heir, a rich man. And what happiness there can be in this, it is not easy to account for.

A SECOND reason, why a man's happiness doth not confift in the abundance of the things which he poffeffeth, is this; because men are ufually forced to encounter, and pass through very great dangers, before they can attain to any confiderable degree of wealth. And no man furely, can rationally account himself happy in the midst of danger. For while he walks upon the very edge and brink of ruin, it is but an equal caft, whether he shall fucceed or fink, live or die, in the attempt he makes.

He who (for inftance) defigns to raise his fortunes by merchandise, (as a great part of the world does), must have all his hopes floating upon the waves, and his riches (the whole fupport of his heart) entirely at the mercy of things which have no mercy, the feas and the winds. A fudden ftorm may beggar him; and who can fecure him from a ftorm in the place of ftorms?

ftorms? a place, where whole, eftates are every day swallowed up, and which has thereby made it difputeable, whether there are more millions of gold and filver lodged in the fea, or upon the dry land; fo that in the fame degree that any man of fenfe defires wealth, he muft of neceffity fear its lofs; his defires must still measure out his fears; and both of them, with reference to the fame objects, muft bear proportion to one another; which, in the mean time, must needs make the man really miferable, by being thus held in a continual distraction between two very uneafy paffions. Nevertheless, let us after all, fuppofe that this man, of traffick, having paffed the best of his days in fears and dangers, comes at length fo far to triumph over both, as to bring off a good eftate from the mouth of the devouring element, and now thinks to fit down, and cherish his old age with the acquifitions of his younger years. Let him however put what is past, and what is present, into the fame balance, and judge impartially, whether the prefent enjoyment, which he

reaps

reaps from the quiet and plenty of this poor remainder of his age (if he reaps any), can equal those perpetual fears and agonies, which cut him off from all pleasure in his proper days of pleasure, before old age came upon him, which banishes all perception of pleasure. But,

THIRDLY; Men are frequently forced to make their way to great poffeffions, by the commiffion of great fins; and therefore the happiness of life cannot poffibly confift in them. It has been a faying, and a remarkable one it is, That there is no man very rich, but is either an unjust perfon himself, or the heir of one or other who was fo. Indeed one would hope, that this fentence is not true univerfally. For I queftion not, but through the good providence of God, fome are as innocently, and with as good confcience rich, as others can be poor. But the general basenefs and corruption of men's practices hath verified this harsh faying of too many. And it is every day seen, how many make

fhipwreck of a good confcience, to obtain the riches of this world.

It is true, the full recompence of a man's unjust dealing, never reaches him in this life. But if he has not finned away all the fenfe, tenderness, and apprehenfion of his confcience, the grudges and regrets of it will still make him uneafy, and give a fad allay to all his comforts. Nor fhall his heart ever find any entire, clear, unmixed content, in the wealth he has got, when he shall reflect upon the manner of his getting it.

One man, perhaps, has been an oppreffor, and an extortioner, and waded to all his wealth through the tears of widows and orphans. Another, with blood and perjury, falfehood and lying, has borne down all before him, and now lords it in the midst of a great estate. And the like may be faid of others, who, by other kinds of basenefs, have done the fame.

But now can any of these thriving miscreants be esteemed, or called happy, in fuch a condition? Is their mind clear, their confcience calm and quiet, and their VOL. IV. L thoughts

thoughts generally undisturbed? For there can be no true happiness, unless they are fo; forafmuch as all happiness must pass through the mind, and the apprehenfion.

But God has not left himself fo without witness, even in the hearts of the most profligate finners; as to fuffer great guilt, and profound peace, to dwell together in the fame breaft. Men must not think to difobey, and then to fleep fecurely and unmolested. The ftorm will quickly arise upon them, and the terrible remembrancer within will begin to be uneafy, and break upon their false repofe, with fecret intimations of impending wrath.

in

So that if the tempter, at any time, be on the one hand, to induce a man to fin; confcience will not fail to be on the other, to remind him of what he has done, and what he is to expect thereupon.

This has been the cafe of the most profperous finners in the world. These remorfes and forebodings have ftuck close to them, in the midst of all their plenty, power, and fplendor: a fufficient demonftration doubtlefs, how thin and coun

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terfeit