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As for the Firft: If the Beauty of the SER M. vifible World affect us, let us confider, Who it is, that has poured out this Beauty upon the Creation, Himself infinitely more beautiful, lovely, and glorious; while He stands unfeen behind the Workmanship of His own Hand:

We cannot unravel any one Thing in the Drama of Nature, without bringing a GOD upon the Scene. Every Thing material convinceth us, that there is, and must be, fomething immaterial behind the Curtain.

When we fee the Sun fhine forth in it's Luftre, and Nature appearing in it's most advantageous Drefs, how can Drefs, how can we avoid turning our Thoughts upwards toward that Being, whofe Handy-work that Sun fhews, and whofe Glory it declares, in a Language understood by all Mankind; a Language, the Sounds whereof are gone into all Lands, and its Words into the Ends of the World. Every Field, every Flower, contains the moft powerful, the most edifying, Rhetorick to excite in Us the Love of that Being, who hath clothed the Lilies of the Field with that elegant Simplicity, which was fuperior to Solomon's Pomp, when arrayed in all his Glory. An unthinking Mind, or a Mind that is immerfed in Senfuality, may without any Emotions of Gratitude or Piety, furvey the delightful Round of the N Seafons,

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SERM. Seafons, and the rich Furniture 'of the Earth, together with that numerous Fainily of living Creatures, for whose common Benefit the univerfal Parent has defigned it: A Man of this Turn may, I fay, behold that Variety of Scenes which diversify the Face of the Creation, and present the most agreeable Images to the Mind, with a taftelefs Indifference and Coldness to that Being, who has poured out fuch Stores of His Bounty upon it. But He, who will be at any Expence of Thinking, will ponder thefe Things, till, by repeated Reflections, the Fire is kindled towards HIM, who has enriched the World with fuch a Profufion of Good; has beautified it with such Order and Harmony; and has ennobled it with fuch aftonishing Magnificence and Grandeur.

Which puts me in Mind of the Second Pleasure of the Imagination, arifing from Greatness.

The Soul is naturally formed for the Love of what is great and marvellous. An auguft and ftupendous Building; a fpacious and unbounded Profpect; the unmeasurable Expanfe of the Creation; naturally raise the Soul into an unusual Elevation, and fill it with fublime and vaft Ideas. Now this Defire of furveying what is great, folemn and majestick, was probably stamped upon our Nature for This very Purpose, that we

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might take Delight in contemplating Him, SER M. of whofe Greatness there is no End. If we are flung into a pleasing Astonishment at the View of any Thing grand and magnificent; If our Astonishment rises higher in Proportion to the greater Magnificence of the Object; it must be improved into the highest Pitch, when we have a direct and immediate Knowledge of HIM, whose Effence is higher than Heaven, and deeper than Hell, the Measure whereof is broader than the Sea, and longer than the Earth. Every Body knows, we hate nothing more than Confinement in a Prospect: The Soul loves to have a free and unlimited Range. And if even here, under all the Incumbrances of the Body, the Soul expresses such a strong Desire for Infinitude; how much more will it delight therein, when unembarraffed by any Clogs or Impediments of Matter?

The next Pleasure of the Imagination is That which is excited by Novelty.

How comes it, that we are generally in Pursuit of fomething New; and yet, when we are poffeffed of it, and the Object becomes familiar to us, it fades and languishes in our Eyes, and palls upon the Sense? Does not Nature, by the repeated Proofs of the Unfatisfactorinefs of Things here below,. admonish us to fix our Reft upon Him, who alone can fatisfy, and even exceed our Wishes?

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SER M. Wishes? Whom the more we know, the more amiable we fhall find Him, and find no End of his Perfections.

The Deity is to human Minds what the Ocean is to narrow Veffels. They may receive fome imperfect Notices; They may take in as much as their scanty Dimensions will admit; and yet there will remain an infinite Surplus ftill, which we want Room to receive; wifhing that human Nature was advanced to an higher Perfection, that the Divine Nature might be better underflood, more perfectly loved, and more worthily praised.

Why, in fhort, does the Fancy generally paint Things beyond the Life? Why does the Happiness propofed from Earthly Objects feldom or never answer that lively Imagery and gay Colouring in which we had represented them? Has not the Deity fo ordered it, that nothing here fhould fully equal our Ideas, and answer our Expectations, but that the Powers and Extent of the Imagination fhould go beyond the Reality of Things; for this very Reason, that we might fix our Thoughts upon those Objects, the Reality and Perfection of which fhall exceed the utmoft Stretch of the Imagination, and which it hath not entered into the Heart of Man to conceive?

From the Pleasures of the Imagination let us proceed to thofe of a Moral and

Intellectual Nature. And firft let us confider S ER M. the Pleasures of Benevolence.

If we are of Benevolent Difpofitions; if it is a Pleasure to us to pleafe others, and to fee them happy; how muft we delight in That Being, who is infinitely great and happy in His own Nature, and infinitely good and communicative of Happiness to His Creatures! How muft we rejoice in the Thought, that the Universe is under His Administration, who will make Virtue triumphant, who will not inflict Mifery upon any one Individual, any farther than is neceffary for the Good of the Whole! But above all, what generous and liberal Thoughts fhall we cherish of that Perfon, who throughout his Life made Virtue appear to be what it is, a lovely Form; and by his Death made Satisfaction for the Sins of the whole World!-How muft it heighten our Benevolence to Man, as well as our Love to GOD, to think, that all thofe whom we wish well to, fhall, upon the eafy Terms of Faith and Repentance, be Heirs of GOD, and Joints-beirs with CHRIST; no Dregs of Guilt remaining to defile the pure Current of their Happiness, no Storms of Adverfity or Misfortune to difturb or ruffle it! These are the genuine Confequences of a Relish for Benevolence, as well as proper Incentives to the Love of GOD.

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