rarities may fail, and yet men may subsist comfortably.
As long as people have bread and water▪ they will not fa∣mish;
but take away bread once, and the spirit of man fail∣eth:
Upon this account bread is called a staff, Psal. 105. 16.
because what a staff is to an aged or feeble man, that bread is
to the faint and feeble spirits, which even so do lean upon it.
And look what bread is to the natural spirits, that, and more
than that, the word is to gracious spirits, Iob 23. 12. I have
esteemed the words of thy mouth, more than my necessary food. If
once God break this staff, the inner man, that hidden man of
the heart, will quickly begin to fail and faulter.
[ 2] It is not every degree of scarcity of bread, that presently
makes a famine, but a general failing of it; when no bread
is to be had, or that which is, yields no nutriment. For a fa∣mine
may as well be occasioned by Gods taking away, panis
nutrimentum, the nourishing vertue of bread, that it shall
signifie no more as to the end of bread, than a chip, Hag. 1. 6.
as by taking away panem nutrientem, bread it self, Isa. 3. 1.
And so it is in a spiritual famine, which is occasioned ei∣ther
by Gods removing all the Ordinances, and making
vision utterly to ••ail; or else, though there be preaching
prayer and other Ordinances left, (at least, the names and
shadows of them) yet the presence of God is not with them.
There is no marrow in the bone, no milk in the breast; and
so, as to soul-subsistance, 'tis all one, as if there were no such
things.
[ 3] In a corporeal famine, mean and course things become
sweet and pleasant; famine raises the price and esteem of
them. That which before you would have thrown to your
dogs, now goes down pleasantly with your selves. To the
hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet, Prov. 27. 7 'Tis the
Dutch Proverb, and a very true one, hunger is the best
Cook.
Iejunus stomachus raro vulgaria temnit. Horat▪
In time of famine coursest fare contents,
The barking stomach strains no complements.