fuses a serenity over the mind under every change of temporal circumstances, inclining the godly person to recognize and adore the goodness of God, even in the midst of tribulation and distress.-Who ever engaged in earnest prayer to God, without finding that he came from his closet disposed to bear affliction more patiently, and to rejoice in his temporal mercies with a more pure and solid satisfaction?

But here it must be observed that this exemption from the dominion of turbulent passions, and this peace and serenity of mind, are confined principally to those who are really in earnest about religion. Let not such as are contented with a superficial knowledge, and still more superficial practice of the duties of godliness, imagine that they shall possess these high privileges. A slight degree of religious progress serves often only to irritate the passions; to awaken apprehensions; to produce anxiety and terror; and to fill the mind with a fretfulness and gloom, which extend their influence to all the circumstances of the temporal condition. The high and ennobling principles of the Gospel must be wrought into the very frame and texture of the soul, by much reflection and constant prayer; the hope of glory must be realized to the mind, by frequent and deep meditation, and the power of the Redeemer, in his various offices be habitually acknowledged and felt, before true peace, the peace of God, is shed abroad in the heart.

3. Godliness is further profitable in all the various tempers and states of mind to which human nature is liable: for the religion of Christ, by which the godly person is influenced, applies itself with wonderful ease and readiness, as an universal remedy, to all the diseases of the soul.-Is any one hurried away by a fickleness and levity of temper, which prevents application; let him embrace, by faith, the truths of the Gospel; those truths which present to his view the awful realities of the invisible world, the shortness of time, the nearness of eternity, the strictness of the day

is evident, can do this. All things beside do not even promise a resource. Wealth itself becomes disgustful under many of these circumstances: the heart turns with aversion even from the most favourite pursuits. But let godliness, in its sovereign power, be felt, and mark the effect which it will produce. It will instil into our minds patience and submission: it will lighten our burden, or communicate strength to support us under it. It will teach us to look at joys that never fade, at a portion which shall never be taken from us, to an Almighty God, and to a wise and gracious Father. Faith will inspire us with fortitude and hope; will cheer us with the prospect of a better world to come, where every tear shall be wiped from our eyes, and where all things shall be made new.

There is still one more trying scene through which all must pass, and in which the excellence of godliness is eminently conspicuous. When you come to a dying bed, supposing you to have lived without godliness, and there seriously reflect upon all you have heard of the righteous judgments of God against sin; when in these circumstances you look into the invisible world and consider what might have been gained in it, and what may now be dreaded: how awful the loss of the soul, and how intolerable the ruin which is to last for ever; melancholy indeed must your reflections be! Keenly will you then feel that godliness might have been not only the repose of a dying bed, but its consolation and joy; for it is equally profitable at the extremity of our lives here, as at our entrance upon the life to come.

II. Hitherto we have only considered godliness as profitable to the individual who practises it, and noticed the peace which it secures to him in the various circumstances of life; but godliness is profitable also in a much wider extent. All who dwell near a truly righteous person will be partakers of the benefits and blessings derived from real religion.-The children of a godly parent will have their minds stored with useful instructions, will be guarded against the influence of

evil passions, will be treated with tender attention, be saved from many a hurtful lust, and many a pang of remorse, and reap an abundant harvest of prayers. Children that are pious will bear with patience the infirmities of age, and will be dutiful and affectionate; for piety will remind them of obligations which human nature is too apt to forget; and strengthen the bond of natural affection by the ties of duty and gratitude.— Servants and Masters who truly fear God, and are carefully endeavouring to please him, will live in peace and mutual confidence. Angry passions will not disturb the quiet of the dwelling, nor will discontent embitter domestic enjoyment. How tranquil, how blessed, the family, where every member of it, possessing peace in his own soul, through the knowledge of God, meets the rest to minister to their comfort, and increase their inward happiness by acts of cheerful attention, kindness, and love: where no jarring string interrupts the harmony of the whole, no evil passion disturbs the tranquillity of the rest!

