The Portraiture of the Image of God in Man, Part 2 · Chapter 10
CHAP. X. Of Sadneſſe and griefe.
SAdneſſe is a paſsion of the ſoule which ariſeth from a diſcontentment that we have received from the objects, contrary to her inclination.
Sadneſſe differeth from dolour or griefe, for Sadneſſe is properly in the underſtanding, and that is called heavineſſe; but griefe is onelyonly in the ſenſitive part, and it is common to men and beaſts. Secondly, ſadneſſe is of things paſt, preſent, and to come, becauſe it followeth the underſtanding that comprehendeth all theſe times; but griefe is onelyonly of things preſent.
The firſt Adam before his fall had no ſadneſſe; A Collation betwixt the innocent, and ſecond Adam.becauſe as yet he had not ſinned: but the ſecond Adam Ieſus Chriſt, taking the puniſhment of our ſinnes upon him, had great ſadneſſe, carrying the burden of the ſinnes of all the elect, both paſt, preſent, and to come.
There was a double ſadneſſe in Chriſt: the firſt, Duplex triſtitia in Chriſto; paſſionis, & compaſſionis,was of paſsion, the ſecond, of compaſsion, he was much grieved for the paines he ſuſtained himſelfe, then doluit; but much more for that which he had in compaſsion for us, for then condoluit. Wee in the ſtate of corruption are more grieved for that which we ſuffer our ſelves, than we can be grieved for any other: but Chriſt was more grieved for us, that we were ſeparate from God.
Againe, they marke, that Chriſt compatitur nobis, Chriſtus compatitur nobis, ratione charitatis & ratione juſtitiae.he had pity upon us, either by way of charity, as when he ſaw the people hungry in the wilderneſſe he had compaſſion upon them. So when he wept for Ieruſalem, Mat. 23. or by way of obligation, when he was bound by obligation to ſatisfie for us upon the Croſſe.
Ob. Sadneſſe is of theſe things which befall us againſt our will, but nothing befell to Chriſt againſt his will, therefore ſadneſſe was in Chriſt.
Anſw. Duplex triſtitia; abſoluto, & reſpectu quodam.A man may be ſad for theſe things, which are not abſolutely againſt his will, but in ſome reſpect; as the cuppe which Chriſt dranke, if we will reſpect Gods glory and mans ſalvation, he dranke it willingly; but reſpecting the cuppe it ſelfe, it was againſt his will, becauſe of the paine.
Some ſadneſſe ariſeth praeter rationis imperium, A Collation betwixt the ſecond and renewed Adam.beſides the command of reaſon; as theſe firſt motions which upon a ſudden doe ſurpriſe men. Secondly, there is a ſadneſſe, contrajudicium rationis, againſt the judgement of reaſon, Triſtitia exſurgit praeter, contra, vel ſecundum rationis imperium.which ſubdueth reaſon for a while, and this may be alſo in the children of God. Thirdly, there is a ſadneſſe, ſecundum imperium rationis, according to the command of reaſon, for his reaſon commands him to be ſad; in the two firſt ſenſes, Chriſt was not ſad, but hee was ſad in the third ſenſe.
Bonaventure, interpreting theſe words of Seneca, triſtitia turbans non eſt in ſapiente, expounds it well; triſtitia perturbans non eſt in ſapiente: although ſadneſſe trouble a wiſe man, yet it perturbs him not; for a man not to be ſad when he ought to be ſad, eſt durities et non ſapientia, it is hardneſſe of heart and not wiſedome; rejoyce with thoſe that rejoyce, and weepe with thoſe that weepe, Rom. 12. Chriſt himſelfe had this paſſion, and although he was troubled with his paſſion, yet hee was not perturbed with it.
Queſt. Duplex facult as animae, ſuperior, & inferior.When Chriſt ſaith, Math. 26.38. My ſoule is heavy unto the death; whether was this ſadneſſe in the ſuperior facultie of the ſoule, or in the inferior?
