SERMON XLVIII. Why there is not more Happiness among us. GOD, thou haft defigned us all for happiness, made us all fufceptible of it, inspired us all with the most ardent aspirations after it, and granted us the most various, most efficacious means for obtaining it and yet we are not all happy, and many of us are far less so than they might be. Lord, thou art righteous, thou art effential benignity and love; to do good and to bless is thy fole, thy eternal occupation; from thee continually proceeds pure bounty, and the greateft poffible measure of good, of which thy creatures at every time and in every combination of things are capable. No, not of thee, the All-gracious, but of ourselves, of our thoughtleffness, our levity, our negligence, our indolence, fhould we complain, if we recede from the golden prize of happiness, or but very imperfectly and defectively enjoy it. Ah but too often do we feek it where it is not to be found, and waste our nobleft faculties in vain and fruitlefs endeavours. But too often do we fhut up our fenfes and our hearts against the beautiful and the good which thou thou offereft to our enjoyment, pass by with indifference the pureft, richeft fources of pleasure and delight, or draw fo negligently from them, that we tafte not their sweetness, nor experience their animating and vivifying power. But too feldom do we fubmit to be guided by wifdom and virtue and piety, and therefore how can we be fafe from innumerable mistakes, from dangerous deviations and tranfgreffions? Ah God, teach us thyself to per ceive our failings and errors, and bring us back from our wanderings. Grant that we may walk with more attention and care, with more fure and firm teps on the path of happiness, and let our way be cheered by the light of truth. Blefs even now our reflections on this fubject. Teach us more clearly to perceive, what we should avoid and do in order to become happy, and let this knowledge be active and lively in our hearts. We befeech thee to grant our requests, in the name of our lord and faviour Jefus Christ, and as his votaries conclude our petitions, faying: Our father, &c. LUKE Xii. 15. Take heed and beware of covetoufnefs; for a man's life confifteth not in the abundance of the things which he poffeffeth. HAPPINESS, my pious hearers, as I lately ob ferved, and as every one of us experimentally knows, without my inforniation, happiness is the ob jea ject after which every man is panting and ftriving. Every one distinguishes between agreeable and difagreeable ideas and feelings; feeks to excite and cherish the former, and to efface and to obviate as much as poffible the latter; dwells with pleasure on the former, never furrenders himself to the latter without resistance and conflict; and is ever defirous that the former fhould greatly overbalance the lat ter. Every man is therefore capable of a certain degree, higher or lower, of happiness; and these degrees are as various, as the faculties, the temper, the culture, the morals, the religion, the connections and fituations of mankind. They differ in regard of knowledge and enjoyment of good, of taste and choice, as widely as men differ from one another. We, my pious hearers, we, as men and as chriftians, belong to the clafs of rational inhabitants of the earth who are capable of a higher, of an eminently great felicity. We have attained to a confiderable ftage of culture. Our intellectual faculties are fet Our understanding is cultivated; reflection. We know and poffefs many fources of fatisfaction and pleasure, and of the noblest satisfaction and of the pureft pleasure, which are hidden and unknown to very many perfons, perhaps to the greater part of mankind. The light of christianity has diminished the force of many hurtful prejudices and errors among us, called our attention to many important objects, and given us jufter notions and greater certainty of many others. in greater action. we are trained to We more clearly understand what happiness is, and on what way, by what means it is attainable. But are we in fact more happy than others? As happy as in our fituation, by our abilities, with our affiftances, we might be? Is the degree of our happiness proportionate to the degree of our culture, of our knowledge, and the favourable circumstances in which we live? from the latter? Could the former be judged of Does more fatisfaction than diffatisfaction, more joy than forrow prevail among us ? Do more fongs of thanksgiving and praise, ascend to heaven from among us, than fighs and complaints? Ah, my dear friends, every day's experience I fear would contradict us were we to affert this in general to be the cafe. But may not the fault of this deficiency of happiness lie with ourselves? Let us reflect on it, my pious hearers. Let us fearch out the caufes, why among men, fuch as we, among men of our kind and in our fituation, not more true happinefs is to be found. By tracing out thefe caufses, and taking them for what they are, it will be the eafier for us to furmount or to obviate the obstacles to our happiness. Oh may my present discourse contribute foinewhat to the promotion of this falutary defign, to the advancement of your happiness! The first cause why not more happiness is found among us, among people of our fort and in our fituation, is this: We do not cherish and employ the capacity for being happy with fufficient care. And wherein confifts this capacity; this fufceptibility for fatisfaction and pleafure? By what means is it to be cherished? It confifts in this, and is thus cherifhed that our fenfes and our heart are open to. whatever of beautiful and good is to be found in the world and among mankind and in our peculiar fituation; that we are attentive to it; that we eagerly search for it everywhere, willingly contemplate it,. dwell longer and rather upon it, than upon its oppofite. It confifts in this, and is cherished thus; this capacity for being happy that we do not harden ourselves against the impreffions which the beautiful and good make upon us, by a life of too much diffipation, or by inattention and levity; that we excite and nourish the natural and moral feelings by the propereft means, refine and dignify our taste, exercife ourselves in reflections on whatever we fee and experience, and thereby form ever clearer and juster conceptions of the nature and quality of objects, of their defignations, their appointment, their relations and connections. This point once gained; the man must have a tranquil heart, free from all inordinate, violent paffions: he must have his attention under command; he must readily and frequently employ himself in the contemplation of nature, in the confideration of its numberlefs beautics and goods; must feek his pleasure in the filent enjoyment of them; and folitary meditation and converfe with wife, fentimental perfons must be his darling recreation. If therefore, my pious hearers, you hurry along the path of life, as it were with your eyes fhut, |