is said of some These things are spoken to them that are without in Parables that seeing they might not see and that hearing they might not understand Luke 8. 10. I say take heed of being a quarreller against Christ's Parables lest Christ also objecteth against the salvation of thy Soul at the Judgment Day Friend I have no more to say to thee now if thou dost love me pray for me that my God would not forsake me nor take his holy Spirit from me and that God would fit me to do and suffer what shall be from the World or Devil inflicted upon me I must tell thee the World rages they stamp and shake their heads and fain they would be doing the Lord help me to take all they shall do with patience and when they smite the one cheek to turn the other to them that I may do as Christ hath bidden me for then the Spirit of God and of glory shall rest upon me Farewell I am thine to serve in the Lord Jesus John Bunyan Sighs from Hell OR The Groans of a damned Soul Luke the 16th Verse 19. c. verse 19 THere was a certain rich man which was cloathed in Purple and fine linnen and fared sumptuously every day verse 20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazirus which was laid at his gate full of sores verse 21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich mans Table moreover the Dogs came and licked his sores verse 22 And it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the Angels into Abrahams Bosome the rich man also dyed and was buried verse 23 And in Hell he lift up his eyes being in torments and seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosome verse 24 And he cryed and said Father Abraham have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame verse 25 But Abraham said Son remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things and likewise Lazarus evill things but now he is comforted and thou art tormented verse 26 And besides all this between us and you there is a great Gulf fixed so that they which would passe from hence to you cannot neither can they pass to us that would come from thence verse 27 Then he said I pray thee therefore Father that thou wouldest send him to my Fathers House verse 28 For I have five Brethren that he may testifie unto them lest they also come into this place of torment verse 29 Abraham saith unto him They have Moses and the Prophets lâ—t them hear them verse 30 And he said Nay Father Abraham but if one went unto them from the dead they will repent verse 31 And he said unto him If they hear not Moses and the Prophets neither will they be perswaded though one rose from the dead Verse 19. THis Scripture was not spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ to shew you the state of two single persons onely as some through their ignorance of the drift of Christ in his Parables do dream but to shew you the state of the godly and ungodly to the Worlds end as is clear to him that is of an understanding heart For he spake them to the end that after Generations should take notice thereof and fear lest they also fell into the same condition Now in my discourse upon these words I shall not be tedious but as briefly as I may I shall pass through the several Verses and lay you down some of the several truths contained therein and the Lord grant that they may be profitable and of great advantage to those that read them or hear them read The 19 and 20 Verse also I shall not spend much time upon onelâ— give you three or four short hints and so pass to the next Verses for they are the words I do intend most especially to insist upon The 19 20 and 2â— Verses â—un thus There was a 〈◊〉 rich man which was cloathed in Purple and sâ—â—e 〈◊〉 and fared deliciâ—â—sly 〈◊〉 sumptuously everyday And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus which was laid at his Gate full of force c. 1. If these Verses had been spoken by Jesus Christ and no more all the World would have gone 〈◊〉 to have cast a wrong interpretation on 〈…〉 if Jesus had said onely thus much There was a certain rich man that fared sumptuously daily and a certain beggar laid at his Gate full of sores The World would have made this conclusion of them the rich man was the happy man For at the first view it doth represent such a thing But take all together that is read the whole Parable and you shall find that there is no man in a worse condition then he as I shall clearly hold forth afterward 2. Again if a man would judge of men according to outward appearance he shall oftâ—â—â—â—â— take his mark â—miss Here is a man to outward appearance appears the only blessed man betâ—eâ— by half then the beggar in as much as he is rich the beggar poor he is well cloathed but peradventure the beggar is naked he hath good food but the beggar would be glad of Dogs meat And he desired to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich mans Table the rich man fares well every day but the beggar must be glad of a bit when he can get it Oh! who would not be in the rich mans state A wealthy man sorts of new Suits and dainty dishes every day enough to make one who minds nothing but his belly and his back and his lusts to say Oh that I were in that mans condition Oh that I had about me as that man had Then I should live a life indeed then should I have hearts ease good store then I should live pleasantly and might say to my soul Soul be of good chear eat drink and be merry Luke 12. 19. thou hast every thing plenty and art in a most blessed condition I say this might be I and is the conclusion with them that judge according to outward appearance But if the whole Parable be well considered you will see Luke 16. 15. That that which is had in high estimation with men is an abomination in the sight of God And again Joh. 16. 20 21 22. that condition that is the saddest condition according to outward appearance is oft times the most excellent for the beggar had ten thousand degrees the best of it though to outward appearance his state was the saddest from whence we shall observe thus much 1. That those who judge according to outward appearance do for the most part judge amiss Joh. 7. 24. 2. That they who look upon their outward enjoyments to be tokens of Gods special grace unto them are also deceived Rev. 3. 17. For as it is here in the Parable a man of wealth and a child of the Devil may make but one
