Treatise of the Passions and Faculties of the Soul, Title page – Imprimatur
A TREATISE OF THE PASSIONS AND FACVLTIES of the Soule of Man. With the severall Dignities and Corruptions thereunto belonging.
By EDVVARD REYNOLDES, late Preacher to the Honorable Society of Lincoln's Inne: And now Rector of the Church of Braunston in Northamptonshire.
Iuvenal Sat. 1.
Quicquid agunt Homines, Votum, Timor, Ita, Voluptas, Gaudia, Discursus, nostri est farrago Libelli.
LONDON, Printed by R. H. for Robert Bostock, dwelling in Saint Pauls Church-yard at the Signe of the Kings Head. 1640.
TO HER HIGHNESSE THE PRINCESSE ELIZABETH, PRINCESSE PALATINE OF THE RHINE, DVTCHES OF BAVARIA, &c. AND ELDEST Daughter to Her Majestie the Queen of BOHEMIA.
May it please your Highnesse;
WHat the Great PhilosopherAristot. polit. lib. 7, cap. 16. hath observed of Mens Bodies, is, upon so much stronger Reasons, true of their Mindes, by how much our Intellectuall Maturity is more lingring, and sluggish than our Naturall, That the too Early Conceptions and Issues of them doe usually proove but weake and unusefull. And we shall seldome find, but that those venturous Blossoms, whose over-hastie obedience to the Early Spring doth anticipate their proper season, and put forth too soone, doe afterwards for their former boldnesse suffer from the injury of severer weather, except at least some happy shelter, or more benigne influence redeeme them from danger. The like Infelicity I finde my selfe obnoxious unto at this time. For I know not out of what disposition of minde, whether out of love of Learning (for *Amo… dixit …. foreign …l. R…dig. l. 16. …. 15.Love is venturous, and conceives difficult things easier then they are) or whether out of a Resolution to take some account from my selfe of those few yeares wherein I had then been planted in the happiest of all Soyles, the Schooles of Learning; whether upon these, or any other Inducements, so it hath happened, that I long since have taken boldnesse in the Minority of my Studies to write this ensuing Treatise: That before I adventured on the endevour of knowing other things, I might first try whether I knew my selfe. Least I should justly incurre the Censure, which that *… … … …. 6.sowre Philosopher past upon Grammarians. That they were better acquainted with the evils of Vlysses then with their owne. This hasty resolution having produced so untimely an issue, It hapned by some accident to be like Moses in his Infancy exposed to the Seas. Where I made no other account, but that its own weaknesse would there have revenged my former boldnesse, and betrai'd it unto perishing. But as he then, so this now, hath had the marvellous felicity to light on the view, and fall under the compassion of a very Gracious Princesse. For so farre hath your Highnesse vouchsafed (having hapned on the sight of this Tractate) to expresse fauour thereunto, as not onelyonly to spend houres in it, and require a Transcript of it, but further to recommend it by your Gracious judgement vntounto publike view. In which particular I was not to advice with mine owne Opinion, being to expresse my humblest acknowledgement to your Highnesse.
This onelyonly Petition I shall accompany it withall unto your Highnesse feete, That since it is a Blossome which put forth so much too soone, It may therefore obtain the Gracious Influence of your Highnesse favour, to protect it from that severity abroad which it otherwise justly feareth.
God Almighty make your Highnesse as great a Mirrour of his continuall Mercies, as he hath both of his Graces and of Learning.
Your Highnesse most Humble Servant, EDVVARD REYNOLDES.
A PREFACE TO THE READER.
HAving beene moved to give way unto the Publication of this Phylosophicall Miscellany, the Fruit of my yonger Studies, I conceive it needfull to prevent one obvious prejudice under which I may labour. For it may haply seeme undecent in me, having adventured to publish some few, though weake Discourses in Arguments Divine, that I should now suffer the Blossomes of my youth to looke abroad and runne the ha…rd of Publike Censure. Whereunto when I shall have …ven a short answer, I shall rest something the more confident of a C…ndid construction.
