good Food to become bad and to disturb both the Body and Mind 11. A too frequent and violent use of Venus when the Stomach is altogether empty or too full or contrary to the Rules of Conjugal Chastity and Religion is very dangerous not only to the Body but also to the Soul and all its Faculties For such an irregular Act draws a Curse after it and obligeth our just and wise God to withdraw his Blessing from such Contemners of his Laws enacted for our Safety and Preservation 12. Fear Sadness Anger violent Passions and melancholy Thoughts are no Friends to Memory for they disturb the Mind disquiet the Soul and disorder all the Faculties 13. A too violent Vomiting is destructive to Memory because it forces Nature and discomposes the Brain 14. A disquieted Mind can never make use of Memory tho the Faculty may be good and assisted by Exercise and strengthned by Habit yet while the Soul is alarm'd and dissatisfied it can never in the midst of its Troubles use its Memory with Freedom and so well as in a more peaceable Temper and Disposition 15. All such Motions of the Body as cause Giddiness or Swimming in the Head are destructive to Memory Therefore we should have a special care to avoid Falls from high Places turning round or Blows upon the hinder part of the Head For if we may believe Thucidides some by that means in the Grecian Wars lost totally the use of their Memories For by that Violence the Seat of Memory received so great a Prejudice that the Faculty could make no use of it and the Contusion was so great that the Brain was disturbed and could receive no more Impressions nor preserve them that were there before These Experiments are not to be neglected by those who design to attain to a Perfection of Memory for they are of dangerous Consequence as our Experience can witness to the Faculty of Memory and to the other Functions of the Brain CHAP. VI. Of such Natural Things as may be assisting to and may comfort Memory from the Procurement of Nature and the Contrivance of Art GOD and Nature have bestowed upon us Faculties and Abilities and with them Means to inlarge and assist them in the performance of their several Offices As there are some things to be avoided which may be pernicious to them so there are others to be used and employed for this good purpose for a more ready Execution and Discharge of their Duties and Functions Memory this excellent Ability of the Soul may meet with many Helps in the Course of Nature to strengthen it and render it more perfect I shall recommend these following 1. A moderate and convenient Exercise of Body before we sit to Meat to prepare the Stomach for a more hearty Reception and a better Digestion is useful not only to the Faculty of Memory but to all other Animal Functions for from thence proceed those good Spirits which help all the Offices of the Brain and make it more able to act with Vigour Such an Exercise I mean as may be answerable to the Abilities Calling and Employment of the Person such an Exercise as may free us from all Natural Superfluities which may incommode incumber or burden Nature 2. It becomes us to feed upon such temperate Meats as may agree with our Stomachs as well as our Appetites and to eat and drink with that Moderation as may tend to strengthen and not to destroy Nature for as there is nothing more pernicious to the Faculty of Memory than Excess Drunkenness and Gluttony so there is nothing that can better preserve it than a sober use of those good things that Nature affords to supply the daily Deficiencies and corroborate our Strength 3. There are some things that may hinder the ill Fumes of the Stomach from ascending higher which are useful to strengthen Memory after a plentiful Repast as Stiptick Fruits well prepared by Art or Nature Coriander Seed well preserved with Sugar and other Things 4. A moderate Joy and Contentment of Mind is very profitable for the preserving and fortifying this Ability of Memory For if the Soul be uneasy all the chief Faculties are disturbed more especially Memory and render'd more unfit for Action 5. To wash our Feet often in hot Water wherein we have boiled some Camomile Lawrel Balm-mint and some other odoriferous Herbs is very comfortable to the Brain the Eyes and the Memory For besides the good effect the hot Liquor hath upon the Head the Scent of such Herbs serves very much to refresh the Spirits and comfort the Brain Therefore in Summer the smell of Roses and other fragrant Flowers is not useless but advantageous to this purpose 6. A convenient Purgation of all Superfluities of Nature is likewise helpful to the Faculty of Memory for when there is a Stoppage of that which ought to be cast out there is a Burden that is not only troublesom to the Person but also of a dangerous Consequence to the Health