The harmony of the divine attributes in the contrivance and accomplishment of man's redemption…

2. The Stoics not being able to reconcile the passions with reason, wholly renounced them. Their Philosophy is like the River in Thrace, —Quod potum saxea reddit¹ Viscera, quod tactis inducit marmora rebus.

2. The Stoicks not being able to reconcile the passions with reason, wholly renounced them. Their Philosophy is like the River in Thrace, —Quod potum saxea reddit¹ Viscera, quod tactis inducit marmora rebus.

1. 1Ovid. Met.

For by a fiction of fancy they turn their virtuous Person into a Statue, that feels neither the inclinations of Love, nor aversions of hatred; that is not touched with Joy or Sorrow; that is exempt from Fears and Hopes. The tender and melting affections of nature towards the misery of others, they entirely extinguish as unbecoming perfect Virtue. They attribute Wisdom to none, but whom they rob of Humanity. Now as 'tis the ordinary effect of folly ⟨p. 350⟩to run into one extreme by avoiding another, so 'tis most visibly here. For the Affections are not like poisonous plants to be eradicated; but as wild, to be cultivated. They were at first set in the fresh soil of Mans nature by the hand of God. And the Scripture describes the Divine perfections, and the actions proceeding from them, by terms borrowed from humane affections, which proves them to be innocent in their own nature. Plutarch observes when Lycurgus commanded to cut up all the Vines in Sparta, to prevent Drunkenness, he should rather have made Fountains by them, to allay the heat of the Wines, and make them beneficial: So true Wisdom prescribes how to moderate and temper the affections, not to destroy them. 'Tis true they are now sinfully inclined, yet being removed from Carnal to Spiritual objects, they are excellently serviceable. As Reason is to guide the Affections, so they are to excite Reason, whose operations would be languid without them. The natures that are purely spiritual, as the Angels, have an understanding so clear, as suddenly to discover in objects their qualities, and to feel their efficacy; but Man is compounded of two natures, and the matter of his body obscures the light of his mind, that he cannot make such a full discovery of good or evil at the first view, as may be requisite to quicken his pursuit of the one, and flight from the other: Now the Affections awaken the vigour of the Mind, to make an earnest application to its object. They are as the Winds which although sometimes tempestuous, yet are necessary to convey the Ship to the Port. So that 'tis contumelious to the Creator, and injurious to the humane nature, to take them away as