USE OF THE PASSIONS IN RELIGION. sound the alarm of danger. However this power may be affected by sin, its operations in general are in unison with the will of God. There is nothing that he commands or forbids to which any man objects because he cannot conscientiously perform it. This fact infers the propriety and importance of consulting its dictates in every circumstance of life, and in every duty of religion. The affections or PASSIONS are also adapted to the objects and the duties of religion. A religion which does not engage the passions is mere formality-a religion which consists only in the passions is mere enthusiasm. The religion of Jesus Christ is equally remote from both; and by combining knowledge and feeling, it forms a system of religion, which at the same time that it directs the life, possesses a power of rousing to action. President Edwards was as profound a divine as he was an accurate metaphysician; he well understood the relation which the Creator hath established between the powers and passions of man, and that religion which he has enjoined on his attention. Two quotations from the writings of this great man may sufficiently illustrate this subject—they are taken from his admirable Treatise on the Affections."As there is no true religion," says he, "where there is nothing else but affection, so there is no true religion where there is no religious affection. As, on the one hand, there must be light in the understanding, as well as an affected fervent heart; where there is heat without light, there can be nothing divine or heavenly USE OF THE PASSIONS IN RELIGION. in the heat: so, on the other hand, where there is a kind of light without heat, a head stored with notions and speculations, with a cold and unaffected heart, there can be nothing divine in that light, that knowledge is no true spiritual knowledge of divine things. If the great things of religion are rightly understood, they will affect the heart. The reason why men are not affected by such infinitely great, important, glorious, and wonderful things, as they often hear and read of in the word of God, is undoubtedly because they are blind; if they were not so, it would be impossible, and utterly inconsistent with human nature, that their hearts should be otherwise than strongly impressed, and greatly moved by such things." Again." God has given to mankind affections, for the same purpose which he has given all the faculties and principles of the human soul for, viz. that they might be subservient to man's chief end, and the great business for which God has created him, that is, the business of religion. And yet how common is it among mankind, that their affections are much more exercised and engaged in other matters, than in religion! In things which concern men's worldly interest, their outward delights, their honour and reputation, and their natural relations, they have their desires eager, their appetites vehement, their love warm and affectionate, their zeal ardent; in these things their hearts are tender and sensible, easily moved, deeply impressed, much con USE OF THE PASSIONS IN RELIGION. cerned, very sensibly affected, and greatly engaged; much depressed with grief at worldly losses, and highly raised with joy at worldly successes and prosperity. But how insensible and unmoved are most men about the great things of another world! how dull are their affections! how heavy and hard their hearts in these matters! here their love is cold, their desires languid, their zeal low, and their gratitude small. How they can sit and hear of the infinite height, and depth, and length, and breadth of the love of God in Christ Jesus, of his giving his infinitely dear Son, to be offered up a sacrifice for the. sins of men, and of the unparalleled love of the innocent, holy, and tender Lamb of God, manifested in his dying agonies, his bloody sweat, his loud and bitter cries, and bleeding heart, and all this for enemies, to redeem them from deserved, eternal burnings, and to bring to unspeakable and everlasting joy and glory; and yet be cold, and heavy, insensible, and regardless! Where are the exercises of our affections proper, if not here? what is it that does more require them? and what can be a fit occasion of their lively and vigorous exercise, if not such an one as this? Can any thing be set in our view greater and more important? any thing more wonderful and surprising? or more nearly concerning our interest? Can we suppose the wise Creator implanted such principles in the human nature as the affections, to be of use 'to us, and to be exercised on certain proper occasions, but to lie still on such an occasion as this? Can any USE OF THE PASSIONS IN RELIGION. Christian, who believes the truth of these things, entertain such thoughts? "If we ought ever to exercise our affections at all, and if the Creator has not unwisely constituted the human nature in making these principles a part of it, when they are vain and useless; then they ought to be exercised about those objects which are most worthy of them. "But is there any thing which Christians can find in heaven or earth, so worthy to be the objects of their admiration and love, their earnest and longing desires, their hope, and their rejoicing, and their fervent zeal, as those things that are held forth to us in the gospel of Jesus Christ? in which, not only are things declared most worthy to affect us, but they are exhibited in the most affecting manner.-The glory and beauty of the blessed Jehovah, which is most worthy in itself to be the object of our admiration and love, is there exhibited in the most affecting manner that can be conceived of, as it appears, shining in all its lustre, in the face of an incarnate, infinitely loving, meek, compassionate, dying Redeemer. All the virtues of the Lamb of God, his humility, patience, meekness, submission, obedience, love, and compassion, are exhibited to our view, in a manner the most tending to move our affections, of any that can be imagined; as they all had their greatest trial, and their highest exercise, and so their brightest manifestation, when he was in the most affecting circumstances; even when he was under THE PASSIONS SUITED TO A FUTURE STATE. his last sufferings, those unutterable and unparalleled sufferings, he endured from his tender love and pity to us. There also the hateful nature of our sins is manifested in the most affecting manner possible; as we see the dreadful effects of them, in what our Redeemer, who undertook to answer for us, suffered for them. And there we have the most affecting manifestations of God's hatred to sin, and his wrath and justice in punishing it; as we see his justice in the strictness and inflexibleness of it, and his wrath in its terribleness, in so dreadfully punishing our sins, in one who was infinitely dear to him, and loving to us. So has God disposed things in the affair of our redemption, and in his glorious dispensations, revealed to us in the gospel, as though every thing were purposely contrived in such a manner, as to have the greatest possible tendency to reach our hearts in the most tender part, and move our affections most sensibly and strongly. How great cause have we therefore to be humbled to the dust, that we are no more affected!" While the powers and affections of the human mind are wisely adapted to the sacred employments of religion in our present state of being, they are equally suited to our immortal existence in a future state. God has decreed the immortality of the human soul with all its powers and passions. Their operations will not be impeded by such a connexion with corporiety as that to which they are subjected in the present world. We can form no conceptions |