Verse 18. He blessed his soul ] He did all he could to procure himself animal gratifications, and he was applauded for it; for it is the custom of the world to praise them who pay most attention to their secular interest; and he who attends most to the concerns of his soul is deemed weak and foolish, and is often persecuted by an ungodlyworld.
Verses 15-20 - Believers should not feardeath. The distinction of men's outwar conditions, how great soever in life, makes none at death; but the difference of men's spiritualstates, though in this life it may see of small account, yet at and after death is very great. The soul i often put for the life. The God of life, who was its Creator at first can and will be its Redeemer at last. It includes the salvation of the soul from eternalruin. Believers will be under strongtemptation to envy the prosperity of sinners. Men will praise thee, and cry thee up as having done well for thyself in raising an estate and family. But what will it avail to be approved of men, if Godcondemn us? Those tha are rich in the graces and comforts of the Spirit, have something of which death cannot strip them, nay, which death will improve; but a for worldly possessions, as we brought nothing into the world, so it is certain that we shall carry nothing out; we must leave all to others The sum of the whole matter is, that it can profit a man nothing to gain the whole world, to become possessed of all its wealth and all it power, if he lose his own soul, and is cast away for want of that holy and heavenly wisdom which distinguishes man from the brutes, in his life and at his death. And are there men who can prefer the lot of the richsinner to that of poorLazarus, in life and death, and to eternity? Assuredly there are. What need then we have of the teachin of the Holy Ghost; when, with all our boasted powers, we are prone to such folly in the most important of all concerns __________________________________________________________________
