Treatise of the Passions and Faculties of the Soul, Chapter 2
CHAP. II. In what Cases the dependance of the Soule on the Body, is lessened by Faith, Custome, Education, Occasion.
BVt yet this dependance on the Body is not so necessarie and immutable, but that it may admit of variation, and the Soule be in some cases vindicated from the impression of the Body: And this first, in extraordinarie; and next, in more common actions. In actions extraordinarie, as those pious and religious operations of the Soule, Assent, Faith, Invocation, and many others▪ wherein the Soule is carried beyond the Sphere of Sense, and transported unto more raysed operations: For to beleeve and know, that there are layd up for pious and holy endeavours those joyes which eye hath not seene, nor care heard, and to have some glimpses and fore-taste of them, which Saint Paul calleth the Earnest, and first fruits of the Spirit; What is this, but to leave sense behind us, and to out-run our Bodies? And therefore it is, that Religion, I meane chiefely, the Principles, Foundations, Articles, and Mysteries Evangelicall, were alwayes not to be urged by Disputes of Secular Learning, but to be sacredly and secretly infused; not so much perswading to the knowledgeI v…ngel. non in deget Sylle… of apparent Truths▪ as drawing to the beleese of true Mysteries. Divine Truths doe as much transcend the Reason▪ as Divine Goodnesse doth the Will of Man. That One Nature should be in Three Persons, and Two Natures in One Person: That the invisible God should be manifested in the flesh, and a pure Virgin bring forth a Sonne; That Death should be conquered by dying, and not be able to digest and consume the Body which it had devoured: That dead bones should live, and they who dwell in the dust awake and sing: These are Mysteries, not onelyonly above the reach of Humane, but even of Evangelicall disquisition; in somuch, that even unto Principalities and Powers they were not otherwise made knowne, but by Divine Revelation delivered unto the Church. Sarah laughed, when Abraham beleeved; and the Philosophers mocked, when Paul disputed; and Reason expected, that the Apostle should have fallen downe dead, when contrarily, Faith shooke the Viper into the fire. There is a great difference betweene the manner of yeelding our assent unto God and Nature: For in Philosophie, we never resigne our beleese, nor suffer our judgements to be wholly carried to any Conclusion, till there be a demonstrative Argument grounded on Induction from the Sense, for the enforcement thereof. But Divinitie, on the other side, whe… God speakes unto us, worketh Science by Faith▪ making us so much the more assured of thos… Truths which it averreth, than of any Natural… Conclusions, (notwithstanding they may seem… sometimes to beare opposition to humane Reason) by how much Divine Authoritie is more absolute and certaine, than any Naturall demonstration. And this freedome from bodily restraint, have (according to the Schoole-men) those Raptures and Extasies, which rayse and ravish the Soule, with the sweetnesse of extraordinarie Contemplations. And yet even Religion it selfe hath so much condiscended to the senses of men, as to give them manner of roome and service in this great Mysterie. And therefore generally, the Doctrine of Christ is set forth in Parables and Similitudes, and the Faith in Christ confirmed by Sacraments; things most agreeable to the perception and capacitie of the Senses.
Now, for the exemption of the more ordinarie actions of the Soule from any predominancie of the Body, it is chiefely wrought by these three meanes, Education, Custome, and Occasion. For the Rule of Aristotle, though in Agents purelyVid. Arist. …ic. lib. 10. c. 9. …ic. l. 2. c. 1. Naturall and peremptorie (which are not directed by any degree of knowledge inherent) it held true; yet in Man it is not universall, That any thing which comes from Nature, is unalterable by Custome: For we commonly observe, that the Culture of the Minde, as of the Earth, doth many times deliver it from the barrennesse of its owne Nature.
Exercetque frequens tellurem atque imperat arvis;
As frequent Husbandry commands
The emptiest and most barren Lands.
Education then, and Custome, doe as it were revenge Nature; insomuch, that though the outward Humours and Complexions doe worke the Mind unto an unhappie temper, yet by a continuall grapling with these difficulties, it getteth at the last some victorie, though not without much reluctancie.
And for Occasion; that alters the naturall inclination of the Will and Affections, rather than of the Vnderstanding: for so wee see, that the byas and force of mens desires are oftentimes turned, by reason of some sudden emergent occurrences, contrarie to the standing temper and complexion of the Body. Thus wee reade some times of men in Warre; who notwithstanding of themselves timerous and sluggish, yet when the disadvantage of the place had taken away all possibilitie of flight, and the crueltie of the Adversarie all hope of merciemercy, if they should be conquered, have strangely gayned by their owne despaires, and gotten great and prosperous Victories, by a forc'd and unnaturall fortitude.
Vna salus victis, nullam sperare salutem.
The onelyonly weapon which did win the day,
Was their despaire, that they were cast away.
An example whereof, wee have in the Philistims: 1 Sa…. 4 6, 7, 8When the Israelites brought forth the Arke of the Lord in the Campe, they were sore afraid, and cryed out, Woe unto us, woe unto us; who shall deliver us out of the hands of these mightie Gods? And thereupon resolved to quit themselves like men, and fight. And Caesar in his Commentaries telleth us of a people▪ who whenCaesar Com. …1. they went out to Warre, would burne their Houses; that having no Home of their owne, to flye unto, they might by that despaire, be urged to gaine one by the Sword. The Historian reporteth of a Band of Scythians, who though theyIustin. were of themselves bond-slaves, did notwithstanding, upon occasion of their Masters absence, endeavour to shake off their in-bred Civilitie; usurping to themselves a Freedome, of which the basenesse of their condition was uncapable: Nor could they be removed from this Insolencie, till the sight of Rods and Staves, and other the like instruments of feare, had driven them back into their Nature againe.