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These troubles may be known from true trouble of conscience, by the strangeness, unreasonableness, and senselessness of their conceits in other things; as to think that they have no heart, and to say they cannot do that which indeed they do, and a thousand other odd conceits, which standers-by see to be most false. Whereby any man may see that the root of this disturbance is in the fancy, and not in the heart.

Although both the regenerate and unregenerate, according as they are in a like degree distempered, are in most things alike; yet in this they differ; some beams of holiness will glance forth now and then in the regenerate, which do not in the unregenerate, especially in the intermission of their fits. Their desires will be found to be different, and if they both recover, the one returns to his usual course of holiness with increase: the other, except God work with the affliction to conversion, continues in his accustomed wickedness. It pleases God, that for the most part his own children who are thus distempered, have the strength of their melancholy worn out and subdued before they die, at which time they have some sense of God's favour to their comfort; but if their disease continue, it is possible they may die lunatics, and, if you judge by their speeches, despairing, which is not to be imputed unto them, but to their disease, or unto Satan, working by the disease; if they have given good testimony of holiness in former times.

When these troubles are merely from bodily distempers, though they be not troubles of conscience, yet they make a man incapable of the sense of peace of conscience. Therefore, whosoever would enjoy the benefit of the peace of his conscience, must do what in him lies, to prevent or remove these distempers. And because they grow for the most part from natural causes, therefore natural as well as spiritual remedies must be used.

1. Take heed of all such things as feed those humours of choler and melancholy, which must be learned of experienced men, and of skilful physicians, and, when need is, take physic.