service to thousands. "The Writers, whose labours most interest society, are those, who have employed themselves on subjects of Religion. Religion is of equal and unquestionable moment to all. On Religion, and on religious opinions, depend in no common degree the tranquillity-the prosperity—and the happiness, of a State." They then add-" The holy Scriptures are the Guides of life; the Cloud by day, and the Pillar of fire by night. Those therefore, who undertake to illustrate them, enter upon a task, in the exccution of which we are all concerned. Their competence and their motives are questions of universal consideration. Such has been the zeal of Infidelity—so various have been the forms, which it has of late assumed, that we have had an explanation of the Bible from the pen of one, whose greatest şatisfaction scems to have been, to obscure its Truth, to corrupt its Purity, and to destroy its Influence! To the Commen tator of the sacred writings we may say, "be thy intents wicked," thou mayest rob us of our best hopes, of our richest comforts: "be they charitable," thou mayest increase our Knowledge-animate our Virtue and smooth the road to eternal Life."-O! si sic omnia! To preclude, if possible, the idea of my obtruding these Sentiments on the public notice, either as a mere Disputant, or as an idle Controversialist, I here profess, that, however mistaken I may be, in the Plan I have formed, or in the Method, I have pursued, to gain an object so ardently to be desired, I submit them, with the sole design to promote the best Happiness of Man-in relation to the Sum of his Existence; not, as limited by the narrow horizon of this life-but, as extending to the boundless ocean of Eternity. -- "Happiness" says the Epicurean, and the Voluptuary" is that of the Senses. We were born for their utmost gratifica tion, and there terminates all human Felicity.”—Thy Fellow-commoners of the Stall may be of the same opinion. My Ambi tion is, not to sink-but, to soar. I deny not, however, that these organic Powers have their respective delights; and that, in a corrected and innocent degree, they may be considered as so many secondary Sources of Pleasure. But, to argue with a person, who would degrade himself so far beneath a Rational, as to contend, that we were born for no higher enjoyments than these, would be, to argue with determined Infatuation, pitiable Derangement, or loathsome Brutality *. I admit too, that the Imagination is capable of forming to itself a thousand additional Pleasures of a higher kind *The genuine Happiness of our being must be something, that is not incompatible with, or destructive of, its nature-or of the superior and better part of it. Ev TaνTI de μάλιςα φυλακτεον το ηδυ, και την ηδονην· κ γαρ αδέκατοι κρινομεν "In every thing, we should take great care, as to the pleasure of it; for, we are very apt to have our judgment corrupted by pleasure." αυτήν. resulting from an acquired artificial Taste, the fine Arts, together with many other, though needless, yet fascinating Elegancies, and Delicacies, of polished Life. To these again, we may add the pure and elevated Pleasures, which flow from acquisitions of Science; from cultivating all the amiable and benevolent Affections; and from the many nameless charms of social Intercourse, and domestic Endearment. Prepared, however, as I am, to acknowledge, and to celebrate, in their just proportion, all these Sources of terrestrial Satisfaction—I have long excluded from my own mind every other idea of supreme Happiness, but that, of Reason, Philosophy, Virtue, and Morals, rectified, sublimed, and perfected, by DIVINE REVELATION*. *Happiness, I would be understood to intimate, should be a term, consecrated entirely to these pursuits, according As to the reference, which I suppose these things to bear to each other—that, I have attempted to state, with the utmost perspicuity, to general Inspection, in the succeedent leaves. In the examination of which, but a single Favour is fervently requested of the unprejudiced Reader; that he will place before him the sacred Volume, to which they constantly appeal to the Definitions already and hereafter submitted; and not applied to every trivial and fleeting circumstance of gratification. Mankind should be instructed,. I humbly conceive, to treat it in this serious and important light. To be pleased, is one thing; to be happy, is another. But, there no necessary connexion between Pleasure and Happiness. The eager pursuit of the former is, in more than ten thousand instances, the total destruction of the latter: nor are any terms either more, or more fatally, perverted and abused than these. If, among the numerous advantages to be derived from a divine Revelation, it does not expose every imaginary and delusive scheme of happiness,. and point out to us in the fullest manner the only true sources of pleasure, it would scarce deserve our attention, much less our gratitude: but, Sacred Science, evangelical Goodness, and solid Bliss, are as inseparably connected by the Constitution of Heaven, as Faith, Hope, and Charity, ard, in the Christian Character. |