Of Peace and Contentment of Mind, Book 3 · Chapter 11
CHAP. XI. Of Wrath.
I put Wrath among the retinue of Pride as deſcended from it. To this one might oppoſe, that wrath is attributed to God in many texts of Scripture; And that the Apoſtle ſaith, Eph. 4. Be angry and ſinne not. And therefore that anger is not evil, and muſt be fathered upon a better Authour then Pride.
Theſe objections will helpe us to know the nature of wrath. It is certaine that there is no paſſion in God. But it is certaine alſo, that if anger were a vice it ſhould not be attributed unto God. The wrath of God is an indignation declared by effects ſhewing a reſenting of the offenſe offered unto his glory. As then, the anger of God proceeds from his glory, ſo the vicious anger of man proceeds from his pride which is a baſtard glory.
As for the other objection out of St Pauls precept, Be angry and ſinne not, whence it followes that one may be angry and not ſinne, wee muſt diſtinguiſh betweene good and evill anger. The vicious anger comes out of pride, which is the evill glory of man, The good anger comes out of the glory of God; for the anger of Gods children when they heare his name blaſphemed, or ſee ſome horrible crime committed with the ceremonies of devotion and juſtice, is a ſenſe which they have of Gods glory, whoſe violation moveth them to jealouſy. It is good to be angry for ſuch occaſions; but becauſe anger is prone to runne into exceſſe, and to mingle particular animoſities with the intereſſe of Gods glory, the Apoſtle gives us a caveat to be angry and ſinne not.
Then the vicious and the vertuous anger differ in the object chiefely; the vertuous regards the intereſſe of God, the vicious the intereſſe of a mans ſelfe: but both proceed from glory, and have their motions for the vindication of glory. For as religious anger hath for its motive the glory of God, the motive of vicious anger is particular glory, and the reſenting of private contempt, true or imagined. The proudeſt men are the moſt cholerick, for being great lovers of themſelves, & valuing themſelves at a very high rate, they deeme the ſmalleſt offences againſt them, to be unpardonable crimes.
Truly, no paſſion ſhewes more how neceſſary it is to know the nature and price of things, and of our ſelves above all things; for he that apprehends well how ſmall a thing he is, will not think the offenſes againſt him to be very great, and will not be much moved about them. The certaineſt triall to know how proficient we are in humility is to examine whether we have fewer and eaſier fits of choller then before.
Ignorance of the price of things, and owning things that are none of ours, are the chiefe cauſes of diſorder in all Paſsions; but they are more evident in the Paſsion of anger, becauſe it is more violent, and puts forth thoſe errours to the outſide, which other Paſsions labour to hide.
Beſides theſe cauſes, Anger flowes out of more ſprings, as great and rapid rivers are fed by many ſources. Weakeneſs contributes much to it, for although a fit of anger looke like a ſally of vigour and courage, yet it is the effect of a ſoft ſpirit. Great and ſtrong ſpirits are patient, but weake and imbecill natures can ſuffer nothing, and like doors looſely hung, are eaſily gotten off the hookes. The wind ſtirres leaves and ſmall branches, ſeldome the bodies of great trees. Light natures alſo are eaſily agitated with choller, ſolid minds hardly.
All things that make a man tender and wanton, makes him alſo impatient and chollerick, as covetouſneſs, ambition, paſsionate love, eaſe, and flattery. The ſame effect is produced by the large licence given to the wandering of thoughts, curioſity, credulity, idleneſſe, love of play. And it is much to be wondered at, that anger is ſtirred by contrary cauſes, proſperity and adverſity, the replying of an adverſary and his ſilence, too much and too little buſineſſe, the glory to have done well and the ſhame to have done evill; ſo phantaſticall is that paſsion. There is nothing but will give occaſion of anger to a peeviſh and impatient ſpirit.
The cauſes of anger being paſt telling, our labour will be better beſtowed to conſider the effects, ſufficient to breed an horrour againſt that bluſtering paſsion, even in thoſe that are moſt tranſported by it, when they looke back upon that diſorder in cold blood. Fierce anger is dreadfull when it is aſsiſted with power. It is an impetuous ſtorme overthrowing all that lyeth in its way. How many times hath it razed Citties, turned Empires upſide downe, and extermined whole nations? One fit of anger of Theodoſius one of the beſt Emperours of the whole liſt, ſlew many thouſands of men aſſembled in the amphi-Theater of Theſſalonica: How many then have bin maſſacred by the wrath of wicked Princes? And what ſlaughter ſhould there be in the world, if meane fellowes had as much power as wrath?
