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and Upright Men, for the moft Part, in the moft Publick Calamities, fare well; at leaft much better than thofe that are not fo. In their greatest Extremities, when they have no Profpect of Deliverance, from any Human Means, ftrange, extraordinary, unexpected Succour and Relief doth arrive to them. In a Word, that Care of the fpecial Providence of God attends them, that they are never miserable; however they may be now and then cut fhort of their outward Fortunes.

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But it must be acknowledged, that though Piety and Uprightnefs hath the Promite of Security in this Life; and that Promise, for, the moft Part, and in general fpeaking, is made good; yet there are a great many exempt Cafes. God may fee it fit, now and then, to fuffer an Upright Man to be Opprefs'd, and to perish in a common Ruin; and this without any Violation of his Promifes of this kind, which do indeed, refpect no more than the ordinary common Events and Succeffes of Things. But yet, even in this Cafe, ftill there will to the Upright, arife Light in Darkness; That is, Light in the Third Senfe we have given of the Word, viz. taking Light for Peace, and Joy, and Comfort. And this is that which the Pfalmift P. 97.11. tells us in another Place, Light is fown for the Righteous, and Gladness for the Upright in

Heart.

Whatever Afflictions come upon the Upright Man, yet he hath this Advantage of

other

other Men, that he bears them infinitely more lightly than they do: They are really no great Disturbance to him; for he enjoys the fame Calmness and Serenity of Mind, the fame Peace, and Quiet, and Contentment that ever he did.

His prefent Sufferings are rather matter of Rejoicing and Triumph to him, than of Difcontent and Repining; for he knows that they come upon him by the Counsel and Difpofal of the great Governor of the World: And he knows that he hath fo fincerely approved himself to God, and is fo well beloved by him; that he should not have been ordered into thefe Circumftances had it not been really for his good. And this Confideration doth fo effectually fupport him under all the Difficulties that he hath to conflict with, that he not only fits down eafily and quietly, but is very well pleafed with the Difpenfations of the Divine Providence towards him, how ingrateful foever they may be to Flesh and Blood.

Let what will happen to him, he is full of Peace and Joy: For he hath met with no Disappointment of his Defigns. His great Aim was to pleafe God; and his Confcience from God's Word affures him, that he has done it; and he hath nothing to do farther, but to wait for the happy Time, when the Secrets of all Hearts fhall be revealed, and every Man's Counfels and Actions fhall be made manifeft, and then he doubts not to receive Approbation and Praife, and a great Reward

Reward in that Day of the Lord Jesus. And so much the rather, because this light Affliction, 2 Cor. 4. wherewith he is now exercifed, he is affured, I will work for him a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory.

To conclude, Whatever his Sufferings be, he will live and die in a profound Peace, perfectly fatisfied with all God's Dealings towards him And his Life and Death will verify, to all that know him, that Advice and Obfervation of the Pfalmift; Mark the Perfect Man, Pf.37.37. and behold the Upright; for the End of that

Man is Peace.

SER

SERMON VI.

Preached at

WHITE-HALL,

On the Twentieth of March, 1684-5.

LUKE XVI. 31.

If they hear not Mofes and the Prophets, neither will they be perfuaded, tho' one rofe from the Dead.

T

HE Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, in the Gofpel, is fo well known, that it is needlefs to relate the Particulars of it. These Words are the Conclufion of that Parable, and they are made the Words of Abraham, who being in Paradise, is brought in as fpeaking them to the Rich Man in Hell.

The Occafion was this. This, now, Poor Man, not being able to obtain the leaft Comfort and Refreshment, for himfelf, under that unfupportable Anguifh he endured; bethinks himfelf of his Friends and Relations in the

World,

World, and cafts about how to prevent their coming to that fad Condition. And for this purpose, he begs of Abraham, that he would be pleased to fend the happy Lazarus into the World again, to teftify to his Brethren what he knew and had feen concerning the State of the other Life; and to exhort them to a timely Repentance, left they should come into that Place of Torment in which he was.

To this Request Abraham thus answers, They had Mofes and the Prophets, which did plainly enough teftify against their Sins, and offered fufficient Motives to them to Repent: and therefore there was no need of fuch extraordinary Means as he defired.

But this Answer did not fatisfy the miferable Man. Still he purfues his former Request. Nay, Father Abraham, (fays he) but if one went unto them from the Dead, they will repent. There was no refifting fuch an Argument as that. If Lazarus, whom they had all known living, and now knew to be dead, fhould arife again, and Perfonally come to them, and tell them in what a fad Condition he had feen their Friend, and that they must all expect to run the fame Fortune, if they did not change their Course of Living: This would come close to them, and be more convincing than a Hundred Arguments drawn from the Books of Mofes and the Prophets, which were written many Ages before their Time, and fo confequently could not be prefumed to have fo great a Force as an Argument drawn from their own Senfe and Experience.

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