and Life and to all the Superiour Faculties and Functions that are thereby hindered in their Actions and Operations Now Physicians inform us that this tender part of Man namely the Brain is injured and prejudiced by three Means First By a violent breaking in of the Excrements of the Body or of any part of it Secondly By nourishing and harbouring some ill Quality Thirdly By retaining the usual and natural Purgations when they have not their ordinary Course by the common Passages appointed by our wise Maker For as there are continual Vapours ascending to the Brain from the inferior parts designed for the nourishing and assisting the Brain in the several Functions of Life so there must be some Evacuations for that which is superfluous and useless in Nature to be voided Now these Vapours if they have any ill Quality or are any ways offensive to the Brain do quickly hinder the Operations of Life and Reason For there is no part of the Body more tender than this no Part is sooner and more susceptible of pernicious Fumes and Vapours than the Brain Our good God therefore hath provided amongst the Natural Things a great many Antidotes and comfortable Herbs c. which are proper to help and restore the Brain to its usual Temper and Perfection and consequently to assist and preserve Memory Now amongst the Natural Things and those that may be prepared by Art for the use of Memory are either Pouders for the Head or Pouders to snuff up in the Nose Plaisters to apply to the Temples or other part of the Head Bathings Drinks Fruits Confections Smells Purgations Ointments c. 1. Of Pouders to dry up the Humours of the Head and cleanse the Hair they are very useful for the strengthning of the Memory when the Person is of a moist Temper and that he finds a too great Humidity to burden the internal part and disturb his Fancy or if he be often afflicted with a Cephalalgia proceeding from Cold or Vapours But
once a King of two and twenty Kingdoms where so many differing Languages were spoken which he understood so well that he could speak every one of them and to all his Subjects without an Interpreter The Great Cyrus had so large a Memory that he could call every Souldier of his numerous Army by his proper Name Likewise Seneca tells us of himself that he could repeat 2000 distinct Names that had no dependance And in our late Days the Cardinal du Perron was able to repeat without missing a Word two hundred Verses which were spoken before Henry the Fourth by a famous Poet and never heard nor saw them before Likewise in our Age and Nation some carry with them whole Libraries in their Memory Which in reason cannot be expected unless Men endeavour to improve this rare Gift of God by a continued Exercise I need not inlarge upon the Usefulness and Excellency of Memory to incline Men to the practice of the Means to attain to it All other Abilities of the Mind borrow from hence their Beauty Ornaments and Perfections as from a common Treasury And the other Capacities and Faculties of the Soul are useless without this For to what purpose is Knowledg and Understanding if we want Memory to preserve and use it What signify all other Spiritual Gifts if they are lost as soon as they are obtained It is Memory alone that enriches the Mind that preserves what Labour and Industry collect which supply this Noble and Heavenly Being with those Divine Excellencies by which it is prepared for a Glorious Immortality In a word there can be neither Knowledg neither Arts nor Sciences without Memory Nor can there be any improvement of Mankind either in respect of the present Welfare or future Happiness without the Assistance and Influence of this Supernatural Ability Memory is the Mother of Wisdom the common Nurse of Knowledg and Vertue as the Poet very well hath express'd Sophiam me vocant Graeci vos sapientiam Vsus me genuit mater peperit memoria But as these Lines are designed for the Benefit and Encouragement of their Memories chiefly who are to appear in the Pulpit or at the Bar to speak in the Audience of the People I need not tell them with St. Austin Memoria in primis oratori necessaria That there is no Ability more useful to an Orator than Memory For it gives Life to what is spoken and makes a deeper Impression in the Minds of Men it awakens the dullest Spirits and causeth them to receive a Discourse more kindly than otherwise it adds a Grace and an extraordinary Excellency both to the Person and his Oration and is the greatest Ornament of that part of Rhetorick that we commonly name Pronunciatio So that if there is any thing worthy to be esteemed or valued in that Art so useful in a Common-wealth 't is all borrowed from Memory alone which gives the greatest weight and efficacy to the Words that are spoken It is reported of Eschines that when