first which occurred was, "to seek and "search out by wisdom concerning all things "that are done under Heaven *.' But when he had "seen all the works that are done "under the sun," when God had given "him understanding exceeding much, even 66 as the sand that is on the sea-shore, and his "fame was in all nations round about †," he was forced at last to come to this melancholy conclusion, That "in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge "increaseth sorrow."

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Different situations and circumstances expose men to different temptations. There is indeed scarce any species of vice or folly which does not wander, at some time or other, into every rank and profession of life; but yet each has its peculiar abode, where it takes up its usual residence, and reigns with a more entire and despotic sway. Avarice, ambition, voluptuousness, seem to have little business in this place, where there are so few occasions to call them forth into action; and we are therefore less concerned than other men in the instructions and cautions which +1 Kings iv. 29, 31.

* Eccles. i. 13, 14.

religion provides for our defence against them; but if there be such a vice as INTEMPERANCE IN THE PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE,

here, one would think, is the proper scene for it to appear and act: and here therefore it may not be loss of time to consider the doctrine advanced in my text, and see if we can apply it to our own use,

The world in which we live was certainly not intended for a state of bliss. If we set out in life with this false notion of it, whatever mark we aim at, and whatever rout we pursue, we shall be sure to find ourselves disappointed. The Goods of the Mind, as they are usually termed, may be more specious and reputable; but are not less empty and unsatisfactory than those of a meaner class. They may furnish us, like other objects, with useful excitements to action; they may do what others cannot do, enable us to act

suitably to the ends of our creation; but they can never serve, for they were not designed to serve, as a foundation for sincere and permanent happiness; and they will generally produce, as a balance to the fleeting pleasure they bring, much inconvenience, which

might have been avoided, much anxiety and care, to which the bulk of mankind are perfect strangers. Whoever pursues knowledge with the same ardour and the same success as Solomon pursued it, will hardly fail of concluding as he did, "All is vanity "and vexation of spirit *."

That we may examine this subject more distinctly, it must be observed, that the pleasure we find in the acquisition of knowledge is of a mixed kind. We are pleased with every new discovery, because it gratifies our curiosity; we are pleased with the consciousness of superior abilities,- pleased with the reputation of them; and we have additional pleasure from the prospect of those external advantages which are supposed to be the rewards of intellectual improvements. Let us consider each of these sources of pleasure in its turn, and try whether any, or all of them, be able to yield us that happiness we seek.

1. The pleasure of gratifying our thirst after truth is short and momentary. As the

* Eccles. i. 4.

enjoyment arises from the appetite, it dies in the very instant of gratification. However we may be delighted with the acquisition, knowledge once acquired becomes flat and insipid. Whilst the object of our desires is placed at a distance, we follow it with eagerness, and are glad to purchase it almost at any price; but when once we come to possess it, it charms no longer. This observation has been often made, with regard to possessions of an inferior kind; it will be found equally true when applied to intellectual acquirements. Those large fields of Science, which excite the envy and admiration of others, afford no joy to the owner. He views them with as little rapture as the owner of a palace feels from the beauty of its structure, which is beheld indeed by strangers with wonder and delight; but the vain inhabitant reaps no other satisfaction than what arises from the ostentatious display of his wealth and greatness. Just so the possessor of superior knowledge is delighted, if he be delighted, not with the intrinsic value of his acquisitions; but with the homage and veneration which he hopes to receive from the rest of the world.

Yet, conscious of the insignificance of what we have already gained, the more we know, the more we wish to know. Not only because curiosity, like other passions, acquires fresh strength by indulgence; but because every step we take in the search after truth enlarges our prospects, and offers new objects to our pursuit. The most ignorant of mankind are always the least curious. The man who is born blind may rest contented and happy in his native darkness; but he who has a glimmering of the beauties of nature, will wish to see them more distinctly; and the more he sees, the more impatient he will grow to extend and improve his views. The various branches of truth are so closely connected, that the answer to one question usually makes way for another. When we have gained the point which was immediately before us, we are led on by it to something further; and the very solution of our difficulty engages us in a fresh disquisition. Thus may our whole lives pass on, in a constant succession of doubts and discoveries, without ever reaching any permanent satisfaction; so that the appetite after knowledge is exactly of the same nature with those which aim at inferior