into Abrahams Bosom Thus many times the Lord adorneth the death and departure of his Saints to hold forth unto after Generations how excellent they are in his eyes It is said of Enoch that God took him of Abraham that he died in a good old age of Moses that the Lord buried him of Elijah that he was taken up into Heaven that the Saints sleep in Jesus that they die in the Lord that they rest from their labour that their works follow them that they are under the Altar that they are with Christ that they are in light that they are to come with the Lord Jesus to judge the World All which sayings signifie thus much That to die a Saint is very great Honour and Dignity But the ungodly are not so The rich or ungodly die and are buried he is carried from his dwelling to the Grave and there he is buried hid in the dust and his Body doth not so fast molder and come to nought there but his name doth stink as fast in the World as saith the holy Scripture The name of the wicked shall rot And indeed the names of the godly are not in so much honour after their departure but the wicked and their names do as much rot What a dishonour to Posterity was the death of Balaam Agag Achitophel Haman Judas Herod with the rest of their companions Thus the wicked have their names written in the Earth and they do perish and rot and the name of the Saints do cast forth a dainty savour to following Generations and that the Lord Jesus doth signifie where he saith The godly are carried by the Angels into Abrahams Bosom And that the wicked are nothing worth where he saith The ungodly die and are buried Verse 23. And in Hell he lift up his eyes being in torment and seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his Bosom THE formâ—â— Verse speaks onely of the departure of the ungodly out of this life together with the glorious conduct that the godly have into the Kingdom of their Father Now our Lord doth shew in this Verses partly what doth and shall befall to the Reprobate after this life is ended where he saith And in Hell he lift up his eyes That is the ungodly after they depart this life do lift up their eyes in Hell From these words may be observed these things 1. That there is an Hell for Souls to be tormented in when this life is ended Mark after he was dead and buried In Hell he lift up his eyes 2. That all that are ungodly and do live and die in their sins so soon as ever they die they go into Hell he died and was buried And in Hell he lift up his eyes 3. That some are so fast asleep and secure in their sins that they scarce know well where they are till they come into Hell and that I gather from these words In Hell he lift up his eyes He was asleep before but Hell makes him lift up his eyes As I said before it is evident that there is an Hell for Souls yea and Bodies too to be tormented in after they depart this life as is clear First because the Lord Jesus Christ that cannot lie did say that after the sinner was dead and buried In Hell he lift up his eyes Now if it be objected that Hell is here meant the Grave that I plainly deny First Because there the Body is not sensible of torment or ease but in that Hell into which the spirits of the damned depart they are sensible of torment and would be very willingly freed from it to enjoy ease which they are sensible of the want of as is clearly discovered in this Parable Send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water to cool my tongue Secondly It is not meant the Grave but some other place because the Bodies so long as they lie there are not capable of lifting up their eyes to see the glorious condition of the Children of God as the souls of the damned do In Hell he lift up his eyes Thirdly It cannot be the Grave for then it must follow that the Soul was buried there with the Body which cannot stand with such a dead state as is here mentioned for he saith The rich man died that is his soul was separated from his body And in Hell he lift up his eyes If it be again objected that there is no Hell but in this life that I do also deny as I said before after he was dead and buried In Hell he lift up his eyes And let me tell thee O soul whoever thou art that if thou close not in savingly with the Lord Jesus Christ and lay hold on what he hath done and is doing in his own person for sinners thou wilt find such an hell after this life is ended that thou wilt not get out of again for ever and ever And thou that art wanton and dost make but a mock at the Servants of the Lord when they tell thee of the torments of hell thou wilt find that when thou departest out of this life that Hell even the hell which is after this life will meet thee in thy Journey thither and will with its hellish crew give thee such a sad salutation that thou wilt not forget it to all eternity when that Scripture comes to be fulfilled on thy soul in Isa. 14. 9. Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming it stirreth up the dead for thee even all the chief ones of the earth it hath raised from their Thrones all the Kings of the Nations All they that is that are in hell shall say Art thou become weak as we Art thou become like unto us O sometimes when I have had but thoughts of going to hell and considered the everlastingness of their ruine that fall in thither it hath stirred me up rather to seek to the Lord Jesus Christ to deliver me from thence than to slight it and make a mock at it And in hell he lift up his eyes The second thing I told you was this That all the ungodly that live and die in their sins so soon as ever they depart this life do descend into Hell This is also verified by the words in this Parable where Christ saith He died and was buried and in hell he lift up his eyes As the Tree falls so it shall lie whâ—â—â—er it be to Heaven or Hell Eccl. 11. 3. And as Christ said to the Thief on the Cross This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Even so the Devil in the like manner may say unto thy Soul Tomorrow shalt thou be with me in hell See then what a miserable case he that dies in an unregenerate state is in he departs from a long sickness to a longer hell from the gripings of death to the everlasting torments of hell And in hell he lift up his eyes Ah Friends if you were but your selves you would have a care
