tures the most miferable. But our Religion hath abun dantly affur'd us to the contrary. And the assurance of this was that which made the primitive Chriftians to embrace sufferings with fo much chearfulness, to glory in tribulation, and to take joyfully the spoiling of their goods, knowing that in heaven they had a better and more enduring fubftance. The feven brethren in the Hiftory of the Maccabees upon this perfuafion would not accept deliverance, that they might obtain a better refur rection. That storm of ftones which was pour'd upon St. Stephen was no more to him than a common shower when he jaw the heavens open'd, and Jefus (in whose cause he fuffer'd) standing on the right hand of God.

4. To make us fincere in all our profeflions, words and actions. Did men firmly believe the rewards of another world their Religion would not be only in fhew and pretence, but in life and reality, no man would put on a form of godliness that were deftitute of the power of it; we should do nothing for the opinion of others, but all with regard to God and our own Consciences; and be as curious of our thoughts, and most retir'd actions, as if we were in an open theatre and in the presence of the greatest affembly. For in the next life men fhall not be rewarded for what they seem'd to be, but for what they really were in this world. Therefore whatever we think, or speak, or do, we fhould always remember that the day of revelation is coming, when the fecrets of all hearts fhall be disclos'd, when all disguifes fhall be laid alide, and every one's mask fhall be taken off, and all our actions and designs fhall be brought upon the public stage and expos'dito the view of men and Angels. There is nothing now hidden which shall not then be reveal'd, nor fecret which shall not be made known.

5. To arm us against the fears of death. Death is terrible to nature, and the terror of it is infinitely increas'd by the fearful apprehenfions of what may follow it. But the comfortable hopes of a blessed immortality do strangely relieve the fainting Spirits of dying men, and are able to reconcile us to death, and in a great measure to take away the terror of it. I know that the thoughts of death are dismal even to good men.

and

and we have never more need of comfort and encouragement than when we are conflicting with this laft Enemy, and there is no fuch comfortable confideration to a dying man as the hopes of a happy eternity. He that looks upon death only as a pallage to glory, may welcome the messengers of it as bringing him the best and most joyful news that ever came to him in his whole life; and no man can stay behind in this world with half the comfort than this man leaves it.

I crave your patience but a little longer, till I make some reflection upon what hath been deliver'à concerning the happiness of good men after this life. I have told you that it is incomparably beyond any happiness of this world, that it is great in itself, and eternal in its duration, and far above any thing that we can now conceive or imagine. And now after all this, I am very fenfible how much all that I have faid comes fhort of the greatness and dignity of the thing. So that I could almost begin again and make a new attempt upon this fubject. And indeed who would not be loth to be taken off from fo delightful an argument? Methinks'tis good for us to be here, and to let our minds dwell upon these confiderations. We are unworthy of heaven, and unfit to partake of so great a glory, if we cannot take pleasure in the contemplation of those things now, the poffeffion whereof shall be our happiness for ever.

With what joy then fhould we think of those grear and glorious things which God hath prepar'd for them that love him, of that inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, which fadeth not away, referved for us in the heavens? How fhould we welcome the thoughts of that happy hour when we fhall make our escape out of these prisons, when we fhall pass out of this howling wilderness into the promis'd Land; when we shall be remov'd from all the troubles and temptations of a wicked and ill-natur'd world; when we shall be paft all storms, and secur'd from all further danger of fhip - wreck, and fhall be fafely landed in the regions of blifs and immortality?

O blessed time! When all tears shall be wip'd from ·our eyes, and death and sorrow shall be no more; When

mor:

mortality fhall be swallowed up of life, and we fhall enter upon the possession of all that happiness and glory which God hath promis'd, and our faith hath believ❜d, and our hopes have rais'd us to the expectation of; when we shall be eas'd of all our pains, and refolv'd of all our doubts, and be purg'd from all our fins, and be freed from all our fears, and be happy beyond all our hopes, and have all the happiness fecur'd to us beyond the power of time and change: When we shall know God and other things without ftudy; and love him and one another without measure, and serve and praise him without weariness, and obey his will without the leaft reluctancy; and fhall ftill be more and anore delighted in the knowing, and loving, and prai fing, and obeying of God to all eternity.

