The Cure of Glttttony. 9· 52· 2. For vr.~riety alfo: make not your TaLlt: unnectfftJrily a fnare : Have no greater variety, than the wcaknefs of fiomachs, or variety ofAppetite~ doth require. Vnnecrffary varietyand plea[ant– nt/i of meats, are the Devils great infirurnents to draw men_ to Glu::on.Y_: (And_ I would wifh no good people ro be l1i< Cooks or Caterers ) : When the very brutJlh Appctm 1t felf begms to fay of •• e dijh, I h3vt eno~tgiJ, then comes another to tempt it u_nro more exccfs, and ~nother after that _to more : All this that I have faid, I ~ave the concurrent jud~ementofPhyficions m,who condemnful– nefi and vsriety, as the great enemtes of health, and nurfenes of dtfeafes. An~ IS no~ r~e concur– rent judgement of Phyficions more valuable about matters of health, than your pnvate op1tuons, or ap· petiter l Yet when ficJtneft requireth Variety, it is necr.JJ:ry. • . . . . 9· 53• 3· Sit JJot too long at meat; for befides the hn of w~/l~ng ttme, It IS but the way to tlce down a little and a little more: And he that would beTtmperate tf you fHc bol a q*arttr6f an hour (which is ordinarily enough) will exceed when he hath the temptation of balfan·hour (which is enough for the enrertainment of tlrangers): much m~re when you mull fit out an hour ( which, is too much of all copfcience) : Though greedy tati11g IS not good, yet fober [ttding may fatisfie Na- 'lztre in a little time. . 379 9· 54· 4· See tb:zt your provifiom be not mfl'fe coftly tl}(m is nectjf:Jry ~· Though I knO\Y th~re mufi be T~e ol~ fa– a ditlerence allowed for Pcrfons and Times,. yet fee that no cofl be bellowed ttn.mccffaril.y : And ,let ~~~~~r~n-n1!:n~ fober Rea{011 and not Pride and Gluttony JUdge of the_ nectffi'Y.: we corn?1only call h1m the Ric(J houfesw:tsnot Glutton Luke I6. that fared Jitmptuoujly every day: It IS not U1d.that he dtd eat any mort than other :unifs, where men, but that hefared fitmptuoujly. You cannot anfwcr it comfortably ro God, to la)' that out uP· th; fi~ry of on the beiJy which might do mo~e goo? an.other w~y : Its a horrid fin to fp7nd. fuch ~ore of wealth ~j~t~1:0and unneceifarily upon the belly, as IS ordmanly done. The cheapdl dyet ( c.eteru p;mbM) mutt be La:,amr wls preferred, wonr to be: 9· 55· Object. But 1he fcandal of Cwetoujitt{r muft be avoided as weU as Glutto!!J• Folks wiU fay, P'i?ted o-ee that oU tbi-1 is done meerly from 11 miferable worldly mind. th~1 h_ !~!ell , An[w. 1- It is eaGer to bear that cenfure than the difpleafure ofGod. 2· No fcandal mufl be avoid- on 1 '" a '· ~d by fin: It is a fcandal taken and not given. 3· With Temperate pcrfons your exceji is much more fcandalous. 4· rll teach you acure for this in the next Direction. : 9· 56. ObjeCl: • But whal if I {et varitty and plenty on my T~ble ? May nol men choofe whether they wiU 'tat' too nmch? Doyou think,. men are Swine, that ~now not when they have enough• .llnfw. Tes we fee by certain experience, that moft men know not when they have enough, ancl do exceed when they think they do not. There is not one of many, but is much more prone to exceed, than to come ChOit, and abundance fin in excefs, for one that finneth by defeCt: And is fin fo [mall a matter with you, that you will lay fnares before men, and then fay, They may take heed> So men may chcofe whether they will go into a Whore·houfe, and yet the Pope doth lcarce deal