And here I might first alledge the …our which God himselfe hath beene pleased to give. VntoUnto Ins…ur, and Naturall knowledge. In the first Creation when he gave unto man the Do…nion over other Creatures for his use, he gave him likewise the …, and knowledg… of them, for his Makers Glory, and his owne Delight. (For God bro…ght them unto him to give them Names.) And as the Holy Scriptures are all over full of the Mysteries of Gods wisdome in Naturall Things, so are there some speciall Passages thereof written aIob c…p. 38, 39, 40, 41. Psa. 1…4, 147.as it were purposely on that Argument. And we finde that Moses and Solomon have therein Testimony given unto them, not onelyonly of their Divine, but of their Humane, and naturall Knowledge likewise.
And if we looke into the Ancient Christian Churches, or into these of later times, wee shall finde that very many Ecclesiasticall persons have not denyed unto the world, their Philosophicall & Poeticall labors, either whole and alone, or mixed, and directed to Theologicall Ends, as we finde in the writings of Clemens Alexandrinus, Tertullian, Eusebius Caesariensis, Saint Austins Bookes, De Civitate Dei, and others, Venerable Bede, Isidore Hispalensis, Synesius Sidonius Apollinaris, Honorius Augustodunensis, &c. In the Hexam…rons of Saint Basil, Nyssen, Ambrose, and the Bookes of those who have written more directly upon some parts of the Argument of this present Treatise, as Gregory Nyssen, Lactantius, Nemesius, Procopius, Gaz…us, Damascen, and others. And in later times, besides the Schoolmen, and those vast labours of many of that side, in Dialecticall, Physicall and Metaphysicall writings we might in stance in very many of the R…formed Churches abroad, some of whose yonger labours have seene the Light▪ as also in the Oratory▪ Logicall, Morall, Historicall, Mathe maticall, Miscell…nious writings of many learned Di vines of our owne Church, under the Protection of which great Examples I shall use the Apologie which Quintilian b…. 1. cap. 6.dictateth unto me, Vel Error honestus est Magnos Duces sequentibus. That it is no uncomely, but a pardonable Errour, which hath great Examples to excuse it. In which respect I finde my selfe chiefely subject to this Infelicity, that I am constrained to follow such Examples, as little children doe their Fathers, Non aequis passibus, at a very great Distance.
And truely, when I againe, consider the Excellent cEt q…em de communibus sensibus …re in …, sed in … …um …, non i… … falsi. Tertul. de Resur. carn…s. cap. 3. …. …iam Apol. cap. 47. & …. Alex. Screm. l…. p. 203. …. 207. A.E. 214.Vse and subordination, of humane learning unto learning Divine (It being hardly possible, without it, to understand sundry passages of holy Scripture, depending upon the propriety of Words and Idiomes, or upon the customes. Rites, Proverbes, Formes, Vsages, Lawes▪ Offices, Antiquities of the Assyrian, Persian, Greeke, and Romane Monarchies, as might be shewed in sundry particulars, and were a labour most worthy the industry of some able and learned pen:) when I consider that the d…, 218. 219 223▪ 227 233. 234 & lib. 6. p. 4…5. 467. 499 500. Iustin. Martyr. Apol. 1. Aug. Confesse l. 1. c. 15. Christianu Domini sus esse intelligit, ubicunque invenerit vt ritatem. Aug. de D…ctri. Chri. l. 2. c. 18, 39. 40. foreign Iustin. Apol. 1. V…d. Aug. de ci…. De…. l. 18. c. 52. Greg. Nezian. Orat. …. … Ex…cl. 12. 35.spoiles of Egypt were by God allowed to enrich Israel, and a1 Chron. 29.the spoyles of the Gentiles reserved by David for the building of the Temple: That a bDeut. 21. 12.Gentile by legall Purification and Marriage, might become an Israelite, That the c2 Sam. 12. 30 Vid. Pet. … no…. decret. l. 1. Tit. 8. …. 4.Crowne of Rabbah was put upon the head of David, and the d1 Sam. 17. 21.Sword of Goliah used to stay himselfe: That the aMat. 2 11.Gold and Myr…h, and Frankincense of the Wise men of the East, was offered unto Christ▪ when I finde the bAct. 18▪ 4 17. 23▪. 29Apostle convincing the Iewes, out of their Law, and the Philosophers out of their Maximes. And that cIac. 1. 17▪ 1 Tim. 4 4.every gift, as well as every Creature of God is good, and may be sanctified for the use and delight of Man; I then conclude with my selfe, That this Morall and Philosophicall Glasse of the humane Soul may be of some service even unto the Tabernacle, as the dEx. 38. 8.Looking glasses of the Israelitish women were unto the Altar.
