Treatise of the Passions and Faculties of the Soul, Chapter 11
CHAP. XI. Of the Effects of Love, Vnion to the Object, Stay and Immoration of the Mind upon it, Rest in it, Zeale, Strength, and Tendernesse towards it, Condescention unto it, Liquefaction and Languishing for it.
THe first which I shall observe, is Vnion, occasioned both by the Love which we have to a thing, for it… owne sake, and likewise, for the Love of our selves, that there may be a greater mutuall interest each in other. Where-ever Love is, it stirreth up an endeavour, to carry the heart unto the thing which it loveth▪ Where the Treasure is, there the heart wil be. Hence, none are sayd to love God, but those that are some way united unto him. And therefore, as Gods first love to man, was in making man like himselfe; so his second great love, was in making himselfe like man. Hence, we reade so often of that mysticall inhabitation of Christ in his Church, of that more peculiar Vnion and presence with his people, of a Spirituall Implantation unto him by Faith, of those neere relations of Filiation and Fraternitie, of mutuall interest each in other, I am my beloveds, and my beloved is mine; importing an inseparable Vnion of the Church to Christ. And this may be the reason of that order in Saint Pauls solemne Benediction, The Grace of Christ, the Love of God, and the Communion of the Spirit: for, as the Grace of Christ onelyonly taketh away that enmitie which was betweene sinners and God, and is the onelyonly meanes of our reconciliation unto him; so the Love of God is the onelyonly Bond of that Communion, which we have with him and his holy Spirit.
Vnion is of diverse sorts. One, such whereby diverse things are made simply one, either by the conversion of one into the other, or by the composition, or constitution of a third out of the things united, as of mixt bodies out of united Elements, or of the whole substance▪out of the essentiall parts: Another, such whereby things united are made one after a sort, either by an accidentall aggregation, as diverse stones make one heape, or by an orderly and artificiall distribution, as diverse materialls make one house. Or by either a naturall or morall inclination and sympathy which one thing bearethArist. Rh…r. lib. 2. cap. 4. Di…ger. La…t. in Zenon. …7. unto another. And of this sort is that union which ariseth out of love, tending first unto a mutuall similitude and conformity in the same desires; and next unto a mutuall possession, fruition, and proprietie, whereby the minde loving, longeth to be seised of the thing which it loveth, and cannot endu…e to bee deprived of it. So Moses praied, I beseech thee shew me thy glory; for the vision of God is the possession of him; and so David, My soule thirsteth for God, when shall I come and appeare before him? And this is the foundation of all sorrow, when the soule is dispossessed of that which it loved, and wherein it rested. And this desire of Possession is so great that Love contenteth it selfe not with the Presence, but even then putteth out its endeavours …nto a neerer, and more reall union, as if it would become really One with the thing which it loveth; which is seene in embracings, Amor Hedera Plutarch. de Aud. Scalig. de subtititate. Arist. Polit. lib. 2. c. 4. Vel pr…sentem desid…mus. Pli…. Pantg.kisses, in the exiliency and egresse of the spirits, in the expansion of the heart, in the simplicity and natur…lnesse of all mutuall carriages, as if a present friend were not yet present enough. Which kind of expressions of love are thus elegantly described by Homer, when Eumaeus saw Telemachus safely returned home from Sea.
foreign.Odyss. II. 14.
Eumaeus all amaz'd sprung to the dore.
The pots of wine which his hands mixt before
Did both fall from them: he ranne on to meet,
And with full wellcomes his young master greet.
He kist his head, hands, eyes; and his teares kept
Time with his kisses, as he kist he wept.
The like elegant description wee have of the love of Penelope, when Vlisses after his returne was perfectly knowne unto her.
foreignOdyss. x. 208.
She wept and ran straight on, her hands she spread
And claps'd about his neck, and kist his head.
