thoughts, fentiments, opinions, perceptions, various kinds of knowledge, views and accomplishments, 'you take with you, fo much the more opportunity and means will you meet with for exchanging your riches against the commodities that others poffefs, and at the fame time improve and augment your ftock.

Learn, thirdly, from what has been faid, that the wife, the virtuous man, the real chriftian, whether in fociety or folitude, is in his proper place; that he conftantly carries about him the most copious fources of pleasure, which he imparts to others and enjoys himself; that he every where runs the least hazard of either doing or fuffering wrong, of affronting others or of being affronted by them; that he is every where eminently good and eminently happy; and that he has always the means at hand, in his reflecting mind, his honeft heart, and his contented difpofition, of rendering very indifferent, and in many respects disagreeable His trained under, company, pretty tolerable.

ftanding finds even there more materials for thought, his benevolent and philanthropic heart discovers there more of the beautiful and the good, overlooks and excufes more failings and follies, enjoys every pleasure and fatisfaction in greater purity and perfection; and his temperate defires, his modest pretenfions, are far more eafily fatisfied, than if hé brought with him into company an empty head, a drowzy mind, an auftere or envious eye, a mifan

thropical,

thropical, difcontented heart, or ungoverned defires and proud pretenfions.

Learn, laftly, that folitary and focial life must be mutually interchanged for each other, if we would receive the greatest poffible advantage from both, and that the focial alone, without the folitary life, can have no great value. In the filence of folitude we fhould qualify ourselves for the fatisfactions and pleasures of fociety. There we fhould learn to think judiciously in the christian fenfe of the term, if we would here fpeak rationally and agreeably. We should there collect and adjust the knowledge, acquire the virtues and the good qualities we are here to use, and by which we are to merit esteem and approbation and love. There we fhould form our taste to the beautiful and good, which we are here to cherish and apply. We must there procure our heart that peace, and fill it with those benevolent, generous fentiments and difpofitions, which we find fo neceffary here, and afford fo much fatisfaction and delight both to ourselves and to others. We fhould there fight against the obstacles and temptations which may here lead us into error or plunge us into guilt. Combine them therefore together, and labour in folitude at the cultivation of your understanding and the improvement of your moral condition, with fo much the more zeal, as it is fo neceffary to you in focial life, that you may be fo much the more useful and agreeable to others, and that you may reap again in return more profit

and

and fatisfaction from your intercourse with them. Yes, believe me, my dear friends, wifdom and virtue and piety, are and continue in all places, at all times, in all circumftances, in domestic and in social, as well as in folitary life, the best, the surest guides of man, the most folid bafis of his fatisfaction, the richest, the only inexhaustible fources of his pleasure and his happiness.

SERMON XXIX.

The Value of Social Life, continued.

GOD, how much more might we not be and afford to others than we actually are and do! How much more contented and chearful and happy might we live together than it commonly happens! How much farther proceed in virtue and perfection! What incitement, what means and opportunities to that end haft thou not granted to us in focial life! Every reciprocal office we perform, every business that we pursue in common, and every pleasure that we commonly enjoy, might and fhould at the fame time be an exercise in virtue and an approximation to perfection; every affistance we afford our brethren, every fatisfaction we procure them, at the same time be a benefit and a bleffing to ourselves! Yes, if we fo much more esteemed each other as we might and fhould, fo much more loved each other, so much more readily ferved each other, fo much more closely connected

connected our wants and bufineffes and pleasures together; if fincerity and affection accompanied us in every fociety, there animated all our difcourfes and actions; if we there looked not merely at our own things, but also and still more on the things of others, and our thoughts and fentiments were conftantly in unifon with our words and deeds: what a fource of virtue and happiness would not focial life be to us! What a preparation to that better superior life, that will unite all wife and good perfons together, that kingdom of reafon and virtue to come! O God teach us then properly to understand and to ufe our advantages. Grant us ever more and more to be kindly affectioned one to another. Infpire into us all à conftantly greater avidity and zeal to ferve and to affift each other, and to promote our recipro cal happiness to the utmost of our power. Grant that we may ever take a greater intereft in the cone cerns and fortunes of our brethren, and fo cordially rejoice with them that do rejoice and weep with them that weep. Let our intercourfe with each other be conftantly more edifying, more useful, and the fatisfactions we mutually enjoy, be constantly more innocent, more generous and fruitful in good works. Oh that in this refpect the fpirit of christianity might animate and guide us, and dignify all that we think and do! Blefs to this end the confiderations in which we are now to be employed, and hear our prayer through Jefus Christ, our lord, in whofe name we farther implore thee, faying: Our father, &c.