will grant us whatever is good and necessary by which is certainly intended in the first place Spiritual good Things because these are the best and most necessary and to satisfy us that our Saviour did in the first place and more especially mean these St. Luke does particularly instance in the Grace and Assistance of God's Holy Spirit Luke 11.13 How much more shall your Heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that ask him The holy Spirit that is the continual Presence and Influence of it to all the purposes of Guidance and Direction of Grace and Assistance of Comfort and Support in our Christian Course And what else is the meaning of that Parable of our Saviour's concerning the Talents entrusted with every Man according to his Capacity and Opportunities Matth. 25. I say what else can be the meaning of it but this That God is before-hand with every Man by affording the Advantages and Opportunities of being happy and such a measure of Grace and Assistance to that end which if he faithfully improve he shall be admitted into the Joy of his Lord. And upon this Consideration of the gracious Promises of the Gospel to this purpose it is that the Apostle St. Paul doth so earnestly exhort Christians to endeavour after the highest Degree of universal Holiness and Purity that we are capable of in this Life 2 Cor. 7.1 Having therefore these Promises dearly beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit perfecting Holiness in the fear of God And so likewise Phil. 2.12 13. Wherefore my beloved work out your own Salvation with fear and trembling that is with great Care and Concernment lest you should fall short of it for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure The Consideration of God's readiness to assist us and of his Grace which is always at hand to stir up our Wills to that which is good and to strengthen us in the doing of it ought to be a great Argument and Encouragement to us to put forth our utmost Endeavours and so co-operate with the Grace of God toward our own Salvation And the Apostle St. Peter useth the same Argument to press Men to use their utmost Diligence to make their calling and election sure by abounding in all the Virtues of a good Life 2 Pet. 1.3 4. According as his Divine Power hath given us all things which pertain to Life and Godliness that is hath so plentifully furnisht us with all the requisites to a godly Life through the knowledge of him that hath called us to Glory and Virtue that is by knowledge of the Gospel and the Grace therein offered to us whereby he hath given unto us exceeding great and precious Promises that by these ye might be Partakers of a Divine Nature having escaped the Corruption that is in the World through Lust And then from the consideration of this Divine Power conveyed to us by the Gospel and the Promises of it he exhorts Men to give all diligence to add to their Faith Virtue and Knowledge and Temperance and Patience and Godliness and brotherly Love and Charity And indeed the Scripture every where ascribes our Regeneration and Sanctification the Beginning and Progress and Perseverance of our Obedience to the powerful Grace and Assistance of God's holy Spirit we are said to be regenerate and born again of the Spirit to be renewed and sanctified by the Holy Ghost to be led by the Spirit and by the Spirit to mortifie the deeds of the Flesh and in a word to be kept by the mighty Power of God through Faith unto Salvation 3. What the Grace of God is ready to enable us to do if we be not wanting to our Selves may properly be said to be possible to us and in some sense in our Power That may be said to be possible to us which tho' we cannot do of our selves as of our selves that is by our own Natural Power yet we can do by the Help and Assistance of another if that Assistance be ready to be afforded to us as we are sure the Grace of God's Holy Spirit is because he hath promised it to them that seek it and he is faithful who hath promised That cannot be said to be wholly out of a Man's Power which he may have for asking that which we are able to do by the Strength and Assistance of another is not impossible to us Surely St. Paul did no ways derogate from the Grace of God when he said I am able to do all things thro' Christ strengthening me he reckons himself able to do all that which by the strength of Christ he was enabled to do And this is the true Ground of all the Perswasions and Exhortations which we meet with in Scripture to Holiness and Obedience which would all be not only to no purpose but very unreasonable if we were wholly destitute of Power to do what God commands but if he be always ready at hand to assist us by a Grace sufficient for us if he co-operate with us in the Work of our Salvation then is there abundant ground of Encouragement to our Endeavours and if we fall short of eternal Salvation it is wholly our own fault it is not because God is wanting to us in those Aids and Assistances of his Grace which are necessary but because we are wanting to our selves in not seeking God's Grace more earnestly or by neglecting to make use of it when it is afforded to us For it is really all one both to the encouragement of our Endeavours and to the rendring of our Disobedience inexcusable whether we be able of our selves to perform the Condition of the Gospel or God be ready to assist us by his Grace and Holy Spirit to that purpose Wherefore as the