chafed at fo high a price, and fo foured by a mixture of other incidental vexations, as to become too often a work of repentance, which in the end will extort the fame forrowful confeffion from him, which it did from Solomon in the like cafe,-Lo! I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do --and behold all was vanity and vexation of fpirit-and there was no profit to me under the fun. --- To inflame this account the moreit would be no miracle, if upon cafting it up he has gone farther lengths than he first intended, run into expences which have entangled his fortune, and brought himself into fuch difficulties as to make way for the laft experiment he can try -and that is, to turn mifer, with no happiness in view but what is to rife out of the little defigns of a fordid mind, fet upon faving and fcraping up all he has injudiciously spent. In this last stage-behold him a poor trembling wretch, fhut up from all man I donere mus & common picture er zie anayomens or numa Lieand the manner nur penis and enjoyrenes lip an uns every fage of our lie. Ani zuri would not be #booght or 5, a fivu denying the realtor of pleatures, or burng the bea cue would the real or of pain-rer i muž obferve on this head, that there is a plain diftinction to be made tervit pleature and happiness. For though there can be no happinets without pientre yet the reverfe of the propedition will not hold true. We are fo made, that from the common gratifications of our appetites, ing of them, aur and the impreffions of a thousand objects, we fnatch the one, like a tranfient gleam, without being fuffered to taste the other, and enjoy the perpetual fun-fhine and fair weather which conftantly attend it. This, I contend, is only to be found in religion-in the confcioufnefs 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 whofe 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 happinefs-yet our Saviour, who knew the world, though he enjoyed but little of it, tells us, that whosoever drinketh of this water will thirst again: --and we all find by experience it is fo, and by reason that it always must be so. I conclude with a fhort obfervation upon Solomon's evidence in this cafe. Never did the bufy brain of a lean and hectic chemift 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 chemist's projections, all had ended in smoke, or what was worse, in vanity and vexation of fpirit:the conclufion of the whole matter was this-that he advises every man who would be happy, to fear God and keep his commandments. SERMON II. The House of Feafting and the House of Mourning described. ECCLESIASTES VII. 2, 3. It is better to go to the houfe of mourning than to the houfe of feafting. HAT I deny-but let us hear the Twife wife man's reafoning upon itfor that is the end of all men, and the living will lay it to his heart: forrow is better than laughter for a crack'dbrain'd order of Carthufian monks, I grant, but not for men of the world: For what purpose, do you imagine, has God made us? for the focial fweets of the well-watered vallies, where he has planted us, or for the dry and difinal defert of a Sierra Morena? are the fad accidents of life, and the uncheery hours which perpetually overtake us, are they |