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…

Now the Condition under which the Understanding is both to apprehend and propose any either end, or means convenient to the Nature of the Will, and of Sufficiency to move it, are that they have in them Goodness, Possibility; and in the end (if we speak of an utmost one) Immortality too. Every true Object of any Power, is that which beareth such a perfect Relation of convenience & fitness thereunto, that it is able to accomplish all its desires. Now since Malum is Destruct•vum all Evil is Destructive. It is impossible that by it self, without a counterfeit and adulterate face, it should ever have any Attractive Power over the Desires of the Will. And on the other side, since Omne bonum, is Perfectivum; since Good is perfective, and apt to bring real satisfaction along with it, most certainly would it be desired by the Will, were it not that our Understandings are clouded and carried away with some crooked misapprehensions; and the Will it self corrupted in its own Inclinations.

Now the Condition under which the Vnderstanding is both to apprehend and propose any either end, or means convenient to the Nature of the Will, and of Sufficiency to move it, are that they have in them Goodnesse, Possibility; and in the end (if we speak of an utmost one) Immortality too. Every true Object of any Power, is that which beareth such a perfect Relation of convenience & fitnes therunto, that it is able to accomplish all its desires. Now since Malum is Destruct•vum all Evill is Destructive. It is impossible that by it selfe, without a counterfeit and adulterate face, it should ever have any Attractive Power over the Desires of the Will. And on the other side, since Omne bonum, is Perfectivum; since Good is perfective, and apt to bring reall satisfaction along with it, most certainly would it be desired by the Will, were it not that our Vnderstandings are clouded and carried away with some crooked misapprehensions; and the Will it selfe corrupted in its owne Inelinations.

But yet though all mans Faculties are so depraved, that he is not able as he ought, to will any Divine and Perfect Good▪ yet so much he retains of his Perfection, as that he cannot possibly desire any thing, which he apprehends as absolutely disagreeable & destructive to his Nature; since all Natural Agents aim still at their own Perfection. And therefore impossible it is, that either Good should be refused, without any apprehension of Disconvenience; or Evil pursued, without any appearance of Congruity or Satisfaction. That it may appear therefore how the Understanding doth always propose those Objects, as Good to the Will, which are notwithstanding, not only in their own Nature, but in the Apprehension of the Understanding it self known to be evil. And on the contrary, why it doth propose good Objects, contrary to its own Knowledge, as Evil. We may distinguish two opposite conditions in Good and Evil: For first, all Evil of Sin, (though it have Disconvenience to mans Nature, as it is Destructive; yet) on the other side, it hath agreement thereunto, as it is crooked and corrupt. As continual drinking is most convenient to the distemper of an Hydropic Body, though most disconvenient to its present welfare. Now then as no man possessed with that disease, desires drink for this end, because he would dye, though he know that this is the next way to bring him to his Death; but only to give satisfaction to his present Appetite: So neither doth man follow exorbitant and crooked courses, only that he may