so freely profered to thee a little ground a few Oxen a Farm a Wife a two penny matter a Play nay the fear of a mock a scoff or a jeer is of greater weight to draw thee back than the Salvation of thy Soul to draw thee forward 7. And thou hast heard that Whosoever will be a friend of the World is the enemy of God Jam. 4. 4. But thou regardest not these things but contrariwise rather then thou wilt be out of the friendship and favour of this world thou wilt sin against thine own Conscience and get thy self inâ—o favour by fawning and flattering of the world Yea rather then thou wilt go without it thou wilt dissemble lye backbite thy Neighbour and an hundred other tricks thou wilt have 8. You have heard that the day of Judgement is near in which you and I all of us must appear before the Tribunal of Jesus Christ and there be made to give an account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead even of all that ever we did yea of all our sins in thought word and deed and shall certainly be damned for them too if we close not in with our Lord Jesus Christ and what he hath done and suffered for eternal life and that not notionally or traditionally but really and savingly in the power and by the operation of the spirit through faith Eccles. 11. 9. 12. 14. Heb. 9. 27. Acts 10. 42 Acts 17. 30 31. 2 Cor. 5. 10. Rev. 20. 12. And I saw the dead small and great stand before God and the Books were opened and another Book was opened which is the Book of Life and the dead were judged out of those things that were written in the Books There is the Book of the Creatures the Book of Conscience the Book of the Lords Remembrance the Book of the Law the Book of the Gospel Rom. 1. 20. compared with Rom. 2. 12. 15. Rev. 6. ver 19. Joh. 12. 48. Then shall he separate them one from another as a Shepherd divideth his Sheep on his right hand and the Goats on his left Mat. 25. 30 31 32. And shall say to them on his right hand Come ye blessed vers 34. But to the other go or depart ye cursed ver 41. Yet notwithstanding the Scriptures do so plainly plentifully speak of these things alas who is there that is weaned from the world and from their siâ—s and pleasures to fly from the wrath to come Mat. 3. 7. notwithstanding the Scripture saith also That Heaven and Earth shall pass away rather than one jot or one tittle of the word shall shall fail till all be fulfilled they are so certain Luke 21. 37. But leaving the threatnings let us come to the promises and speak somewhat of them and you may see how light men make of them and how little they set by them notwithstanding the mouth of the Lord hath spoken them As first Turn ye fools ye scorners ye simple ones at my reproof and behâ—ld I will pour out my spirit unto you Prov. 1. 24. And yet persons had rather be in their foolishness and scorning still and had rather imbrace some filthy lust then the holy undesiled and blessed Spirit of Christ thorow the promise though by it as many as receive it are sealed unto the day of redemption Eph. 4. 30. And although he that lives and dies without it is none of Christs Rom. 8. 9. 2. God hath said If thou do but come to him in Christ though your sins be as red as Scarlet they shall be as white as Snow and he will by no meanes cast thee away compare Isa. 1. 18. with Joh. 6. â—7 yet poor souls will not come to Christ that they might have life Joh. 5. 41. but rather after their hardness and impenitent heart treasure up unto themselves wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God Rom. 2. 4 5 6. 3. Christ Jesus hath said in the word of truth That if any man will serve and follow him Where he is there shall also his servant be Joh. 12. 26. but yet poor souls choose rather to follow sin Satan and the world though their companions be the devils and damned souls for ever Mat. 25. 41. 4. He hath also said Seek first the Kingdom of God and all other things shall be added But let who so will seek after the Kingdom of Heaven first for them For they will take the first time while time serves to get the things of this life And if it be so that they must needs seek after Heaven or else be damned they will stay till they have more leisure or till they can better attend to it or till they have other things handsome about them or till they are older when they have little else to do or when they come to be sick and to die Then Lord have mercy upon them though it be ten thousand to one but they perish for ever For commonly the Lord hath this way to deal with such sinners who put him off when he is striâ—â—â—â— with them either to laugh at their calamity and mâ—â—k when their fear cometh Prov. 1. 26. 28. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 send them to the gods they have served which are the devils Judg. 10. 13. 