A treatise of the passions and faculties of the soul of man With the…A treatise of the passions and faculties of the soule of man With the…

The Corrupt Desires contrary unto these are either Vicious or Morbid. Vicious are again of two sorts: First, Intemperate and incontinent Desires, which err not in the substance or nature of the thing desired; but only [Greek or Hebrew], as the Philosopher speaks in the measure and manner of desiring¹ them. It is lawful to drink Wine, and a Man may err (as Timothy did) in an over ^*rigorous severity to Nature, when health or needful refreshment requireth it: For our flesh is to be subdued to reason, not to infirmities, that it may be a servant to the Soul, but not a burden. But if we let Wine be [Greek or Hebrew], as the Heathen called it, to take a freedom against us, like Ham to mock us, and discover our nakedness, and make us servants unto it. If we do not only eat Honey, but surfeit on it; If we must have meat like▪ Israel in the Wilderness, not only for our Need, but for our Lust; If we eat and drink so long that we are good for nothing, but either to lye down and sleep, or to rise up and play, to live to day and to dye tomorrow▪ If we make our belly the grave of our Soul, and the dungeon of our Reason, and let our Intestina as³ well morally as naturally far exceed the length of the whole Man besides. This is in the Apostles phrase to be lovers of pleasure rather then lovers of God, and it is an intemperate excess against natural desires which will ever end in pain. It was a witty speech of A•acharsis the Philosopher,⁴ that the Vine beareth three sorts of Grapes: The first of Delight: The second of Excess: The third of Sorrow. If we let our Delight steal us ⟨p. 165⟩into Excess, and become a mocker, our Excess will quickly betray us unto Sorrow (as Delilah did Sampson to the Philistines) and let us know that⁵ after Wine hath mocked it can rage too. Like the head of the Polypus, which is sweet to the Palate, but after causeth troublesome sleeps and frightful dreams.