the fin that he hath finned, in that fhall he dy. So that a righteous man may turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and dy in it. For the Prophet doth not here (as fome vainly pretend) put a cafe, which is impoffible in fact fhould happen, unless they will fay, that the other cafe which he puts together with it, of the wicked man's turning away from his wickedness, and doing that wich is lawful and right, is likewife impoffible; which God forbid. And that men may fall from a state of grace, is no matter of difcouragement to good men; but a good caution against fecurity, and an argument to greater care and watchfulness; according to that of the Apoftle, Let him that ftandeth, take heed left he fall; which admonition were furely to little purpose, if it were impoffible for them that ftand to fall.

Laftly, Others venture all upon a death-bed repentance, and their importunity with God to receive them to mercy at last. This indeed is only to feek, and not to ftrive to enter in; and thefe perhaps are they whom our Saviour reprefents as ftanding without, and knocking at the door, faying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; or, as St. Matthew expreffes it, Many hall fay to me in that day, Lord, Lord, which is molt probably meant of the day of judgment, when their cafe is brought to the laft extremity; and next to that is the day of death, when men are entring into a state of endless happiness or mifery. And no wonder, if the finner would then be glad, when he can no longer continue in this world, to be admitted into happiness in the next but the door is then fhut to most fin ners, and it is a miracle of God's grace and mercy, if any repentance that men can then exercife, (which at the best must needs be very confused and imperfect) will then be accepted; if any importunity, which men can then use, will be available. For with what face can we expect, that after all the evil actions of a long life, God fhould be mollified towards us by a few good words, and accept of a forced and conftrained repentance for all our wilful and deliberate crimes, and that he fhould forgive us all our fins upon

a little importunity, when we can fin no longer, and would repent no fooner?

Let us then, by all that hath been faid, be effe&tually perfuaded to mind the bufinefs of religion in good earnest, and, with all our might, efpecially the practice of it in the exercise of all the graces and virtues of a good life. Let us heartily repent of all the fins of our paft life, and refolve upon a better courfe for the future; and let us not delay and put off this neceffary work to the moft unfit and improper time of old age, and fickness, and death : but let us fet about it prefently, and enter upon a good course, and make all the speed and progress in it we

can.

And let us remember, that whatever we do in religion will not bring us to heaven, if we do not do the will of our Father which is in heaven; if we do not give up ourselves to a conftant and univerfal obedience to his laws. This is to ftrive to enter in at the ftrait gate: And though we strive to enter in a thousand other ways, we shall not be able; and after all our confidence and conceit of ourselves, and our own righteoufnefs, and fecurity of our falvation from the privileges of any church, it will be a ftrange damp and disappointment to us, to fee the fincere Chriftians, who have done the will of God, and lived in obedience to his laws, to come from all quarters and churches in the world, and fit down with Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of God, when we, who thought ourselves the children of the kingdom, fhall be caft out, because we have been workers of iniquity. I will conclude all with thofe plain words of the Apoftle, Rom. ii. 7, 8, 9. To them, who by patient continuance in well-doing, feek for glory and bonour, and immortality; eternal life: But unto them. that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness; indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish upon every foul of man that doth evil; in the day when God fhall judge the fecrets of men by Jefus Chrift according to the gospel.

SER

SERMON CXXVI.

The parable of the rich man and Lazarus.

LUKE 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.

I

The first fermon on this text.

Intend, by God's affiftance, to go over this parable, than which I think there is none in the whole gofpel, which is more apt to affect men, or which is more artificially contrived, and in the circumstances whereof a greater decorum is obferved.

It is a great question among interpreters, whether this narration concerning the rich man and Lazarus be a parable, or a history, or a mixture of both. That it is not a history, the refemblance between it and others of our Saviour's parables, will eafily convince any man that is not contentious ; befides that, in fome ancient copies, it is ufhered in with this preface, And he spake a parable to his difciples: Acertain rich man, &c.

But yet as fome of the ancients have not improbably conjectured, it feems to be fuch a kind of parable, as had fomething of a real foundation; as namely, that there was fuch a poor man as Lazarus is here defcribed, and of that name among the Jews; For in a mere parable it is altogether unufual to name perfons, nor is this done in any other of our SaviQur's parables.

But

But whether this be fo or not, is not worth the difputing, because it alters not the cafe as to our Saviour's purpofe, and the instructions which we may learn from it.

In the handling of this parable, I fhall explain it as I go along, and draw two forts of inftructions or obfervations from it.

:

The first fort of obfervations fhall be from the circumstances which ferve for the decorum of the parable And thefe I will not warrant to be all intended by our Saviour; but only to be true in themfelves, and useful, and to have a probable rife from fome circumstances of the parable; and therefore I fhall fpeak but very briefly to them.

The fecond fort of obfervations fhall be such as are grounded upon the main fcope and intent of the parable; and these I shall insist more largely upon. I begin,

Firft, With thofe obfervations and inftructions which I fhall gather up from the circumftances which ferve for the decorum of the parable; and I shall take them in order as they ly in the parable."

Ver. 19. There was a certain rich man, which was cloathed in purple and fine linen, and fared fumptuously every day. Some think that our Saviour in this defcription reflected upon Herod, because he defcribes this rich man to be cloathed in purple. But this conjecture is without reafon; for befides that it was not our Saviour's cuftom in his preaching, to give fecret girds to the Magiftrate; it is certain that it was long after our Saviour's time, that purple was appropriated to Kings: It was then, and a great while after, the wear of rich and powerful men, and of the favourites and great men of the court, who are frequently in ancient hiftories called the purpurati, those that wore purple.

That which I obferve from hence, is, that the rich man is not here cenfured for enjoying what he had, for wearing rich apparel, and keeping a great table. This of itfelf, if it be according to a man's estate and quality, and without intemperance, is fo far from being a fault, that it is a commendable virtue. But

here

Ser. 126. here was his fault, that he made all to serve his own fenfuality and luxury, without any confideration of the wants and neceffities of others: Whereas one of the great uses of the plentiful tables of rich men, is from the fuperfluity of them to feed the poor and the hungry.

Ver. 20. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, as if our Saviour had faid, for instance, poor Lazarus, whom ye all knew. And here I cannot but take notice of the decorum which our Saviour uses. He would not name any rich man, because that was invidious, and apt to provoke. He endeavours to make all men fenfible of their duty; but he would provoke none of them by any peevish reflexion; for nothing is more improper than to provoke those whom we intend to perfuade. While a man's reafon is calm and undisturbed, it is capable of truth fairly propounded; but if we once ftir up mens paffions, it is like muddying of the waters, they can difcern nothing clearly afterwards. But to proceed in the parable:

There was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at the rich man's gate, full of fores, and was defirous to be fed with the crumbs which fell from his table; moreover the dogs came and licked his fores. Here are three great aggravations of the rich man's uncharitableness :

ift, That here was an object prefented itself to him.

2dly, Such an object as would move any one's pity; a man reduced to extreme mifery and neceffity. 3dly, A little relief would have contented him.

ift, Here was an object prefented itself to him, Lazarus laid at a rich man's gate; fo that as often as he went out of his own house and came in, hẹ could not but take notice of him. Good men that are charitably difpofed, will enquire out objects for their charity, and not always ftay till they thrust themselves upon them: But he is a very bad man, who, when an object of great pity and charity is prefented, is fo far from relenting towards him, that he ftops his car to his cry, and turns away his face from him.

He