exercise themselves, but under strict government and direction of
reason, then it is we act suitably to our nature, and to the
circumstances God has placed us in. Neither is affection itself at
all a weakness; nor does it argue defect, any otherwise than as our
senses and appetites do; they belong to our condition of nature, and
are what we cannot be without. God Almighty is, to be sure, unmoved
by passion or appetite, unchanged by affection; but then it is to be
added that He neither sees nor hears nor perceives things by any
senses like ours; but in a manner infinitely more perfect. Now, as
it is an absurdity almost too gross to be mentioned, for a man to
endeavour to get rid of his senses, because the Supreme Being
discerns things more perfectly without them; it is as real, though
not so obvious an absurdity, to endeavour to eradicate the passions
He has given us, because He is without them. For, since our
passions are as really a part of our constitution as our senses;
since the former as really belong to our condition of nature as the
latter; to get rid of either is equally a violation of and breaking
in upon that nature and constitution He has given us. Both our
senses and our passions are a supply to the imperfection of our
nature; thus they show that we are such sort of creatures as to
stand in need of those helps which higher orders of creatures do
not. But it is not the supply, but the deficiency; as it is not a
remedy, but a disease, which is the imperfection. However, our
appetites, passions, senses, no way imply disease: nor indeed do
they imply deficiency or imperfection of any sort; but only this,
that the constitution of nature, according to which God has made us,
is such as to require them. And it is so far from being true, that
a wise man must entirely suppress compassion, and all fellow-feeling
for others, as a weakness; and trust to reason alone to teach and
enforce upon him the practice of the several charities we owe to our