them with pleasure, and forward with joy. How does it give pleasure to a journey to have a profpect of its end; to fee the way we are in leads directly thither, and that in a little while we fhall be at home, in a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. The prospect of perfection and glory sheds flowers on all his paths, and thus he is delighted with the way, yet the view before him delights him infinitely more; hence he reaches forward, leaving the things that are behind, and preffing towards the everlasting rest.

Thirdly, neceffary and comfortable accommodations afford pleasure on a journey. They who walk in the ways of religi on have every thing expedient and proper for their support and comfort. The promife is, "They fhall want no good thing." In all times and places they have access to the ftores of grace, where there is an infinite fufficiency treafured up for their fup. ply. Whenever they call they are furnished; they have only to ask and they fhall receive. Their fupplies are in continual readinefs, and ever proportioned and adapted to their wants For as their day is fo fhall their strength be."

Fourthly, agreeable company is pleafant on a journey. This deceives the time and banishes the tediousness of the way. This is an eminent confolation to those who walk in the peaceful paths of piety and virtue. It is an afflicting truth that they are only few who travel in this road, yet it is a pleafing reflection that they are the wifeft and best, and more excellent than their neighbours. They are not on their journey troubled with the impertinence of foolish companions. Christians have trials enough of this fort from the world, but the companions of the faints are all holy, wife and good. Let us therefore cordially fay," We will go with them, for we have heard

"the Lord is with them." The communion of faints contributes much to the pleafure of their way. They quicken one another as fellow travellers and companions in the kingdom and patience of Chrift. In ancient times it was a pleasure to

them who went up to Jerufalem to worship, that their nu bers encreased by the way, and thus they went from ftrength to ftrength till every one of them appeared before God in Zion. Mutual conversation exceedingly heightens the pleasure of travellers. And it is the will of God that his people should encourage one another by these means in their heavenly courfe "They that fear the Lord will often speak one to another."

Fifthly, to have health, strength and ability to perform our journey, is a defirable thing. The fick, the weak and the lame, the most pleafing walks must be painful and difagreeable to them. This makes the way of religion pleasant, that they are filled with fpiritual ftrength. And they travel not in their own but in the greatnefs of his ftrength, "who is mighty to fave." Thus they run and are not weary, they walk and are not faint. By the strengthening and encouraging influencesof the holy Spirit their hearts are comforted, fupported and enlarged, fo they not only go but run in the way of the divine commandments « When I am weak, fays St. Paul, then am I strong." Chrif tians are weak in themselves, but they have every fufficient ftrength in the Lord; fo that they faint not neither are they

weary.

Sixthly, a way is pleafant where there is a good guard and a fkilful guide, in whose understanding and fidelity we may place the fureft confidence. This is the fafety and fatisfaction of all true believers, that they are directed by the counfel, and guided by the Spirit of the Lord. The infallible promife is, He fhall lead them into all truth," hence they are faid to walk after, and to be led by the fpirit. As the pillar of fire and the cloud was a guide to the Ifraelitish nation, and led them thro' the defart, fo the fame God is a guide to christian travellers thro' the wildernefs of this world, and a guard to them alfo; therefore, "they are kept by the power of God thro' faith unto falvation." The angels of heaven, those mi

niftering fpirits whofe employment it is to minister to the heir, of glory, are a conftant, vigilant and invincible guard unto them. They bear them in their arms where they go, pitch their tents where they reft, they are their front and their rear ward, and fecurely line all their way. How cheerfully and fafely may christians proceed in their heavenly journey, when they have full affurance that they are always protected and furrounded by fuch guards. Yea, tho' they walk in the fha dow of death, they need fear no ill.

Seventhly, how comfortable is it to have fufficient light in all our ways? Nothing more difagreeable than journeying in the dark, in the blackness of a cloudy night. Our Saviour declares, "He that walketh in darkness knows not whither " he goeth." Now they that walk in the ways of true piety, are children of the light and of the day. Once, they were darkness, but now are they light in the Lord. The light has arifen upon them, which is not only for their pleafure, but to direct their steps in the paths of peace.

