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is, that our festivity degenerate not into intemperance; our amusements into dissipation; our freedom into licentiousness. Though it bids us "not to love the world" extravagantly, nor "to

to conform to it" criminally, yet it no where enjoins us to flee from it; but rather, after the example of our blessed Lord, to live in it, and to overcome it. A sullen, solitary, indolent retirement, is far from being conformable to the true spirit and temper of our religion, which is active, lively, and animated throughout. Consider its precepts, consider the example of those who taught it, and you will find that the predominant quality in both is an

UNIFORM, UNREMITTED, CHEARFULNESS.

John the Baptist, it is true, the precursor, and herald of the Gospel, assumed the appearance of austerity and rigour. He came, "neither eating nor drinking. He lived in "the wilderness, had his raiment of ca"mels hair, and a leathern girdle about his "loins, and his meat was locusts and wild "honey." A very proper demeanor this for him, whose province it was to prepare the minds of men for the Gospel, by repentance and self-denial, to till and dress the soil, to kill

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in it every rank and noxious weed, to render it clean and pure, and moist with the tears of contrition, fit for the reception of that good seed which his illustrious follower was in a short time coming to sow in it. When HE appeared, the scene was changed. The Saviour of the world came (as he himself is pleased to express it) "eating and drinking." He came with all the marks of good-humour and good-will to men. He went to marriage feasts. The first miracle he worked was, to promote their chearfulness; and he mingled in those happy meetings with so much ease and freedom, with so little affectation of moroseness or reserve, that his enemies. gave him the name (a name which he treated with the mosť sovereign contempt)" of a gluttonous "man, and a wine-bibber, a friend of pub"licans and sinners*." Every mark of respect and attention that was shown him, he accepted with the most engaging and graceful condescension; nor did he even disdain the rich perfume, which the liberal hand of Mary poured upon him, notwithstanding the ill-timed murmurs of his more fastidious followers. Al*Matth. xi. 19.

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though he himself, by his own example, plainly countenanced the practice of fasting at proper times, and under proper restrictions, yet he would not suffer his disciples to fast while he was with them. The time would come, he told them, when they would have abundant occasion to fast. But when the bridegroom was with them, they ought to know nothing but joy; and that joy should not be interrupted by unseasonable severities and anticipated sorrows. He reproved the hypocritical Pharisees for the ostentatious sadness of their countenances on such occasions; and enjoined his own followers, whenever they did practise an extraordinary abstemiousness, to preserve even in the midst of their humiliations, their wonted neatness of attire and chearfulness of appearance. "The hypocrites," says he, " disfigure "their faces, that they may appear unto men "to fast but thou, when thou fastest, anoint "thine head and wash thy face: that thou

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appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy "Father which is in secret: and thy Father "which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly*." His discourses were of a piece

*Matth. vi. 16, 17.

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with his deportment: they were soothing, comfortable, refreshing. The form of words, which he made use of generally when he cured diseases, was "Son, be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee." He was con¬ stantly endeavouring to support the drooping spirits of his disciples by the most encouraging expressions; and when he found himself at length obliged to explain to them the hardships they were to undergo for his sake, the conclusion was, "In the world ye shall have “tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have "overcome the world."

The same spirit diffused itself to the apos tles, evangelists, and disciples, who maintained, throughout the whole course of their ministry, a certain vigour and vivacity of mind, which no calamity could depress. Their writings are full of exhortations "to rejoice evermore; "to shew mercy with chearfulness; to count "it all joy, even when we fall into tempta"tion." The language of the text, the language of the whole Gospel, is, Rejoice in the Lord elway and again I say, Rejoice.' Hence it is plain, that a constant chearfulness John xvi. 53

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the distinguishing character of the Christian religion that it animated both the precepts and the conduct of those who taught it, and was considered by them as a necessary concomitant in the performance of every part of qur duty.

But the Gospel does not stop here. It not (only commands us to be chearful; this it might very easily de; but what is of still more importance, it assists us in becoming so; it af fords the best and most effectual helps toward obtaining that happy and satisfied temper, that constant serenity and composure of mind, without which all the wealth and grandeur of the world are insipid and worthless things.

I. The first assistance of this kind it gives us is, that constant and enlivening employment which it finds for our thoughts. The human mind, we all know, is restless and active; and if not otherwise engaged, will turn its activity ipward, will prey upon and devour itself, and become the destroyer of its own happiness. A very large proportion of the evils which press. the heaviest upon us, are purely imaginary, are the creation of our own hands, and arise from no other cause than the having nothing else to

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