Gods three arrovves plague, famine, svvord, in three treatises. I. A plaister for the plague. II. Dearths death. III. The Churches conquest over the sword. By William Gouge Doctor in Divinity, and preacher of Gods Word in Black-Friers, London.

§. 43. Of the lawfulnesse of anger.

1. THis great instance of Gods being angry, gives an evident demonstration of the lawfulnesse of anger. * 1.1 For nothing simply sinfull and unlawfull is attributed to God. Our Saviour who tooke upon him our nature was free from all sinne. a 1.2 He knew no sinne. He knew him∣selfe better then any other could. Had he had any sinne, he must needs have knowne it. But he was b 1.3 A Lambe without blemish, and without spot: c 1.4 Holy, harmlesse, undefiled, sepa∣rate from sinners: yet d 1.5 was he angry. So were sundry Saints on just occasions noted to be angry, yet not blamed: as e 1.6 Moses, f 1.7 David, g 1.8 Nehemiah, and others.

Anger is one of the affections. Affections in themselves are no more evill, then understanding, will, memory, and other faculties of the soule.

Ob. They are all of them by naturall corruption perver∣ted and polluted.

Answ. 1. We may distinguish betwixt the essence of the * 1.9 soule with the faculties thereof, and the corruption of them which is accidentall. Thus the essence is good, though the accident be evill.

2. That which is corrupted may be renewed. Thus an∣ger

and other affections are accounted good and lawfull by vertue of the Spirits renewing them.

2. Ob. k 1.10 The Apostle reckoneth wrath among the fruits of the flesh: and l 1.11 exhorteth to put it away.

Answ. He meaneth wrath and anger as perverted and corrupted. m 1.12 In another place he implieth that a man may be angry and yet not sinne.

Quest. Why then is wrath put into the catalogue of such things as are simply evill, as n 1.13 wrath, anger, maliciousnesse, n 1.14 idolatry, adultery, witch-craft, &c.

Answ. Because it is a violent passion: and by man, though regenerate, very hardly kept in compasse. Moses, a * 1.15 man in a great measure regenerate, yea and very meeke above all the men which were upon the face of the earth, yet being on a great cause angry, so exceeded therein, as he little regarded the Tables wherin God with his own hand had written the Morall Law, but o 1.16 threw them out of his hands, and brake them. So p 1.17 Paul and Barnabas, men endewed with extraordinary spirits, yet being stirred with anger, grew so hot, as They departed asunder one from the other. The corrupt flesh ever abides even in the best Saints so long as they abide in this corruptible flesh: and though they be regenerate, yet much corruption lieth as dreggs at the bottome. Hence is it, that if that person in whom the sweet liquour of the sanctifying Spirit aboundeth, be moved in his passions (as sweet water in a glasse having dreggs, being shaken) corruption will arise, and taint that passion.

Quest. By what meanes especially is wrath perverted, * 1.18 and made evill?

Ans. By the same that all other affections are perverted: which are generally two.

• 1. Mis-placing them.
• 2. Mis-ordering them.

Anger is mis-placed when it is set upon a wrong object: namely upon that which is good and praise-worthy. For an∣ger is one of the disliking affections: the object whereof ought to be evill. Evill is to be feared, and hated, and grie∣ved

for: and at evill we ought to be angry. Cain was angry at Gods accepting his brothers sacrifice: and Saul at the just praises given to David. Their anger therefore by reason of * 1.19 mis-placing it, was evill. But most evilly mis-applied is their anger, which is cast on God. Herein Ionah much failed (Ion. 4. 4, 9.) But Cain much more (Gen. 4. 5.) If God be angry with me, shall I againe be angry with him? In no wise: but I will rather feare, and tremble, and crave pardon of him.

Anger is mis-ordered, when it is unadvisedly, or immea∣surably moved. Our Lord saith, that s 1.20 he that is angry with his brother without cause or * 1.21 unadvisedly, or rashly, shalbe in danger of the judgement. t 1.22 Thus was Ionah angry over∣rashly, and without cause.

Immeasurably angry are they that so exceed in passion, as inwardly they are disturbed in their memory, and out∣wardly manifest as much by outragious words and actions: as Saul, 1 Sam. 20. 30, 33.

Had Stoicks and others (that hold all passions to be un∣beseeming wise men) well discerned betwixt the nature and corruption of passions, they would easily have found out their owne mistakings. For anger is as a shepheards dog, which if he be not at his masters call, to run, or returne, and do this or that, may be very pernicious: but if he be orde∣red by his master, he may be very profitable against wolves and theeves.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Nobis hominibus concessum est, ut ad indignae ali∣cujus rei faciem moveamur? tran∣quillitatem{que} mē tis velut lenis quaedam aura conturbet, &c. Hier. Com¦ment. l. 2. in Eph. 4.
• a 1.2

  2 Cor. 5. 21.
• b 1.3

  1 Pet. 1. 19.
• c 1.4

  Heb. 7. 26.
• d 1.5

  Mar. 35
• e 1.6

  Numb. 16. 150
• f 1.7

  2 Sam. 13. 21.
• g 1.8

  Neh. 5. 6.
• * 1.9

  How anger is good.
• k 1.10

  Gal. 5 20.
• l 1.11

  Col. 3. 8. How anger ac∣counted evill.
• m 1.12

  Eph. 4. 26.
• n 1.13

  Col 3. 8.
• n 1.14

  Gal. 5. 19, 20.
• * 1.15

  Ira est irrationa∣lis impetus, & canis impudens. Chrys. ad Pop. Hom 30. Num. 12. 3.
• o 1.16

  Exo. 32. 19.
• p 1.17

  Act. 15 39.
• * 1.18

  How is anger perverted.
• * 1.19

  Si mihi irascatur Deus, num illi ego similiter redirascar? Non uti{que}, sed pavebo, sed contremis∣cam, sed veniam deprecabor. Ber. super Cant. Serm. 83.
• s 1.20

  Mat. 5. 22.
• * 1.21

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 temerè.
• t 1.22

  Ion. 4. 4. Canis est impu∣dens ira: sed lege audire discat. Si suerit canis in grege tam ferus ut non obediat jubenti pastori, omnia perdita sunt. Sed si discit audire, utilis erit contra lupos, & contra piratos, &c. Chrys. ad Pop. Hom. 30.