this world without an interest in the Son of God it would make you smite upon your thigh and in the bitterness of your souls cry out Acts 16. 29 30 31. Men and brethren what shall we do to be saved And not only so but thou wouldest not be comforted until thou didst find a rest for thy soul in the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 23. And in hell he lift up his eyes being in torments and seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosome Something in brief I have observed from the first part of this verse namely from these words And in hell he lift up his eyes And indeed I have observed but something for they are very full of matter and many things might be taken notice of in them There is one thing more that I might touch upon as touched in this saying and that is this Methink the Lord Jesus Christ doth hereby signify that men are naturally unwilling to see or take notice of their sad state I say by nature but though now they are willingly ignorant yet in hell they shall lift up their eyes That is in hell they shall see and understand their miserable condition and therefore to these words In hell he lift up his eyes he added being in torment As if he had said Though once they shut their eyes though once they were 2 Pet. 3. 5. willingly ignorant yet when they depart into hell they shall be so miserably handled and tormented that they shall be forced to lift up their eyes While men live in this world and are in a natural state they will have a good conceit of themselves and of their condition they will conclude that they are Christians that Abraham is their father Matth. 3. 7 8. and their state to be as good as the best they will conclude they have faith the Spirit good hope and an interest in the Lord Jesus Christ but then when they drop into hell and lift up their eyes there and behold first their soul to be in extream torments their dwelling to be the bottomless pit their company thousands of damned souls also the innumerable company of devils and the hot scalding vengeance of God not only to drop but to fall very violently upon them then they will begin to be awakened who all their life time were in a dead sleep I say when this comes to pass Lo it will then in hell they shall lift up their eyes in the midst of torments they shall lift up their eyes Again you may observe from these words And in hell he lift up his eyes being in torment That the time of the ungodly mens smarting for their sins will be in the torments of hell Now here I am put to a stand when I consider the torments of hell into which the damned do fall O unspeakable torments O endless torments Now that thy soul might be made to slee from these intollerable torments into which the damned do go I shall shew you briefly what are the torments of hell First by the names of it Secondly by the sad state thou wilt be in if thou commest there First the names It is called a never dying worm Mark 9. It is called an oven fire hot Malach. 4. 1. It is called a furnace a fiery furnace Mat. 13. It is called the bottomless pit the unquenchable fire fire and brimstone hell fire the lake of fire devouring fire everlasting fire eternal fire a stream of fire Rev. 21. First one part of thy torments will be this thou shalt have a full fight of all thy ill spent life from first to last though here thou canst sin to day and forget it by to morrow yet there thou shalt be made to remember how thou didst sin against God at such a time and in such a place for such a thing and with such an one which will be an hell unto thee Psal. 50. 21. God will set them in order before thine eyes 2. Thou shalt have the guilt of them all lye heavy on thy soul not only the guilt of one or two but the guilt of them altogether and there they shall lye in thy soul as if thy belly were full of pitch and set on a light fire Here men can sometimes think on their sins with delight but there with unspeakable torment for that I understand to be the fire that Christ speaketh of which shall never be quenched Mark 8. 43 44 45 46. While men live here O how doth the guilt of one sin sometimes crush the soul it makes a man in such plight that he is weary of his life so that he can neither rest at home nor abroad neither up nor in bed Nay I do know that they have been so tormented with the guilt of one sinful thought that they have been even at their wits end and have hanged themselves But now when thou comest into hell and hast not only one or two or an hundred sins with the guilt of them all on thy soul and body but all the sins that ever thou didst commit since thou camest into the world altogether clapt on thy conscience at one time as one should clap a red hot iron to thy breasts and there to continue to all eternity this is miserable 3. Again then thou shalt have brought into thy remembrance the slighting of the Gospel of Christ here thou shalt consider how willing Christ was to come into the world to save sinners and for what a trifle thou didst reject him This is plainly held forth in Esay 28. where speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ the foundation of salvation ver 16. he saith of them that reject the Gospel that when the overflowing scourge doth pass through the earth which I understand to be at the end of the world then saith he It shall take you morning by morning by day and by night shall it pass over you that is continually without any intermission And it shall be a vexation only to hear the report A vexation that is a torment or a great part of hell only to understand the report to understand the good tydings that came into the world by Christs death for poor sinners and you will find this to be verily the mind of the Spirit if you compare it with Chap. 53. of Esay verse 1. where he speaks of mens turning their backs upon the tenders of Gods grace in the Gospel he saith Who hath believed our report or the Gospel declared by us Now this will be a mighty torment to the ungodly when they shall understand the goodness of God was so great that he even sent his Son out of his bosome to dye for sinners and yet that they should be so foolish as to put him off from one time to another that they should be so foolish as to lose heaven and Christ and eternal life in glory for the society of a company of drunkards that they should lose their souls for a little sport for this world for a strumpet for that which
