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 of these two, the defect of the former works properly a Blinded Understanding; but the Defect of the Latter, namely, an Insufficiency ⟨p. 524⟩and Inefficacy of pondering the Circumstances, and pressing the endless Consequence of Good or Evil, works properly a Depraved Understanding, in regard of Practical or Applicative Direction. As a man walking in some deep Contemplation by a Ditch; though his Eyes be open to see a present danger before him, yet may haply fall into it; not out of Blindness, but out of Inconsiderateness, as not fixing his conceit thereon; but being wholly possessed with other thoughts. In like manner, the Understanding being taken up by the Imposture of the Affections, with the conceit of present Good, or present Ill in any Object, and thereby being diverted from a serious Inquiry, after the true Rectitude and Obliquity thereof, suffers the Will fearfully to plunge it self in danger and misery.

Now of these two, the defect of the former works properly a Blinded Vnderstanding; but the Defect of the Latter, namely, an Insufficiency ⟨p. 524⟩and Inefficacy of pondering the Circumstances, and pressing the endlesse Consequence of Good or Evill, works properly a Depraved Vnderstanding, in regard of Practicall or Applicative Direction. As a man walking in some deep Contemplation by a Ditch; though his Eyes be open to see a present danger before him, yet may happly fall into it; not out of Blindnesse, but out of Inconsideratenesse, as not fixing his conceipt thereon; but being wholly possessed with other thoughts. In like manner, the Vnderstanding being taken up by the Imposture of the Affections, with the conceit of present Good, or present Ill in any Object, and thereby being diverted from a serious Inquiry, after the true Rectitude and Obliquity therof, suffers the Will fearfully to plunge it self in danger and misery.

Another Condition, under which and End or Means are to be proposed by the Will, is Sub rationo Eossibilis, as a good Possible. For if once the Understanding discover Impossibility in any Object, the Will cannot fasten any desire upon it: Since all Appetite is only terminated by that which can replenish and satiate the Power. Now all Satisfaction is by Fruition; all Fruition necessarily presupposeth a Possibility of Acquiring: So that where this is taken away, the Will is left Hopeless, and therefore Desireless; and therefore we see that the nearer any things comes to Impossibility, the more averse is the Will of most men from it: as is plain in these things that are perplexed and difficult to attain. And if