Gates, and defpife your drudging Tenants, as tho they were made for no other end than to be your Slaves. Whoever honour you now, or whomfoever you are pleated either to honour or to contemn, yet know for certain, That thus it shalf be done to every one whom God delights to honour, even as it was here done to poor defpifed Lazarus. See this, you poor defpifed Creatures, who wear the Liveris of Chrift in your Rags, and Feaft on Him in your Hunger; thus fhall every pious Soul, how poorly foever he now live, and how weakly foever he now crawl, and how despicable foever he is now to the Rich Man, be bonour'd of God when he dies. The great and glorious King of Kings owns you for his beloved Children, whom the Rich Men now use worle, than they do their Dogs. Every one of you, that hath by Faith received Christ, to him bath he given power, even the ineftimable Privilege and Dignity of being one of the Sons of God. Joh. 1. 2. If we be fincere Chriftians, whatever our prefent Sufferings be, yet are we all the Children of God by Faith in Chrift JESUS. Gal. 3. 26. and if Sons, then Heirs, jea, joint Heirs with Christ. Rom. 8. 17. When God brought the First begotten, even our blessed JESUS into the World, be faid, let all the Angels of God worship him. Hebr. 1. And the pooreft and moft defpifed of us all, having this Love of the Father for Chrift's fake beftowed upon us, that we should be called the Sons of God; the fame holy Angels that worship the Lord our Saviour, are fent to Minifter unto us. Are they not all Miniftring Spirits, fent forth to Minifter for them who fhall be Heirs of Salvation? Heb. 1. They that fcorn us now fo much, as that they would count it a disgrace to them to keep Company with us, or to entertain in their Families any fuch

fuch Servants as we are, had they Eyes to fee, or Faith to believe, how these heavenly Spirits, the choice Favourites of God in the Court of Heaven, with much pleasure and Joy daily Minifter unto us; would hang down their Heads at the light; yea, and tremble too, could they at the fame time behold those black and foul Spirits, that haunt their Houses, and every where accompany them; they could hardly, I am confident, be pleas'd (as now they feem to be with thofe of another fort) to have fuch Blacks among their Attendants. The Heavenly Hoft of bleffed Spirits have a charge given them by their Lord and ours, to watch about us. He bath given bis Angels charge over thee, whofoever thou art that feareft God, to keep thee in all thy ways of Righteousness, and to bear thee up in their Hands, left thou dash thy Foot against a Stone. Pfal. 91. 11. 12. What, tho' Men caft us out like Carrion when we die, and hold us not worthy of a winding Sheet, the holy Angels of God ftand ready to conduct and carry us into the prefence of God, into the Kingdom prepared for us from the beginning of the World. This Honour have all his Saints.

Secondly, Thefe Angels Carry Lazarus into Abrabam's Bofom. And that we may be very fure of it, is a place of Eafe, Comfort, Safety and Honour. What is meant by Abraham's Bofome is not very hard to conceive, when we understand, That the Jews were wont to use this phrafe of being in Abraham's bofome, whenfoever they would fignifie one to be in great Happiness. Abraham was the great Exemplar to the World of a very wonderful Faith in God; leaving cheerfully all his vifible Earthly Enjoyments, and hopes, to obey the Call of God, tho' he knew not (as the ApoF 2

ftle

ftle faith) whither he went. He trufted God with all, never fearing to be a lofer by it. Therefore is he called the Father of all them that believe. And all they that imitate him in his Faith, are called the Children of faithful Abraham.

Now tender Parents ufe to exprefs their love to their Children, by laying them in their Bofomes. And they that lie in the Bosome of loving Parents, are no doubt of it as happy, as it is in the power of their Parents to make them. They are fure to fare as well as their Parents do. Now Abraham being himfelt in a very happy state, having Blessedness entail'd by God upon himself, and all his faithful Children, when our Saviour faith, That Lazarus was carried into Abraham's Bofome, his meaning muft be, that he was lodged among the Faithful Children of Abraham, who are all in the fame state of Blessedness, whatever that be, which he their Father now enjoyeth. It was also a custom at Feasts to lie on Beds, fo as that the Head of one might lean on the Bofome of another; whence St. John, the Disciple whom Jefus loved, lying next unto him on the Bed, as they did eat the Passover, is faid to have leaned on Jefus bis Bofome, Joh. 13. 28. Now the Joys of Heaven being compared to a Feaft, they that go to Heaven, are faid to fit down with Abraham, Ifaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven. Mat. 8. 11. when therefore our bleffed Saviour faith, that the Beggar was carried into Abraham's Bofome, his meaning is, that he was entertain'd no worse than Abraham was, but feafted together with him. Abraham is noted in his History for his great Hofpitality, and liberal Entertainment of Strangers and poor Travellors, and therefore is the

poor

poor Man's happiness after death, moft patly expreffed by his lying in the Bofome of one as famous for his Charity, as for his Faith. However, he wanted the Temporal Blessings of Abraham, whilft he lay at the rich Man's Gate, he should now have the eternal and Spiritual Blessings of Abraham, as one of his fpiritual Seeds communicated freely to him lying in his Bofome.

This is fpoken to the great Honour of faithful Abraham, that they who are happiest after death are faid to lie in bis Bofome. Let us all therefore endeavour to be as like Abraham as we can upon Earth, that we may be like him too in another World.

Let us all labour to be like him in his Faith, being ready to part cheerfully with all Earthly Comforts, whenfoever it pleaseth God by his Providence to call us to it. If Lazarus had not been contented with his povertie and fores, fubmit ting to God in the worst condition, and trusting him for a better, if not in this, yet in a better World; he had not been carried into Abraham's Bofome. Here is the Trial ofour Faith, if we can patiently continue in well doing, what Hardships foever we now lie under, ftedfaftly trusting that God will make good all his promifes to his faithful Servants, tho' our Reward come not till after we are dead.

Let us alfo labour to be like him in his Charity and Hofpitality to the Poor; taking pitty on them, and compaffionately with a cheerful Heart, a pleasant Countenance, and a wide Hand liberally relieving to our utmoft power the wants of the Needy. Had the Rich Man learn'd this good Leffon of relieving the poor, at his Gate plentifully, out of the rich stock and fubftance which

God had bestowed upon him; had he not Spared from the Poor, to feed his Lusts and Dogs; but done good with all, and to all, as he had Opportunity; in faith relying upon God for a gracious Reward, he had been carried when he died into the Bofome of Abraham too.

Again, this is fpoken to the great comfort of all pious People, how afflicted foever their prefent condition be. Let all fuch therefore as are in any affliction, be fure to keep up their Religion and Piety; hold faft their faith and love; that they may be entertain'd after Death with the Children of faithful Abraham. Let them conftantly trust in God, and walk on in the Paths of Righteoufnefs, carefuly fhunning Stealth, Fraud, Robbery, and every evil way; depending entirely on the promife and providence of God; patiently bearing his Fatherly Chaftifements, and with a contented Heart and Thankfulness to God, kindly accep ting the relief, how small foever, that they find from any charitable Hand; not doubting, but God will either, when he fees 'tis time, mend their Allowance and Portion here, or remove them hence into Abraham's Bofome, a quiet, plentiful, and honourable state, which by Death they fhall go into.

Thus have we confidered the Life and Death of thefe two Perfons, how it fared with each of them afterwards, we fhall be inform'd in the following Verfes.

LUKE