Treatise of the Passions and Faculties of the Soul, Chapter 20
CHAP. XX. Of the Causes of Ioy. The union of the Object to the Faculty, by Contemplation, Hope, Fruition, Changes by accident a cause of Delight.
I Now proceed to speak of the more particular causes andArist. Ethic. lib. 7. cap. 6. effects of this Passion. Touching the former, not to meddle with those which are unnaturall, belluine, and morbid (which the Philosopher hath given some instances of) The generall cause is the naturall goodnesse of the Object, and the particulars under that. Any thing which hath a power to unite and make present the Object with the Faculty. And that is done (to speake onelyonly of intellectuall Powers)Arist. …. lib. 1. cap. 1. three manner of wayes; by Contemplation, by Confidence, and by Fruition, by thinking of it in the Minde, by expecting of it in the Heart, and by enjoying it in the whole Man.
Contemplation addes unto the Soule a double Delight: First, from it's owne property, it being the proper and naturall agitation of mans minde, insomuch that those things which wee abhorre to know experimentally, our curlous and contemplative nature desires to know speculatively. And therefore the Devils first temptation was drawne from the knowledge as well of evill as good, for he knew that the minde of Man would receive content in the understanding of that, which in it's owne nature had no perfection in it.
But then secondly, in the Object of true Delight, Contemplation ministreth a farther Ioy, in that it doth in some sort pre-unite our Soules and our Blessednesse together: and this is partly the reason why Aristotle so much advanceth his Contemplative before his practique Felicity: For though this in regard of it's immediate reference unto Communion, be of a more spreading and diffusive Nature; yet certainly, in that sweetnesse of content, that serenity of Soule, that exaltation of thoughts which we receive from those noble motions of the higher Mind, the other doth farre in pleasure and satisfaction surpasse all active happinesse. And hence we see in the parts of Mans Body, those which are (if I may so speake) more contemplative, have precedence to those that are more practique. The parts of Vision are before the parts of Action; the right eye is preferred before the right hand. Thus we may observe in God himselfe (notwithstanding in him there can bee neither accession nor intermission of Delight) yet by way of expression to us ward, he did not in the creation of the World so much ioy in his fiat, as in his vidit; not so much when he gave his creatures their Nature, as when he saw their Goodnesse: Nature being the Object of Power; but Goodnes the Object of Delight; and therefore the day of his rest was more holy than the dayes of his working, that being appointed for the Contemplation, as these were for the production of his creatures.
And as Contemplation by way of Prescience, when it looketh forward on good things hoped: So also by way of Memory, when it looketh backward and receiveth evill things escaped, doth minister matter of renewed Ioy. No Man lookethArist. Rbet. l. 1. c. 10. on the Sea with more comfort, than he who hath escaped a shipwracke. And therefore when Israell saw the Egyptians dead on the Sea shore, the fear of whom had so much affrighted them before, they then sang a Song of Triumph. Past troubles doe season, and as it were ballace present Comforts, as the Snow in Winter increaseth the beauty of the Spring.
But in this particular of Contemplation, notwithstanding the excellency of it, there may be Corruption in the Excesse (For in those matters of Delight, except they be such as are disproportioned to our corrupt Nature, I meane divine things, wee seldome erre in the other extreme.) And that is, when wee doe not divide our selves between our parts, and let every one execute his proper function, so to attend upon meere mentall notions, as to neglect the practicall part of our Life, and withdraw our selves from the fellowship and regard of humane society, is as wicked in Religion, as it would be in Nature monstrous to see a fire burne without light, or shine without heate (aberrations from the supreme Law being in divine things impious as they are in naturall prodigious.)
And therefore that vowed sequestration and voluntary banishment of Hermits and Votaries from humane society, under pretence of devoting themselves to Contemplation, and a fore-enjoying of the Light of God, is towards him as un… pleasing, as it is in it selfe uncomfortable, for their very patterne which they pretend in such cases to imitate, was not only a burning lamp by the heate of his owne Contemplations; but a shining lamp too, by the diffusing of his owne Comforts to the refreshing of others.
A second cause of Delight is the sure Confidence of the Mind. Whereby upon strong and un…ring grounds, it waiteth for the accomplishment of it's desires: so that what ever doth incourage our Hope, doth therewithall strengthen▪ and inlarge our Delight▪ Spe gaudent faith S. Paul, andRom. 12. 12. Sperantes gaudent saith the Philosopher, Hope andAr…. …. …. …. … ▪ …, …. Ioy goe both together: For where Hope is strong▪ it doth first divert and take off the Mind from poring upon our present wants, and withall ministreth tranquillity unto it from the evidence of a future better estate.
But here we must take heed of a deep Corruption: For though I encline not to that opinion which denyeth Hope, all asswaging and mitigating sorce, in respect of evils, or any power to settle a floating Mind; yet to have an ungrounded Confisidence, and either out of Presumption or Security to resolve upon uncertaine and casuall events, there-hence to deduce Arguments of Comfort' works but an empty and imaginary Delight, like his in the Poet:
—Petit ille dapes sub imagini somni,Ovid. Met. …. …. 8. foreign …. …. 21. Ora que vana movet, dentem que indente fatigat.
