fon, be looked upon to be the true Difciples of Jefus Chrift, and as fuch accepted of God. Yet these Perfons, though they have as little Reafon as any to be troubled about their fpiritual Eftate, and far less than most of Mankind, who live without any fuch Trouble; yet fuch is their Infelicity, that they are often grievously dejected, and under fad Fears and Perplexities, even to that Degree, as fometimes to think themselves the most miferable Wretches that breathe. So that in Truth there is none in Mankind can live a more uncomfortable Life, than they do: Nay, even at their Death, when they ftand most in need of Comfort, yet now and then it happens that they cannot rid themselves of those frightful and dismal Apprehenfions.

If we enquire into the Causes of thefe their Troubles, or how it comes to pass, that these Persons are thus afflicted and disturbed more than other Men, I fhould be loth to affign these two, that they themselves look upon to be the true ones, that is to say, either that God has forfaken them and left them to themselves, or that it is the Devil, that is always busy about them, and raiseth thofe Tumults and Difturbances in their Minds.

For as for the firft, I doubt not but that thefe Perfons are as much under the Protection, and Care, and Guidance of God Almighty, as those that were never thus exercised; and,

as

as for the Devil, they neither gave him Op portunity, nor is he, I hope, ordinarily permitted to be fo bufy about them, as they are apt to imagine. No; No; I take it, that the principal Causes, and the Foundation of all their Troubles, lie in the ill Habit of their Bodies: Their animal Spirits, which the Soul makes ufe of as her Inftruments in the Performance of all her rational Operations; thefe animal Spirits, I fay, are vitiated and difordered by Fumes arifing from Hypochondriac Affections, and that gives the firft Occafion to the Disorder of their Minds.

That what I fay is true, fufficiently ap pears from this; namely, that thofe who are conftantly and habitually thus troubled. in Mind, are known, by a great many Symptoms, not only to be Perfons of a melancholy Complexion, but alfo to be highly under the Power of Hypochondriac Melancholy; and thofe that are not frequently under thefe Troubles, but only fometimes, may obferve of themselves, that thefe Troubles have ufually come upon them, either upon fome heavy Crofs and Affliction that has befallen them, or fome great Sicknefs of which they were not well recovered, or fome other natural Caufe, that hath put their Bodies into fome Weakness or Indifpofition; and, when that has been removed, they have been as well in their Minds as they were before. But this is not all, though it be true, as I have faid, that the Seat of this Trouble of

Mind is in the Body, which is by fome Occafion or other out of Order, yet it is not from hence alone that all the Trouble doth proceed; for then all hypochondriacal Perfons would be thus afflicted: There is fomething in the Mind itself, of which this Diftemperature of the Body doth commonly take Advantage for the making all that Stir, and Disorder, and Confufion, that fuch Perfons feel in themselves; and this without Doubt is fome frightful and uncomfortable Notions. or Opinions, which the Men have happened to take up in Matters of Religion, which, upon Examination, will be found either to be plain Mistakes, or, if they be true, yet the Men do miferably mifapply them to their own Cafe.

Now, when a melancholy hypochondriacal Perfon, that is by his Temper inclined to be serious, and devout, and religious, hath unluckily leavened his Mind with fuch falfe Principles, or, through want of Skill, makes fuch Mifapplication of true ones; it cannot be avoided but when he comes to view himfelf in fuch a Glafs as this, which is of his own framing, and to make a Judgment of his own fpiritual Features, and the Condition of his Soul therefrom, he must needs do it mightily to his own Disadvantage, and consequently create to himself a World of Trouble, and Difquiet, and Anxiety (more than he needs to do.)

Admitting

Admitting now this to be a true Account of that which we call religious Melancholy, you see there are two Things neceffary to be done, in order to the Cure or Removal of

it.

First, That the Perfons afflicted with it do take Care of their Bodies, that they be put into a better State of Health and Vigour, and freed from all hypochondriac Fumes that do opprefs them.

Secondly, That they endeavour to get their Minds truly informed about those Matters of Religion, from which their Difeafe doth, as I may fay, take a Handle to vex and disturb them.

To preferibe Rules about the first of these, belongs to the Physician, and therefore I fhall not pretend to meddle therein: But the fecond Thing is a proper Subject for a Divine, and accordingly I fhall' difcourfe of it, as far as I have been acquainted with Cafes of this Nature, though, to speak my Thoughts freely, I muft needs fay, that in many of these Cafes the Phyfician's Part is every whit as necef fary, if not more, than that of the Divine; for, if the bodily Indifpofition was removed, most of the Fears, and Frights, and Difturbances, that happen upon a religious Account, would vanish of themselves: At leaft, the Perfons would be capable of receiving full Satisfaction about thofe Matters, from the prudent Inftructions and Discourses of thofe whom they confulted; whereas, while the

Root

Root of the Disease (I mean that ill Ferment of the Blood and Spirits) remains in the Bo dy, the most comfortable Difcourfes that can be made to them about their fpiritual Condition (tho' to the By-ftanders, that hear them, they appear never fo wife and rational) will often have but little Effect upon them, Or if they do give them fome Eafe and Satiffaction for the prefent, yet in a little Time their Troubles and Fears return again, and are as impetuous as they were before.

I know that many of these, that are af flicted with this Malady, will not eafily give Credit to what I now fay. A Man, for inftance, that is troubled with horrid blafphemous Thoughts, which is one of the Cafes I fhall hereafter speak to, will think it ftrange that you thould advise him, for the Cure of Sin, to make use of Phyfick and Exercise, and fuch other Methods, as are prescribed to valetudinary Perfons, for the Recovery of their Health: Why, faith he, I am well enough in Body; I eat, I drink, I fleep; all my Disease is in my Mind: I would be rid of these wicked Thoughts, that do continually haunt me and torment me, and what can Phyfick or Exercise contribute to that? I have Need of a fpiritual Phyfician. Why thus far he is indeed in the right, a spiritual Phyfician may do him fome Service, and give him fome Comfort by convincing him, (if he be capable of it) that thefe Thoughts of his, how wicked and blafphemous foever they are, VOL. III. fhall

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