Part 1 › Chapter 3 › Direction 8: DIRECT. VIII. Remember that you are Related to Christ as the Physician of your souls, a…, A Christian Directory by Richard Baxter (1673) | AskReformation

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§. 5. 2. The diseases of the Will are in its Inclination and its Acts: 1. An inordinate Inclination to the pleasing of the fleshly appetite and fantasy, and to all Carnal baits and Temporal things, that tend to please it; and inordinate acts of desire accordingly. 2. An irrational backwardness to God, and grace, and spiritual good, and a Refusal or Nolition in act accordingly. These are in the will, 1. Because it is become much subject to the sensitive appetite, and hath debased it self, and contracted by its sinful acts, a sensual inclination, the flesh having the dominion in a corrupted soul. 2. Because the Intellect being also corrupted, oft times mis-leadeth it, by over-valuing transient things. 3. Because the ⟨p. 97⟩Will is become destitute (in its corrupted state) of the power of Divine Love, or an Inclination to God and holy things, which should countermand the seduction of carnal objects. 4. And the understanding is much destitute of the Light that should lead them higher. 5. Because the rage of the corrupted appetite is still seducing it. Mark therefore for the right understanding of this our greatest malady.

§. 5. 2. The diseases of the Will are in its Inclination and its Acts: 1. An inordinate Inclination to the pleasing of the fleshly appetite and fantasie, and to all Carnal baits and Temporal things, that tend to please it; and inordinate acts of desire accordingly. 2. An irrational backwardness to God, and grace, and spiritual good, and a Refusal or Nolition in act accordingly. These are in the will, 1. Because it is become much subject to the sensitive appetite, and hath debased it self, and contracted by its sinful acts, a sensual inclination, the flesh having the dominion in a corrupted soul. 2. Because the Intellect being also corrupted, oft times mis-leadeth it, by over-valuing transient things. 3. Because the ⟨p. 97⟩Will is become destitute (in its corrupted state) of the power of Divine Love, or an Inclination to God and holy things, which should countermand the seduction of carnal objects. 4. And the understanding is much destitute of the Light that should lead them higher. 5. Because the rage of the corrupted appetite is still seducing it. Mark therefore for the right understanding of this our greatest malady.

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§. 8. At present it seemeth to me, that sin entered in this method. 1. Sense perceiveth the forbidden thing: 2. The appetite desireth it: 3. The imagination thinketh on its desirableness yet further. 4. The intellect conceiveth of it (truly) as good, by a simple apprehension. 5. The Will accordingly willeth it by a simple complacency or volition. Thus far there was no sin: But 6. The Will here adhered to it too much, and took in it an excess of Complacency, when it had power to do otherwise: And here sin begun. 7. And so when the Cogitations should have been called off: 8. And the Intellect should have minded God, and his Command, and proceed from a simple apprehension to the comparing Act, and said [The favour of God is better, and his will should rule,] it omitted all these acts, because the will omitted to command them; (yea, and hindered them) 9. And so the intellect was next guilty of a [non-renuo] [I will not forbid or hinder it] (and the will accordingly). 10. And next of a positive deception, and the will of consent unto the sin, and so it being finished, brought forth death.

§. 8. At present it seemeth to me, that sin entred in this method. 1. Sense perceiveth the forbidden thing: 2. The appetite desireth it: 3. The imagination thinketh on its desirableness yet further. 4. The intellect conceiveth of it (truly) as good, by a simple apprehension. 5. The Will accordingly willeth it by a simple complacency or volition. Thus far there was no sin: But 6. The Will here adhered to it too much, and took in it an excess of Complacency, when it had power to do otherwise: And here sin begun. 7. And so when the Cogitations should have been called off: 8. And the Intellect should have minded God, and his Command, and proceed from a simple apprehension to the comparing Act, and said [The favour of God is better, and his will should rule,] it omitted all these acts, because the will omitted to command them; (yea, and hindered them) 9. And so the intellect was next guilty of a [non-renuo] [I will not forbid or hinder it] (and the will accordingly). 10. And next of a positive deception, and the will of consent unto the sin, and so it being finished, brought forth death.

