their ftrength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men, neither are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride compaffeth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment. Their eyes ftand out with fatnefs. They have more than heart could wish. The like you have, Jer. xii. 1. Righteous art thou, O Lord when I plead with thee : yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments; wherefore doth the way of the wicked profper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?

This is the short account that I would give of this matter that the administration of the things of this life, doth not at all belong to the kingdom of Christ; but they come from another hand. To make a man to be a rightful owner, he must prove his title, either from defcent, from fome that were before him; or by a fair and lawful acquifition, by his good employment and improvement of his stock and talent in fome honest way, and that he hath not got his wealth by violence, fraud, or cofenage: for this is a maxim with us (and they are difturbers of the world that go upon any other ground) that right property and title are founded in nature, not in grace. God gave the world and the things thereof unto the fons of men. If I would prove this to be mine, I muft prove my title, not by miracle; but as the law and ufage of the country where I dwell do ftate and determine therefore I will fay no more in this particular.

2ly. This particular is of great importance: If we will take a right eftimate of man, we must confider him also in refpect of another state; for lefs

of

of him is here, and more in another world. That which is most a man's own, may be least in worldly appearance. And

3ly. The state of men in the world to come, holds a proportion to mens fpirits and temper, to the tenour of their lives and actions. And this is clear from the text, fon, remember, thou in thy life-time receivedft thy good things, and Lazarus, evil things ; wherefore be his comforted, and thou art tormented.

Not that we are to fuppofe that it is either a virtue, to be poor; or a fin, to be rich: therefore we must supply these words from the context, and take the sense of them to be this: fon, thou in thy lifetime, had'ft thy good things; and did't use them to luxury, excefs, and riot, pride, haughtinefs, and fcornfulness; and did'ft not use them, as inftruments to virtue, and arguments to thankfulness: whereas a man should honour God with his fubftance, and the rich in this world fhould be rich in good works; and not high minded, nor truft in uncertain riches, but in the living God. The want hereof was condemnation of the rich man, not that he was rich, but that he did ufe his wealth to pride and luxury; not as inftruments of virtue, and arguments to gratitude.

So on the other fide: thou in thy life-time receivedft thy good things, and Lazarus evil things; therefore he is comforted. Not that he was therefore comforted, because he was poor in this world, and did receive evil things here; but because thofe evil things he received in the course of his life, did attain the peaceable fruits of righteousness, as the apostle fpeaks,

S 2

fpeaks, Heb. xii. 11. They put him upon the exercife of thofe virtues that his condition required 5 that is, fubmiffion to God, and felf-furrender, and acquiefcence in the difpenfation of providence. For that is a fancy which the papists go upon, that the ftate of regular obedience, and fingle life, and poverty, are virtues in themselves, and meritorious, and a state of perfection. For we are neither recommended to God by means of our worldly eftate, nor further from his acceptance, meerly for our worldly poffeffions and riches. Both states, either of wealth or poverty have their difficulties; and we are concerned to know what temptations we are expofed unto by either of them. If the rich be tempted to pride, and infolence; the poor may be tempted to bafenefs, and difcontent. And if this be his cafe, he will receive no advantage by his poverty and if the rich man become through his riches, haughty, proud, and infolent, he had better have been without them. You must therefore take the explication from the context. The rich man was not difadvantaged, because he had the good things of this life ; nor the poor man recompenced, meerly for his poverty; but because it was accompanied with humility, fubmiffion, and contentation in the divine providence.

These two latter points being of great concernment, I fhall speak diftinctly to them.

I. That if we would take a right eftimate of man, we must confider him, in refpect to a double state, here, and hereafter,

II. That

II. That the state of man in the world to come, holds a proportion to his fpirit and temper; to the tenour of his life, and actions in this world.

I. That if we would take a right eftimate of man, we must confider him in refpect to a double ftate; here, and hereafter; and that for these two reasons.

Ift. Because there is lefs of man here, and more. hereafter.

2dly. Because man is more valuable than this world represents him to be.

I. The first of these I will make appear in three particulars, that there is lefs of man here, and much more hereafter.

I. In respect of his time, and continuance in being.. Though we do but little, confider how uncertain our being is in this world; yet fee how abundant the fcripture is, in admonishing us of our uncertain abode, and short continuance in this world, fob vii, 6. My days are fwifter than a weaver's fhuttle; and you know how fuddenly that goes and returns, Job viii. 9. Our days upon earth are a fhadow, which if once a cloud come, the shadow vanishes. Job xiv. I, 2. Man that is born of a woman, is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. Gen. xlvii. 9. Few and evil have the days of the years of my life been this was old Jacob's account of himself. And men that have been serious and confiderate, have thus reported concerning themfelves, and others: 1 Chron. xxix. 15. For we are Strangers before thee and fojourners, as were all our faS 3 thers:

thers our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding. Pfal. xxxix. 4. 5, 6. Lord make me to know mine end; and the measure of my days what it is that I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou haft made my days as an hand-breadth, and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man, at his beft eftate, is altogether vanity. Surely every man walketh in a vain fhew, furely they are difquieted in vain. Pfal. xc. 9. We spend our years as a tale that is told. Pfal. cii. 11. My days are like a fhadow that declineth: and I am withered like grafs. Pfal. ciii. 15, 16. As a flower of the field, fo he flourisheth. For the wind paffeth over it, and it is gone. Pfal. cxliv. 4. Man is like to vanity, his days are as a fhadow that passeth a-. way. Ifaiah xl. 6. All flesh is grafs, and all the goodlinefs thereof is as the flower of the field: the grass withereth, the flower fadeth away. And this is brought by the apoftle, as an argument, that rich men should rejoice when they are brought low. James i. 10. Becaufe as the flower of the grafs, he shall pass away. And it is referred to in 1 Pet. i. 24. For all flesh is as grafs, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grafs withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away. And good men have had this fenfe of the fhortness of their abode in this world. 1 Pet. ii. 11. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lufts which war against the foul. And as knowing they had no continuing city here, they look't for one to come. Heb. xiii. 14. To all these places of holy writ give me leave to add one out of the apocryphal writers. Wisdom v. 13. we were barn, we began to draw to our

As foon as

latter end.

And