41115 neCTitlÑE Or TfE *AMMLO7 S6 Let us ask ourselves, when we have beenangry ona sudden; lave the not during the reign of that passion, supposed the of tree to be much more heinous, than our calm reason has judged after the fit of passion was over ? When our fears have been raised high, has not the danger appeared more formidable thanreally it was ? When Jonah the prophet was under:the power of passi- on, he said, he did well to be angry, even. with God himself; Jonah iv. 9. A false and shameful saying I When Davidwas in a continual fright and fear of death, under the persecutions of Saul, he said, all -men are liars,. even Samuel; who promised hint the kingdom by inspiration : But his laith a£ter'wards-èonfuteçl his fears ; Ps. cxvi. It. Fear makes a mole-hill look lileas mountain ; but courage and hope turn a mountain into a mole-hill; Joy shortens the time so that a day seems but a hour or two,: Sorrow makes every hour seem as tedious as a day. But all these are false ideas, or rather falsejudgments. 1Iere we find then how it comes to pass, that those who fol- low the dictates of their passions, scarce ever judge right or -rea= son well ; for they put themselves under the bias of these power- ful commotions of nature, which lean all to one side, and thereby they fall into perpetual prejudices andmistakes. Conclusion. Upon the whole survey of things, the passions are of admirable and most important use in the life of man, and a christian : For though they were not given to tell us what is good, andwhat isevil, yet when our reason, upon a calm survey, has passed a just judgment concerning things, whether theyare good or evil, the passions; as I before mentioned; are those lively, warm, and vigorous principles and powers in our nature, which animate us to pursue the good, and avoid the. evil ; and that with vastly, greater speed and diligence than the mere calm -and indolent dictates of reason would ever do. By this means, when the passions are once set right, they become exceeding ser- viceable to us, in things that relate to God, and to our neighbour, as well as to ourselves : It is on this account theyare so useful to us in affairs of the utmost importance that concern this life, and the life to come. Bence it follows, that the Stoics were much in the wrong, to persuade us to root out and destroy all passions in general, and to nullify, if possible, those., active and useful powers which the God of nature has planted in us, forexcellent purposes, in human life. Stoical apathy is not christian virtue. Reason and religion teach us to regulate and govern our passions wisely, but not to erase. and abolish them. Suer. XV. Of the Regulation and Government of the. Pas- sions, wherein it consists. The whole art of regulating the passions, consists in these
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