Wisdom's dictates, or, Aphorisms & rules, physical, moral, and divine, for preserving the health of the body, and the peace of the mind ... to which is added a bill of fare of seventy five noble dishes of excellent food, for exceeding those made of fish or flesh ... / by Tho. Tryon.

THE AUTHOR TO THE READER WISHETH Health and a Sound Mind.

AS I have on several Occasions endeavoured to Recommend those most necessary Ver∣tues, Temperance and Sobriety, to the practice of Men, and to inform them (accord∣ing to that Talent I have received from the meer Grace and free Bounty of the Lord) of the things that appertain to their peace; so though many of these Aphorisms, or the Sub∣stance of several of them, may be found occasio∣nally dispersed in several of our Writings, yet •• thought it might not be unuseful to some to present them altogether, and hope by the Bles∣sing of the most High, these plain short Me∣••entoes may yield some Fruit to those that shall ••••ruse them, if they come prepared with Minds

to receive Truth in the Love thereof, and practice what their own Consciences cannot but inform them is their Duty,

For this is the method our Saviour prescribeth his Disciples, to come to the right knowledge of Divin•• Truths, viz. by the doing of Gods Will, He that does my Fathers Will (saith he) shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God or no, he is a true Christian indeed, not he that is only Book taught, but he that is God taught, he that hath an Vnction from the Holy One, (as the Apostle calleth it) that teach∣eth him all things; I confess Ink and Paper can never make us Christians, can never beget a new Nature, or a living Principle in us, can never form Christ, or any true Notions of Spiri∣tual things in our Hearts, the Gospel, that new Law which Christ delivered to the World, it is not meerly a Letter without us, but a quick∣ening Spirit within us; Rules, Maxims, or Directions could never yet of themselves beget the least Glimps of true Heavenly Light, the least Sap of saving Knowledge in any Heart all this is but the Grabling of the poor dark Spirit of Man after Truth to find it out with his own endeavours, and to feel it with his own cold and benumm'd Hands; Words and Sylla••bles, which are but dead things, and ••annot possibly convey the living Notions of Heaven•••• Truths to us; The secret misteries of a Divine Life of a meer Nature cannot be truly under∣stood, except the Soul be kindled from within and awakened into the Life of them; A Pain∣ter

that would draw a Rose, though he may flou∣rish some likeness of it in Figure and Colour, yet can never paint the Scent and Fragrancy, or if he could draw a Flame, he cannot put a constant heat into his colours; All the Skill of Cunning Artisans and Mechanicks cannot put a Principle of Life into the most Exquisite Statue of their making, Men and Books may propound some Di∣rections to us, that may set us in such a way of Life and Practice as in which we shall at least find it within our selves, and be experimentally acquainted with it, but they cannot teach us Virtue like a Mechanick Art or Trade, no; no there is a Spirit in Man, and the Inspiration of the Almigthy giveth this Vnderstanding, but we shall not meet with this Spirit any where (though it be near to every one) but in the way of Obedience, therefore whatever Rules or Ad∣vices thou meetest with here, of the truth of which thou art convinced, immediately up, and be doing, put in practice, and continue therein with Constancy and Resolution, and then thou shalt be able to taste and feel, and witness the Excellency thereof, not from any Words but from the Evidence of their own Souls, and so become capable and disposed to entertain the rest and other more sublime Virtues.

Despise not the Rules for promoting Health and Temperance, the ways of God and Nature are plain and simple, but mighty in operation and effects, the Body is as an Instrument to the Soul, and being out of tune no harmony can be expected in the Microcosm. The Curious

may expect these Axioms should be more metho∣dically placed, but as I wrote them down as they sprang up in my Mind, so I have observed Po∣fies, That a careless mixture makes the whole more pleasant to the Eye and Radolent, then if every sort of Flowers and fragrant Herbs were put together by themselves. Read and practice, turn thy Eyes inwards, and wait at Wisdom's Gates, separate thy self from the Ways of the Multitude, and the Lord from whom alone pro∣ceeds every good and perfect Gift, give thee un∣derstanding in all things.

Farewel.