Page:True religion a source of happiness.pdf/4

4 joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that ye shall say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name be exalted. Sing unto the Lord, for he hath done excellent things, let this be known in all the earth: Cry out and shout thou inhabitant of Zion; for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.”

From this specimen of the grounds, and motives, and injunctions, to "rejoice and be exceeding glad," which every where pervade the sacred pages, we may at once perceive how greatly those mistake the matter, who suppose, that in order to be truly religious, they must needs be melancholy. But as many false notions respecting this important matter prevail even among professors themselves, I shall endeavour briefly to analyze the constituent principles of true religion, or godliness, and evince from the very nature of the thing, as well as from the divine testimony, that it is impossible to be truly religious without being comparatively happy; and that none but such persons can possibly be so. With a view to this I have chosen the words of Solomon; as the ground of my discourse, who, speaking of Wisdom, affirms that