700 A Difcour[e upon Providence. umph, hereafter their Torment: But many times God brings them to ruin even in this Life. He turns the Wheel of Providence and makes it pafs over ·thofe who but a while before fat vaunting a top of it. And then wilt thou doubt \\lhethcr God &over~s the World by Providence? ~ilt thou d?ubt whether God be juft in fuffenng wicked Men to profp~r and ftourdh? God lift~ them up on high1 only that he may caft them down With the more terrible Fall. When the Workers of Iniquity profper, (faith the Pfalmifl, Pfnl. 97· 2.) it is that they might be delhoycd for ever. Now when God comes thus to execute Judgment upon them, tbofe who queftioned the Providence of God in their advancement, will the more glorifie it in their downfal. The Righteous !hall fee it and be glad, and !hall fay, Verily there is a Reward for the Righteous., vetily there is a God that judgeth in the Earth, Pfal. ~8. 11. Fifthly, If God doth not clear up this inequality of his Providence in this Life, yet he will certainly do it at the Day of Judgment. And indeed the flrange dif. penfation of Affairs in this World, is an Argument that doth convincingly prove that there !hall be fuch a Day, wherein all the Involucra and Intanglements of Providence !hall be clearly unfolded. Then !hall the Riddle be diffolved, why God bath given this and that prophane \¥retch fo much Wealth, and fo much Power to do Mifchief. Is it not that they might be deihoyed for ever ? Then ihall they be called to a ftriB: account for all that plenty and profperity for which they are now envied: And the more they have abufed, the more dreadful will their Condemnation be. Then it will appear that God gave them not as Mercies, but as Snares. 'Tis faid Pfalm 11 · 6. That God wi!J r~ifl on tht Wicktd Snares, Fire and Brimftone, and an horrible Ttmptft. When he fcatters abroad the defirable things of this World, Riches, Honours, Pleafures, &c. then he rains Snares upon them: And when he Iball call them to an account for thefe things, then ha will rain upon them Fire and Brimftone, and an horrible Tempeft of his \Vrath and Fury. Divts who c.arrowfed on Earth, yet in Hell could not obtain fo much as one poor drop of Water to cool his fcorch'd and flaming Tonoue. Had not his excefs and in• temperance been fo great in hi$ Life, his fiery thirft had not been fo tormenting after Death. And therefore in that fad Item that Abtahain gives him, Luke 16. )• he bids him remember, that th·ou in thy Life· time receivedft thy good things, and LaZ..arm evil things; but now he is comforted, and thou tormented. I look upon this as~ moft bitt;r and a 11;10ft ?eCe~vedSarcafm, upbraidin& him.for his grofsF~lly. in makmg the Tnfles of this Life h1s good things: Thou ha;r rece,vtd thy good. thmgs, but now thou art tormmttd. Oh, never call Divts's Purple af.ld delicious fare good things, if they thus end in Torments! Was it good for him to be wrapt in Purple. who is now wrapt in Flames?. Was it good for him to fare delicioufl y, who was only thereby fatted up againfl the day of Slaughter! Could you lay your Ears t~ Hell Gates, you might hear many of the Grimdees and Potentates., the great and rich ones of this World curling all their Pomp and Bravery, and wifhin~ they had been the moft defpicable of all thofe whom they once hated, opprefs'd and injur'd: And as it will appear at that Day that none of the enjoyments of this World are good to wicked M;n; fo that none of thofe Affi.i?tions and Calamities wl~ich good Men fuffer are Enl. Laz.arus's Sores are not Evtl, fince now everr Sore IS turned into a Star. His lying proftrate at the rich Mifer's door is not Evil, fince now he lies in Abrah,cm's Bofom: And in this day all thefe intricacies of P~ovidence will be made plain, and we Ihall have other apprehenfions of things, than what we have at prefent. Now we call Profperity, Riches and Abundanc~:, Good Things? and \V ant and AffiiC.Hon, Evil. But when we come to confider thefe with relation to Eternity, the true Standard to meafure them by, then Poverty may be a Mercy, and Riches a Judgment; God may blefs one by Affiiiliom, and Curfe another by Profperity: He may beftow more upon us lll futfenng us to want, than tf he fhould give us the Store and Treafures of all the Earth. And certainly whatever our thoughts of it arc now, yet within a while £his will be the Judgment of us all. When we arc once lodged in our Eternal State, then we fhall acknowledge that nothing in £his World deferved the name of good, but as it promoted our eternal Happinefs; nor of evil, but as it tends to eternal Mifery. And thus you fee this grand ObjeB:ion anfwered, and the Providence of God cleared from that lnjuftice which we arc apt peeviihly to impute unto it. Olller Doubts ar& of lefs moment, and therefore !hall be brieflier rcfolved. A•
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