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(4.) There is a worse objection than all these made by fome grave men, who would be glad under pretence of piety to flip themfelves out of this duty; and that is this, that it favours of Popery to prefs good works with fo much earnestnefs upon men; as if we could. inerit heaven by them; fo that they dare not be charitable out of a pious fear, as they pretend, left hereby they should entertain the doctrine of merit.

But if the truth were known, I doubt covetousness lies at the bottom of this objection: However it is fit it fhould be. anfwered. And,

(1.) I fay that no man that is not prejudiced either by his education or intereft, can think that a creature can merit any thing at the hand of God, to whom all that we can poffibly do, is antecedently due; much less that we can merit fo great a reward as that of eternal happiness.

(2.) Though we deny the merit of good works, yet we firmly believe the neceffity of them to eternal life. And that they are neceffary to eternal life, is as good an argument to perfuade a wife man to do them, as if they were meritorious; unless a man be fo vain-glorious as to think heaven not worth the having, unless he purchase it himself at a valuable confideration.

And now let me earnestly intreat you, as you love God and your own fouls, not to neglect this duty; left you bring yourselves to the fame miferable state with this rich man, to whom the leaft charity that could be asked was denied. Our Saviour hath purpofely left this parable on record, to be a teftimony and a witness to us; left we, being guilty of the fame fin, fhould come into the fame place of tor-,

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And if any ask me according to what proportion of his eftate he ought to be charitable? I cannot determine that. Only, let no man neglect his duty, because I cannot (and it may be no one else can) tell him the exact proportion of his charity to his eftate. There are fome duties that are ftrictly determined, as thofe of justice; but God hath left our charity

charity to be a free-will offering. In the proportion of this duty, every one muft determine himself by prudence and the love of God. God hath left this duty undetermined, to try the largeness of our hearts towards him; only to encourage us to be abundant in this grace, he hath promifed, that according to the proportion of our charity, fhall be the degree of our happiness, 2 Cor. ix. 6. He that foweth plentifully, hall reap plentifully. But let us be fure to do fomething in this kind; any part of our eftate rather than none.

I will conclude with that excellent counsel of the fon of Syrach, Eccl. iv. My fon, defraud not the poor, and make not the needy eye to wait long. Make not a hungry fout forrowful, neither provoke a man in his diftrefs; add not more trouble to a heart that is vexed, defer not to give to him that is in need. Reject not the fupplication of the afflicted, nor turn away thy face from a poor man; turn not thy eye away from the needy, and give him none occafion to curfe thee: For if he curse thee in the bitterness of his foul, his prayers fhall be heard of him that made him. Let it not grieve thee to bow down thine ear to the poor, and give him a friendly answer with meekness. Be as as father to the fatherless, and inftead of a busband to their mother; so shalt thou be as the Son of the Moft High, and he shall love thee more than thy mother doth.

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SERMON CXXVII.

The parable of the rich man and Lazarus.

LUXE XVI. 19, 20.

There was a certain rich man, which was cloathed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar, named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of fores.

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The fecond fermon on this text.

Proceed to our fecond obfervation, that a man may be poor and miferable in this world, and yet dear to God. The beggar Lazarus, though he was fo much flighted, and defpifed in his lifetime by this great rich man, yet it appeared when he came to dy, that he was not neglected by God, for he gave his Angels charge concerning him, to convey him to happinefs; ver. 22. The beggar died, and was carried into Abraham's bofom.

But this truth is not only reprefented to us in a parable, but exemplified in the life of our blessed Saviour. Never was any man fo dear to God as he was, for he was his only begotten Son, his beloved Son, in whom he was well pleased: And yet how poor and mean was his condition in this world! infomuch that the Jews were offended at him, and could not own one that appeared in fo much meannefs, for the true Meffias. He was born of mean parents, and perfecuted as foon as he was born; he was deftitute of worldly accommodations; The foxes had holes, and the birds of the air had nests; but the Son of man had not where to lay his head. He was defpifed and rejected of men; a man of forrows, and acquainted with grief.

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God could have fent his Son into the world with majefty and great glory, and have made all the kings of the earth to have bowed before him, and paid homage to him: but the wifdom of God chofe rather that he fhould appear in a poor and humble, in a fuffering and afflicted condition, to confound the pride of the world, who measure the love of God by. thefe outward things, and think that God hates all those whom he permits to be afflicted.

Now it was not poffible to give a greater and clearer demonstration of this truth, that goodness and fuffering may meet together in the fame perfon, than in the Son of God, who did no fin, neither was guile found in his mouth; yet it pleafed the Lord to bruife him, and to put him to grief.

Afflictions in this world are fo far from being a fign of God's hatred, that they are an argument of his love and care; whom the Lord loveth he chafteneth, and fcourgeth every fon whom he receiveth. Those he defigns for great things hereafter, he trains up by great hardships in this world, and by many tribulations prepares them for a kingdom. This courfe God took more efpecially in the first planting of Chritianity; the poor chiefly were thofe that received the gospel. Not many mighty, nor many noble; but the bafe things of the world, and the things that were defpifed, did God choose. Hearken, my beloved brethren, faith St. James, chap. ii. 5. Hath not God chosen the poor in this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom, which he hath promised to them that love him?

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Now this confideration fhould perfuade to patience under the greatest fufferings and afflictions in this, world. God may be our Father, and chaften us severely; nay, this very thing is rather an argument that he is fa.. God may love us, though the world hate us. 'Tis but exerciting a little patience, and thefe ftorms will blow over, and we. fhall be removed into a calmer region, where all tears fhall be wiped from our eyes; and death and forrow shall be no more: This was the portion of the Son of God here; but it is a faithful faying, that if we be dead with him, we Shall alfo live with him; if we fuffer with him, we

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hall alfo reign with him. Therefore those who fuffer in this world ought not to be moved, as though fome strange thing happened unto them; but they should rather rejoice, in as much as they are partakers of Chrift's fufferings, that, when his glory fhall be revealed, they also may be glad with exceeding joy, 1 Pet. iv. 12, 13. I proceed to a

Third obfervation, which is the different eftate 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 divine providence feems to require; fo that if there had been no revelation of God to this purpose, it is a thing very credible to natural reafon, whether we confider God or ourfelves. If we confider God, our reafon tells us, that he is the holy and righteous Governor of the world, and confequently, that he loves goodness, and hates fin; and therefore is concerned to countenance the one, and discountenance the other, in fuch a folemn and publick manner, as may vindicate his holiness and justice to the world. Now the difpenfations of his providence are promifcuous in this world; and therefore it seems very reasonable that there fhould be a general affize, a fair and open trial, when God will render to every man according to his works.

And if we confider ourselves, this will appear very credible; for this has been the conftant opinion not only of the common people, but of the wifeft perfons, who had only the light of nature to guide them. Nay, if we do but fearch our own confciences, we fhall find an inward and fecret acknowledgment of this, in that inward peace and fatisfaction we find in any good action, and in that fhame, and fear, and horror, that haunts a man after the commission of any, though never fo fecret a fin..

And as reafon and fcripture together do affure us. of a future judgment; fo likewife, that men, when. they pass out of this world, fhall meet with the proper confequences and rewards of their actions in the other. And though the happinefs or mifery of men be not fo compleat as it fhall be after the publick judg

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