it. Enjoyeft thou therefore in thy station and profeffion advantages, fatisfactions, comforts which numberless others are obliged to forego, forget not, that they in return enjoy various advantages, fatisfactions and comforts, which to thee are totally foreign and unknown; and for properly weighing them both against each other and comparing them together, it requires in general far deeper perceptions and knowledge of the aggregate condition of the individual than ufually fall to our lot.

Wouldst thou in fhort, my chriftian brother, rightly estimate and determine of the happiness of others, in thinking of it stop not short at their prefent ftate, confider it always in its connection with the future, confider their expansion, their perfection, their happiness, as perpetually increafing and infinitely progreffive. The life of man on earth is fhort, is a tranfient, fleeting dream, but the man himself fhall continue for ever, fhall never ceafe to be. The wants, the troubles, the burdens of this life cannot long opprefs him who bears them; his griefs are as fleeting and momentary as his outward goods and diftinctions. The happiness and mifery of a few days or years come into no confideration at all when fet against the happiness and mifery of revolving ages, of whole mundane epochas, and even the most viewlefs tracts of time, when contrafted with abfolute, endless eternity is as a fingle drop of water to the immenfe depths and extent of the ocean.

The

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first scene can by no means be the whole of the drama, the elucidation of the plot, but only the remote prearrangement and preparation to it. The gradations, by which man attains to his mark, to perfection, are innumerable. Here he stands on the lowermost, the first step of human exiftence. Be cautious how judge by this of all the rest which he has to afcend. Confound not his troublesome entrance into theworld and his first tiresome years of education with the full and free enjoyment of that life to which he is approaching. No, here in this nether world man is not all that he can and is defigned to be and to become. His profpects are unbounded, his capacity for becoming better, more perfect, more happy, ftretches to infinity. The futurity that awaits him can and will fupply to him all the deficiencies of the prefent. God has unnumbered means, there are innumerable worlds in being, where he can more than repay, and most certainly will repay creatures, nations, who at prefent, for the fake of the best combination, for the fake of the fittest order of things, are obliged to forego, to bear, to fuffer anything. Yes, the goods, the delights, the privileges of that fuperior life will foon caufe the man who was here unmeritedly wretched and unhappy, to forget his wants, his burdens, his fufferings, nay he will even bless them, will rejoice over them, will praise the All-gracious for them, as having smoothed to him the road to fuperior joys and felicities, as having rendered him capable and worthy of them.

By thus, my christian brother, connecting the future with the prefent, confidering the fortunes of mankind in their whole extent, and by judging of their condition agreeably to the rules of prudence, with which our reflections upon the fubject have fupplied us, thou wilt affuredly find far more happiness than misery in the world and among mankind, thou wilt be forced to break out with the pfalmift in the words of our text, addreffed to the eternal father: Thou openeft thy hand, with the most bountiful liberality, and fatisfieft the defire of every living thing; thou doest all things well, and thy mercy is over all thy works. And thus wilt thou also with greater complacency and fatisfaction pass thy time among thy brethren, thou wilt far more highly prize their intrinfic worth and their whole defignation, and learn to delight thyfelf in it. This however should by no means render thee more indifferent to human mifery and human happiness. It should by no means abate thy zeal to avert as much as poffible the former and to augment the latter. No, be fenfible to all the good and to all the evil that befals thy brother, just as though it befel thyfelf. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep, Do thou operate and promote in the sphere allotted thee by God, as much good; do thou there comfort, cheer, relieve as many wretched and drooping and troubled fouls as ever thou canft. But, that done, refign with a tranquil fpirit and faithful confidence the government of the whole and the approximation

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of all to ever greater perfection and happiness, to that being who is the creator and father of all, and has defigned them all for perfection and happiness. Thus wilt thou fulfil thy duty and in the fulfilling of it be contented and happy.

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SERMON LIV.

Adjustment of the Notion concerning the Happiness of the future Life.

GOD, bountiful creator and father of mankind,

thou haft endowed the human nature with great

capacities and powers, and made it capable of great things. Neither haft thou defigned it for the moment of this terrestrial life alone, no, thou haft deftined it to an everlasting continuance, to a bleffed immortality. Our business here is to become intelligent and wife and virtuous, and along the paths of wisdom and virtue to proceed to ever greater perfection. Already here we have fatisfactions and delights of various kinds to enjoy, and thereby to render ourselves capable of fuperior fatisfactions and purer delights in a better world. Thou wilt hereafter judge and deal with every one, in fuch manner as is confiftent with his nature, his capacities, his previous behaviour on earth. If by perfevering induftry in good works we strive after real honour, after lafting pleasure, thou wilt exalt us to eternal life, to an everlasting, ever increafing happiness. God, how grand, how glorious is our deftination! How richly deferving of our most ardent zeal, our uninterrupted