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of its difcouragements. It is the imper- SERM. fection of your virtue, which occasions you to be weary in well-doing. It is because your hearts remain divided between God and the world, that you are fo often difcontented; partly wishing to discharge your duty, and partly feeking your happiness from fomewhat that is repugnant to your duty. Study to be more confiftent in principle, and more uniform in practice, and your peace will be more unbroken.

Though virtue may appear at first fight to contract the bounds of enjoyment, you will find, upon reflection, that, in truth, it enlarges them. If it reftrains the excefs of fome pleasures, it favours and increases others. It precludes you from none, but such as are either fantastic and imaginary, or pernicious and deftructive. Whatever is truly valuable in human enjoyment, it allows to a good man, no less than to others. It not only allows him fuch pleasures, but heightens them, by that grateful relish which a good confcience gives to every pleasure. It not only

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SERM. heightens them, but adds to them, alfo, the peculiar fatisfactions which flow from virtuous fentiments, from devout affections, and religious hopes. On how much worfe terms is the finner placed, in the midft of his boasted gratifications? His portion is confined to this world. His good things are all of one fort only; he has neither knowledge, nor relifh, of any thing beyond them. His enjoyment, therefore, refts on a much narrower bafis, than that of the fervants of God. Enlarge, as much as you please, the circle of worldly gratifications; yet, if nothing of the mind and the heart, nothing of a refined and moral nature, enter into that circle, and vary the enjoyment, languor and wearinefs foon fucceed. Among whom do you hear more peevish expreffions of difcontent, or more frequent complaints of low spirits, than among the profeffed votaries of worldly pleafure?

Vice and virtue, in their progress, as in every other refpect, hold an oppofite courfe. The beginnings of vice are en

ticing.

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ticing. The first steps of worldly ad- SERM. vancement, are flattering and pleasing. But the continuance of fuccefs blunts enjoyment, and flattens defire. Whereas

the beginnings of virtue are laborious. But by perfeverance, its labours diminish, and its pleasures increase. As it ripens into confirmed habit, it becomes both smoother in practice, and more complete in its reward. In a worldly life, the termination of our hopes always meets our view. We see a boundary before us, beyond which we cannot reach. But the profpects of virtue are growing, and endless. The righteous fhall hold on in his way; and he that hath clean hands, fhall wax Stronger and stronger. The path of the juft is as the shining light, that fhineth more and more unto the perfect day. This brings me to confider,

IV. THE affured hope, which good men enjoy, of a full reward at laft. I have endeavoured, by feveral confiderations, to correct your impatience under

the

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SERM. the prefent difcouragements of virtue. I have shown many high advantages, which it already poffeffes. But now, laying all these afide; fuppofing virtue to have brought you no advantage, but to have only engaged you in perpetual struggles with an evil world; the Text fuggefts what is fufficient to answer every obje&ion, and to filence every complaint; In due feafon you shall reap, if you faint not. It is not a loose encouragement, or a dubious hope, which is held forth to us. A direct and explicit declaration is made by the Spirit of God, that piety and virtue, how difcouraged foever, or oppreffed, they may be for a while, fhall not be frustrated of their reward; but that in due feajon, when the period which is fixed by the Divine decree fhall come, all who have not been weary in well-doing, though they may have fown in tears, fhall reap in joy. As this great principle of faith is fo effential to our present argument, and is indeed the foundation of all religion, it will be proper that we now take a view of the grounds on which it refts. By fix

ing

ing our attention, both on the proofs which reafon fuggefts, and on the difcoveries which revelation has made, of a ftate of future retribution, we shall take an effectual method of confirming our adherence to religion, and of baffling those temptations which might lead us to be weary in well-doing.

THE first, and moft obvious prefumption, which reafon affords in behalf of future rewards to the righteous, arifes from the imperfect diftribution of good and evil in our present state. Notwithstanding what I have advanced concerning the pleasures and advantages of virtue it cannot be denied, that the happinefs of good men is often left incomplete. The vicious poffefs advantages, to which they have no right; while the confcientious fuffer for the fake of virtue, and groan under diftreffes which they have not merited from the world. Indeed, were the distribution of good and evil, in this life, altogether promifcuous; could it be

faid,

SER M.

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