neither has, nor can have, any conception. The pious man has a foretaste of it. His happiest moments are those which are exalted by heavenly contemplation. But it is abfurd to fuppofe it can be a happiness to any one, to have God always in his fight, who was never in his thoughts or that he could find any joy in exercifing love, and gratitude to that holy Saviour, whofe laws he had always defpifed.

The obvious conclufion from the whole is this. We fhould endeavour to fee things in their true light. We fhould connect the whole of our being together; and confider how one part depends on another. We have two interefts, we fee, to attend this world, and the next. One is the great end: the other is held out as the means of attaining it. To each world a proper attention is due; and neither fhould trefpafs on the other. But as there is little danger that the future will trespass on the prefent, our great endeavour fhould be to prevent the present from tref paffing on the future. If our endeavours on this head be fincere, we have a gracious affu. rance of the holy fpirit of God to affift us; and of the merits of our blessed Saviour to make up our defici.

deficiencies. Thus prepared we humbly hope for that time, when through the bleffing of God we fhall be releafed from our ftate of trial-when having fincerely endeavoured to attain that perfection, which is expected from us in this world, we shall happily depofit all our worldly incumbrances-rife to a more exalted state; and join the fpirits of just men made perfect.

* Some pious people may object perhaps to fuch phrafes as these and as they may poffibly occur in other parts of these discourses, I should wish to take this opportunity of clearing them of an offenfive meaning.

Our falvation, no doubt, depends on the free grace of God through Chrift. But as there are certain conditions to be obferved on our part; and as there will always be a deficiency in the performance of thefe conditions, we hope, the merits of our bleffed Saviour will make up this deficiency at the fame time, not prefuming that our best works give us any farther title to future happinefs, than what God hath graciously annexed to our performance of the conditions.

SERMON

SERMON L.

LUKE ii. 29.

LORD, NOW LETTEST THOU THY SERVANT DEPART

IN PEACE.

T had been revealed to the pious Simeon, that

IT

Lord,

he fhould not die, till he had feen the Meffiah. Accordingly, being directed by the spirit to the temple, he there found the holy child: and taking him in his arms gave praife to God in that noble hymn, of which the text is the beginning. now letteft thou thy fervant depart in peace. Let me now die in peace for I am fufficiently gratified in this world by feeing that promife of falvation fulfilled, which I have fo long expected.

I mean not however to confider thefe words with any reference to the hiftory of them-but merely to treat them as an independent fentence, from which fome useful inftruction may be drawn. I fhall firft examine the former part of the fentence, Lord, now letteft thou thy fervant depart; and fhall fecondly, examine it with the additional words, Lord now letteft thou thy fervant depart in peace.

Lord, now letteft thou thy fervant depart-or, in other words, let us not depart without thy permiffion.

Short as this life is at longeft, and fond of it, as men are in general, how many are there who make it still shorter, by leaving it, before the Lord lets them depart?-I fpeak not of fuch people, as are neceffarily engaged in hazardous employments, which may carry them off at an early age-nor of fuch, as may be vifited by fickness, or misfortunes, not of their own bringing on-nor of fuch, as may in many cafes, even neceffarily be in the way of contagious diseases. All fuch perfons, tho carried off at an untimely age, may be confidered as vifited by the hand of God. But I confider all thofe, as fhortening their lives, and departing be

fore

fore the Lord permits them, who run needlessly into danger; who lofe their lives in trifling quarrels -who carelessly neglect their health-or court disease by indolence, and intemperance. Numerous, beyond calculation, are they, who leave the world before their time, through one or other of thefe modes of fatality: but the most numerous by far are they, who ruin their conftitution by intemperance-who draw on decrepitude-often fatal difeafes, by their debauchery of different kinds. None of these people wait for the Lord's letting them depart, but fooner, or later, bring themselves, to an untimely grave. They are plucked from life, yet crude and unripe.

Such perfons, would perhaps ftart at the idea of putting themselves to death: yet they never confider, how little difference there is between destroying themselves by one fatal blow, or by a fucceffion of blows. It is true, they do not intend to put an end to their own lives; but merely to live a life of pleasure; yet as they well know the confequences of fuch a life, they are as certainly chargeable with them, as the man, who ruins his fortune by gaming, tho in fact he means to increase it.

Now tho it is true, thefe people are feldom of much ufe in the world, and may commonly depart

out