14. Go to the gods you have served and let them deliver you saith he compare this with Joh. 8. 44. 5. He hath said There is no man that forsaketh Father or Mother Wife or Children or Lands for his sake and the Gospels but shall have an hundred fâ—lâ— in this world with persecution and in the world to come life everlasting Mark 10. 29 30. But men for the most part are so far off from believing the certainty of this that they will scarce lose the earning of a penny to hear the word of God the Gospel of salvation Nay they will neither go themselves nor suffer others to go if they can help it without threatning to do them a mischief if it lie in their way Nay further many are so far from parting from any worldly gun for Christs sake and the Gospels that they are still striving by hook and by crook as we say by swearing lying cousening stealing covetousness extortion oppression forgery bribery flâ—ttery or any other way to get more though they get together with these death wrath damnation hell the devil and all the plagues that God can pour upon them And if any do not run with them to the same excess of riot but rather for all their threats will be so bold and careless as they call it as to follow the wayes of God if they can do no more yet they will whet their tongues like a Sword to wound them and do them the greatest mischief they can both in speaking against them to neighbours to Wives to Husbands to Landlords and raising false Reports of them But let such take heed lost they be in such a state and woful condition as he was in who said
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
make it their whole work and continual study how they may keep thee and others from enjoying of these blessed Priviledges that have been thus obtain'd for Sinners by this sweet Jesus He labours I say First To keep thee ignorant of thy state by Nature Secondly To harden thy Heart against the ways of God Thirdly To inflame thy Heart with love to sin and the ways of darkness And fourthly To get thee to continue herein For that is the way he knows to get thee to be a partaker with him of the flaming Hell-fire even the same that he himself is fallen into together with the rest of the wicked World by reason of sin Look to it therefore But now in the next place a word of incouragement to you that are the Saints of the Lord. 1. Consider what an happy state thou art in that hast gotten the Faith of the Lord Jesus into thy Soul But be sure thou have it I say how safe how sure how happy art thou For when others go to Hell thou must go to Heaven when others go to the Devil thou must go to God when as others go to Prison thou must be set at Liberty at Ease and at Freedom when others must roar for sorrow of heart then thou shalt also sing for the joy of heart Secondly consider thou must have all thy well spent Life to follow thee instead of all thy sins and the glorious blessings of the Gospel instead of the dreadful Curses and Condemnations of the Law The blessing of the Father instead of a fiery Sentence from the Judge Thirdly Let dissolution come when it will it can do thee no harm for it will be but onely a passage out of a Prison into a Palace out of a Sea of Troubles into an Haven of Rest out of a Croud of Enemies to an innumerable Company of true loving and faithful Friends out of shame Reproach and Contempt into exceeding great and Eternal Glory For Death shall not hurt thee with his sting nor bite thee with his Soul-murmuring Teeth but shall be a welcome Guest to thee even to thy Soul in that it is sent to free thee from thy Troubles which thou art in whiles here in this World dwelling in the Tabernacle of Clay Fourthly consider however it goes with Friends and Relations yet it will go well with thee Eccl. 8. 12. However it goes with the Wicked yet I know Mark yet I know saith he that it shall go well with them that fear the Lord that fear before him And therefore let this in the first place cause thee chearfully to exercise thy patience under all the Calamities Crosses Troubles and Afflictions that may come upon thee and by patient continuance in well-doing to commit both thy self and thine Affairs and Actions into the Hands of God through Jesus Christ as to a faithful Creator who is true in his Word and loveth to give unto thee whatsoever he hath promised to thee And therefore to incourage thee while thou art here with comfort to hold on for all thy Crosses in this thy Journey be much in considering the place that thou must go into so soon as dissolution comes It must be into Heaven to God the Judge of all to an innumerable Company of Angels to the Spirits of just men made perfect to the General Assembly and Church of the first-born whose Names are written in Heaven and to Jesus too the Redeemer who is the Mediator of the New Covenant and to the Bloud of sprinkling that speaks better Things for thee than Abels did for Cain Heb. 12 22 23 24. 