, and by degrees, go forward in the same; are for the most part long-liv'd: in so much that when they are come to the top of their hope, and can go no higher therein; they commonly droope, and live not long after. We may add hereunto, that this may be one reason why Kings & Soveraign Princes are not commonly so long-liv'd as others, because they have fewer things to hope for, and more things to fear.

Now if hope in general, as it is a Pas­sion of the Soul, be so effectual in this kind; much more is true Christian Hope, which is at anchor upon more firm ground, in as much as the Object thereof is more sure, certain, and more durably satisfa­ctory [Page 153] and delightful, cherishing and en­couraging, then can be fix'd upon in the alone expectation of any terrene, temporal enjoyment.

Thirdly, Love which is ( [...]n the sense it may be understood) a duty often incul­cated in sacred Writ, and is Custos utrius­que tabulae, The fulfilling of the Law, Rom. 13. 10. is also, by reason of that strict tye between the Soul and Body, a great promoter of bodily health: For it is ob­served by an eminent modern Philosopher, That when this affection is alone, that is, when it is not accompanied with extream Joy, Desire, or Sadness, the beating of the pulse is even, and much greater and stronger than or­dinary; that a Man feels a gentle heat in his breast, and quick digestion of meat; so that this Passion is profitable for the health, Mr. Des-Cartes in his Treatise of the Passion of the Soul, Artic. 97. And now I proceed to another Passion, which being managed with wisdom, will alwayes be found in the track of vertue.

Fourthly, Joy being regulated and mo­derated by its steers-man Reason, and san­ctified [Page 154] by the Holy Spirit, is a gracious disposition alwayes seasonable in a Chri­stian course: Rejoyce evermore, (saith the Apostle, 1 Thess. 5. 16. Yea alwayes seasonable, because alwayes healtful to Soul and Body: to the Body in this re­spect (namely) because by dilating and sending forth to the outward parts, it enlivens them, and keeps them fresh and active; it beautifies the complexion, preventeth Consumptions, and some o­ther Distempers, by assisting the distri­bution of salubrious nourishment to every part.

From these considerations then we may understand, that Christianity doth not teach us a Stoical Apathie, or take away our Passions; but only rectifies them; and being thus rectified they conduce not only to the health of the Soul, but also of the Body, and its longaevity.

Fifthly, Labour, Industry, and Dili­gence in a lawful calling, is no less health­ful to the Body then Soul. For as by the old sanction we are taught to labour for our bread, Gen. 3. 19. In the sweat of thy face shalt [Page 155] thou eat bread; Yea, as Paradise that was Man's Store-house, was also his Work­house, He was put into the garden of Eden, to dress it, and to keep it, Gen. 2. 15. As also by the fourth Commandment it is implied as a duty, That we should labour six dayes, and do all that we have to do; Lastly, as a provident, industrious and seasonable care and employment is so good and warrantable, that in this very thing the Wise man prescribeth the Pismire, (Prov. 6. 6.) for our imitation; And in this the Apostle placeth, not only necessity, 2 Thess. 3. 10. but also Religion, 1 Tim. 5. 8. so is the same very commendable in respect of bodily health, it being the Salt of humane life, which drieth up those crudities which otherwise would prove of­fensive, and preserveth the humours from putrefaction. Yea the commodities of mo­derate excerise are many, principally these following.

1. The increase of Natural heat and Spirit.

2. It assists the distribution of our nou­rishment.

[Page 156] 3. It discusses vapours and fuliginous excrements, by the Pores or Spiracles of the skin, and adds colour and vivacity to the whole Body.

4. It makes the juices of the Body hard and compact, and so becomes propitious to length of life.

5. and Lastly, By consuming and exic­cating superfluous moistures in the Body, it preventeth most Diseases: So that in­digent People (as one observeth) have this recompence to their poverty, that their necessitated labours keep them much in health, and without the need, trouble and charge of Physick. I may add here­unto, that active and industrious Persons, (be they poor, or rich) as they are long­est free from Diseases; so also most com­monly from the long continuance of those Diseases; the material cause thereof be­ing consumed in such manner, by former labour and exercise, as there wants suf­ficient Iewel to maintain the Distemper, which like the external fire soon dieth and is extinct for want of nourishment; and thereby Nature (in its Sphaere the greatest [Page 157] agent in bodily cures,) being exonerated of obnoxious humours, is ever in a ten­dency to reduce the Body into its pristine, and symmetrical Constitution.

Moreover it hath been observed, that Epidemical Diseases, as Pestilential Fea­vers, Cathars, Small Pox, Flux, &c. do much easier seise upon such, as by con­tracting an evil habit of Body, through a sedentary and idle course of life, have ren­dred themselves more obnoxious, and dis­posed thereunto, in whom likewise they are more difficultly cured.

And now, before I conclude this Point, I would in kindness admonish those of the foeminine and teeming Sex, that they would accustome themselves to moderate exercise, to diligence and industrie in some lawful and commendable employ­ment, thereby to preserve their health, and facilitate their delivery. For it is ob­served that those Women which are used to labour, endure Child-bearing with far more ease; and the Irish Women, be­cause of their stirring and active lives, are quick in delivery; and here in England [Page 158] also the industrious & laborious Women, in City and Country, are very quick at their labours, and allow themselves a very short retirement comparatively, with others of a contrary inclination: So that in this par­ticular also, the active and stirring life is of no small advantage.

