Years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the Days of Darkness, for they shall be many: q.d. If that happen, which is not very likely, viz. that fo frail a Creature as Man fhould arrive to a very great Age; yet 'tis very improbable that all things fhould run fmoothly on thro a long Succeffion of Years, without any interruption; that he should have nothing but occafion of Joy in every Stage and Period of Life: Yet if any one fhould be favour'd after this unufual manner, let him remember his Sun must fet, his long Day of Profperity will come to an end, and a long Night of Darkness fucceed it. Let him remember the Days of Darkness, for they shall be many.

Rejoice, O young Man, &c. From the words thus explain'd, I have a fair Occafion to dif courfe on these two Heads:

Firft, Concerning the Unreasonableness and Abfurdity of the extravagant Mirth of young Sinners, who walk in the way of their Hearts, and in the fight of their Eyes. Secondly, The excellent Advice that is given to young People, to check and restrain 'em in their Mirth and Riot; i. e. by recommending to 'em the Confideration of a Judgment to come. Know thou that, &c.

First, We are to difcourfe concerning the Unreasonablenefs and Abfurdity of the extravagant Mirth of young Sinners, who walk in the way of their Hearts, and in the fight of their Eyes.

Young People are naturally addicted to Mirth and Jollity; and partly by the ftrength of Inclination,

clination, and the allurements of Company, back'd with the follicitations of the Devil, they are very apt to be exceffively transported with the love of Pleasure, and to place their Happiness in the Gufts and Relishes of the Animal Nature.

Now that Mirth, which is occafion'd by such Methods as are recited in our Text, viz. by walking in the way of one's Heart, and in the fight of one's Eyes, is unreafonable and abfurd: and however People at prefent may please themselves with the tranfient Glories of this World, and forbidden Pleasures of Sin, and imagine they are very happy; the near approaches of Death, and the confideration of a Judgment after it, would help Men to form truer Notions both of Perfons and Things, and fhow them the Unreasonableness and Extravagancy of their fenfual Joy and Triumph..

Suffer me therefore a little to expose the Folly of fuch who govern themselves by the vicious Inclinations of their Minds, and the deceitful Appearances of things; who are fo vain as to place their Happiness in the Gratification of their Senfes, and in the Enjoyment of what this World can afford; when the Pleasures they fo much admire do but debafe the Soul, and delude the poor Sinner with falfe Appearances of Happiness.

That is not a real Happiness, which impenitent Sinners enjoy, because it will not endure Examination. If we enquire what is the true Cause of a Sinner's Mirth, we fhall find it has no folid Foundation, and that fuch a one pleases himself only with Dreams of Happiness. For the Man that enjoys true Happiness, enjoys that which will bear

the

the ftricteft trial, The more good Men think of God, and the Perfections of his Nature, the more they are convinc'd that he is every way fit to fupport the weight and stress of their Souls; and that to know, love, and enjoy him, is the Happiness of reasonable Creatures. But the farther wicked Men fearch into the grounds of their Happiness, the more they difcover the Badnefs of the Foundation upon which it was built. So that indeed you ordinarily find that vicious Men are unwilling to turn their Eyes inward, and impartially to examine their State: for fuch People dread to be alone, and therefore chufe either to live in a hurry of Bufinefs, or amidst a multitude of Diverfions, that they may not be put upon examining the Grounds upon which their imaginary Happiness is built. Now for People to rejoice in fenfual Gratifications, and to place their Happiness in 'em, when they will not bear the Scrutiny of Reafon, is the most abfurd thing in the World.

Again, The capacious Defires of an immortal Spirit can never be fully fatisfy'd with terrene Enjoyments. A Man cannot fatisfy his Senfes with thofe material Objects that ftrike 'em moft agreeably, much less the large Defires of his Mind. 'Tis as eafy to paint a Sound to please the Ear, or to appeafe vehement Thirft with the Image of a Fountain, as to render our Souls happy by the fenfual Delights of this World. The Eye is not fatisfy'd with feeing, nor the Ear with hearing. Now if all the Glitter and Pomp of this lower World cannot fatisfy our Eyes, nor the moft charming Mufick and agreeable Sounds our Ears, how is it likely that any of these things Ff

alone

alone fhould render a Soul happy, that is capable of higher Enjoyments, and was made for Rational and Divine Pleasures?

Men will be always fluctuating, till they have found an Object which is adequate to the Defires of their Minds; for tho our Minds are finite, yet we have powerful Affections, and ftrong and vehement Defires; which nothing can fatisfy, but that God who poffeffes all imaginable Perfections: and therefore the Pfalmift, when he had made the strictest inquiry af ter Happiness, concludes that God was the Supreme Good, and confequently the only Happiness, and the proper Reft and Center of his Soul: Whom, fays he, have I in Heaven but Thee? and there is none upon Earth that I defire befides Thee!

One reafon why no fenfual Pleasures can render us happy, is, because we are always defiring more than we enjoy; tho after we have attain'd what we most importunately defir'd, we find the Obfervation of the Wife-Man true, That all that cometh is Vanity, as well as all that is past. Which also confirms the Truth of the following Remark, which I have somewhere met with, viz. That all fenfual Pleasures are founded upon Ignorance, and that a wife Man can find no Paradise here, tho the Fool imagines he can.

Again, The Enjoyments of this prefent World that excite the extravagant Mirth of Sinners, are uncertain; they have no Security that they fhall enjoy them a moment to come. It has been frequently obferv'd, even by the Pagan Philofophers, that thofe Objects that are enjoy'd but a little time, and are fubject to Corruption, cannot merit the Defire,

nor

nor are they worthy the Esteem of Immortal Spirits.

Now all earthly Enjoyments perish in the ufing; they infenfibly and fuddenly slide from us: and if it were not fo, we cannot continue here long to poffefs 'em. For what is our Life! 'tis even a Vapour which appeareth for a little time, and then vanifheth away. And the Apostle tells us, that the Pleasures of Sin are but for a feafon. And the Wife-Man calls the Things of this World, Things that are not: Why wilt thou fet thine Eyes upon that which is not? For Riches certainly make to themselves Wings, they flee away as an Eagle towards Heaven. Thofe that have had the highest Posts of Honour, have fuddenly flid into Difgrace; for fuch ftand in flippery Places. What Diseases has the Intemperance of fome brought upon 'em? So that the little time they have enjoy'd their fenfual Pleasures, has convinc'd 'em, that their Happiness was but imaginary and very incompleat. Who hath Woe? Who hath Sorrow? Who Prov. 23. bath Contentions? Who hath Babbling? Who hath 29 30% Wounds without Caufe? Who hath Redness of Eyes? they that tarry long at the Wine, they that go to feek mixt Wine.

'Tis an excellent Obfervation of a modern Divine, who, speaking of Intemperance, fays, "It is very visible, that all fenfual Excefs is "naturally attended with a double Inconve"nience as it goes beyond the Limits of σε Nature, it begets bodily Pains and Diseases; 66 as it tranfgreffes the Rules of Reafon and Re"ligion, it breeds Difquiet and Remorfe in the "Mind: and these are beyond comparison, the "two greatest Evils in this World; a diseased "Body, and a discontented Mind.'

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