476 nOCTIINJI -Or TAE PASSIONS. mission of it, sorrow, shame, and repentance, are very proper and appointed means towards our recovery to divine favour, and to renewed holiness : And it is very reasonable that we should be displeased and angry with ourselves, when we have yielded to sin, as well as angry with others who have tempted us to do it; that so our trespasses may be made bitter and grievous to uson all sides, and to those who seduced us ; and that thereby we might be better secured from the repetition of sinful practices, and the influence of new temptations. III. Let it be observed also, that as fear, and anger, and Sor- row, and other troublesomepassions, are designed to secure us from evil ; sothe morepleasing affections of nature, such as hope and love, and joy, maybe usefully indulged; -for they do not only make us active and vigorous in the pursuit ofwhat appears good, but they render our life more comfortable, and make the troubles of it more tolerable by their agreeable mixture ; they cheer our drooping spirits, and support nature from sinking. This life without them would be a listless dulness or a heavy burden. They have also a happy tendency to make many of the duties of the civil life and religion easy and delightful, and thereby allure us to the practice of them. Both the pleasant and the painful passions may be happily engaged in theinterests of God and reli- gion, as will appear in " The Discourses of the Love of God, and the Use and Abuse ofthe Passions in Religion." IV. The passions aredesigned not only to subserve our own - welfare both of soul and body, but the great Author of our na- ture intended then also for thebenefit of our fellow-creatures. Man must not be considered merely as a singleCreature fitted With powers to seek his own safety and happiness ; but lie is designed by his Maker for a sociable creature, and must do good to his fellows. . With this view there aresome affections wrought in the na- ' tore of man, which plainly refer to the welfare of his neighboár, as there are others that refer to his own. These may be called social passions, as the others are called selfish. There is a natu- ral principle ofbenevolence in man, to man, where it is not over- powered by vicious principles or habits, or obstructed by some present superior influence of self-love : There is such a principle in us ascompassionor piety to those tha tare miserable, or sympathy with those that suffer : There are the natural domestic affections aswell as names ofa husband, wife, father, mother, son, daughter, brother and sister, &c. Now the very design of these affections is to do good toour fellow-creatures : And mostor all these good- natured and social principles in mankind have their proper de- sires and aversions, hopes and fears, joys and sorrows, and re- sentments attending them, as well as the selfish passions which seek Only our own good.
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