ho: nc:fily to Ecenfe them at Rome: much lefs is it well eo prepue them, and invite men to them. Will you cxcufc the Devil for tempting Eve with the forbidden fruit, becaufe fl1.c might cboo[e whether {he would meddie with _it ? What doth that on your Table, which is pu~pofcly cooked to the te!llpting " Cor. B. 9 • of the appetite, and JS fitted to draw men to Gukjity and Excrfs, and JS no way nttdfull Wo to him Lev....._Jg , 4 : tbal laycth aj!umbling block before the bliHd. Let no man put a ftumbling block,. i11 his brothers n>ay : Rom~ 1 !· It is the wickeds curtC, [Let their Table be made tJ {nart, and a trap, a11d a jlumbli11g block.: J And it Rom. 11 ··9· wa.s Balaams fin, that he taught BaltJacl(_ eo tempt lfrael, or Jay a ftttmbling blocllbcfore them. Rev.z.. '4· 9· S7· Direct 9· Refolve to befton> the cofl of fuch fuperjluities upon the poor, sr fome othtr charit:.- Dirdl. ~; ble ufe; 1ha1 fo il become nol a facrifice lo the beUy. Let the grcatefl and needfullell ufcs be tir!l ferved : It is ~o time for you to be glutting your appetites, ~nd waHowing in excefs, when ahy ()'e,a, fo many ) about you do want even clothes and bread. 11 you do thus lay out all upon the poor ~hich you fpare from. feed~ngyour own and other ~ens excefs, then none. can fay .that your fparing IS through covetous mgardm; and fo that reproach IS taken off. The pncc of one Ftaj!, will buy bread for a great many poor people. Its fmall thanks to you to give to the poor fome leavings when your bellies are tidl glutted with as much as the appetite defired : This cofieth you nothing; A Swine will leave that to another which he cannot eat. But ifyou will a little pinch your Aelh or deny your felves,and live more fpJringly and thrif:ily,thatyou m,y havethe more to give to the poor, this is commendable mdeed. . 9· 58. Direct. 10. Do not ovcr-perfwadt any to eat whm· there is no nuB, bzet rather he..lp 011 e Direl1~ 10: another agai>ifl mnning into txctfi : by lcafonable difcourfcs of the finfulncfs of Gluttony, and of the excellency of abftinence, and by friendly watchings ~ver and warning .one another. Saran and the jlejh and its unavoidable baits, are temptation llrong enough : w< need 110t by unhappy kindnefs to add more. . · ~-59. Direct. t I. Whm you feel.yonr appetites eager againft rea/on and cotifCience, thecJ:.. the,nand Direft~ I I~ rtfolve that thry jhaU nol be pleafed. Vnrtfolvtdneji k:epeth up the tc;mptation : If you woula bnt Refolve once., you wou!d be qutet: But when the Devil tindeth you yttldi~tg, ,or l'Vt.Wtrirzg, or unrt~ [olved, he w1ll .never gtvc you refl: Prov. ~3· I, 2, 3· 1Yhen thou jinejt to eat with a R.uler,.- confi~ ·der diligemly what is before thee, andp~t a ~·mje to thy throat if t.~ou be a mangiven to appetite : Bt. not defirous ofllis daintier,for.they aredecwful.meat. The words tranflated [IfJb~zt be a man.given to ~ppetite (agreeable tp the Scptua,gmt and the Arabzc~ are tr~n.Oared byMom:J»IIJ, and in the Vi$/g~r Latin, and 1he Chaldee Parapbraje LIf thou have the power of 1hy on>n.foul, or be majl<r af tbJ foul, Compos anim.< J Shew t!>at thou art matter o~ thy felf by thy abllme_n«: Infiead of .[ Pu~ • . k•ife !o 1by tiJrw J . . ( that IS, Threaten tby [elf rnto <tbftmmct), the SyrtacJi. and dtvers Expofitors cunlhtc it [ 'f.ho¥ Pr•v· 21 . , 1 • d,jl,
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