It would be a great Reproach to the Wisdom and Goodness of Providence, were this Life fo contemptible, or fo calamitous a State, that it were more defirable not to be, than to live in this World; but no Man yet ever made Life an Objection against Providence, though we know they do, the Miferies and Calamities of Life. Men may make themselves miferable without any Reproach to Providence ; and moft of the Miferies that are in the World, are owing to Mens own Fault or Folly; but had God made Life it felf fo contemptible or miferable a State, as to be worse than not being, this had been an unanswerable Objection. I'm sure we are very ungrateful to Almighty God, if we do not acknowledge that bountiful Provifion which he has made for the Happiness of Mankind in this World. For what is wanting on God's part to make Man as happy as he can be here? We want no Sense which is ufeful to Life, we want no Objects to gratify thofe Senfes; and which is very confiderable, the most useful, and neceffary, and delightful Objects, are most common, and fuch as Mankind pretty equally fhare in. There is not fuch a mighty difference, as fome Men imagine, between the Poor and the Rich: In Pomp, and Shew, and Opinion there is a great deal, but little as to the true Pleafures and Satisfactions of Life: They enjoy the fame Earth, and Air, and Heavens; Hunger and Thirst makes the poor Man's Meat and Drink as pleasant and refreshing as all the Varieties which cover a rich Man's. Table; and the Labour of a poor Man is more healthful, and many times more pleafant too, than the Eafe and Softnefs of the Rich; to be fure much more eafy than the Cares and Solici tudes, tudes, the Pride and Ambition, Difcontents, and Envyings, and Emulations, which commonly attend an exalted Fortune. These indeed at beft are but mean Pleasures, the Pleasures of Senfe, which are the lowest Pleasures a Reasonable Soul is capable of; but yet they are fo entertaining, that the generality of Mankind think it worth living to enjoy them, nay, moft Men know little of any other. Pleafures but thefe; and as Philofophically as fome may despise the Body and all its Pleasures in words, there are but a very few who can live above the Body, and all its Pleasures, while they live in it. But how mean foever these Pleafures be, it is certain they make Mankind, notwithstanding all the common Allays they meet with, not only patient of living, but defirous to live. And yet there are more Noble and Divine Pleasures which Men may enjoy in this World; fuch as gratify the nobler Faculties of the Soul, the Pleasures of Wisdom and Knowledge, of Vertue and Religion; to know and worship God, to contemplate the Art, and Beauty, and Perfection of his Works, and to do good to Men. These indeed are Pleafures that do not make us very fond of this Body, nor of this World; for they do not arife from the Body, nor are they confined to this World. We have reafon to hope, that when we get loose from thefe Bodies, our intellectual Faculties will be vaftly improved; that we fhall know God after another manner than we now do; and discover new and brighter Glories, which are concealed from Mortal Eyes; but yet the Pleasures of Knowledge, and Wifdom, and Religion in this World are very great and ravifhing, and there I 4 fore fore ore we either do, or may enjoy at present fuch Pleasures, as make Life very defirable: Were there no other, nor happier State after this, yet it were very desirable to come into this World, and live as long as we can here, to enjoy the Pleasures and Satisfactions which may be enjoyed in this Life; And though we know there is a happier Life after this, yet there is fo much to be enjoyed in this World, as generally makes even good Men very well contented to stay here as long as God pleases. 2. But ftill we must confefs, That though Men may live very happily in this World, yet there may be fuch a ftate of Things, as, if we only compare the fenfible Advantages and Difadvantages of Life, may make Death much more defirable than Life. I praifed the dead, which are already dead, more than the living, which are yet alive. For the understanding of which we must confider, That this is one of thofe Sayings which must not be strictly and Philofophically examined, nor ftretched to the utmoft Senfe the words will bear; it has fome Truth, and fomething of Figure and Rhetorick in it, as many of our common and proverbial Speeches have, which must be expounded to a qualified Senfe. We muft obferve then, That the defign of this whole Book of Ecclefiastes is not to put us out of conceit with Life, but to cure our vain Expectations of a compleat and perfect Happinefs in this World; to convince us, that there is no fuch thing to be found in mere external Enjoyments, which are nothing but vanity and vexation of Spirit. And the end of all this is, not to make us weary of Life, but to teach us to moderate derate our Love to present Things, and to seek for Happiness in the practice of Vertue, in the Knowledge and Love of God, and in the Hopes of a better Life: For this is the Application of all. Let us bear the conclufion of the whole matter; fear God and keep his Commandments, for this is the whole of Man: Not only his Duty, but his Happiness too; For God fhall bring every work into judgment, with every fecret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil, Eccl. 12. 13, 14. Among other Arguments to prove how vain it is to expect a compleat Happiness in this World, the wife Man inftances in the many Oppreffions and Sufferings which Men are liable to, and which fometimes befal them, which may be fo fore and grievous, and make Life fo uneafie and troublesome, as may tempt Men, who only confult their own fenfible fatisfaction, to prefer Death before Life: And this feems to be all that the Wife Man means, That we may live in fuch a troublesome and tempeftuous State of Things, that the mere external Enjoyments of this Life cannot recompence the Troubles of it; for this is all that his Defign required him to prove, The Vanity of all external Enjoyments. And if ever the Cafe be fuch, That a wife Man would chufe rather to leave this World, and to leave all these Enjoyments behind him, than to endure the Troubles and Calamities wherewith they are attended, they are vain indeed. But this does not prove, That a wife Man ought to defpife Life for the Troubles of it; that he should chufe to run out of the World to be eased of its Troubles; or that a wife Man, notwithftanding all these Troubles, cannot make himfelf happy and eafy in it; and confequently it does not prove, That a wife Man in fuch Cafes fhould fhould prefer Death before Life, though it may reasonably enough cure his Fondness for Life, and make him welcome Death, whenever God pleases to fend it. Let us then briefly confider these things. And, 1. Let us take a View of thofe Troubles and Disorders which may make a wife Man willing to part with all the external Enjoyments and Pleasures of Life to be rid of the Troubles of it, and make him think thofe Men happy who are efcaped out of this World, or are not yet come into it. King Solomon the Preacher gives us two Accounts of this; the firft before, the fecond immediately after this Text. In the first Verse he tells us, So I returned, and confidered all the oppreffions that are done under the Sun, and beheld the tears of fuch as were oppreffed, and they had no comforter; and on the fide of their oppreffors there was power, but they had no comforter. And hence he concludes, Wherefore I praised the dead that are already dead, more than the living who are yet alive. Which fignifies the Publick Öppreffions either of the Supreme Power, or of Subordinate Magiftrates. The fecond relates to Private Factions, Envyings, Emulations, which many times make Life as uneafy as the Publick Mifcarriages of Government. Again, I confidered all travel, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his eighbour: This is also vanity and vexation of fpirit, v. 4. These two contain moft of those Evils in them which disturb and diftract Human Life; but I fhall not difcourfe this Matter according to Rules of Art and Method, but fhall beg leave to give you a fhort View of fuch a State of Things, as might make a Man who confults |