Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	good_a	law_n	work_n	2,920	5	6.2264	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09364	The first part of The cases of conscience Wherein specially, three maine questions concerning man, simply considered in himselfe, are propounded and resolued, according to the word of God. Taught and deliuered, by M. William Perkins in his Holy-day lectures, by himselfe revised before his death, and now published for the benefit of the Church.; Cases of conscience. Part 1	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.; Pickering, Thomas, d. 1625.	1604 (1604)	STC 19668; ESTC S114413	95,900	200

doing of that which is vnlawfull to be done and that this is equall in all men that sinne and therfore by consequent offences are equall I answer that in euery sinne men must not consider the vnlawfulnesse thereof onely but the reason why it should be vnlawfull and that is properly because it a breach of Gods law and repugnant to his will reuealed in his word Nowe there is no breach of a diuine Law but it is more or lesse repugnant vnto the will of the Lawgiuer God himselfe And many transgressions are more repugnant thereunto then fewer for the more sin is increased the more is the wrath of God inflamed against the sinner vpon his due desert If it be said again that the nature of Sinne stands onely in this that the sinner makes an aberration from the scope or marke that is set before him and doth no more then passe the bondes of duty prescribed by God and that all are alike in this respect The answer is that it is a falshood to affirme that he which makes the lesse aberration from the dutie commanded is equall in offence to him that makes the greater For the same sinne for substance hath sundrie steppes and degrees in respect whereof one man becommeth a more heinous offender then another for example in the seauenth commandement when God forbiddes the committing of Adulterie he forbiddeth three degrees of the same sinne to wit adulterie of the heart consisting of inordinate and vncleane affections adulterie of the tongue in corrupt dishonest and vnseemely speeches and the very act of vncleannesse and filthinesse committed by the bodie Nowe it cannot be said that he which breakes this commandement onely in the first degree is as great a transgressour as he that hath proceeded to the second and so to the third And therefore it remaines for an vndoubred trueth that Sinnes committed against the Law of God are not equall but some lesser some greater The second way to aggrauate sinne is by addition of sinne to sinne and that is done sundry waies first by committing one sinne in the necke of another as Dauid sinned when he added murther to adulterie Secondly by doubling and multiplying of sinne that is by falling often into the same sinne Thirdly by lying in sinne without repentance And here it must be remembred that men of yeares liuing in the Church are not simply condemned for their particular sinnes but for their continuance and residence in them Sinnes committed make men worthie of damnation but liuing and abiding in them without repentance is the thing that brings damnation For as in the militant Church men are excommunicate not so much for their offence as for their obstinacie so shall it be in the Church triumphant the kingdome of heauen shall be barred against men not so much for their sinne committed as for their lying therein without repentance And this is the manner of Gods dealing with those that haue liued within the precincts of the Church they shall be condemned for the very want of true faith and repentance This should admonish euery one of vs to take heed least we lie in any sin● and that beeing any way ouertaken we should speedily repent least we aggrauate our sinne by continuance therein and so bring vpon our selues swift damnation Thirdly the same sinne is made greater or lesser 4. waies according to the number of degrees in the committing of a sinne noted by S. Iames Temptation Conception Birth and Perfection Actuall sinne in the first degree of tentation is when the minde vpon some sudden motion is drawne away to thinke euill and withall is tick led with some delight therein For a bad motiō cast into the minde by the flesh and the deuill is like vnto the baite cast into the water that allureth and delighteth the fish and causeth it to bite Sinne in conception is when with the delight of the minde there goes consent of will to doe the euill thought on Sinne in birth is when it comes forth into action or execution Sinne in perfection when men are growne to a custome and habit in sinne vpon long practise For the often committing of one and the same sinne leaues an euill impression in the heart that is a strong or violent inclination to that or any other euill as hath bin taught