Who dreaming that he was a Guest
At his Imaginary Feast,
Did vainely glut upon a Thought,
Tyring each Iaw and Tooth for naught:
And when he fanci'd dainty meat,
Had nothing but a Dreame to eat:
Or like the Musitian in Plutarch, who havingPlut de Audit. pleased Dionysius with a little vanishing Musick, was rewarded with a short and deceived Hope of a great Reward. A presumptuous Delight though it seeme for the time to minister as good content as that which is raised on a sounder bottome; yet in the end will worke such inconveniences as shall altogether countervaile and overweigh the de…ipt of its former Ioyes ▪. For the Mind being mollified and puffed up with a windy and unnourishing comfort, is quite disabled to beare the … of some sudden evill, as having its forces scattered by Security, which caution and …eare would have collected. For wee know in Bodies, Vnion strengthneth natural motion, and weakneth violent; and in the Mind the collecting and uniting of it doth both inable it for prosecution of its owne ends, and for resisting all opposite force. It is therefore no comforting but a weakning Confidence, which is not provident and ope…ative.
The third and most effectuall cause of Delight is the Fruition of Good, and the reall Vnion thereof unto the Mind… for all other things worke delight no farther, than either as they looke towards, or worke towards this. And therefore if we marke it in all matter of Pleasure and Ioy, the more the Vnion is, the more is the Delight (And Vnion is the highest degree of Fruition that can be) thus wee see the presence of a Friend, yeelds more content than the absence, and the imbraces, more than the presence: so in other outward Delights, those of Incorporation, are greater than those of Adhesion. As it is more naturall to delight in our meats than in our garments; the one being for an union inward to increase our strength; the other outward only to protect it. In the understanding likewise, those assents which are most cleer, are most pleasant, and perspecuity argues the perfecter union of the Object to the Faculty. And therefore we have Speculum & … put together by S. Paul, We see as in aglasse darkly, where the weaknesse of our knowledge of God is attributed to this, that we see him not face to face with an immediate union unto his glory, but at a distance in the creature and in the word, the glasse of Nature and of Faith (both which are in their kind evidences of things not seen) we shall only there have a perfection of Ioy, where we shall have a consummate union, in his presence only is the fulnesse of Ioy.
Now three things there are which belong untoforeign. …. foreign …. …. P…l. l. …. …. 3. …. l. …. c. …. a perfect fruition of a good thing: First, Propriety unto it, for a sicke man doth not feele the joy of a sound mans health, nor a poore man of a rich mans money. Propriety is that which makes all the emulation and contention amongst men, one man being agreeved to see another to have that which he either claimeth or coveteth. Secondly, Possession: For a man can reap little comfort from that which is his owne, if it be any way detained and withheld from him, which was the cause of that great contention between Agamemnon & Achilles, Arrian. Epict. l. 1. …. 2….& between the Greeks & Trojans, because the one tooke away and detained that which was the others. Thirdly, Accommodation, to the end for which a thing was appointed▪ For a man may have any thing in his custody, and yet receive no comfort nor reall delight from it, except he apply it unto those purposes for which it was instituted. It is not then the having of a good but the using of it which makes it beneficiall.
Now besides those naturall causes of Delight, there is by accident one more; to wit, the Change Ethic. lib. 7. …. vl. l. 10▪ …. 4.and Variety of good things, which the diversity of our natures and inclinations, and the emptinesse of such things as we seeke Delight from, doth occasion, where Nature is simple and uncompounded, there one, and the same operation is alwaies pleasant; but where there is a mixed and various Nature, and diversity of Faculties, unto which doe belong diversity of inclinations, there changes doe minister Delight: as amongst learned men, variety of studies; and with luxurious men, variety of pleasures.
And this the rather, because there are no sublunary contentments, which bring not a * Satiety Gustata magis quam Potata …. Cic. … …. 2. … …ll. 5. quaest. 1. Vid. Senec. de Tranq. c. 2, 3.along with them, as hath been before observed. And therefore the same resolution which the Philosopher gives for the walking of the Body, when he enquireth the reason why in a journey the inequality of the wayes do lesse weary a man than when they are all plaine and alike. We may give for the walking and wandring of the Desire (as Solomon cals it) to wit, that change and variety doe refresh Nature, and are in stead of a rest unto it. *Quod etiam de Tibe…io notavit Su…ton. cap. 43.And therefore as I have before observed of Nero, the same hath Tully observed of Xerxes, that hee propounded rewards to the inventors of newQu… hoc officio s…ngtbantur dicti (ut videtur) ab Aelio l-amp…idio Volup…arij in Alex. Sever. and changeable pleasures.
Hereunto may be added as a further cause of Pleasure. Whatsoever serveth to let out and to lessen Griefe, as Words, *foreign Xenoph. … nic lib. 7.Teares, Anger, Revenge, because all these are a kind of victory, then which nothing bringeth greater pleasure. And therefore Homer saith of Revenge, that it is sweeter than the dropping honey.Est quadam etiam vol…ndi voluptas. Plin. & Cic. de sint, l. 1. Arist. Rbet. l. 1. …. 1….