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TREATISE

ON

RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS.

PART I.

ON THE NATURE OF THE AFFECTIONS AND THEIR IMPORTANCE IN RELIGION.

1 Peter, i. 8.

Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory.

THE Christians to whom this epistle was addressed. were suffering from persecution; and in these words the Apostle represents the state of their minds under those painful circumstances. In the two verses immediately preceding, where he speaks of the trial of their faith, and their being in heaviness through manifold temptations, he has respect to these persecutions.

Such trials, though painful in themselves, are beneficial to religion. They are so in three respects-Its TRUTH is thus manifested; its BEAUTY and AMIABLENESS are thus exhibited; and its PURITY and INCREASE are thus promoted.

In the text, the Apostle observes how true religion operated in the Christians to whom he wrote, and how the nature and tendency of Christianity were manifested under persecution. There were two kinds of operation, or exercise of true religion, of which he takes particular notice.

B

I. Love to Christ: "Whom having not seen, ye love." Though there was nothing that the world saw,—or that Christians themselves then saw, which thus influenced and supported them; yet they had a supernatural love of something unseen they loved Jesus Christ, and by this affection they were influenced and supported.

II. Joy in Christ. Though their sufferings were grievous, yet their spiritual joys were greater; and these supported them, and enabled them to suffer with cheerfulness. There are two things of which the Apostle takes particular notice respecting this joy.

1. The way in which Christ, though unseen, is the foundation of it, that is, by faith; "In whom. though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye re joice."

2. The nature of this joy; "Unspeakable and full of glory." Unspeakable in kind; very diffe ent from worldly joys, and carnal delights; of a vastly more pure, sublime and heavenly nature; the sublimity and greatness of which, words could not express.-Unspeakable also in degree, it having pleased God, in their state of persecution, to communicate to them this holy joy with a bountiful and liberal hand.

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Their joy was full of glory. But though it was unspeakable, though no words were sufficient to describe it; yet something might be said of it, and no words were more adapted to represent its excellency than these,-full of glory; or, as it is in the original,-glorified joy. In rejoicing with this joy, their minds were filled with a kind of glorious felicity. It was a prelibation of the joys of heaven, raising their minds to a degree of heavenly blessedness.

Hence the proposition, or doctrine, which I would raise from these words, is this,

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We see that the Apostle, in observing the operations and exercises of religion in the Christians to whom he wrote, singles out the affections of love and joy. These are the exercises of which he takes notice, as exhibiting the reality and purity of religion.

Here I would

I. Show what is intended by the affections.

II. Observe some things which make it evi dent, that a great part of religion resides in the affections.

1. It may be inquired, what the affections of the mind are.

I answer, the affections are the more vigorous and sensible exercises of the inclination, and will of the soul.

God has endowed the soul with two faculties; one is that by which it is capable of perception and speculation; and this is called the understanding the other is that by which it not merely perceives and speculates, but is some way inclined; or, it is that faculty by which it views things, not as an indifferent, unaffected spectator, but either as liking, or disliking; approving, or disapproving. This faculty is called by different names. It is sometimes called the inclination; and, as it has respect to the actions which are de termined and governed by it, it is called the will. Sometimes the inclination is but just moved beyond a state of perfect indifference; and at other times it is vigorously exercised. Now those lively and powerful exercises of the inclination are the affections.

It should be remarked also that the will and the affections are not two distinct faculties; and that the latter do not differ from the mere actings of the inclination and the will, but only as it respects the liveliness and vigour of the exercises.

It must be admitted that language, in reference to this subject, is somewhat imperfect. In a certain sense, the affections do not differ at all from the inclination and the will: the will is not moved from a state of perfect indifference, but as it is affected. But still there are many acts of the inclination and the will, which are not in general called affections.

The affections and the passions are not unfrequently represented as being the same; and yet, in the more ordinary acceptation of the terms, there is, in some respects, a difference. The word affection appears to convey a more extensive idea than the term passion.

The affections are of two sorts; those by which the soul cleaves to, or seeks; and those by which it dislikes, or opposes. Of the former kind are love, desire, hope, joy, gratitude, complacence; of the latter kind are hatred, fear, anger, grief. There are some affections of a mixed nature; as pity, in which there is something of the former kind towards the person suffering, and something of the latter in reference to what he suffers. In zeal, there is warm approbation. as it respects one object; and vigorous opposition, as it respects another.

2. The second thing proposed, is to notice some circumstances which render it evident, that true religion, in a great measure, resides in the affections.

I. What has been said of the nature of the affections, makes this evident, and is sufficient with

out adding any thing further upon the subject; for who will deny that true religion consists, in a great measure, in vigorous and lively actings of the inclination and will of the soul, or the fervent exercises of the heart?

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That religion which God requires and will accept, does not consist in weak and lifeless inclinations, raised but a little above a state of indifference. God, in his word, insists upon it, that we should be in earnest, "fervent in spirit," Rom. xii. 11. having our hearts vigorously engaged in religion: "And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him; and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul." Deut. x. 12. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord; and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." Chap. vi. 4, 5. It is such a fervent, vigorous engagedness of the soul in religion, which is the fruit of regeneration, and which has the promise of everlasting life: "And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live" Deut xxx. 6.

If we are not in earnest, and our wills and inclinations strongly exercised, we are nothing as to religion. The things of religion are so great, that there can be no suitableness in the exercises of our hearts, to their nature and importance, unless those exercises are lively and powerful. In nothing is vigour in the actings of our inclinations so requisite, as in religion; and in nothing is lukewarmness so odious. True religion is always a powerful principle; and this power, in the first place, is exercised in the heart, the principal, and

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