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fault, whether in the incapacity of his own nature, or the infufficiency of the enjoyments themselves.

In this uncertain and perplexed state-without knowledge which way to turn or where to betake ourselves for refuge-fo often abused and deceived by the many who pretend thus to fhow us any good-Lord! fays the Pfalmift, lift up the light of thy countenance upon us. Send us fome rays of thy grace and heavenly wisdom, in this benighted fearch after happiness, to direct us fafely to it. O God! let us not wander for ever without a guide, in this dark region, in endless pursuit of our miftaken good; but enlighten our eyes that we fleep not in death-open to them the comforts of thy holy word and religion-lift up the light of thy countenance upon us, and make us know the joy and fatisfaction of li ving in the true faith and fear of Thee, which only can carry us to this haven of reft where we would be that fure haven, where true joys are to be found, which will at length not only anfwer all our expectations→→→ but fatisfy the most unbounded of our wishes for ever and ever.

There is hardly any fubject more exhausted, or which at one time or other has afforded more matter for argument and declamation, than this one, of the infufficien cy of our enjoyments. Scarce a reformed fenfualift, from Solomon down to our own days, who has not, in fome fits of repentance or disappointment, uttered some fharp reflection upon the emptiness of human pleasure, and of the vanity of vanities which discovers itself in all the purfuits of mortal man.-But the mischief has been, that though fo many good things have been faid, they have generally had the fate to be confidered, either as the overflowings of difguft from fated appetites which could no longer relifh the pleasures of life, or as the declamatory opinions of reclufe and fplenetic men, who had never tasted them at all, and, confequently, were thought no judges of the matter. So that 'tis no great wonder, if the greateft part of fuch reflections, however just in themfelves, and founded on truth and a knowledge of the world, are found to leave little impreffion where the imagination was already heated with great expectations of future happiness; and that the best lectures

lectures that have been read upon the vanity of the world, fo feldom stop a man in the purfuit of the object of his defire, or give him half the conviction, that the poffeffion of it will, and what the experience of his own life, or a careful observation upon the life of others, does at length generally confirm to us all.

I would not be understood as if I were denying the reality of pleasures, or difputing the being of them, any more than one would the reality of pain-yet I must obferve, that there is a plain diftinction to be made betwixt pleasure and happinefs. For though there can be no happiness without pleasure-yet the reverfe of the propofition will not hold true.-We are fo made, that, from the common gratifications of our appetites, and the impreffions of a thousand objects, we fnatch the one like a tranfient gleam, without being fuffered to tafle the other and enjoy the perpetual funfhine and fair weather which conftantly attend it. This, I contend, is only to be found in religion-in the conscioufnefs of virtue and the fure and certain hopes of a better life, which brightens all our profpects, and leaves no room to dread difappointments-because the expectation of it is built upon a rock whose foundations are as deep as thofe of heaven and hell.

And though, in our pilgrimage through this world fome of us may be fo fortunate as to meet with fome clear fountains by the way, that may cool, for a few moments, the heat of this great thirft of happiness-yet our Saviour, who knew the world, though he enjoyed but little of it, tells us, that whofoever drinketh of this water will thirst again:- and we all find by experience it is fo, and by reason that it always must be fo. 1 conclude with a fhort obfervation upon Solomon's evidence in this cafe.

Never did the bufy brain of a lean and hectic chymift fearch for the philofopher's ftone with more pains and ardour than this great man did after happiness. He was one of the wifeft enquirers into nature-had tried all her powers and capacities; and, after a thousand vain fpeculations and vile experiments, he affirmed at length, it lay hid in no one thing he had tried: like the chymift's projections, all had ended in fmoke, or, what was Y.

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worfe, in vanity and vexation of fpirit.-The conclu fion of the whole matter was this-that he advifes every man who would be happy, to fear God and keep his commandments.

V. On the Death of Chrift.

THE Redemption of man is one of the most glorious works of the Almighty. If the hour of the creation of the world was great and illuftrious; that hour, when, from the dark and formlefs mafs, this fair fyftem of nature arofe at the Divine command; when “the morn ing ftars fang together, and all the fons of God fhouted for joy ;"-no lefs illuftrious is the hour of the restoration of the world; the hour, when, from condemnation and mifery, it emerged into happiness and peace. With lefs external majefty it was attended, but is, on that account, the more wonderful, that, under an appearance fo fimple, fuch great events-were covered.

