Reading and the Cure of Despair in "The Anatomy of Melancholy"

According to William Perkins (1558-1602)- the most well-known and influential of Burton's English sources- the afflicted person's spiritual state must be examined in order to find out whether he or she is humble for sins committed; if not, the minister must strive to make him or her so thr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inStudies in philology Vol. 105; no. 4; pp. 533 - 558
Main Author Lund, Mary Ann
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina Press 01.10.2008
Subjects
Arminianism
Beliefs
Calvinism
Democritus (460?-370?)
Despair
English language
God
Lutheranism
Mercy
Polemics
Predestination
Religion
Sadness
Theology
Treatises
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Summary:According to William Perkins (1558-1602)- the most well-known and influential of Burton's English sources- the afflicted person's spiritual state must be examined in order to find out whether he or she is humble for sins committed; if not, the minister must strive to make him or her so through a friendly, and Christian talke or conference.\n69 In many ways Burton concurs with Hemmingsen in his emphasis on the positive nature of election and his beliefs in God's universal promise to mankind and in predestination occurring before the creation. While it would be unwise to jump to conclusions about Burton's theological standpoint based on the contents of his library, the fact that he owned the works of Arminius and two by the Remonstrant Nicolaus Vedelius, one of which is co-written with Simon Episcopius, leader of the Remonstrants at Dort, shows a keen interest in alternative versions of the predestination question.70 Ultimately, Burton's focus is on remembering the "universali invitation" not on allowing one's belief to encourage condemnation of oneself or others.
ISSN:0039-3738
1543-0383
1543-0383
DOI:10.1353/sip.0.0008