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cherish a spirit of Stoical apathy and indifference. "He who has lavished on us so many means of delight, as to make it impossible for us, in the ordinary circumstances of life, not to be sensitively happy in some greater or less degree, has not made nature so full of beauty that we should not admire it. He has not poured fragrance and music around us, and strewed with flowers the very turf on which we tread, that our heart may not rejoice, as we move along; that we may walk through this world of loveliness with the same dull eye and indifferent soul, with which we should have traversed unvaried scenes without a colour, or an odour, or a song."

Since, however, the pleasures of the senses are, by the majority of mankind, pursued with undue ardour, and indulged to criminal excess, it is important to keep in mind the limitations within which alone they can be legitimately enjoyed, and within which alone they can be conducive to our happiness. They are contributory to our happiness, only when they are not purchased at the expense of health, or peace, or principle; when they are enjoyed. with a temperance and moderation, which will guard against the danger of impairing our capacity for nobler pleasures; when they are the occasion of calling forth gratitude of heart to the bounteous Giver of all good; and when we are prepared to resign them at his call, and, without hesitation or repining, to practise self-denial in every instance which conscience and duty may demand.

Man is to be regarded,

2. As an intellectual being.

There is a pleasure attendant on the very exercise of our faculties, whether corporeal or mental; and this pleasure rises, in proportion to the dignity and elevation of the faculties themselves. The acquisition of knowledge affords delight, by rousing to vigorous exertion our intellectual powers, as well as by stimulating and gratifying that principle of. curiosity, which is so deeply and so universally implanted in our nature. We feel a desire to know, and we are highly gratified by knowing the history of the ages which are past, and of the generations now mingled with the dust; the character, the manners, and the transactions of other nations, in distant parts of the world, contemporary with ourselves; the scenery and the productions of countries we never expect to visit; the natural history of the various tribes of animals peculiar to their respective climates and elements; the laws which regulate the phenomena of the heavens, and the earth, and the ocean; and the treasures of science, reduced by the wisdom of enlightened men to systematic forms, and applied to purposes of practical utility. Pleasures, arising from sources such as these, are interdicted by no law; and when they do not unduly engross the mind, so as to impede the performance of incumbent duties, they are not only allowable, but desirable. They are of an order far more elevated and refined than the pleasures of the senses. While sensitive

gratifications are diminished by repetition, these are ever on the increase; these are ever within our power; these may afford recreation in fatigue, welcome relief from the turmoil of a boisterous world, and interesting occupation in the hours of occasional leisure.

But what species of knowledge, considered as a source of intellectual pleasure, can be so interesting or so delightful to the mind, as that which is connected with the interests and the prospects of immortality, with the glorious Author of our being, and with the history of redeeming mercy, engaged in the preparation of a world of ever-during blessedness! Surely of all the sources of human knowledge to which man has access, while an inhabitant of earth, none can admit of comparison, in point of interest or importance, with the disclosures of Divine revelation on the things which belong to his eternal peace. If the first principles of wisdom have found a place in our hearts, we cannot hesitate to "count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord." Phil. iii. 8

Man is to be regarded,

3. As a social being.

Every creature endowed with consciousness appears to derive pleasure from associating with other beings of his own species. The social principle is one of the universal characteristics of the human family. No one calls in question the truth first asserted by our Creator; "It is not good that man should be alone." Gen. ii. 18. Man derives pleasure

from the very aspect of the illuminated countenance of a fellow-creature; still more from the interchange of thought and feeling; most of all from mutual offices of kindness and of love. It is in the society of his fellow-men that scope is given for the enjoyment of some of the purest delights, for the excitement of the most generous affections, for the culture of the tenderest sympathies, and for the performance of the most beneficent actions. Exquisite and inexpressible are the joys which spring from the intimate relations of social and domestic endearment, when mutual love and mutual confidence, coincidence of sentiment, and congeniality of spirit, are all blended with the love of God, the enjoyment of his friendship, and the hope of his eternal glory! This is happiness which deserves the name, the best and the purest which it is permitted to mortals to enjoy in the present imperfect world; a world, however, which is designed to be preparatory to a state of boundless and eternal bliss.

I have now specified those sources of happiness which appear to be of principal importance; but it is necessary to bear in mind, that earthly happiness arises from a succession of pleasurable feelings, the aggregate of which may constitute a great amount of enjoyment, while the specific and immediate occasions of such feelings may appear frequently very slight, if not even trivial. I think it important, therefore, to specify as

A FOURTH Source of happiness, the cultiva

tion of those habits which are most conducive to enjoyment.

The considerations I have now to suggest may, with propriety and advantage, assume the form of practical advice, rather than of speculative discussion.

1. Let me recommend the habitual cultivation of a spirit of thankfulness.

If it be "of the Lord's mercies you are not consumed," Lam. iii. 22, how grateful should you be for favours, every one of which is undeserved! Are you in the enjoyment of health? You might have been at this moment, as multitudes at this moment are, tortured with pain or debilitated by lingering disease. Be not unmindful of the value of an exemption from such suffering. Remember how much the tone of feeling and of temper is usually dependent on the state of the health. Forget not how much the views we form of our situation and circumstances receive a colouring and a character from the state of the health. Think how much our capacity for usefulness is dependent on health and vigour. Cherish then the liveliest gratitude for a blessing of such incalculable value, and ever guard it from unnecessary and unwarrantable exposure, even with religious care.

In addition to the pleasurable feelings which arise from bodily health, are you in possession also of intellectual enjoyments? Render a tribute of lively gratitude to the Father of spirits, to whose sustaining goodness you are indebted for the preservation of your mental

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