In the hour of Chrift's death, the long feries of prophecies, vifions, types, and figures, was accomplished. This was the centre in which they all met; this the point towards which they had tended and verged, throughout the courfe of fo many generations. You behold the Law and the Prophets ftanding, if we may fo fpeak, at the foot of the crofs, and doing homage. You behold Mofes and Aaron bearing the ark of the cove. nant; David and Elijah prefenting the oracle of teftimony. You behold all the priests and facrifices, all the rites and ordinances, all the types and symbols, affembled together to receive their confummation. Without the death of Chrift, the worship and ceremonies of the law would have remained a pompous, but unmeaning inftitution. In the hour when he was crucified, "the book with the feven feals" was opened. Every rite affumed its fignificancy; every prediction met its event; every fymbol difplayed its correfpondence.

This was the hour of the abolition of the Law, and the introduction of the Gofpel; the hour of terminating the old, and of beginning the new difpenfation of religious knowledge and worthip throughout the earth. Viewed in this light, it forms the most august æra which is to be found in the hiftory of mankind. When Chrift was fuffering on the crofs, we are informed by one of

the Evangelifts, that he faid, "I thirft;" and that they filled a fpunge with vinegar, and put it to his mouth. "After he had tafted the vinegar," knowing that all things were now accomplished, and the fcripture fulfilled, he faid, "It is finished;" that is, This offered draught of vinegar was the last circumftance predicted by an ancient prophet that remained to be fulfilled. The vi fion and the prophecy are now fealed: the Mofaic difpenfation is clofed. "And he bowed his head, and gave up the ghoit."-Significantly was the veil of the temple rent in this hour; for the glory then departed from between the cherubims. The legal high priest delivered up his Urim and Thummim, his breast-plate, his robes, and his incenfe; and CHRIST ftood forth as the great High-prieft of all fucceeding generations. By that one facrifice which he now offered, he abolished facrifices for ever. Altars on which the fire had blazed for ages were now to finoke no more. Victims were no more to bleed. "Not with the blood of bulls and goats, but with his own blood, he now entered into the Holy Place, there to appear in the prefence of God for us.

This was the hour of affociation and union to all the worthippers of God. When Chrift faid "It is finished," he threw down the wall of partition which had fo long divided the Gentile from the Jew. He gathered into one, all the faithful, out of every kindred and people. He proclaimed the hour to be come, when the knowledge of the true God fhould be no longer confined to one nation, nor his worship to one temple; but over all the earth, the worshippers of the Father fhould ferve him in spirit and in truth." From that hour, they who dwelt in the uttermoft ends of the earth, ftrangers to the covenant of promife," began to be" brought nigh." In that hour, the light of the gofpel dawned from afar on the British islands.

This was the hour of Chrift's triumph over all the powers of darkness; the hour in which he overthrew dominions and thrones," led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.” The contest which the kingdom of darknefs had long maintained against the kingdom of light, was now brought to its crifis. The period was come, when "the feed of the woman fhould bruife the.

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head of the ferpent.". For many ages, the most grofs fuperftition had filled the earth. "The glory of the incorruptible God was" every where, except in the land of Judea," changed into images made like to corrup tible man, and to birds, and beafts, and creeping things.' The world, which the Almighty created for himself, feemed to have become a temple of idols. Even to vices and paffions altars were raifed; and what was intitled Religion, was, in effect, a difcipline of impurity. In the midst of this univerfal darkness, Satan had erected his throne; and the learned and polished, as well as the favage nations, bowed down before him. But at the hour when Chrift appeared on the crofs, the signal of his defeat was given. His kingdom fuddenly departed from him; the reign of Idolatry paffed away: He was "beheld to fall like lightning from heaven.” In that hour, the foundation of every Pagan temple fhook; the ftatue of every falfe god tottered on its base; the priest fled from his falling fhrine; and the heathen oracles became dumb for ever.

Death alfo, the laft foe of man, was the victim of this hour. The formidable appearance of the fpectre remained, but his dart was taken away: for, in the hour when Chrift expiated guilt, he difarmed death, by se curing the refurrection of the juft. When he said to his penitent fellow-fufferer, "To-day thou fhalt be with. me in paradife," he announced to all his followers the certainty of heavenly blifs, He declared "the cheru bims" to be difmiffed, and the "flaming fword" to be heathed, which had been appointed at the fall" to keep from man the way of the Tree of life." Faint, before this period, had been the hope, indiftin&t the profpect, which even good men enjoyed of the heavenly kingdom." Life and immortality were now brought to light." From the hill of Calvary, the firft clear and certain view was given to the world of the everlasting manfions. Since that hour, they have been the perpetual confolation of believers in Chrift. Under trouble, they footh their minds; amidt temptation, they fupport their virtue; and, in their dying moments, enable them to fay, "O death! where is thy fting? O grave! where is thy victory ??

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