Body of Divinity, Book 7 · Chapter 27
CHAP. XXVII. Of the Sensitive Appetite.
THus I have done with sanctifying the intellectual Nature, the Understanding, Will, Conscience, Memory and the Affections. Now I come to Appet…tus Sensitivus, The Sensitive Appetite.
It is an inclination of the soul to imbrace those things which are good orIt is a desire of food for the preservation of the individuum, and of generation for the maintaining of the kinde. evil according to the judgement of the sense.
There are five external Senses, Seeing, Hearing, Smelling, Touching and Tasting; and three internal, the Memory, Fancy, Common Sense. In these men and bruit beasts are alike.
In man this sensitive appetite differs from that in a bruit beast in three things:
1. That in a bruit beast is all the soul which he hath, but in man it is not a distinct soul, but an inferiour faculty of the reasonable soul.
2. The motions of a bruit beast according to sense, are not guided by reason.
3. In a bruit beast his sense is all the guide he hath by which he is to make his judgment: mans rule is reason guided by God.
All the motions of the will which the soul takes upon the representation of the senses, is the bruit part.
1. The rectitude of it before the fall or the image of God in it.
It was wholly at the command of reason, is was to be a servant to the soul, only to bring intelligence and represent all the things which were done abroad. A man in his pure condition had not a desire to a thing till reason had judged of it.
Since mans fall, much of our depravation lies in this low brutish faculty, the Scripture saith, Every man is a beast. The Apostle ten times in the sixth, seventh and eigth of the Romans, cals concupiscence sin. Some think it is but the depravation of this he there means.
Man falling off from God and making him his portion, turns to the creature, and makes it his portion.
1. The power which this brutish part hath over reason.
2. Over the will and affections.
3. The abominable fruits which slow from both these.
Of the first.
Whereas reason should impartially take all things without prejudice, and weigh them in the right balance; it puts out the eye or deludes it.
2. It takes up the will before any thing be propounded to reason, it often ravisheth the will, which the Scripture expresseth by madnesse.
3. The woful fruits of this.
Hereupon man who was made after Gods Image, and most like him, becomes a carnal, earthly, brutish man, the spiritual part is drowned, Iude v. 10. His joy is in his musick, wine, horse, garden, cloaths. Though he have an intellectual nature, yet his reason invents wayes and means to follow some sensual good, and to avoid some sensual ev…l, and in this case are all natural men. Corruption first came into the soul by the sensual appetite: Eve by seeing the fruit, hearing the Serpent, touching and tasting the fruit, and by imagining what good might come to her by it, was deceived. Scholars and wise men when corrupt are often taken up more with the things which work upon the senses, then with what works upon reason. Many among the Arabians are learned in the Tongues and Mathematicks, yet their happinesse and all their Religion from Mahomet is what pleaseth the sense. Popery is a meer pompo…s sensual Religion. Men often do vertuous things that they may have the reward of vertue, and hate punishments because they are sensual.
The work of Gods grace in sanctifying this part.
The proper office of it was to present the intellectual nature with what of God may be found in the creature.
The Sanctification of it stands in two things:
1. God by his grace spoils the relish of that good which is presented to us by the senses, it discovers to the soul better good to feed upon, the taste of spiritual things, the consolations of Christ.
2. The soul is not much troubled at the evil which the senses present, sicknesse, reproach. Though grace do not so far subdue the appetite that it shall not be medling, yet it stayes the will. In a gracious man the dictates of reason and conscience conclude the businesse, as in Samsons love of an uncircumcised Philistim, if grace had prevailed that had soon ceased.
There is a great deal of wickednesse in the sensual appetite, it is impetuous sincePhil. 3. 18, 19. the fall.
2. It is a great debasement for a man to be under that which should be his slave.
Directions how to get this faculty sanctified:
1. We shall never get it under the yoke untill we can get the soul to finde satisfaction in better things, Communion with God. Paul could abound and want. All the Philosophy in the world cannot take thy soul off till grace doe, their own rules took not their hearts off, because they had not better things to satisfie it.
2. Watch diligently over thy senses, Satans Cinque-ports, what undid Achan? I saw a fine garment, and then I coveted. The Whore in the Proverbs allured the young man by inveigling most of his senses. I made a Covenant with my eyes, saith Iob.
3. We must be careful of our inward senses, our thoughts of earthly things.
4. Pray much to the Lord that he would keep us in his holy fear.
The vegetative soul is a power of attracting, concocting and expelling what is superfluous, it was not gracious in innocency, nor sinful by the fall, the perversness of it was brought in by sin, but sub ratione poenae.