failures, not fully understood by us (for eye SERM. bath* not seen, nor ear heard, nor have XII. entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love bim) which at prefent terminates all our wishes and aims. We have but general and weak notions of what may be hop'd for beyond it; and every good man painfully reflecting on the infirmities which now eleave to him, refts with contentment and joy in the happy profpect of that exalted condition, in which he shall be wholly free from fin, and from temptations to it; the devout and virtuous affections fhall have their full scope, and no more be controuled or restrained in their exercife by inferior appetites and paffions. This may well be called the perfect day, when fet against the weakness, the obfcurity, and the discomfort of our ftate in this world. To it we should

always afpire with a noble ardor of mind, and to it our feeble virtue tends; every vigorous step, however, we take, brings nearer to it, and alfo is accompanied with a prefent reward in the increase and confir mation of good habits themselves, which really is a substantial happiness, and with

I Cor. ii. 9.

a

SERM.a growing fatisfaction. The apostle teaches XII. in 2 Corinthians iii. 18. that our progrefs

in true religion, which he calls the image of God, is from glory to glory, every step we advance in it tends to enoble and dignify our nature, and brings an addition of true enjoyment.

The conclufion, is, that we should en gage our hearts to the love, the ftudy, and the practice of virtue. Her own native charms are fufficient to allure every rational being. They must be the most defpicable! kind of living creatures, and have the leaft relish of life, who fhun the light of Day!! and choose rather to dwell in darkness. How degenerate are thofe minds? Are they worthy to be called intelligent, who do not difcern the beauty of holiness, and have no tafte for the pleasure of religious wisdom? Yet fo corrupt, fo infatuated are multitudes of mankind, fo lost to a just sense of the true dignity and glory of their nature; even profefs'd chriftians, many of them, have contracted this infenfibility, above all others unexcufable, because God has held out a clear light from heaven to guide them in

the

way of righteousness; he has mark'd out the fhining path of the juft, difplay'd the progrefs

progrefs of it in all its beauty, and thewed SER M. that it ends in a perfect day. But this is XII. the condemnation of men, hardened thro the deceitfulness of fin into obftinate unbe lief, that they loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. But let us remember, it is not enough once to have feen the excellence of religious wisdom, to have profefs'd ourselves her votaries, and that we have an affection for her, (the fincerity of which can no otherwise be prov'd than by perfeverance and growing in it, and we Thall difhonour her more by turning away from the holy commandment, than if we had never known the way of righteousness) they only who endure to the end fhall be faved; and it is by a patient continuance in well doing, that we are to feek for glory, honour, and immortality, Jo as to obtain eternal life.