before And sinne thus made perfect brings forth death for custome in sinning brings hardnes of heart hardnes of heart impenitencie and impenitencie cōdemnation Now of these degrees the first is the least and the last is the greatest One and the same sinne is lesser in tentation then in conception and les●e in conception then in birth and greater in perfection then in all the former Sundry other Distinctions there are of sinnes as namely That the maine sinnes of the first Table are greater then the maine sinnes of the second Table And yet the maine sinnes of the second are greater then the breach of ceremoniall duties against the first table But this which hath beene said shall suffice The vse of this doctrine is manifold First by it we learne what the heart of man is by nature namely a corrupt and vncleane fountaine out of which issueth in the course of this life the streams of corruptions infinite in number noysome in qualities hainous in degrees dāgerous in effects For from thence doe flow all the differences of sins before named with their seuerall branches and infinit many more that cannot be rehearsed This must mooue vs humbly to sue vnto God earnestly to intreat him to wash vs throughly from our wickednes clense vs frō our sins yea to purge and to rinse the fountaine thereof our vncleane and polluted hearts And when by Gods mercy in Christ apprehēded by faith our hearts shal be purified then to set watch ward ouer them and to keep them with all diligence Secondly it teacheth vs that miserable mortall man is not guiltie of one or more sins but of many sundrie corruptions both of heart and life Who can vnderstād his faults saith Dauid Now the alowāce of sin being death by gods ordināce God being iustice it selfe answerably to the number of our offences must we needs be lyable to many punishments yea to death it selfe both of the bodie and of the soule This beeing our wofull estate litle cause is there that any man should thinke himselfe to be in good case or presume of Gods mercie in regard of the small number of his sinnes And much lesse cause hath he falsely to imagine with the Popish sort that he can merit the fauour of God by any worke done by him aboue that which the Law requireth considering that it is impossible for him to knowe either the number or the nature or the measure of his sinnes Lastly the consideration of this point must be a barre to keepe vs in that we be not too secure or presumptuous of our owne estate for as much as we learne out of

serueth to no other purpose in the time of temptation but to plunge the heart of man into the pitte of despaire it being vncapable of comfort for want of knowledge and vnderstanding of the word and promise of God II. That euery man ought to stand in feare and doubt of the pardon of his sinnes and that no man can be assured by the certentie of faith either of the present fauour of God or of his owne saluation True it is that in respect of our owne vnworthines and indisposition we haue iust cause not onely to doubt and feare but to despaire and be confounded before the iudgement seat of God Yet that a man should not be certainely resolued by faith of the mercie of God in and for the merit of Christ is a comfortlesse doctrine to a distressed soule and contrarie vnto the sauing word of the Gospel which teacheth that certentie floweth from the nature of faith and not doubting III. That every man is bound in conscience vpon paine of damnation to make speciall confession of his mortall sinnes with all the particular circumstances thereof once euery yeare to his Priest This doctrine and practise besides that it hath no warrant of sacred writte nor yet any ground of Orthodoxe antiquitie for 800 yeares more or lesse after Christ i● maketh notably to the disturbing of the peace of conscience in time of extremitie considering that it is impossible either to vnderstand or remember all many beeing vnknowne and hidden and the minde beeing informed that forgiuenesse dependeth vpon such an enumeration may thus be brought into doubt and distrust and will not be able to rest by faith in the sole mercie of God the onely soueraigne medicine of the soule Againe the griefe of the minde doth not alwaies arise from all the sinnes that a man hath committed neither doth the Lord se● before the sinners eies whatsoeuer euill hath bin done by him but some one or more particulars and these are they that doe lie heauie vpon the heart and to be eased of them will be worke enough though ●e doth not exhibite vnto the Confessour a Catalogue of all the rest IV. That some sinnes are veniall because they are only besides the lawe of God not against it and because they ●in●●●uer the sinner onely to temporal and not to eternall punishments This conclusion first is false For though it be graunted that some offences