fource of human happiness and human mifery, with all diligence? No, bleffed are the pure in heart: for they fhall fee God! Bleffed are they who keep free from evil thoughts and defires as well as from bad words and works, who war against all falfehood and impurity, who think and live in a godly manner, keeping clean from all filthinels of the flesh and spirit! Their virtue is not mere outfide fhow; it is real and effective; it is firmly grounded, is immoveable; and just as real and durable is the internal peace and the happinefs that accompany it. They may foothe themselves with the eminent favour of God, the pureft and holieft being, are capable of his more intimate communion, of his peculiar influence, and will hereafter in a better world be among his confidents, and be vouchfafed a nearer accefs to him, the fountain of truth and perfection.

Perhaps you think feventhly, you who wish and ftrive to be happy, that the peaceableness which religion and virtue recommend is incompatible with this happinefs, that it betrays weaknefs of mind, that you cannot thus be fecure of your property, of your honour, your distinctions, that for the prefervation of them you fhould avoid no uneafinefs, no troubles, no ftrife or contention, that by patience and forbearance you difhonour yourselves and fhould demand fatisfaction for every injury. But mistake not, (fays Jefus, the teacher of happiness fent from God,) this way can never lead to that object. It

will carry you farther and farther from it. Every advantage that you thus acquire, you purchase with the lofs of your confcious peace, the violation of your brotherly love, which is fo rich in bleffedness both to you and to your brethren; and ftrife and difcord are inexhauftible fources of confufion, of trouble, of mifery. No, bleffed are the peacemakers for they fhall be called the children of God. Bleffed are they who have patience with the failings and infirmities of their neighbour, who love and promote concord, to whom all that connects man with man and confirms reciprocal love and harmony among them is facred, and who are ever ready, even at their own coft, to cement again the friendship that has been diffevered, and to knit fafter the tie that binds friends together. They are like-minded with God, the parent of us all, in regard to mankind they imitate him, the original of all perfection; they are ever gaining a nearer refemblance to him in benignity and love; they are his followers, are his children in an eminent fignification, and as fuch may affure themselves of his peculiar favour.

Perhaps you think finally, (heavenly wisdom thus addresses us by Jefus,) perhaps you think, that every loss of worldly property, every trouble, every affliction is in direct oppofition to happiness, and that the advantages and fatisfactions of virtue and piety are much too dearly purchased by the facrifices they sometimes demand of their votaries. You

lament

lament over the virtuous, the pious, when under the preffure of unmerited poverty and contempt, if they are ridiculed, flandered, perfecuted, if they are obliged to take up their crofs and follow thei master in patience and fufferings. But how little do they stand in need of pity even when God leads them along dark and rugged ways to perfection! How much happier are they even then than the voluptuary, who views every affliction with horror, finks under every burden, confines all his hopes and prospects to this momentary life, and for every trifling interest or tranfient pleasure denies the truth and acts against his confcience! No, bleffed are they which are perfecuted for righteousness' fake: for their's is the kingdom of heaven! Bleffed are they who adhere faithfully to truth and vir tue, to whom no affliction, which they cannot avoid without fin, is too heavy, no facrifice which God and their confcience demand of them, is too dear; who look more at invifible things than at vifible, more at the crown of the conqueror than at the pains and toil of the conflict, and count all things for gain which brings them nearer to the goal of perfection. Great hereafter will be the reward of their fidelity, exuberant the compenfation for the loffes they have fuftained, glorious the recompenfe of their fufferings, the prize of their fortitude and perfeverance! To fhare in the privileges of the victor will be their portion; lofty, divine joys will they reap from having fown in tears, they

will be the most blissful amongst the bleffed, and take the highest ranks of honour, ci power, of glory, in the kingdom of God.

us,

These, my dear friends, these are the leffons, these the declarations of the teacher fent from God, the restorer of human happiness. What conclufions are we now to draw from all this? How learn from it the way that leads to real happiness? How follow along it our divine leader and precurfor? — Learn, thefe his leffons and declarations fay to learn rightly to discriminate between profperity and happiness, between profperous and happy perfons. All outward privileges and endowments are prosperity; all inward perfection and the content and fatisfaction founded upon it is happiness. Jefus is not our conductor to profperity; his doctrine promises us neither riches, nor high station, nor power and authority, nor a foft, voluptuous life. But he is our conductor to happiness; his doctrines procure us reft, content, fatisfaction, spiritual perfection. Profperity, of all changeable inconftant things, is the most changeable and inconftant; it falls to the lot of the fool as well as to the wise, to the wicked as to the good; forfakes the man frequently in his lifetime, forfakes him certainly at his death, remains for ever locked up in his grave, and nothing but the good ufe of it accompanies him into the future world. Happinefs is the end of the poffeffion and the enjoyment of all the goods of fortune; the only thing that is

entirely

entirely and for ever our's; the only thing that can be the exclufive property of the wife and good; the only thing that, if it be once firmly fixed, neither death nor the grave can ravish from us; the only thing that we can take with us into eternity, and that we there may inceffantly enjoy, inceffantly increafe. Strive therefore not fo much to be profperous as to be happy. The former rarely depends, the latter always depends on ourfelves. The former is a gift of providence, generally difpenfed without regard to merit; the latter is the fruit and reward of wisdom and of virtue.

Seek therefore your happinefs, not in earthly, tranfitory things, not in riches, not in elevation and power, not in a foft voluptuous life. Seek it within you, and not without you. Seek it in the qualities and excellences of your mind and your heart, and not in the privileges of station, of rank, of honour and of refpect. Reduce your appetites, your defires, your inclinations, your paffions to order. Subject them all to the laws of truth and of christianity. Set bounds to your defires in regard to worldly things, give all your inclinations the best direction, let reafon, let the love of God and man bear rule over all your paffions.

Seek your happiness in virtue, in the willing and refolute performance of your duty, in unremitted exertion after higher perfection, in innocence of heart and purity of life, in a meek and gentle spirit,