Father's houfe to be with him for ever, may you have grace to tell thus his tender mercies to others! And all minifters, may it be given to them in particular that they may do it, till having won many thereby to the kingdom, and turned many to righteoufnefs, they may return home in a good time, and in their laft hours, when they fhall pray our Saviour to fuffer them to follow him, he may fay, "Come up hither," and fo they be for ever and ever with the Lord. O Lamb of God, grant this to my foul. Amen.

DISCOURSE XXVI.

DIVES AND LAZARUS.

LUKE XVI. 31.

If they hear not Mofes and the prophets, neither will they be perfuaded though one rofe from the dead.

WITH thefe words our Saviour concludes the

parable of Dives and Lazarus; wherein (after fhewing the unhappy ftate of fuch as are rich, but without him, and the bleffed condition of the poor who are in his favour) he makes Dives to pray out of his torment that Lazarus might go and preach to his five brethren, left they should also perifh; but Abraham, to whom he prayed, answered him, that they had the fcriptures," They have, faith he, Mofes and the prophets, let them hear them." Dives ftill thinks that if Lazarus went from the dead, and appeared to them in the height of their mirth and banqueting, affuring them that their brother, who had lived like them in pleasure, was now loft, and fo warn them to repent, that it would have a better effect than all preaching; but Abraham tells him, "If they hear not Mofes and the prophets, neither would they be perfuaded though one rofe from the dead."

In this parable our Saviour has greatly honoured the facred fcriptures, and taught all his people in future ages to think exceedingly reverently of the words of God, befides warning the rich and fuch as

have this world's goods, left they have their portion in this life, and teaching common people, and fuch as are poor and in adverfity, that they may fet their affections on things above, and have treasure in heaven.

There are many leffons to be learned through the whole; and as all thefe parables were spoken for the inftruction of the fincere followers of Christ, that they may be wife to eternal life, fhunning every danger, and efcaping the wrath to come, with all who are my hearers to-day may give the greater attention while I speak a few words on this parable, and make fome obfervations in the course of reading it.

Our Saviour delivers the parable thus, "There was a certain rich man which was cloathed in purple and fine linen, and who fared fumptuously every day." This is the defcription of what the world calls a happy man. He was rich, and so a stranger to want, nakednefs, and all the miferies of that kind which poor people are fubject to. He did not know what it was to be pinched with hunger, fuffer thirst, or cold, or wearinefs; no opprefling cre ditors bore hard upon him, nor was he made to ferve under the rigour of fuperiors. He had many fervants, a fine haufe, and perhaps flept on beds of down and ivory. His riches kept him in favour with his friends, and carried him above the envy and contempt of his foes. I doubt not but he had often thanked God that he was rich, and rejoiced that his fortune was fo confiderable in the world.

"He was cloathed in purple." The Tyrian purple of the ancients was of all colours the most coftly, fo that none but kings and perfons of the first rank in the world wore it. This was his drefs, and adorned, I fuppofe, with embroidery and gold; bcfide, he had fine linen, and all that could ferve

to

to make him fplendid and comfortable. Nor was he only rich, and thus grand and princely in his apparel, but he fared fumptuouйly every day." He had not often his table fpread with delicacies, but always. Every day the fat of the land, the most precious fruits, the daintieft victuals came before him. Nor was he alone, his five brethren lived the fame luxurious and high life; they had doubtlefs the best company, and plenty of wine, and drank ftrong drinks out of cups of filver and gold. All round waited their fervants, and fubjects, and dancing, and mufic, and merry difcourfe paffed their many days and nights away pleafantly. Had one feen them finging over their bowls of rich wines, or wantonly fporting with harlots, without care, without bounds to their excefs and pleasures, high with honour and refpect, full of mirth, and loaded with riches, one might have thought, how happy is this rich man in his company! No doubt he had heard the law, for he was a child of Abraham; he had been fometimes prefent when the prophets were read, but it had no great effect upon him; perhaps he had rode in his chariot on certain days, and frequented thus the temple and fynagogues out of fashion, or to divert away a fpare hour, but his heart was untouched with any thing he heard; perhaps the priests whom he chose to hear, prophefied fmooth things, and he liked to have it fo. He contemned the mopes in religion, and fuch as were devoted to facred things, as half mad men, melancholy, perfons of no tafte, and enthufiafts, and would not be fuch a fool to let overmuch religion deftroy him.

In fhort, he feemed at firft view to be a veffel of honour, and highly favoured, a man whom heaven had bleffed, and to whom God had opened his hand and been doubly liberal. There are thousands who

have wished to be thus happy, and perhaps many of us now prefent can lay our hand on our heart and fay, I am the man.

In the fame city, and in the fame country with this great man, was a certain poor person, a beggar, named Lazarus, who lay at the rich man's gate full of fores, defiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table," who had no friends or company, excepting the dogs who came and licked his fores. Behold one as miferable as the other was happy! He feemed to be neglected by all his fellow-creatures, and an out-caft of the God of nature, a veffel of difgrace and dishonour. He had no refpectable and wealthy friends, but was left an orphan, and expofed to the piercing afflictions of want and poverty. He had no house, but lay at the gate of Dives; had no bed but the ground; was fick and full of wounds, and had no phyfician, no comfortable cordial, no plaister, no friend or pitying neighbour. While the one in the houfe rolled in plenty, he languifhed with hunger, and all his moans and cries, though only for "the crumbs which fell from the table," were unheard and unregarded. He had no cloaths but rags, fo that the cold pinched him without, and hunger and fickness within. Inftead of pitying the poor beggar, it seems as if thofe of the houfe had fet the dogs at him to drive him from the door, who were more merciful than their mafter," they licked his fores. This was all the eafe and comfort he had; and thus between fick nefs, hunger, and nakednefs he was worn out, and at last died.

All that paffed by him muft furely have felt à certain chill and horror at the fight of his wretched corpfe, and efteemed his end miferable. It is likely his bones were laid in fome ditch, or buried among dunghills, and to all outward appearance one fhould