the Soul, has a Skreen before it, that you may not fee through; he only, who difcovers his own Intereft, gives you a Key to his Heart: In a Word, Where, the honeft Man (who alone is worthy of Good) if he judges of Men by himself, is Undone. This may be called Satire, but, by the fame Rule, the Scripture is fo too. Where, to diffemble Injuries, is the greatest Shock to Nature, and Shame to Honour, yet, at the fame time, the greatest Art of Life. Where, He that has not learned the World muft go out of it, or be a feft, and an Unfortunate in it; he that has learned it, has learned it with Difcipline, and by that time, he is well Master of the Game, his Candle is put out. It is Hard to learn the World, but harder to Unlearn it; and not to Unlearn it, will, one Day, prove more Fatal. Where, we will not believe Yesterday, but hope favourably of To-morrow; as if then there would be a New Sun, a New Nature, a New Self; They pray for That, who almoft curfe its Fellow. Where, Sorrow is Fruitless, and Laughter is Mad. Where, at the several Tides of Good Fortune, the Head tells the Heart, well, now, we are Happy, which the Heart fcarce believes, or believes it implicitly: Whenever we fay to our felves let us fit down, and enjoy Life, we discover the Cheat, like one deluded by Perspective, by bringing it to the Touch. Nothing will do; Bufinefs, confidering Paffion, and Accident, is a Toil certainly; Idlenefs is worfe; and Books are a weak Refource; A Man fhould no more Read, than Eat, without an Appetite; If he does, the Book will be near as much Amufed, and Edified by the Man, as he by the Book. Where, Multitudes, (ftrange! and ridiculous! but for the Horror of it) complain they have nothing to do, when every Step is a Step toward a Grave, every Minute an Approach to an Eternity: Befides, if Men well knew the 'Bufinefs of this World, and would acquit themselves like Mafters in it, Want of Time would

be

be their great Complaint. Nay he that lays down but this one fimple Rule, That he will be in the Right where-ever he is, or whatever he is about, will never have one idle Moment, though he has not the important Cares of Nations, or even of Families on his Hands.

WHERE, the Paft is a very Dream, and the Future a fore Travel. Where, the tender Mother sheds Tears over her helpless Infant, and the careful Father pours Groans over them both; Groans confcious of the Prefent, and prefaging of the Future. Where, fometimes Nations groan, as one Man, under a general Calamity; nor is the whole Earth at all privileg'd from the fevere Condition of any one Nation of it. Where, Nature is perpetually pouring her Children in vaft Tides out of Time, into Eternity; and the Survivors take the Evil, and refuse the Good. They are but the more Melancholy, not the Wifer for it. Where, we are born with Pain, and die with Amazement. Where, Life is the Slave of Mifery, and yet, most strange, and deplorable! the King of Terrors is Death.

Sunt Lachryme Rerum, & mentem Mortalia tangunt.

ALMOST the whole Book of Ecclefiaftes might be transcrib'd as a scriptural Support of what is here faid; and its Author, it is well known, received Wisdom as an immediate Gift from God, in Superiority to all the Reft of Mankind.

ISHALL conclude, by faying what is most true, that human Life is like a dishonest Creditor, it puts off our Youth and Manhood with Lyes from Day to Day, then owns the Cheat, and gives our Age an abfolute denial.

The Defcription of IF this Account is juft, as I human Happiness. think it is, What is human Happi

ness?

nefs? A Word! a Notion ! a Day-dream! a With a Sigh! a Theme to be talk'd of! a Mark to be fhot at, but never Hit! a Picture in the Head, and a Pang in the Heart of Man. Wisdom recommends it gravely, Learning talks of it pompoufly, our Understanding liftens to it eagerly, our Affection purfues it warmly, and our Experience despairs of it irretrievably. Imagination perfuades fome that they have found it, but it is while their Reafon is afleep; Pride prevails with others to boast of it; but it is only a Boast, by which they may deceive their Neighbours, but not themselves; Felicity of Conftitution, and Suavity of Manners make the nearest Approach to it, but it is only an Approach; Fortune, the Nature of Things, the Infirmi ties of the Body, the Paffions of the Mind, the De+ pendence on Others, the Prevalence of Vice, the very Condition of (uncorrected) Humanity forbids an Embrace. Wine, Beauty, Mufick, Pomp, Study, Diverfion, Bufinefs, Wisdom, all that Sea or Land, Nature or Art, Labour or Reft can beftow, are but poor Expedients to heave off the infupportable Load of an Hour from the Heart of Man; the Load of an Hour, from the Heir of an Eternity! If the Young, or Unexperienced, or Vain, or Profligate only, were Subject to this Weakness, it were fomething; but when the Learned, and Wife, and Grave, and Gray It fhocks! it mortifies! and with Shame, and Pity, my Mind turns from its Purpose, and goes backward with Reverence to throw a Veil over the Nakednefs of my Father. In a Word, the true Notion of human Happiness explained, is it felf one of the ftrongeft Proofs of our Mifery. For how can we speak more adequately of it, than by saying, it is That of which our Defpair is as Neceffary, as our Paffion for it is Vehement, and Inextinguishable. Now ardently to Thirst, and unavoidably to Defpond, with Regard to the fame Thing, and that Thing of confequence Supream, is

the

the Confummation of Infelicity. I know but one folid Pleasure in Life, and that is our Duty. How miferable, then, how unwife, how unpardonable are They, who make that One a Pain?

THE Purpose of this Difcourfe, as exprefs'd in the Beginning of it, was to put this World in the Ballance; and examine the Value of Things on the Earth. Now fuch as is reprefented, not aggravated, through the whole preceding Difcourfe, is the general State of Mankind; but it is a State of their own Choice; and it may be, though not wholly revers'd, abundantly reliev'd, exceedingly brighten'd from the Clouds, the thick Darkness that hangs upon it; as I fhall endeavour to make manifeft in the following Difcourfe; and thus vindicate Providence from prevailing Imputations; and by laying the two Counter-Parts together, infer a true Eftimate of Human Life.

FINIS