he came to Rhodes he read to the Inhabitants a famous Oration of Demosthenes which they very much admired tho pronounced without the Grace of an Orator But said he to them Quid si ipsum audissetis How much more would you admire and esteem this Oration if you had heard it from his own Mouth But our daily Experience can declare more of the Excellency of this rare Ability I shall therefore proceed to examine what Temper is most agreeable with a good Memory CHAP. III. The Temper or Disposition of the Body best and worst for Memory with the Natural Causes and Reasons of both MEmory is named or rather described by Plato that great and famous Philosopher of his Age the Soundness of the Senses because the Soul making use of the Senses of the Body to receive the Impressions of Things the Memory is either larger or narrower greater or less according to the good or ill Qualities of the Senses and the Ideas are more or less lasting in Man However 't is most certain that in general it is requisite for a good Memory that the Body be in a perfect Health for if either the whole be distemper'd or any part be diseased the Sufferings are communicated to every Member and all are sensible in some respect of the Pain with the disaffected Part and the Disease whatever it be disorders the Functions more or less according to the nearness of Communication Some Diseases have that evil Influence that they totally deprive us of our Memory for a time as those that seize upon the Head and Brain and such as distemper the Nerves and Veins that are uppermost and corrupt the Blood and Spirits which are used for the Exercise of Memory Besides when any part of the Body is diseased the Mind is distracted and cannot so readily perform that Office as when it enjoys a perfect Tranquillity free from the Avocations of Maladies and Pain Likewise if the Spirit be disturbed by the violent Passions of Anger Fear Despair c. the Exercise of Memory can never be so free because it requires a sedate and quiet Temper of Mind as well as a Soundness in the Body All the Alarms and Troubles of the Soul blot out the Ideas that are already entertain'd and hinder others from coming in They obstruct all the Passages and the Crowd of Thoughts that in such Cases arise is a great hindrance to Memory But the Learned observe that two Tempers of the Body or Brain are Enemies to a good Memory and that such can never expect any great Advantage from this Ability that in those cases is naturally disinabled The first is a Temper extraordinary Cold for thereby the necessary Motions are stopt and the Passages for a speedy Conveyance frozen and the Imagination as it were benumm'd So that as a convenient Heat of the Body is a notable Help to an active Memory a cold Temper can never be so quick in Apprehension nor receive the Impressions that are offered Therefore a noted Physician names Cold the Mother of Forgetfulness and declares that there can be nothing more pernicious to Memory either to the admittance of the Ideas or to the making use of them than an inward or a too violent and ambient Cold. The second Temper unfit for Memory is Moist when a too great Humidity seizes upon the Brain as in Drunkenness Intemperance and Defluxions Memory in such a case may quickly receive an Impression but it will as speedily lose it As a Ship at Sea running swiftly through the Waves leaves behind a Track which is almost assoon lost as made so that no sign can be found of its Passage through that fluid Element So the Moisture of the Brain may be susceptible of an Idea for the present but 't is not lasting nor is there any sign a little after of any such matter Those Persons may remember the things near at hand but they seldom call to mind that which hath been long ago done I might add
Esteem and Value that you will thereby obtain from your Congregations by this way of Delivery besides the greater Efficacy and Power that your Words and Preaching will have upon the Minds of your Auditors besides the promoting of the Glory of God and perhaps the perswading a greater Number thereby out of the broad Road of Eternal Perdition I must needs tell you that you will quickly find an unspeakable Benefit in a few Years and your great Pains at first in conquering your natural Weaknesses will be fully recompensed with a greater Ease Pleasure and Delight in the publishing of your Meditations You will find that this way of Delivery will smooth and polish your Conceptions and Fancy You will find that it will unty your Tongues and make you more ready to express your selves you will find that your Labours will be the less your Preaching more acceptable your Improvements greater your Learning more sound and your selves able upon a sudden to answer all Gainsayers for by this means the Body of Divinity will