are greater some lesser some in an higher degree others in a lower againe that sinnes in regard of the euent beeing repented of or in respect of the person sinning beeing in Christ and therfore accounted iust are pardonable because they are not imputed to condemnation yet there is no sin of what degree soeuer which is not simply and of it selfe mortall whether we respect the nature of the sinne or the measure proportion of diuine iustice For in nature it is an anomie that is to say an aberration from the perfect rule of righteousnesse and therefore is subiect to the curse both of temporary and eternall death It is an offence against the highest Maiestie and consequently man standeth by it ingaged to euerlasting torment Secondly it is a weake and insufficient ground of resolution vnto a troubled conscience For whereas true and sauing ioy is the daughter of sorrowe and the heart of man cannot be lifted vp in assurance of Gods fauour to the apprehension and conceipt of heauenly comforts vnlesse it be first abased by true humiliatiō brought to nothing in it self The remembrance of this that the offence committed is veniall may in some cases too much inlarge the heart and giue occasion to presume when haply there will be reason to the contrary And if not that yet in the case of falling by infirmitie after grace receiued the mind beeing forestalled with this erronious conceipt that the sin is lesse then it is indeede because veniall may in the issue be lesse quieted and more perplexed V. That a man may satisfie the iustice of the God for the temporall punishment of his sinnes committed To omit the vntrueth of this position howe it maketh to the easing of the heart or the asswaging of the griefe of minde in temptation I appeale to common experience For when a man beeing assured of the pardon of his sinnes shall yet cōsider that there is something more behind to be done on his part how can he in probabilitie rely himselfe wholly vpon Christs satisfaction How can he reape vnto himselfe frō thence any assurance of reconciliation to God whome he formerly offended If we may and must doe something in our own persons whereby to appease the wrath of God why hath our Sauiour taught vs for our hearts releife wholly and onely to make the plea of pardon for our sinnes True it is indeede that Popish Confessors doe teach their Penitents when they feele the wrath of god vpon them for sin to stop the mouth of Conscience by performance of a formall humiliation and repentance yea to offer vnto God some ceremoniall duties in way of satisfaction But when sorrow seazeth vpon the soule and the man falls into temptation then it will appeare that these directions were not currant for notwithstanding them he may want sound comfort in Gods mercy and run into despaire without recouerie And for this cause vpon experience it hath bin prooued that euen Papists themselues in the houre of death haue bin content to renounce their owne workes yea the whole body of humane satifactions and to cleaue onely to the mercie of God in Christ for their saluation By these instances and many more that might be alleadged to this purpose it is apparent vpon how weake and vnstable grounds the Case-diuinitie of the Popish Church standeth and how indirect a course they take for the resolution and direction of the troubled Conscience Now by the benefit abuse of this Doctrine we see how necessary it is that in Churches which professe Christian religion it should be more taught further inlarged then it is And to this purpose it were to be wished that men of knowledge in the Ministerie that haue by the grace of God attained vnto the Tongue of the learned would imploy their paines this way not onely in searching into the depth of such points as stand in bare speculation but in annexing thereunto the grounds and conclusions of practise whereby they might both informe the iudgement and rectifie the conscience of the hearers By this meanes it would come to passe that the poore distressed soule might be releeued pietie and deuotion more practized the kingdome of Sinne Satan and Antichrist weakened impayred the contrarie kingdome of Christ Iesus more more established What the Author cōtriuer of the discourse ensuing hath done in this behalfe it is euident by the whole course of his writings that he hath left behinde him all which as they doe openly shew vnto the world howe great a measure of knowledge

