the Depths, are too Holy and Pure, to pass over the Sight of Evil, and to approve of the ill-favour'd Features of Satan yet imprinted in me. Thou difcovereft not only my Sins, Iniquities, and all my evil Deeds, but thou also beholdest all the Spots and Imperfections of my beft Performances, and of my most glorious Acts. My Lord, and my God, I am not only grieved to fee fo much Sin in the World, in the Church, and in my Self, but I am also troubled, that I have not grief enough; that my Soul is not fufficiently vexed, as that of righteous Lot; that the Zeal of thine Houfe doth not eat me up, as it did the Man after thine own Heart; that mine Eyes are not become a Well-fpring of Tears, as those of the Prophet; that I am not heartily concerned for thy Church, as thine holy Apoftle; and that I do not figh and cry, as the Servants whom thou didst mark with the Letter Thau. O wonderful Lord! Since 'tis thy Pleasure, wherefore do I not embrace thee with a lively Faith and a fincere Repentance? Wherefore do I not ftrive by Prayers and Supplications, to obtain from thee thy most precious Bleffings, an inward Change of my Self and Spirit, that I may heartily love, fear and adore thee, as thou deferveft. O Lord, I find thou hast not forfaken me, but haft commiffioned Death to convey me out of this troublesome and forrowful Abode, to destroy all my mortal Enemies, my Sins and Lufts, and advance me to the Freedom of thy Children. I am not disturb'd at the Approach of fo great a Benefactor, that rejoiceth my Heart, and caufeth me to embrace and welcome its Arrival, as thy Meffenger fent to draw me out of this Egypt of Cruelty and Oppreffion, out of this Babylon of Vice and Abomination. I am ready, Lord, when wilt thou free me from thefe Chains and Fetters of Mortality, to afcend up to my God and Saviour, who is ready to embrace me! Dispatch to me fome of thy bleffed Angels, who may carry me up to thine holy Mountain, to thine heavenly Jerufalem, to thy glorious Paradife, where no Impunity can be admitted, nor Serpent to feduce us, nor Temptations to prevail upon us; where I fhall never offend thee, nor grieve thy holy Spirit, whereby I am fealed to the Day of Redemption. Omy God! I am weary to hear thy holy Name so often blafphemed, and to fee so much Impiety

Impiety and Wickedness reigning every where in the World. Hafte my Departure hence, and the Accomplishment of all the glorious Promifes of Salvation to thy Church and People; when I fhall behold thy Face continually, love thee with a perfect Love, and worship thee without Disturbance in the Society of the glorified Spirits, and holy Angels; when I fhal! Jing forth thy Praifes in Heaven, be cloathed with the white Robes of thine holy Martyrs, and with the Seraphims, attend upon thy magnificent Throne. O my God! Grant that thy holy Zeal kindled in my Soul, may serve me as a fiery Chariot, and a facred Flame to carry and haften me up to thy celestial Palace, where thou haft prepared for me an eternal Manfion, and a blessed Inheritance. Amen.

CHAP. XXII.

The Tenth Confolation, is the Glory and Happiness of our Souls at their Departure out of the Body.

I

F there were neither Punishment nor Torment after this Life to be feared, the Wicked and Unbelievers who profper in the World, might

justly esteem themselves the happieft of all Men. And if there were neither Glory nor Rewards to be expected after Death, the Righteous and the Faithful, who drink, here below, Cups full of Bitterness and Sorrow, would be the moft miferable of all Creatures. The Condition of the Beafts, would appear more hapРУ than theirs; for they enjoy in Quiet and Peace, all the Pleasures that their animal Nature is able to relish. They are not tormented by fo many Diseases as vex our Bodies; neither do they know the Cares and Difpleasures, that confume and fret our Minds. They grieve not for the Time paft, nor trouble themfelves with any Apprehenfions of the Time to come. They

never feel the fierce Affaults of Luft: They are ig norant of many of thofe Paffions, that torment and domineer over our Souls. All their Pains and Suffer ings vanish with their Breath; fo that when they are dead, their Sufferings have an End. If we make our Eyes the Judges of thefe Things, we may fay, The Accident that happens to Men and Beafts is the fame Accident; as is the Death of the one, fo is the Death of the other. But if we fearch and examine farther, we shall find more Difference than between Heaven and Earth, between Light and Darkness; For, 'tis true, that the Death of Beafts delivers them from the Senfe of all Evils, but doth not introduce them into any real Happinefs. When it puts an End to their Mifery, it puts a Period to their Being, and to all that Pleasure and Content, which they formerly enjoy'd; for their Souls and Bodies die together, without any Hopes of living again,

If we look to the Wicked and Unbelievers, we fhall find that Death deprives them, not only of their Ho nours, Riches, and of all their Pleasures and carnal Enjoyments, but puts out their Taper in the blackeft Darknefs, and all their greateft Delights are loft in a vaft Sea of Bitternefs. If Death loofeth them from the Chain of Mifery, unto which all the Children of Adam are tied, if it frees their Bodies from the Pain of any temporal Evils, it cafts their Souls into eternal Torments. But for Vertuous, and the believing Chriftians, if Death is fo great a Friend to them, because it delivers them from many Evils and Miferies; 'tis a greater Friend, in regard it opens to them, the Gate that leads to an endlefs Glory and Happiness.