is lighter then vanity and nothing I say this will be a very great torment unto thee 4. Another part of thy torment will be this Thou shalt see thy friends thy acquaintance thy neighbours nay it may be thy Father thy mother thy wife thy husband thy children thy brother thy sister with others in the Kingdome of heaven and thy self thrust out Luke 13. 28. There shall be weeping c. when you shall see Abraham your father and Isaac and Jacob together with your brethren the Prophets in the Kingdome of heaven and your selves thrust out Nay saith he There shall come from the East and from the West that is thâ—se that thou didst never see in all thy life before and they shall sit down with thy friends and thy neighbours thy wife and thy children in the Kingdome of Heaven and thou for thy sins and disobedience shâ—lâ— be shut nay thrust out O wonderful â—oâ—ment 5. Again thou shalt have none but a company of damned souls with an innumerable company of devils to keep company with thee While thou art in this World the very thoughts of the devils appearing to thee makes thy flesh to tremble and thine hair ready to stand upright on thy head But O what wilt thou do when not only the supposition of the devils appearing but the real society of all the devils in hell be with thee howling and roaring screeching and roaring in such a hideous manner that thou wilt be even at thy wits end and be ready to run stark mad again for anguish and torment 6. Again that thou mightest be tormented to purpose the mighty God of heaven will lay as great wrath and vengeance upon thee as ever he can by the might of his glorious power As I said before Thou shalt have his wrath not by drops but by whole showres shall it come thunder thunder upon thy body and soul so fast and so thick that thou shalt be tormented out of measure And so saith the Scripture 2 Thes. 1. 9. speaking of the wicked Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power when the Saints shall be admiring his goodness and glory Again this thou shalt have as I said before without any intermission thou shalt not have any ease so long as while a man may turn himself round thou shalt have it alwayes every hour day and night for their worth never dyes but alwayes gnaws and their fire is never quenched As it is written in Mark 9. 7. Again in this condition thou must be for ever and that is as sad as all the rest For if a man were to have all his sins laid to his charge and communion with the devils and as much wrath as the great God of heaven can inflict upon them I say if it were but for a time even ten thousand years and so end there would be ground of comfort and hopes of deliverance but here is thy misery this is thy state for ever here thou must be for ever when thou lookest about thee and seest what an innumerable company of howling devils thou art amongst thou shalt think this again this is my portion for ever When thou hâ—st been in hell so many thousand years as there are stars in the firmament or drops in the Sea or sands on the sea-shore yet thou hast to lye there for ever O this one word ever how will it torment thy Soul Friends I have only given a very short touch of the torments of Hell O! I am set I am set and am not able to uâ—ter what my mind conceives of the torments of Hell Yet this let me say to thee accept of Gods mercy through our Lord Jesus Christ lest thou feel that with thy Conscience which I cannot express with my Tongue and say I am sorely tormented in this flame And seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his Bosome When the damned are in this pittiful state surrounded with fears with terrours with torment and vengeance one thing they shall have which is this they shall see the happy and blessed state of Gods Children he seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his Bosom which as I said before is the happy state of the Saints when this life is ended This now shall be so far from being an ease unto them that it shall most wonderfully aggravate or heighten their torment as I said before There shall be weeping or cause of lamentation when they shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven and themselves thrust out 2. Observe those that die in their sins are far from going to Heaven He seeth Abraham a far off and Lazarus in his Bosom And indeed it is just with God to deal with them that die in their sins according to what they have done and to make them who are far from Righteousness now to stand far from Heaven to all Eternity Hearken to this ye stout-hearted that are far from Righteousness and that are resolved to go on in your sins when you die you will be far from Heaven you will see Lazarus but it will be afar off Again he seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his Bosome These are some of the things that the damned do behold so soon as they come into torment Mark And he seeth Lazarus in Abrahams Bosome Lazarus Who was he Why even he that was so slighted so disregarded so undervalued by this ungodly one while he was in the World he seeth Lazarus in his Bosome From whence observe That those who live and die the enemies of the Saints of God let them be never so great or stout let them bear never so much sway while they are in the World let them â—rag and boast never so much while they are here they shall in spight of their teeths see the Saints yea the poor Saints even the Lazarus's or the ragged ones that belong to Jesus to be in a better condition then themselves O who do you think was in the best condition or who do you think saw themselves in the best condition he that was in Hell or he that was in Heaven He that was in darkness or he that was in light He that was in everlasting joy or he that was in everlasting torments The one with God Christ Saints Angels the other in tormenting flames under the curse of Gods eternal hatred with the Devils and their Angels together with an innumerable company of howling roaring cursing ever burning Reprobates Certainly this observation will be easily proved to be true here in this World by him that looks upon it with an understanding heart and will clear it self to be true in the World to come by such as shall go either to Heaven or to Hell 2. The second Observation from these words And seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his Bosom is this They that are the persecutors of the Saints of the Lord now in this World shall see the Lords
