e576 ABUSE OF THE PASSIONS IN RELIGION. filled with long sorrows and donbtings: Or, if they happen to read or hear a sentence of comfort; they are transported with sudden joy, and rise almost to assurance of the love of God: They give themselves up to the sudden efforts of passion before they'suffer themselves to enquire according to scriptural grounds, whether this text of threatenings, or whether the other sentence of comfort,'do really belong to them or no. There are many other cases, wherein it is evident, that the affections in the things of religion, get the start of the under- standing, and run far before it. But I proceed, III. It is a very gross abuse of the affections, " when we encourage them to rise high, and gutty very warm -about the lesser things of religion, and yet are Content to be cold and in- different in matters of the highest importance." There are to many christians whose warmest zeal is employed about the mint, the anise, and the cumminof christianity; Mat. xxiii. 23. and have few passions awakened or engáged in the weighty things of the law, or the gospel. They'are furiously intent upon specula- tive notions, and some peculiar opinions, that distinguish the little parties of christendom, and crumble the church to pieces : Their fears, their hopes, their wishes, their desires, their grief and joy, Are all employed in party quarrels and in a strife of words: But they are thoughtless and indolent about the momentous duties of love to God, and Christ, of justice to men, of charity to fellow- creatures and fellow-christians. So a sickly fancy is fond of trifles, and careless of solid treasures : So children have their little souls wrapped up in painted toys, while the matters of manly life and necessary business awaken no desire, no delight in them. Suppose a man mourns to seethe church of England lose ground in the nation, or to see the assemblies of protestant dis- senters grow thin and decrease, and yet he finds not his soul grieved, and his heart mourning'over the atheism and profane- ness of the land, the drunkenness and lewdness, the growing heathenism and infidelity of the age : Or suppose a christian triumphs to see thecontroversy about baptismwell managed, and his joys-arise, according as his own opinion' is bravely supported, While at the same time he takes little pleasure to hear of thecón- version of a sinner, or that a wicked family is grown religions. 'What shall we think of sucha person ? Isnot his religion in 'a childish and sickly state ? Are not his passions, even about religi- ous objects, manned in a very irregular manner,- and worthy of justand severe reproof. IV. There is also another evil conduct of the affections,' in the matters of religion ; and that is, " when they express them= selves in an improper or indecent manner, and especially in slid' a way as is unnatural and unirstituted, 'foolish and ridiculous,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=