and fee what the gain of his trading for the Flesh will amount unto; what all the prefent Comforts which now he hath in this Life, will yield him in the end. How little is it, that he now enjoys? How imperfect are all his pleasures, and what a mixture of trouble and vexation doth he meet with in them all? How quickly will they all be gone? How do all his Joys end, before he has had the one half of what he would have had? How fuddenly and unexpectedly come his Torments in their room? How sharp and intol lerable prove they when they come? How durable will they be, and without any end? If this were but a little thought upon, it would spoil all our vain Mirth, and mad Frolicks; it would turn our Feafting into Fafting, and our Dancing into Mourning, if we were fure that within an hour, or how much lefs we know not, the House we Feaft and Dance in, would be all in Flames about us, and no way remaining for us to escape, but we must be Confumed to Ashes. Well then, eat, drink and be merry, as long as thou canft, it cannot be long; it cannot be many days, it may be but a few hours, yea, for ought thou knowft, not one, that thou haft to laugh and be merry in; and then, on a fudden, thou wilt find thy felf in the midst of Flames, among Devils, and fo must remain for evermore, Think seriously of this, and pride thy felf now if thou canst in thy Wealth, Health and Profperity.

2. It follows, that Good Men have all the evils they fhall ever fuffer, now, whilft they live in this World. There are none at all that they need fear to fuffer hereafter; but as foon as ever their Souls depart out of thefe earthly Tabernacles,

they

they are in Comfort. Now (faith Abraham of poor Lazarus) be as comforted. He had all the Evils that fell to his fhare in his Life time. He that lay at thy Gate for Relief, and was in fo low a Condition, That the very crumbs which fell from thy Table, would have been a great Comfort to him. He is now perfectly cur'd of all his Sores, he fhall never hunger or thirft any more, all Tears are wiped from his Eyes, all Sorrows banish'd from his Heart. He now enjoys a perpetual Feast, and shall rejoyce in joy unspeakable and full of Glory, to all Eternity.

O! What a comfort have we here given to every pious Soul, how poor and wretched foever his prefent condition be! What an easy thing will the hope of all this unexpreffible and endless Joy and Glory make it unto fuch a one, to fuffer any Grief, Pain, or Hardship, now for a fhort while on this Earth! Is it evil with you now, remember, you fhall be comforted. There is but a little while for you to wait, and thele wretched days of yours will be at an end. Death is coming on a pace, and will be fure to put an end to all your troubles in a moment. What troubles and pains do others willingly undergo to gain a little Honour, or Wealth, or Pleasure, which they know they can have but a few days in this World? And wilt not thou for a few days with patience endure a little Sickness, Pain, or Poverty, for all the Comforts and Joys of a blessed Eternity, no, not for the honour, wealth and pleasures of a most glorious and everlasting Kingdom? Remember, that nothing but impatience, and difcontent, can leffen thy future Joys; live therefore pionfly, and patiently, in a comfortable expectation of those Comforts, which are

now

1

now unexpressible, and when once they begin, shall never end; and do not fo undervalue thy hope, as not to think it worth the patient fuffering for, but a very little while in this Life. If it go ill with thee now, it fhall not do fo long; but all will be well shortly, and all will be well for

ever.

Should any one after this be fo curious, as to ask, Where it is, these Souls departed, whether they be Good or Bad, muft remain till the laft day; and what, in particular, are the torments of the one, and comforts of the other, immediately after Death? To both thefe curious questions I think St. Augustine's Anfwer the best that can be given. It is better (faith he) to be ignorant, or to doubt of fecret things, than to wrangle about things uncertain. What God hath not yet told me, cannot concern me yet to know, otherwife I doubt not, but he would have told me of it. And it is a very madness to fall out one with another in difputing about things which are therefore uncertain to us, because unreveal'd; because for want of revelation, the controversy cannot be decided, and the difpute is vain. Let us endeavour to learn now, and be content to know fo much as may make us good, and always labour to be more good, than knowing: So fhall we be fure after Death, to know all that is needful to make us happy, and happier we fhall then be, than now we can know or understand.

From what hath been now faid of the much differing States of thefe two Perfons after Death, we learn how to Anfwer that question, which was before propounded, and hitherto referr'd, viz. How it can be confiftent with the good Providence and righteous Government of God, to fuffer Good

Good Men to be in much Affliction upon Earth, whilst the Wicked profper?

That it is often fo, it cannot be denied; tho it may be, it is not by far fo common a thing, as we are apt to imagine it. Many, who feem to us very pious Men, are yet no better than cunning Hypocrites; and whilft thefe, whofe falfe Hearts God feeth into, are justly plagu'd by him for their Hypocrify; we, who judge by Outward Appearances, are apt to think that in Afflicting them, he Afflicts Good Men. On the other fide there may be many whom we efteem evil Men, who are not fo in God's Account. Their Special Calling or Station in the World is fuch, as neceffarily engageth them to bestow most of their time, and Study on fecular Affairs, whether they be more publick or private. There is alfo a State to be taken upon themselves by fome in regard to their Office, and a distance to be kept by them from other Men of an inferior order. And for this, we are too apt to look upon them with an evil and envious Eye, and they feem to us (only thro' our own earthly mindedness, Pride, and Impatience of feeing any either over us, or above us) to be Worldly, and Ambitious, and too much intent upon their own felfish Intereft: Some again are as Modeft, as they are Good, and have more of the Heart, than Face of Religion; and know not how to force their Humility into fuch an Outfide, and Oftentatious fhew of Piety and Zeal, as others, who have far lefs of it, can do. If fuch Men as these thrive and profper, we are apt to say, that Evil Men are exalted, and Good Men neglected. And whilft upon thefe, or other fuch mistakes, we judge rafhly of others, we cannot stop there; but are apt alfo to fly in the Face of Providence, as tho

God

God could have no hand in ordering things, if we cannot make all that comes to pafs in the World to fuit with our own Humours and Tempers, which we have perfuaded our felves to believe very Good and Religious.

Befides, it ought to be confider'd, that we are apt to judge too rafhly of Men's Condition in this World, as well as of their Piety and Goodness. That Condition is certainly Beft and Happiest, which yields a Man moft inward Peace, Quiet, and Satisfaction of Mind. And Men of a moderate Fortune, and middle State, have commonly most of these, and I think it is as easy to observe, that Jerious and fober Piety is more eafy to be met with among this middle fort of People, than in either of the extreams. Thefe are the Men that are most properly said to thrive and profper, and these are commonly the best Men, and have the leaft of any fort either of Sin, or of Trouble, being content with their moderate Portion; and juft, and kind to their Neighbours; and of a peaceable, and loving Temper, having a moft high Veneration for the Divine Majesty, and an earnest defire to do good in their Generation, to live chearfully on a Competence at Home, and peaceably among their Neighbours Abroad, obediently to good Laws, ferviceable to their Country, and fubmiffively to Divine Providence; God ufually bleffeth them with their own defires, and upholds them in that indifferent State, wherein is the greatest Worldly Happiness.

And yet tho the Suppofition, whereon this ca vil against Providence is grounded, be not fo miverfally true, as it is commonly taken to be for it is not true, that it is either always, or of teneft thus with good and bad Men, as it is fup

posed