rich Man's Gate, than it would have been to fit at the Table with that Swine their Master.

Here is the pious poor man's both comfort and bonour, that the wife Judge of all Men thinks his Name worthy to be register'd in his own Book, he takes care the Righteous, how obfcure and defpicable foever he be among Men, fhall be had in everlasting remembrance. He would have the World to take notice, That them that honour God, God will honour, and they that defpife him fhall be lightly esteemed. 1 Sam. 2. 30. He would have the World read in poor Lazarus his Name, the readiness and care of God to help and fhew mercy to the outcast and poor; that he himfelf will own them as his Brethren, and reckon as done unto himself whatsoever is done unto the leaft of them, that he will welcome them into Heaven as the bleffed Children of his Father, whofoever they be that pitty them, and fhew them kindness, whofe Names he hath written in the Book of Life.

e

And this one confideration I fhould think enough to fpoil the rich man's faring fumptuously very day; That how much foever he makes of himself now, and how greatly foever Fools now admire him, Knaves flatter him, and little Earthy Souls do envy him; yet is he all this while of no account or name in the Judgment of God; no. fuch Name as his is to be found in the Book of Chrift; nor will his Purple and fine Linnen perfuade the great Saviour of the World, to own him as one of his Family. A day is coming, and will be upon him when he leaft, it may be, expects. it; when he fhall be fet on the left Hand among the Goats, when he fhall be driven out from the presence of the great King with a Depart, I

know

know thee not: When to every good Lazarus God will fay, as he did to Mofes and Ifrael. I know thee by Name, and thou hast also found grace in my fight. Exod. 33. 12. Fear not, for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy Name, thou art mine. Ifai. 43. 1. The rich Gentleman, a main part of whofe ftudy it was to get a Name among Men, to lade and dawb himself with thick Clay, and boaft himself of the multitude of his Riches, whofe inward Thought is, that his Houfe fhall continue for ever, and his dwelling places to all Generations, and he calls his Lands after his own Name, even this brave Man in Honour (as the Vulgar think him) abideth not, he is like the Beafts that perish. Tho whilft he lived he bleffed his Soul, and Men praised him, whileft he did well to himself: He shall go to the Generation of his Fathers, and shall never fee light. He fhall carry nothing away, his glory fhall not defcend after him. In the Generation following his Name fhall be blotted out. The memory of the Fuft is bleed, but the Name of the Wicked Shall rot. Prov. 10.7.

LUKE

LUKE 16. v. 22.

And it came to pass that the Beggar died, and was carried by the Angels into Abraham's bofom, the Rich man alfo died, and was bu ried.

HAV

Aving feen what kind of Perfons these two were, it might be proper enough in the next place to reflect on their outward state and condition in this Life, and to confider how confiftent it may be with the Providence and righteous Government of God, to fuffer a wicked rich Man to live in the height of profperity, whilft the poor and righteous Man that worshipp'd and ferv'd him faithfully liv'd, and even hardly lived in want of all Earthly Comforts. But because the Twenty fifth Verfe, when we come to it, will put us uppon that Meditation, let us wave it at prefent, and now only observe.

II. What kind of departure these two Perfons are bere faid to have had out of this World. And herein we shall eafily discover the truth of what we read, Pro. 28. 6. Better is the poor that walketh in his Uprightness, than he that is perverfe in his Ways tho he be rich. Indeed they both of them die, but they do not both of them fare alike in Death.

1. The first thing that here we observe is this, That they both of them die. It came to pass, that the Begger died; and fo it came to pass to the rich man too, be alfo died. And thus it fhall come to pass to all Mankind, Rich and Poor, Good and Bad, all muft die. All of us, Noble and Ignoble, how much or how little foever we value our felves on account of our Ancestors, derive our Pedigree from Adara; in him, what distance foever there is now betwixt the one and the other, the Rich and the Poor meet together, and from him with their nature derive mortalitie. In Adam all die. Death fpareth not the Rich more than the Poor, nor is the King's Palace, a more priviledged place on this account, than the Beggar's Clay Cottage. Death will arreft even the King himself in his Bed-chamber, in fpite of all his Guards. No ftrong Hold will keep out Death, no Splendor, Power or Greatness will affright or amaze it, no Riches bribe it. O what would the rich and proud Gentleman, who hath in health as little to give, as he hath much to waste, and can fpare nothing from his Luxury to bestow either on God or the Poor; what I fay, would not he now, when he fees his Death approaching to deprive him of all, willingly give, that he could huff and bector away Death, as eafily, as he used to do the poor Beggar from his Door? But here he meets with fomething as sturdy as his himself, and that will bring down his ftout ftomach, and make even the brave Gentleman quake for fear. Death fears not his high and furly looks, nor any of his big and ranting Words, no nor his frowns, ftamps, or Blows; nor all his damning Oaths and Curfes, wherewith he is fo richly furnished, and on all occafions is as free of, as he is fparing of his

Charity

Charity. This tall Cedar must down, as well as the lowest Shrub. And as all know this, fo it were well, if all too, both high and low, rich and poor, fickly and healthful would, in time rightly confider, and make good ufe of it. That we would all endeavour to prepare our felves for Death, as we may, and as it concerns us to do, before it come. Otherwife it will make a greater difference between one and another, than ever there was, or could be in our Life-time.

1. Let the Rich Man confider, that he must certainly die, and that too, within a very short time; neither he, nor any body else knows how foon. He will poffibly fay, he doth so, and so do his Companions that riot with him in his daily fumptuous fare, and therefore they encourage one another in this voluptuous way of Living, faying, Come on, Let us eat and drink, for to morrow we must die. Let us enjoy the good things that are prefent; and let us speedily use the Creatures like as in Youth. Let us fill our felves with coftly Wine and Ointments; and let no Flower of the Spring pass by us. Let us crown our felves with Rofe-buds before they be wither'd. Let none of us go without his part of our Voluptuousness; let us leave Tokens of our Foyfulness in every place, for this is our portion, and our Lot is this. Wild. 11. 8. &c. This they confider, that Death will come quickly, and take all away that is left; and therefore they are refolv'd to leave him nothing, but the bare Bones to pick. And truely if this be all their Pertion, and this their fo much boasted of Wifdem, I think no good or wife Man hath any reafon to envy them for either, whatever cause they may find to pitty them.