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liable to outward accidents in like manner with them; but find themselves reftrain'd from divers of those courses, for their own prefervation or advantage, which others freely allow themselves to take; no wonder if they be involved in wants, and loffes, and misfortunes, and obnoxious to bodily distempers and infirinities, as their neighbours are. However, there is no reason to conclude from hence, that they are out of God's favour, and that their chastisements argue him to be eftranged from them; and that they are therefore to hope for no good from them. This is a great mistake, and I know not how my friend Anchithanes comes to fall into it. I am fure you ought rather to reflect upon what the apoftle declares, Heb. xii. 8. If ye be without chastisement, whereof all the true and genuine fons of God are partakers, then are ye baftards and not fons.

Anchith. I cannot deny but what you fay is agreeable both to fcripture and reason; and I will therefore confider it; fo far as my weak and painful condition will permit.

Theoph. I am glad to hear you fay fo: and I pray God give you a right understanding in all things. But methinks it should be no fmall means of fettling your judgment in this point, to attend awhile to what our Lord and Saviour difcourfes concerning the rich glut ton in the gospel, and poor diftreffed Lazarus, who lay at his gate in a helpless condition; and to remember how mightily the cafe was alter'd with them, when they came to die. What worldly advantage was wanting to this man? Did he not enjoy all his heart could defire? He was rich, was in health, was finely clad, and kept a plentiful table; (d) faring fumptuously every day; yet no friend, no favourite of God. In the mean time, Lazarus was miferably poor, and knew not where to get a meal's meat; which made him wait at the door for fome relief, (e) defiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table; and would (d) Luke xvi. 19. (e) Ver. 20, 21.

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have thought it a happinefs, if he could have obtained them. He was, moreover, unhealthy, and full of fores, an uneafy fpectacle, both to himself and others; but he was nevertheless a good man, one that, like Job, feared God, and efchewed evil; and who had learned to fubmit to his hard circumftances, as well knowing they were order'd him by God. Such was the difference between them in their mortal ftate. But this continued not long, before death came, and fet them at a greater distance from each other; and then behold a new, and a very different scene opened itfelf. For this beggar, as mean and despicable as he had been thought, (f) was carried by the angels into Abraham's bofom, the place of happy fouls after their departure out of this life. The learned Dr. Lightfoot (g) teaches, that it was univerfally believed among the Jews, that pure and holy fouls, when they left this body, went into happiness to Abraham, to the fame place where he was; and that our Saviour Speaks according to the receiv'd opinion of that nation in this affair, when he faith, Many fhall come from the east, and from the weft, and fhall fit down with Abraham. But this being carried into Abraham's bofom, feems to denote fome peculiar prerogative, fome greater happiness than a bare tranflation into the place where that patriarch was. For I take the phrafe to be of like importance to what is faid of (b) St. John's lying in, or leaning on, our Saviour's bosom at fupper; and so to imply in it an allufion to the manner of feafting in thofe days; that Lazarus was not only with Abraham, or in Abraham's bay, as fome render the expreffion, but was feated in glory next to him, so as to be faid to lie in his bofom at the heavenly entertainment. (i) The rich man alfo died, and was buried. Here is no mention of any angels to take care of his departed foul. And certainly he had none to concern themselves about him, except the infernal fiends, whom we may reasonably conclude to have been ready prepared, to drag him into the Luke xvi. 22. (g) In loc. (b) John xiii. 23. 'Aransier. ἐκ τῷ κόλπφ. () Luke xvi. 22.

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fame deftruction with them felves; efpecially confidering what follows in the next words, (k) And in Hell be lift up bis eyes, being in torment. An undeniable proof, that, notwithstanding all the plenty and profuseness wherein he had lived, he was far enough from being beloved by God, who had indeed beftowed all his wealth upon him, but who withal fets fo mean an estimate upon all worldly advantages, that (1) no man knows either love or hatred by all that is before him.

Philog. This parable makes it very clear, that want, or contempt, or fores, and, by parity of reafon, fickneffes and difeafes, fent by God to the good man, are not to be looked upon as the effect of his displeasure and wrath, but rather as a fign of his favour and goodwill. At leaft, I am fure, thus much may be unqueftionably inferred from it, that no one can be known to be in God's favour, from the abundance of the things that he poffeffes in this life; nor any one to be out of his favour, because he has them not bestowed upon him.

