the divine Paraclete, the God of Consolation: and the mifery of man is SPIRITUAL DESERTION. Here then let us reft. Adieu to the distraction of philofophy; the never-ceafing disputes of unaflifted reafon; the dogmatical decifions of learned pride and fophiftical vanity. To be happy, (Christianity teaches us,) we must be bleffed with the prefence of the Holy Spirit. In adverfity, in profperity, in ficknefs, and in health, our joys will be pure, our forrow lightened with this holy emanation of the Deity in our bofoms. Natural evil we must feel; moral evil, and its effects, we fhall often experience; but there will still remain in our hearts, if regenerated, a source of sweet enjoyment, of which no external circumstances can utterly deprive us. The method of obtaining this bleffing, is to perform our duty to ourselves, our neighbours, and our God, with pure hearts, and a fincere defire to conform to the will of our Maker. Much time must be given to devotion; more to the offices of charity; much to works of industry in our calling or profeffion; while fome may be indulged to innocent diverfion. The heart will thus be renovated, and that change produced in our difpofitions, which is termed, in fcripture, the becoming a new man; and, in the language of theology, regeneration. Little do they know, who are involved in the continual hurry and diffipation of the world, of this wonderful change in human nature, and its heightening effect on the enjoyment of life. Bufinefs and diverfions can afford no delight comparable to the sweet sensations of a foul compofed and tranquillized by divine grace. In this ftate, a charming ferenity diffufes itfelf over the mind, which becomes like thofe happy climes of poefy, where where every breeze is gentle as a zephyr, the fpring perpetual, and the earth teems, at the fame time, with flowers of the fineft hue, and fruits of the most delicious flavour. Nothing fublunary, indeed, is perfect; but there is every reafon to believe, that the state of the regenerated Christian approaches as nearly to the blifs of Heaven, as it is poffible, while the foul is incumbered with a mortal body. We fet out in fearch of happiness, and here we have found it. The queftion "who will fhew us "" any good?" is now answered. The CHIEF GOOD of man is a state of grace. Other pretenfions to it are like fhadows to the substance ; which they may resemble in shape, while they want its effence, its duration, its folidity. What we have found let us never lofe. Let us build upon a rock. Let us daily grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift. Thus fhall our happiness in this life, founded, as it will be, in piety, virtue, and the confequent favour of God, rife to more perfect happiness in a future ftate, where the paffions and appetites of a mortal body shall not weigh down the pure ethereal Spirit that, in its present state, with wings all too feeble, continually afpires at its native clime. Come then, ye who have wandered, like bleating fheep, diftreffed and famished, without a fhepherd, come to Jefus Chrift, to the fhepherd of your fouls, who fhall feed you in a green pasture, and by the river side. Come unto him, for he calls you, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and he fhall give you reft; reft, in your paffage through this turbulent fcene; and not only reft, *Pfalm iv. but but fulness of joy at his right hand, when your. wearied bodies fhall lie down in the peaceful. grave. SECTION LIX. Apologetical Conclufion; with a Recapitulation, and Addition of a few Particulars respecting the preceding Subjects. TH HE world, on a fuperficial view of it, prefents an appearance of gaiety. Deeply engaged in the purfuit of gain, honour, and amufement, few men would lament, like Calypfo in Telemachus, if they were immortal, and doomed to remain, in everlasting youth and health, on this low orb, wretched as it is reprefented. But as all are confcious that this is impoffible, the next endeavour is to drown thought in the whirlpools of diffipation. Most persons, however, choose to be called Chriftians, and would be not a little disgusted with the officious monitor, who fhould venture to fuggeft to them that, as they feldom or never bestow on Christianity the least solicitude, they can have no just pretenfions to the name. But bufy as men are, in pursuits foreign to piety, it is certain, that after a few fhort years, the principal concern of the proudest, bravest, and fairest of the fons and daughters of Adam, will be religion. To that friend, whom many flight in the season of youth, health, and profperity, they will (fecretly, perhaps, but eagerly) fly for fuccour, in the time of age, forrow, ficknefs, and death. death. What, indeed, is man, in his most flourishing state? What, the most admired and diftinguished individual of us all, but an infirm, dependent creature, fubject, from the cradle, to ten thousand evils; doomed gradually, often painfully, to decay, and certainly, perhaps most deplorably, to die? Second childhood, idiotifm, infanity, palfy, blindness, deafnefs, lameness! ye are powerful preachers to those who mark well your ravagesamong the fons of men, once most highly distinguished for ftrength, comeliness, genius, all that charms the heart, and dazzles the imagination with tranfient brilliancy. "Think, mortal," fays the poet, "what it is "to die." Think alfo, I add, what it is to fee those whom we love, die before us; die, agonized with pain, after languishing with lingering disease; to attend them, with all the blandishments of affection, without being able to contribute to their eafe, or add one moment to their existence. Is there any partaker of human nature, however thoughtless, who, when he feels, actually brought home to his own bofom, or to his own family, the real calamities, the fore diftreffes of life, will not be anxious to feek comfort of religion, to acquaint himself with God, and be at peace with him? His profpect in the world is forlorn and difmal. It is a barren land, where no water is. Though it flattered him in better days, it now turns away from him in the hour of his utmost need. Indeed, if it were still inclined to footh him, it has no cordials for his heart, no balfams for his wounded fpirit. To Heaven only he can look for comfort *, and there he * As examples of men well known, and recently in the land of the living, teach more effectually than any precepts and admonitions, he will not feek it in vain. Religion has confeffedly furnished a sweet solace, under extreme affliction, I have felected the two following, to fhew how men of the world and men of pleasure are affected by disease and the decays of age. The following verses, a tranflation of a Pfalm, by the late Mr. COLMAN, who had been much converfant with the gay world, exhibit the ftate of mind to which the livelieft wits and men of fashion may be reduced, on a sudden, by sickness, by a STROKE OF THE PALSY, or any other malady. "Pfalm the 39th imitated in blank verse : "I will take heed, I faid, I will take heed, "Nor trefpafs with my TONGUE; will keep my mouth "Man walketh in an empty fhade; in vain And now "Where refts my hope, O Lord! it refts with thee. "Fretting a garment. Ah, what then is man? "Ev'ry man living is but vanity! "Hear, hear my prayer, O Lord! O hear my cry! "But as a ftranger and a fojourner, "As all my fathers were. O, fpare me then, "Though but a little, to regain my strength, COLMAN. Let us hear alfo LORD CHESTERFIELD, a complete man of the world. The following is an extract from one of his letters: "I have run," fays he," the filly rounds of bufinefs and plea"fure, and have done with them all. I have enjoyed all the plea"fures of the world, and confequently know their futility, and do ❝ not |