The Passions of the Mind in General

of the Minde.

whoſe life is a warrefare vpon earth; he, who if he love
his foule, killeth it; he, whose ſtudie principally ſtan-
deth in rooting out vice, and planting of vertue; hee,
whose indevour ſpecially is imployed in crucifying old
Adam the fallen, sinful nature, and in refining the image of Christ: he, who
pretendeth to be ruled by reason, and not tyrannized
by prepoſterous affection, this man (I ſay) may beſt
peruſe this matter, he may beſt meditate it; he may beſt
know where lieth the cave of those Serpents and Baſi-
liskes, who ſucke out the ſweete blood of his foule; hee
may ſee where the thorn ſticketh that ſtingeth his heart:
finally, he may view his domeſticall enemie, which ne-
ver permits him to be quiet, but moleſteth in proſperi-
tie, deiecteth in adverſitie; in pleaſure makes him diſſo-
lute, in ſadneſſe deſperate, to rage in anger, to tremble
in feare, in hope to faint, in love to languiſh. Theſe
were those temptations of the fleſh that S. Paul did pu-
niſh, ſaying; Caſtigo corpus meum, & in ſervitutem redigo,
I chaſten my body, and bring it into ſervitude: these
were those members the same Apoſtle exhorted vs
to mortifie vpon earth, Mortificate membra veſtra quæ
ſunt ſuper terram Mortify your members which are upon the earth. Seeing then how all the life of a ſpi-
rituall man ought to bee imployed in the expugnation
of these moleſtfull Iebuſites enemies of the soul (biblical Canaanite people), without all doubt it im-
portes him much to knowe the nature of his enemies,
their ſtratagems, and continuall incurſions, even vnto
the gates of the chiefeſt caſtell of his ſoule, I meane the
very witte and will.

Not only the mortified Chriſtian had need to know
well his paſſions, becauſe, by brideling them he winnes
a great quietneſſe of minde, and enableth himſelfe bet-
ter to the ſervice of God, but alſo the civill Gentleman,
and

Job 7.1.

Mark 8.35.

Matt. 10.36.

1. Corinthians 9.27.

Colossians 3.5.