Piety, my christian hearers, can spring from nothing but itself, its own sentiment and principle, the sentiment of gratitude, reverence, and love towards God, the principle of obedience to his will, as the foundation of all christian virtue and true morality. Our acts of piety are altogether defective, in motive and in practice, when we do not consider our own interests involved in them, when we do not feel them to be our own particular duty.

Have we duly thought of this subject? Is private and public devotion really a duty, which every rational creature owes to God, or is it only a habit which has grown up we know not how, from a time we know not when? Do we bear in mind, that no religious services can be effectual, either with God or with ourselves, in which the affections are not engaged? If we never experience that warm and virtuous energy which devotion inspires, the consolation it imparts, and the sympathy which social worship ought to awaken, we do not worship in spirit and in truth. If these are our sentiments and feelings, our piety will be an example to others, and yet our own. It will be public and yet personal. It will be what Christ would have it, when he said, 'Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.' The glory of God is the termination of the precept; and if we keep this in view, our example will have all the value which sincerity and piety can give it.

My christian hearers, let us not forget that our character is, utterly defective and incomplete without piety. The distinguishing service which Christianity has done for the world, is to bring us to the knowledge, love, and imitation of the true God. We talk indeed of the morality of the New Testament, we commend its virtuous precepts. But if we search the records of the heathen world, we shall find many great and good men, who have made extraordinary advances in all that is virtuous; in justice, temperance, and beneficence; but the best and wisest of them made no approaches towards the piety of the gospel. Let us not forget, then, that as far as we are deficient in this blessed temper of devotion, so far do we fall short of the spirit of Christianity, the glory and distinction of a Christian.

If there was ever a person on earth, who, in consequence of the perfection of every other virtue, might plead an exemption from this of piety, it was Jesus Christ. But in him this principle was the very origin and substance of all his excellences. Every movement of his heart, every act of his life, was to please God. It was this which gave purity, fortitude, cheerfulness, consistency to everything in his character. He honored and worshipped his heavenly Father. He loved him,

and delighted to hold constant communion with the Father of his spirit. If, then, we possessed this principle, how easy and delightful would be our duty! We should, from a principle of grati

tude, observe the ordinances of the gospel, and find happiness in all the exercises of a holy and merciful religion. God would be in all our thoughts, and whatsoever we did, we should do all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

26

SERMON XIII.

THE COMMON MISTAKES ON THE SUBJECT OF HAPPINESS AND ITS TRUE SOURCES.

PSALM IV. 6.

THERE BE MANY THAT SAY, WHO WILL SHOW US ANY GOOD?

ness.

Ir is a melancholy consideration that this has been the common inquiry of men ever since the world was made, and that so few of them seem to have attained to anything like permanent happiHow few are there in the world, who, if you ask them the plain and simple question, Are you happy? would answer spontaneously, that they were. How busy are men in the pursuit of this common good! How numerous and opposite are the courses which they take! How frequent and miserable are the countenances of the discontented! Philosophers have been speculating in all ages upon the supreme good, men have been making every imaginable variety of experiment, teachers have given innumerable lessons upon this most difficult yet most simple of arts; in fine, God has more than once interposed to assist us in our pro

gress, and offers us every encouragement to the attainment of this great end, and yet how unsatisfied are we, how grossly have we been disappointed in the past, how painfully solicitous are we for the future!

It shall be my present object to inquire, why there is not more happiness among mankind, and in order to this, I shall endeavour to lay open some of the most common mistakes upon the subject.

I. 1. The first mistake, which is too common, especially among those who have experienced many trials and difficulties in life, is, that happiness is to be found in rest. Ask those who are so busy in the active pursuits of life, to what they look forward with such ardent expectations, and they will tell you that they are toiling for repose. They look with envy upon the condition of that man, who, in the language of the world, has nothing to do but enjoy himself. They look upon exertion as a species of servitude, as if he were the only independent man, who was reposing upon his laurels or his gains. But, as has been pointedly observed, that man is most restless, who is most at rest. Nothing is so hard as the pillow of perpetual indolence; nothing so oppressive as the stagnant, inelastic air of entire inactivity. The truth is, that the mind which is not constantly directed to something exterior, preys upon itself. The bed-ridden intellect pines away in atrophy and the everlasting uneasiness of sloth. Most of those who have nothing to do, commonly do nothing, or do