Love hath in morall and divine things the same effect which fire hath in naturall, to congregate homogeneall, or things of the same kinde, and to separate heterogeneall, or things differing: as we see in the Love of God, the deeper that is, the more is the spirituall part of man collected together, and raysed from the earth. And therefore in heaven, where love shall bee perfect, all things shall be harmonious and homogeneal, not in regard of naturall properties, but in a pure and unmixed spiritualnesse of affections in a perfect unity of minds and motions.
From the union of love proceeds another secret effect, namely, a resting of the mind in the thing loved. In which respect the Philosopher calleth knowledge the rest of the understanding. And this can onelyonly be totall and perfect in the Vnion of the Soule with God, the chiefest good thereof. Whence some have made the threefold Appetite G… … Theol.in man, Concupiscible, Rationall and Irascible, to have their finall perfection and quiet by a distinct union to the Three Persons in the Trinity: for the Concupiscible power is carried ad bonum to good, which they say is the Attribute of the holy Spirit; the Rationall adverum, to that which is true, which is the Attribute of the Sonne; and the Irascible ad Ard…um, to Power, which is the Attribute of the Father. But to let that passe for a spiders web (curious, but thin) certaine it is that God onelyonly is that end, who can fully accomplish the perfection and terminate the desires of those creatures, whom hee made after a peculiar manner to know and enjoy him. But proportionably, there ariseth from the Vnion unto any other Object of Love, a satiating and quieting of the Facultie; which, in a word, is then onelyonly, in Objects of inferiour order and goodnesse, regular, when the Object is naturall, and the Action limited. Disproportion and Enormitie are the two Corruptions in this particular.
A third Effect, which I shall observe of Love, is Stay, and immoration of the Mind upon the Object loved, and a diverting of it from all others: as we observed in Eumaeus, when he saw Telemachus, he threw away the Businesse which he was about before: And the Woman of Samaria, being transported with the love of Christ, left her Pitcher, which she had brought to the Well, that she might goe and call others unto his Doctrine: And Mary left the thoughts of entertaining Christ at the Table, out of an extraordinarie desire to entertaine him in her heart. And this effect the Poet hath excellently expressed in Dido; who having shewed before a marvellous Princely wisdome and sedulitie, in fortifying her new Kingdome, and viewing the Workes her selfe, (as he had before described) as soone as she was once transported by the love of Aeneas, then all stood still on a sudden.
Non capta assurgunt turres, non arma juventu…
Exercet; portusvè, aut propugnacula belloAenead. l. 4.
Tuta parant; pendent opera interrupta—
The Towers long since begun, rose up no more,
And Armes did rust, which ere▪ while brave youth wore.
No Ports, no Sconces, no defence went on,
But all their works hung broken, and halfe done.
Thus, as Plutarch hath observed, the Images of things in the fancies of other men are like words written in water, which suddenly vanish; but the Impressions which love makes, ar… as it were, written with an hot iron, which leaveth fixed and abiding prints in the memory.
Love and Knowledge have mutuall sharpening and causality each on other: for as Knowledge doth generate Love, so Love doth nourish and exercise! Knowledge. The reason whereof is that unseparable union, which is in all things between the Truth and Good of them: for it being the property of Truth to unite and apply Goodnesse (nothing being apprehended as Good, unlesse that Goodnesse be apprehended as true) the more Appetite enjoyeth of this, the deeper inquiry doth it make, and the more compleat union doth it seeke with that: the Heart and the Treasure can seldome be severed; the Eagles will alwayes resort to the body; Davids Love gave length and perpetuity to his meditation, even all the day.
