we make not thefe good Things our Pertion, and if we do not make them fo, be fure we may, that God will not.

·And likewife Lazarus evil Things.

We have not yet done with the biting Memento, which Abraham here gives the Rich Man. in Hell. We have heard what he bad him remember concerning his own late flourishing state in his Life Time: But this is not all, he must be alfo put in mind of the late lamentable Condition of Lazarus, the poor diftreffed Beggar, that used to lie at his Gate craving an Alms; how hardly he had fared all his Life-time, and what evil Things he had endured. This is it that every unmerciful Rich Man muft expect. The Contempt of the Poor will be a hot burning Coal, tormenting his Soul and Conscience in Hell.

It is no News indeed to hear, that good Mes receive evil Things in this Life. Neither ought this to difcourage any one from being, and continuing good. For whom the Lord loveth, he chafteneth and Scourgeth every Son whom he receiveth, Heb. 12.6. Our bleffed Saviour hath pronounced them bleffed, that hunger and weep now, for they fhall be filled and laugh. Luk. 6. 21. Lazarus Was no worfe Man, for being in the worse Condition. The more evil Things he now received, the more good Things had he yet to receive. These evil Things were fuch as might be born, and fuch as would do him good; and the good Things he wanted, were but Meat and Drink and Cloaths and good Health: he wanted not Grace and Goodness, and fufficient ftrength of Souf to bear thefe Wants; he

had

had an inward Comforter, and Peace of Confcience, which made all other Wants tolerable. But why muft the Rich Man be put in mind of this?

First, to this end, That he might by this means call his own Sins to remembrance, that Sin, efpecially of not confidering and commiferating the poor Man's evil Condition when he faw it, and adding to his Affliction by his denying him a seasonable relief. This muft needs, at any time, be a very great Affliction to the Poor, to find no Comfort or Succour there, where, in all reafon, he ought chiefly to expect it; and where alone," in all Appearance, it is not to be had. To go away Hungry from a Rich-man's Door is a great Difappointment, and a greater Grief of Mind, than to be denied a little Bread by one that hath but a little for himself. To fee the Rich Man's Dogs fed with that which himself was almost famith'd for want of, must needs bite him more than his Hunger did. Neither yet doth a vertuous Poor Man's milling his hop'd for relief fo greatly Afflict him, as the Rich Man's want of Charity. His Affliction is heightned by that Cha rity himself, which he fees the other want, and he grieves more for the Rich Man's fake than his own. To think in how fad a Condition this Rick' Man was becaufe of his unmerciful Temper, and in how much worfe a condition he wou'd fhortly be, without a timely Repentance, whereof his prefent churlishness was but a bad fign, this cut poor Lazarus to the Heart. Remember this faith Abraham) look upon Lazarus, and remember, how much now this addesh to thy Torments, that without any Mercy or Compaffion thou didst let him lie Groaning all his Days under those Evils

he

he then fuffer'd, when it was in thy power to relieve him.

Again, this was to make him more fenfible of God's Justice, and Righteous Judgments in dealing with the wicked according to their unmerciful dealings with others, and in taking care that his faithful Servants be in the end no lofers by his Service; but that he hath laid up such a Reward for them in Heaven, That all the fufferings of this prefent time are not worthy to be compared with the Glory which shall be revealed in them. Rom. 8. 18. Yea, That the light Affliction which is but for a moment, worketh for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory, 2. Cor. 4.

V. 17.

Thefe are the things which Abraham bids the Rich Sinner call to remembrance in Hell. And now we are farther, to confider, what he here efpecially commends to his Notice. And that is, the great Change made in the condition both of Good and Bad Men by Death, in thefe Words, But now he is Comforted, and thou art Tormented.

Thefe Words of Abraham we fhould all have very much in our Thoughts. We are all of us too intent upon things prefent, and upon the earthly Comforts, which now we Taste and Feel, to think fo much as it concerns us, on things Future, and on the NOW here in this Text. Now, in this Life we are in haft to be happy, Now, we would have our good Things, we cannot well endure to be told, that we fhould wait and continue with Patience in doing Well, and Suffering ill till this Life fhall be at end. The NOW of this Life runs ftill in our mind, that other of the Life to come is too feldom in our Thoughts. Tho

that's

that's an Eternal now, and this just nothing. This ends at Death, and is no more, and that begins at Death, and is for ever. This is it of which Abraham here fpeaks, the State of the Dead immediately after Death, and before the Refurrection of the Body, and fo before the great Day of Judg ment, and the final State of all after Sentence fhall be given. All the while betwixt the departure of our Souls out of our Bodies, and the rifing again of thefe Bodies from the Dead, we must be either in comfort, or in torments. Our Souls then, as was faid, fleep not, nor lie in a Senseless Condition, neither find we here, or in any o'her part of Holy Writ, any fuch thing as a Purgatory, a place of torment for a middle fort of Souls, which being neither of the best, nor of the worst, are supposed by fome to go neither immediately to Heaven nor to Hell; but into the Skirts or Suburbs of Hell, there by torments to be purged, as with Fire, from all their drofs; and that done, to be fent into Heaven. We have mention made of a State of Comfort call'd Abraham's Bofom; and another of torment called Hell; neither of which fhall ever end; but both of them fhall admit of augmentation, as we shall fee anon. These in the mean time are the Things which we are here taught.

1. That there is a future ftate after Death for all Men, good and bad. Death when it comes, and diffolves the Bond of Union 'twixt Soul and Body, doth not make an end of either. This is both fo frequently, and fo plainly taught us in the Holy Scripture, that I fhall not need to point out the Texts for it. For indeed, the whole Scripture would be a vain and infignificant Thing, if this were not true. All the Holy Scripture was given us to this end, of making us wife unto Salvation,

K

through

through Faith, that is in Chrift JESUS; fo wife, as to be able by the Rules of God's Word, to govern our felves in fuch fort fo long as this Life lafts, that we may be happy when we die. And indeed, the wifer fort of Heathen Men were generally of this Belief, that the Souls of Men continued after Death, and that fo, as to be fenfible of their Condition; whereof, to fpare the quoting of Authors, the Idolatry of the World hath ever been a fufficient Evidence. For most of the Idols, which they worshipped, were nothing else but the Souls of Men, which they believed to be alive after Death, and to have a power to do them good or hurt. Men were not in the darkness of Heathenifm arriv'd at that height of Infidelity, which is now by too many in this Age, efteemed the bight of Wisdom. They neither denied, that Men have Souls diftinct from their Bodies; nor that thofe Souls fubfift after their departure out of their Bodies. Whofoever therefore denieth a future State of Souls after Death, is one of those conceited Fools, who for the love he hath to his Sin, hath facrificed his Modefty together with his Reafon to his Lufts, and worshipping nothing but the Brutifh part of himself, thinks it Wit to be impudent, and the hight of Gallantry to own himself a Beast, and to have as little of Concern for the future, as a Swine. Herein is his Glory, that he thinks himfelf wifer for this than all Mankind, be they Chriftians, Jews, Mahometans or Heathens; for all thefe do generally believe the Souls Immortality. And that which demonftrates his Folly beyond all Difpute is this, That whilft he fo confidently denies, what the generality of Mankind believes, and what the wifeft of Men have ever thought they could fufficiently prove, to the Conviction of all

but