the next? Again, if you confider the fruits of wickedness in mankind, as members of fociety, or as heads of families, what a picture of distress and mifery is prefented to our view? Quarrels, divifions, envyings, hatreds, poverty, diftreffes, and unnumbered ills, are the fure attendants, the infeparable concomitants of an evil heart, and an irreligious life.

If you confider thefe characters in their hopes, their fears, and their profpects, all is gloominefs and difmay. Their hopes are blafted in a moment -their fears come upon them like an armed man -and their profpects are dark, as nightly fhades. Neither time, death, nor eternity, can exhibit one real and truly pleafing object to the mind of that man who loves not God, nor keeps his commandments. In fhort, every thing is gloomy as the darkest shades of night-awful as the decayed, ruined, defolated palace-horrid and disgusting as the owl, the vulture, the fatyr, and the dragon-and dreadful as the infernal regions themselves. << There is "no peace to the wicked, faith our God."

Now if this be a true picture of those who have no real religion, but are living an evil life; how ftrange, how astonishing is it, that men in general fhould be fo fond of it-so closely attached to it. And if true religion stands in direct opposition to this life, and it furely does, how much is it to be defired and fought after ! We have already described what true religion is-and it remains to confider

its pleasures, in a pofitive point of view. And in doing this we have reason, scripture, and experience for our guide. For reason alone will convince us, that the best life is the happiest life; or that to be good is to be happy. Hence the heathens, who were without the light of revelation, recommended a life of virtue and goodness, and particularly defcribed the pleasures thereof. There are many beautiful thoughts of this kind in the writings of Seneca, as well as in others of the heathen writers. And the word of the Lord, in numberless places always reprefents the pleafing happy ftate of the religious man. David fays, " a day in the courts "of the Lord is better than a thousand elfe"where. That he had rather be a door-keeper in "the house of his God, than dwell in the tents of "wickedness." "Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice "ye righteous, and fhout for joy all ye that are "upright in heart." Pfa. xxxii. 11. "Happy is "that people that is in fuch a cafe; yea, happy is "that people whofe God is the Lord." Pfa. cxliv. 15. "And the ranfomed of the Lord fhall return, "and come to Zion with fongs, and everlasting joy upon their heads; they fhall obtain joy and glad"nefs, and forrow and fighing fhall flee away." Ifa.

XXXV. IO.

In fuch language as this, the holy word defcribes the happiness and pleasure of the truly religious His internal state is defcribed as a state of peace, quietness, tranquility. And why? Because

man.

he

he is no longer under the influence of infernal spirits, nor fubject to self-will, luft, pride, unruly paffions, envy, hatred, love of the world, &c. &c. but all his understanding is directed by truth-his affections influenced by love-he is humble, meek, lowly minded-he is contented and refigned. He is in affociation with angels of heaven-has conjunction with the Lord himself-and is no longer under the love, the power, or practice of what is evil. He feels an inward and inexpreffible pleasure in obedience to divine laws; in being fober, juft, faithful, charitable, and holy. These virtues bring their own reward along with them, and a conscioufnefs of the divine approbation affords more folid fatisfaction and joy than ten thousand worlds can give. And as the internal state of the religious man is a pleasurable one, fo is his external. The good man is cheerful, lively, and animated-he does not hang down his head like a bulrufh-nor does melancholly fit on his brow-he is neither foolishly cheerful on the one hand, nor mopish and fullen on the other but he is placid, ferene, and happy. You may read the heaven that is in his foul, in his words, his looks, his deportment, and conduct. You can hardly be in his company but you feel the influx of peace and pleasure from his Sphere.

As a member of fociety, the good man diffufes happiness all around him-he is happy himself, and he longs to make others the fame he is a good fubject, ever feeking the good of his prince, and of

his country. He is a good citizen, and a good neighbour-he laments to fee any one miferable, and does all that he can to alleviate the distresses of all he is not like the man of the world, who wishes to engross all happiness and pleasure to himfelf-no, his defire is to communicate blifs to others, and the more he can do that, the more exquifite is his own joy-he loves his neighbour as he loves himself, and this is the proof he gives of that love; namely, a continual endeavour to make his neighbour as happy as himself. Indeed, it is from this love, this pure charity, that heaven is what it is. There all is love, and each one is happy in contributing to the happiness of the whole.

Again, if we confider the good man, or woman (for I include both) as the bead of a family, as parent or governor his houfe is a manfion of peace, the refidence of pleasure and joy-quarrels, ftrife, confufion, and disorder, are known not in his dwelling: but peace, order, and love, abide in his houfe-his own example, instruction, and conduct, inspire his whole family with the love of religion and virtue -and all that are around him call him blessed.

Further, confider the religious mind as to his fears, his hopes, and his profpects; and how different here from the ungodly man! He fears God. But how? With the fear of a child. That is, he fo fears him, as not willingly to offend. All his care is to obey and ferve his God. He knows that all his happiness, peace, and pleasure, are alone from

God,

God, his father and friend; and gratitude impels him to do his will. But he neither fears death, judgment, or eternity-these he can contemplate with compofure, with pleasure, yea, with nameless rapture. He knows he dies, but to live-shall stand in judgment, to be rewarded-and eternity will crown all his joys. His hopes and expectations are founded upon the unalterable word and promises of the Lord his God. They fupport him under every conflict and trouble of life; he knows they cannot fail him, because God is true and faithful. Therefore, as the apostle fays, " Hope is an anchor to "the foul, both fure and stedfaft."

Such is the hope of the religious man; and how great must be the confolations derived from it!And as to his profpects, how noble, how exalted are they all!-In this world he neither wishes for honor, wealth, or poffeffions--with what Providence has given him he is contented. But in the next world he expects" what eye hath not feen, nor ear heard; cc yea, what has never entered into the heart of ❝ man to conceive." He knows that " in the pre"fence of God is fulness of joy, and at his right "hand there are pleasures for evermore." There is hardly a page in the bible but what raises his expectation, and fills him with joy; the more he contemplates the eternal state, the more is his foul elated with rapture and blifs. And could we follow the eternal world

the truly religious man into

could we behold him in that celeftial ftate juft as