An expository comment, doctrinal, controversial, and practical upon the whole first chapter to the…An expository comment, doctrinal, controversal, and practical upon the whole first chapter to the…

3. Yet further, The joy that Gods people partake of, may be considered either as ¹seated in the soul, or as in the sensitive part. The one is rational and spiritual: The other is sensitive and corporeal. For the Scotists they say, That as there are affections seated in the sensitive part, which are called fear, joy, grief, &c. so they make some things answerable to these in the ministerial substances. For, it may seem, the soul when separated from the body doth love joy, yea and Angels themselves, not that they are to be called passions in them, because not corporeal, but they are so in us. Now this distinction is made great use of by Casuists. There is (say they) a rational love, and a sensible love. A godly man may sometimes feel a more sensible love of his children, then he doth of God, yet he is not to be discouraged, or to think he doth not love God better than his children. For according to his rational love, which consists in the esteeming and prizing of Christ; so he would part with all these when God calleth, rather than deny his cause. Indeed a learned Writer rejects this distinction of love intensive and appretiative, (Cocceius de foedere) because we are bound to love God (saith he) with all sensible affection, as well as rational esteem; but no doubt the distinction well explained is of great use. It is made use of also in regard of sorrow for sin: Some tender hearts complain, they can shed tears, they can sensibly weep and mourn for the loss of a father or a child, but they cannot do thus about their sins. Here again we succour them, saying, There is the passion of sorrow which stirreth bodily, and the grace of sorrow which affects the mind and the will. Thou doest detest and hate sin, thou judgest any evil to be suffered rather than that committed; thou hast an unspeakable displicency and dislike of what thou hast done, here is godly sorrow, though it be not passionately expressed in thee; therefore repentance is called [Greek or Hebrew], because of the great change upon the mind. Thus it is also of great use in the matter of joy. There may be a rational solid joy, arising through faith, whereby the soul will enjoy a peaceable tranquillity and serenity, when yet no bodily affectionate joy may much be perceived. The Heathen could say, Gaudium est res severa.

3. Yet further, The joy that Gods people partake of, may be considered either as ¹