What and compelled to appeal to their record on high against human ingratitude, envy and calumny.The momentary gratifications of pleasure bring lafting pain. But religion is a perpetual spring of inward comfort, whether a man's external state be affluent or indigent, exalted or abafed, healthful or difeafed, joyous or grievous. The godly and the finner are liable to the evils of life. Thefe evils cannot touch the fupreme good of the godly. The finner, ignorant of the joy of a good confcience, may yet know, from the reproaches of an evil confcience, that the pious man's choice must be a fource of true and lasting pleasure. If finners cannot enjoy their outward comforts, they may infer that the godly have a fure refuge and ftrong confolation in all events. avail health, friends, affluence, fame, elevation, if the mind is restlefs as the troubled fea? Cares, company, amusements, mày, for a time, divert reflection; but it will return. Frequently neither business nor festivity can banish it. Heavinefs and forrow are the end of their joy, and mingled with it. What then must be the heavinefs and forrow, when their bones are filled with the fins of their youth? Befide perturbations of confcience, unlawful pleafure is a fruitful fource of bodily pains and diseases-of infamy, poverty wretchednefs; and not feldom of premature death. They who are given to pleasures, are always open to fnares and dangers. Finding nothing at home to gratify them self-reflection being fhunned as the foe of their peace, they go abroad for their daily happiness, as the beggar from door to door for his daily bread. Not knowing how to endure their own company, they cannot be prefumed to contribute much to the happinefs of others. To expect a pleasant and happy life, by a departure from the path of rectitude, is as abfurd as to prefer the devouring flames of the bramble to the fweetnefs and generous fruit of the fig-tree, the olive and the vine. Wisdoms " ways of THIRDLY, a religious life is joyful in the review. "The work of righteoufnefs is peace; and the effect "of righteoufnefs is quietnefs and affurance for ever. "This is our rejoicing, the teftimony of confcience, "that in fimplicity and godly fincerity, not with flesh ly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had "our converfation in the world." When the irreligious reflect on the paft, their hearts reproach them. Any peace they have is owing to want of reflectionpains taken to corrupt and bribe the moral judgment. Sometimes, notwithstanding all their attempts, the force of confcience is fo powerful, that neither company, nor luft, nor feftivity can ftifle it: Its upbraidings arreft them amidst their carnal mirth-and fometimes will not fuffer them to fleep. A pious man, on the contrary, far from wishing to fly from his own reflections, looks back with comfort. I have fought a good fight, I have kept the faith. I know "You fay, Religion demands of us a fucceffion of fervices, from which you are exempted. But, O ye votaries of the world, let us examine your claims, and fee wherein your pre-eminence appears. Have you then no services to render ? Think of YOUR privations, and facrifices and fubmiffions; think of the numerous and arbitrary laws you have to obey; the laws of opinion, the laws of custom, the laws of extravagance, the laws of folly. Yes; I fometimes think, if religion were to require of me fuch duties as the world imposes upon its enflaved followers; if it required me to turn day into night, and deprived me of seasonable repofe; if it required me to embrace indecent and injurious fashions, and to expofe at once my modefty and my health; if it required me to adopt expenfive modes of life, which devoured my fubitance, and involved me in pecuniary difgrace; if it required me to spend my evenings from home, and to refign domeftic enjoyments to rove from one infipid amufement to another; if it required me to give up all that is eafy, and fimple, and natural, for ceremonies, vifits and crowds, where all is artificial, ftudied and forced; if it required me to convert my dwelling into the confusion and diforder of a rout; to ftoop to the absurdities of a masquerade; to hazard my own life and the life of a fellow creature, becaufe I had received an offence, perhaps unintentionally given, and allowed me not the choice of a refusal; then I should conceive a difguft; then I should long to emancipate myself from fuch capricious defpotifm; I should figh for liberty; for what liberty could I enjoy, while compelled to submit to what is unreasonable and foolish, to what is dishonourable and shameful, to what is injurious and ruinous ? But remember, ye followers of the vain world, these are the commands you obey; these are the fervices you render." Jay's Sermons, p. 448, 449. whom I have believed. What he hath done and suffered in life, has been in obedience to the will of God-in imitation of the Saviour's pattern, and through Chrift ftrengthening him. The God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift is in him a reconciled God-the great Redeemer is his friend. Is peace with God, through an atoning and interceding Mediator, and peace in our own breafts, to be exchanged for fublunary, tranfient joys? for filver and gold? for the kingdoms and glory of this world? The Chriftian has a treasure in all things. The world, and life, and death, things