The Mtfchiefs of Gluttony, mrd the Cure. 377 9· 4 3. Direct. 7• Vnder[ran~ well what~~ m~fl contfJtcible to your healtb ;_mt~ la t?iJt. be the o.rdih_ary Dire{i. i• . me<Jfure of your diet fo~ qua1ttU.)', and_quahty, artcl t1me. Sure your Natme _lt fdJ, 1f you are y~t Sn.r.u_cs ~deo men, o10uld have nothm~ to by agamfi th~s meafure, and con{equently .aga1~fi all .the reH of th~ ~~~~~c~-:~ci~:Dired:ions which [uppofi 1t : Natttre hath Stvtn .you Reafun as well.as Apprute, and Reafon telleth ut cum Athe~ you, that your h~a/th is more to be regarded than your appetite. 1 hope you will nor f~y, _that n.1s pdlis fx– God is too thict wtth you, or would dyet you tOOhardly as long as he allowech you ( ordman!y ) pcnumcro . to choo[e that (when you can have it lawfully) which is moft for your own health, and forbid- ~l:.larc.c, folu, dcth you nothing but that .which lmrttth yo_u. What Heath~n .or Intidcl t~~t is no~ either m~d or :!'g~o~~;:;~t'' frviJtijh will not allow tbu meafure and cboJ.ce, as well as Chnllm1s ; Yea, tf y.ou bel:evt not a life ta J.aMms i1t comt, ~ethinks you fhould be loth to fhorten thU life which now you have. God would bu~ keep SrJ..rm. you from hurting your fclves by your exce(o;, as you would ketp your Cbildrcn or your Swine. Though he hath a farther end in it, and fa mull you, namc!y, that a healthful body may be ferviceahle to a holy foul, in your Maflers work : yet it is the health of your bodies which is to be your 1zeareft and immediate end and meafure. · It is a very great overfight in the Education. o~ youth, that they be not taught bttimes fome TheM::.:'ure common and neceffary Precepts about dyer, acquamtmg _rhem what . tendeth to htalth and life, and ofEatmg. what to ficl{.neji, pain and death: And it were no unprohtablc,or unm:ceffary thing, if Frincts rook a cour[e that all their fubjeCh might have fome fuch common needful Precepts familial!)· known ( As if it were in the Books that Children firfi learn to read in, wgcthcr with the Precep~s of du:ir moral duty)~ For it is certain, that men love not det~lh or fick,_nefl, and that all men love their l!talrh and M 11 {r;,mco 1 >[fl.t life: And therefore thofe that fear not God, would be much refirained from Exceji by the fear of fick- co,zw io ui– nefs ~nd of deatb: And what an advantag~ this woul.d be to the Common-we<J[tJ~, you 'may eatily ~~:,iZ~~:!.f111.: perce 1 ve, when you confider. what a maf~ ?f treaf~re 1t would fave, bdides the lav~s, and health, fi~ tor.mlu! , and firength of fo many fubJects. And tt IS certam, t{ut mofl: people ~avc no conhderable know 4 ta'l!tll b 11 i: pro~ ledge, whatmeafureisbdl for them; but the common rule that they Judge by, is. their Appetiu. pritl'ltPc;. They think they have eaten enough, when'tRey have eaten as long as ·they have lijt; and not be· rrarch. fore. If they could eat more with an appetitt, avd be not fick after it, they never think they have been guilty ofGluttony or Excefi. , 9· 44• Firft, Therefore you mufi know, that Appaite i1 not tfJ be your Rule or meaflere, either fo'r Tan,)t'l;t~tia cjuantity, quality, or time: For, r.lt is irrational, and Rea{on is your Ruling faculty, if you are ":01 11p!.at b.us. , men: 2.lt dependeth on the temperature of th~ Body, and the humours, and difeafes ot'ic, and not ~~~~r;,~~=llas a'neer1y on the natural need of meat. A man m a Dropfie is moll 1'hirfty, that bath Ieafi caufe te abigic: ;;alias drink; Though frequently in a putrid or malignant Feavor, a draught of cold drink would proba- di1~rnf.u & bly be death, yet the Appetite de{ireth it never the lefs : Stomachs that have acide humours, have ;~~d lan~?1_mocommon~Y a ftronf. appetite, be the digeftian never fo wetJk; and moll of them could ear with an ~~~ 0~1~:~~~; appetite above tw1ce as much-as they ouglu to eat.And on thecontrary,fomc others dejire .not fo much ;t,\ ill:a prop .. as is neceffary to their fufienance, and mufi be urged to cat againfi their Appetite. 