become as familiar to you as your Pater Noster Antisthenes the Athenian Philosopher when a Friend complained that he had lost his Book where he had recorded weighty Matters told him that he ought not to have trusted things of so great Importance to Pen Ink and Paper but to his Memory where he should always have found them ready at hand in time of need There is one Advantage more which we shall receive by the Exercise of our Memories how considerable it may be to us and what Influence it may have to increase and inlarge our Eternal Happiness we may at a distance guess for thereby the Soul will be inabled to increase its Abilities Faculties and Graces which have a natural Dependance upon this of Memory and that also will be inabled to retain more because as there is a strict Union and Communication of all the Perfections between the Soul and Body so that if one receives an Inlargement it conveys the same Benefit to the other and the other becomes more perfect and accomplished in that Ability which its Partner enjoys The Exercise therefore of Memory will not only inable the Organ now to perform more perfect Acts and inlarge the Ability while the Soul is in Conjunction with the Body but at its Separation and at the great Morn of the Resurrection this Perfection with all the rest being as immortal as the Spirit where it is fixt and to which it is conveyed by our constant Endeavours and Correspondence with the Body will then appear more compleat and greater for the better Reception of future Glory and Bliss and to our everlasting Comfort and Satisfaction Therefore as St. Bernard very well expresseth himself Ad aeternitatis Gloriam acquirendam nullus labor durus nullum tempus longum videri debet In Doct. I would not have those Worthy and Learned Gentlemen of my Function be displeased with this Exhortation and Advice that I address to the Students of our Universities as if it were designed to undervalue their wise and profitable Meditations pronounced with the Assistance of Book from the Pulpit Our Nation only is used to this way of Delivery for we are wont ofttimes as we ought to consider and weigh the Things and Expressions more than the manner of the Publication Neither is it possible for them after a Tract of Time and a long Usage to change their Custom of Preaching But for the Young Men coming up to supply our vacant Places in Church and State 't is now in their Power to alter this Custom to exercise their Memories to follow the Practice of the Learned Men of other Nations 'T is now in their Power to use themselves to such a Practice as will be advantagious to the Glory of God the Salvation of Souls the Credit of our Church and infinitely beneficial to themselves I recommend therefore this Treatise principally to you Gentlemen and let nothing hinder you from the Exercise of your Memories and the Practice of the Rules here prescribed which I will assure you from Experience have proved effectual for the overcoming the Weaknesses of Nature and inabling frail Memories to perform the Acts of large and strong If some of them seem common despise them not they will be no less useful if put in Practice I have not only consulted in the delivery of them my own Knowledg and Experience but have also set down the Advices of several Learned Men about this Subject and borrowed from the Skill of the Physicians several approved Experiments for the strengthening and corroborating the Faculty of Memory However I intreat you Gentlemen to accept kindly from my Pen this Endeavour for your Benefit and the Publick and this sincere Expression of my earnest Desire of your Success Promotions and Advantages and of the Prosperity of our Church and Nation I beseech God of his Infinite Bounty to make you all truly useful in your Generation to inlarge your Memories increase your Learning bless all your Abilities and Graces and to preserve you all to his Eternal Kingdom Amen ERRATA PAge 8. line penult dele all P. 10. l. 27. read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 P. 23. l. 28. r. suscitat P. 43. l. 26. r. tam. P. 54. l. 3. r. capillis P. 57. l. 24. r. linguam P. 58. l. 3. r. dicta P. 59. l. 13. r. albi l. 24. put a colon after dictas P. 60. l. 26. r. bulliant P. 61. l. 4. r. Stichadâ—s THE CONTENTS Chap. 1. OF the Soul or Spirit of Man page 1 Chap. 2. Of Memory its Seat and Excellency p. 18 Chap. 3. The Temper or Disposition of the Body best and worst for Memory with the Natural Causes and Reasons of both p. 30 Chap. 4. Some General and Physical Observations and Prescriptions for the remedying strengthning and restoring a Memory injured by the ill Temper of the Body or the Predominancy of one of the four Qualities in the Brain p. 38 Chap. 5. What is very much prejudicial to the Faculty Habit and Practice of