that they have faid and thought of religion, be made to fhew the juftice of their condemnation to eternal darkness, weeping and gnashing of teeth.

THIS is the purchase that they make, who avoid the strictness and perfection of religion, in order to live happily.

On the other hand, would you fee a short defcription of the happiness of a life rightly employed, whol ly devoted to God, you must look at the man in the parable, to whom his Lord had given five talents. Lord, fays he, thou deliveredft unto me five talents: behold, I have gain'd befides them five talents more. His Lord faid unto him, well done thou good. and faithful fervant; thou haft been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things ; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.

HERE you fee a life that is wholly intent upon the improvement of the talents, that is devoted wholly unto God, is a ftate of happiness, profperous labours, and glorious fuccefs. Here are not, as in the former cafe, any uneafy paffions, murmurings, vain fears, and fruitless labours. The man is not toiling, and digging in the earth for no end or advantage; but his pious labours profper in his hands, his happiness increafes upon him, the bleffing of five becomes the bleffing of ten talents; and he is receiv'd with a Well done good and faithful fervant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.

Now as the cafe of these men in the parable left nothing else to their choice, but either to be happy in ufing their gifts to the glory of the Lord, or milerable by ufing them according to their own humours and fancies; fo the state of Christianity leaves us no other choice.

ALL that we have, all that we are, all that we enjoy, are only fo many talents from God: if we use them to the ends of a pious and holy life, our five talents will become ten, and our labours will carry us into the joy of our Lord; but if we abuse them to N

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the gratifications of our own paffions, facrificing the gifts of God to our own pride and vanity, we shall live here in vain labours and foolish anxieties, thunning religion as a melancholy thing, accufing our Lord as a hard mafter, and then fall into everlasting mifery.

WE may for a while amuse ourselves with names, and founds, and shadows of happiness; we may talk of this or that greatness and dignity; but if we defire real happinefs, we have no other poffible way to it, but by improving our talents, by fo holily and pioufly using the powers and faculties of men in this prefent ftate, that we may be happy and glorious in the powers and faculties of angels in the world to come.

How ignorant therefore are they of the nature of religion, of the nature of man, and the nature of God, who think a life of ftrict piety and devotion to God, to be a dull and uncomfortable state; when it is fo plain and certain, that there is neither comfort or joy to be found in any thing else?

CHA P. XII.

The happiness of a life wholly devoted unto God, farther prov'd, from the vanity, the fenfuality, and the ridiculous, poor enjoyments, which they are forced to take up with, who live according to their own humours. This represented in various characters.

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E may ftill fee more of the happiness of a life devoted unto God, by confidering the poor contrivances for happiness, and the contemptible ways of life, which they are thrown into, who are not under the directions of a ftrict piety, but feeking after happiness by other methods.

IF one looks at their lives, who live by no rule but their own humours and fancies; if one fees but

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what it is, which they call joy, and greatness, and happinefs; if one fees how they rejoice and repent, change and fly from one delufion to another; one fhall find great reafon to rejoice, that God hath appointed a Straight and narrow way that leadeth unto life, and that we are not left to the folly of our own minds, or forc'd to take up with fuch fhadows of joy and happinefs, as the weakness and folly of the world has invented. I fay invented, because those things which make up the joy and happiness of the world, are mere inventions, which have no foundation in nature and reason, are no way the proper good or happiness of man, no way perfect either in his body, or his mind, or carry him to his true end..

As for inftance, when a man proposes to be hap py in ways of ambition, by raifing himself to fome imaginary heights above other people; this is truly an invention of happiness which has no foundation in nature, but is as mere a cheat, of our own making, as if a man fhould intend to make himself happy by climbing up a ladder.

Ir a woman feeks for a happiness from fine colours or spots upon her face, from jewels and rich cloaths, this is as merely an invention of happiness, as contrary to nature and reafon, as if the fhould propose to make herfelf happy, by painting a poft, and putting the fame finery upon it. It is in this refpect that I call thefe joys and happiness of the world, mere inventions of happiness, because neither God, nor nature, nor reafon, hath appointed them as fuch; but what ever appears joyful, or great, or happy in them, is entirely created or invented by the blindness and vanity of our own minds.

AND it is on these inventions of happiness, that I defire you to caft your eye, that you may thence learn, how great a good religion is, which delivers you from fuch a multitude of follies, and vain purfuits, as are the torment and vexation of minds that wander from their true happiness in God.

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Look at Flatus, and learn how miserable they are, who are left to the folly of their own paffions.

Flatus is rich and in health, yet always uneafy, and always fearching after happiness. Every time you vifit him, you find fome new project in his head, he is eager upon it as fomething that is more worth his while, and will do more for him, than any thin that is already paft. Every new thing fo feizes him, that if you was to take him from it, he would think himfelf quite undone. His fanguine temper, and strong paffions, promife him fo much happiness in every thing, that he is always cheated, and is fatisfied with nothing.

AT his first fetting out in life, fine cloaths was his delight, his enquiry was only after the best Taylors and Peruke-makers, and he had no thoughts of excelling in any thing but drefs. He fpar'd no expence, but carried every nicety to its greateft height. But this happiness not anfwering his expectations, he left off his Brocades, put on a plain coat, rail'd at fops and beaux, and gave himself up to gaming with great eagerness.

THIS new pleasure fatisfied him for fome time, he envied no other way of life. But being by the fate of play drawn into a duel, where he narrowly escap'd his death, he left off the dice, and fought for happiness no longer amongst the gamefters.

THE next thing that feiz'd his wandring imagination, was the diverfions of the town: and for more than a twelvemonth, you heard him talk of nothing but ladies, drawing-rooms, birth-nights, plays, balls, and affemblies. But growing fick of thefe, he had recourfe to hard drinking. Here he had many a merry night, and met with ftronger joys than any he had felt before. Here he had thoughts of fetting up his ftaff, and looking out no farther; but unluckily falling into a fever, he grew angry at all strong liquors, and took his leave of the happiness of being drunk.

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THE next attempt after happiness, carried him into the field, for two or three years nothing was fo happy as hunting; he enter'd upon it with all his foul, and: leaped more hedges and ditches than had ever been. known in fo fhort a time. You never faw him but in a green coat; he was the envy of all that blow the horn, and always fpoke to his dogs in great propriety of language. If you met him at home in a bad day, you would hear him blow his horn, and be entertained with the furprizing accidents of the last noble chafe. No fooner had Flatus outdone all the world in the breed and education of his dogs, built new kennels, new ftables, and bought a new huntingfeat, but he immediately got fight of another happinefs, hated the fenfelefs noife and hurry of hunting, gave away his dogs, and was for fome time after deep in the pleasures of building.

Now he invents new kinds of dove-cotes, and has fuch contrivances in his barns and ftables, as were never feen before: he wonders at the dulnefs of the old builders, is wholly bent upon the improvement of architecture, and will hardly hang a door in the ordinary way. He tells his friends, that he never was fo delighted in any thing in his life; that he has more happiness amongst his brick and mortar, than ever he had at court; and that he is contriving how to have fome little matter to do that way as long as he lives.

THE next year he leaves his house unfinish'd, complains to every body of masons and carpenters, and devotes himfelf wholly to the happiness of riding about. After this, you can never fee him but on horfe-back, and fo highly delighted with this new way of life, that he would tell you, give him but his horfe and a clean country to ride in, and you might take all the reft to your felf. A variety of new faddles and bridles, and a great change of horfes, added much to the pleasure of this new way of life. But however, having after fome time tir'd both himself and his horfes,

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