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a better; is not this enough to fill us with all joy and gratitude? What were we before we were animated by a particle of the Divine Spirit? Duft; and to dust the suicide is not only contented, but defirous, to return; without a hope of re-animation. How mean and abject his ideas! The Chriftian hero dares to live. The Chriftian hopes to bloom again, in a perennial spring, after the winter of death-to rife a glorified body in a happier ftate; but the fuicide is eager to return to the duft from which he was taken, and would rejoice if he were certain of annihilation.

Upon reviewing the whole of the fuicide's ftate, we may truly exclaim of him, O wretched in thy life, wretched in thy end, and wretched in thy expectations of futurity!

May the Great God, before whom we stand, in whofe hands are the iffues of life and death, give his grace to all who hear me this day, that throughout life they may preferve cheerfulness and hope, by useful activity, and fincere piety, benevolent affections, and beneficent actions; and that when he, in his wisdom, fhall bring their years to their natural close, or take them to himself by an earlier vifitation, they may die the death of the

righteous,

righteous, and their latter end may be like his! To them, and them only, who can fay with truth, that to live is Chrift, to die will be gain! And when our hour approaches, O then may fome gentle difeafe, or gradual decay, without pain, without horror, full of comfort and hope, dismiss our bodies to our safe retreat, with decent rites, beneath the turf in yonder church-yard, or to the dark chambers under the ftones of those ailes, where fleep our fathers, our once-loved partners, and our dear departed children! O God, make thou all our bed in our last sickness, and grant that every one of us may, with holy Job, refolve and fay, looking up to Heaven with the confidence of children to their FatherAll the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come!

SERMON

VI.

On the FOLLY and DANGER of THOUGHTLESSNESS.

ISAIAH, xlvii. 8.

Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleafures, thou that dwelleft carelessly.

THOSE
HOSE who are addreffed in the text, as

given to pleasures, and dwelling carelessly, conftitute, it is to be feared, the majority of the human race. Among many who enjoy hereditary affluence, the pursuit of diffipating pleasures appears to be the first object of endeavour, and the principal business of existence. Seriousness is often confidered in the circles of gaiety, as fynonymous with dulnefs. Dulness is disagreeable; and therefore he who wishes to recommend himself to the notice and applause of fashion, is induced

to

1

to affume an habitual levity, and to divest himself of all tafte for moral and religious meditation.

The business of felf-degradation is eafy. Our natural proneness to fall, facilitates our descent down the declivity. The enemy of mankind certainly co-operates in promoting our wicked purposes, and hence we find that the disciples of the world make a rapid progrefs in acquiring those accomplishments on which the vain and wicked have agreed to place the highest value. No character is more common than that of the profeffed man of pleasure, who not only avoids every thing that is ferious himfelf, but treats the serioufnefs of others with derifion.

There are many who fall into a fimilar careleffness, but whofe error is to be attributed to different causes. Without any vicious, principles, or corruption of heart, they have gradually contracted habits of indolence. Think ing is, of neceffity, attended with exertion. But they are habitually idle, and fond of the fofteft indulgences of a fupine ease. The flightest exertion is to them, therefore, a real pain. Thus it happens, that they had rather vegetate, or be carried whitherfoever the caprice of fortune may lead them, than to have

the

the trouble of thought, or be compelled to adjust the measures of their own conduct.

In confequence of their difinclination and inability to chufe rational employments, or manly diverfions, for themselves, they paffively wait to admit every trifle, and every vice, which accidentally obtrudes itself on their attention. If they preferve their innocence, which is not very probable, it is by chance. The greater chance is, that, though they began with no other fault but indolence, they will end with many dreadful fins. For life cannot proceed fortuitously, without incurring fuch dangers as render an escape from deftruction a real miracle. It is an exact and beautiful fimilitude, which compares life to a voyage; and however excellent the veffel, if it is left the sport of winds and waves, it must receive injury, and will foon be dashed on rocks, or funk on quickfands.

I purpose, in the following discourse, to disfuade men from forming a habit of Thoughtleffnefs. I fhall first endeavour to evince, that the truest and most fubftantial pleasures are those which are attended with thought; in the fecond place, that profit, as well as pleasure, or our temporal welfare and fuccefs, are the

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