that you may also. "Be ye followers of God as dear "children; and walk in love, as Christ also loved you, "and gave himself for you." Great is his goodness, and great is his beauty. Yea, he is altogether lovely. Shall HE who is the brightness of the Father's glory, and the exprefs image of his perfon, who was full of grace and truth, be thought to have no beauty that you should defire him? Will you unite with those who despise, rejec and abhor him? God forbid. May he open your eyes and your hearts to fee the King in his glory and beauty; and shed of his beauty on each of your fouls. So fhall he greatly defire thy beauty. Souls, adorned with the Redeemer's image and loveliness, are "beautiful as "Tirzah, comely as Jerufalem, and terrible as an army "with banners." He who hath thus renewed them in righteousnefs, will make them an eternal excellency. For righteoufnefs is immortal.

If heaven excels earth, the righteous is more excellent than his neighbour. Believe it, I beseech you, that there is an excellency in wisdom more than in folly; that the former excelleth the latter as far as light excelleth darkness. It giveth life to them who have it. Therefore approve the things that are excellent; be fincere and without offence until the day of Chrift.This is the excellent way which we fhew unto you. God grant that your ears may hear the voice proclaiming, This is the way, walk ye in it.-AMEN.

SERMON XII.

THE HAPPINESS OF LIFE.

PSALM xxxiv. 8.

O TASTE AND SEE THAT THE LORD IS GOOD: BLESSED IS THE MAN THAT TRUSTETH IN HIM.

AN opinion has long prevailed, that a religious

life is joylefs. The young and inexperienced are efpecially liable to imbibe this opinion. If it be a just one, how shall we perfuade them to be religious? At their entrance on life, and at the stage for the enjoy. ment of it, muft they be called upon to forego pleafure? We fuppofe not: The prefent discourse shall be devoted to the removal of this groundless prejudice. There are indeed the pleasures of fin. These must be fhunned. But are there no other pleasures? or none that are fuperior or equal to these?

Our view of religion is not taken from the cruel and frightful fuperftitions of the heathen; nor from the monafteries of the middle ages. In our view it requires not the facrifice of humanity or of reason: It interferes with no rational enjoyment: It allows us to enjoy our portion and our friends. Yea, under its regulations, the pleasures of fociety and friendship; and the just pleasures of the animal life, are best enjoyed. O tafte and fee that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man that trufteth in him.

In what does the enjoyment of life, or true pleafure confift? Where, from what object, is it to be fought? The fea faith, It is not in me; and the depth

faith, It is not with me. Neither earth nor fkies can give it. The enjoyment of life confifts not in riches, or honour, or fame, or fenfual delights, or health, or friends. With any or all of thefe, man may have his happiness to seek, and ftill enquire, "Who will fhew "us any good?" He is the fubject of moral government. He feels the pains or pleasures of an accufing or excufing confcience. This principle within him is, to his conduct as a moral agent, what the organ of vision is to his natural actions: It is placed in his breast as a regulating power to his thoughts and affections, to his whole conduct towards God, or man, or himfelf.

The fpirit of man is the candle of the Lord. The man who chooses and acts in oppofition to the dictate of this rational spirit, or attempts by any means to extinguifh or darken this candle of the Lord, is, in a moral view, guilty of like folly and madness, as it would be, in a natural view, to throw himself from a precipice with his eyes open; or wilfully to fhut them, that he may not fee the danger on which he rufheth. As this is contrary to the powerful principle of felfprefervation, common to mankind and the animal creation; so that is contrary to the rational and divine principle, which requires him to take care of his better part-to fave his foul alive.

Shall creatures, to whom God hath given understanding, and made next in rank to the angels, call evil good, and good evil? put darkness for light, and light for darkness? If the dignity of man confifted in mere intellect, Lucifer far excels any of the human race. The dignity of an intelligent creature consists in the knowledge and worfhip, the refemblance and enjoyment of his Creator. All ranks of moral agents, men of all diversity of genius and opportunities, are therefore under indifpenfible obligations to use their means and advantages for improvement in the knowledge of God, and their duty to him, to one another, and their own fouls.

Added to the light of nature, we have the much clearer light of revelation, to affure us what is the good, acceptable and perfect will of God. Revelation only guides our feet into the way of peace. It exhibits Jefus Chrift as the only fource of reft to the foul. No other bath the words of eternal life. The fall of man rendered it neceffary that a new foundation of religion fhould be laid, in a divine proclamation of pardon and grace to rebels. This proclamation is as life from the dead to a condemned finner, fenfible of his condition: It offers reconciliation to enemies, a ransom for the guilty, and brings life and immortality to light.

The foul of man is of fuch capacity and duration, that it aspires after other delights than earth can give, and which endure and improve forever. Compared with these, every other intereft is of no value. It leffens the value of any present good, if we know that it is fhortlived. It heightens a prefent enjoyment, if we are perfuaded that it is lasting. Nor can any enjoyment be of much intrinsic worth, unless it be permanent. The human foul, and the exercises and enjoyments fuited to it, being the only durable part of our frame and of our blifs, what is man's highest wifdom and happiness ?-the happiness adapted to his dignified rank among the works of God, and in the poffeffion of which he will be fatisfied? When he is viewed in a state of apoftacy-when it is confidered that the crown is fallen from his head, that he is obnoxious to the judgment of God, and enquires, Wherewith fhall I come before the Lord? what shall I give for the fin of my foul? it muft afford the ftrongeft confolation to be affured from the God of truth, the Father of mercies, I have found a ranfom. This ranfom, while it fhews man his tranfgreffion, delivereth from going down to the pit. Redemption, which in one view proclaims man's fin and fhame, in another view proclaims his dignity-the great worth of his foul, which, when funk in fin and shame, was bought with a price above

filver and gold; even the precious blood of EMMANUEL, God with us. O tafte and fee that the Lord is good! We cannot exprefs or conceive the greatness of his condefcenfion and friendship, or the value of this gift of God-or the value of the foul thus redeemed. All that a man hath will he give for the ransom of his temporal life. But the owner of a world cannot give a ransom for the foul, any more than the beggar: It called for a ranfem more precious-a ransom of a far different kind.

Learn from the boundless grace of God and the Redeemer how to prize your fouls. Angels minifter for their falvation. The God of all grace expoftulates, Why will ye die? Sinners, who have forfaken the fountain of living waters for broken cifterns, can fave their fouls alive only by coming and taking freely of the waters of life. A fountain is opened for fin and uncleanness. Chrift giveth living water to them who afk him-the well of water which springeth up to everlasting life-emblem of the pure river of water of life, which iffueth from the throne of God and the Lamb.

With the view of illuftrating and establishing the truth before us, that religion is the most pleasant and happy life, it may be useful to contemplate it in various lights.

Firft, In the act of doing and fuffering what it enjoins, religion yields fuperior fatisfaction to any which those who neglect and defpife it can enjoy.

It is a fource of fubftantial pleasure, as the contemplation of natural beauty is delightful to the judges of it. It requireth labour, circumfpection, engagedness and felf-denial. But men do not expect the accomplishment of their worldly hopes without taking pains, without encountering difficulties. They rife up early and fit up late for the fupplies, and conveniences, and ornaments of life. The deareft connections, and the fource of their greatest comfort, fubject them to great care and folicitude. Religion requires no other la