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the truth of all that which he taught, by the most wonderful works, that ever were wrought; we muft proclaim our felves to be very Fools indeed, if we yet choose rather to be ruled by our own bold and blind Conjectures, than by fo clear and convincing a Revelation. And truly, as unreafonable a thing we think it, to reject this Divine Revelation, as fome Men do, only because it difcovers to us fome Myfteries in Religion, which no Reafan of Man, could ever by itself discover; and in the mean time hearken to thofe confident Men, who would without any thing but their own conjecture to convince us, impose upon our Faith as great Mysteries in Nature; for fuch we think a wifely contrived World without a wife Maker conftant Order fixed by chance; and a thinking, reafening projecting Creature without a reasonable Soul. Such Men as can hold and teach fuch things as thefe, fhould not, one would think, be ftartled and frighted out of all Religion by the name of a Mystery. But indeed the Mystery of this is easily enough difcernable, it is not the mysteriousness, but the purity of the Chriftian Religion, at which thefe Men boggle; no abfurdity fo great, but they can swallow and digeft it, fo that they may be allowed their Lufts, Let us therefore leave them to plead for themselves, by the great Wifdom they pretend to be Masters of, at the laft great day; and hearken to what our Bleffed JESUS here teacheth us. And so shall we learn these things.

1. That in thefe Mortal Bodies of ours, we have Souls indued with Understanding, Reafon, and a Freedom of Choice; and are hereby fitted for Mortal Government, as capable of understanding Laws, and acting according to them, and re

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flecting on our own Actions and Behaviours, and of taking and rendring an account of our felves; and that thefe Souls are the principal parts of us, and make us Men; and what our Bodies do without the notice and directions of these rational Souls, are not to be accounted Humane Actions. Those Actions only are to be esteem'd Humane Actions, which the Soul doth in or by the Body. Hence, faith St Paul, 2 Cor. v. 10. We must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Chrift, that every one may receive the things done in his Body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

That is, That he may receive the punishment of the evil, or the reward of the good, which He, that is, his Soul did whilft it was here in the Body; which the Apostle calls the Earthly Tabernacle of this House, which is to be by Death diffolved or taken down, to which the Soul is not fo infeparably united, but that it may depart out of it, and be with Chrift according to St Paul's wish, Phil.

Knowing; faith heThat whilst we are at home, that is, dwell or are converfant in the Body, we are abfent from the Lord; we are willing rather to be abfent from the Body, and to be prefent with the Lord, 2 Cor. v. 6. 8. We have then Souls in thefe Bodies, which can depart and be abfent from them, and be where our Bodies are not. Let us therefore glorifie God with our Bodies, and with our Spirits which are his

2. When we die, we do not ceafe to be. By Death we mean not an annihilation, or turning any part of us into nothing, but a diffolution or Separation of our two parts afunder; the Souls leaving of the Body, and the Bodies returning to corruption. Our Souls, 1 fay only leave our

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Bodies and die not, neither corrupt with them. Whilft our Bodies lie in the duft, our Souls are lodged elsewhere, better or worse, according as they have in the Body behaved themselves. Then, that is, when we die, the dust, that is, the Body which God made of the duft of the Earth, fhall return to the Earth as it was; and the Spirit, or Soul, fhall return to God that gave it, Eccl. xii. Fain would they, who can delight in nothing but a beastial Life, believe that they fhall die as they live; liketheBeafts which perish. How great a fatisfaction would it now be to fuch Men, feeing they know that they cannot avoid dying, to know also, that their Souls too (if they have any fuch things, as one would think by the little care they take of themselves, they have not) fhall die with their Bodies, and that Death will make an end of the whole Man? This would please them, who can be pleased with nothing but bodily things, a great deal better, than for the hope of enjoying a happiness, which they can yet have no fenfe of, to be abridg'd of their freedom of doing now as they lift, and not to be allowed to ferve their Lufts, without feeling now and then the lafhes of their own Consciences. Our Bleffed Saviour, who came to make us happy, teacheth us that we may be fo, first to behave ourfelves like Men, to underftand what we are, what kind of things God hath made us, and what it is, wherein our happiness must confift. He hath affured us, that we have Souls which fhall furvive thefe Bodies, and therefore bids us, not to fear them which can kill the Body, but after that have no more that they can do, but rather to fear Him, who after be bath killed the Body, i

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able to caft both Soul and Body into Hell. Matt. 1o. 28. And yet will not He fo destroy either Soul or Body, as that they fhall be no more at all, but fo as that they fhall never be happy, if they be not well prepared for it before Death.

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Let us mind well what our Saviour here faith, The Rich Man (faith he) died, and was buried, and in Hell lift up bis Eyes, being in ments. Immediately upon his Death he is found in Hell and in torments. Where Hell is, is a thing not told us, and 'tis a foolish curiofity to enquire about it. Hell in Scripture fignifies the invifible State of the dead, and where-ever the dead are in torments, there is the Hell of wicked men. Into fuch an uncomfortable state of torments, the Souls of wicked men go immediately when ever they die. The Rich Man's Body was buried, it was laid up in the Earth, and yet then was the Rich Man, that is, his Soul in Hell. As Lazarus, that is, the Soul of Lazarus was carried as foon as he died by the Angels into Abraham's Bojom: So was the Soul of the Rich Man carried, it may well be fuppofed by Devils or Evil Spirits into Hell to be tormented. As Lazarus was immediately after Death at reft in Abraham's Bofom, Blefjed are the dead which die in the Lord, for they reft from their labours, Rev.

So the Rich Man was immediately after Death in torments, in forrow and pain, grief and anguish; then begun his endlefs troubles in the Region of darkness, a moft difconfolate condition. All his purple and fine Linnen, all his fumptuous fares, all his feasting and jollities, all his vanity and glory are now at an end for ever; and there is nothing but a gnawing worm, and unquenchable fire, weeping and wailing and gnashing of Teeth. He that would not go when he dies into this

condition, must not do as the Rich Man did in this Life to fit himself for it, and make it unavoidable. He must refolve to live a very ferions and fober Life upon Earth; for what faith the Saviour of Sinners, Luk. vi. 25. Wo unto you that laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

TheRich Man in Hell is in torments.Torments are felt or they are no torments. The Rich Man's Soul was too much tormented to Sleep, it was not in a fenfelefs ftate, I fuppofe, when it was in torments. His Body indeed was carried (in State very likely) to his grave and knew it not, it lay rotting there and perceived it not, it was eaten with Worms, and felt it nct; but his Soul was in torments, yet was it not in the worst of Torments, fuch as fhall follow the fentence of Condemnation which Chrift the righteous Judge of quick and dead, fhall pronounce in the laft great and terrible Day: However the torments he was in, were very grievous, even fuch as are likened to the fcorching of Flames, for fuch doththe Rich Man complain of, faying, I am fcorched in this Flame, V.It is not eafy to fay, or conceive how grievous thefe torments are; we may hear more of them anon, God grant we may never feel them.

Let us therefore paß the time of our fojourning bere in fear, 1 Pet. 1.and be very careful not imitate to mistake the Rich Man in his way of living, left

we come into his fad condition fo foon as we die. Stand in awe and Sin not. Pfal. Do not those things now with delight and pleasure,which will certainly bring us into these Torments, The readiest way to fall into the torments of Hell, is to think little of them, and never to fear them, but to pafs our time in vain Mirth and Pleasure,

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