taught that riches and honours are what they have been used to envy and covet; the gifts of their Maker are what they have neglected, passed over, and abused -what they have never thought of in relation to the Benefactor who gave them, or with a feeling of everlasting gratitude which is due to him for so great and gracious a blessing.

Again; old age brings us to know the value of the blessings which we have enjoyed; and it brings us also to a very thankful perception of those which yet remain. Is a man advanced in life? The ease of a single day, the rest of a single night, are gifts which may be subjects of gratitude to God. He is sensible of the gift. The gifts of God are not more or greater to one state of life than another; but a great many very important circumstances belonging to their states, which by the young and strong are regarded as no advantages, are felt by the old as very great blessings, and felt with great satisfaction and thankfulness. Ease to the young is insipid; and, if continued, wearisome-to the old it is sufficient to constitute enjoyment. It has been said of these two periods of life, that young men are never happy but when they are in the pursuit or enjoyment of pleasure -that old men are happy when they are at ease. The young are fretful, and restless, and impatient, under the mere absence of pain; the old, on the contrary, draw actual enjoyment from this state. think this is a true account, and that it was intended so to be. The young were intended for activity; and

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they were, therefore, to be stimulated and spurred on to exertion. It would not have agreed with the intention of an all-wise Providence to have made them content with ease. The old, on the other hand, were designed for repose; which design is indicated, not only by the gradual declension of their active powers, but by the increasing satisfaction which they find in repose. Herein old age has the advantage over youth. Ease is more readily attainable than · pleasure. The time of life and state of constitution which may be made happy by ease may be blessed with a portion of happiness, which its more flourishing periods may never yet have obtained. The truth seems to be, that God has provided for each season of life its own satisfactions. A well-ordered mind not only perceives this in general, but makes the very interruption and decay and loss of former faculties a reason for being more exceedingly thankful for those which are left. If his strength fail, he draws more happiness from the use of that which is left.

Now every thing which is of a nature to turn the thoughts to God in religion, or rather may be, and ought to be, a source of religion; and whatever has a tendency to make us look upon God as the father of all these benefits-see him in his gifts-refer to him all our comforts-understand our close and intimate dependence upon him both in body and soul, for our bodily ease as well as mental tranquillityevery thing, in a word, which stirs and excites our affection towards him, may produce in us a near ap

plication to religion; may carry us to it in the best way. And we may, therefore, say, that advanced years ought to dispose men to their religion on this very account-that they make them more sensible of the gifts and graces and blessings of our Creator than youth usually is: I do not mean to say, than youth ought to be-the contrary is the truth; but than youth usually is.

Again; it is scarcely possible that any man can have lived to sixty or seventy years without having experienced many special blessings: I do not mean that general providence, by which his life has been for so long time preserved and continued to him, but many special favours and mercies in the course of it. Recollections of this kind, so long as God is pleased to grant the powers of recollection, ought to employ the minds of those in particular who are advanced in years, and raise their thoughts to God. Either they have been critically perhaps preserved from sin, which, though they did not think so at the time, they now acknowledge to have been the very greatest of all possible mercies; or though they have fallen, or perhaps rushed headlong into sin, they were not ruined by it, as they might have been ruined; they escaped many of the consequences of it, which might have destroyed them. They were spared in order to repent. They were saved and snatched as a brand out of the fire. These are truly spiritual blessings. These are points and marks of Providence which ought to be peculiarly grateful to aged

men, and which they should delight to meditate upon, both because they are immediately and intimately connected with that salvation in which they now ought to be more peculiarly interested, and leading their contemplation into that eternity they do certainly border upon; and also, because the chief and natural satisfaction of old age is mental rather than bodily. But even here many recollections crowd upon a mind even less sensible to the gratifications of thought and serious meditation. They may have been recovered and rescued in times of great bodily danger. Their lives and limbs have been preserved to them through some great perils, some extraordinary accidents, some severe sickness. They have often been drawn near to the edge and brink of their mortal fate. They have stood upon the precipice of death and confines of eternity; and what makes such preservation a mercy indeed is that which I fear too many of us but too well remember-that if they had been cut off when they were in so much danger, they had been cut off in their sins. Is not then our preservation from such dangers, both ghostly and bodily-both of soul and body-a mercy to be acknowledged with the deepest sense of thankfulness and obligation? Still more shall we acknowledge it, if we have used the mercy and forbearance of our Maker as we ought to do; that is, if we have grown better since: if danger has alarmed and roused us; if our escape has taught us fear and cautionfear of God, and caution in offending him if these

beginnings have gone on, and have had the effect of generating seriousness of temper, holiness and purity of heart, more spirituality than was formerly felt, stronger faith and livelier hopes, a gradual rising above the follies of the world; what may we not attribute to this multitude of years-to this language, which nature and age so forcibly speak? A mature age, well instructed by experience, well versed in the changes and chances of this mortal life, ought to be expected to have where at last to fix its views-whither to point and direct all its endeavours-from whence to look for any steadfast ground of consolation, any firm security, any rational object of pursuit and confidence.