3. Consider That when the time of the dead that they shall be raised is come then shall thy body be raised out of the grave and be glorified and be made like to Jesus Christ Phil. 3. 21. O excellent condition 4. When Jesus Christ shall sit on the throne of his glory you also shall sit with him even when he shall sit on the throne of his glory O will not this be glorious that when thousands and thousands of thousands shall be arraigned before the Judgment-seat of Christ then for them to sit with him upon the throne together with him to pass the sentence upon the ungodly 1 Cor. 6. 2. 3. Will it not be glorious to enjoy those things that eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither hath entred into the heart of man to conceive Will it not be glorious to have this sentence Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you before the Foundation of the World Will it not be glorious to enter then with the Angels and Saints into that glorious Kingdome Will it not be glorious for thee to be in glory with them while others are in unuâ—terable torments O then how will it comfort thee to sea thou hast not lost that glory to think that the devil hath not got thy soul that thy soul should be saved and that not from a little but from an exceeding danger not with a little but a great salvation O therefore let the Saints be joyful in glory let them triumph over all their enemies Let them begin to sing heaven upon earth triumph before they come to glory salvation even when they are in the midst of their Enemies For this honour shall all his Saints have Psal. 149. 6 7 8 9. Ver. 29. Abraham said unto him they have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them IN the Verses foregoing you see there is a discovery of the lamentable state of the poor soul that dyes out of Christ and the special favour of God And also how little the glorious God of Heaven doth regard and take notice of their most miserable condition Now in this verse he doth magnify the word which was spoken to the People by the Prophets and Apostles They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them As if he should say thou askest me that I should send Lazarus back again into the World to Preach to them that live there that they might escape that doleful place that thou art in what needs that have they not Moses and the Prophets have they not had my Ministers and Servants sent unto them and coming as from me I sent Enoch and Noah Moses and Samuel I sent David Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel Daniel Hosea and the rest of the Prophets together with Peter Paul John Matthew James Jude with the rest Let them hear them What they have spoken by Divine inspiration I will own whether it be for the damnation of those that reject or the saving of them that receive their Doctrine And therefore what need have they that one should be sent unto them in another way They have Moses and the Prophets Let them hear them let them receive their word close in with the Doctrine declared by them I shall not at this time speak any thing to that word Abraham having touched upon it already but shall tell you what is to be understood by these words They
in vexation and anguish of soul One drop of cold water to cool my tongue Thus might I add many things out of the holy Wâ—it both threatning and promises besides those heavenly Counsels loving Reproofs free invitations to all sorts of sinners both old and young rich and poor bond and free wise and unwise All which have been now are and it is to be feared as long as this World lasts will be trampled under the feet of those Swine I call them not men who will continue in the same But take a review of some of them 1. Counsel What heavenly counsel is that where Christ saith Buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayst be rich and white rayment that thou mayst bâ— cloathed that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear Rev. 3. 17 18. Also that Ho every one that thirsteth come to the waters Yea come buy wine and miâ—â— without money and without price Isa. 55. 1. Hear and your souls shall live Veâ—se 3. Lay hold of 〈◊〉 strength that you may make peace with me and yâ—â— shall make peace with me Isa. 27. 5. 2. Instruction What Instruction is here Hear instruction and be wise and refuse it nâ—t Blessed is the man that heareth me saith Christ watching daily at my gates waiting at the posts of my doors For who so findeth me findeth life and shall obtain favour of the Lord. Prov. 8. 32 33 34 35. Take heed that no man deceive you by any means Labour not for the meat that perisheth but for that which endureth unto everlasting life Joâ— 6. 27. Strive to enter in at the strait gate Luke 13. 24. Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved Act. 16. 