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SERM, the condition of men, and other points of X. a parallel nature and tendency, which,

though not fo agreeable to flesh and blood, are moft worthy of the mind, and may have a falutary effect to the improving and entertaining its higher powers: For it is to be observed, the text fays, the heart of the wife is in the houfe of mourning, but the heart. of fools in the house of mirth; the bodily' prefence is of very small confideration, but the proper employment of the thoughts and affections is principally to be regarded, and the other chofen by a wife man, only with a view to promote it.

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Secondly, when mournful are declared better than joyful occafions, and forrow than mirth, the meaning is not to banish all pleasure, even of the external fenfes, from human life, Solomon in this book often takes care to prevent mifconftructions of that fort; he calls upon men to rejoice in the fruit of their labour, and in their por-. tion under the fun; not to indulge them- : felves in the exceffes of fenfual gratification, which, as he speaks, takes away the heart, darkens the understanding, and enervates the mind; but to receive with gratitude, and enjoy with chearfulness the external gifts

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gifts of liberal providence within the bounds SE RM. of innocence and virtue. Almighty God has X. fo framed the human nature, adapting its" conftitution to our ftate of being, that we have a variety of affections anfwering to the various objects without us, which may in feveral ways neceffary to our preservation, and to fuch happiness as we are now capable of. We have defires towards those things which contribute to life and health, and there is pleasure annexed to the use of them; we have fears, directing us to avoid what may be hurtful or inconvenient; and our forrows themselves have a falutary tendency to our advantage. But there is a fubordination in our powers and affections ; fome higher in their kinds than others, and more important to the ends of our being; and there is a proper regulation of their exercife, which in a great meafure depends upon ourselves, yet not without fufficient intimation from the author of nature how it is to be conducted. None of our affections are to be pronounced evil; they are the contrivance and the workmanship of a wife and good agent, and they all ferve good purposes; but experience fhews that they are capable of being abused; by being immoderately

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SERM. derately indulged, fome grow to a faulty ex X. cefs, fo that they obtain an afcendant in the mind, forming its temper, while others are neglected, nay, industriously weakened, and the objects of them avoided, which are no lefs, perhaps more fuitable to our condition, and useful to the main ends of life. This is the cafe of forrow and mirth, the due ballance of which makes a proper conftitution of temper well fitted to our present ftate, and an overgrowth of either is hurtful. As here we have a mixture of good (I mean natural good) and evil, we are called to grief and joy alternately, avoiding extremes of both. Exceffive forrow diffipatès the vigour and composure of the mind, takes away the relish of our enjoyments, not excepting the highest and best of them, and will greatly indifpofe us for our duty in fome of the most important inftances; but the error of multitudes lies on the other fide; their light and fluttering fpirits have no tafte for any thing but what is gay and mirthful; by habit this grows to an utter impotence of mind, and a perfect averfion to every thing which has a fad appearance, or is fo much as grave and ferious: Now this is no way agreeable to the state of man upon

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earth; for, as Job fays, he is of feto days SERN-
and full of trouble, nay, be is born to it, and X.
it is as natural to him as for the fparks to fly
upward; and Solomon tells us, that God has
given to man vexation, and travel, and grief,
as a part of his portion under the fun. It is
therefore neceffary to reconcile our minds.
to a serious thoughtfulness about things,
which for the present seem not to be joyous
but grievous, that we may know the better
how to bear our part in them, fince they
are the common lot of mankind, and a dif-
cipline which divine providence uses, in or-
der to produce the peaceable fruits of righ-
teousness. Particularly, though death be na-
turally the averfion of all living things, and
feems to be a very dismal fubject, we should
faccustom ourselves to think of it, whereby
the horror and fear of it may be abated,
and, which is of greater moment, we may
be led to fuch a preparation, as fhall happily
prevent the greateft dangers. To enforce
this upon our minds, I fhall in the next
place,

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Confider the reafons infifted on in the text, namely, that death is the end of all men, <therefore it is for the advantage of the living to lay it to heart, and to render the thoughts

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SERM, of it familiar to them, that they may inX. crease in wisdom and virtue. The first rea

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fon is, that death is the end of all men; why then should we put it from our thoughts? Why decline the ferious confideration of it? If indeed unthoughtfulness were any fecu rity against the event itself, if declining to entertain it in our meditations, or a fupine negligence about it, could prevent the fa tal stroke, there would then be reason to ba nifh the gloomy disturbing spectre, which cafts a dark shadow over this world, and palls our appetite to the pleasures of life: But," alas, it is quite otherwise; death is inevita-"" ble; it will come whether we think of it or not; and it will be the more furprifing and" the more terrible, the less it has been confidered. This now is one obvious fenfe of the affertion in the text; death is the end of all men; none of mankind can with any fhew of reafon, expect to be exempt from mortality, and indeed none profess such an expectation. The experience of all ages which have gone before us, and the inftances which are daily before our eyes, fhewthat this is the common fate of mankind: Their condition in life has always been, and still is, very unequal with refpect

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