The Son of God had a Defign to perfuade us this Truth, in that remarkable Parable of the 16th of St. Luke's Gofpel. For at one Hand he fhews a rich Mifer, cloathed in Purple and fine Linnen, feeding upon Dainties, and living in much Splendour and Magnificence; and at the other he difcovers to us a poor Wretch, named Lazarus, all covered with Sores, ly

ing at this rich Man's Gate, intreating that he might Thare with the Dogs in the Crumbs, that fell from the rich Man's Table. The Dogs had compaffion on him, and licked his Sores. At laft the poor Man died, and was carried by the Angels into Abraham's Bofom. O wonderful Change! He that was lately a Companion, fcarce good enough for Dogs, now folaces himself in the Angels Embraces. He that was lying at the Gate of a proud and unmerciful Wretch, is admitted into the glorious Palace of Immortality, and reposes himself in the Bofom of a charitable and rich Abraham, where he is fatisfied with the Bread of the Living God, and drinks of the Rivers of his Pleafures. The rich Man died alfo, but whilst his Body was laid in the Earth with State and Honour, the Devils drag'd his Soul into Hell, and caft it into a Fire, that burns continually, and that nothing is able to extinguish. Therefore our Saviour reprefents this damned Soul, crying, out of Hell-Fire, Father Abraham, have pity upon me, and fend Lazarus, that he may dip the Tip of his Finger in Water, and cool my Tongue, for I am tormented in thefe Flames. In the next Verses our Lord fhews, how all the Complaints of the Damned are Fruitlefs, and their Tortures Remedilefs. He makes Abraham return an Answer to this wretched Son, My Son, remember, that thou in thy Lifetime received ft thy good Things, and likewife Lazarus evil Things; but now he is comforted, and thou art torment

ed.

The Heathens have looked upon Death as the End of all their Afflictions and Sufferings; but they have never tafted of the Powers of the Life to come, they have never had any Affurance of future Glory and Happinefs. The fpiritual Joys, and celeftial Comforts, God keeps for them that fear him and worship him in Spirit and in Truth. These precious Riches, and divine Excellencies, are only difcoverable to the Faithful, chiefly fince the Time in which Chrift our Saviour hath brought Life and Immortality to Light, through the Gofpel. Hitherto I have given you a fhort Survey

of

never feel the fierce Affaults of Luft: They are ig norant of many of thofe Paffions, that torment and domineer over our Souls. All their Pains and Sufferings vanish with their Breath; fo that when they are dead, their Sufferings have an End. If we make our Eyes the Judges of thefe Things, we may fay, The Accident that happens to Men and Beafts is the fame Accident; as is the Death of the one, fo is the Death of the other. But if we fearch and examine farther, we shall find more Difference than between Heaven and Earth, between Light and Darkness; For, 'tis true, that the Death of Beafts delivers them from the Senfe of all Evils, but doth not introduce them into any real Happinefs. When it puts an End to their Mifery, it puts a Period to their Being, and to all that Pleasure and Content, which they formerly enjoy'd; for their Souls and Bodies die together, without any Hopes of living again,

If we look to the Wicked and Unbelievers, we shall find that Death deprives them, not only of their Ho nours, Riches, and of all their Pleafures and carnal Enjoyments, but puts out their Taper in the blackest Darknefs, and all their greateft Delights are loft in a vaft Sea of Bitterness. If Death loofeth them from the Chain of Mifery, unto which all the Children of Adam are tied, if it frees their Bodies from the Pain of any temporal Evils, it cafts their Souls into eternal Torments. But for Vertuous, and the believing Chriftians, if Death is fo great a Friend to them, because it delivers them from many Evils and Miferies; 'tis a greater Friend, in regard it opens to them, the Gate that leads to an endlefs Glory and Happiness..

The Son of God had a Defign to perfuade us this "Truth, in that remarkable Parable of the 16th of St. Luke's Gofpel. For at one Hand he fhews a rich Mifer, cloathed in Purple and fine Linnen, feeding upon Dainties, and living in much Splendour and Magnificence; and at the other he difcovers to us a poor Wretch, named Lazarus, all covered with Sores, ly