prefent and to come are bis. O tafte and fee that the Lord is good. Fourthly, A religious life lays a foundation for a joyful death. The wisdom or folly of any courfe or purfuit may be estimated by a contemplation of the issue. What is the iffue of a life of pleafure? Endless pain. We no fooner read of the death of a sensualist, than we find that he lifted up his eyes in torments. He had received all his good things in this life; and a great gulf is fixed between an impenitent in hell and the joys of heaWhat is the iffue of the mifer's life? He carries nothing away with him. He has laid up no treasure, he has no portion, in a better world. Cankered filver and gold cannot profit in the day of wrath. "Thou fool, this ven. 66 night fhall thy foul be required of thee. Then whose "fhall those things be which thou haft hoarded? So is "he who layeth up treasure for himself, and is not "rich towards God." What is the iffue of worldly ambition, the pride of life? Shame and everlasting contempt. Man who is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish. Remark, on the other hand, the iffue of the life of the perfect and upright man. The end of that man is peace. "To them who, tr by patience in well-doing, feek for glory, honour and immortality, eternal life--a crown of glory which "fadeth not away-treasures where no thief approach"eth nor moth corrupteth; durable riches-rivers "of" unmingled, unfailing "pleasures." Are any fufferings of the prefent life worthy to be compared with the glory to be revealed? When we fpeak of an happy death, it proceeds upon the fuppofition of having lived and died to the Lord. Shall it be faid that fuch a life is not an happy one? What is happiness, if peace always, and by all means, is not? if contentment, in whatever state we are, is not? if joy unspeakable and hope fure and ftedfaft is not? Are fuch peace, contentment, joy and hope to be found without religion? If no inftance of the kind can be produced, you must acknowledge that religion has the only claim to these bleffed fruits. Yea, finners themfelves being judges, a religious life is the moft happy, if we take the end of it into confideration. For it is the univerfal prayer of finners, Let me die the death of the righteous. "Delight thyself in the Lord; and he fhall give "thee the defires of thy heart." He will guide you by his counsel through life-refolve your doubtslead you in a fafe and plain path-guard you against the error of the wicked, whose way is as darknessand cause your path to fhine more and more. It is an high privilege to have HIм for our counfellor, who is light, and in whom is no darkness at all. By his light we may walk through darkness. In whatever mystery his providence may be involved, his children look forward to the period when this mystery fhall be finished-when in his light they fhall fee light. In the multitude of thoughts which they have for themfelves, for their country, for the church, for the caufe of truth, his comforts delight their fouls. They reft affured of the final triumph of truth and righteoufnefs. "Light is fown for the " righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart." Bleffed are they, to whofe morning of life can be applied, Thou art the guide of my youth. Man is born to trouble. The friends of God and his Son bear the troubles of life with a compofure to ' which the wicked are ftrangers. God is the fupporter and comforter of his faints, their prefent help in trouble, their refuge and strength-their defence against the foes of their fouls-beyond comparison the moft dangerous foes. "This is the victory which overcometh the "world, even our faith. If God be for us, who can be against us?" Chriftians can " count it all joy, when "they fall into divers temptations; knowing this, "that the trial of their faith worketh patience;" and that God hath promised to them who love him, and endure temptation as a proof of their love, that they fhall receive the crown of life. It is an honour, a privilege, to fuffer as a Chriftian, supported by the peace of Jefus, by conscious integrity, and the afsurance of a great recompence of reward. It being his heavenly Father's good pleasure to give him the kingdom, nothing needful or beft will be withheld. The God of his hope is the beft judge what is needful or beft. God is at his right hand in all difficulties and perplexities, dangers and fears, changes and forrows; fo that he fhall never be moved. "I have fet the Lord always "before me. My heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth. Though I walk through the valley of the fhadow of "death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. As for me, "I fhall behold thy face in righteousness; I fhall be fatisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness." Religion fets before us the way of life, and the way of death. She is juftified of her children. If it is not wisdom to choofe life, produce your caufe, faith the Lord; bring forth your ftrong reafons to justify your refusal of the good part which fhall never be taken away-your unwillingness to come to Chrift, that you might have life; your objections to his terms, who is the way, the truth, and the life-your excufes and delays--your halting between two opinions--your preference of vanity and vexation to fubftantial and lafting happinessyour preference of death to life. |