SPIRITUAL PEACE AND COMFORT. 347 best attain to in this life, is not such as wholly to overcome either the imperfection ofthe guiding and commanding faculty, or the re- bellion of the obeying faculties : otherwise if our own wills were perfect, and the rebellion of the inferior faculties cured, no man could then say, "The good that I would, I do not, and the evil that I wouldnot, that I do." For the will would sofully command, that all would obey, and itself being perfect, all would be perfect. And therefore in heaven it is and will be so. I know philosophers conclude, that all acts of the inferior facul- ties are but acts commanded by the will ; it should beso, I con- fess. It is the office of the will to command, and the understanding to direct, and the rest to obey. But in our state of sinful imperfec- tion, the soul is so distempered and corrupted, that the will cannot fully rule those faculties that it should rule ; so that it may be said, ' I would forbear sin but cannot.' For, 1. The understanding is become a dark, imperfect director. 2. The will is become an imperfect receiver of the understanding's directions; yea, an op- poser, as being tainted with the neighborhood of a distempered sense. 3. When the will is rectified by grace, it is but in part; and therefore when Paul or any holy man saith, ' I would do good,' and ' I would not do evil, they mean it not of a perfect . willingness, but of a sincere ; to wit, that this is the main bent of their will, and the resolvedprevalent act of it is for good. 4. When the will doth command, yet the commanded faculties do refuse to obey, through an unfitness ofimpotency and corruption. 1. The will bath but an imperfect command of the understanding. (I mean as to the exercise ofthe act, in which respect it commandeth it, and not as to the specification of the act.) A man may truly and strongly desire to know more, and apprehend things more clearly, and yet cannot. 2. The will bath but an imperfect com- mand of the fancy or thoughts ; so that a man may truly say, ' I would think more frequently, more intensely, and more orderly of good, and less of vanity, and yet I cannot.' For objects and pas- sions may force the fancy and cogitations in some degree. 3. The will bath but an imperfect command of the passions; so that a man may truly say, ' I would notbe troubled, or afraid, or grieved, or disquieted, or angry, but I cannot choose ; and. I would mourn more for sill, and be more afraid of sinning, and of God's displeas- ure, and more zealous for God, and more delighted in him, and joymore in holy things, but I cannot.' For these passions lie so open to the assault of objects, (having the senses for their inlet, and the movable spirits for their seat or instruments,) that even when the will commands them one way, an object-may force them in part against the will's command, as we find sensibly in cases of fear, and sorrow or anger, which we can force a man to whether
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