he generations of men in the world are under the fime ortune, corrupted both in body and foul, conceived in and brought forth in iniquity: But, as if we werd unhappy enough in this original depravation of our re, the greatest part of mankind endeavour to increase nifery, by their own actual repetition and continual · tice of the fame crime, gluttony and drunkennefs reignover the greatest part of the world. This is the reaso the ftatute of moderation in eating and drinking is fo tly enjoined in this fociety; and it were well if all the d would obferve it, then would people have found ds in found bodies. ender con. Wherein does this moderation in eating and king confift? emperance. It confifs in bridling and regulating the apte, as to the quantity and quality of meats and drinks. ender-con. Pray fhew me how it confiits in bridling the etite as to quantity? "emperance. It teaches us to eat and drink no more at time, nor oftner in a day, than is requifite to preferve body in health, to fuffice nature, and refresh the fpi: It is a taming of the body and bringing it into fubtion to the foul, that fo the inferior faculties may be fubwient to the fuperior." Tenderr-con. But how thall a man know how much will! aly ferve to keep the body in health, to fuffice nature, refresh the fpirits, fince there are as many different conutions in the world as there are faces? Temperance. The way to know this is, for every one to ferve his own temper, and they will quickly find out the meafure and proper time of eating and drinking: aly take this for a general rule, That it is by all means nvenient to rife from table with an appetite, and to have mind after a meal, as well difpofed for hard labor, for ex cife, or for prayer, as it was before. He that eats and inks beyond this, breaks the rule of moderation; for the d of eating, is to refreth nature, make it more vigorous, d not to render it more duil and heavy. Tendea-con. Pray tell me what good effects this moderatiproduces in the foul, and how it works there? Temperance. Great certainly, and manifold are the benes which redound the foul from the conftant practice of this moderation in eating and drinking: For tho' the fox be of itself an immortal and impaffible effence, yet, whi it is joined with our mortal body, it partakes of all its con veniences or inconveniences; if the body be in pain, the foul fuffers with it; if the body feels pleasure, the foute joys it likewife. Nay, rather, it is the foul that is-alen ácnfible of every thing that happens to the body; for the body of itself is but dead and unactive matter, incapabi of fenfe or motion in itfelf, 'tis the foul which gives life, Inotion, and fense to it. Now, therefore, as the body it maintained in health and vigour, fo does the fool fount and triumph within herself; on the contrary, when the be dy is fickly and weak, the foul languishes by fympathy He therefore that eats and drinks to excefs, and thereby cloys his ftomach, fills his body full of contagious humours. and fows the feed of many difeafes in his own bowels, this man is no friend to his feul, for fae by this time gro fluggish, dark, and cloudy, fad and melancholy, and void of all pleafure and comfort: Whereas, on the contrary he that bridles his appetite, and eats and drinks no more, mor no ofther than what fufficeth nature and refreshes his fpirits, his foul is always lively and vigorous, fprightly youth, and ferone as the morning, full of light and cofort, and in an holy triumph fhe often foars aloft, and baks in the rays of eternal happiness, defpifing the world and all that is in it, except therefore he takes delight to repok berfelf therein, when, like the eagle, fhe is tired with her lofty flights. Our bodies, are the temples of the Holy Ghoft, and he that pollutes them with riot and uncleannes is guilty of facrilege; and therefore, well faid Solomon, Be not a companion of wine-bibbers, and riotous eaters of flesh. Tender-con. I thank you for your good and wholefone talk. Now pray fhew me how moderation in eating and drinking confifts in bridling the appetite, as to the quan tity of meats, Tee Temperance. In order to the better clearing of this point, it is neceflary to look back to Adam, who we find had permiffion and leave given him to eat of all the fruits of the garden of Eden; but only he was forbidden to taste of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil: And afterwards, to intimate that God took a fpecial regard to the qualities of man's food, he was told by God what fort aits and herbs fhould be his diet, which fhould be food the beafts, of every herb bearing feed, and every tree ing fruit, he was allowed to cat, and the