4. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall have them in derision. TEXT. MEDITATION. TEXT. up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of Now let me finish the sentence for thee, Ghost, looked A lost Friend. 5. Then shall He speak unto them in His wrath, and vex them in His sore displeasure. TEXT. "And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in a certain rich man, which was clothed in pur ple and fine linen, and fared "Then." This word brings the period "There was of these terrible judgments forcibly before us, it is still in the womb of time, for all the living. Whilst yet the bow is in the the garden in cloud there is hope, whilst yet Jesus is in the cool of the the heavens as the Son of man, there is day: and Adam there a voice to speak in our behalf; sumptuously evand his wife hid though He well knoweth how often we ery day and themselvesfrom have spoken against Him. He hath there was a the presence of declared that the authority of all judgment certain_beggar the Lord God hath been committed into his hands by the named Lazarus, amongst the Father. That the Father hath left it to which was laid trees of the gar- his Son to decide in all matters of life and at his gate, full den. And the death, and that it remaineth now with of sores, and Lord God call- himself to quicken whom He will. But desiring to be ed unto Adam, his declarations concerning the real nature fed with the and said unto of Death are equally explicit, and in fact crumbs which him, Where art we are (in our present finite and fallen fell from the thou? And he state) in a better condition to judge of rich man's tasaid, I heard what that death is, than to form any ble: moreover thy voice in the adequate idea of what the Life is, which the dogs came garden, and I Jesus hath regained for us. Our enjoy- and licked his was afraid, be- ments are mostly negative; all transitory, sores. And it cause I was na-save those which connect us with another came to pass, ked; and I hid and a better world. Of these the worldmyself. And he ling cannot think with pleasure, nor can said, Who told the most spiritually minded amongst us thee that thou contemplate, save through the dark valley wast naked? of the shadow of Death. Man in his ham's bosom : Hast thou eat- innocency could hear the voice of his the rich man alen of the tree, Creator and not be afraid; how long this so died, & was whereof I com- state remained with him is but conjecture, buried; and in manded thee this, however, is clear, that long as the hell he lift up that thou should-time has been since he fell from his first his eyes, being est not eat?" estate, he hath neither lost the hope of in torments, and —Gen. iii. 8—immortality, nor the desire of holding seeth Abraham 11. that the beggar died, & was carried by the angels into Abra "And he cried sweet converse with the spirits of other afar off, and 5. Then shall He speak unto them in His wrath, and vex them in His sore displeasure. TEXT. MEDITATION. TEXT. said unto him, water, and cool followers of the Lamb press upon phets; let them my tongue; for the world's notice the reality of other hear them. And I am torment- things than a joyful eternity. The mercy he said, Nay, faed in this flame. of GOD, say they, we can readily under-ther Abraham: But Abraham stand, and gladly receive; but we can but if one went said, Son, re-attach no other idea to his wrath than unto them from member that instant annihilation-granted, my friends; the dead, they thou in thy but in the mean time (not that we admit will repent. lifetime receiv- your conclusion) we have to consider his "And he edst thy good sore displeasure. things, & like- If ye will not hearken unto us when we If they hear not wise Lazarus e-speak to you of the present state of Devils, Moses and the vil things: but let us see whether we can draw your prophets, neinow he is com- attention to the state of men who now ther will they forted, & thou live without GOD in the world. Is not be persuaded, art tormented. this their creed,-" This world is quite though one rose "And be- sufficient for man's enjoyment, let such as from the dead.” side all this, be- are otherwise minded leave us alone." —Luke xvi. 19 This is the bright and sunny side of their―31. picture; the cloudy side is,-"'Tis time tween us and you there is a buke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I at the "As many great gulf fix- enough to pray when sickness and old age as I love, I reed: so that they come, why should we anticipate the evil which would day?" Now, speaking thus, do they not pass from hence condemn themselves? seeing that to have to you cannot; their Creator constantly in mind is their neither can they disquietude. Is it unreasonable to say 66 pass to us, that that this disquietude is but the prelude stand would come to the vexing of a spirit under a sense of door, & knock: from thence. Jesus' displeasure? And will not this if any man hear "Then he vexation be increased by the remembrance my voice, and said, I pray thee of despised blessings and rejected offers of open the door, therefore, fa- peace? I will come in ther, that thou It is under these convictions that we to him, and will wouldest send urge each other to flee from the wrath to sup with him, him to my fa- come. We can bear with your contumely & he with me.' ther's house and scorn, remembering that we also are -Rev. iii. 19, for I have five yet in the body, and that we ourselves 20. brethren; that were sometime darkness. It is not as he may testify though a brother's scorn (must we not unto them, lest add, hatred?) were no trial: but by the they also come consciousness of such feelings, we would into this place urge the thoughtless sons and daughters of torment. of pleasure to consider, what must be the "Abraham effect of a cold look or an averted countesaith unto him, nance; if the Son of man should so They have Mo- regard us "on that day." The "Ille ses and the pro- nihil" will then be felt as no poetic three ad six when amine was ghout all land; but O none of em was Elias ent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that is was a widow. che "And many tion lepers were in ation Israel in the to the time of Eliseus ghtway the prophet ; & rity and none of them them to was cleansed, us, might saving Naaman from the the Syrian. "And all they upon and when cruelty; the in the synach IIe met with gogue, unjust men: His they heard these ore His bounden things, were fileast have escaped led with wrath, though "He took and rose up, & persecutors." such observations, ainsayer or from one, spirit of the Ethiopian thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill alike to all. Thus saith whereon their en would the Scripture city was built, |