5• Moft hcalthful rer ipf:avenir. people in t~e~world hav_e an Ap.petite to much more than nawre. can we!~ digc:H, and would kill ~lu:-m· ~~~u. . felvcs if they pteafed thcu appetites :For God never gave man Ius Appet1te to be the meajitreoflus eatfi' 1 t tptmmm ing or drinkJng ·, but to mak~ that grateful to him, which Reafon bidderh him take. 4· Mans Appe4 ;u~i;(:~~:~n'l . tite is not now fq f'?und ~nd regular as it was before the fall l but is grown more rebellious and un- no1~ quantum ruly, and difeafed as the body is : And therefore it is nowmuch mor~ unfit to be our mea(urc, thah ''ells, f=J it was before the fall. 5· You fee it even in Swine, and many grtedy Children, that Would prefcntly ~u~n;um d~kill themfdvcs, if they had not the Reafon of others to rule them. 6. Poj{on ,it felf may be as; de- s~~:,.umer(. lightful to the Appetite as food·: and dangerous meats as thofe that are mofl wholfome. So that it is moll: certain, that Appetite is not fit robe the mea[ure of a man. Yet this is true Withal, that when Rea/on bath nothing againfi it, then an Appetite fl1eweth what n.ztttre raketh to be mofi agreeable ro it fdf 1 and Reafon therefore hath fopmhing for il (if it have nothing againfl it ) ; hecaufe it lheweth what the Stomach is like bell to clofewiih and digefl ; and it is fame help to Reafon to difcerri when it is prepared for food. 9· 45· Secondly, It is certain alfo, that the preji>ll feeling of eafe or fick..nefi, is no certain rule to judge of your digtftion, or your meafure by: 'for though fome tender, relaxed, windy f!omachs, arc fick or tro~bled when they ate overcharged, or exceed their meaGue, yet with the mo!l it is not fa: ~nlefs they exceed to very fwinijhnefi, th.ey a~e·fiot-fick upon it, nor feel any hurt at prefent by l.efs e~cctfes,. bu.t only the imperfection of concoction doth v)tiatc the humours, and prepare for fickndfes by degrees (as is aforefaid ) : and on.e feelcth it a moneth after in fome difeafed evacu~ . ~tionS; and ~nother ~ tWe1v~-rnoneth after; and another hot of many..years till it haVe turned tO fame uncurahle difeafe: (For the difcafes tha( are bred by fa long preparations ar~ ordinarily much rnore uncurable, than thofe that come but from fudden accidents and a1tera.tions, in a cleaner body.) Therefore td fay, [I feel it do me nobarmi and thertfore it i1 na txcefJ ], is. the faying of an i~eot, that hath no forefeeing Rea{on , and refifteth not an ~enmiy while he is Garrifoning, forrity– ingand arming hiinfelf, b4t only when it comes to blows : Or like him that would go, into a Pell: houfe, and fay, I feel it do me noharm: But within a few dayes or.weeks he wil1 feel ir. A$ jf the btginnhig of.a Confumption ~ere no ~urt to them, beca~fe they feel it not ! Thus liVing liKe a Beafi; will at lafi: ma~e men judgt hke Beafis ; and brutifie their brain! as well as their QeL'ieJ. .· ~: 46. 'T~irdly, It iS cer.ta~n.~lfo, that t~e common cujlom .iud ~pini?n i~ no certain rule ; na.y, cert 3 inly Jt ts an errmg rult : For Judsmg by appttztt hath brought men ordmanly to take e=-:r::;Ji eo be bUt ~emj eran"; All thefe then are talfe meafures. Ccc~ 9·47·
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=