תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

of all to ever greater perfection and happiness, to that being who is the creator and father of all, and has defigned them all for perfection and happiness. Thus wilt thou fulfil thy duty and in the fulfilling of it be contented and happy.

SERMON LIV.

Adjustment of the Notion concerning the Happiness of the future Life.

OD, bountiful creator and father of mankind, thou haft endowed the human nature with great capacities and powers, and made it capable of great things. Neither haft thou defigned it for the moment of this terreftrial life alone, no, thou haft deftined it to an everlasting continuance, to a bleffed immortality. Our business here is to become intelligent and wife and virtuous, and along the paths of wisdom and virtue to proceed to ever greater perfection. Already here we have fatisfactions and delights of various kinds to enjoy, and thereby to render ourselves capable of fuperior fatisfactions and purer delights in a better world. Thou wilt hereafter judge and deal with every one, in fuch manner as is confiftent with his nature, his capacities, his previous behaviour on earth. If by persevering industry in good works we strive after real honour, after lafting pleasure, thou wilt exalt us to eternal life, to an everlasting, ever increafing happiness. God, how grand, how glorious is our destination! How richly deferving of our most ardent zeal, our uninterrupted

uninterrupted fidelity in ftriving at the attainment of it! Oh might it be continually before our eyes, to regulate and direct us through every period of our lives. Here indeed we walk by faith and not by fight. Indeed we know but little of what we fhall be and become hereafter. Our paffage indeed from the present into the future life is furrounded with dangers and obfcurities. But what fhould we not, what may we not affuredly hope from thee, our tender and gracious father? How calmly and confidently may we refign ourselves to thy guidance and direction! What light, what authentic hope is afforded us in this refpect in the gospel of thy fon Jefus ! Might we only reflect upon it more frequently, and more employ our thoughts in meditations on the things that relate to our future fuperior state! Might at least the present and visible lefs delude and incumber our immortal mind! Might even the confiderations we are now about to take in hand upon the fubject, contribute fomewhat to the promotion of this view! Grant then that thefe doctrines, which are fo intimately connected with our peace and happiness, may strike us in their full importance. Cause them to shed light into our minds, and lead us to a more just and lively knowledge of objects that it concerns us fo highly to know. These benefits we implore of thee in the name of our lord and faviour Jefus Chrift, and call upon thee farther in the full affurance of hope: Our father, &c.

[blocks in formation]

ROMANS ii. 6, 7.

Who will render to every man according to his deeds: to them who by patient continuance in well-doing feek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life.

CONCERNING the happiness of the future life,

its occupations and delights, we are indeed unable to form any clear and adequate conceptions. The changes wrought in our state and condition by death; the feparation of our mind from its body, by which it received its notices and fenfations from without, and operated on furrounding objects; the diffolution of the feveral ties that held us to visible things; our tranfition into the unfeen, the fpiritual world: all this must neceffarily have fo various and great an influence on our mode of existence, of thought, of fenfation, of action, that towards acquiring any thing like an accurate statement of it, neither experience, nor reflection, nor the method of drawing conclufions from fimilar caufes of fimilar effects, will enable us to proceed far. Neither has it seemed good to divine providence to give us any precife information on the fubject by Jefus, who has brought life and immortality to light by his gospel. Any advertisement of this kind was indeed impoffible, as relating to objects too remote from all that we have ever experienced or conceived, to admit of its being couched in the terms and expreffions of human language. And if it had been practicable to give us more light upon the matter, yet in the prefent state

it is reasonable to fuppofe that we should not have been able to bear that light. It would probably have rendered the troubles of it much less fupportable, its occupations and concerns much more trifling and difagreeable, and perhaps frequently have inflamed our afpirations for futurity even to impati ence and difcontent with the present.

Nevertheless, by rational reflection on the nature and deftination of man and on the connection of the present with the future, we may rectify our notions in many respects concerning the happiness of the fuperior life, and thereby render them more efficacious, We may learn to perceive what is erroneous and fallacious in fome of the component ideas which dini.^ nifh this efficacy, and change them for others which may render the fentiment of futurity much more important and gladdening, than it otherwife could be. And here in fact we defcry one of the principal rea fons how it happens that the hope and expectation of a better life after death has fo little effect upon fuch numbers of perfons and chriftians, and promotes neither their virtue nor their contentment in any remarkable degree. They are but too apt to view it on a fide, on which it can have but few charms for them, on which it muft even be greatly repul five to them. Let us avoid these errors, my devout hearers, and endeavour to correct at least our general notions of the constitution and happiness of the future life, though it should not be granted us to af

certain

རས་

« הקודםהמשך »