CHAPTER XVI. 103 VI " Have a care of indulging the more sensual passions and appetites of animal nature ; they are great enemies to atten- tion." Let not the mind of a student be under the influence of any warm affection to things of sense, when he comes to engage in the search of truth, or the improvement of his understanding. A person under the power of love, or fear, or anger, great pain or deep sorrow, bath só little government of his soul, that he cannot keep it attentive to the proper subject of his.meditation. The passions call away the thoughts with incessant importunity towards the object that excited them ; and if we indulge the frequent rise and roving of passions, we shall thereby procure an unsteady and inattentive habit of mind. Yet this one exception must be admitted, viz. Ifwe can be so happy as to engage any passion of the soul on the side of the particular study which we are pursuing, it may have a great influence to fix the attention more strongly to it. VII. It is therefore very useful to fix and engage the mind 'in the pursuit of any study, by a consideration of the " divine pleasures of truth and knowledge," by a sense of our duty to God, by a delight in the exercise óf our intellectualfaculties, by the hope offuture service to our fellow- creatures, and glorious advantage to ourselves, both in this world and that which is to come. These thoughts, though they may move our affections, yet they do it with a proper influence ; these will rather assist and promote our attention, than disturb or divert it from the sub- ject of our present and proper meditations. A soul inspired with the fondest love of truth, and the warmest: aspirations after sin- cere felicity and celestial beatitude, will keep all its powers atten- tive to the incessant pursuit of them ; passion is then refined, and consecrated to its divipest purposes. CHAP. XVI.Ofenlarging the Capacity of the Mind. THERE are three things which in an especial manner go to make up that amplitude or capacity of mind, which is one of the noblest characters belonging to the , understanding. (1.) " When the mind is ready to take in great and sublime ideas without pain or difficulty. (2.) When the mind is free to receive new and strange ideas, upon just evidence, without great surprise or aversion. (3.) When the mind is able to conceive or survey many ideas at once without confusion, and to form a true judg- ment derived from that extensive survey." The person who wants either of these characters may in that respect be said. to liave a garrozy genius. Let us diffuse our meditations a.little, upon this subject.
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