Apostle exhorts Heb. 12.12 13 14 15. Lift up the hands which hang down and the feeble knees and make strait paths for your feet lest that which is Lame be turned out of the way but let it rather be healed Follow holiness without which no man shall see the Lord looking diligently lest any man fail of the Grace of God intimating that it is want of care and diligence on our part if the Grace of God fail of its end and be not effectual to all the purposes of Faith and Repentance and Obedience God does not with-hold his Grace from us but Men may receive it in vain if they do not make use of it And thus I have done with the third thing I proposed to consider from these words I proceed to the Fourth viz. To consider the Necessity of this Obedience in order to our obtaining of Eternal Life and Happiness Christ is the Author of Eternal Salvation to them that obey him that is to such and only to such as live in Obedience to the Precepts of his holy Gospel to them who frame the general course of their lives according to his Laws Some Men seem to be
Obedience and good Works Chap. 3.8 This is a faithful saying and these things I will that thou affirm constantly that they who have belieed in God be careful to maintain good Works All that now remains is to make some useful Inferences from what hath been said upon this Argument and so to conclude this Discourse First of all To convince us that an empty Profession of the Christian Religion how specious and glorious soever it be if it be destitute of the fruits of Obedience and a holy Life will by no means avail to bring us to Heaven No profession of Faith in Christ no Subjection to him tho' we be baptized in his Name and list our selves in the number of his Disciples and Followers tho' we have made a constant Profession of all the Articles of the Christian Faith and have performed all the external parts and duties of Religion have gone constantly to Church and frequented the Service of God and have joined in publick Prayers to God with great appearance of Devotion and have heard his Word with great Reverence and Attention and received the blessed Sacrament with all imaginable expressions of Love and Gratitude to our belessed Redeemer nay tho' we had heard our blessed Saviour himself teach in our streets and had eaten and drunken in his presence yet if all this while we have not done the will of God and obeyed his Laws none of all these things will signifie any thing to bring us to Heaven and make us Partakers of that Salvation which he hath purchased for Mankind But we cannot plead so much for our selves as those did of whom our Saviour speaks None of us shall be able to alledge for our selves at the great day that we had prophesied in his Name and in his name had cast out Devils and in his name had done many wonderful Works and yet if we could alledge all this it would do us no good All that such can say for themselves is that they have call'd him Lord Lord that is they have made profession of his Religion and been call'd by his Name that they have paid an outward Honour and respect to him and declared a mighty Love and Affection for him but they have not done his will but have hated to be reformed and have cast his Commandments behind their backs they have only born the Leaves of an outward Profession but have brought forth no fruit unto Holiness and therefore can have no reasonable expectation that their End should be everlasting Life So that when these Men shall appear before the great and terrible Judge of the World they shall have nothing to say but those vain Words Lord Lord to which our Saviour will answer in that Day why call ye me Lord Lord when ye would not do the things which I said Notwithstanding all your profession of Faith in me and subjection to me ye have been workers of Iniquity therefore depart from me I know ye not whence ye are Secondly The consideration of what hath been said should stir as up to a thankful acknowledgement of what the Author of our Salvation hath done for us and there is great reason for thankfulness whether we consider the greatness of the Benefit conferred upon us or the way and manner in which it was purchased or the easie and reasonable terms upon which it may be obtained 1 st If we consider the greatness of the Benefit conferred upon us and that is Salvation eternal Salvation which comprehends in it all the Blessings and Benefits of the Gospel both the Means and the End our Happiness and the Way to it by saving us from our Sins from the guilt of them by our Justification in the Blood of Christ and from the Power and Dominion of them by the sanctifying grace and virtue of the Holy Ghost And it comprehends the End our Deliverance from Hell and the Wrath to come and the bestowing of Happiness upon us a great and lasting Happiness great as our Wishes and Immortal as our Souls all this is comprehended in eternal Salvation 2 dly If we consider the way and manner in which this great Benefit was purchased and procured for us in a way of infinite Kindness and Condescension in the lowest Humiliation and the unparallel'd Sufferings of the Son of God for never was there any sorrow like unto his sorrow wherewith the Lord afflicted him in the day of his fierce Anger in his taking upon him the form of a Servant and the person of a Sinner and his becoming obedient to death even the death of the Cross which was the Punishment of the vilest Slaves and the most hainous