Diseases of the soul a discourse divine, moral, and physical. By Tho. AdamsDiseases of the soule a discourse diuine, morall, and physicall. By Tho. Adams

Cause.

The Cause of the Megrim, is the ascending of many vaporous humours, hot or cold, by the veins or arteries. The Cause of this spiritual Megrim, or brain-sickness, is the unkindly concurrence of ignorance, arrogance and affectation, like foggy mists and clouds, obscuring & smothering the true light of their sober judgements; and bearing their affections like a violent wind, upon one only point of the Compass, new-fangled Opinion. Like the Giants son, they must have six toes on a foot: they hate, not to be observed, and had rather be notorious, then not notable. Opinion, is a foot too much, which spoils the Verse. New Physic may be better then old, so may new Philosophy; our studies, observation, and experience perfecting theirs: beginning, not at the Gamut, as they did, but as it were at the Ela: but hardly new Divinity; not that an ancient error should be brought out against a new truth. A new truth? nay, an old newly come to light: for Error cannot wage Antiquity with Truth. His desire is to be cross to regularity; and should he be enjoined a Hat, a Cap would extremely please him: were he confined to extemporal and enthusiastical labours, he would commend premeditation and study; which now he abhors, because they are put on him. He is unwise in being so bitter against Ceremonies: for therein he is palpably against himself, himself being nothing else but Ceremony. He loves not the beaten path; and because every fool (saith he) enters at the gate, he will climb over the wall, whiles ⟨p. 5⟩the door of the Church stands open, he contends to ¹creep through the window. The Brain-sick are no less then drunk with Opinion; and that so strangely, that sleep which helps other drunkards, doth them no good. Their ambitious singularity is often so violent, that if it be not restrained, it grows to a kind of frenzy, and so the Megrim turns into the Staggers. Herein, because we will not credit their Positions, nor receive their Crochets in our set Music, they reel into the low-Countries.