SERMON VIII.

Delight in GOD the Origin and
Perfection of human Pleasure.

SERM.
VIII.

PSALM XXXvii. 4.

Delight Thyfelf alfo in the LORD; and
He fhall give Thee the Defires of thine
Heart.

PLEA

LEASURE, or the Enjoyment of our Heart's Defire, being the chief Spring of Action in Man; the due Regulation of our Pursuits of it must always be of great Moment; and whoever addreffeth us with an Offer of This Kind, will juftly demand, and can scarce fail of engaging, our Attention. Now fuch a Propofal the Pfalmift here makes to us all; directing our Purfuits after Pleasure to the great Source of it, and informing us, that the fure Method of attaining the Defire of our Hearts is to delight in the LORD. Which important Truth I shall accordingly at prefent endeavour to make out by fhewing, how all our Pleafures point out to us, and are improved by, a Delight in GOD.

And

And this I fhall illuftrate more particu- SER M. larly with Regard, Firft, to the Pleasures VIII. of Senfe and of Imagination; And then, to thofe Moral and Intellectual Pleasures, of Benevolence towards others, and of Hope and Expectation for ourselves.

To begin with Senfual Pleasures. Even these, though the lowest in the Scale of Enjoyment, fhould however always put us in Mind, who it is that gives us all the Objects we enjoy, and the very Power of enjoying them: Otherwise we fhall deserve those fevere Rebukes, which GOD gives the Ifraelites by the Prophet Isaiah; The Ox knoweth his Owner, and the Afs his Mafter's Crib; but Ifrael doth not know, my People doth not confider. And again, The Harp and the Viol, the Tabret and Pipe, and Wine are in their Feafts: but they regard not the Work of the LORD, neither confider the Operation of His Hands. It seems, they could enjoy the Accommodations and Gratifications of Life, without ever carrying their Thoughts upwards to that Being, who openeth his Hand, and filleth all Things living with Plenteousness.

And how juftly may thofe among ourfelves fall under the fame Condemnation, who either profanely neglect, or thoughtlefsly forget, to crave the Divine Bleffing upon their Food, and to return Thanks to Him for it! A Duty enforced by the Ex

ample

VIII.

SER M. ample and conftant Practice of our Blessed Saviour; who (not to mention several other Inftances) took the feven Loaves, and. the two Fishes, and gave Thanks; a Duty: exemplified by St. Paul, when, as we read, He took Bread, and gave Thanks before them all; as well as recommended by his exprefs Declaration, where, speaking of Meats, which (as He tells us) GOD hath created to be received with Thanksgiving, He adds; For every Creature of GOD is Good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with Thanksgiving; for it is fanctified by the Word of GOD (which has abolished the Diftinction of Meats) and Prayer.

And

in another Place, He that eateth, eateth to
the LORD; for he giveth GOD Thanks.
But because the Example of Confucius may
weigh more with fome Men than that of
St. Paul, let me add, what is observed of
him;
that He never eat any Thing but he
first proftrated himself, and offered it to
the Supreme LORD of Heaven. In like
Manner, Whether we eat or drink, let us do
all to the Glory of GOD. This will en-
noble and improve our carnal Gratifications,
and exalt them into religious Acts of Gra-
titude and Love.

And indeed, it is the Mixture of fome Moral Pleasure that gives the most agreeable Relish to Senfible Pleasures: Some grateful Reflection on the Perfon who beflows

VIII.

ftows them; or fome benevolent Thoughts SER M. towards thofe with whom we share them. To fare fumptuously every Day would be a very fordid Indulgence, and of flender. Eftimation, when intirely unaccompanied by a Temper thankful to the Author of every good Gift, and hofpitable to our Fellowcreatures. It is this that must give a Refinement and Delicacy to our Pleasures, that must qualify that Groffnefs which would otherwife render them nauseating. and distasteful; and that must make Repaft a rational Entertainment.

every

What should farther be a ftrong Motive with us in this Refpect to delight in GOD is, that He has forbidden us no Enjoyment, ordinarily speaking, but what, upon the Whole, will bring more Pain than Pleasure; nor has he enjoined us any Duty but what, all Things confidered, will yield us greater Degrees of Pleasure than of Pain. True indeed it is, that the great Duty of Repentance does, in the Nature of it, imply Sorrow. But then this Sorrow is productive of, and fucceeded by, a lafting fubftantial Joy. Though our Reformation has it's Pangs, yet we shall no more remember the Anguish, for Joy that a new Man is born into the World.

If that Variety of Natural Evils which appear in the World, and continually break. in upon Men's Enjoyment of fenfual Pleafures, fhould be thought any Objection, against

SER M. against what has been advanced in RecomVIII. mendation of the Duty of Delighting in GOD; let it be remembered, that Natural Evils, fuch as Pain, Sickness, and Calamity, are graciously defigned by GOD as Moral Goods, by making us reflect and think; by teaching us Patience and Refignation; and by weaning our Affections from Things below. Every Branch that beareth not Fruit, He taketh away; and every Branch that beareth Fruit, He purgeth, or pruneth, that it may bring forth more Fruit: That is, by fome painful Operation, which beareth a Refemblance to pruning, He maketh every Good Man more Good; as the Branch that bore Fruit before, becometh more fruitful, and deriveth new Strength and additional Vigour from the very Steel.

So that, in fhort, thofe Restraints on Account of which Religion may, at first Sight, appear to be an Enemy to fenfual Gratification, are in Fact Inftances of Her real Friendship to it. Even Self-denial is enjoined by GOD as the best Preservative of Self-enjoyment; fince to enjoy ourselves we must learn to curb our Appetites: And all feeming Severity is really Indulgence upon the Whole. But farther:

From the Pleafures of the Senfes let us proceed one Step higher to those of the Imagination. And these are chiefly Beauty, Grandeur and Novelty.

As