life, and laid out on the interests of eternity. A day that is spent in confidering our obligations to God, in thanking him for his favours, confeffing our unworthinefs, and imploring his forgiveness; in short, a day spent in a way fo admirably adapted to inftruct the ignorant, to reclaim the bad, to ftrengthen the good, to honour God, and to make ourselves happy; fuch a day muft, to him who loves God and man, be the most joyful day of the whole week.

On this account too, the man who loves God, will fee a church in quite another light, and with fentiments happily different from thofe of the man who loves him not. To the latter, prayers, pfalms and fermons, have always been wearifome; and, as it is in the church that he has been accustomed to do fuch penance, he infenfibly contracts a diflike to it, and comes at

laft

laft to view it with fentiments fuch as those with which an idle boy regards his school-house.

BUT the pious man, confidering the church as the place where people meet to honor the God whom he delights to honor, to learn and love that goodness which he fees to be fo effential to the happiness of the world, fuch a man regards the church as the most beautiful and lovely building in the world; and the view of it gives him a more fincere pleasure than that which others feel in viewing the places of their moft favourite amusement.

"How amiable are thy tabernacles, O God of hofts; how pleasant is the place where thine honor dwelleth !"

BUT if gratitude, when exerted from man to man, produces fo much pleafure, it must exalt the foul to rapture, when it is employed on this great object of gratitude, on this infinitely benefi

cent

cent being, who has given us every thing we already poffefs, and from whom we expect every thing we yet hope for. When a good man looks around him on this vaft world, where beauty and goodness are reflected from every object, and where he beholds millions of creatures in their different ranks, enjoying the bleffings of existence, he looks up to the univerfal Father, and his heart glows within him. And in every comfort which fweetens his own life, he difcerns the fame indulgent hand. Is he bleft with tender parents, or with generous friends who prefs him with their kindnefs? Is he happy in his family rifing around him, in the wife who loves him, or in the children who give him comfort and joy? In all these pleafing enjoyments, in all these beloved objects he recognizes the hand of God. Every fmile of love, every act of tenderness is an effect of

his goodness. By him was kindled every fpark of friendship that ever glowed on earth, and therefore to him it juftly returns laden with the pureft incenfe of gratitude. Has God prepared a table for him, and caufed his cup to overflow? Inftead of afcribing it to the policy of his own councils, or to the ftrength of his own arm, he gives the praise to him alone, who ftrews the earth with good things for man, and teaches him wisdom to improve and convert them to his own ufe.

THUS it is that gratitude prepares a good man for the enjoyment of profperity; for not only has he as full a relish as others of the innocent pleasures of life, but, moreover, in these he holds communion with God. In all that is good or fair, he traces his hand. From the beau ties of nature, from the improvements of art, from the bleffings of public or private life, he raises his affections to the

great

great fountain of all the happiness which furrounds him, and thus widens the fphere of his enjoyments, by adding to. the pleasures of sense, the far more exquifite joys of the heart.

BUT divine love adds greatly to our happiness, not only by giving a fresh flavour to the fweets of profperity; but by correcting in an eminent degree, the bitterness of adverfity.

As in times of profperity, among perhaps a few real friends, many pretended ones intrude themselves, who in the hour of diftrefs are quickly difperf ed and know us no more; so in those times alfo, many falfe and pretended joys court the affections and gain the heart of inconfiderate man. But, when calamity comes, thofe vain joys immediately difcover their deceitful nature, defert the aftonished man in his greatest need, and leave him a prey to fhame, forrow and remorfe. Adversity

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