Gods Three Arrows, Section 43
§. 43. Of the lawfulneſſe of anger.
1. THis great inſtance of Gods being angry, gives an evident demonſtration of the lawfulneſſe of anger. Nobis hominibus conceſſum eſt, ut ad indignae alicujus rei faciem moveamur? tranquillitatem que mē tis velut lenis quaedam aura conturbet, &c. Hier. Comment. l. 2. in Eph. 4.For nothing ſimply ſinfull and unlawfull is attributed to God. Our Saviour who tooke upon him our nature was free from all ſinne. a2 Cor. 5. 21.He knew no ſinne. He knew himſelfe better then any other could. Had he had any ſinne, he muſt needs have knowne it. But he was b1 Pet. 1. 19.A Lambe without blemiſh, and without ſpot: cHeb. 7. 26.Holy, harmleſſe, undefiled, ſeparate from ſinners: yet dMar. 35was he angry. So were ſundry Saints on juſt occaſions noted to be angry, yet not blamed: as eNumb. 16. 150Moſes, f2 Sam. 13. 21.David, gNeh. 5. 6.Nehemiah, and others.
Anger is one of the affections. Affections in themſelves are no more evill, then underſtanding, will, memory, and other faculties of the ſoule.
Ob. They are all of them by naturall corruption perverted and polluted.
Anſw. 1. We may diſtinguiſh betwixt the eſſence of the How anger is good.ſoule with the faculties thereof, and the corruption of them which is accidentall. Thus the eſſence is good, though the accident be evill.
2. That which is corrupted may be renewed. Thus anger and other affections are accounted good and lawfull by vertue of the Spirits renewing them.
2. Ob. kGal. 5 20.The Apoſtle reckoneth wrath among the fruits of the fleſh: and lCol. 3. 8. How anger accounted evill.exhorteth to put it away.
Anſw. He meaneth wrath and anger as perverted and corrupted. mEph. 4. 26.In another place he implieth that a man may be angry and yet not ſinne.
Queſt. Why then is wrath put into the catalogue of ſuch things as are ſimply evill, as nCol 3. 8.wrath, anger, maliciouſneſſe, nGal. 5. 19, 20.idolatry, adultery, witch-craft, &c.
Anſw. Becauſe it is a violent paſſion: and by man, though regenerate, very hardly kept in compaſſe. Moſes, a Ira eſt irrationalis impetus, & canis impudens. Chryſ. ad Pop. Hom 30. Num. 12. 3.man in a great meaſure regenerate, yea and very meeke above all the men which were upon the face of the earth, yet being on a great cauſe angry, ſo exceeded therein, as he little regarded the Tables wherin God with his own hand had written the Morall Law, but oExo. 32. 19.threw them out of his hands, and brake them. So pAct. 15 39.Paul and Barnabas, men endewed with extraordinary ſpirits, yet being ſtirred with anger, grew ſo hot, as They departed aſunder one from the other. The corrupt fleſh ever abides even in the beſt Saints ſo long as they abide in this corruptible fleſh: and though they be regenerate, yet much corruption lieth as dreggs at the bottome. Hence is it, that if that perſon in whom the ſweet liquour of the ſanctifying Spirit aboundeth, be moved in his paſſions (as ſweet water in a glaſſe having dreggs, being ſhaken) corruption will ariſe, and taint that paſſion.
Quest. By what meanes eſpecially is wrath perverted, How is anger perverted.and made evill?
Anſ. By the ſame that all other affections are perverted: which are generally two.
1. Miſ-placing them.
2. Miſ-ordering them.
Anger is miſ-placed when it is ſet upon a wrong object: namely upon that which is good and praiſe-worthy. For anger is one of the diſliking affections: the object whereof ought to be evill. Evill is to be feared, and hated, and grieved for: and at evill we ought to be angry. Cain was angry at Gods accepting his brothers ſacrifice: and Saul at the juſt praiſes given to David. Their anger therefore by reaſon of Si mihi iraſcatur Deus, num illi ego ſimiliter rediraſcar? Non uti que , ſed pavebo, ſed contremiſcam, ſed veniam deprecabor. Ber. ſuper Cant. Serm. 83.miſ-placing it, was evill. But moſt evilly miſ-applied is their anger, which is caſt on God. Herein Ionah much failed (Ion. 4. 4, 9.) But Cain much more (Gen. 4. 5.) If God be angry with me, ſhall I againe be angry with him? In no wiſe: but I will rather feare, and tremble, and crave pardon of him.
Anger is miſ-ordered, when it is unadviſedly, or immeaſurably moved. Our Lord ſaith, that sMat. 5. 22.he that is angry with his brother without cauſe or *foreign temerè.unadviſedly, or raſhly, ſhalbe in danger of the judgement. tIon. 4. 4. Canis eſt impudens ira: ſed lege audire diſcat. Si ſuerit canis in grege tam ferus ut non obediat jubenti paſtori, omnia perdita ſunt. Sed ſi diſcit audire, utilis erit contra lupos, & contra piratos, &c. Chryſ. ad Pop. Hom. 30.Thus was Ionah angry overraſhly, and without cauſe.
Immeaſurably angry are they that ſo exceed in paſſion, as inwardly they are diſturbed in their memory, and outwardly manifeſt as much by outragious words and actions: as Saul, 1 Sam. 20. 30, 33.
Had Stoicks and others (that hold all paſſions to be unbeſeeming wiſe men) well diſcerned betwixt the nature and corruption of paſſions, they would eaſily have found out their owne miſtakings. For anger is as a ſhepheards dog, which if he be not at his maſters call, to run, or returne, and do this or that, may be very pernicious: but if he be ordered by his maſter, he may be very profitable againſt wolves and theeves.