4SÒ DOCTRINÉ O# THE PASSIONS. primitive passions are admiration, love, and hatred ; and the ob- jects that raise them must appear to us to be either uncommon, or good, or evil. The way to guard us against excessive admiration, or a foolishgazing and wondering at every thing, is to get a large ac- quaintanee with things, viz. to learn the various worksof nature, the appearances of providence, theoccurrences of human life, and the affairs of mankind both by observation and diligent reading, and by free and public conversation. When we have attained such a general knowledge, fewer things will appear new, rare, and uncommon ; and we shall not be so ready to stare and won- der at every thing, nor be surprized so often as we were when our knowledge was less. .Yet, since admiration or wonder, when well regulated, is a very pleasing passion, we may always find something sufficient and worthy to raise this agreeable sensation, if we will proceed still, and make further searches into the works of God, and con- tinually dive deeper into the philosophyof nature, into thenatural history of things, in the heavens, and on the earth ; and espe. cially, if we contemplate the nature and perfections of God, the amazing instances of his providence and grace, which he has manifested in his word. Some of these objects will afford matter of eternal wonder and pleasure to men and angels in a future world. Love andhatred are the next primitive passions ; good or evil are their objects : Now the way to secure us from irregular exercises of love or hatred, and all the infinite train of affections that depend upon them, is to form a right judgment of good and evil : The true reason why the multitudes of mankind be- come so sinful and so miserable, by fixing their passions on im- prEper objects, or by raising them to an excessive degree, is because they areguilty of such perpetual mistakes in theirjudg- ment of what is evil, and whatis good, as well as about the several degrees of good and evil. We are ever deceiving our- selves by vain shadows and appearances of good: And while trifles and vanities, or sin and mischief, and misery appear in the shape and disguise of good, we awaken our warmest passion in the pursuit of it. If we see one man with his hopes and his fears, his desires, his joys and solicitudes all engaged about a gaming-table, a mis- tress, or a place of honour at court, we may be sure these things stand high in his esteem among the ranks of good ; while at the same time, he neglects virtue and religion, his closet and his bible, and all the blessings of the heavenly world. He has none of his passions employed about these things, because among his ideasof good they. havebuta low rank, or perhaps they are despised, as having no good in them, that is, nothing agree- able to him.
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