Observations Divine and Moral, Chapter 54
CHAP. LIIII. Of the Affections of the minde.
OVR affections, as love, sorrow, fear, and the rest, are common to us with bruit beasts; which therefore the understanding must order, that they be not bruiteish; and with them, the will, for its yeilding of consent to their motions, or withholding it from them. But as the litle sticks set the greater wood a burning: so do they most what set the understanding, and will aworking in sensuall objects. For example. One sees a naturally pleasing good thing, but belonging to another, or not to him, as Achans wedg of gold: His affection of love, and appetite is inordinately caryed unto it; and is ready to sollicit the will to consent to the getting, and enjoying of it. But now, if the understanding do its dutie, it steps in, represseth the affection, and restreyneth the will, by discerning, and discovering, that the good thing desyred is anothers, and therefore not to be desyred, or had by him. But as the fumes arysing from a corrupt stomack darken, and dim the bodily eyes: so in sensuall persons the understanding is commonly (besides its own inherent blyndnes) so corrupted with partiall, and brutish affections, as that it neglecteth all due search, and disquisi…ion; and unadvisedly judgeth that good, which is pleasing to appetite, and sense: and so being sweyed, and led by the affections, as a foolish waggoner by his horses, draws with it the wils consent; which obteyned, the evill is done in Gods account, and wants onelyonly opportunitie for outward effect.
Although the seat of the affections be the soul, whose motions they are, and not the bodyes: yet do they more or lesse vehemently, and efficatiously act, and exercise themselvs, as the blood, and spirits, (the souls immediate instruments) are more, or lesse fitted to their hand. Hence is it, that anger in the heart moved by some occasion, is so vehement in a cholerick body; sorrow, or fear in a melancholick; and so for the rest.
These our affections are eyther merely naturall in us; or sanctifyed by grace; or morally corrupt, and inordinate. Nature (and so naturall affections) is content with a litle: corruption not with a great deal: as the thirst, which is naturall, is quenched with a draught, or two; but that which is unnaturall, and agueish, not with a whole vessell of drink. This and the reason of it he layes down wittily, that sayth, Naturall desires are finite, but those arysing from false opinion have no limits: as he that goes his right Seneca.way, hath some end of his journey; he that wanders, none. And as for sanctified affections, they, alasse, are too feeble in us: and as Iehu was known by his furtous marching; so may they be, by their soft, and lazy pace: neyther, if they were excessive, were they sanctified, that is, directed by grace, and good reason: nor are they easily so, if they be any thing vehement; but have commonly too much flesh mingled with them. And no marvayl: for setting our affections above, where Christ is, and whither the spirit ofColos. 3. grace advanceth them, we clime up the hill, and withall draw after us the clog of our flesh, lusting the contrarie way:Galat. 5. whereas sensuall men led by their lusts, goe down the hill, and are caryed headlong to evill. Besides, sensuall objects are present to the outward senses, by which the affections are moved: but things spirituall are seen a far of, as needing2 Pet. 1. the direction and discourse of fayth for provokeing of affection unto them; which makes their work in this case more weak and slow. Yet being created faculties, they are the greater the better, if rightly ordered. And so it is not unbrobably sayd by some, that Christ had the greatest fear, sorrow, anger &c. upon him, that ever man had, or could have. But as the stronger the horses in the waggon are,Plato. Lacta…. though the better, yet the more dangerous; so are those horses of the soul in us, lest by misguidance they overthrow all.
And as for violent, and inordinate affections; the person, in whom they are found, how wise, or wel meaning soever otherwise, or howsoever bent upon some good course, is no more to be trusted to; then the charyot drawn by unbroken horses, going, for the present, quietly on, and in a good way, but which will quickly take a toy, and indanger the overthrow of all.
As in a tempestuous sea, the waves, in the same place, are sometimes lifted up; and the depths, at other times, disclosed: so in an unmortifyed, and passionate heart, one unlawfull, & inordinate passion often breaks into the contrarie, as evill, and inordinate, as it: as did Ammons inordinate love to his sister Thamar into as excessive hatred. So2 Sam. 13. some of extreamly prodigall become extreamly covetous; of credulous, suspitious; of mad-merry, sad without measure. The cause is, for that such persons are not led by the lore of reason, or conscience; but caryed headlong by pangs of passion; and withall driven by the divell, and so must needs go, and run too; though up, and down the same way; and forward, and backward, after his will.