Eufeb. Very right. But the pfalmift tells us, moreover, concerning afflictions, that they are not only no just cause of defpondency, and diftruft of God's concern for us; but, on the contrary, if rightly improved, (and if they be not, that lies at our own door, and is chargeable only upon ourselves; if rightly improved, I fay) they may become highly beneficial to us: (m) Blefjed is the man whom thou chafteneft, O Lord. And again, from his own experience, he proclaims the goodness of God, in correcting him for his mifcarriages, and thereby reducing him to repentance for them, and a care to walk more uprightly for the future. (n) Before I was afflicted, I went aftray; but now have I kept thy word: And a little after, (0) It is good for me that I bave been afflicted, that I might learn thy ftatutes. And again, he makes this profeffion, (p) I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness (1) Ecclef. ix. 1. (m) Pfal. xciv. 12. (0) Ver. 71. (p) Ver. 75. baft

(k) Luke xvi. 23. (a) Pfal. cxix. 67.

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baft afflicted me. • It is an act of thy fovereign mercy," fays Dr. Hammond, upon the place, which thou haft promis'd to make good to me, to send me fuch af⚫flictions as these. These are but a neceffary part of discipline, and fo a mercy to me; and having promised not to deny me real and principal mercies, thou art obliged in fidelity to fend them.' And that they are for our benefit, and come therefore out of mercy, and for our good, the apostle St. Paul alfo acquaints us: (q) When we are judged, we are chaftened of the Lord; not out of paffion and difpleasure, and to our own confufion, but for our advantage, and the promotion of our beft and trueft intereft, the eternal falvátion of our fouls, that we should not be condemned with the world. Our good and gracious God aims at our reformation and falvation, by his neceffary corrections, when he fees us going aftray from his commandments; the proper intent of them being to make us fenfible of our folly and wickednefs, and what is like to be the dreadful confequence of them, if perfifted in. And, (r) Happy is the man whom he correcteth; therefore defpife not thou the chaftening of the Almighty: for he maketh fore and bindeth up; he woundeth, and his hands make whole. In a word, (s) He is the father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; and fo orders his vifitations, when received as they ought to be, that he comforts us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

Philog. Our Lord Jefus Chrift, that spotlefs Lamb of God, (1) who did no fin, neither was guile found in his mouth, enter'd not into glory, but by the crofs. So fays the apostle, (u) We fee Jefus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for fuffering death, crowned with glory and honour. And it is not very reasonable for fuch who profefs themselves his disciples, to expect that they shall attain to the poffeffion of a heavenly (5) 2 Cor. i. 3, 4.

(9) 1 Cor. xi. 32. (1) Pet. ii. 22.

(r) Job v. 17, 18. (*) Heb. ii. 9.

inheritance, by living always in joy, and health, and all temporal felicity; but rather by patiently taking up the cross, and thankfully receiving whatsoever it pleases God to lay upon them. (x) The difciple is not above his Mafter, nor the fervant above his Lord. And accordingly our Saviour declares, that (y) whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after him, cannot be his difciple. Which, though spoken with a particular refpect to the cafe of fuffering perfecution, for his name and religion's fake, will yet hold good in all other inftances whereinfoever it pleafes God to call us to fuffer; and amongst other, Anchithanes, when any come to be in the circumftances you fo complain of, which, how hard foever you think them, are nothing like to what our Lord condefcended to undergo for your fake and mine, and all of us.

Eufeb. In St. John's Revelation, we read, that those (z) who are arrayed in white robes, and are continually before the throne of God, and ferve bim day and night in bis temple, are fuch as came out of great tribulation.

Theoph. You fay right; for fuch, in truth, are fittest for the kingdom of God. Neither are the voluptuous worldlings, who tafte of no crofs, but have their fill of mirth and pleasure, and study only to gratify their carnal defires, ever like to attain to the joys of Heaven. It is too much to expect, that we fhould live here, in a conftant uninterrupted enjoyment of all earthly fatisfaction, and yet hereafter be admitted to reign gloriously with Chrift in Heaven. (a) Ye cannot Serve God and Mammon. And whatsoever therefore tends to withdraw our affections from these transitory delufive fatisfactions, and in any measure to wean uş from the world, and the things in it, as afflictions naturally do, is confequently of great ufe to us; and we are highly to blame, if we do not improve it to our own advantage. So that you fee, my friend Anchithanes, what juft occafion you have to thank Almighty (x) Matth. x. 24. (3) Luke xiv. 27. (z) Rev. vii. 14. (a) Luke xvi. 13.

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