As for the Internal well-fare of our minds, this (as I observed before) doth depend upon these two things.
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The perfecting and regulating of our faculties, inabling them for their proper functions, and the keeping of them in due subordination to one another.
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In the peace, quiet, contentment consequent thereupon.
And both these do likewise depend upon Religion.
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For the perfecting and regulating of our faculties, and inabling them for their proper functions. These things do depend upon Religion, both Morally, Naturally.
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Morally; as these things are blessings and priviledges, so do they belong to Religion as the proper reward of it. Those men only being fit to have free and large minds, and refined faculties, who are willing to improve them to the best use and advantage. To this purpose there are several expressions in Scripture: A good understanding have all they that do his commandments. Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies. He that doth the will of God shall know it.
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Naturally, as these things are duties, so are they the proper effects of virtue.
The generality of the Heathen Philosophers have agreed in this, that sin is the natural cause of debasing the soul, immersing it into a state of sensuality and darkness, deriving such an impotence and deformity upon the mind, as the most loathsome diseases do upon the body. And therefore it must be Religion and virtue, on the other side, that must enlighten and enlarge the mind, and restore it from the degeneracy of its lapsed estate, renewing upon us the image of our Maker, adorning us with those beauties of holiness, which belong to the hidden man of the heart. ‘Tis the proper work of Religion, to frame the mind to the nearest conformity unto the nature of God; upon which account it is said in Scripture to consist in a participation of the1 Divine nature. Other things may be said to have some remote resemblance to the Deity; but man only amongst the visible creatures, is capable of those more immediate communications from him, by Religion: And all kind of perfection is to be measured by its nearness or remoteness to the first and chief pattern of all perfection.
As all kind of vice doth go under the name of impotence, so Religion is described to be the spirit of power, and of a sound mind. Because it doth establish in a man a just empire over himself, over all those blind powers and passions which of themselves are apt to raise tumults and commotions against the dominion of Reason. That which health is to the body, whereby the outward senses are enabled to make a true judgment of things, that is virtue to the mind, whereby the inward faculties must be fitted and disposed to discern betwixt things that differ, which those who are under the power of vicious habits are not able to do.
But to speak more particularly, Religion doth,
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Enlarge the understanding, enabling it to see beyond the narrow bounds of sense and time, to behold things that are invisible; God being in the intellectual world, as the Sun is in the sensible world; and as natural blindness doth disable men from seeing the one, so will spiritual blindness for the other.
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It doth exalt and regulate the will, to a desire after, and acquiescence in such things as will promote the perfection of our natures, and consequently will beget in the mind, the truest liberty, ingenuity, generosity, which are altogether inconsistent with the servitude of lusts and passions.
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It doth reduce the passions, unto a due subordination to the superior faculties; restraining the violence and impetuousness of them, from whence the greatest part of the trouble and disquiet of mens lives doth proceed. As he that is of a healthy constitution, can endure heat and cold and labour with little or no prejudice to himself; so can one of a virtuous mind undergo various conditions without receiving any hurt from them. Such an one is not lifted up by prosperity, nor dejected by adversity: He is not a servant to anger, fear, envy, malice, which are the great occasions of disturbing our inward peace and quiet.
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The second thing wherein the wellfare of our minds doth consist, is peace, tranquillity, joy, confidence, in opposition to inward disquiet, anxiety, grief, fear, diffidence. And these do depend upon Religion likewise, both Morally, Naturally.
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Morally, as these things may be considered under the notion of blessings and priviledges, so they belong to the rewards of Religion. All Philosophers having agreed in this, that inward serenity and composedness of mind is the proper reward of moral virtue.