Anſw. Facultates ſuperiores, ſumuntur vel ſtricte, vel large.If wee take the ſuperior faculties of the ſoule largely, then this ſadneſſe was as well in the ſuperiour as inferiour faculties of the ſoule; but if we take them ſtrictly, then this ſadneſſe was not in the ſuperior faculties.
The ſuperior faculties of the ſoule are taken largely both in the underſtanding and the will, when they looke not only to God immediately, but alſo to the meanes which leade to eternity; as to the ſufferings, paines and griefe, which it is to undergoe before it come hither; they are taken ſtrictly, looking onelyonly to eternall things as eternall, and reſpecting onelyonly God himſelfe. When Chriſts ſoule beheld immediately God and mans ſalvation, then it was not ſad, but when he beheld the means leading unto this ſalvation, here aroſe the ſadneſſe.
They cleare the matter further by this compariſon. A man that is leaprous, the Doctor preſcribes him to drink ſome poiſon for his health: now in his underſtanding he conceiveth what a good thing his health is, and in that hee rejoyceth; there is no ſadneſſe in the underſtanding here, taking the underſtanding ſtrictly; ſo hee wils his health, taking the will ſtrictly, and there is no ſadneſſe in it neither; but when he wils his health by this phyſicke, and remembers that he muſt drinke this poyſon; here comes in the ſadneſſe.
There was griefe and ſadneſſe, in Chriſts ſoule, Conſeq. both in the ſuperior and inferior faculties; therefore theſe who hold that Chriſt ſuffered onelyonly in his ſoule by ſimpathy, from the paines which aroſe from the body, & not immediatly in his ſoule; extenuate mightily our Lords ſufferings; for the ſoule of Chriſt was immediately the object of the wrath of God, and therfore the Prophet Eſay cha 55 9 calleth them his deaths, becauſe he ſuffered the first death, and the equivalent of the ſecond death for us.
The dignity of Chriſts perſon, 1. made him acceptable in the ſight of God, 2. it made his ſufferings to be meritorious, 3. his ſufferings were meritorious for compenſation in circumſtances, but not in ſubſtance: therefore death it ſelf could not be remitted to him, neither griefe, horror, nor ſadneſſe, in the firſt two reſpects. But becauſe ſome things were unbeſeeming the perſon of Chriſt (as the torments of hel,) the compenſation of this was ſupplied by the worthineſſe of the perſon; yet he ſuffered the equivalent of it, in paine and ſmart, and this bred his ſorrow.
Example, a man is owing a ſumme of money to his neighbour, either he payes him back againe in the ſame kind, as gold for gold, or by the equivalent, as ſilver for gold; and this is ſufficient to diſcharge the ſumme. So Chriſt payed the equivalent of the paines of hell to God his Father.
If a man be owing his neighbour ſuch a ſumme, either he muſt pay it, or goe to priſon; to goe to the priſon is not a part of the ſumme, for if he pay it before he goe to priſon, hee hath ſatisfied the debt. So Chriſt ſuffering theſe paines for us, although he deſcended not really into hell to ſuffer, yet he payed the debt, and for this his ſoule was heavy even unto the death, Math. 26.38.
The ſadneſſe of the regenerate is a ſadneſſe that hath reſpect to God, A collation betwixt the renued and old Adam.which bringeth ſalvation; but the ſorrow of the worldlings brings death to them, 2 Cor. 7.10. The ſadneſſe which is towards God brings repentance to ſalvation which is not to bee repented of: but the ſadneſſe of the world brings death.
Queſt. Can godly ſorrow make a man ſad, ſeeing God is the moſt comfortable object?
Anſw. The beholding of God in himſelfe can bring no ſadneſſe to man, for he is a moſt comfortable object: but the beholding of ſinne which hindreth us from the cleare ſight of that object which is moſt comfortable, it is that which breedes the ſorrow in the regenerate.
The remedies to cure Sadneſſe.
