A treatise of the passions and faculties of the soul of man With the…A treatise of the passions and faculties of the soule of man With the…

First then Sin is in its own formal and abstracted nature, Unchangeable, though not in respect of the subject, in whom it dwelleth; for a Creature now bad, may by the mercy of God be repaired and restored again; but this is not by a changing, but by a forsaking of Evil, by a removing of it, not by a new moulding it into another frame. Sin then remaineth in its own Nature unchangeable and always evil, and the reason is because it is a Transgression of a perpetual Law, and a Remotion from an unalterable Will: Sin then is to be hated with a continual and peremptory hatred. But in other things there is according to the nature of their evils required a conditional and more flexible dislike, they being evils that have, either some good annexed unto them; or such as are of a mutable nature. And therefore we see that in most things the variety of Circumstances doth alter the good or evil of them, and so makes the passions thereabout conversant, alterable likewise. Otherwise men may naturally deprive themselves of those contents and advantages, which they might receive by reasonable use of such indifferent things as they formerly for inconveniences now removed, did dislike. And in Morality likewise much damage might be inferred, both to private persons and to the public by nourishing such private enmities and being peremptory in continuing those former ⟨p. 133⟩differences, which, though happily then entertained upon reasonable grounds, may yet afterwards prove so much the more harmful, by how much the more danger is to be feared from the distemper of a grown and strong, than of a vanishing and lighter passion.

First then Sinne is in its owne formall and abstracted nature, Vnchangeable, though not in respect of the subject, in whom it dwelleth; for a Creature now bad, may by the mercy of God bee repaired and restored againe; but this is not by a changing, but by a forsaking of Evill, by a removing of it, not by a new molding it into another frame. Sinne then remaineth in its owne Nature unchangeable and alwaies evill, and the reason is because it is a Transgression of a perpetuall Law, and a Remotion from an unalterable Will: Sinne then is to bee hated with a continuall and peremptory hatred. But in other things there is according to the nature of their evils required a conditionall and more flexible dislike, they being evils that have, either some good annexed unto them; or such as are of a mutable nature. And therefore wee see that in most things the variety of Circumstances doth alter the good or evill of them, and so makes the passions thereabout conversant, alterable likewise. Otherwise men may naturally deprive themselves of those contents and advantages, which they might receive by reasonable use of such indifferent things as they formerly for inconveniences now removed, did dislike. And in Morality likewise much dammage might be inferred, both to private persons and to the publique by nourishing such private enmities and being peremptory in continuing those former