Baxter - BJ1441 B3 1673

'Al!c.. to. JO. &. J4.l.J• .L'f•·37" The Cttre of LuftfHlnefr. 9• 26. Direct. 9· If lcji mtaJts prev•il not open thy caft to fome able faithful fritnd .lnd en them to watcb over tbre ; and tell them wben thou art mojt endang~red by the temptation : This willfh~;;: thee from the fin, and lay more eng~geme?ts on r~ee to_forbear Jt. If thou tell thy friend, Now 1am tempted to the fin, and now I am ~omg to 11; he Will quiCkly Hop thee: ercak thy ftcrefie,and thou loft![ thyopportunity• . Thoucanjl do tb~ If thou be Willmg : If mr thy Confcience prevail ( 0 far with thee, as to refolve agamthhy fin, or to ~e W1lh~g ~o efca~e, then ~ake the time wh1le Confcunce is awake, and go tell thy frit~~d: And tell hun wholt IS that IS thy Wicked companion, and let him know all thy haunts, that .he may know the better how to help thee. Doll thou fay, thar thiswilljhame th"? It ·a do fo to him that its k,_nown to : But that is the benetit of it, and thats the reafon I adviCe thee ro ~1r ~hat jhamr may help to fave ~hy foul. If thou go on, the fin will both jhame and d.1mn thee; and a greater tbarne than this JS a gentle remedy m fo foul and dangerous adifeafe. · 9·1.7· Direct. 10. Therefore, if yetallthis'will not fervc turn, 1ellit to many, yea rather tell it all the 1own than nnt be cured: And then the publick thame will do much mon.:: : C:mftfs it to thy Paftor, and defire ~im 9ptJtly tobeg. t~e fraytrs of the Cimgregation f/Jr tby pardunand recover-y. Begin thus to crave the fruit orCh~trcb Difczphne thy felf; fo far fhouldli thou be from flying from ir and, fpurningagainllitasthedefperate hardened finnersdo. If thou fay, This is a bard lrj]~n, rernc~ber thanhe fuifering of Hell is harder. Do not fay that t wrong thee, by putting thee upon fcandal and open fhame' It is thou that puttefi thy felfupon it, by making it necrff>ry, and refuting all ealier remedies. I pqtthec on it, but on fuppofition that thou wilt not be eafilier cuJCd : Almol\ as Chrill puts thee upon cutti~tg off a rigbt hand, or plucl\ing out aright tyt left aU the b,dy be cJfi into bell : This is not • the waythathecommandeth theejirylto take: he would have thee avoid the need of it : but he tells theethat its better do fo than worfe;, and that this is an eafic fuffering in comparifon of Hell. And fo I advifc thee, if thou love thy mdit, forbear thy fin in a cheaper way ; but if thou wilt mlt do fo, take this way rather than damn thy foul. If the fhame of all the Town be upon thee, and •he Boys fhou1d hoot after thee in the Streets, ifit would drive thee from thy fin, how ealie were thy fulf". ing;n.:omparifon of what it is like to be? Concealment is·Satans great advantage. It would .be hard fot thee to lin thus if it were but opened. ·.' Tit. 2.. 1)ireilions againft inward filtlry Lufts; j". ~ ~oT· Dire6t.t. BEcaufe with mol\ the temperature of the Bocly bath a great hand in this fin, ., yoJtr fiJjl care muft be abtnft the 'body to reduce it unto a temper lefs inclined to lujl: And here the chief remedy i< fafting and much abjlinence. And this may the better be born, becaufc for the mofi part it is perfons fo firong as to be able to endure it that are under this temptat.ion. If your Temptation be not ftrong, the lcf~ abjlintnce from meat and drink may ferve turn : (For I I would prefcribe you no !lronger Phylick than is needful to cure your difeafe.) But if it be vialwt and leffer means will not prevail, its betrery9ur bodies be fomcwhat weaken~d, than your fouls cor.. rupted and undone. Therefore in this' cafe, •· Eat no Breakfafl nor S~ppers; but one meat a day, unlefs a bit or tw6 of Bread and a fup or two of Water i~ the mbrning, and yet not too full a dinner ; andnothing at night. 2• Drink no Wine or ftrong Drink, but Water if the fiornach can bear it without fieknefs,(and ufually in fuch hot bodies it is healthfuller than Beer). 3.Eat no hot Spices or ftrongor heating or windy meats: Eat Letticeand fuchcooling Herbs. 4· If need require it, ·be often let' blood, or purged with fuch purges as copioufly evacuate· ferofity, and not only irritate. S• And oft bath in cold Water. But the Phyficion lhould be advifed with, that they may be fafely done. · sS· 1 • If you think this courfe too dear a cure, and had rather cheri!h your flefh and luft, you are 110t the perfons that I am now Dircding ; for I fpeak to fuch only as are willing to be cured, and to ufe the.nece1fMy means that they may be cured ? If you be not brought to this, your Confcience had need of b'etter awakening. I am fure Chri!l faith that when the Bridegroom was taken from them, his Difcipksfhould faJ!, Mar. 2. 19, 20. And even painful PaRI was infafting often, 2 Cor. 6. 5· & n. 27. and "spl under hi< h•dy and ·brought it into fubje[lion, left by any mtans when he h•d Preachrd,. otbm bimfelf jhould he a cafta,.ay, 1 Cor. 9• 27· And I am fure that the anCient Chn– fiians that 'lived in folit~dc and eat many of them nothing but bread and water) or meaner fare than bread, did not think this cure too dear. Yea fmaller neceffities than this engaged them in fajling, 1 Cor. 7· 5· This unclean Devil will fcarcely be caft out but by prayer aml fajliHg, Mar. 9• 29· 9· >· And I mufitell you thatFulnejidothnaturally chcrifh Luft, as fewel doth the fire. Fulneji of breadprepared the Sodomites for their filthy lufts. Its no more wonder that a fluffed paunch hath a lufiful fury, than that the water runs into the Pipes when the Ciftern is full, or than it is wonder to fee a dunghill bear weeds, or aCarrion to be full of crawling Magots. Plurarcb fpeaks of a Spar· tan that beingasl,ed why Lycurgus made no Law againft Adultery, anfwered, 7'htrt a.rt HIJ Adulterer~ rvith '": But faith the other, n·hat if there jhould be all)? faith the Spartan, 1ben he " topay an Oxe f• grtat a< }hall ft•nil on thi< fide the RiverTayget and drinJt of the River Eurora: fauh the other, that 11 impoffible: And faith the Spartan Et q~to paUo Spart.e txijfat adulter in q~tfl djviti.e, delici£, & corporU 11dfoititilu culuuprobr~ habemttr l & cunuo~J vertcumlia, modejtia, ac obtdienti.e Magijfratibus debit.e ob- . - · - -· ferva:io

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