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

SECT. IV.

The Natural Pollution of the Affections is manifest in the Domi∣nion and Tyranny they have over the Understanding and Will.

¶. 1.

SOmething being already premised about the nature of the Affections, we shall in the next place consider the horrible and general depravation of them, and that originally.

First, The great pollution of them is evidently and palpably manifested in the do∣minion and tyranny they have over the understanding and will, which are the supe∣riour magistrates (as it were) in the soul. Thus the Sunne and Starres in the souls orbs are obscured and obnubilated by the misty vapours and fogs which arise from this dung-hill: A man doth now for the most part reason, believe and will according to his affections and passions; Aristotle observed this, That Prout quisque affectus est it a judicat, As every man is affected, so he judgeth; They are sinfull affections which make the erroneous and heretical judgements that are, they are sinfull affections, which make the rash, corrupt and uncharitable judge∣ments that are: Thus the vanity may be observed in the soul, which Solomon took notice of to be sometimes in the world, Princes go on foot, and servants ride on horsback; God did at first implant affections in us for great usefulness and ser∣viceableness, that thereby we might be more inflamed and quickned up in the ser∣vice

of God; They were appointed to be hand-maidens to the rational powers of the soul, but now they are become Hagars to this Sarab, yea they are become like Antichrist, for they lift themselves up above all that is called God in the soul. The understanding and conscience is made to us, as God appointed Moses to Pharaoh, it is ordained as a god to us; but these passions will be exalted above it, and so man is led, not by reason, not by conscience, but by affections; This is the very reason, why either in matters of faith towards God, or in mat∣ters of transactions with men, our judgements are seldome partly and sincerely carried out to the truth, but some affection or other doth turn the balance in all things; Therefore as Abraham was to go out of his own Countrey, and so to worship God in a right manner: Thus if we would ever have a sound faith, a right judgement, we must come out of all affections that may prepossess us; What a wofull aggravation of our sinfull misery is this, that our affections should come thus boldly and set themselves in the throne of the soul, that they should bid us judge, and we judge, that they should bid us believe, and we believe? So that we most justly in a spiritual sense complain, as the Jews in a temporal one, Servants have ruled over us; Is not this a more troublesome judgement then that of the Aegyptians, when Frogs came croaking into their very chambers, or when vermine and lice assaulted them every where? But who it there by nature, that though he be tossed up and down by these storms and tem∣pests and ready to sink into hell, yet doth not lie fast asleep, not thinking he is ready to perish?

¶. 2.

2. In regard of the first Motions and Risings of them.

SEcondly, The sinfulness of these passions is seen, In regard of the first motions and risings of them; whereas God made them at first to serve the more noble parts of the soul, and to stirre at their command; Now upon every temptation presented, they flie about us as so many Hornets, and we cannot keep them down; Adam being made in integrity, as he had a command over all the beasts of the field, and birds of the air, so also much more over his affections and passi∣ons, which were the bruitish part in him; He was, as the Poets seign of their Aeolus who had all the winds in a bladder, and so could make them blow when he pleased and no longer: Thus Adam could love, desire, as he pleased; These did not move in him, till he commanded: But now wo and again, wo to us who are brought into such vassalage, that we are indeed Servi servorum, slaves to slaves; Now our love riseth whether we will or no; now our fear, our anger breaketh into the soul, and it cannot resist it: Now that which Aristotle said of anger, is true of the other passions, that they are like an unnurtured dog, which runneth and fastens upon an object before his master setteth him on; or like an over-hasty servant that runneth upon his errand, before he doth understand it: This then is greatly to be bewailed, that our affections rise first in us, they move before our understanding moveth; These swarms flie out before the King-Bee leadeth them the way; That expression concerning Christ, where it is said, He was troubled, is noted to be in the active sense, in the original 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, John 11. 33. He troubled or moved himself; for it was not with the holy humane na∣ture of Christ, as it is with ours, he being without sinne, had the Sovereign power over every affection that was in him, he loved and grieved, as he pleased, they were under the free exercise of his will, but we are sold under these affecti∣ons, they bind us and lead us whether we would not: Oh what an unspeakable

glorious priviledge are we deprived of; What an admirable honour is it to have a command and power over our own selves, our own affections? Doth not Solo∣mon say, Prov. 16▪ 32. He that ruleth his spirit, is better then he that win∣neth a City; He is more then the mighty ones of the world that can master his affections? How many that have conquered others in the world, have yet themselves been conquered by their inordinate affections? The very Heathens did give testimony to this, that it was Melius imperat re sibi, quam aliis, to have command over himself, then over all the world. Luther that great Reformer, who removed the Mass, Indulgences, and many other soul abominations out of the Church, yet could not sometimes remove sinfull passions, especially anger from his own breast, which made Melancthon of a more moderate spirit, speak in an Ex temporary verse to him, when he was once in a great passion,

Vince Animos irasque tuas qui caetera vincis.

This Pope in Luther's belly (as he would call it) was more difficultly ovecome then the Pope of Rome.

¶. 3.

3. In respect of their Progress and Degrees.

THirdly, As these affections are not in subjection to the noble power of the soul in respect of their rise, so neither in respect of their Progress or De∣grees; but they grow hotter and more vehement, sometimes even like Nebu∣chadnezzar's furnace, and we cannot repress them, so that in all things wherein they put forth themselves, there is an excesse, we over-love, we over-fear, we are over-angry; Indeed the having of affections is not a sinne, no nor the work∣ings of them, but the immoderate excess of them. It was a great Dispute be∣tween the Stoicks and the Peripateticks about these passions; The Stoicks said, They were to be wholly eradicated, they were not to be moderated, but to be extirpated, therefore they pressed their wise and good men to an 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, to be without affection, which yet the Apostle reckoneth amongst the notorious sinnes; And we know Christ himself wept; These held all affections to be sinnes; The Peripateticks held the excess onely to be a sinne, when they did go beyond the bounds of Reason; but some learned men think there was but a meer Logomachy between those two great Sects, that they did agree in the same thing, onely quar∣relled about words; Howsoever all agree in this, That when the affections do overflow the banks, when they swell higher than they ought to do, then sinne lieth at the door: But who can command these winds and waves to be still? Do not these passions like armed men prevail over us, that as it is with paralitical bodies, the members do continually shake and trepidate, because of some corpo∣real infirmity that they cannot keep them in uniform and equal motions? Thus it is with us in regard of these commotions of the soul, as they begin not at the command, so neither do they stop at the guidance of reason, but from a natural, they turn into a preternatural and feavourish heat immediately.

¶. 4.

Those Affections are not subject to the more noble guiding parts of the Soul, in respect of the Continuance or Duration of them.

FOurthly, These affections are not subject to the more noble guiding parts of the soul, in respect of the continuance or duration of them. We are commanded not to let the Sunne go down upon our wrath, and this holdeth true also in any other affection when immoderate, we are not to let it continue burning, lest at last it consume; The Church indeed doth often complain of the continuance of Gods anger, Will the Lord be angry for ever? and will he shew mercy no more? But Gods anger, though never so continuing, though lasting to eternity it self, yet it is just and holy, but we have a time prefixed to our affections, hitherto, and thus farre they must go and no further. Thus you see how unspeakable our thraldome is by reason of pollution in our affections, that we can neither command them in the rise, degree or duration of them; we have power over the members of our body, we bid them move, and they move; we command them to cease from motion, and they cease; but now when we speak to these affections to lie still and be quiet, it is as ridiculous, as when Xerxes threatned the Sea to come no higher, or com∣manded Mount Athos to remove.