And herein, methinkes, may consist another proportion betweene the strength of Love and Death; for as in Death nature doth collect and draw in those spirits, which before lay scattered in the outward parts, to guard and arme the heart in its greatest conflict; uniting all those languishing forces which are left, to testifie the naturall love which each living creature beareth to its owne conservation: so doth Love draw and unite those Spirits which administer either to the Fancie or Appetite, to serve onelyonly for the nourishing of that Affection, and for gazing upon that treasure whereunto the Heart is wholly attracted. Which Spirits, being of a limited power and influence, doe therefore with the same force, whereby they carry the mind to the consideration of one thing, withdraw it from all other that are heterogeneall; no determined power of the Soule being able to impart a sufficient activity unto diverse independing operations, when the force of it is exhausted by one so strong; and there being a sympathy, and as it were, a league between the faculties of the Soule, all covenanting not to obscure or hinder the Predominant Impressions of one another. And therefore as in Rome when aPlutarch. in Amatori…. Dictatour was created, all other Authority was or that time suspended; so when any strong Love hath taken possession of the Soule, it gives a Supersedeas and stop unto all other imployments. It is therefore prescribed as a Remedy against inordinate Love.
——Pabula Amoris…ucret. apud P…tr. …. lib. 16. cap. 4. Absterrere sibi, atque aliò convertere mentem.
To draw away the …ewell from this fire,
And turne the minde upon some new desire.
For Love is Otiosorum Negotium, as Diogenes foreign Diogenes apud Laert. lib. 6spake, the businesse oftentimes of men that want imployments.
Another effect of Love is Iealousie or Zeale. Laert. lib. 6.Whereby is not meant that suspicious, inquisitive, quick-sighted quality of finding out the …lemishes, and discovering the imperfections of one another (for it is the property of true Love …o thinke none evill) but onelyonly a provident and solicitous feare, least some or other evill should either disturbe the peace, or violate the purity of what we love: like that of Iob towards his sons;Iob 1. 5. …nd of the Apostle towards his Corinthians, I am jealous over you with a godly jealousie: So Pen… … C…r. 11. 2.lope in the Poet was jealous of the safety of Vlisses.
In t… singebam violentos Troas ituros,
Nomine in Hectoreo pallida semper eram.O…d. ….
How oft my decre Vlisses did I see
In my sad thoughts proud Trojans rush on thee▪
And when great Hectors name but touch'd mineears
My cheeks drew palenes frō my paler fears.
Zeale is a compounded affection, or a mixture of Love and Anger; so that it ever putteth forth it selfe to remove any thing which is contrary to the thing we love; as we see in Christ, whose zeale…b. 2. 17. or holy anger whipped away the buyers and sellers out of the Temple. In which respect it i… said that the zeale of Gods house did consume him. … … … ▪As water when it boyleth (from which metapho… the word zeale is borrowed) doth in the boyling consume, or as the candle wasteth It selfe with burning. In which respect likewise it is said, that … ….much water cannot quench Love. It is like Lime, the more water you cast upon it, the hotter it growes. And therefore the sinne of Laodiee… which was contrary unto zeale is compared unto… 3. …. luk…warme water, which doth not boyle, and so cannot worke out the scumme or corruption which is in it.
And from hence it is that Love makes Weake things strong, and turneth Cowardice into Valou… ….and Meekenesse into Anger, and Shame into Boldnesse, and will not conceive any thing too hard to undertake. The fearefull He…, which hath nothing but flight to defend her selfe from the Dogge, or the Serpent, will venter with courage against the strongest creatures to defend her little chickens▪ Thus Zeale and Love of GodNam. 12 11. Exod 3… 19. made Moses forget his meekenesse; and his Anger was so strong▪ that it brake the Tables o… the Law, and made the people drink the Idol which they had made. And this is wi…lly expressed by Seneca, that Magnus dolor iratus amor est, a greatS…nec. in Here O…. griefe is nothing else but Love displeased, and made angrie. It transporteth Nature beyond its bounds or abilities, putteth such a force and vigour into it, as that it will adventure on any difficulties; as Mary Magdalen would in the strengthVid. Pluta…. …. of her Love undertake to carry away the dead body of Christ (as she conceived of him) not considering the weight of that, or her owne weakenesse. It hath a constraining vertue in it, and makes a man do that which is beyond his power; as the Corinthians, when they were poore in estate, were yet rich in Liberality. It makes a man impatient to be unacquainted with the estate of an absent friend, whom wee therefore suspect not sufficiently guarded from danger, because destitute of the helpe which our presence might afford him. In one word, it makes the wounds and staines of the thing loved to redound to the griefNo… …atiar me … sc…re de eo quem imem. Pl…n. Epist. and trouble of him that loveth it. He that is not jealous for the credit, security, and honour of what hee pretendeth affection to, loves nothing but himselfe in those pretenses.foreign Eur…pid. Helen.
