Compaffion. Thus influenced, thofe of higher Rank would be public Bleffings and Examples: their Inferiors would love and honour his Image impreffed upon them: and all would endeavour to fill worthily whatever Station the Wisdom of Providence allotted them: difcharging confcientiously the Duties of the most laborious, and counting it an Honour to ferve God in the leaft confiderable.

But let us now inquire,

II. What Effect the Fear of God must have on the Enjoyment of our Lives.

Unquestionably it will make bad People uneafy. But then it is both for the World's Good, and their own, that they should be so. It is not their thinking of their Condition, that renders it a dreadful one. The lefs they feel it, the worse it is: and feeling it to Purpose will be the happiest Thing poffible for them. Farther: this Fear doubtless restrains Perfons from diffolute Pleafures, and difhonourable Means of obtaining Profit, Power, Advancement. But fo doth Virtue: fo for the most Part doth common Prudence. And Religion never forbids us even a hurtful Gratification, but it offers us Happiness hereafter in Return for our prefent Self-denial. Farther ftill: we

must own, it gives a peculiar Seriousness and Awe to the Mind of Man. But we have need to be kept in Order by a Senfe of God's parental Authority: and without it should quickly become ungovernable, mischievous, and wretched. He requires us not in the least to be gloomy and comfortless; or full of Terrors, while we mean to do well: but freely permits us the chearfullest Use of all our Faculties, that is confiftent with Innocence, and with making Improvement in Goodness our chief Care, as it will be our chief Felicity.

And if the Thought of Him doth moderate the Liveliness of over-gay Difpofitions; it prevents, by fo doing, many great Evils, into which they would otherwife hurry us; and fills us with much more inward and deeplyfelt Satisfactions, than those light and trifling ones, that only play upon the Surface of an inconfiderate Mind. Or did that Compofure, which Piety introduces, leffen our Enjoyments for a Time; yet, being what our State on Earth, which is in many Respects a serious one, demands; if we are wife, we shall gladly conform ourfelves to the Condition which God hath placed us in; and trust Him, that the Confequences will be happy.

Such

Such indeed will every one, who makes the Trial, foon find them. What Pleasure can be greater, than a full Perfuafion, that our Behaviour is approved by Him, who knows our Hearts, and will reward with his Friendship whatever we do aright? The World is generally a negligent Spectator, and too often an unfair Interpreter, of the best Actions. This cannot but give Uneasinefs and Difcouragement to Virtue, unless it be animated by nobler Views. But the Recollection, that God looks on with Efteem, fets us above the Cenfures of Men, and even above their Applauses. For were all Mankind to join in doing Juftice to exalted Merit; how poor would the Recompence be, and how low the Delight, compared with His, who can lay open his Principles and his Behaviour, with humble Confidence, before the Judge of all!

Then as to the Sufferings of this Life; which, very frequently make up a great Share of it; Religion entirely prevents many of them, by withholding us from the Sins and the Follies that commonly bring them upon us. And it wonderfully diminishes the reft, by loofening our Attachments to what we

muft

must expect to be disappointed in, or separated from; and leading us, from the broken Cisterns of worldly Comfort, to God the Foun tain of living Waters"; in the Affurance of whofe Grace, our great Interest is safe, under every Change; and by the Superintendency of whofe Providence all Things work together for our Good. What are the poor Confolations of Philofophy, or the Amusements, which thoughtless Minds take Refuge in, to deceive their Sorrows, compared with fuch cheering Reflections as thefe! Still, what is naturally painful, must be felt fo: but the insupportable Part of every Affliction is taken away, when we confider it, as ordered by Him, whofe Right to dispose of us we must acknowledge, and of whofe kind Intention to us we may always be sure.

1

A Heart, habitually formed to fuch Meditations as these, with what Serenity must it pass through its allotted Pilgrimage here below! It hath nothing to fear: it hath nothing to hide, from others or itself. It can bear Solitude, and its own Inspection. It can even rejoice in the Senfe of his Prefence, who is to others inexpreffibly terrible;

b Jer. ii. 13.

i Rom. viii. 28.

but

but to the pious Soul an immoveable Ground of Security, an inexhauftible Source of Happiness. For, indeed, what greater Happinefs can we wish to ourselves, than to be placed under the fatherly Guidance of infinite Forefight and Power; borne up under all the Calamities of Life; and, which is the great Point, exalted with the nobleft Hopes of what shall follow after Death!

Our Time on Earth is fo fhort; and our Pleasures at beft fo languid and rare, and mixed with so many Anxieties, Pains and Sorrows; that furely it is a melancholy View, to think of ending here; and after a very few Days are gone over our Heads, becoming for ever, as if we had never been. Yet this is much more than irreligious Persons can poffibly promise themselves. Could there be no God, they would have no Certainty, but that their Beings might continue, and might be miferable. For what is there that may not be, on the Suppofition of an ungoverned World? But fince there is a God; flighting and difobeying him must be Crimes, and must be punished. We may have little Attention to this perhaps, in the Tumult of youthful Fancies and worldly Purfuits. But VOL. III. when

B