SERMON I.

Inquiry after Happiness.

PSALM iv. 6.

There be many that fay, Who will show us any good?—Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.

THE great purfuit of man is after happiness: it is

the first and ftrongest defire of his nature;-in every flage of his life, he searches for it as for hid treasure; -courts it under a thousand different fhapes,—and, though perpetually disappointed, still perfifts-runs after and inquires for it afresh-afks every paffenger who comes in his way, Who will show him any good?

-who will affift him in the attainment of it, or direct him to the difcovery of this great end of all his wishes ?

He is told by one, to fearch for it among the more gay and youthful pleasures of life, in fcenes of mirth and sprightlinefs, where happiness ever prefides, and is ever to be known by the joy and laughter which he will fee at once painted in her looks.

A fecond, with a graver aspect, points out to the coftly dwellings which pride and extravagance have erected—tells the inquirer, that the object he is in fearch of inhabits there-that happiness lives only in company with the great, in the midft of much pop

and outward state. That he will eafily find her out by the coat of many colours fhe has on, and the great luxury and expence of equipage and furniture with which he always fits furrounded.

The miser bleffes God!. -wonders how any one would mislead, and wilfully put him upon fo wrong a fcent convinces him that happiness and extravagance never inhabited under the fame roofthat if he would not be disappointed in his fearch, he must look into the plain and thrifty dwelling of the prudent man, who knows and understands the worth of money, and cautiously lays it up against an evil hour that it is not the prostitution of wealth upon the paffions, or the parting with it at all, that conftitutes happiness-but that it is the keeping it together, and the HAVING and HOLDING it fast to him and his heirs for ever, which are the chief attributes that form this great idol of human worship, to which fo much incenfe is offered up every day.

The epicure, though he eafily rectifies so grofs a mistake, yet at the fame time he plunges him, if poffible, into a greater; for, hearing the obejet of his purfuit to be happiness, and knowing of no other happiness than what is feated immediately in his fenfes, he fends the inquirer there; tells him 'tis in vain to search elsewhere for it, than where nature herself has placed it-in the indulgence and gratification of the appetites, which are given us for that end: and, in a word-if he will not take his opinion in the matter he may truft the word of a much wifer man who has affured us—that there is nothing better in this world, than that a man should eat and

drink, and rejoice in his works, and make his foul enjoy good in his labour-for that is his portion.

To refcue him from this brutal experiment-ambition takes him by the hand and carries him into the world, shows him all the kingdoms of the earth, and the glory of them,-points out the many ways of advancing his fortune, and raifing himself to honour, ―lays before his eyes all the charms and bewitching temptations of power, and afks if there can be any happiness in this world like that of being careffed, courted, flattered, and followed?

To close all the philofopher meets him bustling in the full career of this purfuit-stops himtells him, if he is in search of happiness, he is far gone out of his way.

That this deity has long been banished from noise and tumults, where there was no reft found for her, and was fled into folitude far from all commerce of the world; and, in a word, if he would find her, he must leave this bufy and intriguing fcene, and go back to that peaceful fcene of retirement and books, from which he firft fet out.

In this circle, too often, does a man run,- -trics all experiments, and generally fits down, weari d and diffatisfied with them all at laft-in utter despair of ever accomplishing what he wants-nor knowing what to truft to after fo many difappointments; or where to lay the fault, whether in the incapacity of his own nature, or the infufficiency of the enjoyments themselves.

In this uncertain and perplexed ftate-without knowledge which way to turn or where to betak

ourfelves for refuge-fo often abufed 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 search 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 purfuit of our mistaken 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 living in the true faith and fear of Thee, which only can carry us to this haven of reft where we would be—that sure 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.

The words thus opened, naturally reduce the remaining part of the difcourfe under two heads.-The first part of the verse--" There be many that fay, "Who will show us any good?"To make fome reflections upon the infufficiency of most of our enjoyments towards the attainment of happiness, upon fome of the most received plans on which 'tis generally fought.

The examination of which will lead us up to the fource, and true fecret of all happiness, fuggefted to us in the latter part of the verfe" Lord! lift "thou the light of thy countenance upon us" that there can be no real happiness without religion and virtue, and the affittance of God's grace and

up

holy Spirit to direct our lives in the true purfuit of

it.

Let us inquire into the disappointments of human happiness, on fome of the most received plans of which is generally fought for and expected, by the bulk of mankind.

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 infufficiency of our enjoyments. Scarce a reformed sensualist, from Solomon down to our own days, who has not in fome fits of repentance or disappointment uttered fome fharp reflection upon the emptiness of human pleasure, and of the vanity of vanities which discovers itself in all the pursuits of mortal man..

But the mifchief 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 relish the pleafures of life, or as the declamatory opinions of reclufe and fplenetic-men who had never tafted them at all, and confequently were thought no judges of the matter.. So that 'tis no great wonder if the greatest part of fuch reflections, however just in themselves, 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 that have been read upon the vanity of the world, fo feldom top 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