and what bloated, arrogant, proud, oppresșive characters would many men be, if they were not occasionally checked by adversity; when we find some of them are so even with all the checks they receive. Indeed Lord Bolingbroke himself observes of human na❤ ture, (undisciplined,) that she may be compared to a wild beast, on whom you cannot put too many curbs to keep her in any tolerable order.

God has expressly declared by his prophet Jeremiah, that he does not grieve the children of men, or afflict them willingly; but, as St. Paul informs us, only for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness: and the Scriptures proclaim our God to be the Lord, "merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and "abundant in goodness; forgiving iniquity,

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transgression, and sin," &c. Therefore we have every reason to be of opinion with the Poet,

Of every evil since the world began,

The real source is not in God, but man:

and that the misery which prevails in human life, as it originally proceeded from the disobedience of man to the commands of God, so the continuance of it, in the great degree

in which we see it exhibited, arises from the same cause; that is, because men in general neither love or fear God, or obey his commands, as they might and ought to do. It is much to be wished the truth or falsehood of this opinion was to be determined by experiment; and that for this purpose all mankind would agree to adopt the dying advice of Sir Philip Sydney to his friend, of ruling their will and affections by the will and word of their Creator; and then probably we should see but little misery in human life. But this idea is a visionary one, and I know will be so considered: yet, however visionary it may be when applied to the world in general, it is not at all visionary when its application is made by any one man to himself in particular; and if he values his happiness, instead of losing his time in repining and railing at the misery which exists in the world, he will employ it much better, and much more profitably, by making a trial of the efficacy of this conduct: for if he expects to enjoy happiness in a world of sorrow, which sorrow was caused by guilt, he must remove the cause, that the effect may cease: since it can be only by regaining as much as he can the innocence of Para

dise, that he will stand any chance of regaining its happiness. But even should a worthy man experience great misery and affliction in this life; when the difference between time and eternity is duly considered, the longest possible duration of his misery is not equal to the punishment that an indulgent father might, for some just cause, inflict on a beloved son, by confining him for a few minutes to his chamber: and therefore he thinks with St. Paul, that " the sufferings of "this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed “in us: and that these light afflictions, which

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are but for a moment, work for him a far

more exceeding and eternal weight of glo"ry." And the faith of this worthy man will, beyond all question, induce him to submit to any affliction God may be pleased to appoint him, with the most perfect resignation; without imagining such affliction any sort of imputation on the goodness of God: for such a man must know, that it is in the power of God to reward him in another life in any ratio he pleases, for any extraordinary affliction to which God may appoint him in this; in which he considers himself only in a state of discipline and probation: and he has

likewise such a full and entire persuasion in his mind, that the decrees of the Almighty are, ever have been, and ever must be, founded in infinite goodness, wisdom, and power, that he fully trusts in his gracious Creator, (though he should slay him,) under the assured belief, that whatever God does is right, whether he can or cannot comprehend his decrees. He believes, that if he endeavours with all his heart and soul to love, honour, and obey him, in spite of all adversity he shall possess the peace of God in this life; and, through God's goodness, and the merits of his Redeemer, he shall receive a favourable sentence at the day of judgment. This opinion the holy page of Scripture, without any presumption on his part, authorizes him to adopt, if he is conscious of a sincere wish and endeavour to obey the terms on which it is grounded; and humbly solicits God's grace and favour to enable him to do So. This opinion thus formed in the mind, and supported by the contemplation of being permitted hereafter to partake of those joys, which are at God's right hand for evermore, possesses in truth and reality a virtue sufficient to counterpoise all the miseries of this life.

The mind of man thus constituted and dis

ciplined, regards the inconveniences of this life in a way extremely advantageous to its feelings he is by no means discomposed by their occurrence in the manner the bulk of mankind are; for he actually and in truth considers them only as a traveller, on his road to take possession of a vast estate in a distant country, regards the accidental inconveniences he meets with at the several inns at which he may be obliged to stop. He would indeed much rather these inconveniences did not occur; but their prevalence neither destroys his cheerfulness, or dims the brilliancy of that heavenly prospect and inheritance he has in view, and in consequence that joy which surrounds his heart.

The original sin of Adam was undoubtedly the cause of the introduction of misery into the world; and the sins of the inhabitants of it are the cause of its continuance, in the great degree and measure in which we see its present existence it is in vain to seek for any other cause, since, if a fair appeal is made by each man to his bosom, the one assigned must appear just and adequate. The best possible way therefore, I apprehend, for any man to be convinced that God governs the world in the manner he himself expressly