Lawe which commandes perfect obedience no man can possibly doe a good worke Furthermore the Ends of a good worke are manifold first the honour and glory of God Whether ye eate or drinke or what soeuer ye doe doe all to the glory of God Secondly the testification of our thankefulnes vnto God that hath redeemed vs by Christ. The third is to edifie our neighbour and to further him in the way to life euerlasting The fourth is to exercise confirme our faith and repentance both which be much strengthned by the practise of good workes Fiftly that we may escape the punnishment of sinne the destruction of the wicked and obtaine the reward of the righteous life euerlasting Sixtly that we may be answerable to our calling in dooing the duties thereof and in walking as children of light redeemed by Christ Iesus Seuenthly that we may pay the debt which we owe vnto God For we are debters to him in sundry regardes as we are his creatures as we are his seruants as we are his children In a word as we are redeemed by Christ and our whole debt is our duty of praise and thanksgeuing After the worke is done then comes the acception of it God acceptes of our workes diuers waies First in that he pardoneth the fault which comes from vs and secondly in that he approoues his owne good worke in vs. We then after we haue done the worke must humble our selues and intreat the Lord to pardon the wantes of our workes say with Dauid Lord enter not into iudgement with thy seruant and with Daniel Lord vnto vs belongeth open shame cōfusion but to thee righteousnes compassion and forgiuenes And the reason is plaine because in vs there is no goodnesse no holines no righteousnes nor any thing that may present vs acceptable in his sight and for this cause Paul saith I know nothing by my selfe yet am I not thereby iustified Great reason then that we should humble our selues before God for our wants and pray vnto him that he will in mercie accept our indeauour and confirme the good worke begunne in vs by his holy spirit II. Question THe next generall Question touching man as he is a Christian is How a man may be in conscience assured of his owne saluation For answer to this Question diuers places of scripture are to be skanned wherein this case of conscience is fully answered and resolued The first place is Rom. 8. 16. And the spirit of God testifieth together with our spirits that we are the sonnes of God In these words are two testimonies of our adoption set downe the Spirit of God dwelling in vs testifying vnto vs that we are Gods children and our Spirit that is our conscience sanctified and renewed by the holy Ghost Here put the case that the testimonie of the spirit be wanting then I answer that the other testimonie the sanctification of the heart will suffice to assure vs. VVe know it sufficiētly to be true and not painted fire if there be heare though there be no flame Put the case againe that the testimonie of the spirit be wanting and our sanctification be vncertaine vnto vs how then may we be assured The answer is that we must then haue recourse to the first beginnings and motions of sanctification which are these First to feele our inward corruptions Secondly to be displeased with our selues for them Thirdly to begin to hate sinne Fourthly to grieue so oft as we fall and offend God Fiftly to auoid the occasions of sinne Sixtly to endeauour to doe our dutie and to vse good meanes Seuenthly to desire to sinne no more And lastly to pray to God for his grace Where these and the like motions are there is the spirit of God whence they proceede and sanctification is begunne One apple is sufficient to manifest the life of the tree and one good and constant motion of grace is sufficient to manifest sanctification Againe it may be demaunded what must be done if both be wanting Answ. Men must not dispaire but vse good meanes and in time they shall be assured The Second place is the 15. Psalme In the first verse whereof this question is propounded namely VVho of all the mēbers of the Church shall haue his habitation in heauen The answer is made in the verses following and in the second verse he sets downe three generall notes of the said person One is to walke vprightly in sinceritie approouing his heart and life to God the secōd is to deale iustly in all his doings the third is for speech to speake the truth from the heart without guile or flatterie And because we are easily deceiued in generall signes in the 3 4 and 5. verses there are set downe seauen more euident and sensible notes of sinceritie iustice and trueth One is in speech not to take vp or carrie abroad false reports and slanders The second is in our dealings not to doe wrong to our neighbour more then to our selues The third is in our companie to contemne wicked persons worthy to be contemned The fourth is in our estimation we haue of others that is to honour thē that feare God The fift is in our wordes to sweare and not to change that is to make conscience of our word and promise especially if it be confirmed by oath The sixt is in taking of gaine not to giue money to vsurie that is not to take increase for bare lending and to lend freely to the poore The last is to giue testimonie without briberie or partialitie In the fift verse is added a reason of the answer he that in his indeauour doeth all these things shall neuer be mooued that is cut off frō the Church as an hypocrite The Third place of scripture is the first Epistle of Iohn the principall scope whereof is to giue a full resolution to the conscience of man touching the certainty of his saluation And the principall grounds of assurance which are there laid down may be reduced to three heads The first is this He that hath communion or fellowship with God in Christ may be vndoubtedly assured of his saluation This conclusion is propounded Chap. 1. v. 3. 