441 Ropes anchor-bold, or, 6.Conclufione The hopeful are net mine- able. vfa T. 7Jfe 2. Tam. s. t r. Revel. 14.13. Whiedoff rhentmourn and lament, and hang down the head, and all for lofs of luck. ataredepartedand goneto ref£ with God ? Ohbut thou wilt fay,thou art not, heavy for their gain,:-.but for thine awn lofs : but feeing thy lofs is the lcfs, and theirgain the greater, why doff: thou not obferve a mean and a proportion in thefe things? I confers, it is 'very fining both in Civility, andDivinity, and agreeable to the laws both ofGrace, and Nature, that there thould beMourning, specially in the baufi ofmourning,:.attimes and occafions offered in this nature, it cannot otherwife be. But for kachelto.maternforherChildren, fo as thtj'emould not becomfort- ed; botb tt that the couldhave beencomforted, butthewouldnot, that is not well. But Ifay here is comfort in abundance, and here is that which muff flay us from be- ing tranfportcd withimpatient grief ; we muffovercome all ourgriefwith patience, with a bleffed expel ation. of our own diffolution : for we mutt think me 'hail go to, them, they,Ella11 not return to-tee '; let us deJre to be difiolvedand .ro be with Cbrrfl,' trincb as heft for them, andfor me, 1 and for thee too. Enoughof thefift Point. The laff, (which I will but name, that fo I may run through this whets Scripture atthis time) is this ; that, The righteous andthebepeful,theyare not miferable ; they are not mote miferable, not the molt miferable ofall, nay theyare not miferable at all. Now prove you that? By the force of the argumenthere that the Apoftle ufeth : for this being a part of an Argument, and an Hypothetical proportion, he reafoneth thus : If in this life only we havehope-in Cbrifl, then are we mifirabk, but now for thislifeonly we have not hope in Chrifi; he doth not fet our ref[ there, therefore we are not of all men the molt miferable. How prove you that ? becaufe the molt wicked, the molt wretched ; fothe lefs wicked, the leaft wretched ;. andthe moft righteous, thebelt bleft, and the leaft miferable. . Not the molt ? not at all. Not at all ? No, for as the outward prof erity of the wicked in this World is notrue profperity, fo the outward adverfity ofthegodly is no truemifery : it is not filch asdoth deftitute and diffolutea manutterly, but you (hall have the faithful come offwith hope, I and withrejoycing rather thangrudg- ing and repiningat its yea they joy in theirfufferings, and at.laft aremore thaneon- yuerours; and all this fheweth then, tbat they arefar enough ftommifcry. Well, the knowledge of this lifes mifery, the knowledge ofour not being atall miferable that arerighteous; thould teach all of us to berighteous, to be religious, toftrive to be godly, ifnot for the loveofvertue, and piety,and holinefs, and fuch kind ofGraces asall. goodChriftians and godly perlonsfhould be,though therewere noHell to punith, norno Heavento cherìfh a men in ; thoughthere were noreward for the good, nor revenge againk the bad : yet notwithftanding the love ofvertue ihouldconflrainan ingenious Chriftianto ftrive after holinefs and piety : but ifnot for the loveof rcligion,let usdo it for thefear of themifery that may befaf us,which' we lhall prevent ifwe remember now ourduties, that is to begodly,andto be righ- teous, for the righteous man is not, cannot be miferable. And then laftly,this [hall ferve to thew to us,how it ought to keep off the World from judging rafhly : there is a great obliquity, and a perverfc judgment in the World; men cenfurethofe that are in any kind ofmifery to be ofall men the moft miferable : whereas we know that this is no true mifery on their part, for it isbut outward, it is buttemporal mifery, it is no true real mifery. Aud therefore this fervethtoreftifie the obliquity of fuch mens judgments, as do determine the godly to be in a miferable condition , whereas the contrary is molt true : for we count them (faith Saint fames) bkfed thaiendure. Do they endure to the very death ?; Bleffedare they that die in the Lord,for theyreei fromtheir labours .^ and who would; not die here, that hemaydwell with God there in refs? who that loveth,who that lìopeth, would not be where his lover where his hope is ? Would not have what he hopeth
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