He did not think of wearing away his prime of life in splendid luxury, or of gaining renown by wars and bloodshed. His power was exerted for the protection of his subjects; and he devoted his wisdom to the execution of justice. He appears to have been, at that time, all that a monarch ought to be; because he endeavoured to regulate his actions and principles according to the laws of God. He was good, and, therefore, became great. His greatness, indeed, continued no longer than while he was uncontaminated with vice-for when he became a slave to his passions, and when temptations grew too strong for his frailty, his splendid acquirements that "abounded like a flood,” (Eccles. xxi. 13,) and his vast understanding, now debased and corrupted, served only to aggravate his guilt. The apostasy of this wise king in his old age,—his departure from that piety and virtue which had been the ornament of his youth,— affords the strongest instance of weakness and depravity that we meet with in the records of mankind. It ought to extinguish every spark of pride and arrogance, to subdue the self-complacency that adheres to men in prosperity, and to teach them this important lesson,--that there can be no happiness, where there is no religion, and that we ruin all our best interests, when we forsake the law of God.

The wisdom of this prayer of Solomon's is, in all its circumstances, so conspicuous, that it suggests to us a number of inferences; but of these, I shall take notice of such only as have the greatest tendency to

regulate our practice, and, therefore, deserve our imitation.

The main point of our endeavour, if we would give to our actions such energy as recommends them to God's acceptance, must be, to inform and enlighten our minds in the best manner we can. He has been pleased to create us free agents, and not only to give us liberty and power of acting, but to incite us to it by a promise of future rewards and by the dread of future punishments, according to the use we make of the abilities which he has granted ́us. But before we attempt to discharge our duty, we must know what that duty is. It is true, we may know it, and yet may not perform it; but it is impossible to perform it acceptably, unless we previously understand it. Knowledge is requisite, for the guidance of our conduct; but it is action alone that can procure for us the blessing of God. It is only by discerning good from evil, that we can discover the mode of conforming to his will, or that we can be directed in choosing what we ought to do, and what we ought to avoid. He requires of us our reasonable service, that is, such a service as our understandings properly informed must acknowledge to be fit and just. What diligence, then, should we not employ, to gain a sufficient light in matters in which we are so deeply interested !—what caution, to preserve ourselves from ignorance and delusion! We have faculties superior to those of all other creatures that are within our knowledge; and if we do not exercise

In

these faculties properly, we so far defeat the end of our creation, and degrade ourselves to the level of brutes for to brutes only does it belong to give the chief attention to appetite, and to place the highest pleasure in satisfying the necessities of nature. doing so, they act in their appropriate sphere, and preserve that animal existence which they have received. The case of God's rational creatures is different. Their thoughts and endeavours must not be entirely absorbed in such groveling employments. They were designed for other ends; they are adapted and invited to nobler pursuits; they are required to persevere in the study and practice of every thing that is just and religious, that they may partake of immortal happiness hereafter. The principle, therefore, by which they are guided, is very different from blind instinct. They have thought, and understanding, and judgment, by which they are required to discern good from evil; and, regulating their practice according to that discernment, they are finally accountable to God, for the use of those noble faculties.

The moral differences between good and evil are, it is true, so obvious, and so easily discernible, that nothing but the most heedless indolence,-nothing but a total neglect of thought,-can keep mankind from the knowledge of them. To us, in particular, who enjoy the blessed light of the Gospel, the rule of duty and the method of obedience are so intelligibly and so clearly laid down, that no shadow of difficulty

can remain, to hinder even the narrowest capacities and the dullest apprehensions from acquiring the necessary knowledge. He that has ears may hear, and he that runs may read. God has, of his mercy and goodness, so plainly stated the means of salvation, and has thrown such a light upon our understandings, -that, if we have not resolution to follow the dictates of our own instructed minds, so as to qualify ourselves for eternal blessedness through the merits of Christ, we shall have no plea for escaping condemnation,-nothing to which we can impute our endless ruin, but our own wilful and obstinate depravity.

The wisdom of Solomon's choice appears most evidently from this consideration-that an improvement in such knowledge as is proper and necessary for reasonable creatures, tends more to our interest than any other acquisitions,-how splendid soever those acquisitions may appear to the eyes of the world, and how strongly soever they may attract the hearts of the unthinking. Power, and wealth, and long life have such external charms, and are glossed over with such specious allurements, that all the labours of men seem devoted to their attainment; and those who possess them excite too frequently the envy of others.

A long life, unless it is attended with "a wise and understanding heart," deserves to be regarded rather as a misfortune, than as a blessing. Sin and folly, repeated from day to day, and from year to year, serve only to augment the records of our guilt, and expose us to a heavier weight of wrath and indignation.

If we took a right view of things, we should estimate human life not so much by its length as by the manner in which it is employed. "A man, though he is young in years, may be old in hours,""* if he has made a virtuous and religious use of his time; but the shortest life must appear tedious, if wasted in the service of sin. It is the consciousness of a well-spent life, that gives comfort and support amidst all the difficulties of our duty, and that animates our hope of a great and indeprivable reward. Existence is conferred upon us, with a law for our guidance; the particulars of which law comprise our respective duties to God, to our brethren, and to ourselves. A sincere endeavour to perform these, will recommend us to the divine mercy, how speedily soever our dissolution may ensue. Youth, intent and employed upon these glorious endeavours, can never be unseasonably or immaturely cut off by the hand of death : --and a protracted old age can forbode nothing but a more exceeding weight of misery, when we gradually pine away in a state of impenitence.

As for wealth, it is either a blessing or a curse, according to the use that is made of it. To the inconsiderate and foolish, it is so far from being an advantage, that it frequently becomes the instrument of their destruction. It enables them to pamper their follies and vices, exposes them to the deserved censure of the world, and destroys the peace and satisfaction of their own consciences. It never can

*Lord Bacon.