persecuted ones to be they that are so highly esteemed by the Lord as to sit or to be in Abrahams bosom in everlasting glory though the enemies to the Children of God did so lightly esteem them that they scorn to let them gather up the Dogs meat that falls under their Table this is also verified and held forth plainly by this Parable And therefore be not grieved O you that are the tempted persecuted afflicted sighing praying Saints of the Lord though your adversaries look upon you now with a disdainful surly rugged proud and haughty countenance yet the time shall come when they shall spie you in Abrahams Bosom I might enlarge upon these things but shall leave them to the Spirit of the Lord which can better by ten thousand degrees enlarge them on thy heart and conscience then I can upon a piece of paper Therefore leaving these to the blessing of the Lord I shall come to the next Verse and shall be brief in speaking to that also and so passe to the rest Verse 24. And he cryed and said Father Abraham have mercy upon me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water to cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame YOu know I told you the 22th Verse is a discovery of the departure of the godly and the ungodly out of this life where he saith The beggar died and the rich man also died The 23. Verse is a discovery of the proper places both of the godly and the ungodly after death one being in Abrahams Bosom or in glory the other in Hell Now this 24 Verse is a discovery of part of the too late repentance of the ungodly when they are dropt down into Hell And he cryed and said Father Abraham have mercy upon me From these words And he cryed we may observe first What a change the ungodly will have when they come into Hell He cried it is like he was laughing jesting jearing drinking mocking swearing cursing prating persâ—cuting of the godly in his prosperity among his filthy companions but now the case is otherwise now he is in another frame now his proud flout currish carriage is come down And he cryed The laughter of the ungodly will not last alwayes but will be sure to end in a cry The tryumphing of the wicked is short Job 20 5. Consider you must have a change either here or in Hell If you be not new creatures regenerate persons new-born Babes in this World before you go hence your note will be changed your conditions will be changed for if you come into Hell you must cry O did but the singing drunkards when they are making merrie on the Ale-bench think on this it would make them change their note and cry What shall I do whither shall I go when I die But as I said before the Devil as he labours to get poor souls to follow their sins so he labours also to keep the thoughts of eternal damnation out of their mindes and indeed these two things are so nearly linked together that the Devil cannot well get the Soul to go on in sin with delight unless he can keep the Thoughts of that terrible after-clap out of their minds But let them know that it shall not always be thus with them for if when they depart they drop down into Eternal Destruction they shall have such a sence of their sins and the punishment due to the same that it shall make them to cry And he cryed O what an alteration will there be among the ungodly when they go out of this World it may be a Fortnight or a Moneth before their departure they were light stour surly drinking themselves drunk slighting God's People mocking at goodness and delighting in sin following the World seeking after Riches faring deliciously keeping company with the bravest but now they are dropt down into Hell they cry A little while ago they were painting their Faces feeding their Lusts following their Whores robbing their Neighbours telling of Lies following of Plays and Sports to pass away the time but now they are in Hell they do cry It may be last Year they heard some good Sermons was invited to receive Heaven was told their sins should be pardoned if they closed in with Jesus but refusing his profers and slighting the Grace that was once tendered they are now in Hell and do cry Before they had so much time they thought that they could not tell how to spend it unless it were in Hunting and Whoring in dancing and playing and spending whole hours yea days nay weeks in the Lusts of the Flesh but when they depart into another place and begin to lift up their Eyes in Hell and consider their miserable and irrecoverable condition they will cry O what a condition wilt thou fall into when thou dost depart this World if thou depart unconverted and not born again thou hadst better have been smother'd the first hour thou wast born thou hadst better have been plucked one Limb from another thou hadst better have been made a Dog a Toâ—d a Serpent nay any other Creature in the visible World than to die unconverted and this thou wilt find to be true when in Hell thou dost life up thine Eyes and dost cry Here then before we go any further you may see that it is not without good ground that these words are here spoken by our Lord That when any of the ungodly do depart into Hell they will cry Cry why so 1. They will cry to think that they should be cut off from the Land of the Living never more to have any footing therein 2. They will cry to think that the Gospel of Christ should be so often proffered them and yet they are not profited by it 3. They will cry to think that now though they would never so willingly repent and be saved yet they are past all Recovery 4. They will cry to think that they should be so foolish as to follow their pleasures when others were following of Christ Luke 13. 28. 5. They will cry to think that they must be separated from God Christ and the Kingdom of Heaven and that for ever 6. To think that their crying will now do them no good 7. To think that at the Day of Judgment they must stand at the left hand of Christ among an innumerable Company of the Damned Ones 8. They will cry to think that Lazarus whom once they slighted must be of them that must sit with Christ to judge or together with Christ to pass a Sentence of Condemnation on their Souls for ever and ever 1 Cor. 6. 2 3. 9. Cry to think that when the Judgment is over and others are taken into the everlasting Kingdom of Glory then thou must depart back again into that Dungeon of Darkness from whence thou camest out â—o appear before that terrible Tribunal where thou shalt be tormented so long as Eternity lasts without the least intermission or ease How sayest
