distract the mind; the neceffary effect of SERM. which must be confufion and misery. But II. thus it is with all criminal and inordinate paffions. Let pride and covetousness, afford:" And which foever of them is denied its proper gratification, the conflict may be as arduous and painful, as to fubdue it altogether; though it has nothing of honour, or pleasure, or profpect of a reward hereafter to counterballance it. Or let us put another cafe, of a man that would make a kind of compofition for his Happiness, by uniting the two difcordant and incompatible principles of vice and virtue. He is a referved irrefolute finner, and obferves, as it were, a moderation in his exceffes: And because religion, or fear, may hinder him going the utmost lengths in debauchery, he hopes to patch up what may pass for a good character upon the whole ¿ D 4 II. SERM. whole; and be, if not a title to heaven upon the strict terms of the gospel, and in a judgment of equity, at least a recommendation to mercy. But how is this inconfiftency likely to ferve his purpose? A few particular cafes may occur that may be exceptions, but, if we argue from the nature of things, this must be the general conclufion,- That his vices will always be incroaching, and gaining ground, on bis fenfe of virtue; or what there is still remaining, in him, of natural confcience will be officious in upbraiding and condemning his evil practices: So that he is unhappy both ways; not to mention the distress which he is fure to meet with in the final result of things, and when he is fummoned to appear before the impartial tribunal of God. The only way left for him, is to be truly, i. e. univerfally, religious: Then every part of his conduct will have one tendency, to the honour of God, and his own rational perfection and felicity. What are more properly stiled the duties of piety have evidently this direction; so has every act of justice, and every office of compaffion and generofity to our II. our fellow-creatures. And even the regu- SERM. lar enjoyment of fenfitive pleasure is an exercise of reason, or, at least, is in pursuance of an exercife of reafon: And the ftrict and constant observation of the rules of regularity, which reafon dictates, is an acknowledgment of its fupreme dignity and authority- And reafon being the eternal law of God (which revelation has only revived, and enforced by a few peculiar discoveries and institutions) the same conduct must also be an acknowledgment of his universal rule, and, confequently, is both reafon and religion. LASTLY,The Happiness, which we have in view, must respect the whole of our exiftence. This the common fenfe of mankind immediately affents to, and, if it be at all confulted, forces upon them this natural and unalterable conclufion: That if there be a future life, which reafon ftrongly intimates; if there be a future immortal life, which revelation exprefly afferts; it must be most injudicious conduct, it must be surprising and extravagant folly, to make no provifion for our intereft in it, and, SERM. and, indeed, not to confider it as our principal and most momentous concern. II. HAVING, thus, fhewn what are the proper rules to direct us in our fearch after Happiness, I proceed to confider, SECONDLY, The reafon why fo great a part of mankind, tho' they are prompted by an ardent and inextinguifhible inftinct in nature to purfue Happiness, mifs of their end. And it refolves itself, in all its different fhapes and appearances, ultimately into this, that they expect to derive their chief felicity from carnal gratifications. This is directly and strongly intimated in thefe words of the Pfalmift, there be many (the multitude, the generality of men in almost every station) that fay, Who will fhew us any good? i. e. " Who will heap honours upon us? Who will "point out the way to wealth and luxury? "Who will prefent new scenes of plea fure, that we may indulge our appetites, "and give full fcope to the rovings of a wanton fancy?"That this was the fubftance of what was intended by the fa cred cred writer in this question, the words SERM. put in oppofition to it, in which he expref- II. fes his own wifer fentiments, are an undeniable proof, LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us: That what he here fuggefts is a fair reprefentation of fact, experience loudly testifies; that it is a false notion of Happiness and a fatal error, reason plainly teaches. For, what are honours? What are riches? What is fenfual pleasure ?They are light as vanity, fleeting as a bubble; thin and unfubftantial as air. A high post is, in many inftances, but an eminence of mifery; honours are continually shifting from one to another; and the brightest scenes of human glory are fo tranfitory, that thofe, who are the principal characters, can many times be compared to nothing more properly than to great meteors, which give a fudden blaze, and then lofe all their light in obscurity. In like manner it frequently happens, that men are pinched with want, and feel all the real inconveniencies of poverty, in the midst of the greatest abundance: And our own experience must have convinced us, to use the fublime |