I conclude with the wholesom advice of Syrach: My son, hear me, and despise me not, and at the last thou shalt find as I told thee: in all thy works be quick, so shall there no sickness come unto thee, Eccl. 31. 22.

Sixthly, Temperanco, a fruit of the Spi­rit, Gal. 5. 23. and a vertue here consi­derable only as it consisteth in the mode­ration or regulation of the appetite, in eat­ing and drinking according to the stan­dard of Nature, which is content with a little; is of all vertues the most condu­cible to bodily health and long life. That saying of the Wise man, It is not good to eat much honey, Prov. 25. 27. sheweth un­to us, that even the most wholesom and nourishing Meat of all other, will prove dangerous and hurtful to our health, if it be not soberly and measurably eaten. [Page 159] Temperance (as one saith) being not only the Carver, but also the Commander at our tables, should alwayes have a room thereat. Ti­motheus having supped with Plato, and eaten (contrary to his custom) very mo­derately, slept very quietly that night, finding neither Cholick to awake him, nor belchings in the morning to annoy him; wherefore as soon as he awaked, he brake forth into this exclamation, with a loud voice: How sweet, how sweet are Plato's sup­pers, which make us in the night time to sleep, and in the morning to breath so sweetly! Mar­sil. Fic. de Sanis. slud. tu. Yea the be­nefits of Temperance are many:

1. Freedom from almost all sicknesses.

2. Length of life, and death without much pain.

3. A mitigation of incurable Diseases.

Instances of these; or some of these, there are not a few in History. Socrates is said by sobriety, to have had alwayes a strong Body, and to have lived ever in health; and that by the good order of his diet he escaped the Plague at Athens, never avoiding the City, nor the company [Page 160] of the infected, though the greatest part of the City was consumed by it, Aelian. lib. 13. It is also reported of Galen that fa­mous Physician, that he lived one hun­dred and fourty years, and that after he was twenty eight years old, he was ne­ver grieved with any sickness, except the grudge of a Feaver for one day: His rule was, not to eat or drink till he had an ap­petite, nor to eat and drink till he had none. This rule he observing, was seldom sick, and lived (as Sipontinus writeth) to the abovesaid age.

Cyprian relates that Maximinian the Emperour seldom used to drink betwixt Meals, and therefore lived in health to the end of his life.

Queen Elizabeth was famous for this vertue. King Edward the Sixth called her by no other name then his sweet Sister Temperance, Cambd. Eliz. She did seldom eat but one sort of Meat, rose ever with an appetite, and lived about seventy years, which is beyond the ordinary Period of Princes and Princesses, who seldom attain to summ up experimentally Moses his A­rithmetick [Page 161] in that Psalm (Psal. 90. 10.) appropriated to him.

We read that the Sect of the Esseans, amongst the Jews, did usually extend their lives to an hundred years: Now that Sect used a single, or abstenious diet, after the Rule of Pythagoras.

Metaphrastes in the life of Saint John, writes, that he was so abstenious in the use of meats and drinks, that he took no more then would suffice to maintain life: He lived (as ancient Record mentions) ninety three years.

St. Paul, the Hermite, lived an hun­dred and thirteen years: Now his diet was so slender and strict, that it was thought almost impossible to support hu­mane Nature therewith.

But most memorable is that of Corna­rus the Venetian, who being in his youth of a sickly Body, began first to eat and drink by measure, to a certain weight, thereby to recover his health, this cure turned by use into a diet; that diet to an extraordinary long life; even of an hun­dred years and better; without any decay [Page 162] in his senses, and with a constant enjoying of his health.

'Tis a common Proverb, which, were it commonly observed, would make most Physicians sick, and preserve their Patients a long time sound: Use mederation and tem­perance, and desie the Physician. A saying that taken with a grain of allowance, doth favour much of truth, though little of Urbanity. No less observable is that Pro­verbial Rithme.

Which may thus be Englished.

That Intemperance is the Extinguisher, and Temperance the Prolonger of the Can­dle of our life, was long ago taken notice of by the Son of Sirach, in these words: Be not unsatiable in any dainty thing, nor too greedy upon meats, Eccles. 37. latter part.

[Page 163] For excess of meats bringeth sickness, and surfetting will turn into choler.

By surfetting have many perished, but he that taketh heed prolongeth his life.