thou O thou wanton proud swearing lying ungodly Wretch whether this be to be slighted and made a mock at And again tell me now if it be not better to leave sin and to close in with Christ Jesus notwithstanding that Reproach thou shalt meet with for so doing than to live a little while in this World in pleasures and feeding thy Luâ—â—s in neglecting the welfare of thy Soul and refusing to be justified by Jesus and in a moment to drop down to Hell and to cry O consider I say consider betâ—â—es and put not off the Tenders of the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ lest you lift up your Eyes in Hell and cry for anguish of Spirit And he cryed and said Father Abraham have mercy upon me and send Lazarus c. These words do not oâ—â—â—â—â—old forth the lamentable Condition of the Damned and their lamentable howling and crying one under their anguish of spirit but also they do signifie to us as I said before their too late Repentance and also that they would very willingly if they might be set at liberty from that everlasting â—â—â—ery that by their sins they have plunged themselves into I say these words do hold forth a desire that the Damned have to be delivered from those Torments that they now are in O Father Abraham saith he have mercy upon me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my Tongue for I am torâ—â—â—ted in this flame These words Father Abraham may have some difficulty in them It is possible that some may think them to be meant of Abraham and those or him that ctieth out here to be the Jews Or it may be some may understand it to be GOD or Jesus Christ his Son which I rather suppose it may be that is here cried out unto because you find the same Cry to him as it were uttered by the ungodly in other places of the Scripture as in Luke 13. vers 25 26. Then shall they say Lord Lord we have eat and drunk in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streets Nay more In thy Name have we cast out Devils and in thy Name done many wonderful Works This was just at their rejection And again in Matth. 25. 11. They cry again to him even to Jesus Lord Lord open to us And he there again gives them a Repulse as also in this Parable But however or whosoever Abraham is yet these Truths may be observed from the words 1. That the Damned when in an irrecoverable estate will seek for or desire deliverance from the Wrath that they are and shall be in for Eternity Surely in the Floud of great Waters they shall not come nigh unto him 2. That they will pray if I may so call it earnestly for deliverance from their miserable estate These two Things are clear from the words For mark He not onely said Father Abraham have mercy upon me But he cried and said Father Abraham have mercy on me From whence take a third observation and that is There is a time coming wherein though men shall both cry and pray yet they are like to have no mercy at the Hands of God for so was this man served as I shall further shew by and by when I come to it Some People are so deluded by the Devil as to think that God is so merciful as to own or regard any thing for prayer They think any thing will go for currant and good satisfaction while they are here in this World through ignorance of the true nature of the Mercy of GOD and the knowledge in what way God is satisfied for Sinners Now I say through ignorance they think that if they do but mutter over some form of prayers though they know not what they say not what they request yet God is satisfied yea very well satisfied with their doings when alas there is nothing less O Friends I beseech you to look about you and seek in good earnest for the Spirit of Christ so to help you now â—o strive and pray and to inable you to lay hold of Christ that your Souls may be saved lest the time come that though you cry and pâ—ay and wish also that you â—ad â—â—â—d hold on the Lord Jesus yet you must and shall be damned Then 〈…〉 thâ—â— though God be willing to save Sinners at some time yet this time doâ—h not always lâ—st No he that can find in his 〈◊〉 to turn hiâ— back upon Jesus Christ now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 upon him hereafter when he may cry and pray for mercy and yet go without it God will have a time to meet with them that now do not seek after him They shall have a time yea time enough hereafter to repent their Folly and to befool themselves for turning their backs upon the Lord Jesus Christ. I will laugh at their Calamities saith he and mock when their fear cometh Prov. 1. 26 27. Again this should admonish us to take time while it is proffered leâ—t we repent us of our unbelief and Rebellion when we are deprived of it Ah Friends Time is precious an hours time to hear a Sermon is precious I have sometimes thought thus with my self Set the case the Lord should send two or three of his Servants the Ministers of the Gospel to Hell among the Damned with this Commission Go ye to Hell and preach my Grace to those that are there Let your Sermon be an hour long and hold forth the Merits of my Sons Birth Righteousness Death Resurrection Ascension and Intercession with all my Love in him and proffer it to them telling them that now once more and but once do I proffer the means of Reconciliation to them They who are now roaring being past hope would then leap at the least proffer of Mercy Oh they that could spend whole Days Weeks nay Years in rejecting the Son of God would now be glad of one Tender of that Mercy Father saith he have mercy on me Again from these words you may observe that Mercy will be welcome when Souls are under Judgment Now his Soul is in the fire now he is under the Wrath of God now he is in Hell there to be tormented now he is with the Devils and damned Spirits now he feels the Vengeance of God Now oh now have mercy on me Here you may see that Mercy is prized by them that are in Hell they would be glad if they could have it Father have Mercy on me For my poor Souls sake send me a little Mercy And send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my Tongue These words do not onely hold forth that the ungodly have a desire of Mercy but what those Mercies are that these poor Creatures would be glad of As first To have the company of a Lazarus granted to them Father Abraham have mercy upon me and send Lazarus Now Lazarus was he that was beloved of God and also
