SERM. the polished Corners of the Temple. ReIX. member that God, who is prefent every

where, knows what you are able to do, and will not forget your Works and Labour that proceedeth of Love. Therefore turn not away your Face from the Poor, and then the Face of the Lord fhall not be turned away from you.

SER

SERMON X.

ECCLES. vii. 10.

Say not thou, What is the Caufe that the former Days were better than these? For thou doft not enquire wifely concerning

this.

T

HERE is nothing in which

Mankind is fo univerfally agreed as in this, that every one defires to be happy; and did they pursue their Defires the right way, they would certainly be fo: But there is nothing in which they are more mistaken than in the nature of true Happiness, and the right way to obtain it.

SERM

X.

And

SERM. And no wonder we are deceived, fince X. we fuffer ourfelves to be governed more by our Senfes than our Reason, and make Happiness, which is founded only in Virtue, fubfift entirely in Opinion. Hence it is, that every thing in its Turn, how vain and trifling foever, puts in its Claim to be the chief Good of Man, tho' it continues only for the prefent Moment, and leaves us to feek it fomewhere else. Thus do we make Happinefs precarious and uncertain, by placing it în Things, which in their Natures are fo. And if we are mistaken in the End, no wonder we are mistaken in the Means of obtaining it. While we place Happinefs in the Gratification of our Paffions, we shall certainly look out for fuch Means, as we imagine moft proper for our Defigns.

In the first fix Chapters of this Book we find the Wife Man had been feeking after Happiness, and made an Experiment of every worldly Enjoyment, in order to find it, but all in vain, for he was as far from it then as he was before. But

the following Chapters he rectifies the Mif

X.

Mistake, fhews what the Nature of true SERM. Happiness is, that it has no Foundation but in Virtue and Religion; and lays down many good Inftructions in order to obviate some false Opinions which hinder'd People from finding it out. One of which he endeavours to obviate in the Words of the Text, by fhewing the Folly of thofe, who are of a murmuring complaining Teinper, and are always uneafy at the prefent Times, as if the former were better; which he fhews is occafioned by a Want of a wife Confideration and Enquiry into this Matter: Say not thou, What is the Cause that the former Days were better than these? For thou doft not enquire wifely concerning this. In difcourfing upon the Words of the Text I fhall,

First, Enquire into the Ground of this Complaint, and fhew, that to fay the former Days were better than thefe, which is implied in the afking the Cat Caufe of it, is generally falfe, and proceeds from a want of confidering wifely concerning this Matter.

X.

SERM. Secondly, I fhall fhew the Sin and Folly of murmuring against the present Dif penfations of God's Providence, even upon Supposition that it was true. Thirdly, I fhall lay down fome Rules in order to acquire a happier Frame and Temper of Mind.

First then I am to enquire into the Ground of this Complaint, and shew, that to say the former Days were better than these, which is implied in the asking the Cause of it, is generally false; and proceeds from a want of confidering wifely concerning this Matter.

However wife and bountiful the Dif penfations of Providence are, there will never be wanting fome to murmur and complain, as they have hitherto done in all the Ages of the World. As they say of Alphonfus, that he found fault with the Creation, and arraigned the Wisdom of God in the Natural World, so there are too many others, who take the fame Freedom, and accufe the Divine Provi

dence in the Moral World, and both for

the