The Young Mans Guide, Chapter 12
CHAP. XII. Sheweth the Vices whereunto Young Men are addicted. One is Rash and hasty Anger.
VVHereas there are sundry Vices, whereunto Young Men are exceedingly prone, which are very displeasing unto God, let it be thy care and endeavour to shun, and avoid the same.
The Vices of Youth are these.
I. Rash and hasty Anger. Young Men being hot and furious, like Tinder and Gun-powder, take fire at the least spark of offence; and by indulging the violence of their passion, grow often outragious.
I deny not but there is a lawful anger, as when a man is angry either at his own, or other mens sins; for that anger is without sin, which is against sin. But when one man is angry with another, either for no just cause, or for a very slight one, then is his anger sinful and unlawful: to which kind of anger young men are very prone.
Many, I know, account Anger, even the hottest and most hasty Anger, to be but a slight matter, a light infirmity; therefore I shall,
1. Shew you the heinousness of this Sin.
2. Lay down some Remedies against it.
That you may discern the heinousness of it, observe these considerations.
1. The passion it self is exceeding violent. Anger is brevis insania a short madness, as Seneca calls it, and maketh a man (as we say) beside himself, so as he hath no Government of himself, but is void of reason, in regard of the use of it: being more like an unreasonable, and outragious Beast, than a reasonable and prudent man. It carries many men beyond the bounds, not only of modesty, but of humanity also.
2. The effects of this passion are likewise very violent, for
1. It distempers the whole body within and without. It disfigures a mans face and countenance, it maketh his speeches very confused, his actions rude, and his whole behaviour unseemly. If you look upon a man pasiionately angry, you shall see his eyes glaring, his head and hand shaking, his mouth foaming, his tongue doubling, and the whole man even bereaved of himself.
2. Among the soberer sort of People, it perverts every good thing they take in hand. It hinders Prayer, by possessing the head with revengful thoughts. Therefore the Apostle commandeth that pure hands he lift up without wrath, 1. Tim. 2. 8. It hinders profitable hearing of the word, therefore the Apostle Iames, Chap. 1. 19. exhorteth to be swift to hear, and slow to wrath. For whosoever goeth to hear the word with a mind distempered through anger, shall carry away but little of that he heareth.
3. Passionate Anger driveth away the holy Spirit of God, who cannot endure an unquiet mansion, but loveth a meek and quiet habitation. The clamour and tumult of passion is such an offence to him, as causeth him to withdraw.
4. As Anger driveth away the Spirit of God, so it maketh room for the Devil, Ephes. 4. 26, 27. Be angry and sin not, and then followeth, give not place to the Devil, If you gave way to Anger, you thereby give place to the Devil; that furious Devil within opens the doors to let in the unclean Devil without.
5. Hasty Anger is a Badge and mark of a very fool. He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly, saith the Wise man, Prov. 14. 17. that is, he both speaketh and doth many absurd things, which maketh him a laughing stock to others. Therefore he adviseth, Eccl. 11. 9. Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosome of fools.
Having shewed you in several particulars the heynousness of unjust Anger. I come now to shew you some Remedies.
1. For the preventing thereof.
2. For the suppressing thereof after it hath seized on thee.
Remedies for the preventing of anger are these.
1. Take every thing, so far as possibly thou canst, in the better part. Do not judge every shew and appearence of wrong to be indeed a wrong. Or if it be, do not aggravate it, and make it greater than it is. But think the best of the mind, and intent of him that did the wrong, that he did it not wittingly, or least not despightfully, or in contempt. For this conceit, that a man is contemned, or despised doth sooner stir up anger and wrath than any other thoughts.
Or if an injury be so, as it cannot but be taken as it is, yet remember that thou hast done, or may do the like to others, if not to other men, yet to God, against whom thou hast despightfully, and contemptuously sinned. And thereupon resolve with thy self to be slow to anger towards others, as thou wouldst have God slow to anger towards thee.