Temperance then (as may be gathered from the preceding Instances) is not only instead of preventive, but also curative Physick. For, as many by Intemperance have relapsed into their old Distempers; so by Temperance some have dispossess'd their lingring maladies, and recovered their former state of health: And there­fore the best Physicians do alwayes re­member, to prescribe to their Patients a temperate diet, for the accomplishment of their Cures, as knowing that Tempe­rance alone proves commonly more effe­ctual to that end, than all their prescrip­tions and applications without it. For it is to be understood, that the perfect cu­ting of the diseased Body, requireth not only the external, but also the internal Physician. The internal Physician vulgar­ly is called Nature: but more properly, it is that Interna Mumia seu Balsamum in­ternum, Our native liquor of life, and in­bred [Page 164] balm of vital spirit. This in all Men is the best and greatest Physician: with­out the which no Medicine can avail, no malady can be cured. This is that which doth digest, concoct, maturate, deopilate, purge, corroborate, expel, emitigate, re­store, avert, and dispatch all sort of bo­dily griefs: unless it be over-burdened by Intemperance, or extreamly debilita­ted by any other impediment or defect. The outward or external Physician with all his Art, Method, Simples, Compounds, Antidotes, Catharticks, Minoratives, Dia­phoreticks, Corroboratives, Anodynes, &c. is only but a Servant, and all his endea­vours but service unto the internal Physi­cian, viz. Nature. As then in curative Physick the principal method of wise Phy­sicians (whose Canon is Cito, & tuto, Sud­denly, and safely) consists in purgation, and corroboration, thereby first disburdening, and then strengthening Nature, which in its operations hath a constant tendency to the more benigne constitution, so long as it is able to resist the morbifick humour: So Temperance, which consisteth in the [Page 165] use of a temperate diet, no way burden­ing Nature; (which not over-burden'd, will in time work out the noxious and su­perfluous humours) but gradually streng­thening it, may worthily be esteemed a great promoter of health; though not so expeditious, as when it is conjoined with the assistance of external means. By Tem­perance alone then it may seem probable to effect a Cure; and experience hath put it out of doubt, that many who have been unwilling or unable to undergo the trou­ble and charge of Physick, have yet by the strength of Nature, and a temperate diet, in a reasonable time, safely recovered their former health. Aurelianus is said to have cured all excess by abstinence, and there­fore to have had no Physicians. And I read of the Indians and other barbarous People, who wanting, or at least neglect­ing the means of Physick, have yet (many of them) by Temperance giving Nature its free course, recovered of dangerous Diseases, and also attained to a great age. Yea, legimus quosdam (sayes an ancient Father, St. Hierome) morbo articulari & po­dagrae [Page 166] humoribus laborantes, proscriptione bo­norum ad simplicem mensam & pauperes cibos redactos convaluisse: We have read of some, (saith he) who being sick of the Gout through abundance of humours, did recover their health being forced to a poor and slender diet by consiscation of their goods.

Not that hereby I would derogate from the honour due unto the judicious Physician, or detract from the use of Me­dicines which the Lord hath created out of the Earth: (For he that is wise will not abhor them, saith the Son of Sirach, Eccl. 38. 4.) but at present my design is only to enhance the price and esteem of Temperance, which doubtless is the Mother of health; though it often stands in need of the Midwisery of Natural means to assist it in its productions.

To Temperance may be referred Fast­ing, which, when it is Religious, is thus desined. Jejunium religiosum est voluntaria abstinentia à cibo & potu religionis causà, Hommius Disput. i. e. Religious Fasting is a voluntary abstinence from meat and drink for a Religious end; And thus understood, our Saviour Christ supposed it as a duty [Page 167] sometimes to be performed, when he gave directions to avoid vain-glory in it, Mat. 6. 17, & 18. and also assured us that if it be performed as it ought, not to please Men but God, it will surely be rewarded by him. This duty he taught us by his own ex­ample, as well as doctrine: For not to men­tion Divine Record, so well known to most; Philo saith of him, that he seemed to transform his flesh into the nature of his Spirit, by fasting and watching. And in imitation of Christ's act in fasting, we read elsewhere, that the Christians of the Primitive times were generally very frequent in the practise of it.

Now though this Religious Fasting dif­fereth from that which is Moral in respect of the ends; (Moral fasting being nothing else but temperance and moderation in eat­ing & drinking) yet in respect of the natural effect produced in the Body, they are the same, and do equally conduce to bodily health, and consequently length of life, not only as preventive, but also curative Physick.

First, as preventive; and this will ap­pear by this following Demonstration, de­ducted from the observation of the most [Page 168] judicious Physicians. The deflux of an humour from the brain is called a Rheume, which is the Mother of most Diseases. For sometimes it taketh course to the eyes, and thereof cometh a dropping and infla­mation of the eyes, and a dimness and loss of sight; sometimes it taketh course by the nose, and is called the pose; some­times to the mouth, and causeth great ex­puition and spitting, and the falling of the Uvula, and tooth-ach; sometimes to the wind-pipe, and thereof cometh raucedo, the hoarsness; sometimes to the lungs, and causeth exulceration or putrifaction, or some great obstruction, which bringeth a difficulty of breathing and strangulation: sometimes it taketh course by the stomack, and causeth lack of appetite and ill dige­stion; and if to the guts, then falleth out the flux of the belly called a lask; some­time it setleth in the brain, and groweth into a gross and thick substance, either in the fore part, as in the nerves optick, which are the conducts whereby the pow­er of seeing doth come unto the eyes, and causeth either dimness, or loss of sight; [Page 169] or in the conducts that convey the power of hearing unto the ears, and there causeth a dulness of hearing or deafness: Also if it settle in the fore-part, obstructing the cells or ventricle [...] of the brains; three ill Diseases do grow thereupon, called three of the dead sleeps, Caros, & coma, & apoplexia. Also if this gross Rheumatick matter do settle in the hinder part, it cau­seth the Lethargy, another of the dead sleeps, and the Palsy, and the Falling­sickness, and the Convulsion, and Obli­vion or loss of memory. And if it come down backward into the neck, it causeth a kind of Convulsion called teranos, when as the neck cannot turn to nor fro, but it standeth stiff and stark without motion. If it flow down to the back, it causeth another kind of Convulsion, called Opi­sthotonos, wherein the head and the heels are made to meet backward. If it flow forward into the muscles of the breast, another Convulsion is caused, cal­led Emprosthotonos, wherein the head and the feet are drawn together forward. If it go to the joynts, it is Morbus articula­ris, [Page 170] the joynt-gout; if to the hands and fingers, it is Chiragra, the finger-gout; if to the knees, it is Gonagra, the knee-gout; if to the feet and toes, it is Podagra, the feet-gout. Also if it fall upon the kid­nies, then the Disease is Nephritical, as the stone, or gravel in the reins. Thus from the brain, the fountain of nerves, is derived that morbifick humour, which is the sourse of these, and many other Diseases: But to obstruct and prevent the current thereof, there is need of Fasting, and abstinence from excess. For where­as many a Man complaineth of his brain, for sending down Rheumes, the springs and foundation of all dangerous maladies, the brain (as Charron saith) may answer him, Desine fundere, & ego desinam fluere; Cease to pour in, and I will cease to pour out.

