A treatise of original sin ... proving that it is, by pregnant texts of Scripture vindicated from false glosses / by Anthony Burgess.

SECT. III.

How the Affections are treated of severally by the Philosopher, the Physitian, the Oratour, and the Divine.

THirdly, These affections may be treated of in several respects, but what is most advantagious to the soul, is to handle them, as a Divine, enlightned and directed by the Word of God.

1. The Natural Philosopher he is to treat of them, while he writeth De animâ, of the soul; and certainly the nature of them is as necessary to be known as any other part of men: Hence it is said, Aristotle did write a book of these nature affections, (but it is lost,) The Philosopher he discourseth of them, but as to their natural being, not at all regarding the holy mortifying of them; and therefore a man may be an excellent Philosopher, but yet a slave to his corrupt affections.

2. The Physitian he also treateth of the affections; Galen wrote a Book con∣cerning the curing of them, but he also considers them onely as they make for, or against the health of the body, they attend not to the souls hurt, how much the salvation of that is indamaged thereby, onely they treat of them as they are hurtfull in the body; Erasistratus discovered the inordinate love of a great man by his pulse; Amnon did pine and consume away by his inordinate affection to Tamar; Therefore the Physitian he considers them no further then how they may be cured, that the health of the body may be preserved; And indeed this is also a good Argument in Divinity, to urge, that you must take heed of the sinnes of the passions, for they torment the body, indispose the body, they kill they body, Worldly sorrow worketh death, so doth worldly anger and worldly fear; But of this hereafter.

3. The Rhetorician and Oratour he also writeth of the affections, as Aristotle in his Rhetoricks; Now the Oratour he discourses of them no further, than as they may be stirred up or composed by Rhetorical speeches, how to put his Au∣ditors

into love, anger, fear and grief, as he pleaseth; for it is a special part in Oratory to bow the affections; This was represented in Orphens harp, which is said to make beasts follow him, yea very trees and stones, that is, Oratory doth civilize and perswade the most rude and savage. Now although those who write of the method of preaching, do much commend this gift in a Minister of the Gospel to be able to stirre up, and quicken the affectionate part, yet the grace of God is required to go along herein; For it is easie for a Tully or Demosthenes to stirre up the affections of their Auditors, when they declaimed about such civil and temporal matters, that they saw themselves deeply concerned in; The very principles of nature did instigate them to this; but we preach of supernatural things, and the matters we press are distastfull and contrary to flesh and bloud, therefore no wonder if men hear without affection, and go away without any raised affection at all.

4. There is the Moral Philosopher, and he looketh upon it as his most proper work to handle the affections; for what hath moral virtue to do, but to mode∣rate the affections, that we do not over-love, or over-fear; This is the proper work of the Moral Philosopher, but neither is this handling of them high enough for a Divine; The curing and ordering of them, which Moralists do prescribe, is but to drive out one sinne with another, so that their virtues were but vices, if you regard the principles and ends of their actions; Therefore

In the last place, The Divine or Minister of God, he is to preach of them, and he only can do it satisfactorily having Gods Word to direct him, for by that we find they are out of all order, by that we find they are to be mortified, by that we find only the Spirit of Christ, not the power of nature is able to subdue them; The true knowledge therefore about the pollution of them, will greatly conduce to our humiliation and sanctification.