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If you say, The wills first sinful adhesion in the sixth instance, could not be, unless the Intellect first directed it so to do; I deny that, because the will is the first principle in mens actions quoad exercitium, though the Intellect be the first as to specification: And therefore the will could suspend its exercise, and its excitation of the mind. In all this I go upon common principles: But I leave it to further enquiry: 1. How far the sensitive appetite may move the Locomotive faculty without the Wills command, while the will doth not forbid? And whether Reason be not given man, as the Rider to the Horse, not to enable him to move, but to Rule his motion: so that as the Horse can go if the Rider hinder not, so the sensitive appetite can cause the actions of eating, drinking, thinking, speaking sensually, if Reason do but drop asleep, or not hinder. 2. And so whether in the first sin, (and ordinarily) the sensitive appetite, fantasy and passion be not the active mover, and the Rational powers first guilty only by omitting their restraining Government, which they were able to have exercised? 3. And so, whether sin be not (ordinarily) a brutish motion, or a voluntary unmanning of our selves, the Rational powers in the beginning being guilty only of omission or privation of restraint; but afterwards brought over to subserve the sensitive appetite actively? 4. And so whether the will which is the principium actu• quoad exercitium were not the first in the omission? The intellect having before said, [This must b• further considered] the will commanded not that further consideration, when it could and should?

If you say, The wills first sinful adhaesion in the sixth instance, could not be, unless the Intellect first directed it so to do; I deny that, because the will is the first principle in mens actions quoad exercitium, though the Intellect be the first as to specification: And therefore the will could suspend its exercise, and its excitation of the mind. In all this I go upon common principles: But I leave it to further enquiry: 1. How far the sensitive appetite may move the Locomotive faculty without the Wills command, while the will doth not forbid? And whether Reason be not given man, as the Rider to the Horse, not to enable him to move, but to Rule his motion: so that as the Horse can go if the Rider hinder not, so the sensitive appetite can cause the actions of eating, drinking, thinking, speaking sensually, if Reason do but drop asleep, or not hinder. 2. And so whether in the first sin, (and ordinarily) the sensitive appetite, fantasie and passion be not the active mover, and the Rational powers first guilty only by omitting their restraining Government, which they were able to have exercised? 3. And so, whether sin be not (ordinarily) a brutish motion, or a voluntary unmanning of our selves, the Rational powers in the beginning being guilty only of omission or privation of restraint; but afterwards brought over to subserve the sensitive appetite actively? 4. And so whether the will which is the principium actu• quoad exercitium were not the first in the omission? The intellect having before said, [This must b• further considered] the will commanded not that further consideration, when it could and should?

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§. 10. 3. The sinfulness of the memory is in its Retentiveness of Evil, or things hurtful and prohibited: and its Looseness and Neglect of better, spiritual, necessary things. If this were only as things present have the natural advantage to make a deeper impress upon the fantasy, and things unseen, and absent have the disadvantage, it were then but a natural innocent infirmity: or if in sickness, age, or weakness, all kind of memory equally decay. But it is plain that if the Bible be open before our eyes, and preaching be in our ears, and things unseen have the advantage of their infinite greatness, and excellency, and concernment to us, yet our Memories are like walls of stone to any thing that is spiritual, and like walls of wax, on which you may write any thing, of that which is secular or evil. Note here also that the faultiness of the memory is only so far sinful as it is Voluntary: It is the will where the sin is as in its Throne or chiefest subject: Because men Love carnal things, and Love not spiritual things, therefore it is that they mind, and understand, and remember the one, and not the other. So that it is but as Imperate, and Participatively that the memory is capable of sin.

§. 10. 3. The sinfulness of the memory is in its Retentiveness of Evil, or things hurtful and prohited: and its Looseness and Neglect of better, spiritual, necessary things. If this were only as things present have the natural advantage to make a deeper impress upon the fantasie, and things unseen, and absent have the disadvantage, it were then but a natural innocent infirmity: or if in sickness, age, or weakness, all kind of memory equally decay. But it is plain that if the Bible be open before our eyes, and preaching be in our ears, and things unseen have the advantage of their infinite greatness, and excellency, and concernment to us, yet our Memories are like walls of stone to any thing that is spiritual, and like walls of wax, on which you may write any thing, of that which is secular or evil. Note here also that the faultiness of the memory is only so farr sinful as it is Voluntary: It is the will where the sin is as in its Throne or chiefest subject: Because men Love carnal things, and Love not spiritual things, therefore it is that they mind, and understand, and remember the one, and not the other. So that it is but as Imperate, and Participatively that the memory is capable of sin.