3. Outward prosperity doth not prevent or remove inward remorse, or terror of conscience, which embitters the joys of the wicked; _A dreadful sound is in his ears; in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him_, Job xv. 21. _Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness_, Prov. xiv. 13. And, on the other hand, outward trouble in the godly is not inconsistent with spiritual joy and inward peace, which is more than a balance for all the distresses they labour under; it is said, _The heart knoweth his own bitterness, and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy_, Prov. xiv. 10. _He shall be satisfied from himself_, ver. 14. 4. We are not to judge of things according to their present appearance, when we determine a person happy or miserable, but are to consider the end thereof, since every thing is well that ends well. Thus the Psalmist, who, as was before observed, was staggered at the prosperity of the wicked, had his faith established, by considering the different events of things. Concerning the wicked he says Psal. lxxiii. 18, 19, 20. _Thou didst set them in slippery places; thou castedst them down to destruction. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors. As a dream when one awaketh: so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image_; which is a very beautiful expression, representing all their happiness as imaginary, a vain dream, and such as is worthy to be contemned: but as for the righteous, he represents them as under the special protection and guidance of God here, and at last received to glory, and there enjoying him as their everlasting portion.