apostle does not appear to confine the observation either to this world or the next; but seems to take them both together, declaring, in general, that a man's happiness, or mifery, shall on the whole depend upon his conduct in this prefent life.

Neither does the apostle mention the merits of Christ, as the ground of our falvation; taking it for granted, that this will easily be understood; and that he who soweth to the spirit can only, after his best endeavours, reap life everlasting through Jefus Christ.

Having thus explained the apostle's general meaning, I shall, in the following discourse, first, endeavour to prove the truth of it; and shall, fecondly, add a few observations, which arise from it.

Now in many cafes, even in this world, a man's reaping as he fows is so plain, that we cannot avoid feeing it. The virtue and the reward-the fin and the punishment, follow fo closely upon each other, that the most careless observer cannot but acknowledge the connection. -Thus, when we observe a course of prudent actions crowned with success, it is easy to fee the effect

effect following the cause. Or, when we see a mati ruin his fortune at a gaming-table, we need no body to point out the fource of the mischief.

But, in many cases, the good or the bad con sequence is not so easily traced. It may be fome time before industry and frugality meet their deferved success; or the punishment may follow the offence so very flowly, that we may not difcern the progress. When this is the cafe-when fuffering does not immediately follow the tranf gression, men are apt to run blindly on, without confidering consequences. Thus the man, who would not directly destroy himself by drinking poifon, will without fcruple indulge in continued acts of intemperance; notwithstanding this vice will as generally bring on his ruin in the end, as if he had destroyed himself at once by poifon. The only difference is, that in one cafe the mifchief works immediately; in the other, by degrees. But though a variety of circumstances may for a while keep off the evil or the good, yet they are still advancing with a steady pace, though perhaps too flow for common observation. Thus, for instance, a man may fometimes live imprudently: he may never look into his affairs, nor compare his expences with his income; yet, if his fortune be confiderable, it may be some time before any great inconvenience may appear; and his neighbours, for a long time, may fee no difficulties arife in his family. The mischief, however, is inevitably drawing on: his income becomes scanty, debts increase, his creditors make demands, and, in the end, his imprudence becomes his ruin.

It would be easy to shew the particular mifchief that attends every other kind of vice.

When,

With the fame ease it might be shewn, how much the practice of every particular virtue is fuited to make us happy, and how little such happiness is liable to be disturbed. therefore, we fee the wicked man in profperityfortunate in his schemes, and blessed with every thing his foul can defire-what then? To stop here, without making any farther inquiry, would be to stop too foon, and to form a judgment before we have all the circumstances of the cafe. His profperity may, all this while, be a delusion; and the man may, in fact, be heaping up a flowpaced mifery to himself, instead of happiness.David was convinced of this great truth, and gives us a very expressive description of it:--" I was grieved," says he, " at the wicked, I " fee " see them in such prosperity: for they are in " no peril of death; but are lufty and strong. "They come in no misfortune, like other folk; " neither are they plagued like other men. And " this is the cause that they are fo holden with " pride and overwhelmed with cruelty. Lo! " these are the ungodly-these profper in the " world, and these have riches in poffession. " And I faid, then have I cleansed my heart in "vain, and washed my hands in innocency:

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yea, I had almost said even as they. Then " thought I to understand this; but it was too " hard for me, until I went into the fanctuary "of God: then understood I the end of these "men. Namely, how thou dost set them in "flippery places, and castest them down, and " destroyest them. O! how fuddenly do they "confume, perish, and come to a fearful end?" But though we may not always fee that conclufion which David here faw, yet we may be affured that the truth is undoubted; and that either from circumstances without, or distress within, wickedness will always, in some shape, meet its defert. What a man foweth, he shall certainly reap.

Then

Then again, when we see good men fuffering affliction in this world-oppreffed with fickness, or reduced to poverty-it is too hasty to conclude immediately, that goodness will not meet its reward. What we foolishly imagine to be misfortunes to good men, are many times the fecret workings of Providence to draw good upon them-always fpiritual, but often even temporal good. We have all perhaps, in more instances than one, observed that accidents, from which we feared great distress, have in the end been the means even of temporal advantage. When Jofeph, for instance, was taken from his father's house and fold to the Ishmalites, what a misfortune, it might be faid, have we here! and afterwards, when his virtue exposed him to the calamities of a dungeon, what mifery, might people cry, had now befallen a poor, unhappy, though virtuous young man! And indeed, if we stop at this part of the history, we might be apt to exclaim, that in one instance, at least, virtue had been the caufe of misery. But let us proceed a little farther, and we shall find that all these misfortunes were, in the hands of a gracious God, the steps-the natural and easy steps, by which Joseph rofe to the highest of all earthly honours -that

VOL. IV.

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