Another Effect of Love is Condescension to things below us, that wee may please or profit those whom we love. It teacheth a man to deny his owne judgement, and to doe that which a looker on might happily esteeme Weaknesse o… Indecencie; out of a fervent desire to expresse affection to the thing beloved. Thus Davids great Love to the Arke of Gods presence did transport him to leaping and dancing, and other such familiar expressions of joy (for which Michall out of pride despised him in her heart) and was contented by that, which she esteemed basenesse, to honour God: herein expressing the love of him unto Mankind, who was both his Lord and his Sonne; who emptied, and humbled, and denied himselfe for our sakes, not considering his owne worthinesse, but our want; nor what was honourable for him to doe, but what was necessary for us to be done. Quicquid Deo indignum, mihi expedit, what ever was unworthy of him, was expedient for us. Thus Parents out of Love to their children doe lispe, and play, and fit their speeches and dalliances to the Age and Infirmities of their children. Therefore Themistocles beingPlutarch. Apothegus. L…con. found playing and riding on a reed with his little boy, desired his friend not to censure him for it, till hee himselfe was a father of children.
The last Effect which I shall observe of thisVid. Plutarch. symposiac. l. 5. …. 7. Passion is that which we call Liquefaction or Laugnor, a melting, as it were, of the heart to receive the more easie impressions from the thing whichforeign &c. …. …. 2. it loveth, and a decay of the Spirits, by reason of that intensive fixing of them thereon, and of the painefull and lingring expectation of the heart to enjoy it. Love is of all other the inmost and most viscerall affection. And therefore called by theGen. 43. 1 …g. 3. 26. Apostle, Bowels of Love. And we read of the yearning of Iosephs bowels over Benjamin his mothers sonne, and of the true Mother over her child. Incaluerunt viscera, they felt a fervour and agitation of their bowells, which the more vehement it is, doth worke the more sudden and sensible decay and languishing of Spirits. So Ammon out of wanton and incestuous Love is said to grow leane 2 Sam. 13.from day to day, and to have been sicke with vexation for his sister Thamar.
And in spirituall love we find the like expression of the Spouse; Stay me with flagons, comfort Cant. 2. 5.me with apples, for I am sick of love: Wine to exhilerate, apples to refresh those Spirits, which were, as it were, melted away, and wasted by an extreame out-let of Love. And for this reason the Object of our Love is said to Overcome us, and to Burne the Heart, as with Coales of Iumper; andCan. 6. 5. 8. 6. the like expressions of wounding and burning the Poet useth.
—Est mollis slamma medullasAenead. 4. Interea & tac…um vivit sub pectore vulnus.
A wellcome soft flame in her bones did rest,
And a close wound liv'd in her bleeding breast.
Now the cause of this Languor, which love worketh, is in Sensitive Objects, an earnest desire to enjoy them; in Spirituall Objects, an earnest desire to increase them. In the former, want kindleth love, but Fruition worketh wearinesse and satiety: In the other fruition increaseth love, and makes us the more greedy for those things which when we wanted, we did not desire. In earthly things the desire at a distance promiseth much pleasure, but tast and experience disappointeth expectation. In heavenly things, eating and drinking doth renew the Appetite, and the greater the experience, the stronger the desire: as the more acquaintance Moses had with God, the more he did desire to see his glory. And so much may suffice for the first of the Passions, Love, which is the fountaine and foundation of all the rest.