Fasting then, by consequence, is an e­special prevention of most Diseases; and it may be further proved and illustrated by this following Instance. A certain Person lately living in the County of Nor­folk, and well known to the Author, did, in the presence of a Physician, give God [Page 171] thanks, that for the space of sixty years, he never knew, experimentally, what it was to feel three dayes sickness together, worthy complaining of. Whereupon being requested by the inquisitive Physi­cian, to discover the means he used for such a continued preservation of his health; he returned this following account. I fast often, (saith he) but then especially, when I find the least indisposition of body: For then, in such a neutral, or ra­ther sickly constitution, I abstain from all usual sustenance, (excepting Timothy's allowance, a little Wine for my stomack sake) two, three, or more dayes, until I find that Nature works off the matter and fuel of approaching Diseases. Up­on which single Instance we may ground this observation, that Abstinence and Fasting, so long as it is not in excess, but from excess, is an especial preventive or preservative against most Diseases, by at­tenuating those vicious humours, which are heaped together through continual crudities, in a manner digesting and wast­ing them; and also by that means ha­stening [Page 172] the circulation of the blood, and then promoting and facilitating the di­stribution of the nourishable juice, it renders the whole Body pervious and open, dischargeth obstructions, discusseth wind; moveth the excrements of the brain, and all the parts, and brings them down into passages, thorow which, by the extimu­lating force of Nature, they are expelled out of the Body.

Secondly, It may be considered as cu­rative; and this upon the same, or the like grounds and reasons whereby it hath been asserted as preventive; and there­fore there needs no repetition to confirm the Point. But by way of illustration, we may take notice that the ancient E­gyptians cured their Diseases either by fasting, or vomiting, which they used ei­ther daily, or every third or fourth day: For they were of opinion, that all Diseases had their beginning from surfeiting and repletion, and that therefore that is the best Physick to recover health, which ta­keth away the cause of the Disease.

Moreover, I read that the Sweating­sickness, [Page 173] proper to our English Countries, at first esteemed incurable, was sithence experienced to be cured by the cheapest way of the World, even by Abstinence alone; And that in Ireland they cure their Agues only with fasting four or five dayes, from all kinds of Meats, leaving Nature alone to spend out those superfluous hu­mours, which the moisture of their Western Air breathed into them.

It is reported that a certain poor Man having the Dropsie, did earnestly entreat the Physician for a remedy of his Disease: The Physician beholding the poor Man, said merrily to him: Per annum abstine à potu, & sanaberis, Abstain from drink one year, and thou shalt be a sound Man. The poor Man took it as seriously spoken, and performed it, though with much thirst; And being made perfectly sound at the years end, he returned to the Phy­sician, and gave him thanks for his ad­vice, Vid. Cornel. A Lapide in Lucam, pag. 146.

In a word, and to instance in our selves, or acquaintance, how ordinary it is for [Page 174] some constitutions to fast away, or starve an Ague, the Palsy, the sickness of the Stomack, the Dropsie, Gout, and some other Distempers arising from repletion, I shall leave to the determination of such, as probably by experience may hereto af­fix their probatumest.

And now, before I conclude this Point, it must not be forgotten what was in the former part of this Treatise suspended, and reserved for this place, namely, a more plenary resolution of this enquiry: How may we confine our selves within the bounds and limits of Temperance? In per­formance whereof, we must make use of the advice of the most judicious and ex­perienced Physicians, who teach us not to approve, as to general practise, of that Arithmetical Proportion, or Dieta Statica, the allotment of a certain weight and measure of Meat and drink, not upon any terms to be exceeded: Because this were to go about to make a Coat for the Moon, or to fit every foot with the same shoo. For how can it be but that, where there is difference in constitution, [Page 175] age, sex, the manner of life, the nature of the Meat, and the season of the year, and so diversities of heat and ability to concoct and digest, a different propor­tion should also be requisite? Leaving therefore the strictness of Lessius and Cor­naro to speculative and monastick Men, I shall prescribe two general Rules of Temperance, which in a practical obser­vation may well enough suit and agree with all sorts of Persons.

The first Rule is that of Hippocrates, [...], They that study their health, must not be satisfied with meat. But as Avicen otherwise expresses it, Must rise from the table, cum famis reliquiis, with the remainder of their hunger: By this means (as a modern Author of our own saith, Dr. Brook's Conservatory of Health) the Stomack will well overcome and digest what it hath received, and the remainder of thy appetite will be bet­ter imployed in perfecting thy digestion.

The second Rule is, that thou takest so much of the Creature, as after it not to be disabled in the performances of holy [Page 176] duties, or in the duties of following thy Vocation: For he that gluts his appetite with so much food, as thereby to hinder the clearer operation of the Fancy, the Understanding and the Memory, and finds in himself a certain kind of dulness and heaviness in his Spirit, which be­fore was quick and active, may know for certain that he hath exceeded the bounds of Temperance, and perverted the end of feeding, which is to refresh the strength and powers of the Body. If therefore thou transgressest in this point, let thy Abstinence be the greater, and thy care and circumspection doubled at thy suc­ceeding Meals.