Memory p. 42 Chap. 6. Of such Natural Things as may be assisting to and may comfort Memory from the Procurement of Nature and the Contrivance of Art p. 49 Chap. 7. Rules to be observed for the Acts or Practice of Memory p. 62 Chap. 8. Rules to be observed to help our Remembrance of things that we desire to preserve in Mind p. 77 Chap. 9. Of Artificial or Fantastical Memory or Remembrance p. 82 The Art of Memory c. CHAP. I. Of the Soul or Spirit of Man THE Excellent and Wonderful Frame of the Human Body wherein the Wisdom of the Creator shines so beautifully and apparently before our Eyes being but the Cabinet of the Soul or the outward Shell made on purpose to receive and entertain this Immortal Creature gives good reason to imagine that this Jewel is far more excellent and of a greater Worth Certainly our Wise Maker had no mean Esteem of this Master-piece of the Creation
seeing he hath caused all Visible Beings to be designed for the Good Assistance Pleasure Recreation Happiness and Glory of Man Therefore at the first forming of Adam the Sacred Trinity proceed with Deliberation and act together with an extraordinary Care and Consultation Let us make Man after our own Image Man bears both in Body and Soul a lively Resemblance of the Unity and Trinity and the Relation that our Almighty God has to this great World For as this universal Spirit gives Life and Motion to every Member and Part and supports the whole Fabrick by an over-ruling Providence and a comprehensive Spirit thus the Soul is the first and only Principle that actuates governs and moves the Microcosm the Body and every Sense and Member being in the whole and entire in every Part. In the Godhead there is a Unity that admits of no Division an Omnipotent Spirit not subject to the Infirmities of Separation or Partition And is not the Soul or Spirit of Man in this Excellency the Representation of his Heavenly Maker It is a Unity not to be divided nor cut in parts it discovers it self in the whole Body and by its Operations in every Member produceth differing Acts according to the Diversity of the Organs In the Godhead we are informed by the Sacred Pen-men that there is a Trinity of Persons the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost Likewise in the Soul of Man we find three remarkable and distinct Faculties the Understanding the Will and the Memory which tho they be three Abilities or Powers are but one Soul or Spirit Of this Resemblance between God and the Soul Seneca seems to be sensible when he inquires Epist 32. Quid aliud voces Animum nisi Deum in humano corpore hospitem And St. Austin in his Treatise of the Trinity expresly confirms the Truth of this great Mystery by this Parallel with the Soul of Man Man therefore being the living Image of his Creator participates in some measure of the Excellency of that Eternal Being Who in all his Proceedings in relation to this Creature expresseth a high Esteem of him and of his Immortal Spirit For him he seems to have raised beautified and adorned this great Fabrick of the World putting all things in Subjection under his Feet and made him as it were a visible God to govern dispose of and command all the Creatures that inhabit the four Elements For him he hath kindled so many Glorious Lights in the Firmament above sending down from thence the continual Expressions of his Kindness and Goodness to Man For him the World is maintain'd and the Omnipotent Hand of Divine Providence supports and continues all things entire for the Completion of that appointed Number of Mankind design'd for Happiness from the Beginning by the Divine Wisdom And since Man hath wilfully forsaken his Maker and join'd himself in Rebellion with the Apostate Spirits God's Mercy hath not totally rejected him nor debarred him from a Return but on the contrary he invites him back to himself with the greatest and most endearing Expressions of Love Kindness and Esteem The Divine Mercy values the Souls of Men at so high a rate that it hath given an infinite Price to redeem them and employs the Agency of an Omnipotent Spirit to sanctify and prepare them for the noble Purposes for which they are design'd If the Souls of Men had not been full of Excellency and of a great Value would the Eternal Wisdom suffer the Son of God to forsake his Glory and stoop so low to fetch them out of the Depths of Everlasting Misery Would he have joined himself to this Being and took upon him our Human Nature Would he have thought no Pains nor Suffering too great to purchase them to himself Would he have opened for them the Treasuries of Immortality to enrich them and commission'd his Holy Spirit to polish and purify them from the Remains of Corruption Would the Glories of the Heavenly Mansions be preparing to receive these Souls and the Blessed