C H R I S T A P H Y S I C I A N. Book II. METAPHO~ PARALLEL eth not the Diflemper, can never Soul) or whatever Plague or Difeafe cloth affiicr cure it unlefs by chance. thee. VI. A Phylician, as he ought to VI. ]cfus Chrifl doth not only know every know the Name and N~ture of the Diflemper of each Man and Woman, but alfo. Difeafe, fa he muf1: know the Caufe the Caufe of it, the firf1: Rife from whence it of the Difeafe. The Cure is found, fprings; what Difeafes are epidemical, and what faith one, in the Caufe; to difcover not; whether the Caufe arifes from within, from whence the Diflemper grew, and that inward and univerfal Depravity, the oriainal what the Occafion ofit was, dire<'ls Caufe indeed of all fpiritual Sicknefs; or wh~ther unto the Remedy. the prefent Grief arifcs more immediately from an . infe<'lious Air, Perfons, or diflempered Companions, the Rum of many Souls; whether It anfes from Unbehef, or Worldly-mindednefs or Negle<'l of Dmy, Temptation of Satan, or from other Caufes, he knows them all. ' VII. It behoves a Phyjicia11 to VU. Chrifl knows the Inclinations of every know the Con.ftitution of his Soul, what Sin or Sins do moft ea.fily befet them, Patient; thereby he finds out what Heb. xii. r, 2. or they are chiefly fubje<'l unto, Difeates the Patient is mofl fubje<'l whether it be Pride, or Pa.lfion, or the inordinate and liable to. Love of the Creature, or whatever elfe. VIII. A Phy.fician ought to know Vl!l. Chrifl knows all the babitual Difeafes of wh~t Difeafes are cbronical or habithe Soul, fuch Diflempers as are inveterate, .ftub– tual, from fuch as are acute, that born, contumacious, from thofe common Weak– have feized on the Patientfuddenly, ne!fes and Infirmities of Chriftians, which the be£1: by Heats, Colds, Blood, or from of Men may be overtaken with. other Caufes. IX. A Phyfician ought to be an experienced Man; that greatly tends to his more neceff.try Accomplirh– ment: For if he be one that hath not feen the Effe<'l of his Medicines in his own Body nor in others, it is hard venturing to have to do with him. X. APhy.fician ufeth proper and fuitable Preparatives to difpofe his Patient's Body to a Cure. IX. Chrift is well experienced; no Phyfician fo ancient, or bath had fa long Experience of Diflem– pers of the Body, as he bath had of the Difeafes of the Soul. How many hath he cured fince the Beginning of the \Vorld, of all manner of Sick– ndfes and Difeafes whatfoevcr? X. 1efus Chrift ufeth proper and meet Prepa– ratives, to difpofe and fit Men for their fpiritual Cure; makes them !enfible of their State and Condition by Nature; humbles, and lays them low at his Feet; puts them upon the Duty of Prayer, and hearing the Word; and quickly after the Cure follows. XI. APhy.ficianprefcribes proper Medicines for every Difeafe; he does not apply Medicines that are hurtful and noxious, fuch as ra– ther kill than cure, that inflead of having virtue in them to cure, are of a poifonous Nature, or have no virtue at all. XI. Jefus Chrif1: knows what is proper for every Difeafe of the Soul, and applies fuch Medicines as are meet and proper, according to the Dif1:em– per, fuch as are not hurtful and dangerous, or that have no healing or faving Qolality in them ; cloth not fend them to the Light witbin, to Princi– ples of Morality, to Popifh Pardons? or Dijpenfa– tions from Rome, ro a bare Reformatzon from a no– torious and fcandalous Life, or an external Pro– feffion of Religion, Prayer, hearing the Word, Alms-Deeds, &c. to rruft to, or rely upon for Salvation: But contrarywife, to Faith in his own Blood, to Repmtance and Remi.lfion, throuah the Atonement and Merits of his Sacrifice on the Crofs, Mark 1. 15. Johif iii. 36. and vii. 37· Xll. A Phyf>cian doth not only know what Medicines are good for his Patient, bllt alfo takes care to apply them at a right Time; ifthofe Thingsthat areproperfor theD>feafe be not rightly and wifely applied, the EffeCts are lofl. A Man may do as much hurt by giving a good MeXII. Chri£1: makes a right Application of Truth, as well as he applies that which is good and proper in itfelf; he does not preach the Ter– rors of the Law, the Severity and Jufhce of God, to a poor broken Soul, that. lies languirhing and trembling, that has the P1llars of !115 Comfort rhaken w1th the Brcakings of Divine Wrath; for fuch an one he does not prefcribe Corrojives, but Cordials, •
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