2. Accustome thy self to a daily and continual meditation of Gods all-seeing and all-ruling Providence; how nothing cometh to pass, or falls out without it. So that whensoever any occasion is offered, which might provoke thee to anger, consider with thy self, that this comes not without the special Providence of God, who will turn it to thy good, if thou belongest unto him; according to that gracious promise, Rom. 8. 2…. All things shall work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Look up unto God, and be not like the Dog to snarl at the stone, never considering the flinger. David had provocation enough from Shimei's cursing him, to make him angry, and boil up his passion to the height; but he looked up to God, and saw his hand at Shimei's tongues end: whereupon he said, Let him Curse, for the Lord hath bidden him, 2 Sam. 16. 11. And this quieted his heart against the revilings of Shimei. Oh what a cooler of inordinate passion would it be in Christians, to see the Hand of Gods Providence in all the injuries and indignities, in all the wrongs and unworthy usages that they here meet withal!
3. Avoid all occasions of Anger; as the company of angry, cholerick persons, whose angry words are ap… to move one to passion: Therefore saith the Wise Man, Prov. 22. 24. Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man thou shalt not go, nor walk familiarly. Avoid likewise Gaming and Drunkenness, which are great occasions of angry words, yea, and many times of angry blows. It is not possible for any man to avoid any sin, that doth not avoid the occasions thereof.
4. Labour to be perswaded, that it is greater honour to pass by, and not regard an injury, than to follow and pursue every wrong with revenge. Solomon saith, It is the glory of a man to pass by an infirmity, Prov. 19. 11. Herein lieth true magnanimity, when a man passes by, and not regards every light injury: when he can hold the bridle, and keep in, and keep under, and in compass so head-strong a passion. Heathen men by the light of nature could say, Fortior est qui se, quam qui sortissima Vin…it Moenia, That he is a more valiant man that overcometh himself, than he that conquereth a City; which Solomon expresly affirmeth, Prov. 16. 32. He that is slow to anger, is better than the mighty, and he that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh a City.
5. Be often viewing thy self, look into thine own heart to see the abominable corruption that is there. The more any man knows himself, how vile and wretched he is, the less angry will he be with others; for he seeth more cause to be displeased with himself for his sins and transgressions committed against God, than to be angry with his Brother for any wrong or injury done by him. The over-high conceit that some men have of themselves of their own worth, occasioneth them to be so suddenly angry with others, because they are apt to think themselves undervalued by them. Whereas he who understands himself rightly, what a poor unworthy wretch he is, will not easily think himself undervalued by others, having lower and meaner thoughts of himself, than others can have of him.
6. Be earnest with God in prayer, that he would mortifie and subdue all thy earthly affections, especially this corrupt and violent affection of Anger. This thou shouldst do, as at all times, so especially when thou discoverest the passion of Anger begin to boil up in thee.
Having shewed you the Remedies for the preventing of Anger;
I shall now shew the Remedies for the suppressing thereof.
1. Keep down the first rising of Anger. Thou must give this water of bitterness no passage, no not a little, least like that in Ezekiel, it grow from Ankle deep, to Knee deep, and from thence to the Thighs; and so at last prove a River that cannot be passed over without drowning. To this purpose tendeth that of the Apostle (Eph. 4. 26.) Let not the Sun go down upon thy wrath. His meaning is, that if through natural infirmity anger steal into thy heart, yet let it not abide a day with thee, meet it in its rising, and give it the fall, lest on the day having … wrath, thou travel with mischief in the night, and in the morning bring forth revenge. It is observable, that the Apostle having said, Let not the Sun go down upon your wrath, immediately addeth, Neither give place to the Devil; implying, that by giving way to your passion, you give place to the Devil; and that he who lieth down in his wrath, will have the Devil for his Bed-fellow.
2. Defer for a while the execution of that vengeance, which thy wrath provoketh thee to take; so will thy blood wax cold, the use of thy reason return to thee, and time gained, for better counsel and advice. Therefore the discretion of a man deferreth his anger, Prov. 19. 11. Noting it to be a point of wisdom in a man, to defer the execution of his wrath.
3. Depart from the sight and presence of him with whom thou art angry. For the Object which provoked anger being removed, the passion will be so much the more allayed: whereas his sight and presence doth more and more inflame it.
4. Turn the edge and point of thy passion upon thy self, and thine own sins, and so it will not be over-fiercely bent against thy Neighbour. Our affections are far more easily turned aside, than clean subdued: as it is easier to turn aside the Current of a River, than to stop the Stream. Thus when a man is over-much grieved for any worldly loss or cross, if he turn his grief upon his sins, his worldly sorrow will much slack.