any fuccefs. Now those pleafing qualities, which religion inspires, tend naturally to procure a man that affiftance. His obliging behaviour-the general kindness of his temper-and the goodness of his heart, gain him new friends, while his gratitude preferves his old ones.Thus it ap pears that religion hath a greater natural tendency than vice, to procure us the enjoyments of life.As we cannot however suppose, that all .the conciliating qualities here mentioned, can meet in every perfon, who on the whole may be denominated religious, I fhall only add, that he will have the beft chance for success, in whom the most of them are found.

I SHALL now fhew you, fecondly, that when the enjoyments of life are procured, religion gives us the best relish for them. Here there can be no competition. The bad man, we just obferved, may make a larger fortune; but he cannot poffibly enjoy it with equal comfort. The enjoyments of the world in their greatest perfection, cannot give us complete happiness. A certain degree of it is the utmoft they can give. Now the religious man knows this, and expects nothing more from the world. But this is not the cafe of the worldly man. He expects his full

happiness

happiness from it; and when it gives less than he expects, the deficiency, which is always enough, is disappointment and vexation.Then again we can hardly conceive his confcience laid fo entirely asleep, as not to haunt him for many of his actions. The dread of discovery too must give him fome uneafiness and these are certainly drawbacks from the enjoyments of the world.

Again, the worldly man placing all his happiness in the things of this world, has no refources when they are gone. As they contribute to make our paffage through life more comfortable, we ought to be highly thankful to God for them: but they are furely a very scanty provifion for the whole of our being. How far the worldly man acts prudently in leaving his foul out of the account, and confidering his worldly poffeffions as his all, we must leave him to determine. This however is an undoubted truth, that the more his worldly poffeffions engrofs him, the more disturbed he will be at the idea of parting with them. He has nothing left. Few men, I fuppofe, would be perfectly eafy, if all they had, depended on a fuit at law, which they had every reason to fear would go against them. Now this is exactly the cafe of the man, who puts his trust

in the things of this world. Does he not know, there is a great fuit depending, which will undoubtedly, fooner or later, difpoffefs him of all he has? Can any lawfuit turn him more effectually out of his eftate, than death?-But the religious man is under no fuch apprehenfion. He is prepared for the suit's going against him; because the bulk of his fortune is ftill left. He has a treasure elsewhere, which faileth not. In short, he confiders the things of this world only as a provifion for a journey. When that over, he has no farther occafion for them.

is

BUT as this world not only affords us many comforts, but abounds also with misfortunes, I am next to fhew you, that against these also a religious life is our best fecurity.-Many misfortunes, no doubt, as fickness, for inftance, the death of friends, or inclement feasons, can, by no care of ours, be prevented. But though the religious man cannot prevent them, he will always be the best able to bear them.-The chief dif treffes however to which mankind are liable, come from mankind themfelves; and against thefe we shall find a religious life our beft fecus rity. Generally fpeaking, we draw upon our felves the mifchievous behaviour of mankind. If

our

our own paffions were in better order we fhould fuffer lefs from the paffions of others. An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, is a Jewish law well understood by the generality of chriftians. One malicious action, or fpiteful expreffion, draws on another, and fo the injury spreads. Whereas, on the other hand, as the apostle argues, who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? If you keep a prudent care over your own conduct with regard to others, you will generally draw the fame behaviour from them. David long ago obferved, that the meek-fpirited should poffefs the earth, and delight himself in the abundance of peace.

But although the most innocent behaviour may not be a fufficient guard against the mifchief arising from bad men; yet against those misfortunes, which we bring upon ourselves, a religious conduct is a fure defence. It corrects all thofe vices, which diffipate our fortunes-ruin our characters-and bring on premature disease. But on this fubject, I have already touched *. I fhall proceed therefore to what I propofed lastly. to confider, that when misfortunes do befal us, religion is our best support under them.

FOR, in the first place, it is the happiness of the religious man to be prepared for all circumftances of life. He can fuffer as well as act. He hath learned, in whatsoever ftate he is, therewith to be content. He knows, both how to be abafed, and how to abound-every where, and in all things he is inftructed, both to be full, and to be hungry-both to abound and to fuffer need. But these are leffons, which the wicked man hath never learned. The leffons he learns, are not taken from his Bible, but from the world. From this inftructor, he never hears a fyllable about contentment: but is always pushed on in queft of fomething more than he poffeffes. Peace and quietnefs are strangers to him.

The religious man again confiders misfortunes, as the neceffary appendages of a state of trial; and knows, that if he make a proper ufe of them, they are God's gracious means of trying his fincerity; of weaning him from the world; and of purifying his affections-But the wicked man acknowledges them in no useful light. He bears them because he muft; and by his impatience, and irreligious fretfulness, generally makes every misfortune many times greater than it really is. But among the great fupports of the religious man under the preffure of misfortune, is his in

tercourse