156 The NEW and COMPLETE LIFE of our BLESSED LORD after that have no more that they can do. But Iwillforewarnyou whomyejhallfear : fear him, which, after he hath killed, hath power to call into hell ; yea, Ifay untoyou, fear him. Are not five fparrows fold for twofarthings, and not one of them isfor- gottenbefore God? But even the very hairs ofyour head are all numbered. Fear not therefore; ye are of more value than many fparrows. The bleffed Jesus thought fit to add, that the fear ofman would be a fnare to great numbers, and prevent them from confeffing the truth ; but whoever were overcome by this prevailing principle, and were afhamed to acknowledge our Saviour, would be finally rejected at the awful day, when he would fit in judgment, and own and reward all his faithful followers: and who- ever were induced to fpeak evil ofthe Spi- rit of God, the grand agent in carrying on the Meffiah's kingdom in the hearts of men, our Redeemer informedThem, fhould be punifhed with peculiar and diftinguifhed vengeance, byajuftly-provoked, fin-aveng- ing God: Afo Ifay untoyou, faid he, who- foever'hall confeels me before mess, himfhall the Son ofman alfo confefs before the angels of God. And whofoever'hall(peak is word again'b the Son ofman, it fall be forgiven him : but unto him that blafphemeth again't the Holy Ghofl, itfhall not beforgiven.. Having (hewn the neceffity of boldly confeffing him before men, he proceeded to encourage his difciples with the promife of immediate alfiftance, when they were brought before princes and the great men of the earth ; which divine afftftance would deliver them from all embarraffinent, re- fpeaing what they fhould anfwer, when they were examined concerning their faith : And when they bring you unto the fyna- gogues, and unto magrates, and powers, takeye no thought how, or whatyefhall an- fwer, or what ye'hall fay; for the Holy Ghofi 'hall teach you in the fame hour, whatye ought to fay. While the bleffed JEsus was delivering thefe exhortations to his difciples, a perfon amongft the furrounding multitude begged that he would interpófe his authority with his brother, in order to oblige him to di- vide the paternal inheritance with him ; but, as this decifion properly belonged to the magiftrate, our bleffed Saviour, who did not come into the world to fettle worldly affairs, but to attend to thofe things which concerned the immortal foul, de= dined the talk, with this reply, Man, who made me a judge or a divider overyou? He took occalion, however, from hence, in the molt folemn manner, to caution his hearers againftcovetoufnefs ; for he obferved that neither the length nor the happinefs of life, depended on the largenefs of pof- fefftons : Take heed, faid he, and beware of covetoufnef ; for a man's life confz leth not in the abundance of the things which he pojeeth. And to enforce this important exhorta. tion, he placed before them, in the lirongeft and molt alarming point of light, an ex- ample of the bewitching influenceofwealth, in the parable of the rich glutton, who was fuddenly cut offin the midft ofhis projeas, and'became a dreadful exampleof the folly ofamaffing the riches of this world, and depending on the goods of this life, with- out any regard to the government of God, or the interefts of the immortal foul. This. wretched man, forgetting his mortality, made preparations for a long and luxurious life, pleating himfelf with the thoughts of a long fucceffion of fenfual enjoyments : but, alas! whilft he was providing repofito- ries for his vaft riches, he was arrefled by the king of terrors, and hurried, without, time for confideration, into the eternal world. The parable which our great Re- deemer put forth on this occafiön, is con- tained in thefe words : The ground of a certain rich man broughtforth plentifully : and he thought within himfelf,, Paying, What 'hall Ido, becaufe Ihave no room where to bowmyfruits? And he faid, This will I do: Iwill pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I blow all my fruits, and my goods. And I will fay to my,
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