What diſorders anger would worke abroad if it were backt with power, one may judge by the diſorder which it workes within a mans ſoul; for with the overflowing of the gall into the maſs of the blood, wrath at the ſame time overflowes all the faculties of the mind, ſuffocates the reaſon, maddes the will, and ſets the appetite on fire; Which is to be ſeene in the inflammation of the face, the ſparkling eyes, the quick & diſorderly motion of the limbs, the injurious words, the violent actions. Wrath turnes a man into a furious beaſt. If man be a little world, wrath is the tempeſt of it, which makes of the ſoul a ſtormy Sea, caſting up mire and foame, and breaking it ſelfe againſt rocks by a blind rage.
In the heat of ſuch fits many get their death, or do ſuch things which they repent of at leaſure afterwards; for wrath brings forth an effect fortable to its cauſe; it comes out of weakeneſs and it weakens a man, there being nothing that diſarmes body and mind more, and expoſes a man more to injuries. Indeed, when anger is kept within mediocrity, it ſharpens valour, and awakes ſubtility and readineſſe of wit. But when it is exceſsive, it makes the ſinewes to tremble, the tongue to ſtutter, and reaſon to loſe the free exerciſe of her faculties, ſo that a man out of too much will, cannot compaſſe what he wills: Latin Authors calling that weake violence ira impotens, impotent anger, have given it the right epithete, for it ſtrips a man of his power over his owne ſelfe and of ſtrength to defend himſelfe.
In that tumultuous overthrow of the inward polity, what place remaines for piety, charity, meekneſſe, juſtice, equity, and all other vertues? for the ſerenity of the ſoul is the temperate climat where they grow, but the heat of choller parcheth them; they are not plants for that torrid Zone.
I know that many times vertue is a pretence for choller. Angry men juſtifie their Paſsion by the right which they maintaine, thinking that they cannot mantaine it with vigour enough. Thus whereas other paſsions are corrupted by evill things, this it corrupted by good things; and then (to be even with them) it corrupteth thoſe good things: for there is no cauſe ſo good, but it is marred by impetuous choller. The great plea of anger is the injuſtice of others; But we muſt not repell one injuſtice by another. For although an angry man could keep himſelfe from offending his neighbour, he cannot excuſe his offence againſt God and himſelfe, by troubling the ſerenity of his ſoul, which is expelling the image of God (for it is not reflected but in a calme ſoul) and bringing in ſtorme and confuſiſion, which is the devills image. As when a hogſhead of wine is ſhaken, the dregs riſe to the top, and when the ſea is raging, the mire doth the like; a fit of raging choller doth thruſt up all the hidden ordure, which was ſettled before by the feare of God or men.
The wrong done by others to piety and juſtice, is no juſt reaſon for our immoderate choler. For they have no need of ſuch an ill champion, which is rather a hinderance then a defenſe of their cauſe, and to maintaine them tranſgreſſeth againſt them. To defend ſuch reaſonable things as piety and juſtice, there is need of a free reaſon and a ſober ſenſe. And whether wee be incenſed with the injury done to them, or that which is done to us, wee muſt be ſo juſt to ourſelves as not to lay the puniſhment upon us for the faults of another, or make ourſelves miſerable becauſe our neighbours are wicked.
To that end wee muſt remember that in the violation of juſtice, God is more intereſſed then wee are, and knoweth how to puniſh it when he ſees it expedient. And if God will not puniſh it as yet, our will muſt not be more haſty then his; and it becomes us not to be impatient for our intereſs, when himſelf is patient in the wrong done to his owne. Let the cauſe of our anger be never ſo holy and juſt, the ſentence of St James is of perpetual truth, Jam. 1.20. The wrath of man worketh not the righteouſnes of God. If it be the cauſe of God that we defend, we muſt not uſe that good cauſe to bring forth evill effects; & the evill that incenſeth us can hardly be ſo grievous, as the loſſe of humanity and right reaſon, of which a man is deprived by exceſſive wrath; for Wrath is cruell, and anger is outragious. Prov. 27.4. It reſteth in the boſome of fooles, ſaith Solomon, Eccleſ. 79.
Our good opinion and love of ourſelves which (when all is ſayd) are the chiefe cauſes of anger, ought to be alſo the motives to abate or prevent it: for would any man that thinks well of himſelfe and loveth his owne good, make himſelfe vile & brutiſh? Now this is done by letting the raines loſe to choler: whereas the way to deſerve the good opinion of ourſelves and others, is to maintaine ourſelves calme and generous, never removed from the imperial power over ourſelves by any violence of paſſion. Pro. 16.32 He that is ſlow to anger is better then the mighty, and he that ruleth his ſpirit then he that takes a citty. I account not Alexander the Great, a great Conquerour, ſince he was a ſlave to his anger. A man that never drew ſword and is maſter of himſelfe, is a greater Conquerour then he.
