vine nature: a thirst not to be allayed with the impure and turbid waters of any earthly good, or of all worldly enjoyments taken together. It thirsts after the never-failing fountain of good, according to that of the Psalmist, "As the hart panteth after the water-brooks* :" it thirsts after a good, invisible, immaterial, and immortal, to the enjoyment whereof the ministry of a body is so far from being absolutely necessary, that it feels itself shut up, and confined by that, to which it is now united, as by a partition-wall, and groans under the pressure of it. And those souls, that are quite insensible of this thirst, are certainly buried in the body, as in the carcase of an impure hog; nor have they so entirely divested themselves of this appetite, we have mentioned, nor can they possibly divest themselves of it, so as not to feel it severely, to their great misery, sooner or later, either when they awake out of their lethargy within the body, or when they are obliged to leave it. To conclude: nobody, I believe, will deny, that we are to form our judgment of the true nature of the human mind, not from the sloth and stupidity of the most degenerate and vilest of men, but from the sentiments and fervent desires of the best and wisest of the species.

These sentiments, concerning the immortality of the soul in its future existence, not only include no impossibility or absurdity in them, but are also every way agreeable to sound reason, wisdom, and *Psal. xlii. 1.

virtue, to the divine œconomy, and the natural wishes and desires of men; wherefore most nations have, with the greatest reason, universally adopted them, and the wisest in all countries, and in all ages, have cheerfully embraced them. And though they could not confirm them with any argument of irresistible force, yet they felt something within them that corresponded with this doctrine, and always looked upon it as most beautiful and worthy of credit. "Nobody, says Atticus in Cicero, shall drive me from the immortality of the soul*:" And Seneca's words are, "I took pleasure to inquire into the eternity of the soul, and even, indeed, to believe it. I resigned myself to so glorious an hope, for now I begin to despise the remains of a broken constitution, as being to remove into that immensity of time, and into the possession of endless ages t." O how much does the soul gain by this removal !

As for you, young gentlemen, I doubt not but you will embrace this doctrine, not only as agreeable to reason, but as it is an article of the christian faith. I only put you in mind to revolve it often within yourselves, and with a serious disposition of mind; for you will find it the strongest incitement to wisdom, good morals, and true piety;

* Me memo de immortalitate depellet.

Juvabat de æternitate animarum quærere, imo mehercule credere: dabam me spei tantæ, jam enim reliquias infractæ ætatis contemnebam, in immensum illud tempus, et in possessionem omnis ævi transiturus. SEN. Epis. 102..

nor can you imagine any thing that will more effectually divert you from a foolish admiration of present and perishing things, and from the allurements and sordid pleasures of this earthly body. Consider, I pray you, how unbecoming it is, to make a heaven-born soul, that is to live for ever, a slave to the meanest, vilest, and most trifling things; and, as it were, to thrust down to the kitchen a prince that is obliged to leave his country only for a short time. St. Bernard pathetically addresses himself to the body in favour of the soul, persuading it to treat the latter honourably, not only on account of its dignity, but also for the advantage that thereby will redound to the body itself. "Thou hast a noble guest, O flesh! a most noble one indeed, and all thy safety depends upon its salvation: it will certainly remember thee for good, if thou serve it well; and when it comes to its Lord, it will put him in mind of thee, and the mighty God himself will come to make thee who art now a vile body, like unto his glorious one: and, O wretched flesh, he, who came in humility and obscurity to redeem souls, will come in great majesty to glorify thee, and every eye shall see him *." Be mindful, there

* Nobilem hospitem habes, O caro! nobilem valde, et tota tua salus de ejus salute pendet: omnino etiam memor erit tui in bonum, si bene servieris illi; et cum pervenerit ad Dominun suum, suggeret ei de te, et veniet ipse Dominus virtutum, et te vile corpus configurabit corpori suo glorioso, qui, ad animas redimendas humilis ante venerat, et occultus, pro te glorificando, O misera caro, sublimis veniet et manifestus.

better part, and

fore, young gentlemen, of your accustom it to think of its own eternity; always and every where, having its eyes fixed upon that world, to which it is most nearly related. And thus it will look down, as from on high, on all these things, which the world considers as lofty and exalted, and will see them under its feet; and of all the things, which are confined within the narrow verge of this present life, it will have nothing to desire, and nothing to fear.

LECTURE VI.

Of the HAPPINESS of the LIFE to come.

Or all the thoughts of men, there is certainly none that more often occur to a serious mind, that has its own interest at heart, than that, to which all others are subordinate and subservient, with regard to the intention, the ultimate and most desirable end of all our toils and cares, and even of life itself. And this important thought will the more closely beset the mind, the more sharp-sighted it is in prying into the real torments, the delusive hopes, and the false joys of this our wretched state; which is indeed so miserable, that it can never be sufficiently lamented: and as for laughter amidst so many sorrows, dangers and fears, it must be considered as downright madness. Such was the

opinion of the wisest of kings: "I have said of laughter, says he, it is mad; and of mirth, what doth it?" We have, therefore, no cause to be much surprised at the bitter complaints, which a grievous weight of afflictions has extorted, even from great and good men; nay it is rather a wonder, if the same causes do not often oblige us to repeat them.

If we look about us, how often are we shocked to observe either the calamities of our country, or the sad disasters of our relations and friends, whom we have daily occasion to mourn, either as groaning under the pressures of poverty, pining away under languishing diseases, tortured by acute ones, or carried off by death, while we ourselves are, in like manner, very soon, to draw tears from the eyes of others; nay, how often are we a burden to ourselves, and groan heavily under afflictions of our own, that press hard upon our estates, our bodies, or our minds? Even those who seem to meet with the fewest and the least inconveniences in this life, and dazzle the eyes of spectators with the brightness of a seemingly constant, and uniform felicity; besides, that they often suffer from secret vexations and cares, which destroy their inward peace, and prey upon their distressed hearts; how uncertain, weak, and brittle is that false happiness which appears about them, and, when it shines brightest how easily is it broken to pieces: so that it has been justly said, “ they want another felicity

* Eccl. ii. 2.