544 THE 0SE OF THE PASSIONS IN RELIGION. all his painful passions in an uproar, when he was struck down to the dust, with the dreadful and overwhelmingglory in his way to Damascus ; Acts ix. 3. And withwhat intense and hasty zeal did he make this enquiry, Lord what wilt thou have me to do? verse 6. And when,he had learned the knowledge of Christ as the only way to the favour of God and salvation, how highly doth he value it ! Phil. iii. 8. Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss, for the excellency of theknowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. IfI am awakened to a sense of sin, and fear the anger of God, I shall long to know the awful extent of his power, and the terrible effects of his anger, as well as the methods of obtaining his grace. If I love him, I shall spendmany pleasant hours of enquiry into his amiable excellencies. Each pious passion will promote its peculiar enquiries. Fear and love will wander with holy awe and delight among his glories; and be ever pursuing further knowledge of bis perfections : If I love God with warm and devout affection, I shall rejoice daily to find new discoveries of his unsearchable wisdom, his all- sufficient power, his immense goodness, and the unbounded riches of his grace : I shall trace his wondrous footsteps through this beautiful creation, and _endeavour to find his way in the tract of daily providences : I shall survey him and his attributes in his book of grace, and dwell upon his divine features in Jesus the image, and the brightness of his glory ; Heb. i. 3. and I shall search further continually into the knowledge of Christ; who is God manifest in theflesh :1 shall dig in the mines of scripture for trea- sures of divine knowledge, and never grow weary of the work. I shall be always enquiring cp What I shall do to please and serve him," who is the object of my highest love ; and how I shall obtain stronger sensations and assurances of hisfavour, and dwell for ever in his presence, who is the life and the joy of my soul. We long still to know more of this transcen- dent being whom we love : It is this divine passion that ani- mates these enquiries after the knowledge of God ; and this shall render them infinite and everlasting, because God the object of them is everlasting and infinite. IL "The affections being once engaged, will keep the soul fixed to divine things. The sense of them is impressed deeper on the mind, by the exercise of devout passions, and it will abide there much longer." Even where reason isbright and the judg- ment clear, yet it will be ineffectual for any valuable purposes, if religion reach no farther than the head, and proceed not to the heart : It will havebut little influence if there are noneof the affections engaged. Notions of religion in the understanding, without any touch upon the passions, have beencompared to the stars in a winter midnight, bright and shining, but verycold; or
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