encompass his mortal flate. He is fubject to external changes in his lot as others are; but his happiness is independent on them. It lies far above this varying, unstable scene, and beyond the influence of its viciffitudes. Storms and tempefts may agitate and afflict the lower world; but he has gained an elevated fituation above them where the fun always fhines. His happiness partakes of the ferenity of Heaven, and the unchangeableness of God. If alllictions affail him they tend only to purify his heart, and to connect him more clofely with his chiefgood. If the grave receives him, God is fill his portion. It is not a gulph that buries his pleafures, or his hopes-it is the gate, already bleffled by his Saviour's paffage through it, that admits him to the full fruition of them. Nay, when not this frail tenement of clay alone fhall moulder into duft, but when the univerfe fhall be diffolved and fall in ruins; in the laft tremendous convulfions of nature, the good man is fafe. The almighty power of God will preferve him, and plant him in those new heavens and that new earth that fhall arife out of the chaos.-Bleffed portion! his

Pp

felicity fhall be fecure from all viciffitudeand, it fhall be eternal.

The richest treasure of religion is the affured expectation of a blessed immortality. The most comfortable hope of the finner would be to ceafe to exift at death, and to be forever blotted out of the works of God whole juftice he has made his enemy. Even this difmal confolation is denied him, and he is forced to tremble with fearful apprehenfions of his approaching doom. But when vice has not made it our intereft to feek a refuge from greater miferies in annihilation, it is a bottomlefs gulph into which the mind looks with horror. Life derives a new and augmented relifh from the expectation of future happiness. And the profpects of piety beyond the grave are filled with unutterable confolations. "In the prefence of God is fullness of joy, and at his right hand are pleasures forever more.' In the bofom of the earth fhall be depofited all the imperfections of human nature.The body hall arife again from the duft, at the last day, adorned with immortal beauty,

Pfalms xvi.

and the foul fhall be furnished with celeftial
powers. Her habitation fhall be near the
throne of God, in the manfions of angels,
and of the spirits of juft men made perfect.
Her felicity fhall be everlasting like the na-
ture of God from whom it flows. As it
shall know no period, it shall also know no
change, but the changes of perpetual im-
provement. The foul, contemplating thefe
boundless and glorious profpects, is often
loft in holy transport. The pains and griefs
of life, which are only haftening to us the
bleffed moment of poffeffion, lofe. in a great
measure, their power to alllict us. And the
terrors of the grave itself are forgotten in
the defire of the believer to depart and be
with Chrift, which is far better.
even fo, come Lord Jefus !"

"Amen!

How blessed, then, is the portion of thofe who love God, and are found in the way of his commandments! "The flatutes of the Lord are right rejoicing the heart. More to be defired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; fweeter alfo than honey and the honey-comb. And in keeping of them there is great reward."*

Pfalms xix. 9-10, 11.

The truth, to the illuftration of which we have attended, forms one of the strongest recommendations of fincere piety to every wife and reafonable perfon. The great purfuit of man is happiness. And in religion alone is it to be found, which hath “the promile of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." Experience muft have convinced the moft of you, my brethren, that the pursuits of the world, and the paffions that connect us only with the vain and fluctuating things of time, have not render. ed you happy. They fed you with delufive hopes, while they have embittered life with real pains. The phantoms of joy glided before you. And, in the moment that you thought you were about to embrace them, you grafped an empty fhadow, or pierced your bofom with a lafling fling. If pleafures difappointed, paffions corroded the heart. Your interefts and inclinations have been continually thwarted and wounded by the rival interefts and inclinations of others. But religion points out to you a peaceful and delightful path in which no intereft can interfere with

I. Timothy iv. 8.

yours; for the intercfts of all are the fame -no corroding paffion can wound the tranquility of your bofom-no flattering joy can difappoint you: but every thing in time and in eternity, on earth and in heaven fhall concur to promote your felicity. Beyond the grave, where the hopes, and the works of finners fhall be forever confumed, the pleasures of piety fhall only begin to ripen, and attain their compleat perfection. The primitive beauties, and the innocent delights of Paradise fhall be restored with boundlefs increafe in that celeftial Eden into which Chrift fhall transplant man redeemed when he fhall create the universe anew.

On the whole review of religion, whether we regard the future, or the prefent, we fhall find that, in keeping the commandments of God there is great reward-Chriftians! cultivate its happy temper in your own fouls. Invite mankind to its fervice by the image of its happiness in you. Shew them the fair example of a mind at peace with itself, and with God; occupied with pure and spiritual delights as much above the power of the world to take away as to