4. Where the Apostle tels the Church that the end of the preaching of the Gospel vnto them was that they might haue fellowship not onely mutually among themselues but also with God the father and with his Son Iesus Christ. And further that hauing both knowledge and assurance of this heauenly communion to be begun in this life and perfected in the life to come their ioy might be full that is they might thence reape matter of true ioy and sound comfort vnto their soules and consciences Now whereas it might be haply demaunded by some beleeuers how they should come to this assurance S. Iohn answers in this Epistle that the certainty thereof may be gathered by foure infallible notes The first is Remissiō of sins For though God be in himselfe most holy

knovv not saith Saint Paul what to pray as we ought namely in our distresses but the Spirit it selfe maketh request for vs with sighs that cannot be expressed and therein lies our comfort Thus Moses at the redde sea beeing in great distresse not knowing what to say or doe sighed and groned inwardly in his soule vnto the Lord for helpe and protection and his very desire was in stead of a loud crie in the eares of the Lord. The second thing is that triall must be made whether the partie hath in him any tokens of grace or not These tokens are the small beginnings of grace which before I haue declared As for example a griefe because we cannot grieue for sinne as we should a serious will and desire to beleeue and repent a purpose to sinne no more and such like If these be found in the partie then by them as by sure pledges he may bee assured of the fauour of God towardes him and where any of these be found the saying of God to Saint Paul must be vrged My grace is sufficient for thee and therewith must the distressed partie stay his minde Yea we are to be content with any condition in this life be it neuer so miserabie so long as we are in the fauour of god though he should lay vpon vs euen the paines of hell till the time of our death So did Dauid who when he was pursued by his owne sonne vttered these words vnto God Behold if I please thee not doe with me what thou wilt And the like was the minde of Paul who beeing assured of the fauour of God was content for his glorie and the saluation of the Israelites if it had beene possible to be separated from Christ and to indure the very pangs of hell The third thing in this cure is to Applie to the said distressed partie such promises of God made vnto afflicted persons as are most large and comfortable For example that The Lord is neere to them that are of a contrite heart and vvill saue such as be afflicted in spirit Psal. 34. 18. Againe I came not saith our Sauiour Christ but to the lost sheepe of the house of Israel Matth. 15. 24. He saies not to the straying sheepe but to such as ate now in the pit readie to be drowned or in the Lyons mouth readie to be deuoured Againe The Spirit of the Lord is vpon me therefore he hath annointed me that I should preach the Gospel to the poore that is to such as are distressed in conscience and poore in spirit he hath sent me that I should heale the broken hearted that I should preach deliuerance to the captiues These and many other such like promises are in this case to be vrged and the partie mooued to indeauour to beleeue them and to rest himselfe vpon them though he loose all things els Fourthly the partie must be brought to a serious consideration of his life past and of Gods mercifull dealing with him in former times and therewith is he to be comforted for the time present For if aforehand he hath receiued any tokens of the fauour and loue of God by them he is now to stay and ●o settle his minde The reason is plaine the gifts of God are without repentance whome he loueth once he loueth to the ende and whome he chooseth he calleth iustifieth and sanctifieth and will also in time glorifie Dauid beeing in such affliction that he could hardly thinke vpon God yet he tooke this course praied to the Lord for comfort communed with his owne heart and called to remembrance how God had formerly dealt with him and with this meditation of the continuall course of Gods mercie in his preseruation he confirmed his faith