Spirits Above attend to conduct us in our Passage thither were there nothing in us worthy of so great Love Care Expence and Labour It plainly appears therefore by the actings of Divine Wisdom and the proceedings of the Spiritual Beings who in reason ought to be well acquainted with the real value of the Spirit of Man that it is of a Divine Excellency and far more worth than the whole World seeing they have no such regard for any created Being besides as for this visible Governour of the Universe If therefore Man's Soul is a Jewel of such extraordinary Worth if God and the Superiour Beings have for it so great an Esteem certainly Man should have no less for this better part of himself However it is a Madness to prostitute the Interest of the noblest Part to the Lusts Follies and Corruption of the vilest and prefer the deceitful momentary and counterfeit Satisfactions of the Body to the real and everlasting Advantages of the Soul A Weakness not excusable in a Rational Being And if the Abuse of so Divine a Part of our selves be Criminal the Neglect is Hainous Remember O Man that this Rich and Spiritual Jewel is by the Divine Wisdom committed to thy Care and recommended to thy Endeavours to be polished and fitted for the adorning the Heavenly Sanctuary above As there are divers Imperfections that belong to it in the present State which render it incapable of so high an Advancement and which must of necessity be first removed by our Religious Practices so there are several Ornaments Excellencies and Improvements requisite before it can expect so great an Honour It is not possible to leap from our vile and mean Condition of Sin and Corruption to the Enjoyment of the Presence of a Holy God without a due Preparation or in a moment of Time We are to draw near by degrees and labour to attain to those Endowments of the Mind that may predispose and recommend our Souls for the Heavenly State There is nothing created in a condition of an absolute Perfection but in a possibility to be advanced higher to be encreased enlarged and enriched with greater Perfections Chiefly the Intelligent Beings who have Abilities and Faculties granted to them for that very purpose by our wise Creator it is certainly their duty to answer this end of their Creation to study the Improvement of their Natures and labour in this Life to draw nearer to Perfection which tho it be not attainable till we be admitted to the Vision of our God nevertheless it is both our Duty and Interest to approach as near as we can to that Blessed State and prepare the Abilities of our Souls for that Glorious End And tho all Gifts Graces and Improvements of our Nature proceed from God as the Apostle affirms that is from the Assistance of his Holy Spirit and Divine Bounty from the Concurrence of his over-ruling Providence and apparent Benediction from the secret Actings of his Grace
Ability Reach and Frailty that we may take Measures accordingly for the loading of our Memory too much may be as prejudicial to it as the taking of too heavy a Burden upon our Shoulders will be to our Body and Loins for it will wrong the Faculty it self and disinable it from further Service Besides the Ignorance of our own Weakness may expose us to the Shame and Laughter of the World when we shall presume to undertake what we cannot well perform And as it is with a Man's Stomach when it is filled cramm'd more than Nature will bear no Digestion can possibly be there and instead of strengthning the Body the Health is impaired and a shameful Disorder happens So 't is with the Memories of Men they must not be too much loaded nor burdened with more than they can well bear according to the Saying of Horace Sumite Materiam vestris qui scribitis aequam Viribus c. 13. If we are to study any Liberal Art or Science it becomes us for the better Encouragement of our Memories and for a more firm Retention of the Doctrines and Principles to comprehend the Sense Meaning and Reasonableness of them before we commit them to their Custody What we understand is our own and cannot easily be forgotten Reason is an excellent Confirmation of Memory when it is concerned in that Employment for whilst our reasoning Faculty continues we shall never forget what it hath formerly approved of as agreeing with its internal Principles 14. And if we are to speak in publick it will be a great Advantage to Memory that we perfectly understand the Matter and Business in question that we are fully acquainted with the Argument Mystery or Theme that we treat of that we have search'd and studied all that may be alledged for or against it and have continually a prospect of all that may be said upon the Subject For in case Memory should be interrupted disturbed or fail it will not be difficult then to recover our selves