He fitted by his rational nature for running the race of immortality, he is stopped short in the very entrance of his course. squanders his activity on pursuits, which he discerns to be vain. He languishes for knowledge, which is placed beyond his reach. He thirsts after a happiness, which he is doomed never to enjoy. He sees and laments the disasters of his state; and yet, upon this supposition, can find nothing to remedy them.-Has the eternal God any pleasure in sporting himself with such a scene of misery and folly, as this life, if it had no connection with another, must exhibit to his eye? Did he call into existence this magnificent universe, adorn it with so much beauty and splendor, and surround it with those glorious luminaries which we behold in the heavens, only that some generations of mortal men might arise to behold these wonders, and then disappear for ever? How unsuitable, in this case, were the habitation to the wretched inhabitant! How inconsistent the commencement of his being, and the mighty preparation of his powers and faculties, with his despicable end! How contradictory, in fine, were every thing which concerns the state of man, to the wisdom and perfection of his Maker!. Throughout all ages, and among all nations, the persuasion of a future life has prevailed. It sprung not from the refinements of science, or the speculations of philosophy; but from a deeper and stronger root, the natural sentiments of the human heart. Hence it is common to the philosopher and the savage, and is found in the most barbarous, as well as in the most civilized regions. Even the belief of the being of a God, is not more general on the earth than the belief of immortality. Dark, indeed, and confused, were the notions which men entertained concerning a future state. Yet still, in that state, they looked for retribution, both to the good and the bad; and in the perfection of such pleasures as they knew best and valued most highly, they placed the rewards of the virtuous. So universal a consent seems plainly to indicate an original determination given to the soul by its Creator. It shows this great truth to be native and congenial to man. When we look into our own breasts, we find various anticipations and presages of future existence. Most of our great and high passions extend beyond the limits of this life. The ambitious and the self-denied, the great, the good, and the wicked, all take interest in what is to happen after they shall have left the earth. That passion for fame, which inspires so much of the activity of mankind, plainly is animated by the persuasion, that consciousness is to survive the dissolution of the body. The virtuous are supported by the hope, the guilty tormented with the dread, of what is to take place after death. As death approaches, the hopes of the one, and the fears of the other, are found to redouble. The soul, when issuing hence, seems more clearly to discern its future abode. All the operations of conscience proceed upon the belief of immortality. The whole moral conduct of men refers to it. All legislators have supposed it. All religions are built upon it. It is so essential to the order of society, that, were it erased, human laws would prove ineffectual restraints from evil, and a deluge of crimes and miseries would overflow the earth. To suppose this universal and powerful belief to be without foundation in truth, is to suppose, that a principle of delusion was interwoven with the nature of man; is to suppose, that his Creator was reduced to the necessity of impressing his heart with a falsehood, in order to make him answer the purposes of his being. BUT though these arguments be strong, yet all arguments are liable to objection. Perhaps this general belief, of which I have spoken, has been owing to inclination and desire, more than to evidence. Perhaps, in our reasonings on this subject from the divine perfections, we flatter ourselves with being of more consequence, than we truly are, in the system of the universe. Hence, the great importance of a discovery proceeding from God himself, which gives full authority to all that reason had suggested, and places this capital truth beyond the reach of suspicion or distrust. The method which Christianity has taken to convey to us the evidence of a future state, highly deserves our attention. Had the Gospel been addressed, like a system of philosophy, solely to the understanding of men; had it aimed only at enlightening the studious and reflecting, it would have confined itself to abstract truth; it would have simply informed us, that the righteous are hereafter to be rewarded, and sinners to be punished.-Such a declaration as that contained in the text, would have been sufficient: Be not weary in well-doing, for in due season you shall reap, if you faint not. But the Gospel has not stopped, at barely announcing life and immortality to mankind. It was calculated for popular edification. It was intended to be the religion not merely of the few, whose understanding was to be informed; but of the many, also, whose imagination was to be impressed, and whose passions were to be awakened, in order to give the truth its due influence over them. Upon this account it not only reveals the certainty of a future state, but, in the person of the great Founder of our religion, exhibits a series of acts relating to it; by means of which, our senses, our imaginations, and passions, all become interested in this great object. The resurrection of Christ from the grave was designed to be a sensible evidence, that death infers not a final extinction of the living principle. He rose, in order to show, that, in our name, he had conquered death, and was become the first fruits of them that sleep. Nor did he only rise from the grave, but, by ascend- THUS, upon the whole, whether you consult your reason, or listen to the discoveries of revelation, you behold our argument confirmed; you behold a life of piety and virtue issuing in immortal felicity. Of what worldly pursuit can it be pronounced, that its reward is certain? Look every where around you, and you shall see, that the race is far from being always to the swift, or the battle to the strong. The most diligent, the most wise, the most accomplished, may, after all their labours, be disappointed in the end; and be left to suffer the regret of having spent their strength for nought. But for the righteous is laid up the crown of life. Their final happiness is prepared in the eternal plan of Providence, and secured by the labours and sufferings of the Saviour of the world. Cease, then, from your unjust complaints against virtúe and religion. Leave discontent and peevishness to worldly men. In no period of distress, in no moment of disappointment, allow yourselves to suspect that piety and integrity are fruitless. In every state of being, they lead to happiness. If you enjoy not at present their full rewards, it is because the season of recom pense is not yet come. For, in due season you shall reap. There is a time which is proper for reward, and there is a period which belongs to trial. How long the one should last, and when the other should arrive, belongs not to you to determine. It is fixed by the wise, though unknown, decree of the Almighty. But be assured, that He that cometh shall come, and will not tarry. He shall come in due season, to restore perfect order among his works; to bring rest to the weary, comfort to the afflicted, and just retribution to all men. Behold, saith the faithful and true Witness, I come quickly, and my reward is with me. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. I will give him the morning star. I will make him a pillar in my temple. He shall be clothed in white raiment; and shall sit down with me on my throne.* * Rev. xxii. 12-ii. 7. 28.-iii. 12. 5. 21. SERMON XVI. ON THE IMPORTANCE OF ORDER IN CONDUCT. Let all things be done-in order.-1 CORINTH. xiv. 40. RELIGION, like every regular and well conducted system, is composed of a variety of parts; each of which possesses its separate importance, and contributes to the perfection of the whole. Some graces are essential to it; such as faith and repentance, the love of God, and the love of our neighbour; which, for that reason, must be often inculcated on men. There are other disposi tions and habits, which, though they hold not so high a rank, yet are necessary to the introduction and support of the former; and, therefore, in religious exhortations, these also justly claim a place. Of this nature is that regard to order, method, and regularity, which the apostle enjoins us in the text to carry through the whole of life. Whether you consider it as, in itself, a moral duty, or not, yet I hope soon to convince you that it is essential to the proper discharge of almost all duties; and merits, upon that account, a greater degree of attention than is commonly paid to it in a religious view. If you look abroad into the world, you may be satisfied at the first glance, that a vicious and libertine life is always a life of confusion. Thence it is natural to infer, that order is friendly to religion. As the neglect of it coincides with vice, so the preservation of it must assist virtue. By the appointment of Providence, it is indispensably requisite to worldly prosperity. Thence arises the presumption, that it is connected also with spiritual improvement. When you behold a man's affairs, through negligence and misconduct, involved in disorder, you naturally conclude that his ruin approaches. You may at the same time justly suspect, that the causes which affect his temporal welfare, operate also to the prejudice of his moral interests. The apostle teaches us in this chapter, that God is not the author of con fusion.* He is a lover of order; and all his works are full of • Ver. 33. |