But, alas! where are such scenes to be found? Too rarely, I allow. Godliness flourishes not in this our polluted earth: it is like a plant in an unfavourable soil, where its growth is stinted and its beauty injured. But we see the tendency of religion to produce happiness in the earth, and wherever it is cordially embraced and seriously cultivated, there, in a proportional measure, is this tendency manifested. Let the Let the precepts of the Gospel be assumed to have their full influence:let us suppose, for example, a family "loving without dissimulation, kindly affectionate one to another with brotherly love, in honour preferring one another, not slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; minding not high things, but condescending to men of low estate, recompensing to no man evil for evil, providing things honourable in the sight of all men;" and surely such a family would be a blessing to the whole neighbourhood.

Enlarge this view, and suppose (what is, alas! but too unlikely soon to happen) the whole world partaking of the same spirit, and how profitable would godliness appear for all things, even in the present life! There would be no jealousy between subjects and their governors, no party spirit of animosity, no more war and bloodshed. The sword would be beat into the plough-share, and the spear into the pruning hook. Every man you met would be a brother. No scenes of cruelty would shock the eye; no cry of oppression would wound the ear. Tyranny and slavery would be only remembered with a sigh that human nature should once have suffered them. The voice of joy and praise would be heard in every cottage, and the sufferings which still remained in the earth would be alleviated by the affectionate tenderness of every neighbour and every stranger; for every stranger would be a friend. The wolf would indeed dwell with the lamb, and the leopard lie down with the kid.

But, alas! how different is the scene which now presents itself! The eye must yet be pained to behold the tumults and distractions of nations; the ear to hear the lamentations of misery and the groans of despair. Armies yet meet together with savage ferocity, and spread around them desolation and carnage. While we contemplate such scenes, let us read in them the inscription of Heaven, drawn indeed in bloody, but legible, characters; "Godliness is profitable for all things, having the promise of the life that now is, as well as of that which is to come."

All misery and evil came into the world by sin; and in proportion to its increase, in that proportion do they increase also. The real evils which God inflicts are comparatively few in number, and, with them all, he mingles something which may alleviate them or compensate their pressure. But the evils we bring upon ourselves, or which our fellow creatures bring upon us through their vices, are many and complicated. There is, however, one remedy of sovereign efficacy which

God in his pity, has given us against evil of every kind: "Godliness is profitable for all things." In proportion as godliness is practised, evil will be less abundant and less keenly felt; and blessings will spring up and multiply upon us. Let us see, therefore, that we are seeking after godliness with that earnestness which becomes its importance to ourselves and to mankind.

But it must be remembered, that godliness is not a cold assent to the truths of religion: it is not a natural softness and benevolence of temper; it is not the abstaining from gross sins, or the giving to God a part of our hearts and some vacant portions of our time, while the bulk of both is alienated from him, that will entitle us to the benefits which follow godliness: No: godliness is the entire subjection and devotedness of the Soul to God himself. It is the practical acknowledgment of his unlimited sovereignty, and the unreserved dedication of our whole selves to his service. To speak in the emphatical language of the Apostle, It is Christ formed in the heart by the powerful energy of the Holy Spirit; in consequence of which the person becomes a new creature both with regard to his temper and practice: he partakes of a Divine nature, and those members which were formerly the servants of sin are now employed as instruments of righteousness unto God. This is real godliness: this is what is profitable unto all things, having the promise of the life that now is, as well as of that which is to come. The form of godliness, too often and too fatally mistaken for it, brings no just peace to the mind; does not implant there the love of God; does not correct the faulty dispositions of the heart; is of no service in the distressing scenes of life; and is attended with no good to society. From this shadow of godliness the opinions of the world have been too generally taken respecting its substance, and its effects estimated: and hence it has appeared to be so barren of good and so useless to mankind, neither promoting their peace nor their virtue.