By these two Rules alone may we learn to know the bounds and limits of Tempe­rance; though in respect of its full praise, there can be no bounds: For it can ne­ver be sufficiently commended, which, in such a superlative sense, is so advantagious to the health both of Body and Soul. And therefore I shall put a period to this Point, by referring the Reader, for his further satisfaction, to the excellent Trea­tises [Page 177] of Lessius, and Cornaro, who have written large Encomiums of this vertue of Temperance.

Lastly, I might instance in the reading of good Books, in the good society of Friends, their honest and wholesom Dis­courses, exhortatory, and consolatory in time of sickness, (which are very com­mendable, and agreeable to Sacred Writ) and so more largely shew that these very things (as Seneca saith) Medicinae vim ha­buerunt, Have the vertue of Physick, Et quicquid animum erexit, etiam corpori prodest, whatever hath raised and comforted the mind, hath also been profitable to the Bo­dy, Seneca Epist. 79th. And also might by many examples illustrate these things, more especially by that of Alphonsus, King of Naples, who being abandoned of his Physicians, as in a desperate case, and calling for Quintus Curtius, took such de­light to hear him read, that he recovered his health again, obtaining that by a little consolation and delight, which could not be procured by Physick. But to avoid prolixity, I shall here desist, and con­clude [Page 178] the whole Chapter, having (as I suppose) sufficiently proved and demon­strated, that vertuous and regular actions and affections do naturally conduce to the health of body, and length of life.

CHAP. IV.

IT is the duty of a Christian to depend upon God in his Providential admini­strations: For happy is that people, whose God is the Lord, Psal. 144. 15. And this happiness consisteth partly in that degree of peculiar Providence, which respecteth the temporal salvation and preservation of the Children of God from imminent dan­gers, more particularly those of mortal Diseases, and sudden death; and also in the ordination and disposition of means, [Page 179] in order to the recovery of bodily health, and the proroguing of life. And though there be swarms of contingencies that might be thought to hinder the success of means; yet Divine Providence, for the welfare of the righteous, so hiveth them, and disposeth of them in such order, as they unite and combine together to pro­duce the honey of health and long life. For it must be understood, that as some­times, for the punishment of sin, the hand of Providence may be seen in render­ing the means used for health, successless; a Colledge of Physicians, being Physicians of no value, when and where the Lord, the great Physician, withdraws his ma­nutenancy or succeeding hand of Provi­dence: Witness this in Asa, (2 Chr. 16. 12, & 13.) who had his Physicians, but not his cure: So sometimes the same Pro­vidence, for the encouragement of the Godly, is displayed in raising Persons from the graves mouth, and recovering them when mortally sick in the judgment of the most accurate Physicians; and this sometimes by bringing to light such [Page 180] means which are very improbable to Man's reason, though very proper for the recovery of the Patient, who, like E­paphroditus, was sick nigh unto death, but God had mercy on him, Phil. 2. 27. Also sometimes it is displayed in a fortunate concurrence of all needful contingencies, in order to the end here designed; which some call the Blessing upon the means, as (namely) when God by the method of his Providence putteth it into the heart of the Patient, or some Friend about him, (if the Disease be dangerous) to make a time­ly and seasonable address to a judicious and experienced Physician, whose heart is providentially (as it were) inspired, and his memory prompted with such seasonable adaequate and proper prescriptions, as by the Patients observation thereof, toge­ther with the use of other means repre­sented to the mind by the hints and inter­course of the same Providence, become very advantagious to health and long life. In this respect, though chiefly in a Spiri­tual, I suppose that of the Apostle holds good, All things work together for good, to [Page 181] them that love God, Rom. 8. 28. And that which the Wise man attesteth, is no less true: The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord, Prov. 16. 1. Also, A man's heart devi­seth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps, Vers, 9.

Likewise the peculiar & distinguishing Providence of God, in the preservation of the lives of his Children, is seen thorow the glass of these following Instances.

The King of Israel, a wicked Person, disguiseth himself, and hath his armour, (1 Kings 22.) yet an arrow finds its pas­sage between the joints of his harness: On the other hand Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, a good King, who was in the same fight, and in greater danger than King Ahab, is preserved: It came to pass (saith the Text) when the Captains of the chariots saw Jehosha­phat (in his Royal robes) they said, It is the King of Israel: therefore they compassed about him to fight. But Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him, and God moved them to depart from him, 2 Chron. 18. 32. How often did Saul hunt David's life, as [Page 182] a Partridge on the mountains? But the hedge of Divine Providence alwayes hin­dred Saul's game, and secured David. Yea, though Saul had hedged him in round a­bout, and gotten him in such a snare, as there was but a little distance betwixt David and death; yet Saul could not ac­complish his designs; Providence, by way of diversion, had procured another hun­ting-match, the Philistines had invaded the Land. wherefore Saul (saith the Scrip­ture) returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines, 1 Sam. 23. 18.

