Signs of Melancholy. Tit. 5; 1>ireElions to tlJe Mela11choly abollt their Thoug!Jts. Read m·o,. IT is fo eafie and ~rdinar~ a thing_ for fome weak-headed p<;rfons, to ~all themfelves into Melan- =!~ei~!l~:l· choly by over-firammg etther then 7'hoHgbts or their Affelli~nl, and th~ cafe of fuch is fo exceed~ fpair. ing lamentable, that I think it requifite to give fuch forne p~rticular Direl1io1a by themfe}ves. And the rather be~aufc I fee fame Perfons that are unacquainted with the nature of this and other di– feafes, exceedmgly abufe the name of Goa, and bring the profdlion of Religion inro fcorn by im– puting all the alfech and fpeeches of luch Melancholy perfons to fome great and notable opeiations of the fpiritof God, and thena:"draw obfervations of the methods and workings of God upon the foul, and of the nature of the legal workings of the fpirit of bondage. (As fome other fuch have di– vulged the prophecies, the polfeffions and difpolfeffing of Hy!lcrical Women, as I have read eiP<ci– ally m the Wrumgs of the Fryars ). I do not call thofe Melancholy, who are ratio~tally forro.,.f 11 1[<r fin, and fenfibleof their mifery, and follicirous about their recovery and falvarion, though it be with as great ferioufnefJ as the faculties can bear. As long as they have found Reafon, and the ima· gination, fantafie or thinking faculty is not crazc:d or difeafed : But by Mtl~1tch11ly 1 mean, this di– feafed crazynes, hurt, or errour of the imagination, and confequently of the undcrfianding, which is known by thefe following fignes, ( which yet are not all in every Melancholy per– fon.) Stofci dicunr flpienttol nunqu2m fa~ nir2rementis e:o.:ciderc. • lncidere tlmtnaliqua.ndo in itmgin:uion~ sbfurdas propter ;m.:rbilis redundantilm, five ob dcliutioncm non quidem deviatione rationi!– verum ex imbecUiir.;ue natura:. Lam. in ze~:oitt. ~ -~ 2· 1. They arc commonly exceeding fea>ful, cauflrfly or beyond whai there is caufe for: every thmg which they hear or ft:c is ready to increafe their tears, efpecially if[tar was the firft caufi, as. ordinarily it is. 2· Their fantafie moll errcth in aggravating the\r fin, m dangeri, or unhappintji: every ordinary infirmity they are ready to fpcak of with amazement as a heynous fin. And every poffible danger, they take for prob::ble, and every probable one for certaiJJ : and every littlt dan... ger for a great one; anp every calamity for an utter tmdoing. 3· They are Hill addid:ed to ex.. cefs of fadne[s, fome weeping they know not why, and fome thinking it ought to be fo: and if they fhould frnile or (peak merrily, their hearts (mite them for it, as if they had done amifs : 4· They place moft of their R.eligiott in farrowing and aufieriries to the fldh. 5· They are continual fllfaccufcrJ: turn· ing all into matter of accufation againll thcrnfelvcs, which they hear, or read, or fee, or rhink of: quarrelling with themfelves for every thing they do, as a contentious perfOn doth with Others. 6. They are fiill apprehending themfelves forfak.§n of God, and are prone to defp•ir : They are ju!l like a man in a Wildernefs, forfakcn of all his friends and comforts; forlorn and dcfOiate: their con– tinual thought, is, I am undone, undone, undone ! 7• They are fiill thinking that the daj ·of Grace ir paft, and that it is now too late to repent or to find mercy : If you tell them of the tcnour of the Gofpel and offers of free pardon to every penitent btlievcr, they cry out fii!l, t_oo late, too latt:, my day is pafi ; not confidc:ring that every foul that trttly repenttth in thil life is cenainly f9rgiven. 8. They ·are oft: tempted to gather dtfpairing thoughts from the doCtrine of Prtdcjlin.atien, and to thin!{ that jf God have reprobatcd them, or have not eleCted them, all that they can do, or that all the world can <Id, canno't fave them, and iUXt th_ey firongly conceit that they arc ~otot r/r{Jrd, and fo tbat they are Faft help or hope : not knowing that God eletl:eth not any man feparatedly or fimply to be laved, but conjundly tobtlieve,repmt and to be[aved; and fo to the end and me~ns together; and that all that \vill repwt and cboofe Chrijl and a holy life are elected to falvation, becaufe they are eldl.d to the meant and condition of falvation, which if they perfevcre they fhall enjoy. To Repe111 is the bell way to prove that I am e/e{iedtoR.rpem. 9· They never read or hear ef any miferable infiance, but they are thinking that this is their cafe! If they hear of Cain, of Pharao!J given up to hardndS of heart, or do but read that {Ome are ve§el1 of wrath, fitted to dtjirullirm, or that they have eyes and fee nor, ears and hear not, hearts and underfiand not, they think, This is all fpoken of me; or this is jufl: my cafe : If they hear of any terrible example of Gods judgefnents on any, they think, it will be fa wirh them: if ·any dye fuddenly, or a houfe be burnt; or any be diltractcd, or dye in defpair, they think it will be fo with them. The reading of Spira's cafe, caufeth or increafeth Mebucholy in many ; ~he igno~ rant Author having defcribed a plain Melancholy, contracted by the trouble of !inning agamn Con– fcicnce, as if it were a damnable defpair of a found underfiancling; 1 o. And yet they think that ne– ver any one was as they arc; I have had abundance in a few weeks with me, almofi jufi in· the fame cafe; an4 }'et every one fay that never any one was as they. ll• They are urrerly 'm~ble ttJ R.rjoyct in any t~ing: They cannot apprehend, believe or think of any thing that is comfortable t? rhem. They read all the thrcatnings of the word with quick fenfe and application, but the Promifer they read ovet and over without taking notice of them; as if they had not read them; or elfe far~ They do not b6long to me : The greater the mercy of God is, and the riches of grace, the more mJferable ~m 1 that have no part in them. They are like a man in continual pain or fick11efs, that ca_nnot rr;oyce,
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