SLc'loty 470 foim things, viz. 1. A power to prevent and subdue all those, 'which taken together with their objects, can he called unlawful. 2: To excite those, which are innocentand useful to a just degree on proper occasions. 3: To withhold or suppress them, when they goout towards improper objects. And 4: To moderate them when they rise to an irregular degree; or exceed a proper dura- tion even when theobject is lawful: But it must be confessed, that 4ith regard to thingsof this life, and the objects of flesh and sense, our passions, for the most part, want to be suppressed and moderated, rather than to be in- cited or indulged. Thence it comes to pass that the govern- ment of the passions, is much more frequently described by the power to moderate and subdue them, than by the art of raising them. Since the passions aremade up of the ferments ofthe blood, and the commotions ofanimal nature, as well as theoperations of the mind, they do not lie entirely under the command of the will ; we cannot stir up and suppress these ferments of animal nature by a sovereign act of volition when we please., But it may be done by the consideration of truth : For as the passions are raised by perceptions of the mind, so the may by de- grees raise or suppress the passions, by applying our minds to, the perception of those objects, or those truths, whichare suited to these purposes. If a soldier is assaulted byan enemy, he cannot suppress his fears, nor raise his courage by a mere act of his will ; but whenhe considers what is hischaracter, and his post, how weak, the enemy is, and how much nobler it is to defend himself than, to fly, and what honour is gained by victory, and what shame attends cowardice and submission, these truths represented to the, mind,' disperse his fears, raise his courage, and he resolves upon the fight. But since there are many ways of regulating these active . powers of nature, I shall propose some of the chiefof them in this order I. I will mention a general rule or two for the regula- tion of the three primitive passions. II. Propose some parti- cular truths and rules with which the mind should be ever furnished, as preservatives against the rise the excess, or irre- gularity of some particular passions. IiI. Lay down some: universal directions, which relate to the passions, and theregula- tions of them. SECT. MTGeneral Rules about the Three,Primitive Passions I. Let me mentiona general rule or two for the regulation of the three primitive passions. We banseen in the.fpregeing.pá es, that the west general
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