SECTIONXXIV. 505 7. Observe what are the passions to which you are most liable, or to which you are most disposed by your age, or any other circumstances oftime, place, '&c. Consider what passions have the deepest root in your natural constitution, and watch against them : Enquire into yourself which are those affections to which your temper is most inclined, or to which you are most ex. posed by your station and circumstances in the world, and set a speéial guard upon them. Fear and jealousy are needful to de- fend you against the sin that easily besets you, thevice that dwells in your flesh and blood. 8. Watch against all those seasons and temptations, those dangerous hours, those occurrences, or that company whieh in time past have been most provoking to any ofyour evil passions, and whereby you have been tempted to give them too great a loose. Let the burnt child dread the fire. An oxor an ass will not easily he led to those places where they have received wounds or bruises : Shall man, a christian, have less sense than brute creatures ? 9. Have a careof indulging the dangerous passions too far, or too often, such as fear, sorrow, anger, &c. lest by too frequent repetition, bytoo intense a degree, or too long a continuance, they should grow into a settled habit and temper; then it will cost much more labour and pains to subdue them. 10. Whensoever you feelsome of the better and morekindly sort of passions, especially those which flow from the love of God or your neighbour, working in you, encourage and promote them in a due degree, that theymay fix in yourheart more firmly the principles of goodness, and form your very nature and tem- per to virtue and religion. 11. Where the power of truth and reason has not been suffi- cient to subdue an irregular passion, it has often been found useful to abate theviolence of a passion, if we call the thoughts away from that subject by diverting the mind to another em- ployment. 12. Sometimes alsoan unruly passion is suppressedby raising another which is more harmless or useful. So when a stupid inactivity arises from excessive sorrow, it may be corrected and removedby some frightful representation, awakening the passion of fear, or perhaps, by someartful and innocent method of teazing the mourner, gently to kindlehim a little into anger. Joab seems to have used both these methods to rouse David to his duty, in the midst of his excessive sorrow for Absalom, 2 Sam. xix. 1 -8. where, in a freeand bold speech, he made the king afraid, lest the people should forsake him, if he gave way further to that inactive passion. Or if any particular passion prevail too much over us, some- times we may change the object of the saine passion, and thereby
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=