The ExcellcllCY of Heavenly frcaforcs. 555 con lider rhefc things as they relate to Etumry, and the~ .Povt:ny may be a Mercy, a11d Riches a Judgment; God may blefsth~e by Af!!J<~bpns, and curfc thee by ProfpcritJ:; He ~1ay. beftow more up?n rhee m fuffermg thee to want! rhcfc things, than~~ He d1d giVe all the ~arid s Abundance to thee: It may be Projperity may puff up thy Soul, and nuke lt grow more ettrangcd from God, Ad"..erjity may humble thee, and bring thy Sou~ nea:er unt? God, aud fa conduce m?re to rh_e eternal g,ood of thy Soul: Adverfiry 1n. this cafe IS good, and not Pto{p~rtty. Thts prefent Life is no! hi ng bnt a prcpar~t~on for, and a rc~der.cy to l:.rcrmty; all that we here do or receive, or fuffcr, IS 1n or{ier to Eterntty, and thcteforc all mnft be mc.lfurcZI by it. Tlut is good that tends to our cverlafl:ing Hnppincfs, be it \iVant or Mifery: \Vhatever it be that encrcafes our Grace, that augments the Stock of our Heavenly Trcafure; if it promotes the e\'Crlafting Saivation of our Son Is that alone is to be eftecmed by-ns as good. What dull Folly i;; it for Men to roll a~1d wallow in the Profits' and Pleafures of this \Vorld, and hug rh em as good thing$, when indeed they arc only S;;ares and T1dps to their Souls, an~ arc only ...-jven to fat them for the day of Slaughter, and may every Moment deliver them ~p r.o an Eternity of Torments, •Nhich will fearfully be heightned and enraged by the Enjoyrr.entof_ ~hc_fe things ~hJt ·they ac7ount good things? ~braham tells Di·:w, That 111 IJU bfr-t'm~ h~ rtU!'Vtd good thrngs, and Lat.arus rvzl tlwtgs. A ftrang,e difpcnfation of God to heftow good things upon a hated Divt"J, and to inflict evil thing'~ upo:1 a beloved LtJurm! B!lt yet read on, Luke I6. 25. But , 0w ht is c,n,pmed, .md thou nrt tormented. OJ never call Divds Purple and delicious Fare Good Things, thcfe end in Torment: Never call Lt~:-...anu's Sores and Rags E"vi.t Things, for thcfe end in everlafl:i~g Comfort. ~o, 1~1ight Dh·rs ha\'C replied with Horror, when l was cloathed With Purple :md j111t L111ncn,_ I then re· ceived Evil Tnings, 0 cnrfed be all my Pomp and Bravery; 1 fee now the end of my Purple, it was but to wrap me up in redder Flames; my fumptuons F.1re ferved only to make the nr'Vtr~dyirg Worm the more to feed ou me; 0, happy was the Poverty of Laz..anu, for he awaked in Ea le and Happinefs, and n0w every Sore is turned into a Star; th~n was he truly Happy, and O<?t 1, though I thought my fc lf fo; fo r thou~h I recc1v~d a~ a?undant. mcaf~1r~ of Worldly thiugs, yet r eceived I no good tlungs. Thts, Wlthii) a wh1le, wtll be the Judgment of all of you, when you come to be ftated in. an unalterable condition. to ull Eternity; Oh, therefore be perfwaded to pafs the fame Judgment upon thCm now. Secondly, Confider this j If God_ deny t!ny Comfort or- Enjoyment to tiJ People, he therefore denie; it, brcau{e it i.r 11ot good for them ; becaufe it Will not conducc to their Eternal Happinefs, which is the only Rule and Meafure of Earthly things.' In Pfal. 84. I aft. 'The Lord will give grace and glor-y, and 1:1J good thing will he IVith-hold from them tb.t walk uprightl;•. No good thing: If any thing be withheld, you may conclude ori it, that it is no good thing, bat it is either prejudicial or i nconf,ftcnt to Grace or Glory had God bdtowed it upon thee, and wilt thou· thy felf be content to abate the leaft degree of Grace or Glory, for the greateft accumulation of 'A'oddly Enjoyments ? If thou wouldft, thou never yet made'ft Grace or Glory thy Treafure. ln Pfal. 68. I9· fays the Pfalmift there, fpeakinl!. of God's Mercies, Bltj{fd be Got!, that daily.loadrth us "irh kis Brrll'firs. The Peopl~ of God are fti\1 complaining that they are loaded with Miferies and AffiiClions, t here is as much of thefe laid on them as poffibly they can bear; but how few are there, that take notice how God loads them with his Benefits! In Exod. 16. 18•. Ht that garhm:d much had nothing over: .And that gathered little had no lack. So is it with the Children of God : He that bath more of thefe outward Comforts, he bath but his load ; and he that hath lefs his load· too, every one as much as they can bear: And what he bath not, God wi tholds, lcfl it Ihould hart him, left it fhould break him inftead of adorning him. Every Velfd cannot bear up with fo much S.til as another, and therefore God will keep it from ropling over. There is nothing that a Child of God hath not, but if he had ir, for lhe prcfent it would be worfe with him than now it is; and therefore, fo much as you do now wilh were added to yourprefent Condition, fo much yon do virtually wifh were taken offfrom your prefcnt Grace, and from your future Glory, becaufe God doth moO: wifely and exaCtly -proportion thefe things here, fo as that they may be moft condudblc and ferviceabte to your true Happinefs after. Aaaaa2 SERMON
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