out any Intermixture of Hope: Prefumption is Excefs of Hope, or Hope unallay'd by Fear: Envy is a Mixture of Hatred and Anger: Pity is made up of Love and Sorrow; and fo of other fuch like Paffions: Good and Evil therefore being the Objects of all our Paffions, we may obviously enough make a Division of them with respect to these Objects, and look upon them to be only Love and Hatred, differently diverfified by fome accidental Circumftances. Thus far have we confidered Paffions in an abstracted View, as neceffary Appendices of our Being, utterly indifferent with respect either to Virtue or Vice; but as the Almighty Creator never implanted any thing in our Natures, but with Design to ferve wife and good Ends: And as Man was never blefs'd with any Gifts, which he has not grofly perverted to bafe and unworthy Purposes:

So it will be a natural Enquiry in the 2d Place to examine into the Use and Abuse of Human Paffions: The Ufe of them, as intended by God; the Abuse of them, as mifemployed by Men. Now the Ufe of Paffions is to be afliftant to our Reason

in the Attainment of whatsoever is good, in the avoidance of whatsoever is evil: To pursue our Happiness is the primary Law of Nature; the Methods of our pursuing it, Reafon muft dictate; the Motives for fo doing, our Paffions muft fupply; Reafon, however wife in its Difcernments, is perfectly languid in its Executions: The highest Effects of it in Human Nature are too cold for Action, and require fome invigorating Principle to infpire our Thoughts with Eagernefs, and put Life and Spirit into the Prosecution of our Defigns. Propofe an arduous and difficult Task to any Man upon the Foot of bare Reafon and Juftice; and if he gives it the favourable Notice of a Reflection, it will be with Indifference: If he acts at all in it, it will be with Languor and Remiffness. But influence his Paffions, and you engage the whole Man in your Service: Ardency of Defire will push him forward: Heat of Expectation will fupport and ftrengthen him; the Bravery of Zeal will render him vigorous and perfevering. Thus wifely does Almighty God engage us in the Performance of our Duty,

not

not only by inftructing our Reason and informing our Understanding, but likewife by irritating our Paffions; and all along recommends his Precepts to us under fuch Motives as do most intensely exercife our Hopes and Fears: The Recompence of eternal Glory may be barely known and believed without any Effect; but let our Hope be once fill'd with Immortality, and a Love of Virtue and Practice of true Holiness will neceffarily enfue. The Affurance of eternal Punishments may be certain, but unactive as long as they rest in simple Intuition; but let our Fear reprefent them to our Thoughts, and their Terrors will certainly force our Obedience. To love God is the ftrongest Inducement for our endeavouring to enjoy him; to hate Sin is a certain Step to our avoiding it; to rejoice in the Pleasures of a good Confcience is a wonderful Encouragement to our Continuance in well doing; to grieve for having done amiss, is a neceffary Means of recovering God's Pardon and Grace by hearty Repentance: Thus it is that our Paffions are highly serviceable to the Cause of Religion; and greatly

greatly conducive to our true Interest: Those which have Good in general for their Object, have a more immediate Connection with these Ends; those, which have Evil for their Object, are as it were

may

Guards to our Virtue, and remove every obftruct or interrupt our thing which Happiness. Our Understanding, as it is the fuperior Principle in Point of Dignity, ought to be fo too in Point of Government Our Paffions answer their true Ufe only by acting Under-parts, and in being fubfervient to the rational Faculties; but when, contrary to the Design and Order of Nature, our Reason is dethroned, and acts in Subordination to our Senfitive Faculties; this infers all the Confufion of jarring Affections, all the Tumults of ftruggling Appetites; and from thence arifes that Abuse of our Paffions, which is fruitful of every Disorder and Wickednefs: The Abuse of our Paffions confifts in the Excess of them; and as in other, fo likewife in Moral Rebellions, when the Sovereign is once fubdued, the Government is claimed by infinite Ufurpers: Every Paffion ftrives for mastery; and

unlefs

unless fome Reftraints were preserved, their Transports would be the Excess of Madness Without the Influence of Reafon, Love would become infatiable Fondnefs; Hatred, implacable Malice; Anger would boil up into frantick Rage; Fear would fall into the Folly of Despair; Joy would bubble up into wanton Impertinence; Sorrow would fink into the Anguish of utter Depreffion: Thefe would be the grand Controulers of the World; these would inspire every Thought, and provoke to every Action. We fhould then become a Prey to each other's Infolence, and fall a Sacrifice to our own Corruptions; Peace and Safety would be far from our Dwellings, and the whole Earth would be filled with Cruelty and Intemperance: Our Souls would become a Sport to every one of these Paffions by turns, tofs'd to and fro by every Blast of Error, every Wave of Uncertainty; unable to withstand the Violence of any, but obliged frequently to endure the tumultuous Conflicts of them all: Thefe are the wild Disorders, which the Abuse of our Paffions expofe us to; and if they VOL. II,

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be