to proceed on and if we have any thing of Invention we may supply the Defect of Memory by our former Knowledg however 't is a great Assistance to it to remember all the Particulars and the continued Series of Discourse when we thus understand perfectly the Subject and are no Novices in the Matter that we are publickly to deliver 15. When we betake our selves to our Study or offer to exercise our Memory by the delivery of a Discourse we must observe what hath been said before to be useful for the assisting of Memory and endeavour to avoid what is prejudicial as Gluttony Drunkenness Debauchery c. 16. Set aside all other Occupations and Employments and chiefly those troublesome Passions of the Mind that will not suffer us to enjoy our selves as Anger Wrath Envy Revenge Lust Covetousness Alarms Fears c. for when the Mind is totally taken up with such uneasy Guests 't is not possible to employ it about the Functions of Memory according to the old Proverb Pluribus intentus minus est ad singula sensus 17. A convenient time is to be chosen for the Exercise of Memory for all Seasons and Times are not proper nor is the Mind ready disposed always for an Activity We must therefore chuse such a time as we know our selves to be best able to retain the Things that we hear and read Neither are all Tempers alike but commonly when we are fasting or after a moderate Repast or in the Night-season or in the Morning most Men are best prepared for the Exercise of their Memories and to receive the Impressions and Ideas 18. But one Rule more I must add which I look upon to be the chief To seek from God by our devout and constant Prayers both the Continuance and Increase of our Memories For I must confess that 't is a particular Gift and Favour of our great Creator who hath bestowed upon us such a Natural Ability As therefore it depends upon his Bounty 't is from thence that we must expect its Perfection and Welfare And tho by Art we may remove what is prejudicial to it and help in some respect the Faculty tho we may prescribe Rules for the Practice of Memory yet all our Endeavours will prove vain and ineffectual without a Blessing from above which we must strive to obtain by our Humility and Devotion being the ordinary Means appointed by the Divine Wisdom for the getting and increasing of all Temporal and Spiritual Blessings Neither are we to doubt of gracious Returns to our Requests for we have this Assurance from the Sacred Oracle If you that are evil know how to give good things to your Children how much more shall your Heavenly Father give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him God hath reserved to himself the bestowing of all Spiritual Gifts and this of Memory proceeds from him not only the Faculty but likewise the Practice depends very much upon his immediate Influence for Experience may inform us that we have often an inward Assistance granted to our Petitions to comfort and help the Weakness of our Memories in divers occasions chiefly where the Interest of Religion and his Honour is concerned as in the publick delivery of his Word and Will to his People It becomes us therefore in all such Instances not to rely or presume too much upon our own Strength or Ability but lean and trust upon the All-sufficiency of the Holy Spirit who will never be wanting to them who earnestly and heartily implore his gracious Assistance in time of Need. CHAP. VIII Rules to be observed to help our Remembrance of things that we desire to preserve in Mind THE Multiplicity of Ideas and Matters that we commit to our Memories will sometimes cause the most Capacious to forget things of the greatest Importance For the better assisting therefore this Faculty to call to our Remembrance such Objects these Rules are to be observed 1. Mind the Order in which those things were first entered into our Memories for the things that precede will oblige us to think upon those that followed and the Consequences of things will refresh in our Fancies that which went before It becomes us therefore to record them in order with a Connexion and a mutual Dependance and this Order will direct our Memories and help them to find out such things as were lost and defaced by Forgetfulness Therefore a wise Man tells us Quae bene invicem ordinata sunt benè reminiscibilia sunt quae vero malè difficulter in Memoriam revocantur The Things that are in good order are easily to be remember'd but those that are without Method or Order cannot without much difficulty be recalled to mind 2. For the better remembring of things we ought to compare them with those things with which we are familiar or best acquainted and that have a Resemblance with them either in Syllables in Quantity in Office Employment c. For this Similitude will certainly imprint the Thing or