body; the constitution of the body and the motion of the fluids may promote the exercise of the affections. But yet, it is not the body, but the mind only that is the proper seat of the affections. The body of man is no more capable of being really the subject of love or hatred, joy or sorrow, fear or hope, than the body of a tree, or than the same body of man is capable of thinking and understanding. As it is the soul only that has ideas, so it is the soul only that is pleased or displeased with its ideas. As it is the soul only that thinks; so it is the soul only that loves or hates, rejoices or is grieved at what it thinks of: Nor are these motions of the animal spirits and fluids of the body any thing properly belonging to the nature of the affections, though they always accompany them in the present state; but are only effects or concomitants of affections, that are entirely distinct from the affections themselves, and no way essential to them; so that an unbodied spirit may be as capable of love and hatred, joy or sorrow, hope or fear, or other affections, as one that is united to a body.

The affections and passions are frequently spoken of as the same; and yet, in the more common use of speech, there is in some respect a difference; and affection is a word, that in its ordinary signification, seems to be something more extensive than passion, being used for all vigorous lively actings of the will or inclination; but passion for those that are more sudden, and whose effects on the animal spirits are more violent, and the mind more overpowered, and less in its own command.

As all the exercises of the inclination and will are either in approving and liking, or disapproving and rejecting; so the affections are of two sorts; they are those by which the soul is carried out to what is in view, cleaving to it or seeking it; or those by which it is averse from it, and opposes

it. Of the former sort are love, desire, hope, joy, gratitude, complacence. Of the latter kind, are hatred, fear, anger, grief and such like; which, it is needless now to stand particularly to define.

And there are some affections wherein there is a composition of each of the aforementioned kinds of actings of the will; as in

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the affection of pity, there is something of the former kind towards the person suffering, and something of the latter towards what he suffers. And so in zeal, there is in it a high approbation of some person or thing, together with a vigorous opposition to what is conceived to be contrary to it.

There are other mixed affections, that might be also mentioned; but I hasten to,

II. The second thing proposed, which was, to observe some things that render it evident, that true religion, in a great part, consists in the affections. And here,

1. What has been said of the nature of the affections makes this evident, and may be sufficient, without adding any thing further, to put this matter out of doubt: 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? That religion, which God requires, and will accept, does not

, consist in weak, dull and lifeless wouldings, raising us but a little above a state of indifference: God, in his word, greatly insists upon it, that we be in good earnest, “ fervent in spirit,” and our hearts vigorously engaged in religion: Rom. xii. 11. "Be ye fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.” Deut. x. 12. “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?” And chap. vi. 4, 5. “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.” It is such a fer

a vent, vigorous engagedness of the heart in religion, that is the fruit of a real circumcision of the heart, or true regeneration, and

a that has the promises of life; Deut. xxx. 6. “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."

If we be not in good earnest in religion, and our wills and inclinations be not strongly exercised, we are nothing. 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 they be lively and powerful. In nothing is vigor, in the actings of our inclinations, so requisite, as in religion; and in nothing is luke warmness so odious. True religion is evermore a powerful thing; and the power of it appears, in the first place, in the inward exercises of it, in the heart, where is the principal and original seat of it. Hence true religion is called the power of godliness, in distinction from the external appearances of it, that are the form of it, 2 Tim. iii. 5. “Having a form of godliness but denying the power of it.” The Spirit of God, in those that have found any solid religion, is a spirit of powerful holy affection; and, therefore, God is said to have given them the Spirit of power, and of “love and of a sound mind,” 2 Tim. i. 7. And such, when they receive the Spirit of God, in his sanctifying and saving influences, are said to be “ baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire;” by reason of the power and favour of those exercises, the Spirit of God excite in their hearts; whereby their hearts, when grace is in exercise, may be said to burn within them; as is said of the diciples, Luke xxiv. 32.

The business of religion is, from time to time, compared to those exercises, wherein men are wont to have their hearts and strength greatly exercised and engaged; such as running, wrestling or agonizing for a great prize or crown, and fighting with strong enemies that seek our lives, and warring as those, that by violence take a city or kingdom.

