righteousness, that we are to abound in the hopes of glory. It is by adding to our faith all the virtues of the Chriftian character, that we are to make our calling and election fure. If we do this, we fhall never fall, but an entrance will be miniftred to us abundantly into the kingdom of Christ.

SERMON XXIII.

The Death of the Young lamented and improved.

A Funeral Sermon.

'JOB xiv. 19.

Thou destroyeft the Hope of man.

HOPE is a principle, which prompts all

our actions, and animates us in all the business of life. Whatever we undertake, we are influenced by the hope of fome good to compenfate our labours. "He that ploweth, ploweth in hope; and he that thresheth, is partaker of his hope." But the hope of man, though ordinarily in fome degree realized, is frequently disappointed. Job obferves, that even mountains decay, and rocks are removed; that waters wear the ftones and wash away the things which grow out of the earth, and God deftroyeth the hope of man." This obfervation is verified, not only in floods, ftorms, and droughts, which cut off the hope of harvest,

66

but in a thousand other unexpected occurrences, which defeat our worldly defigns. The truth of it is never more vifibly manifefted, and more fenfibly felt, than when hopeful youths are snatched out of life, juft as their promifing virtues and talents begin to raise the expectations of those who know them. Such events Job feems to have had in view; for he adds, "Thou prevaileft forever against him, and he paffeth; thou changeft his countenance, and sendest him away.” The young are the hope of man.

is often destroyed.

The young are the hope of man.

But this hope

The human kind is continued by fucceffion. "One generation paffeth away, and another cometh." The mortals now on the ftage are foon to withdraw, and return no more. Were the race

of men to be terminated with the present generation, and the earth to become a dreary waste, as foon as they were gone, the prospect before us would be covered with an impenetrable gloom; our labours would languish, and our enterprise cease. But in the melancholy affurance of our own speedy departure, our minds are comforted, and our profpects brightened, by the expectation that another generation will fucceed us, and still another, and that the fucceffion will be continued for ages unknown. The youths now rifing up are our hope and joy. Thefe are foon to fill our places, enter on our labours, take the benefit of our improvements, and add to them improvements of their own, which the fhortness of our time will not permit us to make. We feem to ourselves, as if we fhould live in them after we are dead.

The rifing generation is an effential link in the long chain of human fucceffion. As we have been the inftruments of bringing them into existence,

fo they, in their turn, will be the inftruments of bringing forward another generation, and thefe again of another; and thus the fucceffion is to be maintained, until that diftant period, when the earth itself shall pass away.

The young are the hope of fociety. They are foon to ftand in our lot; to poffefs our property; to take up our duties; to fuftain our offices; to enjoy our privileges, and hand them forward to the mortals, who will fucceed them.

We

We value the gospel, which, by the piety of our fathers, has been tranfmitted to us. We view it as a moft precious gift of God to fallen men. know it to be the great charter of our eternal hopes. What it is to us, the fame muft it be to all who come after us. Could we believe, that they who fhall live here fome centuries hence, would be ftrangers to divine revelation; in this fad anticipation, we should lament their unhappy fate, and think it would be good for them not to be born. But we look on the youth now advancing forward, and hope, that by their means this richest of all bleffings will be tranfmitted to dif tant ages. We refolve to commit it to them, to educate them in the knowledge of it and inculcate upon them its facred importance. We hope, that they, in their turn, will do the fame, when a new generation fhall follow them, and that thus remote ages will be pious and happy by the vir tue and fidelity of the youths, who are now growing up under our care.

Some of us feel old age invading them; others fee it advancing toward them. We realize, that foon we shall be taken off from the active labours of life, and placed in a helpless and dependent condition. In the forethought of this evil day, we have comfort in our children, who, we think,

will naturally care for us, nourifh our feeble age, fuftain our trembling frame, and requite the kindness we have fhewn to them. "As arrows in the hands of the mighty, fo are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them. They fhall not be afhamed, but fhall speak with the enemies in the gate."

There are fome youths, of whom it may be faid with fpecial propriety, "They are the hope

of man."

When we see young men of promifing abilities, afpiring geniuses, and virtuous habits, coming forward into life, it is natural and juft to hope, they will be bleffings in fociety and in all their relations. We please ourselves with the expectation, that they will do much good in their day; will promote the intereft of virtue and religion within their sphere; advance the honour and happiness of the families to which they belong; and, if they fhould ftand at the head of families, the young, under their care, will be trained up to piety and use. fulness; and thus innumerable bleffings will defcend to thofe, who shall hereafter be born.

As the young, in general, fo the virtuous young in particular, are the hope of man. But this hope, as Job obferves, is often destroyed. The premature deaths of promising youths difappoint our flattering expectations. Inftances of this kind are recorded in scripture, and still occur in the course of providence.

But why muft it be fo?-Why may not our innocent hopes be realized?-Why may not pious and promifing youths be fpared for a comfort to their friends and a bleffing to the world?-"God's ways are not as our ways, nor his thoughts as our thoughts. As the heavens are above the earth, so are his thoughts and ways above ours."