Malefactors The Son of God came down from Heaven from the highest pitch of Glory and Happiness into this lower World this Vale of Tears and sink of Sin and Sorrow and was contented himself to suffer to save us from eternal Ruin to be the most despicable and the most miserable Man that ever was that he might raise us to Glory and Honour and advance us to a state of the greatest Happiness that Humane Nature is capable of 3 dly If we consider the easie and reasonable Terms upon which we may be made Partakers of this unspeakable Benefit and that is by a constant and sincere and universal Obedience to the Laws of God which supposeth Repentance towards God and Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ as the Root and Principle of all the Virtues of a good Life that is by doing that which best becomes us and which is most agreeable to the original Frame of our Nature and to the dictates of our Reason and which setting aside the consideration of the Reward is really best for our present Benefit and Advantage our Comfort and Happiness even in this World for God in giving Laws to us hath imposed nothing upon us but what in all reason ought to have been our choice if he had not imposed it nothing but what is for our good and is in its own nature necessary to make us capable of that Happiness which he hath promised to us And what can be more gracious than to make one Benefit the Condition of a greater Than to promise to make us happy for ever if we will but do that which upon all accounts is really best and most for our Advantage in this present Life Thirdly Here is abundant Encouragement given to our Obedience we have the divine Assistance promised to us to enable us to the performance of the most difficult parts of our Duty we have the holy Spirit of God to help our Infirmities to excite us to that which is good and to help and strengthen us in the doing of it For our further Encouragement we are assured of the divine Acceptance in case of our sincere Obedience notwithstanding the manifold Failings and Imperfections of it for the sake of the perfect Righteousness and Obedience and the meritorious Sufferings of our blessed Saviour and tho when we have done all that we can do
like our selves bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh labouring under Want and Necessity and yet not to be moved to commiserate him this is a sign that we have put off our own Nature otherwise we should pity the Sufferings of it in others For whenever we behold a Man like our selves groaning under Want and prest with Necessity and do not relent toward him and are not ready to relieve him we are hard-hearted to our own Nature and do in some sense what the Apostle says no Man ever did that is none retaining the Temper and Affections of a Man hate his own Flesh This the Scripture speaks of as a most barbarous sort of Inhumanity and calls it Murder 1 John 3.15 Whoso hateth his Brother is a Murderer and not to relieve our Brother in want is to hate him for this is the Instance which the Apostle gives at the 17 th verse Whoso hath this worlds Goods and seeth his Brother in want and shutteth up his Bowels of Compassion from him whoso doth not consider the Poor is a Man-slayer and a Murderer he is cruel to his own Nature nay were he sufficiently sensible of the Condition of Humane Nature he is cruel to himself Seest thou a Poor Man in great Misery and Want there is nothing hath befallen him but what is common to Man what might have been thy Lot and Portion as well as his and what may happen to thee or thine another time Make it therefore thine own Case for so the Providence of God may make it one time or other and thou provokest him to make it so speedily by thy unmerciful Disposition toward the Poor I say make it thine own case if thou wert in the Poor Man's Condition and he in thine consult thine own Bowels and tell me how thou wouldst wish him to be affected toward thee Wouldst thou be willing that he should slight and repulse thee and shut up his Bowels of Compassion from thee If not then do not thou deal so with him consider that it may be thine own case therefore do not thou give the World any bad Example in this kind do not teach Men to be unmerciful lest they learn of thee and thou find the ill Effects of it when it comes to be thine own Condition This is the first Aggravation of this Sin the Inhumanity of it But 2. Besides the Inhumanity of this Sin it is likewise a great Impiety toward God Unmercifulness to the Poor hath this fourfold Impiety in it it is a Contempt of God an Usurpation upon his Right a slighting of his Providence and a plain Demonstration that we do not love God and that all our Pretences to Religion are hypocritical and insincere 1. It is a Contempt of God and a reproaching of him so Solomon tells us Prov. 14.31 He that oppresseth the Poor not only he that dealeth unjustly with a Poor Man but he that is uncharitable towards him as appears by the Opposition but he that honoureth him hath Mercy on the Poor here Oppression of the Poor is opposed to want of Charity towards him He that oppresseth the Poor reproacheth his Maker how is that He despiseth God who made him after his own Image and Likeness For the Poor Man bears the Image of God as well as the Rich so that thou canst not oppress or neglect him without some reflection upon God whose Image he bears 2 The uncharitable Man is an Usurper upon God's Right The Earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof and he hath given it to the Children of Men not absolutely to dispose of as they please but in trust and with certain reservations so as to be accountable to him for the disposal of it In respect of other Men we are indeed true Proprietors of our Estates but in respect of God we are but Stewards and he will call us to an Account how we have laid them out So much as we need is ours but beyond what will support us and be a convenient Provision for our Family in the Rank wherein God hath placed us all that is given to us that we may give it to others And if God hath been liberal to us in the Blessings of this Life it is on purpose to give us an Opportunity and to engage us to be so to others that stand in need of our Charity and we are false to our Trust if we keep those things to our selves which we receive from God for this very end that we might distribute them to others according to the proportion of our Ability and their Necessity This is to hide our Lord's Talent in a Napkin and that which thou storest up in this Case is unjustly detained by thee for God intended it should have been for Bread for the hungry and for Cloaths for the naked for the Relief and Support of those who were ready to perish 3. The uncharitable Man is impious in slighting of God's Providence He does not consider that Riches and Poverty are of the Lord that he can soon change our Condition and that it is an easy thing with him to make a Rich Man poor We do not sufficiently reverence the Providence which rules the World if when God hath blest us with Plenty and Abundance we have no pity and regard for those that are in need God can soon turn the Wheel and lay thee as low as the poor Man whom thou dost neglect He can cast down the mighty from their Seat and exalt the humble and meek fill the hungry with good things and send the rich empty away God's Providence could easily have disposed of things otherwise to have secured every man from want but he hath on purpose order'd this variety of Conditions high and low rich and poor not that some men might have an Advantage to insult over and despise others but that there might be an Opportunity for the exercise of several Virtues that the poor might have an Opportunity to exercise their Dependance upon God and their Patience and Submission to his Will and that the rich might show their Temperance and Moderation and Charity 4. Unmercifulness to the Poor is a plain Demonstration that we do not love God and that all our other pretences to Religion are hypocritical and insincere St. James tells us that pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this to visit the fatherless and the widow Ja. 1.27 That the wisdom which is from above is full of mercy and good fruits ch 3.17 St. John represents this uncharitable Disposition as utterly inconsistent with the true Love of God 1 John 3.17 But whoso hath this world's goods and seeth his Brother have need and shutteth up his bowels of Compassion from him how dwelleth the love of God in him In vain does such a Man pretend to love God nay ch 4. v. 20. he tells us that it is impossible such a Man should love God If a man say I love God and hateth his brother he is a
liar for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen how can he love God whom he hath not seen This deserves to be seriously consider'd by those who make a great shew of Devotion and are at great pains in Prayer and Fasting and reading and hearing the Word of God and in all other frugal Exercises of Religion which stand them in no Money lest all their Labour be lost for want of this one necessary and essential part lest with the Young Man in the Gospel after they have kept all other Commandments they be rejected by Christ for lack of this one thing I have done with the first part of the Observation That Unmercifulness is a very great Sin I proceed to the 2 d That it is such a Sin as alone and without any other Guilt is sufficient to ruin a Man for ever The Parable lays the Rich Man's Condemnation upon this it was the guilt of this Sin that tormented him when he was in Hell The Scripture is full of severe Threatnings against this Sin Prov. 21.13 Whoso stoppeth his Ears at the cry of the Poor he also shall cry himself but shall not be heard God will have no regard or pity for the Man that regardeth not the Poor That is a terrible Text Jam. 2.13 He shall have Judgment without Mercy that hath shewed no Mercy Our Saviour hath two Parables to represent to us the Danger of this Sin this here in the Text and that in Luke 12. concerning the Covetous Man that enlarged his Barns and was still laying up but laid nothing out upon the Poor upon which our Saviour makes this Observation which is the Moral of the Parable v. 21. So is he that layeth up Treasure for himself and is not rich towards God So shall he be such an issue of his Folly may every one expect who layeth up Treasure for himself but does not lay up Riches with God How is that The Scripture tells us by Works of Mercy and Charity this our Saviour calls laying up for our selves Treasures in Heaven Matth. 6.20 And Luke 12.33 he calls giving of Alms providing for our selves Bags that wax not old a Treasure in Heaven that faileth not There is no particular Grace and Virtue to which the Promise of eternal Life is so frequently made in Scripture as to this of Mercy and Charity to the Poor Matth. 