How thould these thoughts affect our hearts, and what a mighty influence ought they to have upon our lives? The great disadvantage of the arguments fetch'd from another world in this, that thofe things are at a great distance from us, and not sensible to us; and therefore are not apt to affect us so strongly, and to work fo powerfully upon us. Now to make amends for this difadvantage we fhould often revive these confiderations upon our mind, and inculcate upon ourselves the reality and certainty of these things together with the infinite weight and importance of them. We fhould reason thus with ourselves: If good men fhall be so unspeakably happy, and consequently wicked men so extremely miferable in another world: If these things be true and will one day be found to be so, why fhould they be to me as if they were already present? why should not I be as much afraid to commit any fin as if hell were nacked before ine, and I faw the aftonishing miseries of the damned? and why should I not be as careful to ferve God and keep his commandments, as if heaven were open to my view, and 1 faw Jefus standing at the right hand of God with crowns of glory in his hand ready to be fet upon the heads of all those who continue faithful to him?

The lively apprehehenfions of the nearness of death and eternity are apt to make men's thoughts more quick and piercing, and according as we think our fel

ves prepar❜d for our future state to transport us with joy, or to amaze us with horror. For the foul that is fully fatisfied of his future blifs, is already entred into heaven, has begun to take poffeffion of glory, and has (as it were) his blessed Saviour in his arms, and may Tay with old Simeon, Lord, now letteft thou thy fervant depart in peace, for mine eyes have feen thy Jalvation. But the thougths of death muft needs be very terrible to that man who is doubtful or defpairing of his future condition. It would daunt the ftouteft man that ever breathed, to look upon death when he can fee nothing but hell beyond it. When the Apparition at Endor told Saul, To morrow thou and thy Sons shall be with me, these words ftruck him to the heart, fo that he fell down to the ground, and there was no more ftrength left in him. It is as certain that we fhall die as if an express messenger should come to every one of us from the other world and tell us fo. Why fhould we not then always live as thofe that muft die, and as thofe that hope to be happy after death? To have thefe apprehenfions vigorous and lively upon our minds, this is to have our converfation in heaven, from whence alfo we look for a Saviour, the Lord Jefus Chrift, who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working of that mighty power whereby he is able even to fubdue all things to himself.

Dr. Bla ir.

Es thut mir leid, daß ich die schon ausgehobenen Beispiele einiger neuerer englischer Kanzelredner, eines Sherlock, Atters bury, Butler und White hier abdrucken zu lassen nicht mehr Raum finde. Es mag also an einer Stelle aus dem eben erst ers schienenen vierten Bande der Predigten Dr. Blair's (L, B., VIII. 1. S. 421.) genug seyn, der von den jestlebenden englischen Geifts Lichen von dieser Seite am berühmtesten ist. Der in feinen Vors Lesungen über die Rhetorik befindliche treffliche Abschnitt über Kans jelberedsamkeit beweist sein reifes Nachdenken und seine richtige Theorie über diesen Gegenstand eben so einleuchtend und vortheils baft, als seine mit Talent, Fleiß und Geschmack ausgearbeiteten Bredigten, voll lichter Ordnung, gründlicher Beweisführung, treffender Darstellung, und fanfter, aber sichrer, Ueberzeugungskraft, Beifp. Samml. 8. B. 2. Abth.

Pp

seinen

seinen großen Fähigkeiten zur Ausführung jener Theorie Ehre machen. Die Predigt, woraus folgende Probe genommen ist, dans delt von der Freundschaft, über Sprüchw. Sal. XXVII, 10.,,Dets nen Freund und deines Vaters Freund, verlaß nicht."

Since cordial friendship is fo great a bleffing to human life, let us confider what duties it requires, and by what methods it may be cultivated to most advantage. The fundamental qualities of true friendship arè, conftancy and fidelity. Without these material ingredients, it is of no value. An inconftant man is not capable of friendship. He may perhaps have affections which occafionally glow in his heart; which excite fondness for amiable qualities; or connect him with feeming attachment to one whom he esteems, or to whom he has been obliged. But after these feelings have lafted for a little, either fancied interest alienates him or fome new object attracts him; and he is no longer the fame person to those whom he once loved. A man of this inconftant mind cannot be faid to have any mind at all. For where there is no fixedness of moral principle, occafional feelings are of no value; mind is of no effect; and with fuch perfons it is never defirable to have any connexion. Where conftancy is wanting, there can be no fidelity which is the other bafis of friendship. For all friendfhip fuppofes entire confidence and truft; fuppofes the feal of fecrecy to be inviolable; fuppofes promises and engagements to be facred; and no advantage of our own to be purfued, at the expence of our friend's honour. An inconftant man, is defpicable. A faithless man, is base.

But fuppofing neither conftancy nor fidelity to be altogether wanting, ftill however friendship is in hazard of fuffering from the follies, and unreafonable humours, to which all of us are liable. It is to be regarded as a tender plant in an unfavourable foil, which, in order to its flourishing, requires to be reared and nurfed with The following directions may be of ufe for promoting its cultivation, and preferving it from whatever might be apt to blast and wither it.

care.