to me yet to my fathers house and let him tell them from me That if they run on in sin as I have done they must and shall receive the same wages that I have received Take notice of this you that are despisers of the least of the Lazarus's of our Lord Jesus Christ it may be now you are loath to receive these little ones of his because they are not Gentlemen because they cannot with Pontius Pilate speak Hebrew Greek and Latine Nay they must not shall not speak to them to admonish them and all because of this Though now the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ may be preached to them freely and for nothing nay they are now desired to hear and receive it Though now they will not own regard or imbrace these Christian profers of the glorious truth of Jesus because they come out of some of the basest earthen vessels 1 Cor. 1. 26. yet the time is coming when they will both sigh and cry Send him to my fathers house I say remember this ye that despise the day of small things the time is coming when you would be glad if you might enjoy from God from Christ or his Saints one small drop of cold water though now you are unwilling to receive the glorious distilling drops of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Again see here the lamentable state they are in that go to hell from their Fathers Mothers Sisters Brothers c. While they are in this World men delight to set their children ill examples and also children love to follow the wicked steps of their ungodly parents but when they depart this life and drop down into hell and find themselves in irrecoverable misery then they cry Send some body to my Fathers house to my Brothers house Tell them my state is miserable tell them I am undone for ever and tell them also that if they will be walking in these ungodly steps wherein I left them they will assuredly fall into this place of torments I pray thee send him to my Fathers House Ah friends and neighbours it is like you little think of this that some of your friends and relations are crying out in hell Lord send some body to my Fathers House to preach the Gospel to them lest they also come into these torments Here men while they live can willingly walk together in the way of sin and when they are parted by death they that are living seldom or never consider of the sad condition that they that are dead are descended into But ye ungodly fathers how are your ungodly children roaring now in hell and you ungodly children how are your ungodly parents that lived and died ungodly now in the pains of hell also and one drunkard is singing on the Ale-bench and another roaring under the wrath of God saying O that I was with him how would I rebuke him and perswade him by all means to leave off these evil courses O that they did but consider what I now suffer for pride covetousness drunkenness lying swearing stealing whâ—â—â—ng and the like Oh! did they but feel the thoâ—â—â—ndth part thereof it would make them look about them and not buy sin at so dear a rate as I have done even with the loss of my precious soul. Send him to my Fathers house Not to my Father but to my Fathers House It may be there 's ungodly children there 's ungodly servants wallowing in their ungodliness send him therefore to my Fathers house It is like they are still the same that I left them I left them wicked and they are wicked still I left them slighters of the Gospel Saints and wayes of God and they do it still send him to my Fathers house it is like there is but a little between them and the place where I am send him to day before tomorrow lest they come into the same place of torment I pray thee that thou wouldst send him I beg it on my bended knee with crying and with tears in the Agony of my soul. It may be they will not consider if thou do not send him I left them soâ—tish enough hardned as well as I they have the same Devil to tempt them the same lusts and world to overcome them I pray thee therefore that thou wouldest send him to my fathers house make no delay lest they lose their souls lest they come hither if they do they are like never to return again O! little do they think how easily they may lose their souls they are apt to think their condition to be as â—ood as the best as I once through ignorance did But send him send him without delay lest they â—â—me into this place of torment O that thou wouldest give him commission do thou send him thy self the time was when I together with them slighted those that were sent of God though we could not deny but he spake the word of God and was sent of him as our consciences told us yet we preferred the calls of men before the calls of God for though they had the one yet because they had not the other in that Antichristian way which we thought meet we could not would not either hear him our selves nor yet give consent that others should But now a call from God is worth all Do thou therefore send him to my Fathers house The time was when we did not like it except it might be preached in the Synagogue we though it a low thing to preach pray together in houses we were too high spirited too superstitious the Gospel would not down with us unless we had it in such a place by such a man no nor then neither effectually But now Oh! that I was to live in the world again and might have that priviledge to have some acquaintance with blessed Lazarus some familiarity with that holy man what attendance would I give unto his wholesom words how would I affect his Doctrine and close in with it how would I square my life thereby now therefore it is better to hear the Gospel under an hedge then to sit roaring in a Tavern it is better to welcome Gods begging Lazarus's then the wicked companions of this world It is better to receive a Saint in the name of a Saint a Disciple in the name of a Disciple Luke 10. 16. then to do as I have done Oh! it is better to receive a child of God that can by experience deliver the things of God his free love his tender grace his rich forbearance and also the misery of man if without it then to be daubed up with untempered morter Ezek. 13. Oh! I may curse the day that ever I gave way to the flatteries and fawning of a company of carnal Clergy-men but this my repentance is too late I should have looked about me sooner if I would have been saved from this woful place Therefore send him not only to the Town I lived in and unto some of my acquaintance but to my Fathers house