31. Believe not every spirit but try the spirits Quench not the spirit Lay hold on eternal life Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorifie your Father which is in Heaven Mat. 5. 16. Take heed and beware of hypocrisie watch and be sober Learn of me saith Christ. Come unto me 3. Forewarning What forewarning is here Because there is wrath beware lest he take thee away with his stroak then a great ransome cannot deliver thee Job 36. 18. Be ye not mockers lest your bands be made strong for I have heard from the Lord God of Hosts a Consumption even determined on the whole Earth Isa. 28. 22. Beware therefore lest that come upon you that is written Behold ye dispisers and wonder and perish For behold I work a work in your dayes which ye shall in no wise believe though a man declare it unto you Act. 13. 40. 41. Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall 1 Cor. 10. 12. Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation Luke 22. 40. Let us fear therefore lest a promise being made or left us of entring into his rest any of you should seem to come short of it Heb. 4. 1. I will therefore put you in remembrance though you once knew this how that the Lord having saved the people out of Aegypt afterward destroyed them that believed not Jude 5. Hold fast that thou hast let no man take thy Crown Rev. 3. 11. 4. Comfort What comfort is here He that cometh unto me I will in no wise east out Joh. 6. Vers. 37. Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Mat. 11. 28. Be of good chear thy sins are forgiven thee I will never leave thee nor forsake thee for I have loved thee with an everlasting love Jer. 31. 3. I lay down my life for my sheep I lay down my life that they might have life I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly I have heard thee in a time accepted and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee 2 Cor. 6. 2. Though their sins be as Scarlet they shall be as white as Snow though they be as Crimson they shall be as Wooll For I have blotted out as a thick Cloud thy transgressions and as a Cloud thy sins return unto me for I have redeemed thee Isa. 44. 22. 5. Grief to those that fall short O sad grief How have I hated instruction and mine heart despised reproof and have not obeyed the voice of my teachers nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me Prov. 7. 11 12 13. They shall curse their King and their God and look upwards And they shall look to the Earth and behold trouble and darkness and dimness of anguish and they shall be driven into darkness Isa. 8. vers 21 22. He hath dispersed abroad he hath given to the poor his Righteousness endureth for ever The wicked shall see it and be grieved he shall gnash with his teeth and mâ—â—t away the desire of the wicked shall perish Psal. 112. 9 10. There shall be weeping when ye shall see Abraham Isaac and Jacob and all the Prophets in the Kingdom of Heaven and your selves thrust out Luke 13. 26 27 28. all which things are slighted by the world Thus much in short touching this that ungodly men undervalue the Scriptures and give no credit to them when the truth that is contained in them is held forth in simplicity unto them but rather cry out nay but if one should rise from the dead then they think something might be done when alas though signs and wonders were wrought by the hands of those that preach the Gospel these poor creatures would never the sooner convert though they suppose they should as is evident by the carriages of their fore-runners who albeit the Lord Jesus Christ himself did confirm his Doctrine by miracles as opening blind eyes casting out of Devils and raising the dead they were so far from receiving either him or his Doctrine that they put him to death for his pains though he had done so many Miracles among them yet they believed not in him John 12. 37. But to pass this I shall lay down some of the grounds of their rejecting and undervalâ—ing the Scriptures and so pass on 1. Because they do not believe that they are the Word of God but rather suppose them to be the inventions of men written by some Politicians on purpose to make poor ignorant people to submit to some Religion and Government Though they do not say this yet their practices testifie the same as he that when he hears the words of the curse yet blesseth himself in his heart and saith he shall have peace though God saith he shall have none Deut. 29. 18 19 20. And this must needs be for did but men believe this that it is the Word of God then they must believe that he that spake it is true therefore shall every word and tittle be fulfilled And if they come once to this unless they be stark mad they will have a care how they do throw themselves under the lash of eternal vengeance For the Reason why the Thessalonians