Richard Sibbes (Works, Vol. 4, p. 49):
Religion is purging the affections from the evil that is in them, and moderating them, if they be lawful and good; and therefore think not that you are religious enough if you know a great deal, as many Christians are very greedy of knowing, and yet if you look to their lives, their grief and joy is intemperate; they have not learned to bridle and to school their affections. You see that religion is in moderating of grief and joy in earthly things. Let us see men shew the power of religion in bearing of crosses, so that ‘they weep as if they wept not;’ and in bearing prosperity so as they can learn to abound, to joy as if they rejoiced not. That man hath learned religion to purpose; for religion is especially about the affections. For we are good if we joy well and grieve well, but not if we know much. The devil knoweth more than we. Therefore, especially labour, that God would vouchsafe grace to govern the affections, that we may know how to grieve and how to joy; as naturally indeed we do not.
