Page:Meditations For Every Day In The Year.djvu/474

 How wretched  a  termination  of  a  life  so  agreeable! Such, however,  is  the  general  case  of  those  whose  riches are only  employed  in  procuring  pleasures. " They  spend their  days  in  wealth,  and  in  a  moment  they  go  down  to hell." (Job xxi.  13.)  Ponder  the  torments  of  this  once rich man;  instead  of  purple  and  silk,  he  is  invested  with flames; instead  of  delicious  fare,  he  is  tormented  with intolerable thirst;  he  who  contemned  the  poor  man  is now,  in  his  turn,  contemned  by  him;  he  who  denied  the crumbs of  his  table,  is  now  refused  a  drop  of  water. Thus God's  punishments  are  proportionate  to  our  offences. "The mighty,"  says  the  Wise  Man,  "shall  be mightily  tormented." (Wis. vi.  7.)

III. Consider the  just  judgments  of  God. The rich man is  not  heard  in  his  torments,  because  he  refused  to be  merciful  to  the  poor  during  the  short  day  of  his  prosperity. Therefore, when  he  begged  for  a  drop  of  cold water, he  was  answered:  "  Remember  that  thou  didst  receive good  things  in  thy  lifetime." As if  it  were  unlawful to  receive  good  things  here  and  there  too. And so it  is,  "for  they  who  will  live  piously  in  Christ  Jesus, shall  suffer  persecution." (2 Tim.  iii.  12.)  Do  not  therefore be  too  fond  of  prosperity  in  this  life,  lest  you  lose eternal happiness  in  the  next. " For  through  many tribulations,  we  must  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God." (Acts xiv.  21.)

I. "  And  there  was  a  certain  beggar,  by  name  Lazarus." Christ condescended  to  mention  the  beggar's