And, though true grace has various degrees, and there are some that are but babes in Christ, in whom the exercise of the inclination and will towards divine and heavenly things, is comparatively weak; yet every one that has the power of godliness in his heart, has his inclinations and heart exercised towards God and divine things, with such strength and vigor, that these holy exercises do prevail in him, above all carnal or natural affections, and are effectual to overcome them: for every true disciple of Christ, “loves him above father or mother, wife and children, brethren and sisters, houses and lands; yea, than his own life.” From hence it follows, that wherever true religion is, there are vigorous exercises of the inclination and will towards divine objects: but, by what was said before, the vigorous, lively and sensible exercises of the will, are no other than the affections of the soul.

2. The Author of the human nature has not only given affections to men, but has made them very much the spring of mens actions. As the affections do not only necessarily belong to the human nature, but are a very great part of it: so (inasmuch as by regeneration, persons are renewed in the whole man, and sanctified throughout) holy affections do not only necessarily belong to true religion, but are a very great part of it. And as true religion is of a practical nature, and God hath so constituted the human nature that the affections are very much the spring of mens actions, this also shows that true religion must consist very much in the affections,

Such is man's nature, that he is very unactive, any otherwise, than he is infľuenced by some affection, either love or hatred, desire, hope, fear or some other. These affections, we see to be the springs that set men agoing, in all the affairs of life, and engage them in all their pursuits: these are the things that put men forward, and carry them along, in all their worldly business; and especially are men excited and animated by these, in all affairs wherein they are earnestly engaged, and which they pursue with vigor. We see the world of mankind to be exceeding busy and active; and the affections of men are the springs of the motion: take away all love and hatred, all hope and fear, all anger, zeal and affectionate desire, and the world would be, in a great measure, motionless and dead; there would be no such thing as activity amongst mankind, or any active pursuit whatsoever. It is affection that engages the covetous man, and him that is greedy of worldly profits, in his pursuits; and it is by the affections, that the ambitious man is put forward in his pursuit of worldly glory; and it is the affections also that actuates the voluptuous man, in his pursuit of pleasure and sensual delights: the world continues, from age to age, in a continual commotion and agitation, in a pursuit of these things; but take away all affection, and the springs of all this motion would be gone, and the motion itself would cease. And, as in worldly things, worldly affections are very much the spring of mens motions and actions; so in religious matters, the spring of their actions is very much religious affections: he that has doctrinal knowledge and speculation only, without affection, never is engaged in the business of religion.

3. Nothing is more manifest in fact than that the things of religion take hold of mens souls no further than they affect them. There are multitudes thạt often hear the word of God, and therein hear of those things that are infinitely great and important, and that most nearly concern them, and all that is heard seems to be wholly ineffectual upon them, and to make no alteration in their disposition or behaviour; and the reason is, they are not affected with what they hear. There are many that often hear the glorious perfections of God, his almighty power and boundless wisdom, his infinite majesty and that holiness of God, by which he is of purer eyes than to behold evil, and can not look on iniquity, and the heavens are not pure in his sight, and of God's infinite goodness and mercy, and hear of the great works of God's wisdom, power and goodness, wherein there appear the admirable manifestations of these perfections; they hear particularly of the unspeakable love of God and Christ, and of the great things that Christ has done and suffered, and of the great things of another world, of eternal misery in bearing the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God, and of endless blessedness and glory in the presence of God, and the enjoyment of his dear love! they also hear the peremptory commands of God and his gracious counsels and warnings, and the sweet invitations of the gospel; I say, they often hear these things, and yet remain as they were before, with no sensible alteration on them, either in heart or practice, because they are not affected with what they hear; and ever will be so till they are affected. I am bold to assert that there never was any considerable change wrought in the mind or conversation of any person, by any thing of a religious nature that ever he read, heard or saw, that had not his affections moved. Never was a natural