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SERMON III.

i. CoR. ii. 9.

EYE HATH ΝΟΤ SEEN, NOR

EAR

HEARD, NEITHER HAVE ENTERED
INTO THE HEART OF MAN, THE
THINGS WHICH GOD HATH PRE-
PARED FOR THEM THAT LOVE
HIM.

Τ

HE mind of man generally forms itself according to the objects, with which it converfes.* It contracts a

* Εστι δε ουδεπόν, οιμαι, δυνατόν μικρα και φαυλα πρατλοντας μεγα και νεανικον φρονημα λαβειν, ωσπερ 8 δε καλα και λαμπρα πραττονίας μικρον και ταπεινον φρονειν. Οποι αν τα επιτηδευματα των ανθρωπων η, τοιςτον αναγκη Demofth, Wolfii, Ed. p. 127.

ατία

yap και το φρόνημα έχειν.

narrow

narrow grovelling taste amidst fordid engagements; and dilates, as it were, and affumes a certain grandeur of sentiment amidst elevated views and generous purfuits.

THIS remark is to be applied with most propriety to the bufinefs of life and the prospects of futurity. The greatest views, which the mind is ca pable of, are prefented by religion. The world offers nothing worthy of its ambition. Where it pleases, it but pleafes for a time, and leaves shame and forrow and diffatisfaction behind. Where it pleases, it generally enflaves and degrades. A man, attached to paffion, and immerfed in matter, can do nothing great or generous. He is foiled by every temptation, and finks difpirited under every calamity.

LET the eye fee, and the ear hear, and, what is more, let fportive fancy imagine whatever pleasures this earth affords; ftill the capacities of man

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cannot.

The

cannot be enlarged, the inlets of enjoyment cannot be increased. whole amount, at laft, will only be-an infipid circulation of the meaneft offices. To eat, drink, and play ;-and-when nature finks under the fatigue-to fleep; and then, to rife recruited-to no end-but, to begin the fame circle again; to eat, drink and play-forgetful of GOD, and useless to the world-this forms the plan of a sensual life.

THE fenfualift, however, is happy enough with it; he would be contented, he tells us, to spend an eternity in fuch enjoyments. But alas! GOD forbids: disease comes on, infirmity haftens its pace, fenfes decay, nature finks, and death closes up the worthlefs scene.

Is this an object, worthy of man? Were we born for no higher purpose? Yes, we were; for the fervice of God. And eye hath not feen, nor ear beard, neither have entered into the heart of

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man, the things which he hath prepared for them that love him. *

WE fhall enter fufficiently into the views of the text, if we confider,

I. THE inconveniences of the prefent ftate.

II. THE greatnefs of our future reward, and

III. THE certainty of it.

I. IF in this life only we have hope, miferable is a great part of our fellowcreatures, wretched their portion and inheritance! The hiftory of mankind is nothing but a hiftory of human mifery. It is but a detail of what man has fuffered by plagues, peftilences,

*THESE words properly relate to the general difcoveries of the divine will made to us in the gofpel, the apoftle having himself fo limited them, v. 10; but God hath revealed them to us by his spirit, whereas our future happiness is not yet revealed. i. John, iii. 2. Yet they may be very properly accommodated to the bleflings of the other world, as forming a principal part of the chriftian revelation.

famines,

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