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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…
A treatise of the passions and faculties of the soul of man With the several dignities and corruptions thereunto belonging. By Edward Reynolds, late preacher to the honourable society of Lincoln's Inn: and now rector of the Church of Braunston in Northamptonshire.A treatise of the passions and faculties of the soule of man With the severall dignities and corruptions thereunto belonging. By Edvvard Reynoldes, late preacher to the honorable society of Lincoln's Inne: and now rector of the Church of Braunston in Northamptonshire.
London: printed by R. Hearne and John Norton for Robert Bostock, 1640
Chapter 23: Of the affection of Hope, the Object of it, Good Future, Possible, Difficult, of Regula…
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Here then because I find not any arguments of large discourse in the opposite passion, (unless we would pass sró natural or moral unto Theological handling thereof) we may observe what manner of despair is only regular & allowable, I mean that wch in matters of importance drives us ⟨p. 237⟩out of our selves, or any presumption and opinion of our own sufficiency. But that despair which riseth out of a groundless unbelief of the Power, or distrust of the Goodness of a superior Agent (especially in those things which depend upon the Will and Omnipotency of God) hath a double corruption in it, both in that it defiles, and in that it ruins Nature: defiles, in that it conceives basely of God himself, in making our guilt more omnipotent than his Power, and sin more hurtful than he is good: ruins, in that the mind is thereby driven to a flight and damnable contempt of all the proper means of recovery.
Here then because I finde not any arguments of large discourse in the opposite passion, (unlesse we would passe sró natural or morall unto Theologicall handling thereof) we may observe what manner of despair is only regular & allowable, I mèan that wch in matters of importance drives us ⟨p. 237⟩out of our selves, or any presumption and opinion of our own sufficiency. But that despaire which riseth out of a groundlesse unbeliefe of the Power, or distrust of the Goodnesse of a superiour Agent (especially in those things which depend upon the Will and Omnipotency of God) hath a double corruption in it, both in that it defiles, and in that it ruines Nature: defiles, in that it conceives basely of God himself, in making our guilt more omnipotent than his Power, and sinne more hurtfull than he is good: ruines, in that the minde is thereby driven to a flight and damnable contempt of all the proper means of recovery.
Of this kind of Despair, there are three sorts: The one Sensual, arising out of an excessive love of Good, Carnal, and Present; and out of a secure contempt of Good, Spiritual, and Future. Like that of the Epicures, Let us eat and drink while we