That calme diſpoſition ſhall not want many provocations from thoſe with whom wee muſt of neceſſity live, ſervants eſpecially, and ſervile ſoules, like unto cart horſes that will neither goe nor drive unleſſe they feel the whip, or be terrified with a harsh angry tone. Seneca gives leave to the wiſeman to uſe ſuch varlets with the words and actions of anger, but not to be angry; A difficult taſke: It is to be feared that by counterfeiting anger, wee may become angry in good earneſt; and a man hath need of a ſound premunition of reaſon and conſtancy, before he come to uſe thoſe wayes; ſo eaſy it is to ſlip into anger when one hath cauſe for it, and is perſvaded that the faults of an idle ſervant cannot be mended without anger; But anger is a remedy worſe then moſt diſeaſes, and no houſhold diſorder is worth the diſordering of our ſoules with paſsion. Better were it to be ill ſerved, or not ſerved at all, then to make our ſervants our Maſters, giving them power to diſpoſſeſſe us of the command of ourſelves, whenſoever it will pleaſe them to provoke us to anger. Yet a wiſeman may expreſſe indignation without anger, and an effectual vigour; making others tremble, himſelfe ſtanding unmooved.
Out of the anger of others wee may fetch three good uſes. The firſt is to learne to hate that paſsion and take heed of it, ſeeing how it is imperious and ſervile together, ugly, unbecomming, unreaſonable, hurtful to others and more to a mans ſelfe.
The ſecond uſe is, to gather carefully the wholeſome warnings which an angry adverſary will give us: for he will be ſure to tell us all the evill he ſeeth in us, which ourſelves ſee not. A benefit not to be expected from our diſcreet friends.
The third is the nobleſt uſe, To ſtudy the ſcience of diſcerning the ſpirits, conſidering with a judicious eye the ſeveral effects of every mans anger, for no paſsion diſcovereth ſo much the nature of perſons. It layeth a man ſtarke naked. Ifone be a contemner of God, as ſoone as he is angry he will be ſure to wreake his anger upon God with blaſphemies. If he have piety and ingenuity, he will make them pleade for him, but lamely, as diſcompoſed by anger. If he be a coward, he will inſult over the weake; and if he find reſiſtance, you ſhall ſee him threaten and tremble together, like baſe dogs then barking moſt when they runne away. If he be haughty, his anger will expreſſe it ſelfe in a malignant ſmile, and he will boaſt of his blood and valour.
The occaſions of anger will better diſcover what a man is inclined unto; for every one will be ſooner moved for thoſe things where he is moſt intereſſed.
As in anger, ſo in reconciliation, a diſcerning eye will reade a character of the ſeveral humours. The vaine and haughty man after he hath done wrong, ſtands upon reparation. The baſeminded man is threatened into ſubmiſsions after the injury received. The covetous wretch will have reparation in money, and puts a rate upon every baſtinado. The conſcionable, meeke, and generous man is facile both in giving and receiving ſatiſfaction, and eaſily pardons another mans anger, his owne with much adoe.
From this let us reflect to the firſt uſe that wee muſt make of the anger of others. He that will mind well how wrath betrayes a man, and layeth open his infirmities; and how the man that hath no rule over his owne ſpirit, is like a citty that is broken downe and without walles, will fence himſelfe againſt that treacherous paſsion by Chriſtian meekenes and moderation, and will learne to be wiſe by his neighbours harme.
To that meekenes we ſhal be much helped by the remembrance of our ſins, whereby we daily provoke God, and for which wee mought have bin caſt headlong into hell long agoe, but that he is ſlow to wrath and abundant in goodneſſe. Exod. 34.6. To expect that God our father be ſlow to wrath towards us, while we are hot to wrath againſt our brethren is the extremity of injuſtice and unreaſonableneſſe.
To conclude, ſince we ſeeke here our tranquility, which we have found every where inſeparably conjoyned with our duty, let us obſerve our Saviours precept, grounded upon his example, Matth. 11.29. Learne of me that I am meeke and lowly in heart, and ye ſhall finde reſt unto your ſoules. That way the Lord Jeſus the great Maſter of wiſedome found reſt unto his ſoul, the ſame way ſhall wee finde reſt to ours.