grafs of the I was appointed for the beafts. Here we may observe, there was no mention made as yet of Aeth or fish to eaten, no not till after the flood; fo that many are of nion, the fathers before the flood did eat no-manner of a; and it is not improbable that this was one reafon of ir living fo very long, nothing more conducing to health I long life than an afcetic diet; that is, a diet of fruits, ts. and herbs, honey, oil, E. without fleth of fish. The first time we read that God gave to man a licence eat flesh, was after the flood, when he bleffed Noah and s fons, faying unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and plenifh the earth; and the fear of you, and the dread of u fhall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every wl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and pon the fishes of the fea, into your hands are they deli-. ered. Every creature that liveth fhall be meat for you, ven as the green herb have I given you all things; but efh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, fhall ou not eat. Sa you may see, even in this first licence to at flesh, that man was refrained from eating it with the lood; which reftraint was more particularly confirmed in he law of Mofes, when the fat was alfo forbidden to be aten, in these words: Speak unto the children of Ifrael, aying, Ye shall eat no more of fat of ox, or sheep, or of Boats, &c. Lev. vii. 23. which prohibition must needs have regard to the quality of fat... And a little afterward, Lev. xi, 1. to the end, there is a feparation made between the meats that were to be eaten, and thofe that were not, be tween the clean and unclean beafts, birds, and fishes; which law was ftrictly obferved by the children of Ifrael throughout their generations, and fo it is to this day. Now, without doubt, it was on the account of the different geod or ill qualities that refided in the flesh of these creatures, that fome were forbidden, and others allowed ; and though. this law was abolished by the coming of Chrift, yet we find the apoftles, in their council at Jerufalem, forbid the cating of things ftrangled, and commanded the chriftians to abtain from eating of blood, Acts xv. 19, 20. And in the.. the lives of the apoftles it is recorded, that fome of them abftained from all fl-fh during their lives: And not only the apolles, but other chrißians, were abftemious, living chiefly upon herbs, or the like fußenance, as Paul witnes feth in his epiftle to the Corinthians, Upon the whole matter we may conclude, That all this caution and care about the difference of meats from the beginning of the world to the flood, and from the flood to the giving of the Mofaic law, and from thence to the time of the apostles of Jefus Chrift, would not have been, had there not been fome greater reafon for it than barely to try men's obedience, or to furnish them with emblems of vir tue and vice, as fome hold. There must be fomething in the nature of living creatures, fome different qualities, that occafioned one to be forbidden, another to be allowed: And though we are not obliged now to keep the law of Mofes, yet I cannot find upon what grounds many chriftians take the liberty to act contrary to the ordinance of the apoftles of Christ, in eating blood and things firangled. Tender-cen. I remember I have heard this point handled before by fome difputants; and to this laft part of your dif courfe it has been answered, That Jefus faid, Not that which goeth into a man defileth him, but what cometh out. And Paul fays, To the pure all things are pure: And he calleth the doctrine of, Touch not, tafte not, handle not, a doctrine of worldly elements and beggarly rudiments. Difer. But then, if the faying of Chrift be taken literally, one may venture on all manner of venomous living creatures without danger or hurt. Without doubt there is a difcreet choice to be made in our diet, as to the quality of the things we eat or drink, and every one in this is left to his own conduct; and this general rule ought to be obferved, That we forbear eating and drinking fuch things as we find by experience, or know by common obfervation, to be prejudicial to health, impediments of virtue and devotion, purs to vice and paffion by intoxicating the brain, heating the blood, difordering the fpirits, or by any other ways being fubfervient to the works of the Aefh, or the terco is of the devil: In fe doing we fhall do well. As to that faying of Paul, To the pure all it may be well retorted, that which the in another place, All things are lawful for or me, but all things are not expedient: All things are Char. Your mentioning the offence which may be given. my . |