5.7 Blessed are the merciful for they shall find Mercy Which Promise as it does not exclude a Reward in this world so it seems principally to respect the Mercy of God at the great Day Luke 14.12 13 14 When thou makest a Feast invite not the Rich for they will recompence thee again but invite the Poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind for they cannot recompense thee but thou shalt be recompensed at the Resurrection of the Just Luke 16.9 Make therefore to your selves friends of the Mammon of Vnrighteousness that when ye shall fail they may receive you into everlasting habitations 1 Tim. 6.17 18 19. Charge them that are rich in this world that they do good that they be rich in good works ready to distribute willing to communicate laying up in store for themselves a good Foundation as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is sometimes used a good Treasure against the time which is to come that they may lay hold of eternal Life But the most considerable Text of all other to this purpose is in Matth. 25. where our Saviour gives us a description of the Judgment of the Great Day And if that be a true and proper representation of the process of that Day then the grand enquiry will be what Works of Charity have been done or neglected by us and accordingly Sentence shall be past upon us The proper Result from all this Discourse is to persuade Men to this necessary Duty Our eternal Happiness does not so much depend upon the exercise of any one single Grace or Virtue as this of Charity and Mercy Faith and Repentance are more general and fundamental Graces and as it were the Parents of all the rest But of all single Virtues the Scripture lays the greatest weight upon this of Charity and if we do truly believe the Precepts of the Gospel and the Promises and Threatnings of it we cannot but have a principal regard to it I know how averse Men generally are to this Duty which makes them so full of Excuses and Objections against it 1. They have Children to provide for This is not the case of all and they whose case it is may do well to consider that it will not be amiss to leave a Blessing as well as an Inheritance to their Children 2. They tell us they intend to do something when they die I doubt that very much but granting their Intention to be real why should Men chuse to spoil a good Work and to take away the Grace and Acceptableness of it by the manner of doing It shews a great backwardness to the Work when we defer it as long as we can He that will not do good till he be enforced by the last necessity diu noluit was long unwilling It is one of the worst Complements we can put upon God to give a thing to him when we can keep it no longer 3. Others say they may come to want themselves and it is Prudence to provide against that To this I answer 1. I believe that no Man ever came the sooner to want for his Charity David hath an express Observatinn to the contrary Psa 37.25 I have been young and now am old yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken nor his Seed begging bread And tho' he use a general word yet that by the righteous here he intended the merciful Man is evident from the next words he is ever merciful and lendeth And besides David's Observation we have express Promises of God to secure us against this Fear Psal 41.1 2. Blessed is he that considereth the poor the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble the Lord will preserve him and keep him alive and he shall be blessed upon the Earth Pro. 28.27 He that giveth unto the Poor shall not lack 2. Thou mayest come to want tho' thou give nothing thou may'st lose that which thou hast spared in this kind as well as the rest thou may'st lose all and then thou art no better secured against want than if thou hadst been charitable Besides that when thou art brought to Poverty thou wilt want the Comfort of having done this Duty and may'st justly look upon the neglect of this Duty as one of the Causes of thy Poverty 3. After all our Care to provide for our selves we must trust the Providence of God and a Man can in no case so safely commit himself to God as in well doing If the Providence of God as we all believe be peculiarly concern'd to bless one Man more than another I dare say the charitable Man will not have the least Portion 4.
little Patience and these Storms will blow over and we shall be removed into a calmer Region where all tears shall be wiped from our eyes and death and sorrow shall be no more This was the Portion of the Son of God here but it is a faithful saying that if we be dead with him we shall also live with him if we suffer with him we shall also reign with him Therefore those who suffer in this world ought not to be moved as tho some strange thing hapned unto them but should rather rejoice in as much as they are partakers of Christ's sufferings that when his glory shall be revealed they also may be glad with exceeding joy 1 Pet. 4.12 13. I proceed to a Third Observation which is the different Estate of good and bad men after this life Lazarus died and was carried by the Angels into Abraham's bosom the rich man died and went to hell This the Justice of the Divine Providence seems to require so that if there had been no Revelation of God to this purpose it is a thing very credible to Natural Reason whether we consider God or our selves If we consider God our Reason tells us that he is the holy and righteous