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Splendour of Wealth, by the dazzling Pomp of Power; all surrounding and embracing him in their fullest raptures and assemblage? Oh! no!

Hear his own Answer. Upon far more experience and more deliberate inquiry, than any of the Voluptuaries and Votaries of worldly Bliss, of the present day can boast, He discards all those Enjoyments one by one, as Vanity of Vanities; contributing nothing to substantial Happiness, but leading directly to Disappointment and Misery, even in this life; except so far as they are regulated by the "Fear of God, and made subservient to the Keeping of His Commandments."

I looked, says he, on all the works I had wrought, and all was Vanity-Of my Wisdom, which I accounted my Chief Good, I said in my Heart, (when referred to this world), what availeth it to me? "As it happeneth to the Fool, so it happeneth to Me. Both of us die alike, and there is no more Re membrance of the one, than of the other;-nay, as little remembrance as there is of the beast of the field, if our portion is to be only in this world; for all are of the Dust, man as well as dumb beast, and all turn to the Dust again.

Then, as to Feasting and Mirth, the next kind of fancied Bliss, I am cloyed and satiated with their constant round, and all the frantic noise and toilsome extravagance, which follow in their train. "I said of Laughter, it is mad; and of Mirth, what doth it; being satisfied, from my own Experience, that better is a Handful with quiet; than both Hands full with travail and vexation of Spirit."

Again, as to the Riches and Wealth which I had heaped up-" Isoon hated all my labour I had taken to acquire them under the Sun; because I must leave my Wealth to the man that shall be after me; and who knows whether he shall be a Wise man or a Fool; notwithstanding he shall rule over all my labour, wherein I have been accounted wise under the Sun."

Lastly, as to Power and Authority; What are they? They place us on a dangerous Preeminence, and few men can use them without their abusing them. "For I saw under the Sun the place of Judgment, and Wickedness was there-I saw the place of Righteousness, and lo, Iniquity was there--I saw also the poor groaning under the Rod of the Mighty-the Tears of the Oppressed, and they had no Comforter, while Power was on the side of the Oppressors; so that I was ready to praise the dead, as happier than those who live, under such Misery!

Thus Solomon, by an Estimate of the Good Things of this world put in the balance with the Evil Things; and by the soundest arguments of Reason, Wisdom and Experience (which cannot be equalled or excelled by the Arguments and Experience of any other Philosophers either ancient or modern), has drawn the Conclusion for me, viz. " that no Enjoyments here can yield permanent Happiness, or so attach us to this World, as to make us consider our Release from it as an Evil, or increase the Terrors of Death, which is the certain portion of every man that is born of a woman." And if, by these arguments, the best which can be offered by Reason and Philosophy, our Souls can be weaned from too great an attach

ment to our Good Things here, and but partly allay the Fear of Death; a complete Victory will be obtained, when, under the following heads of my Text, we proceed to the arguments of one greater than Solomon, who has brought Life and Immortality to Light by his Gospel.

In the meantime Solomon's last argument, on the Use and Abuse of Riches, will lead me to a natural Conclusion of this Discourse, by an application to your Charity and Benevolence in the Collection to be made for the poor and needy of these Congregations at this rigorous season of the year; and when the wants of many are greatly increased by the Loss of employment, and by the deeper Loss of Friends and Relatives, and the accumulated family distress arising out of the late awful Calamity.*

To minister to the wants of others, according to the measure of our abilities, is a duty enjoined upon us by the scriptures of the Old and New Testament; and Solomon tells us in the conclusion of his estimate of the Good Things of this Life, that there is nothing better for a man, to make his Soul enjoy the fruit of his labours, than " to rejoice to do good in his life; for there is not a greater Evil under the Sun than what I have seen."-Riches kept by the Owner thereof, to his own Hurt-A man wanting nothing for his Soul's desire, and without power to eat thereof (or to bid others eat ;) while this man returneth naked as he came forth of his mother's womb, and of all his labour taketh nothing which he can

* This Sermon was preached on a day appointed for a Collection in Christ-Church, for the above pious purposes,

carry away in his hand. This is well said by Solomon, to express his Abhorrence of those miserable and narrow-minded men, to whom God hath given Plenty, but who have not the heart to use or to do good with it, either to himself or others. In my next discourse we will come to arguments of an Evangelic Nature, opening our hearts to compassion, by carrying us forward to its reward in Heaven"Come ye Blessed of my Father," &c.—

And may we all so learn to open our bowels of compassion in this life, that we receive the above joy. ful sentence in the next!

Amen.

SERMON VIII.

FIRST PREACHED DECEMBER 29, 1793.

1 THESS. Chap. IV. Ver. 13-18.

But I would not have you ignorant, Brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no Hope. For if we believe that JESUS died and rose again; even so, them also, which sleep in JESUS, will GOD bring with Him, &c.

IN my last Sunday's discourse*, from this luminous text, following our Apostle in his beautiful method of argument, through the Vale of the Shadow of Death-in order to allay its Terrors, dispel its Gloom, and illuminate our Passage to the brighter regions of another world; I found it necessary to address those (for such there are) whose attachment is so strong to their Good Things on earth, that they would be content with their portion here below forever; and either doubt the certainty of another world, or have not a full assurance, through Faith in the Gospel, of bettering their condition when their great and unavoidable change comes.

• Sermon VII, antea.

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