Man was Buried. And hence it may not improbably be conjectured,

First, That feeing the burying of the poor Man's body is not at all mentioned, as the rich Man's is, that either he had no burial, no Man had so much humanity (at least not the rich Man) as to fee his Body interr'd; or else if he had any Burial, it was but a very homely and obfcure one. It may be he was either removed a little out of the way, and cast into fome place, where the Dogs that licked his fores when alive, might eat up his flesh being dead; or else fome of the rich Man's Servants might, instead of giving him a decent Burial, throw him into fome Hole or Ditch

Whatever became of his Body, whether it was Buried according to the ufual Custom or no; yet we may do well to confider thus much. That tho' it very well becomes our furviving Friends, both to fignifie their own humanity and affection towards us, and to teftifie their faith and bope of a Refurrection of the Body from the dead; to fee our Bodies in a decent manner, and not without fome Religious Rites, committed to the ground: Yet good Men will not be very follicitous about this matter, that is, they will not be very much concerned, what fhall become of their Bodies when they are dead. As the Body is but the less part of a pious Mans care whilft he liveth; his chief study and bufinefs being to provide well for his Soul; and for the Body no farther, than to keep it a pure and cleanly habitation, and a fit inftrument of the Soul during this natural life: So when he is about to die, it is much less his care, as a thing now growing, as now it is useless to his Soul; and all that he can with any earnestnefs defire is, that it may in fome decent manner, as

be

becomes the Body of a Chriftian, be put out of the way, and not lie fo, as to be offenfive to his Friends or any other. Where-ever it fhall be be laid, he knows it will be in the hand of God; and he will take care to reftore it again to him a glorious Body in his own due time.

Secondly, 'Tis probable, that the rich Man had (as fuch men ufually take too much care to have) a very pompous and coftly Funeral. Our Saviour here faith no more, but that be was buried; yet having faid how Lazarus was carried by the Angels into Abraham's Bofom, why may we not also understand by the rich Mans being Buried, his being carried in great ftate by Perfons of fome Note, with much Solemnity unto fome coftly Sepulchre which was provided for him? Thus much I fay may seem intimated in this, that our Saviour not only faith, that the rich Man alfo died, but addeth these Words, and was Buried; that is, I suppose he was buried as fuch rich men used to be, with a great deal of folemn ceremony. And this, if it was fo, may well fet forth unto us the great vanity of this rich Epicure. Indeed, it is ufual with fuch Gentlemen as he, feeing their lives afforded nothing to commend them for, and fearing their trencher-friends and pot-companions will then fail them; who flattered them fo much whilft they lived, and could feed them, that they have no flattery to fpare for their names, after Death hath left them nothing but the hungry remembrance of their old good Fare to feed on; to take a great deal of care to be buried as Sumptuously as they lived; and that their rotting Bodies may wear as coftly Monuments, as they used to do Cloaths when alive. Yea, it is now become the almost univerfal vanity of the World,

and

and more especially of thofe in it, who have most folemnly renounced it,with all the pomps and vanities of it, to take all the care they can that they fhall not all go quite out of it when they die; that their duft, at least, may be laid up here in state; and that, if possible, it may never be forgotten where it was laid; but when it is mixed and blended with the earth wherein it was laid, that the one can no longer be diftinguished from the other; yet a Stone laid upon it may inform those that come after that there it is. Something must be done to keep us alive one way or other in this world when we are gone out of it; we think not Heaven deferving of us wholy; a name at leaft upon a Grave Stone fhall acquaint the World how well we loved it. As much coft is too often by the laft Will and Teftament bestowed on a fenfeless Carcass, as would plentifully maintain fuch an one as poor Lazarus his whole Life time. One would think, that Churches, Schools and Hofpitals, well endowed for the maintenance of Religion, Learning and the Poor, fhould be the most creditable and durable Monuments for the Rich; and for others, who have less to leave behind them (tho moft make it appear by this vanity that they have too much) the bellies and backs of the poor well fed and cloathed, and children well educated, would far better preserve a remembrance of them, than a light and flattering Funeral Sermon, or a beavy Gravestone.

Thirdly, That the Soul of every good Man is his principal care both fo long as he lives in Health, and when he is a dying. This is it, which he looks upon as Himfelf, and what becomes of his Body he cannot be much concerned, whilft he

feels

feels his Soul in Health, and perceives it now about to be tranflated by Death into a State, wherein it will be paft all danger of dying or fuffering any evil thing. Therefore, Ifuppofe, our Bleffed Saviour speaks of Lazarus his Soul, as if it were the whole of him. If Lazarus his Soul be carried into Abraham's Bofom, then is Lazarus carried thither. The Body will in due time follow the Soul, whither foever it goes; Death cannot part these two for ever. Let us therefore take care of our Souls, and we take care enough of our felves; if the Jewel be fafe, it fhall not always want a Cafe or Cabinet. On the contrary,

Fourthly, The Body of a Worldly and Carnal Epicure is all his care; and thence may our Bleffed Saviour be thought to fpeak of it, as if it were the whole of the rich Man, because it is too often all that fuch an one accounts himself, or hath any, either love or fence of. If the Body of the rich Man be Buried, then is the rich Man Buried. His Soul whilft he lives was, tho not in its Nature, yet in its affections, as Earthy as his Body; and therefore may it be with good fence faid of him all when he is Buried, Earth to Earth. What is it that the brave Gentleman now regards, or labours in every thing to please, but an Earthy Body? This he Feafts, and this he Recreates, this he Dawbs and Gilds, and this he would have Adored, Cringed and Bowed to, and this he would have advanced to rule the World if he could. But alafs, these Bodies of ours, how gay and gawdy things foever we now make them, will fhortly fall down into Corruption and Rottennefs, and all their Glory be hid in a dark

and

and dirty hole. They that make fo much of their Bodies now, as if they were nothing else but Body, will quickly feel to their forrow, that they have Souls too, which when their beloved Bodies, much against their Wills, fhall die, tho' fain they would have them die too, can never die. Thefe can find no rest with their Bodies in the Grave, nor take any pleasure at all, nor find any cafe in those rich Monuments which cover them. Their Bodies, how infenfible foever they now lie in the Earth, fhall one day follow their Souls thither, where no Bodily pleafure can be found.

But let us leave a while the Rich Man in his Bed of Duft, and obferve the poor Beggar's happy change by Death; that is, from the Rich man's Gates, and the Company of his Dogs, which was the beft Entertainment he could meet with here on Earth; be in Soul is carried by the Angels into Abraham's Bofome.

First, Whatever became of his ulcerous body, and whether any one upon Earth had the Charity for him, to throw a little Earth upon it, or no? His Soul immediately upon it's departure out of it, is waited on by a Train of glorious Angels; God fends the Courtiers of Heaven to conduct it into its refting place, where it is to be lodged in Peace and Comfort, amongst the Souls of good Men, till the dawning of the last Day; and the Angels come again with its glorious Redeemer, to call it into perfect blessedness, and for ever to be with the Lord.

See here the honour which is done unto the meanest Servant of JESUS Christ. See I fay, and burft with Envy, all you proud and blustering Gentlemen, who value more your Dogs, than the poor Chriftians, which almoft famifh at your Gates,

F