Fooled By Our Emotions

One of the most difficult things, all Christians must surely admit, is to differentiate between a truly spiritual fervor and a carnal, animal zeal and enthusiasm. Natural animal spirits and temperament may very well make one fervent and zealous.... There is nothing of which a preacher needs to be more sure than that the zeal in his preaching is not produced by his natural temperament or [the eloquence of] his sermon, but by real belief in Christ. It is a very subtle matter. . . .Some people never pray in public without crying, and some tend to think that they feel more than others. But it doesn’t follow for a moment. The emotional type of person is always more liable to weep when he prays, but it does not of necessity mean that he is more spiritual.