Governor of the World and consequently that he loves Goodness and hates Sin and therefore is concern'd to countenance the one and discountenance the other in such a solemn and publick manner as may vindicate his Holiness and Justice to the whole World Now the Dispensations of his Providence are promiscuous in this world and therefore it seems very reasonable that there should be a general Assizes a fair and open Trial when God will render to every Man according to his works And if we consider our selves this will appear very credible for this hath been the constant Opinion not only of the common People but of the wisest Persons who had only the light of Nature to guide them Nay if we do but search our own Consciences we shall find an inward and secret acknowledgment of this in that inward peace and satisfaction we find in any good Action and in that shame and fear and horror that haunts a Man after the commission of any tho' never so secret a Sin And as Reason and Scripture together do assure us of a future Judgment so likewise that Men when they pass out of this world shall meet with the proper Consequences and Rewards of their Actions in the other And tho' the Happiness or Misery of Men be not so compleat as it shall be after the publick Judgment yet it is unspeakably great Lazarus is represented as very happy immediately after his passing out of this world he is said to be carried into Abraham's bosom by which the Jews express the Happiness of the future State And the Rich Man is represented as in great Anguish and Torment But what the Happiness of good Men and the Misery of wicked Men shall be in the other State we can but now imperfectly and unskilfully describe Serm. on Rom. 6.21 22. Each of these I have in another Discourse spoken something to I proceed to a Fourth Observation the vast difference between Men's Conditions in this world and the other The Rich Man prospered here and was afterward tormented Lazarus was poor and miserable in this world and happy in the other v. 25. Remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things and Lazarus evil things but now he is comforted and thou art tormented And it is very agreeable to the Wisdom of God to make such a difference between Mens Conditions in this World and the other and that for these two Reasons 1 st For the trying of Mens Virtue 2 dly In order to the Recompencing of it 1. For the Tryal of Men's Virtue For this End principally God ordains the Sufferings of Good Men and permits the best of his Servants many times to be involved in the greatest Calamities to try their Faith in him and Love to him to improve their Virtue and to prevent those Sins into which the mighty Temptations of a perpetual Prosperity are apt to draw even the best of Men to take off their Affections from the love of this vain World and to engage and fix them there where they shall never repent that they have placed them to prove their Sincerity towards God and to exercise their Patience and Submission to his Will to prepare them for the Glory of the next Life and to make the Happiness of Heaven more welcome to them when they shall come to it 2 dly In order to the Recompencing of Men that they who will take up with the Pleasures and Enjoyments of this present world and take no care for their future State that they who will gratify their Senses and neglect their immortal Souls may inherit the proper Consequences of their wretched Choice And on the other hand that they who love God above all things and had rather endure the greatest Evils than do the least that they who look beyond the present Scene of things and believe the reality and Eternity of the other State and live accordingly may not be disappointed in their Hopes and serve God and suffer for him for nothing From this consideration of the Difference between the Condition of Men in this world and the other we may infer 1. That no Man should measure his Felicity or Unhappiness by his Lot in this world If thou receivest thy good things art rich and honourable and hast as much of the things of this world as thine Heart can wish art splendidly attired and farest sumptuously every day art in no trouble like other Men neither art plagued like other folk do not upon this bless thy self as the happy Man On the other hand art thou poor and miserable destitute of all the Conveniences and Accommodations of this Life Do not repine at thy Lot and murmur at God for having dealt hardly with thee No Man can be pronounced happy or miserable for what befals him in this Life no Man knows Love or Hatred by these things this Life is but a short and inconsiderable duration and it matters not much what Entertainment we meet withal as we are passing through this world The state of Eternity is that wherein the Happiness or Misery of Men shall be determined He is the happy Man who is so in that Life which shall never have an end and he is miserable that shall be so for ever 2. We should not set too great a value upon the blessings of this Life We may receive our good things here and be tormented hereafter nay this very thing will be no inconsiderable part of our Torment none of the least Aggravations of our Misery that we did receive our good things Nothing afflicts a Man more and toucheth him more sensibly when he is in Misery than the remembrance of his former Prosperity had he never been happy his Misery would be the less Therefore we should be so far from