her, he must leave this bufy and intriguing fcene, and go back to that peaceful scene of retirement and books, from which he first fet out.

In this circle too often does a man run, tries all experiments, and generally fits down wearied and diffatisfied with them all at last-in utter despair of ever accomplishing what he wants-nor knowing what to truft to after fo many disappointments; or where to lay the fault, whether in the incapacity of his own nature, or the infufficiency of the enjoyments themselves.

In this uncertain and perplexed state -without knowledge which way to turn or where to betake ourselves for refuge so often abused and deceived by the many who pretend thus to fhew us any good-LORD! fays the pfalmift, lift up the light of thy countenance Send us fome rays of thy upon us. grace and heavenly wifdom, in this benighted fearch after happiness, to direct us fafely to it. O GOD! let us not wander for ever without a guide,

C

in this dark region, in endless pursuit of our mistaken good, but enlighten our eyes that we fleep not in death-open to them the comforts of thy holy word and religion-lift up the light of thy countenance upon us,-and make us know the joy and fatisfaction of living in the true faith and fear of Thee, which only can carry us to this haven of reft where we would be-that sure haven, where true joys are to be found, which will at length not only answer all our expectations-but fatisfy the most unbounded of our wishes for ever and

ever.

The words thus opened, naturally reduce the remaining part of the dif course under two heads.-The first part of the verse-" there be many

that fay, Who will fhew us any "good?"-To make fome reflections upon the infufficiency of moft of our enjoyments towards the attainment of happiness, upon fome of the most received plans on which 'tis generally fought.

The examination of which will lead us up to the fource, and true fecret of all happiness, fuggefted to us in the latter part of the verfe- Lord! lift thou up "the light of thy countenance upon us” -that there can be no real happiness without religion and virtue, and the affiftance of God's Grace and holy Spirit to direct our lives in the true purfuit of it.

Let us enquire into the difappointments of human happiness, on fome of the most received plans on which 'tis generally fought for and expected, by the bulk of mankind.

There is hardly any fubject more exhaufted, or which at one time or other has afforded more matter for argument and declamation, than this one, of the infufficiency of our enjoyments. Scarce a reformed fenfualift from Solomon down to our own days, who has not in fome fits of repentance or difapppointment uttered fome fharp reflection upon the emptiness of human pleasure, and of the vanity of vanities which discovers itself in all the purfuits of mortal man.

But the mischief has been, that though fo many good things have been faid, they have generally had the fate to be confidered either as the overflowings of dif gust from fated appetites which could no longer relish the 'pleasures of life, or as the declamatory opinions of recluse and fplenetic men who had never tasted them at all, and confequently were thought no judges of the matter. So that 'tis no great wonder, if the greatest part of fuch reflections, however juft in themselves and founded on truth and a knowledge of the world, are found to leave little impreffion where the imagination was already heated with great expectations of future happiness; and that the best lectures that have been read upon the vanity of the world, fo feldom stop a man in the pursuit of the object of his defire, or give him half the conviction, that the poffeffion of it will, and what the experience of his own life, or a careful obfervation upon the life of others, do at length generally confirm to us

all.

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Let us endeavour then to try the cause upon this iffue; and instead of recurring to the common arguments, or taking any one's word in the cafe, let us truft to matter of fact; and if, upon enquiry, it appears that the actions of mankind are not to be accounted for upon any other principle, but this of the infufficiency of our enjoyments, 'twill go farther towards the establishment of the truth of this part of the discourse, than a thoufand fpeculative arguments which might be offered upon the occafion.

Now, if we take a furvey of the life of man from the time he is come to reafon, to the latest decline of it in old age -we fhall find him engaged, and generally hurried on in fuch a fucceffion of different pursuits, and different opinions of things, through the different ftages of his life-as will admit of no expli cation, but this, that he finds no rest for the fole of his foot, on any of the plans where he has been led to expect it.