oners for a better ftate hereafter; we are a perfect ing Holiness in the fear of the Lord, that we may be meet for the Inheritance of the Saints in Light. We are now at School, and under difcipline, and as we improve, we fhall be advanc'd. Our Heavenly Father knows what we most need, and what will beft fit us for the Inheritance which he hath provided for us; and fuch is his goodness, that he doth always what's beft, tho' we, like foolish Children, do not think fo. We are not therefore to look only on the prefent, but much more on that which is to conge. VVere the time of this Life all that God had made us for, our Condition in this Life were all that we fhould be concern'd for. But if there be a Life to ceme defign'd us by God, and he hath made that the end of our prefent Life here, when we are to expect our Reward or Punishment; in that Life, muft needs be the Revelation of the Righteous Judgment of God. Kom. 2. And then he will make it appear, whatever we foolish Men now think, that he order'd all Things wifely in this World. We are to judge of nothing before the end come, the methods of God's Providence, how unaccountable foever they now may feem, will then be laid open, fo as fully to fatisfie us of the Justice and Wifdem and Goodnefs of all his Doings. He that hath now given us Laws to live by, hath appointed a Day, wherein be will fudge the World in Righteousness..... and will render to every one according to his Works. To them, who by patient continuance in well doings (how much foever their patience is now tried by the Evils they fuffer, whilst they are doing well) feek for Glory and Honour and Immortality, eternal Life. But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the Truth, but obey Unrighteousnes, (how much foever

foever they now thrive and flourish) indignation and wrath. Rom. 2. 6. Thus the devout Pfal mift overcame all the Difficulties of reconciling the good Providence of God with the prefent ProSperity of the Wicked, and the Sufferings of the Righteous, when I thought to know this (faith he) it was too painful to me, until I went into the Sandl ary of God, then understood their end. Surely thou I didft fet them in flippery places, thou caftedst thems down to deftruction. How are they brought into de-, Jolation as in a moment? They are utterly confumed with Terrors. Pfal. 73. 16. The Lord fhall laugh at him, for he feeth that his Day is coming. Pfal. 37. 19. I have feen (faith he) the Wicked in great power) and fpreading himself like a green Bay Tree. Yet he palled away, and lo he was not; I fought him, but be could not be found. Mark the perfect Man, and behold the Upright; for the End of that Man is Peace. But the Tranfgrefors fhall be destroy'd toge ther, the End of the Wicked fhall be cut off. v. 35. &c. The Wicked (faith Job) is referv'd to the Day of Destruction, they shall be brought forth to the Day of Wrath. Job 21. 30. The Lord knoweth (faith St. Peter) how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to referve the unjust unto the Day of Fudgment to be punish'd. 2 Pet. 2. 9.

If then this prefent Life be no other than a time of Probation and Trial, of Service and Exercife, Duty and Difcipline: and a Day of Judgment be appointed after death, when we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Chrift, and thall have then the final Sentence given upon us, to receive Reward or Punishment, according to the Werks, which here we have done, whether good or evil! and if wicked Men, the more good Things they here enjoy and abufe, fhall then fuffer fo much L ż

the

the feverer Torments; and good Men the more evils they here fuffer, fhall have fo much the greater Reward, and fhare in glory, and if all that the Wicked can now enjoy be but for this fhort Life, which is but for a very few Years at moft, and the Torments that follow fhall be eternal; and what the good Man fuffers is but for a moment, and yet in that moment through grace and mercy of God, worketh for him a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, what can any one that confiders this, have left him to fay against the good Providence and righteous Government of God, tho' he fuffer the Wicked to flourish, and the Righ teous to lie under Afflictions fo long as they live in this World? In fhort, all Things work together for good to them that love God. Rom. 8. And tho their Sufferings for a time be grievous, yet will they bring forth in the end the comfortable Fruit of Righteoufnefs to them who are exercis'd therewith.

LUKE

LUKE XVI. Ver. 26.

And befides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed; so that they which would pass from hence to you, cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

T

HIS Verfe concludes the Anfwer which 4braham made to the Rich Man's Requeft, which he made for himself now in Hell. He de nied him the Thing he ask'd of him, that is, to fend Lazarus to cool his Tongue. And in these words he gives him a Reafon for it, which must be fatisfactory, the Thing defir'd is a Thing impoffible to be done,how little foever it amounted to, or how willing foever Abraham might be to do it for him, yer was it not in his power to do it. Abraham had, in the immediately foregoing Words, put him in mind, how little he had by his Behaviour in his Life-time deferved the favour he now requested. He bids him remember, how he had then demean'd himself, and how he had then receiv'd a great deal more than he had deferv'd, and indeed all the good Things that fell to his fhare, no more good is now therefore to be expected, by him. And yet, left after all this, the Rich Man might conceive fome kind of hope, that notwithstanding his great demerit, he might by much importunity yet prevail, and move Father

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Abraham

Abraham to have fome compaffion on him; he tells him very plainly, that 'tis to no purpose to hope for any fuch thing as he defir'd. As he was already tormented, fo tormented he must for

ever be.

They who live wickedly, and die impenitently, are at Death put into a defperate Condition, past all bape of receiving any relief or abatement of their

Torments.

This appears abundantly from this part of Abraham's Anfwer. Befides all this, faith he. Over and above what I have yet faid to make thee fenfible of thy Folly, and of the Justice of God in thus giving thee up to be tormented, I have this moreover to add for the aggravation of thy Mifery, That thou canst not now have any help or cafe given thee by me or any other. For between

, who are here comforted, and you, who are there tormented, there is a great gulf, an unpaflable diftance, no way left to pass over. This gulf is fixed unalterably. The immutable decree of God is this, that there fhall be no way whereby one of us, who are thus once feparated, fhall ever any more come at the other. So that they that would pass from hence to you, cannot. That is, fuppofing that any of us, who here through the fpecial grace and mercy of God in JESUS Chrift Our Saviour, are in a moft comfortable reft, have a mind, or fhall be willing in compassion to you, who are in Torment, to deny our felves fo far for your fakes, as to leave this comfortable ftate for a while, to bring you all the relief and cafe you defire; yet you must know, that we are reftrain'd herein by God, he will by no means allow of it. And if any one of You would never fo fain break loofe from that wretched Society,

and