their thoughts in fo elevated a degree and yet may still be pious chriftians. While again there may be weakneffes, and fears in the conftitution of the best chriftians, which may in fome measure abate happiness, though not interfere with hope.

Let us not however be difcouraged. Let us endeavour to make ourselves as good chriftians as we can; and we shall furely feel in proportion the bleffed effects of religion on our minds. The more religious we are, the nearer we shall approach that happy ftate, which is capable of making us rejoice evermore. The fcripture is full of holy examples, and holy precepts to incite us. To these let us have conftant resource : above all, looking unto Jefus, the author, and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was fet before him endured the cross, defpifing the fhame, and is fet down at the right hand of the throne of God.

SERMON XXIV.

LUKE, xvi. 19.

THERE WAS A CERTAIN RICH MAN, WHO
WAS CLOTHED IN PURPLE AND FINE
LINEN, AND FARED SUMPTUOUSLY EVERY
DAY: AND THERE WAS A CERTAIN BEG-
GAR, NAMED LAZARUS,
LAID AT HIS
GATE, FULL OF SORES.

IT happened, as our bleffed Saviour was difcourfing to the people on the use of riches, and the dangerous effects of covetoufnefs, that some of the Pharifees were his hearers. Thefe blind guides, attending merely to the temporal promifes of their law; and neither obferving, nor wifhing to observe, any relation it had to fpiritual matters, maintained as one of their opinions -that

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-that riches were a fign of God's favour; and poverty of his displeasure. Hearing the bleffed Jefus, therefore, talk of wealth, as of no value in itself, but taking all its value from the use it was put to, they were offended, interrupting his discourse, and treating it with ridicule.

Jefus knowing their wicked hearts, rebuked them as they deserved; and returning to his former argument on the right use of riches; added a parable, which, though of general instruction, had a particular tendency to the cafe of his malicious hearers.

This was the parable of the rich man and Lazarus; in which our bleffed Saviour gives us a fhort history of the life, and death of two perfons in very different fituations. One was furnished with all the good things, which riches could beftow. He was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared fumptuously every day. But, alas! his death was very different from his life. His riches could then do nothing for him. They procured him indeed a fplendid funeral-that they could do for him—but while his body was conveying to the grave in all its funeral pomp; his foul, we read, was thrust into a place of torment.

Very different was the cafe of the other perfon, represented in the parable. He had as little of

the

the good things of this world, as any human being could have. But though his life was wretched, his death was happy. His funeral, indeed, was no man's care: but his foul was conveyed by angels into Abraham's bofom.-Such were the circumstances of the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The obfervations which arise from it, fhall be the subject of the following dif course.

THE obfervation, which first strikes us is, that our Saviour confiders riches and poverty, merely as they refpect the next world. He generally treats the good things of this world, as below our notice. In conformity therefore to his usual practice, he here confiders riches and poverty in a religious light; and fhews us that the good or evil arifing from these two circumstances of life, depends intirely on our own behaviour.-For riches and poverty have each their respective temptations. And if we happily oppose these temptations, and live up to our duty; either one, or the other, may, through the bleffing of God, be the inftrument of our future happiness.

The rich man is apt to be proud, and confident, and self-conceited, and infolent, and overbearing, and diffolute. All this, without his

own best endeavours, and the affiftance of God's grace, falls out in a natural, and eafy manner.

For, in the first place, so much submission and court are continually paid to him that he is apt to forget himself; and think he is fuperior to every body. From having more, is an easy step to fuppofe, he deferves more. Such notions foon breed contempt for others. This again leads him to be infolent, and overbearing. He cannot fuffer contradiction. He begins to look upon himfelf as a kind of independent being. Instead of looking up to God, who gave him his riches, he trufts in them, and places his happiness in the advantages which they procure. All his joy, like that of the rich man in the parable, is placed in clothing himself richly, in eating deliciously, or in fome other fenfual gratification. Such a rich man has reafon indeed to fear from the parable. He has had his good things certainly in this world: he fought no better and he may justly dread punishment in the next.

On the other hand, if this rich man had been humble and gentle to his inferiors; if he had not trufted in his riches; but trufted in that God who gave them to him, and could as easily deprive him of them; if he had not squandered them on his pleasures; but used them mode

rately