N…r … I … a little wonder at the melancholly fancy of Saint cDe …. … … ….Hierom, who conc…iving himselfe in a v…on beaten by an Angel for being a Ciceronian, did for ever after promise to abjure the Reading of secular …. … … d…himselfe both justifying the … at use of that kind of Learning, and acknowledg… … conce…d vision of his to have beene but a Drea….
It is true indeed that in regard of the bewitching danger from humane learning, and the too great aptnesse in the minds of man to surfeit and be intemperate, in the use of it; Some of the Ancients have sometimes interdicted the Reading aVi…. Notas Conradi Rit…sij i… Isid. Pelus. Ep. 56. l. 1.of such Authors unto Christian men; But this calleth upon us for watchfulnesse, in our studies, not for negligence, for the Apostle will tell us. That to the pure all things are pure. And evenTertul. … script. c. 7. … …. c. 10. …, Marc. l. 2. c. …. of harmefull things when they are prepared, and their malignancy by Art corrected, doth the skilfull Physitian make an excellent use. If then we be carefull to Moderate and Regulate our affections, to take heed of the pride and inslation of secular learning, not to admire Philosophy, to the prejudice of Evangelicall knowledge, as if without the revealed light of the Gospel, salvation might be found, in the way of Paganisme; if we suffer not these leane K…ne to devoure the sat ones, nor the River Iordan to be lost in the dead Sea; I meane Piety to be swallowed up of prophane Studies, and the knowledge of the Scriptures (which alone would make any man conversant in all other kinde of Learning with much greater Felicity, and successe:) to be under-valued, and not rather, the more admired, is a Rich Iewell compared with Glasse. In this case, and with such care as this, there is no doubt, but secular Studies prepared and corrected from Pride and Prophanenesse, may be to the Church as the Gt…eonites were to the Congregation of Israel, for H…wers of Word, and Drawers of Water, otherwise we may say of them as Cato Major to his …, of the Graecian Art… and Learning. b… … … … …. …. 13.Quandocunqu… ista Gens suas literas dabit, omnia Cor…umpet.
Nor have I upon these Considerations onelyonly adven tured on the publication of this Tract, but because withall, in the reviewing of it, I found very many Touches upon Theologicall Arguments, and some Passages wholy of that Nature. Yea, all the Materiall parts of the Treatise doe so nearely concerne the knowledge of our selves, and the Direction of our lives, as that they may be all esteemed Borderers upon that Profession.
In the perusing and fashioning of it for the Presse, I have found that true in writing, which I had formerly found true in Building; That it is almost as chargeable to repaire, and set right an Old house, as to Erect a New one. For I was willing in the most materiall parts of it, so to lop off Luxuriances of Style, and to supply the Defects of Matter, as that with Candid, favourable, and ingenuous Iudgements, it might receive some toleralle acceptation. In hope whereof I rest,
Thine in all Christian service, EDWARD REYNOLDS.
Perlegi Tractatum hunc, cui Titulus (A Treatise of the Passions and Faculties of the Soule, &c) in quo nihil reperio orthodoxae fidei, aut bonis moribus adversum, quo minus cum summa utilitate imprimatur.
M… 14. 1640. Tho. Wykes. R. P. Episc. Lond. Capell. domest.