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Show J679· - i./v"'..J Part.!. sea 4· An Addrefs to Protejlants; VoL. I. I lball fum up thefe Excelfes, and conclude the ln!lan~et, with the Story of Dives, more commonly known, than Reverently beltev~d, at leaft con. fidered: It is delivered to us by the G_reat Lord ol Trut~, m thefe Word>. " There was a certain Rich Man, wblC:h was Clothed 10 Purple and F1ne u Linen, and fared Sumptuoufly every .Day. .And there was a certain " Be ar named Lazarm which was latd at h1s Gate fu_ll of Sores, and Luke 16. •J· " d ~nS to be fed with rhe Crums, which fell from the Rich Man's Table: C'26• u M tn over the Dogs came and licked. his Sores. And it came to pafs, that " th~r~ gar died, and was carried by . the Ange_ls into Jlb~abam's .Bofom. " The Rrch Man alfo died and was buned: And m Hell be hft up h•s. Eyes, t.c b · ·0 Torments and fecrh .Abraham afar off, and L.;z:;arm m h1s Bo" fie:;:g 1Andhecried andfaid, Father Abraham, have Mercy on me, and " rc0 ci La.zaru1 that 'he may dip the Tip of his Finger in Water, and cool " ~~ Tongue, for I am Tormen_ted ~n this Fl~me. But Abraham faid, Son, c~ remember that thou in thy Ltfe-hme recetve~ft thy Good Thmgs, and " likewife Laear111 Evil Things; but now he ts comforted, and thou art " tormented. And befides all this, between us and you there is a Great " Gulf fixed, fo that they which would pafs from hence to you, cannot, " neither can they pafs to us,_ that would come from ~hence. - This Great Palfage compre~ends. the State of Men m both World~: It thews to us what that Life is 10 thts World, whit)}. leads to Miftry m the llext and what to Happincf.r. No Senfual MaN, no Vo!uptuou! Perfon,. not ihofe that deck themfelves with Delicate ilppard, and fare Srmtptu· oujly every Day, that love their Back a~d their Belly more t~an God and the Poor, fhall be receiv'd into Jlbrabams &Jom, or dw~ll m Ble.ffeJnef: for ever Let none deceive themfelves, the Jealous God will nor be mocked, Gal. 6• 8• Jf ye so"w ro the Flejh, y~ jhaQ reap Corruption; but if yejow to tbe Spirit, ye fhall reap Life Everlaflmt· . . . J l l 6 They that live in Plcajures, K1lltbe J•JI 1 they Cruc•fy the Ju!l Wnnefs am,es ' ' ' in themfelves: Such Treafure up Wroth again{~ the Day of fVratb. ~o, Rom. 2• s, 9• .Anguifo and Trtbulatlon to every Soul tbat doth Evzl, wbetb'! Jew or Genttle, Profe.ffor or Prophane, Cbri{ltan or Infidel: For the ,Pl'VeJ' sunder all there Names muft turned into flell: But fuch_ as thro' Parzenc~ and Well~dorng wait for Immortality, as poor Lazarm d1d, after all then Poverty, Neg· ttom. 2·7• le8 and Hunger fhall receive Glory, Honour and Eternal Life. And truly it is fame Comfort to the A1iferable in t~is World, that ~hey 1hall not live always in it, and that ~h~y have_ to do wuh a God, who ts no Re{pefler. of Pcrfon.r. This Judge IS tmparua~; the Poor at~ upon Ev_en Terms ~tth the Rich; and it will not be ~uobty, but _lnregruy ; not Rtches,_ hut Rtgb· teoufncf.r which will recommend us to him. No wond7r then If the, Pro. phet Jcremiob, in the N~me of God, charged the ancte~t Jew1 _}1~t to f:ccle£ 7• 2. 10 into the 1/oufe of Fetif!mg; and that Ecdejiaflu hath fatd, Thattt u bet• rcr to go to tbe Houfe Of Mourning, tban to tbe Houfe of Fe~fling_, fince fo many Evils follow it. But there is one F~aft, .that_ even <;:h~tft h1mfelf al· lows us; tho" 1 have little Reafon to beheve lt w11l be Imitated, when I confider the Natural JlverJnef.r that is, even among profefs'd Chrifiians, Luke 14• 121 to his St/f·J~nying Precept.r and Example . . Then faid Jefus, When t.hou ma- 13, I~ kcft a Dinner or a Suppe~, call nor thy Fr~ends or rby Brtt~ren, fltltbcr thy Kin[ men nor thy Rich Ne1gbbour.r, lejt they oljo hzd I bet agarn, and a R((ompcnfe be made t!Jee. (This would beget Feajling, the Thing to be avoided, no fuch Matter) But when thou mnkefi a Feaft, call rhe Poor, the Maimed, tbc Lame the Blind, and thou jbalr be Bleffed, for rbey cannot recornpenfe thee. bu; thoufhalt be recompenfed at the RefurreEl::ion of the Jufi. There are f;w, that lhive to obey this Counfel_; there is fo little of Fajhion or of Intercfl in it. What! Perfons of t!._ut~bty feaft the Poor, Carve for the .Maimed and feed the Blind ? 