[The rich, the poor, the old, the young, the learned, the unlearned, all without exception, find that there is much lacking, to render them completely happy. Of those who possess most of this world's good, it must be said, " In the fulness of their sufficiency they are in straits'^." Solomon is a remarkable example of this. He had formed, if not a wise, yet an honour- able, connexion with Pharaoh's daughter. Not satisfied, he sought happiness in a plurality of wives. Still not having attained happiness, he multiplied his wives and concubines to the number of one thousand ; and found himself, after all, as far from happiness as ever. Every other thing which he thought could contribute to his happiness he sought with insatiable avidity : but, after he had attained all his objects, he found, that " the things which were wanting could not be numbered." And so shall we find it to the latest hour of our lives. We may fancy that this or that will make us happy ; but, when we have gained it, we have only followed a shadow that eludes our grasp. The truth is, that God never designed the creature to be a satisfying portion to man : not even Paradise itself could satisfy Adam : no, nor could the partner which he gave him : he must taste the forbidden fruit : he could not be content without an accession of wisdom, which God did not ever intend him to possess. Thus, even in man's state of innocence, nothing but God could satisfy his soul : nor can any thing, short of God himself, ever be a satisfying portion to any child of man.]
Address —
1. Set not your affections on things below — [How happy would it be for us, if we could be content to receive the foregoing truths on the testimony of Solomon, instead of determining to learn them by our own experience ! How much vexation and misery should we avoid ! But, in spite of the united acknowledgments of all that have gone before us, we still think that we shall find something besides God to make us happy. This however we cannot do, even though we should possess all that Solomon ever enjoyed. We may continue our pursuit as long as we will ; but we must come at last to the same conclusion as he, and give the same testimony as to the result of our experience. Be persuaded. Brethren, to credit the Divine testimony, and to spare yourselves all the pain and disappointment which you must otherwise encounter. We mean not that you should renounce the pursuit of earthly things ; for you cannot do that without abandoning the duties which you owe to your families and to society at large ; but the expecta- tion of happiness from them you may, and must, renounce. You must never forget, that the creature without God is nothing ; and that happiness is to be found in God alone.]
^ Job XX. 22.