55 fcarce to leave an hour upon their hands to reproach them. you Such, my brethren, is the life of what is called the world, a repetition of the fame childish conceptions, a perpetual round of the fame trifling amusements. If had been fent on earth to play the fool; if your pilgrimage through life were merely a jaunt of pleasure; it would be cruel and injurious to awaken you from the delufion. But as you profess to be Christians, and believe this life to be a state of moral difcipline and probation for the next, it will be proper and seasonable to warn you of the folly of fuch a course, and to point out a nobler and a happier path, where at once you may fee the world, and may adorn it; where at once you may improve your time, and enjoy life. In order to this, I fhall, in the first place, give you fome directions for redeeming or improving the time; and, in the fecond place, fet before you the obligations to the practice of this duty. We begin with directions for redeeming the time. In the first place, treasure up in your memory a ftore of useful knowledge, as a proper foundation of employment to the mind. It has been the complaint of difcontented men in all ages, that life is a scene of dulnefs, not worth a wife man's care, where the fame things come over and over like a tale that is told, which, however entertaining it may appear when it is new, yet, by frequent repetition, at laft becomes tedious and infipid. The confequence of which has been, that many, viewing the picture in this difagreeable light, have been inclined to throw off all ferious concern about their duty, to give themselves up to habits of indolence and languor, and to make no other use of their time, but to study how to trifle it away. True it is indeed, that the days of many have thus been spent in vain ; that their life has been a barren circle, within which they have been enchanted, going round and round, ever in motion, but never making any advances. But although many have made life a dull round of infignificant actions, yet no man had ever occafion to make it fo. It is indeed fo to the brutes, who foon arrive at that pitch of perfection which is allotted to their natures, where they must stop short without a poffibility of going farther. Senfe, which is their highest power, moves in a narrow sphere; its objects are few in num ber, and grofs in kind, and therefore not only come more quickly round, but also grow more infipid at every revolution. But man is endowed with nobler faculties, and is presented with nobler objects whereon to exercise and employ them. The contemplation of all divine truth to engage his understanding; the beauties of the natural and moral world to attract and captivate his affections; the power, the wisdom, and the goodnefs of God, manifested in the works of Creation, of Providence, and of Redemption, to exalt his admiration, and call forth all his praife. What employ. ment can be more worthy of a rational being, or better adapted to the faculties of an immortal spirit, than thus to fearch out the order, the beauty, and the benevolence of nature, to trace the Everlasting in his works, and to mark the impreffion of his creating hand, yet recent on a beautiful world? Or if we turn our eyes towards the moral fyftem, to obferve a higher order of things, and a greater exertion of Divinity, in adjusting the plan of Providence, in bringing light from darkness, and good from evil, in causing the most unconnected and contrary events to co-operate to one great end, and making all to issue in the general good. Here is a noble path for a rational creature to travel in. Whilft day unto day thus teaches wisdom, night unto night will increase pleasure. The man who is thus trained up to the admiration of the works of God, and who has tasted the spirit of these fublime enjoyments, will not complain of the infignificance and languor of life. studies will afford an occupation at all hours. They will make your own thoughts an entertainment to you, and open a fountain of happiness at home. They will diffuse somewhat of heaven over the mind; they will introduce you beforehand into the fociety of angels and blessed spirits above, and already prepare you to bear a part in that beautiful hymn of heaven, "Great and marvellous are thy works, "Lord God Almighty; juft and true are all thy ways, thou King of Saints." These Secondly, Have fome end in view; fome object to employ the mind, and call forth its latent powers. In devifing, or in executing a plan; in engaging in the whirl of active life, the foul feems to unfold its being, and to enjoy itself. Man is not like the foil on which he lives, which spends its powers in exercife, and requires repofe, in order to recruit its wafted ftrength, and prepare it for new exertions. Activity is an effential attribute of mind. Its facul ties exist only when they are exercised; it gains a new acceffion of strength from every new exertion, H and the greater acquifitions it makes, it is enabled to make still greater. It is not a brook formed by the fhower; it is a living fountain, which is for ever flowing, and yet for ever full. This will account for an obfervation that we have often occafion to make in life, that none have fo little leifure as thofe who are entirely idle; that none complain so much of the want of time as those who have nothing to do. The fact is, they want that energy of foul which is requifite to every exertion, and that habit of activity which applies to every thing. Indolence unmans the faculties; impairs and debilitates the whole intellectual system. Those, who, under its influence, become a kind of perpetual fleepers, degrade themselves from the honors of their nature, and are dead while they live. A habit of activity is a most valuable acquifition. He who is poffeffed of it, is fit for all events, and may be happy in every fituation. This habit is only to be acquired by pursuing fome great object that may agitate the mind. Think not that your labour may be spent in vain. Nothing is in vain that roufes the foul: nothing in vain that keeps the etherial fire alive and glowing. The profpect of fomething coming forward; the pleasure and the pride which the mind takes in its own action, beget infenfibly that habit of industry which will abide through life. Thirdly, Set apart fixed and ftated hours for the important duties of life. It is the misfortune of great part of men, that they have no fixed plan of acting. They live extempore. They act at random. They are always led by inftantaneous impulfe, and are driven to and fro as inclina tion varies. Their life rolls on through a courfe of mifpent time, and unconnected years, and appears upon review, like the path of a cloud in the air, which leaves no trace behind it. It was the custom of the great Alfred, one of the English kings, to divide the day into three parts, which he measured by the burning of tapers. One part he employed in the cares of the government; another part he dedicated to the cultivation of the liberal arts; the third he devoted to religion. It would be happy for you, my brethren, if, in this respect, you would imitate fuch an illuftrious example. Let, at least, one part of your time be devoted to the fervice of God. When the morning afcends from the east, let it be your first care to of fer up your earliest thoughts as incense to Heaven; to add your praises to the hymns and hofannas of the angels in light, and spirits of just men made perfect. When the shades of the night fall around you, let it be your constant care to implore the pardoning mercy of God for the errors of the past day, and to commit yourselves to the protection of His Providence who flumbers not nor fleeps. In particular, let this day, which is facred to the memory of a Saviour's refurrection from the dead; which is a memorial of the full accomplishment of our redemption; let this day be fet apart for holy contemplation on the wonders of redeeming love, on the height and depth and and breadth and length of the love of Jefus to our race, which passeth all understanding; which prompted him to forego the glories of his divine nature for a time, to take upon him the robe of humanity, to lead a life of forrows upon earth, and to fuffer a cruel and ignominious, and an accurfed death. Let us |