5S0 ABUSE OF TH PASSIONS IN RELIGION. favoured With holy raptures, and enjoyed much converse with God ; where they think they have exercised repentance and love, and holy desires, and yet immediately fall into a fit of rage against their servants or children, for mere trifles, and express their wrath in very unchristian language and indecent behaviour ? This is an open contradiction to their profession; and the shop, and the parlour, or perhaps the kitchen, gives the lie to the pretences of the closet. O glorious evidence of a disciple of Christ, where all the pious passions join to resist every temptation ! Where divine love keeps warm at the heart, where it purifies the whole behaviour, and exalts the life of men near to the life of angels! VI. That must certainly be a culpable conduct, with regard to our religious affections, '° when they are suffered to entrench upon other duties either to God or man, and withhold us from the proper business of our place and station in the world." Though devout passions should be indulged at proper seasons, yet they should not so far govern all the powers of nature, and engross the moments of life, as to make us neglect any necessary work, to which the providence of God bath called us. This is the caseOvhen persons find so much sweetness in their religionaretirements, that they dwell there too many hours of the day, and neglect the care of their families, the conduct of their children and servants, and other necessary duties of life, and let all things run at random in their household, under the excuse of religion and converse with God : 'Though I must con- fess this isso uncommon a fault in our godless and irreligious age, that it may almost pass without censure. It is the same culpable conduct, when christians experience a sacred and affectionate relishof public ordinances, and they are tempted to run from sermon to sermon, from lecture to lecture, in order to maintain their spiritual pleasure, with a slight and careless performance of relative duties. It is yet more criminal in persons of low circumstances in the world, who would. spend all their time in hearingor reading good things, or at'soine reli- gious assemblies or conferences, whilethey grosslyand grievously neglect their common duties of providing for themselves and their children. They are ready to expect, that thé rich should Maintain them, while they make their devout affections an excuse for their shameful idleness and sloth. Let us remember there is a time for working as well as a time for praying, or hearing': Every thing is beautiful in its season; Ec. iii. 11. This sort of excessive and irregular affection appear also eminently, when, out of pity to the poor, or love to the public worship of .God, dyingpersons leave vast legacies to the build- ingof churches and hospitals ; and endow alms-houses liberally, while their near kindred, and perhaps their own descendants, are in a starving condition, or want the conveniences of life. He
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