As in a fish-pond some one great pike devours both the lesser fish of other kindes, and of its own also; so in divers, some one affection is so predominate, as it eats up not onelyonly reason, and conscience, but with them, almost all other affections. Many are so sowred with discontentment, and sorrow; that they appear to have place left for nothing els in their heart: some are set upon so merry a pin, as if they had the image of laughter which Licurgus set up for the Lacedemonians ever before them. Others again are so overgrown with anger; as they seem to have no blood but choller running in their veyns. If any danger be comeing towards them, (which all reason would teach them to fear specially) they will pick a quarrell at something in, or about it, to set anger, and indignation awork. If God send greivous crosses upon them, and thereby call them to mourning; it shall go hard but they will finde what to be angry at, in some person, or other, to turn the stream that way.
It is some disparagement ordinarily to the government of a wise man (specially in their eyes, who hauehave no share in the motive) to make great manifestation of affection, one or other: & therefore Ioseph when he would make himself Gen. 45.known affectionately to his brethren, commanded all the Egiptians out of the place. So Zachariah foretelling the extream mourning, which shall be by the familyes in Ierusalem, Zach. 12.when God shall pour upon them the spirit of grace, shews, that every family shall mourn apart, and their wives apart. Yet are there cases, in which it stands as well with wisdom to manifest great affections, as with grace, or nature to have them. And this David prudently considered, and practised,2 Sam. 9. at Abners Funerall.
We should order our affections before we have any speciall provocations; and set down with our selvs (what may be) before hand, that if such, or such a thing come to passe, we will allow it such, and such a measure of its compatible affection, and no more: that as feirce dogs, though provoked by other mens voyces, yet are quieted by their masters Plutarch.voyce, to which they are used; so the feirce motions of the minde may be, by reasons voice, with which they are formerly acquainted, for that purpose, made still, and quiet.
These motions and affections are well ordered, whenLactant. they rise, and fall according to the varietie, and weight of objects. To be greatly affected with small occurrences, is womanlike weaknes: litle with great matters, stoicall block…shnes. And me-thinks, he that hath a life to loose and considers it well, should not easily come to fear excessively the losse of his goods: nor he the losse of his bodily life, who hath a soul to loose, or save for ever. And therefore Christ our Lord bids, Fear not him that can kill the body, Math. 1…and then hath shot his sting, and can hurt no more; but fear him, who can cast both body, and soul into hell.
As physitions fearing a mans over-bleeding at the nose, open a veyn in the arm, thereby to turn the course of the blood another way: so we▪ finding one affection, or other inordinate in us, and like to overflow; if we cannot so rule, and represse it, as is meet, by good reason, shall do well to set some other affection a working by some moveing, and lawfull object; that so the stream being turned another way, we may disappoint the passion, which we cannot so well order. For example, If a man finde himself in danger of exo…bitancy in anger, it is good for him to set afoote sorrow, or fear, by some such lawfull object, as God offers him: and so for other passions of the minde. Or if the stream of the affection happ to run so strong, as that we can not well turn it another way; it is wisdom to get it upon some such object in the same way, as wherein it may freely take its scope: as the horse that can not be stayed, yet may be guided into such a way, as in which there is no great danger, how fast soever he runs; which may also be so heavie, as will keep him from running fast in it.
Thus, if sorrow, fear, or anger be like to work inordinately in us, let us set them upon our sins; and so the danger of all excesse will soon be over, for the most part. And indeed, it is no small point of christian wisdom, for a man to provide fit matter for his affections (especially predominant in him) to be exercised in. Is any among you afflicted? sayth the Apostle, let Iames ….him pray: Is any merry? let him sing Psalmes. And by this means he shall neyther loose his own advantage for good; nor further Sathans for evill, by any passion, or affection in him.