8o The Ways of Wfdom, SE R M. allowed all its juft weight, I hope it will III. Rill appear that the ways of wifdom are ways of pleafantnefs. To begin with what was laft mentioned as an argument from fait and experience, that fome ferious and devout perfons feem to havc the leaft plea - fure; not to mention the cafe of hypocrites, who, as our Saviour faith, disfigure their faces, and are of a fad countenance, which ought not at all to affed the caufe of reli- gion, being a mere counterfeit; it muff be acknowledged that fome ferious melancholy perfons fpend their lives very uncomfortably, almoft in continual fear and grief. But whence doth this arife ? Pray, take their own teftimony ; they will all agree that the true caufe is a fufpicion of their infincerity; not only their paff tranfgreffions are the oc- cafion of their prefent grief, but they are afraid left their compliance with the gofpel terms of acceptance be defeuive, their per- formance of their duty cometh fo far fhort as they think of what God requireth, and the corruptions of their hearts are fo flrong, breaking out into fo many trangreffions. Now, can it ever be reafonable to impute that forrow to religion as the proper caufe, which by the confe ion of thofe who fuffer it
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