Apostles whether they be correction reproof admonition forewarning or the blessed invitations and promises contained in them 1. Such souls do provoke God to anger and to execute his vengeance on them They refused to hearken they pulled away their shoulder they stopped their ears lest they should hear the Law and they made their hearts Adamant stone that they might not hear the Law and the words that were spoken to them by his spirit in the former Prophets Therefore came a great wrath upon them Zach. 7. 11 12. 2. God will not regard in their calamity Because I called and ye refused I stretched out my hand and no man regarded but set at nought all my counsels and would have none of my reproof I also will laugh at your calamities and mock when your fear cometh When their fear cometh as desolation and their destruction like a Whirlwind Then shall they call but I will not answer they shall seek me early but they shall not find me Prov. 1. 25 26 27. 3. God doth commonly give up such men to delusions to believe lies Because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved therefore God shall send them strong delusiens that they should believe a lie That they all might be damned 2 Thes. 2. 11 12. 4. In a word they that do continue to reject and slight the word of God they are such for the most part as are ordained to be damned Old Eli his sons not hearkening to the voice of their father reproving them for their sins but disobeying his voice it is saiâ— It was because the Lord would slay them 1 Sam. 2. 15. Again see in 2 Chron. 25. 15 16. Amaziah having sinned against the Lord he sends to him a Prophet to reprove him But Amaziah sayes â—orbear wherefore shouldst thou be smitten he â—id not hearken to the word of God Then the Prophet forbear saying I know that God hath determined to destroy thee because thou hast not hearkened to my counsel Read therefore and the Lord give thee understanding For a miserable end will those have that go on in sinning against God rejecting his word Other things might have been observed from this verse which at this time I shall pass by partly because the sum of them hath been touched already and may be more clearly hinted at in the following verse and therefore I shall speak a few words to the next verse and so draw towards a conclusion Ver. 31. And he said unto him If they hear not Moses and the Prophets neither will they be perswaded though one rise from the Dead ANd he said That is and God made answer to the words spoken in the verse before And he said unto him If they hear not Moses c. As if he had said Moses was a man of great Renown a man of worthy note a man that talked with God face to face as a man speaketh to his Friend The words that Moses spake were such as I commanded him to speak Let who will question them I will own them credit them bless them that close in with them and curse those that reject them I my self sent the Prophets they did not run of their own heads I gave them Commission I thrust them our and told them what they should say In a word They have told the World what my mind is to do both to Sinners and to Saints They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them Therefore he that shall reject and turn his back either upon the Threatnings Counsels Admonitions Invita ions Promises or whatsoever else I have commanded them to speak as to Salvation and Life and to Directions therein shall be sure to have a share in the many Curses that they have spoken and the Destruction that is pronounced by them Again If they hear not Moses and the Prophets c. As if he had said Thou would'st have me send one from the Dead unto them what needs that They have my Mind already I have declared unto them what I intend to stand to both for saving them that believe and damning them that do not That therefore which I have said I will make good whether they hear or forbear And as for this desire of yours you had as good desire me to make a new Bible and so to revoke my first Sayings by the Mouth of my Prophets But I am God and not Man and my Word is immutable unchangable and shall stand as fast as my Decreâ—s can make it Heaven and Earth shall pass away but one jot or tittle of my Word shall not pass If thou hadst Ten Thousand Brethren and every one in danger of losing his Soul if they did not close in with what is contained and recorded in the Scriptures of Truth they must even every one of them perish and be for ever damned in Hell for the Scriptures cannot be broken I did not send them so unadvisedly to recall it again by another consideration No For I speak in Righteousness and Judgment Isa. 63. 1 2 3. and in much Wisdom and Counsel It being therefore gone out of my Mouth in this manner It shall not return in vain untill it hath accomplished the thing whereto I have sent it But again Thou supposest that Miracles and Wonders will work more on them which makes thee say Send one from the Dead But herein thou art mistaken for I have proved them with that once and again by more than one or two or three of my Servants How many Miracles did my Servant Moses work by Commandment from me in the Land of Egypt at the Red-Sea and in the Wilderness yet they of that Generation were never the sooner converted for that but notwithstanding rebelled and lusted and in their hearts turned back into Egypt Act. 7. How many Miracles did Samuel David Elias Elisha Daniel and the Prophets together with my Son who raised the Dead cast out Devils made them to see that were born blind gave and restored Limbs yet for all this as I said before they hated him they crucified him I raised him again from the Dead and he appeared to his Disciples who were call'd and chosen and faithful and he gave them Commandment and Commission to go and testifie the Truth of this to the World and to confirm the same he inabled them to speak with divers Tongues and to wâ—â—k Mâ—â—acles most plentifully yet there was great persecution raised against them insomuch that but a few of them died in their beds And therefore though thou thinkest that a Miracle will do so much with the World yet I say No For if they will not believe Moses and the Prophets neither will they be perswaded though one should rise from the Dead From these words therefore take notice of this Truth namely that those who reject and believe not Moses and the Prophets are a very hard-hearted people that will not be perswaded though one rise from the Dead They that regard not the Holy