Paul, the Apostle and Servant of Jesus Christ, how oft was he in the suburbs of death, By perils of waters, perils of robbers, perils by his own country-men, perils by the heathen, perils in the city, perils in the wil­derness, perils in the sea, and perils among false brethren? 2 Cor. 11. 26. Yet how often did the Lord preserve his life, by a happy concurrence of Providential contin­gencies and casualties? When the Jews went about to kill him, their design was ineffectual; and Paul giveth the reason [Page 183] thereof, saying: Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, Acts 26. 21, & 22. Which place hath reference to another, where it is recorded that, As they went about to kill Paul, tidings came un­to the chief captain of the band, that all Jeru­salem was in an uproar, who immediately took souldiers, and centurions, and ran down un­to them: and when they saw the chief captain and the souldiers, they left beating of Paul, Chap. 21. 31, & 32. An admirable ex­ample of God's good Providence, who de­lighted to reserve his hand for a dead lift, to rescue and save those that are forsaken of their hopes; Yea, sometimes, even by the hands of such a Person as had no such intention; as we may see in the following words, vers. 33. Again we read in an­other place, (Chap. 23.) of a combination of above forty Conspiratours, who had bound themselves with direful curses, that they would eat nothing until they had kil­led Paul: But Providence revealed the plot and conspiracy to Paul's Sisters Son; and a sweet Providence it was that this Boy should be by, to detect and defeat their [Page 184] wicked counsel; whereby Paul escaped as a Bird out of the snare. Austin relates, how by losing his way, as he was travelling, he thereby saved his life, escaping an Am­bush of the bloody Donatists, who had way­laid him.

The Stories are well known, how Mou­lin at the time of the Parisian Massacre, was cherished for a fortnight by a Hen, which came constantly, and laid her eggs there, where he lay hid. And at Cales, how an English-man, who crept into a hole under a pair of stairs, was there preserved by means of a Spider, which had woven its web over the hole, and so the Soul­diers slighted the search in that place.

No less remarkable is the signal preser­vation of those vertuous and religious Po­tentates, Queen Elizabeth, King James, and our now gracious Soveraign Charles the Second, thorow an Ocean of dangers, by that discreet Pilot, Divine Providence.

All which Instances are a sufficient Comment upon this Text: He that is our God is the God of salvation, and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death, Psal. [Page 185] 68. 20. And the result of the whole Point is this: That as man liveth not by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God; Mat. 4. 4. (that is to say) as bread, though ordinarily it hath a nou­rishing property inhaerent in it, for the sustaining of man's life; yet so only, as that the operation of that, and success of other means tending to the preservation of health, and prolongation of life, is gui­ded by the power of God's Providence and appointment: So the sweet influence of this Providence is chiefly and princi­pally intended and extended to the Chil­dren of God, in blessing the means used by them, to that end and purpose. There­fore are those sacred Texts prescribed as corroboratives to the Servants of God; And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread and thy water: and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee, Exod. 23. 25. Also, Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows, Mat. 10. 29, & 31. If then [Page 186] the eye of God's Providence be so watch­ful, to defend and preserve the meanest of his Creatures, that Sparrows, which are so cheap and worthless, and also such short-liv'd Birds, (as Naturalists observe) shall not perish or die without the per­mission and concurring will of God in se­cond causes; then surely we must not asperse our Saviour's Logick, by denying the inference from Sparrows to the Chil­dren of God, seeing this is the scope of the Argument urged by our Saviour in that place; (namely) that if the eye of Divine Providence be so careful and circumspect in the preservation of the meanest Crea­tures; Much more is the eye of the Lord (as David saith) upon them that fear him: upon them that hope in his mercy: To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in fa­mine, Psal. 32. 18, & 19. And thus much shall serve briefly to have demonstrated in general, that vertuous and regular actions and affections do, through the blessed in­fluence of Divine Providence upon means, prove often occasions of bodily health and long Life.

CHAP. V.

Obj. 1. THe first Objection is of those, who cry up an irresistible Decree, a fatal necessity predetermining the bounds of Man's life; and so conse­quently cry down the use of all means, whether Spiritual, or Natural, as needless and frivolous, in order to the preservation of health and prolongation of life: And they bolster up their opinion with the fore­cited words of Job, (by them wrested) Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth, are not dis dayes also like the dayes of an hireling? Job 7. 1. Doubtless an error herein hath been very prejudicial, not on­ly to the Physicians Practice, but also the Patients health: And lest it should like­wise obstruct the good effect designed in this Treatise, we will not let it pass un­controlled. For whosoever alloweth this [Page 188] error, must of necessity disallow the Peti­tion in the Lord's Prayer, for our daily bread, as also of all the Divine Prayers made for the prolongation of life, and preservation from mortal danger or sudden death, as likewise of the dispensation of the gift of Healing to the Physician (whom God hath created, and honoured to the same end and purpose) and of all other means whatsoever, tending to the tempo­ral end and design of this Discourse.

Answ. Now in answer hereunto, I shall endeavour to unfold those Texts of sacred Writ, wherein the main strength of the Objection lieth, as (namely) the fore­cited place, and also that in the 14 ^th. of Job v. 5 ^th. Seeing his dayes are determined, the number of his moneths are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass. Here then the words of Job, con­cerning the end of life limited, set, and appointed, are not to be referred unto causes of destiny, but to the obedience and disobedience of God's Commandment. Or we may more largely answer with some, (See Piscator upon Psal. 55. 23. [Page 189] & Marianus upon Job 14. 5.) that the term of Mans life is twofold,

• 1. Super-natural.
• 2. Natural.

