moderate heat of them, on the other;-but that we may at all times fee it, as it is, and as it was defigned by its blessed Founder, as the moft rational, fober and confiftent inftitution that could have been given to the fons of men. Now to God, etc.

SERMON XII.

Eternal Advantages of Religion.

ECCLESIASTES xii. 13.

Let us hear the conclufion of the whole matter, -Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

HE wife man, in the beginning of this

THE

book, had proposed it as a grand query to be difcuffed,-To find out what was good for the fons of men, which they should do under the heavens, all the days of their lives?—That is, what was the fitteft employment, and the chief and proper business, which they should apply themselves to in this world.—And here, in the text, after a fair difcuffion of the queftion, he afferts it to be the business of religion, the fearing God, and keeping his commandments.-This was the conclufion of the whole matter, and the natural refult of all his debates and enquiries.—And I am perfuaded, the more obfervations we make upon the fhort life of man, the more we experience,

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and the longer trials we have of the world,— and the feveral pretenfions it offers to our happiness, the more we fhall be engaged to think like him, that we can never find what we look for in any other thing which we do under the heavens, except in that of duty and obedience to God.-In the course of the wife man's examination of this point,-we find a great many beautiful reflections upon human affairs, all tending to illuftrate the conclufion he draws; and as they are fuch as are apt to offer themselves to the thoughts of every ferious and confiderate man,-I cannot do better than renew the impreffions,-by retouching the principal arguments of his difcourfe,-before I proceed to the general use and applicaon of the whole.

In the former part of his book he had taken into his confideration those several states of life to which men ufually apply themselves for happiness;-first, learning,-wisdom;next,-mirth, jollity and pleasure; — then power and greatnefs,-riches and poffeffions. -All of which are fo far from anfwering the end for which they were at first pursued,