efteem those most beloved of God, who live in all kind of wealth and pleafure, and never tafle of any ootervable adverfity in all their days. Theod. True; but the Scripture gives us another notion of them, affuring us, (e) There is no peace, no real and lafting peace, to the wicked, how profperous foever their outward eftate may be. See what a character the Pfalmift gives of them, and of their tottering changeable condition: (f) I was grieved, fays he, at the wicked: I do cijo fee the ungodly in fuch profperity. For they are in no peril of acath; but are lufty and strong. They come in no misfortune like other folk, And this is the neither are they plagued like other men. caufe they are jo bolden with pride, and overwhelm'd with cruelty. Their eyes fwell with fatness, and they do even what they luft. (g) Then thought I to understand this; but it was too hard for me: until I went into the fanctuary of God; then understood I the end of thefe men: namely, how thou doft fet them in Slippery places, and cafteft them down, and defiroyeft them. Ob! how fuddenly do they confume, perifh, and come to a fearful end! And, at another time, (b) I myfelf barve feen the ungodly in great power, and flourishing like a green bay tree. I went by, and, lo, be was gone: I fought him, but his place could no where be found. Keep innocence, and take heed to the thing that is right; for that shell bring a man peace at the laft. As for the tranfgreffers, they fhail perifh together. ind the end of the ungodly is, that they shall be rooted out at the last. Eufeb. The Holy Scripture, and especially that moft feraphick part of it the book of Pfalms, abounds with places to this purpose. Theod. You fay true. But that I may not be tedious, I will add only two paffages more at prefent. And they are both from the apottle St. James, in his catholick epiftle: who, fpeaking of the rich man, (f) Pfal. lxxiii. 3, &c. (g) Pfal. lxxiii. (b) Pfal. xxxvii. 35, 36, 37, 38. (e) Ifa. lvii. 21. 15, 16, 17, 18. affirms, affirms, that (i) as the flower of the grass he paffetħ away. For the fun is no fooner rifen with a burning beat, but it withereth the grass; and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion thereof perifheth; fo alfo fhall the rich man fade away in his ways. And again, to the fame effect, (k) Go to now, ye rich men; weep and bowl for the miferies that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and filver is cankered; and the ruft of them fhall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the labourers, which have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth; and the cries of them which have reaped, are entered into the ears of the Lord of fabbaoth. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; you have nourished your hearts as in the day of flaughter. As much as to fay, You have pampered and glutted yourfelves, as it were, for the fhambles. Whereby it is plainly intimated to us, that the end of fuch as have lived in the greatest plenty and eafe, is oftentimes very miferable. And, by confequence, all their temporal advantages, above others, are very far from proving them the favourites of Heaven. This is what, under God, depends upon the difpofition of their own minds, and the care they take to obey and ferve God; without which, how great foever they be in this world, they know affuredly beforehand, that (1) they shall never fee the Lord in that which is to come. Eufeb. So true is that in the author of the book of Wifdom (m) The hope of the ungodly is like duft, that is blown away with the wind; like a thin froth that is driven away with the form; like as the fmoke that is difperfed here-and-there with a tempeft; and paffeth away as the remembrance of a guest that tarrieth but a day. But the righteous live for evermore; their reward is with the Lord, and the care of them is with the Moft (i) James i. 10, 11. (4) Chap. v. 1, &c. (x) Wild. v. 14, 15, 16. (1) Heb. xii. 14. High. Therefore fall they receive a glorious kingdom, and a beautiful crown, from the Lord's band; for with bis right hand fhall be cover them, and with his arm be fhall protect them. Theoph. So that it is eafy to obferve how deplorable the condition often is, of fuch as the world are wont to magnify and applaud, to reverence and almost adore them; or elfe to malign or envy them for their greatnefs; who yet, if rightly confider'd, would more defervedly be the objects of a fincere and hearty compaffion, notwithstanding all their outward fplendor: whilft, on the other hand, fuch as thefe haughty worldlings feem moft to delpife, are many times in an infinitely more defirable condition than themselves. Hearken, my beloved brethren, fays St. James: Hath (n) not God chofen the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom, which he hath promifed to them that love bim? And the fame apoftle pronounces a bleffing to him that undergoes afflictions, for the trial and exercife of his chriftian virtues, and perhaps fuffers the lofs of all he had, for his faithful adherence to his duty; that he fhall have the approbation