1. Super-natural, As it is decreed from above, in the fore-sight and determina­tion of God, which doth not alwayes agree with the Natural; and thus, as Marianus saith, A primâ die pendet extrema, & in ortu sanxit quantum quisque victurus est; The last day depends upon the first, and at our birth, (yea before we were conceived) God hath concluded how long every Man should live, as he that fore-seeth as well the wayes that we would go, as the end which those wayes would bring us to.

2. Natural, Which a Man may attain unto by his Natural strength, unless he doth neglect the means, or shorten his own dayes by some unlawful deeds, and thus the Godly may be said to prolong their dayes, when by their upright life, they have the assistance of the Divine Clemency, to produce them to the fur­thest period, that their Natural strength could carry them; So Abraham lived to a good old age, Gen. 25, & 8. and so di­vers [Page 190] of God's Saints became old Men and full of years: And on the contrary the wicked may be rightly said, to shorten his dayes, when for his impiety, the Divine hand of Heaven doth abridge that am­ple time, which he might have lived, and when, according as he determined from the beginning when he fore-saw his wayes, he doth measure his life with a shorter line, then the strength of Nature would have done: So lascivious Zimri was cut off for his sins in the midst of his age, so the Old world, so the Sodomites, so the Galileans, so all those Sinners, that do provoke the hand of God to use the Sword of Justice, to cut them off for their Murders, Robberies, and the like; and so the wanton Onans, roaring Duellers, Drunkards, and all others, that are loose in their lives and disorderly in their diets or behaviours, may be said to be cut off each one of them, In die non suo, Before his day; that is, before that day, Ad quem per naturam, juxta hominum opinionem per­venire poterat, To which nature, in the judg­ment of all men might have brought him, if [Page 191] he had not prevented the same by his un­seasonable death, Vel gladio, vel morbo, vel aliquâ aliâ causâ violentâ, morte non sua, Either by the sword, or disease, or some other violent cause, as Mercerus saith, Mercerus in Job 14. 5.

Or if that Answer sufficeth not, consider this following: God Almighty, who is the Creator, and Conservator of all things in the Universe, hath appointed to every created thing both a beginning, and end or termination of subsisting and moving, and doth take notice not only of principal, but also of subsequent causes of things; go­verning, moderating, disposing, and or­dering them; according to his free will; and yet all this government is void of fatal violence, and most commonly cometh to effect, mediately and from deputed causes, which vulgarly are called second causes, which the Divine Majesty doth employ as the instruments of his will, so long as he doth so govern all things which he hath created, as also himself may suffer them, to exercise their proper motions; for the will of Man by Divine ordination is the [Page 192] original of humane actions, freely elect­ing what seemeth best for it self; (espe­cially in externalls) and herein the causes so answer the effects, as if the effects be necessary, the causes are also necessary, and if contingent, the causes are contingent; nor doth the praescience or fore-knowledge of God, which is certain and not to be deceived, abolish the contingency of Na­tural events; but the future effect is dis­posed as it were by a Divine Providence necessarily, or contingently; nor doth it null the freedom of the agent, nor is the Creator obliged to the necessity, but mo­derateth all things freely according to his free will and pleasure; and though his Omnipotency can dispose of causes, and life with every kind of death at his own free pleasure, yet it will not urge any Person to accept that term of life for a fa­tal determinination, but for a Divine or­dination of various causes, which by the Election of the will, (that as Des-Cartes saith) Can never be constrained, prove oc­casions either of sustaining or destroying life.

[Page 193] In brief, if still the curious Objector remains dissatified, I wish him convinced, Potius verberibus quam verbis, Rather with stripes than stress of words; and the indica­tive Story which I have read of, may a­pologize for me in my Optative mood. A discontented Gallant having drowned himself, and being much lamented by the Spectators for youthful comliness, amongst them was one of this erronious opinion, who was pleased to read a le­cture to them of the inevitable decree of the Almighty, and not by him to be a­voided, nor by them lamented. Here­upon a young Man (of the contrary edu­cation) gave her a great blow over the face, which made her challenge him of base cowardise, and as great incivility to the Feminine Sex; Who returned her in answer, that it was the inevitable will of God it should be so, and a truth accor­ding to her own Doctrine; which caused her to stagger in her opinion. Let us not then scorn the means: For (as Solomon saith) Judgments are prepared for scroners; and stripes for the back of fools, Prov. 19. 29.

[Page 194] Obj. 2. Another Objection is of those whom we call Star-peepers, Nativity­casters, and Fortune-tellers, who by Birth­stars, that is, by Stars which arise at every ones coming into the World, pretend an infallible prediction of the certain time of their health, sickness, recovery, what shall chaunce unto them, and of the time, and manner of their death; and so thereby endeavour to overthrow the use of all means, tending to the preservation of health, and prolongation of life.

Solut. Indeed we deny not unto that no­ble Science, which they name Natural A­strologie, the knowledge of Nature's or­der, and the motions of Heavenly Bodies: But we utterly disallow their Superstition, who professing judicial Astrology, (for with this great and glorious title they deck and garnish their superstition,) do measure and predict conjecturally every Man's fortune and success, as touching sickness, life and death, by the hour of his birth. For, while these Nativity-casters and Fortune-tellers confess, that recourse must be made from the time of bearing, [Page 195] to the time of begetting; what do they else but bewray their own vanity? For it is not possible that they should hear and know for certain the very time of Concep­tion: So that though it be granted that the Stars have some influence and power upon our Bodies, in respect of health and sickness, life and death; yet notwith­standing it may be rationally denyed that they can be certainly fore-told by any such judicial Astrological predictions: Because (amongst many other reasons) of the un­certainty of the time of Conception or in­stant of begetting. Let not Men then search into their Almanacks to calculate a Nativity, and in the mean time neglect their Bibles, which will never be out of date: But let them (as our Saviour advi­seth) Search the Scriptures, John 5. 39. and they may read (Judg. 8. 18.) of ma­ny thousands dying a violent death nigh one and the same time; And if an Astro­loger had been consulted before that time, it is likely that he would have fore-told the instanious deaths of an hundred and twenty thousand, when most of them [Page 196] without question) had divers and sundry Birth-stars? Again, had he read of Esau & Jacob twins born, would he judge them to have been of the same temper and constitu­tion, and to have died at the same instant of time? It is like he might; but surely not without error. Yea it may be infer­red, and proved also by strict observation, that other Children (besides twins) have been born at one instant of time, who not­withstanding died at several times.

