nation, fo their wealth giveth them a large SERM. command of the entertaining objects. Of XI. this we have a remarkable instance in Solomon, the greatest king of Ifrael, who thus defcribeth. the grandeur of his ftate appearing in buildings, gardening, aqueducts, mufick, equipage, or whatever a great genius could devife, or immense riches furnish him with, to render the enjoyment of life elegant and magnificent. Ecclef. ii. from the 4th verfe, I made me great works, I builded me houses, I planted vineyards, I made me gardens and orchards, and planted trees in them of all kinds of fruits; I made me pools of water to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees; I got fervants and maidens, and had fervants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle, above all that were in Jerufalem before me; I gathered me alfo filver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces; I got me men fingers and women fingers, and all the delights of the fons of men, as mufical inftruments of all forts, alfo my wifdom remained with me. What more could a heart defire which is the most intent upon enjoyments of this fort? And what can the man do that cometh after the king? Can he hope to exceed or even to equal him in fuch fatisfaction? But yet upon a serious and deliberate review he XI. SER M. pronounceth all to be vanity and vexation of fpirit. To fhew that life, that is, as we are now confidering it, the enjoyment of life, doth not confift in thefe gratifications, nor confequently in riches whereby they are acquired, we may obferve, first, that there are far more effential and important pleasures which the human nature is capable of, even in it's present state, namely, thofe of religion and virtue, in comparison of which the other may be justly reckoned what Solomon calleth them, Vanity; I fay, the pleasures which accompany and arife from religious virtue are far more ef fential, for they are infeparable from the mind while its natural powers and capacities remain they depend upon itself, not upon any thing which is external and accidental: No man, whatever his condition be, can without interruption entertain himself with fine fights, delightful founds, or any thing of a like nature; an indifpofition of body or of mind, or an impediment from outward circumstances may happen which may put it wholly out of his power: But as there is a vaftly fuperior delight in the contemplation of beautiful moral characters and actions, and more efpecially in a confcioufness of virtuous difpofitions in the mind itself, this is liable to no interruption; whenever we turn our thoughts towards it, it meeteth them with fatisfaction, and no di- SER M. ftrefs, difficulty, or danger, can make it infipid. XI. One would think men fhould agree in placing the principal enjoyment of life, in that which hath the deepest foundation in the frame of our nature, which as it giveth the highest pleasure, so it is always ready at hand and in our power, never becometh taftelefs, but ftill fresh, increafing the more we use it, and apply our thoughts to the review; I fay, we should place the enjoyment of life in this rather than in things of an inferior nature, things without us, which depend on variable accidents, and the agreeableness of them is fubject to the inward variations of the fancy, than which experience fheweth nothing is more changeable. But, 2dly, Let it be supposed that these pleasures are a confiderable article in the enjoyment of life, they are not appropriated to the rich, nor do depend on riches, which are only the means of acquiring the property of them, in which the true enjoyment doth not consist. The beauties of nature are unconfined, and every man who hath a true sense of them, may find objects enough to entertain it: It is not the property in any of them, which giveth pleasure, and the man who purchaseth or procures to be made any beautiful sensible form, SERM. form, fuch as a curious piece of architecXI. ture, gardening, or any others, he doth it for others, as well as himself. What fhould hinder, but that Solomon's fervants fhould be as well entertained as himself, with his orchards, and his woods, and his stately palaces, the fplendor of his court, and with his vocal and inftrumental mufick? If it be fuppofed that the pleasure of the rich arifeth from his having a peculiar power over agreeable objects in exclufion of others, to difpofe of them as he will; that is indeed a pleasure of a quite different nature, which the mifer may enjoy, who never maketh any use of his riches at all; for he can entertain himself in his own vain thoughts with this confideration, that he is able to procure the delights of the fons of men when he pleaseth, although he never doth it; it is therefore a mean and fordid pleasure and hath nothing to do with the enjoyment of life: Thirdly, The laft, and indeed the trueft and higheft, enjoyment of life, is in doing good, or being useful to mankind: And of this riches affordeth the largest means, which is the greatcft advantage of them. I acknowledge that the man who useth his riches as the inftruments of beneficence, enjoyeth joyeth life in the best manner, maketh the best SERM. provifion for his own comfort in this world, XI. and as our Saviour elsewhere teacheth, maketh to himfelf friends of the unrighteous mammon, which when he faileth, shall receive him into everlafting habitations. But as this is not the cafe of the covetous man, it is perfectly agreeable to the text, which declareth that life, that is, enjoyment, doth not confift in abundant poffeffions; not that it doth not confist in parting with those poffeffions for the uses of charity. To fet this matter in a just light, let it be observed, that the moderate defire and pursuit of riches is not at all inconfiftent with virtue; fo far from it, industry is a virtue itself, as being really beneficial to society, as well as to the person who useth it, furnishing him with, the conveniencies of life, and especially with the means of being useful to his fellow creatures. But when a man hath used honeft industry, fo far he hath discharged his duty, and laid a foundation for all the true enjoyment which can arife from riches; for that doth not depend on fuccefs, or the actual obtaining of large poffeffions, but principally on the inward difpofitions of the mind. The man who is heartily inclined to do good, and doth it according to his ability, hath really the highest happiness from bene ficence |