Physicke, to cure the most dangerous disease of desperation Collected for the direction and comfort of such Christians as trauayling and being heauie loaden in their consciences, with the burthen of their sinnes, stand in danger either in time of their sicknesse to fall away from their God, through deepe despaire, or else in time of their health, to yeelde to one desparate end, or other, to the ruine and vtter confusion of both bodyes and soules for euer. By W.W.

CHAP. VIII.

* 1.1THe Sixt cause of Desperation is long custome of sinne, whereby a man yeel∣deth and submitteth himselfe as an obe∣dient and ready bondslaue to the Diuell, little respecting, if not vtterly contem∣ning both God and his word, whose dull conscience through giuing himselfe ouer to impuritie & filthinesse of life, is waxed hard in iniquitie, and corrupt wayes, and as it were burned with a hote Iron, so that he is now past all sense and feeling of sin, and this long custome groweth as it were into a second nature (in processe of time) which to expell is a matter of great diffi∣cultie.* 1.2 This is it which the Prophet Ie∣rem. meant, where he affirmed that it is as hard a thing for such to doe any good that haue beene continually inured with do∣ing of euill, as it is to wash a Blacka-Moore or Aethiopian skinne white: or to chaunge the spots of a Leopard: And therefore according to our English adage, as that which is bred in the bone, will ne∣uer lightly out of the flesh: so an olde wōt or long custome of any vice, be it of lying,

swearing, gaming, drinking, whooring, or any other such like, will seldome or neuer be remedied: whereby it oftentimes com∣meth to passe, that in the end the Diuel by this meanes hauing laide a foundation so sitting his purpose to worke on, bringeth his olde customers to dispaire.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The sixt cause of des∣peration.
• * 1.2

  Long cus¦tome: ••o w••th into a second na∣ture.