and staied his heart in his greatest troubles The fifth and last thing to be done is the remooueall of such reasons and doubts as the partie distressed vsually makes against himselfe for his owne ouerthrow For it is the manner of those that are troubled in minde to dispute against themselues and commonly they are woont to alleadge three things First beeing instructed how to humble themselues and to depend on Gods mercie they will graunt that all these indeede are good things but they belong not to them for they neither doe nor can feele any thing but the tokens of Gods anger and that they are alreadie entred into some degrees of condemnation This obiection may be taken away by informing them of the manner of Gods dealing in all his workes For commonly he workes all things in his creatures in and by Contraries if we could know the whole frame of them Thus in the Creation euery creature had his beeing of that which had no beeing and something was made not of something but of nothing After the flood the signe of Gods couenant for the preseruation of the world from destruction by raine is the Raine-bow which indeede is a naturall signe of raine When Elias was to prooue the Lord to be the onely true God against the idolatrous priests of Baal and that by burnt offerings he powred water vpon the sacrifice and fills a trench with water round about and in this contrarie meanes was the sacrifice burnt vp Christ for the curing of a blind man tēpers spittle clay together which in all reason is a fitter means to put out the eyes thē to cause the blind to see Thus in the worke of our Redemption Christ giues life not by life but by death and he sendes men to heauen by the gates and suburbes of hell He will not build vpon an olde foundation but he pulls downe and destroies all that Man may haue no hope at all in himselfe but that all the hope he hath may be in God First he kills and then he makes aliue as Anna speaketh first he woundeth and then he healeth He makes man to sowe in teares that afterward he may reape in ioy And he that knoweth Gods dealing to be this must herewith rest content and satisfied because in wrath God vseth to remember his mercie yea his mercie is neuer sweete vnto the palate of the soule vntill it be seasoned with some tast of his wrath The Paschall Lambe was eaten with sowre hearbs to signifie that we can feele no sweetnes in the blood of Christ till we first feele the smart of our owne sinnes corruptions Secondly these persons vse to alleadge against themselues that if they could feele any cōfort at all then they would stay their minds and yeild to good perswasions exhortations To this the answer is That there is a Rule of grace which we must follow gathered out of the word of God and the experience of Gods children contrarie to the rule of nature and aboue the light of reason and it is this that in case of affliction we must not liue by feeling but by faith This Rule is grounded vpon the speech of the Lord by the Prophet The iust man shall

saue himselfe from drowning puts to all his strēgth to swimme to the shore and being come almost vnto it there meetes him a waue or billow which driues him cleane backe againe it may be a mile or further and then the former hope and ioy conceiued of escape is sore abated yet he returnes againe and still labours to come to the land and neuer rests till he attaine vnto it III. Ground He that is indeede regenerate hath this priuiledge that the corruption of nature is no part of him neither doth it belong to his person in respect of diuine imputation Paul saith of himselfe Rom. 7. 17. It is no more I but sin that dwelleth in me In which words he distinguisheth betweene his owne person and sinne that is in him For in man regenerate there be three things the bodie the soule the gift of Gods image restored againe Now touching the corruption of nature that is in his person and so may be said to be his but it belongs not to the man regenerate it is not his because it is not imputed to him and so indeede is as though it were not in him The Apostle 1. Thes. 5. 23. praies for the Thessalonians that God would sanctifie them throughout and preserue their whole spirit soule and bodie Of which place amongst many this exposition may be giuen The Apostle speaking of men regenerate and sanctified makes three parts in them bodie soule and spirit and by spirit we are to vnderstand not the conscience but the gift of regeneration and sanctification which is in the whole man bodie soule opposed to the flesh which in a naturall man is that which is called the old man Rom. 7. And the praier which Paul makes in the behalfe of the Thessalonians teacheth vs in effect thus much that though corruption remaine in the regenerate after regeneration yet in respect of diuine acceptation he is accoūted as righteous and