Furthermore, if the time, and kind of death depend upon the Stars, then by con­sequence, shall sins depend upon them too, (for these are the proper cause of that) and the promises of God, in respect of bodily health and long life, be of no effect. Which Consequences whoever grants as Conclusions, without further examination of the Premisses, (I fear) will scarce ever be directed to Christ by a Star. I shall therefore direct the eyes of such to the reading of that sacred Irony in Isaiah: Let now the Astrologers, the Star-gazers, the monthly Prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from the things that shall come upon thee, [Page 197] Isay 47. 13. And also of that dehorta­tory Lesson in Jeremiah, Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the Heathen: and be not dismayed at the signs of Heaven, for the Heathen are dismayed at them, Jer. 10. 2.

Object. 3. A third Objection may be drawn from the skill of Chiromancy or Palmistry, which undertaketh by marks and lines in the hands, especially by the line of Life, to measure the extent of every Man's life, with the time and degree of every dangerous Disease incident thereun­to; and so thereby maketh void the use of all means tending to the temporal end of this Discourse.

Solut. In the confutation of this error, let the Testimony of a late Author suffice: The lines in the hands, (saith he) which are counted Nature's Manuscripts, are but the folds of the skin when the hand bends inward­ly, neither proper to any who have their feet alwayes extended; by the same reason we have not those now, which we had in our in­fancy, but by accidents, Diseases and labour are changeable; A Book fit for Justices to [Page 198] discover idleness, Dr. Robinson in his Mis­cellanious Treatise.

Lastly, Another Objection is from those that pretend, Wizards and Witches, &c. the Oracles of the Devil, can prophecy or predict the certain term of Man's life, with the manner of his death; and if so, (say they) then how can vertue prorogue, or vice abbreviate Man's life?

Solut. I answer briefly, that Sathan, though he can give a notable intelligence to some who are his Oracles; yet his knowledge for the most part is but con­jectural. Indeed his experience, as he is an old Serpent, and his knowledge, as he is an Angel, are both very great: He can quickly take cognizance of the position of matters, how things are in their prece­dent causes, both Natural and Moral. Thus supposing that it was the Devil in Samuel's Mantle, that did fore-tell the precise time of Saul's death, 1 Sam. 28. 19. yet it doth not imply the absolute cer­tainty of the Devil's prediction, or the fatal necessity of Saul's death; nor is it any wonder if the Devil speaks as he doth: [Page 199] For David was anointed, Saul grows worse and worse, and now the top-stone sin was laid on, namely, his going to a Witch, and a battel was at hand to be fought, all the prodromi, or fore-runners of his approaching ruine.

The Conclusion. And now to conclude, the Result of the whole, is that of the Philosopher, Ex sanitate in Anima sit sa­nitas in Corpore, From health in the Soul ariseth health in the Body, Arist. lib. 7. Meta. Or (if you will) taste the summ and sub­stance of the whole Treatise, in the words of an eminent Author, (T. H. R. E. Fel­low of the Royal Society) in his late Dis­course of the Excellency of Theology, p. 130. which just now saluted mine eye, and gave me such a fair Prospect, in parvo, of my preceding Discourse, as I will not let them pass, but shall here insert them, both for strength and ornament there­unto. He who effectually teaches Men to sub­due their Lusts and Passions, (saith he) does as much as the Physician contribute to the pre­servation of their Bodies, by exempting them from those vices, whose no less usual than [Page 200] structive Effects are Wars, and Duels, and Rapines, and Desolations, and the Pox, and Surfeits, and all the train of other Diseases that attend Gluttony and Drunkenness, Idle­ness and Lust; which are not Enemies to Man's life and health barely upon a Physical account, but upon a Moral one, as they provoke God to punish them with emporal as well as Spiritual Judgments; such as Plagues, Wars, Famines, and other publick Calamities, that sweep away a great part of Mankind. And, a little further, he addeth, Those Teach­ers that make Men Virtuous and Religious, by making them temperate, and chaste, and in­offensive, and calm, and contented, do help them to those Qualifications, that by pre­serving the mind in a calm and cheerful tem­per, as well as by affording the Body all that Temperance can confer, do both leng­then their lives, and sweeten them. Thus He.

Wherefore, since Righteousness (as the Wise man saith) tendeth to life; and he that pursueth evil, pursueth it to his own death, Prov. 11. 19. let our chiefest care be, ut sit mens sana in corpore sano, That [Page 201] a healthful mind be in a healthful Body; that as by the soundness of the one, we enjoy the sweetness of our Tempo­ral life; so by the soundness of the other, we may have the happy fruition, both of Temporal here, and of Eternal life hereafter.