pOWERS AND CONTESTS OF FLE$n AND SFIRIT. when the body is frequently exercised with sharp and tedious pains, *even a well-tempered man becomes peevish and fretful ; fie vexes his own spirit with impatience ; he murmurs against the hand of God ; and this secret uneasiness, though it dares not appear in visible rage against his Creator, yet it cannot contain itself in silence, but breaks out with too much evidence and guilt, quarrellingwith his fellow-creatures round about him : He tires out hisbest friends with perpetual disquietude ; he loseshismeek and gentle temper; and the man that was wont to be always pleased and easy, now resents every thing, and scarce any body can please him. This appears with bright evidence to be occasioned by bodily disorders ; for even our natural hunger makes us peevish : When sharp aid corrosive juices prey upon the stomach itself, for want of food, how touchy and fretful does our temper grow, till a good meal provides matter for those digestive juices to act upon ? then the flesh growseasy, and the goodhumour returns. But topur- sue the observation concerning diseases. When the natural spirits are reduced very low by longweak- ness, how cold and inactive are some good men : When phleg- matic humours prevail in the body, how slothful are some chris- tians in everyduty ? How backward to all active services Of God or man ? Even those very persons who were once chearful and zealous, and ready to every good work. After the same man- ner, when through distemper of body, black and melancholy jui- ces get the ascendant over the more sprightly animal powers, how often do we find persons of a sweet affable behaviour grow sullen and unsociable ? Those who were fond of company and conversation, seek dark corners and solitary chambers of retire- ment ; they grow listless toevery diversion, andwill hardly ad- mita visitant, or give answers to the common questions of life. Again, when the powers of nature are broken by continual diseases, the man of courage becomes fearful, and starts aside from duty, at every appearing difficulty : Theman of faith gives in to fears and doubts, to perpetual unbelievings, and suspicious thoughts, with regard to the promises of God, andall the encou- ragements of the gospel. And to put this matterbeyond all dispute, experience teaches us, that the very same persons who had been fretful, peevish, slothful, sullen, or excessively timorous, under the influences of these several distempers of body ;. when by the means of medi- cine they have been restored to health, they have returned again to thechearful practices of those single and social virtues, which so long lay cramped, confined, and buried under the diseases of the flesh. Now if the occasion of these several sorts of sins, both of omission and commission, did not chiefly arise from the gosh, why should the same christian so remarkably find his whole
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