so continueth his sinne by the mercie of God in Christ not beeing imputed to him to condemnation And so much for that point Now these Grounds of comfort and others of the like nature may serue to sustaine and vphold the hearts of the children of God when they shall be pressed and troubled in consideration of their estate in this life which cannot till death be fully freed from much weaknes and manifold imperfections The Fifth and last kinde of Temptation or Trouble of mind ariseth from a mans ovvne bodie Before I enter to speake thereof one Question in the meane time must be answered namely How the bodie should or how it can trouble the minde considering that the soule or mind is not bodily but spirituall and it is against reason that that which is bodily should either alter or trouble a spirit For an answer hereunto these things must be considered First of all the actions of man doe proceede from one onely fountaine and common cause the soule and are done by the power thereof The bodie of it self is not an agent in any work but as it were a dead instrument in by which the soule produceth all actions and workes Secondly the most of the workes of the soule and minde of man are such as are performed by the bodie and the parts thereof and by the spirits that are seated in the bodie as by instruments Indeede some actions of the soule mind are done without the helpe of the bodie but I say that the most actions thereof are performed by the bodie and spirits therein contained Yet these spirits in thēselues are no agents at all but the onely agent in any worke is the soule it selfe For example the vsing of the outward senses as of sight hearing tasting touching smelling as also of the inward as imagination memorie c. all this is done by the braine and the parts of the braine as proper instruments All affections both good and bad are acted by the soule but yet they come from the heart as the seat thereof So also the power of nourishment comes from the liuer as the instrument whereby the soule nourisheth the bodie Now then the bodie affecteth the soule and minde thus The bodie and the soule are so ioyned together that they make one person and thus the bodie beeing troubled the soule is also troubled yet is not this done by any diuiding of the soule For it cannot be diuided Neither by diminishing the parts of the soule but onely by corrupting the action of the minde or more properly by corrupting the next instrument of the minde This may be conceiued by a comparison A skilful artificer in any sciēce hath an vnfit toole and a naughtie instrument to worke withall his skill is good and his abilitie is sufficient but his instrument whereby he worketh is vnperfect and therefore he brings forth an imperfect worke Now his toole takes not away the skill of his workmanship nor his power of working but keepes him frō doing that well which otherwise he should and could doe well In like manner the body beeing corrupted hinders the worke of the soule It doth not take away the worke of the soule nor the abilitie of working but because it is a corrupt instrument it makes the soule to bring forth a corrupt worke The Temptation followeth The bodie causeth the trouble of the mind two waies either by Melancholie or by other strange alterations in the parts of the bodie which oftentimes befall men in what sort we shall see afterwards For it is a very common thing yea more common then the former Touching Melancholy sundrie things are to be considered for our instruction and for the Remedie of that euill And first of all if it be asked what Melancholie is I answer it is a kind of earthie black blood that is specially in the splene beeing stopt which conuaieth it selfe to the heart and the braine and there partly by his corrupt subsiāce and specially by his contagious qualitie annoyeth both heart and braine beeing the seat instrument of reason The second is what are the effects and operations of Melancholie Ans. They are strange and often fearefull There is no humour yea nothing in mans bodie that hath so strange effects as this humour hath beeing once distempered An auncient Diuine calls it the Deuills bait because the Deuill by Gods iust permissiō conueies himselfe into this humour and worketh strange conceits When the euill Spirit came vpon Saul it so tempted him that he would haue slaine him that was next vnto him how so surely because God in iustice withdrew his spirit of gouernment from him and suffered Satan to enter into the humour of choler or melancholie or both and by this meanes caused him to offer violence to Dauid Now the effects thereof in particular are of two sorts The first effect is in the braine and head For this humour being corrupted it sends vp noysome spirits and filleth the instrument of reason as it were with a myst and makes it vnfit to vse