LORD and SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST. 73 confolation. 'Riches in this world, are no evidence of the love of God, but are fre- quently bellowed on the worn of men ; they are not bellowed upon any as a re- ward for fuperior degrees of moral good - nefs, but are diftributed by the great Go- vernor of the univerfe, fo as to anfwer the wife ends of his own government, and bring about his great defigns; they have no tendency to promote the belt interefl of man, but are frequently made ufe of by the worff of men, to the bafeft of purpofes, and often enable them to be more extenfively and defperately wicked; they are frequently a fnare to the truly religious, and have a natural tendency to pervert the affefions, and corrupt the heart. It requires great grace to keep them from degrading the foul, and gene- rating a low, mean, worldly fpirit ; for, wherever the natural courfe and tendency of riches prevail, it will always remain an eternal truth, that it is eafaer for a camel to dafs through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdomof God. Wo unto you that laugh, for ye /hall mourn and weed. It is not a joyful, cheerful, thankful, frame of fpirit,'whith our Lord here exclaims againfl, but a foolifh, trifling levity of mind. The gofpel of CHRIST, is particularly calcu- lated to infpire a confiant cheerfulnefs of temper, and Chriflians are commanded always to rejoice ; the affurance they have of reconciliation with God, the lively hope of everlafling life, the confiant plea_ fure which they find in communion with God, and the contemplation on heavenly things, tend to fill the mind with folid fatisfation and fubflantial" joy. This joy will be conflantly increafing, as Chriflians advance in the divine life, and will be fully completed in the eternal world : but thole giddy, gay fallies of mirth, and the thoughtlefsdiffipátion of mind, which arifes from an immoderate love of vain amufement and fenfual pleafure, that No. 7. gives no time for confederation, but fcatters ferious thoughts, and creates an utter averfion to fober refleétion, will loon lead the foul into fuch a labyrinth of wretchednefs and woe, that they (hall then mourn and weep. This will certainly be their lot in this world, when their vain, delufive gratifications can pleafe no more ; and it will eternally be their lot, when they will be deprived of every gleam of hope and comfort, and configned to the dark regions of forrow and defpair, where will be weeding and gnaJhing of teeth. But our great Redeemer added, Wo untoyou when all men fpeak well ofyou, for fo did their fathers of the falfe pro- phets. This maledi&ionof our bleffed Sa.. viour is denounced againft thofe teachers who, for fear of offending men, ¡hall keep back the truth of God, and fear to proclaim the unpopular and humbling truths of the gofpel, which are fo mor- tifying to human pride and by flattering the vices, and humouring the pride and gaffions of men, ¡hall gain their com- mendation and applaufe. Such teachers as thefe, are compared to the falfe prophets of old; who, by humouring the vanity and flattering the pride of princes and great men, were more careffed and attended to than the true prophets of God. When our great Redeemer had finifhed this difcourfe, he departed to Capernaum, and was met by fome meffengeri from a centurion, who defired him to come and heal a fervant whom he highly efleemed, that was fick, and in danger of death, This centurion, from the chara&er given him by the evangelifl, feems to have been a profelyte to the Jewifh religion.. The inhabitants of Capernaum fpake much in his favour, and flfrongly recommended his cafe; for they Paid, that he was a lover of their nation, andhad built them afyna- gogue. The great Saviour of mankind, T. who
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