MISCELLANEOUS. 403 



the duties of his station, and lays himself down on his 

 pillow in the evening in the sweet consciousness of the 

 applause of his own heart. Place this man on the stormy 

 seas of misfortune and sorrow — press him with afflictive 

 dispensations of Providence — snatch from his arms the 

 object of his affections — separate him for ever from all 

 he loved and held dear on earth, and leave him isolated 

 and an outcast in the world ; — he is calm — he is com- 

 posed — he is grateful — he weeps, for human nature is 

 weak, but he still preserves his composure and resignation 

 • — he still looks up to the Giver of all good with thank- 

 fulness and praise, and perseveres with calmness and for- 

 titude in the paths of righteousness. His disappoint- 

 ments cannot overwhelm him, for his chief hopes were 

 placed far, very far, beyond the reach of human vicis- 

 situde. *' He hath chosen that good part w^hich none 

 can take away from him." 



Here then lies the great excellence of religion and 

 piety ; they not only lead to eternal happiness, but to the 

 happiness of this world ; they not only ensure everlast- 

 ing bliss, but they are the sole means of arriving at that 

 degree of felicity which this dark and stormy being is 

 capable of, and are the sole supports in the hour of ad- 

 versity and affliction. How infatuated then must that 

 man be who can wilfully shut his eyes to his own wel- 

 fare, and deviate from the paths of righteousness which 

 lead to bliss. Even allowing him to entertain the erro- 

 neous notion that religion does not lead to happiness in 

 this life, his conduct is incompatible with every idea of 

 a reasonable being. In the " Spectator '' we find the 

 following image, employed to induce a conviction of the 

 magnitude of this truth : '• Supposing the whole body of 

 the earth were a great ball, or mass of the finest sand, 

 and that a single grain, or particle of this sand should 

 be annihilated every thousand years; supposing then that 

 you had it in your choice to be happy all the while this 

 prodigious mass was consuming, by this slow method, 

 till there was not a grain of it left, on condition that 

 you vrere to be miserable ever after ; or su2)posing that 

 you might be happy for ever after, on condition that 



