volition and exertion, but on a thoufand accidental circumstances and things, that are not in our power, that we can feldom forefee, feldom bring to pafs, feldom combine with our views, and as feldom employ to the furtherance and attainment of them according to our wishes. It never depends on us in what station we shall be born and educated, in what character we fhall appear on this fcene of things; and seldom, extremely feldom is it generally speaking in our choice, to become as rich, as powerful, as great, to be as healthy and strong, and to purfue our way to this or the other object, as unimpeded, as we might wish. Neither profperity nor adverfity is fo combined with the moral character and the moral conduct of mankind, as to enable us to draw conclufions from the one to the other, and to confider them both as caufe and effect. They are goods and evils diftributed by the Father of mankind among his children, in totally different views, and for the most part concealed from us. Happiness and unhappiness on the other hand depend moftly, depend in fome fort entirely upon us. According as we think and judge thus or otherwise, are thus or otherwise disposed, thus or otherwise behave towards God and man: fo are we pleafed or difpleafed, contented or discontented; fo all furrounding objects appear to us thus or otherwife, with a brilliant or with a gloomy afpect; so troubles and evils change for us into advantages and benefits, but likewife goods and joys into want and pain. As little as it generally generally depends on us to be profperous, that is, to be rich, eminent, mighty: fo certainly does it depend on us to be happy, that is, to be contented and pleased, and to rejoice in our lives. Though we cannot avert and remove from us all misfortune, all adverse events, yet certainly we can avoid unhappiness or misery, if we do but earnestly resolve on it. If we are not able to change outward things according to our pleasure; yet can we fo alter our ideas of them, our whole turn of mind and manners, as reafon and our own intereft require us to do. Yet more. Profperity and adverfity are fomewhat tranfitory, fomewhat extremely changeable and tranfient: happiness and unhappiness on the other hand are far more stationary and lasting. The afpect and the worth of the former vary with every alteration in age, in health, in habits of life, in taste, in the outward connections and relations of the individual. According to the variety of thefe circumstances, prosperity often changes into adversity, and the latter into the former. Power and distinctions are frequently but fplendid burdens, and the lofs of them procures freedom and repofe. And is not all that is termed prosperity and adverfity subject to the greateft inftability, to the moft various and fudden viciffitudes ? Is it not entirely confined to this terreftrial life? Will not both of them be buried with us? Do not both the one and the other remain behind, on our paffing over to another state? Happi nefs nefs and unhappiness on the other hand, how much more unchangeable and permanent! Pleasure and discomfort are and remain everlastingly pleasure and discomfort, in recollection as in enjoyment; content and discontent are and remain everlastingly content and difcontent, in every age, in every ftation, in every mode of life, in every connection, while we live and when we are dying, on this fide and beyond the grave, in this and in the future world. A man's temper and habits are not fo easily altered as his outward condition. The former make deeper, more durable impressions on his foul than the latter; impreffions which neither death nor the grave efface, which accompany him into eternity, and there form the basis of his fuperior felicity, or his greater mifery. Be we as fortunate or unfortunate as we may, yet we must at one time cease, yet we must foon cease to be fo; happy or unhappy we may be and continue for a whole eternity. Happiness, but not profperity, paffes along with us in all future worlds and eternities: unhappiness and mifery, but not adverfity, can also purfue us thither. This is not all. Profperity and adversity have thei ftated magnitude, an utmoft pinnacle, which they cannot overtop. The nearer they approach to that, the nearer they draw to their end, the more fure and infallible is the declenfion of one and the ceffation of the other. Happiness, on the other hand, knows no bounds; it is, like the perfection whereon whereon it refts, capable of an augmentation and elevation to infinity. The fources of pleasure and of content are no lefs various than inexhauftible to every intelligent mind, that has learnt to prize and to use them; and their enjoyment is not attended with fatiety and furfeit, while the poffeffion of profperity easily excites languor and difguft. But likewife unhappiness may arise to a very high degree, fo as to exceed by far all the hardships and preffures of adversity. It can overpower all the capacities and faculties of the man, and fill them all with pain and anguish. It attacks him in his very heart, and is as clofely, as intimately connected with him as his own thoughts and fenfations. Finally, my pious hearers, profperity is a fubordinate instrument; happiness is an ultimate end. Happiness is the mark, at which we all run; unhappiness the abyfs we all endeavour to avoid. We feek riches, honour, and various outward advantages, in order to be happy; we fhun poverty, lowness of station, contempt, and the like, in order to be not unhappy. We feek thofe goods, and fhun thefe evils only in fo far as we hold them to be fit means for leading us to that mark, or for preserving us from this abyfs. As certainly and effentially therefore as means and end, mark and way to the mark, are different from each other; fo certainly and effentially are profperity and happiness, adverfity and unhappiness different from each other. From From the difference between these words and objects, which after confidering it on various fides we have found to be undeniable on all, let us proceed to deduce fome of the most important confequences, and make the application of them to our judgments and our behaviour. One perfectly natural confequence of the difference we have obferved between thefe words and the objects fignified by them is this: Not every one can be profperous; but every one can be happy. Not évery one can escape adverfity, or remove all adverfity from him; but every one can avoid unhappiness. and defend himself from mifery. The affertion is felf-evident, and needs no formal proof. Not every one can be healthy, ftrong, beautiful, rich, powerful, great; but every one can think reasonably and judge justly, every one can learn to will and to seek only what is best, every one can get the mastery over himself and his fenfual appetites, fquare his life by the precepts of wisdom, addi& himself to virtue and piety, and by these means lay a firm foundation for lafting fatisfaction and permanent pleasure. Not every one can avert from him want, lofs, meanness of condition, fcorn, pain, bondage, adverfe events; but every one can weaken the unpleafant, hurtful effects and impreffions of these things upon him, can learn to bear them with patience and fortitude, can use them to his moral improvement, and maintain, notwithstanding them, the ferenity of his mind and the repofe of his foul. If profperity and adverfity depend VOL. II. BB |