is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him."/Here the wise of this world would drive the children of the kingdom too much aside from the right road, and would turn them into mercenaries and slaves, and make them to seek after God, not with a view to his mere goodness, but to the attainment of the joys of heaven. For these sharp-sighted instructors would know, by means of these invented and deeply subtle questions, how great, how exalting, and how manifold those joys are with which God will fill men. And also, how deep, how wide, and how long hell is; how horrible and terrible the devil is; how long his nose is; and with what kind of a maul it is that he breaks and bruises souls. They would set these things before our eyes as painters. And many other questions of the same kind do they agitate thus in vanity. And, in a word, such as are these their questions and conclusions, such also are all their sermons: the head, tail, and carcass of which, are all fables: and this they call, preaching the Gospel. In this way they strike such fear into the people, as to make the children of the kingdom fear hell, purgatory, and the devil. And they teach them, in what way they are to avoid these things by their works, and to get themselves numbered among the blessed. Thus, they exalt the gift above the giver, and heaven above God! And signify, that if there were no hell and heaven set before us, and no hope of reward from the hand of God, we ought neither to love him nor praise him for his benefits.

But this, is not to seek God with pure affection, but with a view to our own private advantage. But our wise disputers of this world have here also their subtle refuges, and elude us thus.-That God is indeed to be sought as the primary object, but, next to him, his formal blessedness, (as they term it,) by which they mean joy, pleasure, and sweetness; which are, as it were, attendants on the knowledge of God. As though it were not enough, that we seek God only in sincerity, but there must be a receiving of a reward or hire also, as mercenaries are paid by their employers. But let all true Christians beware of these old wives fables of the dispu

ters of this world, which have no scripture whatever for their authority, for by such they are drawn away from the purity of faith.

What Christians ought to know is, that as God serves us of mere grace without any respect to our works, Rom. viii.; even so we on the other hand, ought to seek God, without any view to a reward, but with an eye to his goodness only; seeking no one thing else but his mere good-will. He requires nothing more whatever of thee, but that thou believe; as Paul here saith, "He that cometh unto God must believe." And what must he believe?—That God is the rewarder! Of whom? Of those who seek him in faith! but not of those who seek God for his joy and blessedness, as the reward of their works! Be not thou concerned about the reward; that thou shalt have in due time, even if thou be not so eager after it. For although it is impossible that the reward should not come to them, who worship God with a pure and true heart without any consideration of gain or wages; yet, certain it is, that God hates those mercenary characters, who seek themselves and not God, and will never give them any reward at all. So also the son serves his father duly and spontaneously, as being the heir, and because he knows it to be pleasing to his father and agreeable to his will. Whereas if the son should be obedient to the father with an eye to the inheritance and the property only, he would highly deserve to be disinherited, and it would be right were he to be deprived of the lawful inheritance. Matters are the same between God and us, with respect to our attaining unto eternal happiness.-God is not the rewarder of our works according to our merit, but according to his own promises: wherein he hath promised, that he will reward our works, but, of mere grace: as in Gen. xv. "I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward!" And may he be that unto us, to all eternity! Amen!

SERMON V..

CONCERNING THE RICH MAN

AND LAZARUS.

LUKE XVI.

HITHERTO We have heard, in the Gospels, various examples both of faith and of love. For their peculiar and perpetual scope is, to set before us continual representations of faith and love. Wherefore, I hope by this time you know full well, that no one can be accepted of God but he that is received on the grounds of faith and love. In the present Gospel, however, the Lord has set before us an example of faith and of ungodliness at the. same time: that by looking at this representation of ungodliness, as opposite to that of faith and love, we may be rendered more willing to abhor the former, and cleave unto the latter.

We may here see the judgment of God, as displayed. both towards the believing, and the unbelieving; a view both dreadful and consoling ;-dreadful to the ungodly,.. but consoling to those that are anointed with faith. But however, that the subject may be the more easily received into our minds, the description both of that rich man and of the poor Lazarus, must be set before our eyes; and from that description, we must learn on the one hand the nature of unbelief, and on the other the nature of faith. We will divide, therefore, the Exposition of this Gospel into THREE PARTS.

PART FIRST.

This rich man is not to be considered by us as to his external life, for he is covered with a sheep's clothing; and if you look at his life, he appears to be a man of

great worthiness; though, in truth, he craftily conceals a wolf under the covering of a sheep. For he is not in the Gospel accused of adultery, of murder, of robbery, of violence, or as having even designed any such thing as may be condemned by the lowest rabble or by common sense. Because, he had an outside show of a very good life; such as that pharisee boasted of, who gloried in himself that he fasted twice in a week, and was not as other men. If he had fallen into any of those foul sins, the Gospel would certainly not have been silent about them; seeing that, it speaks of him in other respects so particularly, that it even reproves his purple raiment and sumptuous fare, although these are but certain mediate and external things, according to which God does not judge. Wherefore, we must conclude, that he carried outwardly a sort of decorous and holy conversation; and so much so, that he seemed both to himself and to others, to fulfil the law of Moses.

But we are the rather to look into his heart, and judge of his spirit. For the Gospel has the eyes of a lynx, penetrating into the secret recesses of the heart, and reproving those things which are approved by human nature. It beholds not the sheep's clothing only, but looks at the real fruits of the tree; and judges from them, whether the tree be good or evil; as the Lord teaches, Matt. xvii. Wherefore, if we judge of this rich man according to the fruits of faith, we shall find, that both the heart and the tree are corrupt by unbelief. For the Gospel declares this to be his sin, that he daily fed his body magnificently and sumptuously, and clothed himself luxuriously and splendidly; and these are things that reason never considers to be heinous sins. Justiciaries even approve such a way of living, and deem themselves worthy of it, as having merited it by their holiness of life. But they see not all the while, that they are, while wallowing in these things, in unbelief. This rich man, however, is not condemned because he thus indulged in this sumptuous fare and splendid raiment ; (for many holy kings and queens were, in old time, adormed in royal apparel, as Solomon, Esther, David,

Daniel, and others;) but because his heart was taken with, and went after those things, and his substance was spent upon them; and because he sought all his joy, pleasure, and comfort from these things; and, in fact, made them his idols. For Christ by this expression every day," signifies, that he was seen continually wallowing in this sumptuous fare and purple and fine linen. Whence we may conclude, that he sought after such a manner of life studiously, and with a certain delight; and that he chose it without being compelled into it by force or accident, or by any official requirements; or, that he desired to adopt such a manner of life, that he might serve his neighbour; but merely, that he might enjoy himself, and indulge his appetites for his own gratification.

Here, therefore, is brought to light the hidden sin that lay lurking in the secret recesses of his heart: namely, unbelief! This was the tree that produced such fruit. For faith cannot in the least endure this luxury of raiment, and these incitements of the appetite by madedishes; and therefore, it most determinately despises riches, honour, pleasure, and power; and, in a word, all those things which are out of God. It seeks nothing, it contrives for nothing, it follows after nothing, but God only; whom it considers to be the chief good. It is quite indifferent about all food, whether it be the most delicious or the most plain. It esteems the finest linen, and the coarsest cloth, both alike. And if it ever happens, that those who fear God are clothed in rich and costly garments, and are raised to great power and honour, yet, they set no value upon those things, but enter upon them by constraint and unwillingly; and they either come into such a station of life unexpectedly, or to a certainty do it with a view to others; as is exemplified in queen Esther, who said that she bore the royal crown against her will; but was yet, compelled to bear this ensign of royalty, because of the King. So David would rather have lived a private life among his people; but, in obedience to the will of God, and for the good of the people, he undertook the charge of go