virtue and approving heaven? Oh, how much more contented, how much more happy is oftentimes the obfcure, but reflecting and virtuous moralift, the fuffering but pious chriftian, than the opulent and dignified voluptuary, who is all fiefh, and knows no other pleasures than what his fenfes procure him! How much more real and lafting pleasure does often one hour of calm and luminous contemplation on ferious fubjects, and the fedate enjoyment of our mental powers, afford us, than whole days of noify and tumultuous mirth! How much more does one generous or goodnatured act contribute to our fatisfaction, than a round of tranfient fenfual amufements! And yet how feldom are these purer pleasures, thefe fublimer joys, brought into the account, in taking eftimates of human happiness!

Wouldst thou laftly, o man, calculate properly thy own and thy brother's happiness; confider the human creature not barely in certain epochas or times, but in the whole capacity of his life and fortunes. Connect the paft, the present and the future, fo together in thy thoughts, as in the nature of things they are connected together. If this or that period of the life of a man appears cloudy and dark, another will caft more light upon it, and evince more happiness enjoyed. The first entrance on business, on active life, is generally difficult and laborious, and its progrefs brings fatisfaction and pleasure. Sometimes youth, fometimes manhood,

is wealthier in happiness. Oftentimes there is more enjoyment in this life, often more qualification and preparation for future enjoyment. Wouldst thou ascertain the fum of thy own or thy brother's happinefs; fet all these against each other, reckon all agreeable and cheerful fenfations together, the innocent fportive delights of childhood, the livelier joys of youth, the more rational, nobler pleasures of the mature and advanced age. Think on all thou hast enjoyed and art ftill enjoying of agreeable and good, and alfo what thou mayft hope to enjoy in future; on all that thou art and haft and dost, that is good and profitable, and that thou mayft and wilt be and have and do in all fucceeding times. Forget not that thou art immortal, that thou art ordained to everlasting happiness, that thou art already happy in hope; and, from the first-fruits, conclude of the full harveft; from the sweets of the foretafte, of the delicioufnefs of complete fruition. These rules will guide thee fafely in appretiating human happiness, and enable thee to perceive its true nature and magnitude.

On the whole, my chriftian brother, conclude, that man was not made for mifery by his creator and father, but was formed for happiness; that to this end he is endowed with difpofitions and capacities for it; that he finds in himself and without him the most various and abundant fources of fatisfaction and pleasure; and that it is almost always his own fault when he does not draw from them fatiffaction

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faction and joy. Farther conclude, that human happiness is no infignificant, contemptible matter, as the unfortunate and the melancholy at times reprefent it to be, that none but the misanthropist can wholly be blind to it, none but the inconfiderate and thoughtlefs can hold it for a trifling object. And affuredly conclude, that there is far, far more agreeable than disagreeable sensation, far more happiness than misery among mankind, far, far more good than evil in the world. In fine, exalt this comfortable idea by the juft and grand fentiment; that in the kingdom of God, the God of love, happiness will always abide, and be augmenting and spreading; and that on the other hand, mifery will be ever diminishing and at length entirely cease, and be fucceeded by perfection and blifs. So wilt thou think worthily of God, and juftly of the state and deftination of man. So wilt thou be always cheerand be constantly more fitted

ful in the present life, for the future.

SERMON XLIII.

Settlement of our Notions concerning human Happiness,

GOD, eternal, inexhaustible fountain of life, of joy, of happiness! from thee flow life and joy and happiness on every part of thy immenfe creation. Whatever thou, Allgracious, haft created, thou haft formed for happiness, and thy wisdom never fails of its ends. However various the methods by which thou leadeft thy creatures to their destination, they by one way or another, fooner or later, infallibly reach it. Us too, thy children on earth, haft thou, our merciful Father, destined to happiness, made us fufceptible of it, and pointed out and opened to us numerous and exuberant fources both within us and without us, from which we may draw fatisfaction and pleasure. To none of us all are these fources entirely fhut, none draw from them in vain. Might we but seek our happiness there alone where it is really to be found, and as thankfully, as cheerfully enjoy, and as properly ufe that portion of it which thou haft decreed to each

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each of us, as is neceffary to thy views and to our welfare! Might we be continually acquiring jufter notions of human happiness and of the way that leads to it, and learning better how to distinguish it from femblance and deception, and with ever greater circumfpection be walking that way! Might we even now, that we are about to meditate on these matters, pursue our reflections with that seriousness and attention which the importance of the fubject demands. Enlighten us by thy light, and guide us by thy holy spirit. Let thy truth dispel our prejudices and errors, and grant that we may obediently follow its directions and precepts. Oh hearken to our fupplications, which we prefent unto thee in the name of our lord and faviour Jefus Chrift, repofing our entire confidence in his promifes, and further invoking thee in his words: Our father, &c.

LUKE, xii. 15.

A man's life confifteth not in the abundance of the things which he poffeffeth.

EVERY living and thinking creature, my pious hearers, is panting in the purfuit of happiness, the child and the youth, as well as the ripened man and the hoary head, the rough uncultivated man of nature and the more civilized and polifhed member of fociety, the ignorant as well as the learned, the volatile