of God, and, as a confequent thereof, fhall be made everlaftingly happy in the other ftate. (0) Bleed is the man that endureth temptation; for, when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him. And there is great reafon why fuch fufferings hould be expected to have this happy event, amongst others, upon this account, that whilft people fwim in eafe and pleasure, and have all things to their hearts defire, whilft, as it is faid to have fared with (p) Q. Metellus, their whole life is but one continued series of profperity, without any misfortunes, difappointments, or loffes; they are apt to be enamoured of their temporal enjoyments, and to often aim at no greater happiness, undervaluing and neglecting the other most lasting ftate, which they ought much rather to be inceffantly labouring after. Had the Ifraelites been (2) James ii. 5. (e) James i. 22. (p) Valer. Maxim. 1. 7. c. 1. O 2 pa patronized and encouraged in Egypt, and allowed a free and quiet enjoyment of the good things thereof; there is little reafon to doubt, but they would have been for taking up their reft there without ever defiring to return to the promifed Canaan. It was only their hard bondage, and the cruel ufage they met with from their unmerciful task-mafters, that would make them long for a removal into another country. In like manner, when the Chriftian has his lot fall to him in a fair ground, and he is poffeffed of a goodly heritage, when his circumftances fuit his defires, and he has few or no croffes to complain of; this is a powerful temptation to him, to grow regardless of another life, for which he has no mind to exchange this. And there are but few that will be at the pains of providing for their departure hence, without fome afflictions to awaken their lethargick minds, and put them upon (q) defiring a better country, that is, a heavenly, fuch a country, whofe happiness fhall not equal only, but exceed, their utmost defires and imaginations; (r) where they fall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the fun light on them, nor any heat; but the Lamb, that is in the midft of the throne, fhall feed them, and shall lead them to living fountains of water; and God fhall wipe away all tears from their eyes. This world's delights are of an infinuating nature, and debase the foul, and clog it in its afcent towards Heaven, and make men willing to pitch their tents here, without troubling themfelves for what may happen beyond the grave. Hence it is, we fee all mankind, a very few excepted, fo (s) cumber'd, with Martha, about many things of lefs moment, as in the mean time to neglect the one thing needful, that good part, which shall not be taken away from any of thofe that once attain to it. The uneafinels of our present ftation may perhaps incline us to seek after another, which we hope may be more commodious and beneficial, and fo may become a means of inviting us to have our con(9) Heb. xi. 16. (~) Rev, vii. 16, 17. () Luke x. 41, 42. verfation verfation in Heaven, and may bring us to look past the things which are feen, to those which are not feen, which are eternal, and fo will never fail us. But, till we meet with fome fuch remembrancer to put us in mind of our duty, how fadly do we ordinarily immerfe ourfelves in the cares of the world, and delight ourselves in the acquifition of this life's tranfitory advantages; as if we had never been born for another, nor were ever call'd upon, and intreated, and encouraged to feek after it! Eufeb. This being the happy effect of afflictions in general, it is eafy to apply the confideration thereof to the cafe of our friend here in bed. Theod. It is fo: for, if all afflictions and fufferings have a natural tendency to fit us for the heavenly felicity, fickness in particular, or corporal infirmities, may well be looked upon as peculiarly conducing hereto; because these not only serve to convince us of the infufficiency and uncertainty of all worldly attainments, and how little they are to be depended upon; but moreover are particularly adapted to remind us of our mortality, and that great change which is every day approaching nearer and nearer to each one of us. For, if we cannot promife ourselves any certainty of continuing in this life, for a day's, or but an hour's fpace, though in our perfectest health and ftrength, much lefs may any preluine to do it, when their fpirits are exhausted, their flesh and ftrength wafted, and their breath grown fhort and painful, and it is a great question whether ever they fhall be well again. This will naturally carry our meditations forward to another life, and ought certainly to draw off our minds, our thoughts and defires, from this world, out of which we know not how quickly we may be taken; and to make us folicitous for a better and an enduring fubftance in the other, wherein we are undoubtedly to be fixed to all eternity. And is it not a fingular inftance of mercy and compaffion in Almighty God, thus to warn us of our frailty, the timely confideration whereof may be of fuch vaft advantage to us for O 3 ever |