'Tis roo Mean, too Ignominious. lf t~ey have th~ Banes, the Scraps, the Crums, 'tis well. No, no, this DoEtn_ny is toe like him, that taught it, to he prallifed by them that are fo Unbkt him. They that follow him in rhefe Things, mufi: Take up tbe Crofs, de· lpife the Shame, and Sow in Jiopc: Bur bec"ufe there is an Ever!aflwg Re~ , compenft • V QL. I. . .An .AJdt-.jJ to Prot~jlant;; 7~9 comp(nct fo~ t~ofe that do; l fervently deflre of God, that it would pleafe !679. buJI to put t_t Into the Mtnds of both Magaftrares and People to Love Mer~ ~ q, Do ]11/l!Ce, Walk humbly wi~h the Lord, and Meekly and Charitably to~ Part 1. wards :~11 Men. 1 befeech Y?u, m rhe Ten~er Bowe/r of a Chrifti:tn Man, to SeEl. 4• confider of the PreJcnt Con;unBure: Is th1s•a Time for Feafls :rnd Revd.r, Mic. ~. ~. 6. P!ttys and Pn{hmer, when the very Wrath of God feems to hang by a flen~ 7, 8. dcr Tbread over our _Heads; 0! let your .Moderation be known unto all Col, l, •4- Men, now the Lord JS fo near at Hand, fo \'ery near indeed. And I do humbly pray the SJJpreme .Authority of this Land to put a fpecdy <;:heck to thefe Fzorhitances, to Difcoumenan~e thcfe E~cefi'cs, by the Rev1val of the good Old Ln'l's of the Land, and in making of fuch New Ones, as m~y be thought con'.'entent to prevent fuch Pride and Prodigalay. For, I thmk, I may both Wtth Modefty and Truth affirm, if thl very Unncc.e.ffnry Expence~ of rnoft Ranks or Degrees in this Kingdom could be brought mro one P11bluk Purfe~rhey would arifC to Three Time.r more Money, ~hi~;" either is given, or is requifite to the Mainunanceof the Poor that are m lt: A?d w~e.rher this be a Thing PraOicahle or no, it marrers not, though 1 bcheve It IS; the very Preventing of that Excefs which is b~~'fi~?a~~~ ~~eu~h~Je.pleafing to Almi~hty God, and one Way or other Sefr. 5· Of the Evil of Gaming, I T rna~ not be i~proper for me_ here to follow this Head of Excefs whh SeCl. ); the Sm of Gammg; an lnvenuon of much Mifchiefin the World, and ~ the_refore inconfifi.ent bot~ with Chrifti11nity and Gvil Governmem. The Evils that attend 1t are neaher fmall nor few. It is Firjl a Great Enemy to Bujinifs, and that juft Care, that People ought to have for the D~fcharge of their ref{'eaive Capacities in their Civil..tJjfain,. Kext, It is one of the Greareft Th1eve.r to Men's Ejlates: Many brave Families have been ruin'd by a Gamefler. That which hath been got by the Care and Prudence · of a Father, it may be, hath been loft in one Night by the Extravagant HNmour of a Son : But tl1at the Reward ofJiirru~ fhould be the Sra!u of FoOy and the painful Acqucft of Worthy .A.ncejlors cxpofed to the Chanct and H;znrd ?f the Die! is fuch ~~~iery to G~d'.r Providerue, Ingratitude to Pnnnrs, Jn .. JUry to thetr own Fam1l!e.r, and Dtfgrace to the Government, that 1 conceive Jt may very well deferve the Care of our S«perior.r to prevent that Extra· iJagancy for the Future, by the Execution o( the Laws in being againfi it. Tb,irdly, It is a great Confumer of Time. They \'l'ho are add1cted to Ga· •ing, are generally the moft idle and ufelefs People in any Government.' And give me leave to fay, that Men are accountable to the Government for their Time: There ought to be no ldlenefs in the Land; for that End Bridewd.r are provided. Of many other Sins People are weary, but of this never, unlefs to Sleep or Eat, or for Want of Money to play. We are llpher. 1 lf' c,ommanded to Redeem the Time, hecauft rbe Days are Evil; but thefe Pea. • ' • pie chufe rather to UJe their Time, and fall into the Evil, they fhould avoid. A Game..f1er and a ChrijliaJt are as oppofite as a Saint and a Sinner; for the Chriftian looks ro God in the Increafe of his Eftate, but the Game/ler to Skill and Chance; and there is no more of God in his Mind, than there is in his Game: And ic cannot be otherwife. Fo11rtbly, Therefore Gaming deferves to be fuppreft, becaufe it has been the Occafion of Breach of Ji'riendjhl"p, i._"llrrcls, Bloodjhedand M11rder: if we ought to fhun the Oc-cafions of Evil, to be fure we ought nor to indulge them. The !aft Mifchiefrh:n belongs to Gaming (which 1 !ha11 mention :n this Time) is the Jforrid Oath.; and Pa./fionare Imprecation.; ufed by the generality of Gamejlers; but hec:mfe they are not confined to Gaming, but run thro' the mha!e Convcrfation of Men; they may very well cha11enge a Pla.ce among thofe Crying Sins, that I found my felf obliged in Confdence to com .. plain of to ihch as have P)Jwer in their Hand$ to pun.iih. and fupprefs them. ;A Seil |