DISCOURSE IV, 567 misery and everlasting death. For ever blessed be the name of Jesus, who has suffered such pangs and sorrows in our stead ; and blessedhe his wisdom and grace, who has appointed the continual repetition of such an ordinance, such a livelyme- morial of his dying, love, to touch all the springs' of religious affection within us. VI. Since the passions ofhuman nature have so considera- ble an influence in matters of religion, then we justly infer that youth is the proper time to set about the important work of religion, when the passions are warm and lively, and active. After we havebeen well instructed in the principlesofchristianity, if we can but engage these sprightly powers of our natures, be- times, ou the side of God and godliness, we lay a happy founda- tion for the practice of piety all our Iives. It is of admirable and unknown advantage, to have all the passions of theheart tinctured deep with heaven and religion in our early days. By this means virtue and piety will be fixed and rooted in the soul ; it will stand the blasts of violent temptation, and bring forth the divine fruits of holiness through the following years. We shall be better prepared to combat every opposition ; we shall be bet- ter secured against the snares that beset our youth ; we shall resist the gay allurements of the world, and the flattering vanities that attack our senses and our souls in this dangerous season of life. It is the great cunning and the design of the devil and the world to work upon the warm passions of youth, to engage them in the service of sin and folly: Happy are those who 'are possessed of a divine antidote against this poison ! who have their passions all watchful and armed, ready to resist the assaults of hell, and to disappoint every attack that is made on virtue and religion ! VII. Is there so much advantage to be expected from the passions in the practice of religion? Then "how much do we lose both of the profit and the pleasure of religion, for want of the engagement of our passions therein !" Therefore it is that virtue and godliness seem to carry with them so dull and heavy an aspect in the world ; therefore they appear so little inviting, because there are so few christians, in this degenerate age, that have these affectionate powers of the soul deeply tinctured with the things of God. We live at a poor, low, cold rate, when we only talk of christianity as a matter of dispute, and practise the outward devoirs and ceremonies of it, as a matter of custom and form, while the heart and the passions of it have little share in our christianity. If our love and desire, our hope and ourjoy, are all laid out on the things of sense and time, and we leave only a few cold reasonings to be employed in the most awful and sublime things of God, and heaven and eternity, it is no wonder we find so little of the, pleasure of godliness, and that religion
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=