To cure this paſſion of ſadneſſe: firſt, we muſt conſider that it is ſometimes ſet upon the wrong object: ſometimes it is immoderately ſet upon the right object. When is is ſet upon the wrong object, Duplex objectum triſtitiae, verum, & falſum.it muſt be turned to the right object. Wee are not to comfort a man ſo long as the paſſion is ſet upon a wrong object, but wee muſt doe as the ſaylers doe, who when they are in a wrong courſe, turne the ſhip another way.
Secondly, Verum objectum triſtitiae, vel eſt in defectu, vel exceſſu.when the paſſion is ſet upon the right object, if the paſſion be in defect: then the paſſion muſt be more ſharpened, as the ſayles are to be hoyſed up when it is too calme; but if the paſſion be too vehement, then it muſt be moderate; for if the wind bee too great, then the ſayles muſt be pulled downe a little.
Secondly, reaſon muſt ſharply cenſure this paſſion, and chide it, and ſay with David, Pſal. 43. Why art thou caſt downe my ſoule; for if reaſon ſpeak but gently to this ſullen paſſion, it will be more ſullen: as Eli's inſolent ſons after the mild reproofe of their father were more inſolent, 1 Sam. 2.25.
The Iewes tooke a wrong courſe to nouriſh this paſſion of ſadneſſe and to give way to it: firſt they hyred mourning women, Amos 5.16. theſe were called praeficae and ſiticines, quia apud ſitos, id est, ſepulchroconditos, caner…ſolebant: ſecondly, they uſed in their burials, when thoſe of older age were buried, to ſound the dead ſound with a Trumpet, or with a Cornet: and this the Poet approveth when he ſaith;
Cum ſignum luctus cornu grave mugit adunco, …
That is,
On cornet pipes they play the mournfull ſound,
When corpſe of aged men are layde in ground.
But when their little children died, they uſed to play upon a Whiſtle or ſome ſmall pipe, which Coelius Rodigin, makes manifeſt thus;
Tibia, cui teneros ſuetum deducere manes,
Lege Phrygum maeſta. …
That is,
Whoſe uſe it was with muſicke to convay,
The tender ſoules the Phrygian mournfull way.
When Iairus his little daughter was dead, Math. 9.23. Chriſt thruſt out the minſtrels who played at her death. When they hired mourning women and minſtrels to nouriſh this paſſion, they did as if a mother ſhould hire a bawde to proſtitute her daughter.
When thou art in thy griefe, behold the joyes reſerved for us in heaven, this will ſettle thy griefe: the Theſſalonians mourned immoderately for the dead like heathen, 1 Theſſ. 4.13. becauſe they remembred not that glorious reſurrection.
Remember Chriſts paſſion, the Prophet Eſay ſaith, that it was, with his ſtripes that we are healed, Eſai. 53.5. The firſt ſtripe that Chriſt got in his paſſion was this ſadneſſe, And hee began to bee ſorrowfull, Math, 26.38. My ſoule is heavy to the death, and this breeds joy to us; remember alſo that Chriſt was annoynted with the oyle of gladneſſe above his fellowes to make us glad, Pſal. 45.
Goe to the Preacher to whom the Lord hath given the tongue of the learned, Eſay 50.4. that he may ſpeak a word in due ſeaſon to the weary heart; the Preacher muſt not comfort for worldly ſorrow, but rather make them for this more ſorrowfull: ſo when he ſeeth the ſinner caſt downe, he muſt then remit of his ſeverity, and then begin to comfort him. It was the fault of the Church of Corinth, 1 Cor. 5. when they ſaw the inceſtuous Corinthian too much humbled for his fault, and like to be ſwallowed up with griefe, that they would remit nothing of the ſtrictneſſe of their cenſures; ſo the Primitive Church was too ſtrict in their cenſures; continuing the penitents too long under them, which brought in Satisfaction afterward in the Church.
Let us uſe the remedy of the Sacraments: the Iewes uſed to give theſe who were carried to execution wine, applying that place, Prov. 30. to this purpoſe, give wine to him that is of a ſad heart; when we ſee our ſelves as it were carried to execution, then a draught of this precious wine of Chriſts bloud will refreſh us; and make us looke cheerefull againe.