Eighthly, the end of their way is pleasantnefs and delight itself. However good the accommodations, great the fecurity, and fafe the defence of our courfe, if the end be bad, all must be unhappiness. This is the forlorn condition of all the workers of iniquity. The way in which they go, tho' wide and broad, it directly leads to destruction. And can they have pleafure in a journey, while they know the end thereof is death, and the fteps thereof take hold on hell. Not fo the way of the righte ous, it leads to a moft happy iffue, even to perfect bleffednefs and to eternal life. It ends in the prefence of God, "where "is fulness of joy, and at his right hand where run rivers of "pleafure forevermore."

Now, my brethren, here is brought into review before you a few of the ways of religion, and furely every one must readily

conceive, that they are pleasant and peaceful. Do not all in. mediately apprehend that a thing fo amiable in its nature, fo advantageous, rich and promising in its confequences, is calculated to induce every one to wifh to acquire it for himself? The prayer and wifh of each fhould be, "O that I was a traveller in fuch pleasant ways and delightful paths, that will iffue in fuch happy regions, in fuch an eternally glorious end." Confider seriously with yourselves, are these things fo? Is true religion attended with thofe comforts pleasures and joys, which you have heard? Why then will you not enter upon this heavenly journey, and engage to travel in these delightful walks? Surely you cannot but love profit and pleasure, riches and honor. Here are durable riches, and crowns of glory which fade not away. "Wisdom is more precious than rubies, "and all the things thou canst defire are not to be compared "unto her. Length of days is in her right hand, and in her left riches and honor. Truly, all her ways are pleasantnefs and all her paths are peace."

Perhaps fome ftand ready to fay, it is my bufinefs and cal. ling to recommend religion, and therefore I will endeavor to exhibit it in the best light it can poffibly bear. This is my employment indeed, and I glory in it, and rejoice to magnify mine office. And let him that glorieth ever glory in the Lord, But you will grant me the liberty, to affure you, religion is not like the mean and damaged wares of the merchant, which are often extolled above their intrinfic value; if you ever come to purchase this pearl, and behold its precioufnefs, you will cry out with the queen of Sheba who had come from afar to fee the wifdom of Solomon, "that half its excellency had not been "told you." But left you should be jealous the preacher's defign is to impofe upon you, and to praise to you things above their worth, you cannot poffibly entertain any such apprehenfions in refpect to the bleffed God. If you fcruple and hesitate to believe man, you must furely believe the Lord of heaven and

"The Lord of earth, who is truth itself and cannot lie. "hofts makes unto all people, a feast of fat things, a feast of "wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on "the lees well refined ?" Are feafts, marriage entertainments, luxuriant vineyards, fruitful fields, and delightful gardens pleasurable things? All these images and a thousand more are employed by Jehovah himself to reprefent to our view the beauties and charms of fincere picty, in order to captivate our hearts and engage us to fall in love therewith.

But it will fill be objected, if religion be fo pleafant, peaceful, joyous and delightful, how does it happen that we continually fee fo many of its votaries mopifh, fad and melancholy, always mourning, always complaining? It is truly afflicting to behold fo many of the friends of this comfortable fervice, gloomy and diftreffed. But have you not feen fome perfons at the richest feafts and highest entertainments filent and diftreffed, and dark melancholy refting on their brow? Were thefe forbidding and gloomy appearances ever attributed to the feaft and cheerful company? Surely not. It was fome inward pain, fome invifible affliction, which none knew but the fubjects of them, that caufed this gloomy fadnefs in fcenes of pleasure. So here the fadnefs, diftreffes and complaints of chriftians, cannot with juftice be attributed to religion, but to fome other caufe. The fource of all thefe miferable appearances is fin and corruption, and because they have fo little of the exercises of grace in their hearts. Religion makes none of its friends to mourn or complain; there are the genuine effects of fin. Therefore it is both unreasonable and wicked to afcribe to the former, what are always the fruits of, and justly appertain to the latter. O that religion might never fuffer in the houfe of its friends! Let none ever join with Satan in perverfely and wrongfully attri buting to religion, what belongs to fin.

But fome will be ready here to afk, is not repentance a part