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was fervour and warmth ?-At the best, has it not seemed that calmness and composure have taken the place of that animated delight and enjoyment, which you formerly experienced in religious meditation, and religious study?—And have you not been therefore led to conclude that the fire must have gone out upon the altar, or no longer be burning brightly?

Such, however, is not necessarily the case. Other reasons may be assigned for this change of feeling, reasons full of encouragement and comfort, instead of disquietude and fear. One of these, though not the most satisfactory," may perhaps be traced to that callousness of mind, that apathy arising from satiety, which all of us have felt, when our minds for a long period together, have been occupied with one predominant idea, however originally interesting. On every subject (religion alone excepted) the views and pursuits of mankind vary incessantly in their progress from infancy to age. The amusements of childhood, the play of gaiety and imagination, the

glow of the social passions, the energy of ambition, the speculations of calculating experience, the repose of age, form in succession the gradually varying picture of human life from its commencement to its close, in the detail of worldly concerns. But throughout the whole of this period the aspect of practical religion is (unfortunately for the interest with which it is our duty to regard it, though necessarily from the sacredness of the duties which it inculcates) uniform and unchangeable. Founded upon eternal principles, it will not allow itself to be warped in compliance with the circumstances and feelings of the moment, but is from first to last, the same simple, yet energetic rule, sounded alike in the ear of the old and the young-the same succession of momentous, but incessantly recurring truths." However strongly these truths may have affected our hearts at first, it is not to be expected that they will produce equally vivid sensations at

1 Shuttleworth.

each repetition of them; on the contrary, it is perfectly natural that at each repetition their power over the passions, their capability of exciting fervent and glowing feelings, should be gradually and perceptibly diminished. But is the state of the Christian therefore worse, has he fallen off from grace, is he walking less sincerely, because he no longer feels as warmly as once he did?—Yes, if religion be a feeling, a mere passion only-but certainly not, if it be, as it really is, or is intended to be, a fixed and settled principle of actionin fact a habit in the highest and fullest

sense.

The consideration of religion in this point of view, viz. as a habit, will show at once, not only that vivid sensations are not indispensable to prove its existence in a man's heart; but that rather they are evidences of the very imperfect state in which it exists there.-This may appear a startling proposition. Let me endeavour to explain what I mean by it.

It is the object of religion to produce a settled change in the moral character;

such a settled change can only be effected by implanting new principles of action within us in other words, by teaching us a new habit.-Now a habit is formed by a repetition of individual actions, while each action must spring from some motive or impulse acting immediately upon the feelings. We have just seen that passive impressions by being repeated, grow naturally weaker and weaker, while the repetition of the action arising from these impressions, strengthens the habit. Therefore what must be the result? Why this, that we shall feel gradually less and less keenly during the formation of the habit, and that when it is perfectly formed, and has become a settled principle, actions will flow from it spontaneously, and unaccompanied in many cases by any perceptible sensation whatever. Thus "active habits may be gradually forming and strengthening by a course of acting upon such and such motives and excitements, whilst these motives and excitements themselves are by proportionable degrees growing

less sensible, that is, are continually less and less sensibly felt, even as the active habits strengthen '."

Take an instance of this.-" Perception of distress in others is a natural excitement, passively to pity, and actively to relieve it but, let a man set himself to attend to, to inquire out, and relieve distressed persons, and he cannot but grow less and less sensibly affected with the various miseries of life, with which he must become acquainted; when yet, at the same time, benevolence, considered not as a passion, but as a practical principle of action, will strengthen; and whilst he passively compassionates the distressed less, he will acquire a greater aptitude actively to assist and befriend them "."

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Now religion is an active habit, and formed as are other habits, and liable to the same laws, as those by which other habits are influenced. It is very possible, therefore, for the habit of religion, or in other words, for religious principle, to

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