DISCOURSE VI. 591 nature? And may not he make some reprisals of them by leading them captive by his grace, and devoting them to his own service ? Must the passions which have been defiled with so much iniquity, and which have helped to defile the soul, never be refined ? Never be sanctified ? Never attempt to restore that tribute of honour and obedience to the great God, of which theyhave long defrauded him? Have I loved vanity ? Have I delighted in sin ? Has my desire, myhope, and my joy, been heretofore employed on criminal objects ? And must these affec- tions of desire and hope, of love and delight, be forbid to pursue objects divine andheavenly, and be for ever excluded from all pi- ousemployment ? Have Igrieved for the loss of a sinful pleasure, or imen angrywith my brother, and hated him without a cause And ought I not to turn the stream of my wrath and hatred against my sins, and togive a loose to the passion of grief, and pious sorrow for my guilty behaviour toward God and man Are these faculties of mynature capable of sinning only, and in- capable of practising virtue and goodness ? Or is it not lawful to attempt to employ them in the service of religion ? Let the deists, and the men of cold philosophy tell me, that virtue and piety, andgoodness, consist only in sublime ideas of God, and in a willdevoted to him ; andthat it is only the pure affections of the mindor spirit, that are to be exercised towards God and re- ligion ; but the motions of flesh and blood must have nothing to do here, nor passions of the animal have any part or share in the religion of the man. To such objectors I would reply thus : 5. Is it possible that the purest affections can beexerted in any vigorous efforts in our present state of mortality, but fleshand blood will feel and follow them a little ? Can these sublimeideas ofthe blessed God, and these pure and spiritual affections be rais- ed to any high degree, but the powers and passions of animal nature will be suitably touched and moved, at least insomede- gree, according to the natural temper ? All persons are not equally capable of warm affection,and vigorous ferments of blood: But there is not a son or daughter of Adam, withoutsoihe degree of these natural emotions. They have been felt by wise andholy men, that have lived in all ages of the world ; and it must be so, in some measure, while we are such a composition of flesh and spirit. I grant, indeed, that some such cold and indifferent worship- pers as can make this objection, whose religion consists only in aphilosophical thought of the great God, and a devout wishper- haps once in a week or two, may not feel any of these sensible effects in animal nature. Those also may be excepted who are brought up in a mere round of forms ; and never say their prayers, but at the' sound of a bell, and a public hour ; I except also those popish devotees, whomutter over their latin service;
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