doest believe the Scriptures thou seest that they are the truth as really as if God should speak to thee from heaven through the clouds and therefore never flatter thy self foolishly thinking that if it were so and so then thou couldest believe I tell thee saith Christ If they believe not Moses and the Prophets neither will they believe though one should rise from the dead But 5. Doest thou believe the Scripture to be the word of God Then through faith in Christ thou endeavourest to have thy life squareed according to the Scriptures both in word and practice Nay this I say thou mayest have though thou do not believe them all My meaning is that if thou believe none but the ten Commandments thy life may be according to them a legal holy life and if thou do believe the Gospel too then thy life will be the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ that is either thou wilt live in the blessed and holy enjoyment of what is testified in the Scripture concerning the glorious things of the Lord Jesus Christ or else thou wilt be exceedingly panting after them For the Scriptures carry such a blessed beauty in them to that soul that hath faith in the things contained in them that they do take the heart and captivate the soul of him that believeth them into the love and liking of them 6. He that believes the Scriptures to be the word of God if he do but suppose that any one place of the Scripture doth exclude him and shut him out of and from a share in the promises contained in them O it will trouble him grieve him perplex him yea he will not be satisfied until he be resolved and thâ— contrary sealed to his soul for he knowâ— that the Scriptures are the word oâ— God all truth and therefore he knowâ— that if any one sentence doth excludeâ— or bar out him for want of this or the other qualification he knows also that not the word alone shuts him out but he that speaks it even God himself and therefore he cannot will not dare not be contented untill he find his soul and Scripture together with the things contained therein to embrace each other and a sweet correspondency and agreement be between them For you must know that to him that believes the Scriptures aright the promises or threatnings are of more power to comfort or cast down then all the promises or threatnings of all the men in the world And this was the cause why the Martyrs of Jesus did so slight both the promises of their adversaries when they would have overcome them with profering the great things of this world unto them and also their threatnings when they told them they would rack them hang them burn them none of these things could prevail upon them or against them because they did most really believe the Scriptures the things contained in them as is cleerly found and to be seen in Heb. 11. and also in Mr. Fox his records of their brethren 7. He that believeth the Scriptures to be the word of God believeth that men must be borne again and have that faith which is of the operation of God or else they cannot be saved And he that believeth this believeth also that if he be not borne again and also be partakers of that faith which is of the operation of God according as he hath read and believed he must and shall be damned And he that believeth this aright will not be contented until according as it is written he do partake of and enjoy the new birth and until he do find through grace that faith that is wrought by the operation of God in his soul For this is the cause why men do satisfie themselves with so slender a conceited hope that their state is good when it is nothing so namely because they do not credit the Scripture for did they they would look into their own hearts and examine seriously whether that faith that hope that grace which they think they have be of that nature and wrought by that spirit and power that the Scripture speaketh of I speak this of an effectual believing without which all other is nothing unto salvation Now then because I would not be too tedious I shall at this time lay down no more discoveries of such an one as doth savingly believe the Scriptures and the things contained in them but shall speak a few words of examination containing the things already mentioned As 1. Thou sayest thou dost indeed and in truth effectually believe the Scriptures I ask therefore wast thou ever killed stark dead by the law of works contained in the Scriptures To be killed and to be struck dead you will say what is that Why to be killed by the law or letter is by the power thereof to be made to see thy sins against it and to be left in an helpless condition by that law for I say the proper work of the law is to slay the soul and to leave it dead in a helpless state For it doth neither give the soul any comfort it self when it comes nor doth it shew the soul where comfort is to be had and therefore it is called the ministration of condemnation as in 2 Cor. 3.9 Yea in plain termes the ministration of death 2 Cor. 3.7 For though men may have a notion of the blessed word of God as as the children had yet before they be converted it may truly be said of to them Ye erre not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God Mark 12.24 2. You say you do believe the Scriptures to be the word of God I say again examine wast thou ever quickened from a dead state by the power of the Spirit of Christ through the other part of the Scripture That is to say by the power of God in his Sonne Jesus Christ through the covenant of promise I tell thee from the Lord if thou hast thou hast felt such a quickning power in the words of Christ Joh. 6. that thou hast been lifted out of that dead condition that thou before wast in and that when thou wast under the guilt of sin the curse of the law and the power of the devil and the justice of the great God that thou hast been inabled by the power of God in Christ revealed to thee by the Spirit through and by the Scripture to look sin death hell the devil and the law and all things that are at enmity with thee for thy sins with boldness and comfort in the face through the blood death righteousness resurrection and intercession of Christ made mention of in the Scriptures And thirdly on this account O how excellent are the Scriptures to thy soul O how much virtue dost thou see in such a promise in such an invitation O sayest thou there are some promises in the book of God that I have had nourishment from and through Christ in them O they are so large they say Christ will in no
might make his barns bigger but in the midst of his business in the world he lost his soul before he was aware supposing that death had been many years off But God said unto him Thou fool thou troublest thy self aboâ—t things of this life thou puttest off the thoughts of departing this world when this night thy soul shall be taken from thee Or this night they that is the devil will fetch away thy soul from thee And here it comes to pass mens not being exercised with the thoughts of departing this life that they are so unexpected to themselves and their neighbours taken away from the pleasures and profits yea all the enjoyments they busie themselves withall while they live in this world And hence it is again that you have some in your towns and cities that are so suddenly taken away some from haunting the Ale-house others from haunting the Whore-houses others from playing and gaming others from the cares and covetous desires after this world unlooked for as by themselves or their companions Hence it is also that men do so wonder at such tidings as this there is such an one dead such an one is departed it is because they do so little consider both the transitoriness of themselves and their neighbours for had they but their thoughts well exercised about the shortness of this life and the danger that will befall such as do miss of the Lord Jesus Christ it would make them more wary and sober and spend more time in the service of God and be more delighted and diligent in enquiring after the Lord Jesus who is the deliverer from wrath to come For as I said before it is evident that they who live after the flesh in the lusts thereof do not really and seriously think on death and the judgement that doth follow after neither do they indeed endeavour so to do for did they it would make them say with holy Job Job 14.14 All the dayes of my appointed time will I wait till my change come And as I said before that not onely the wicked but also the godly have their time to depart this life And the beggar died The Saints of the Lord they must be deprived of this life also they must yield up the Ghost into the hands of the Lord their God they must also be separated from their wives children husbands friends goods and all that they have in the world For God hath decreed it It is appointed namely by the Lord for men once to die and we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ As it is 2 Corinth 5.10 11. But it may be objected if the godly do die as well as the wicked and if the saints must appear before the judgement seat as well as the sinners then what advantage have the godly more then the ungodly and how can the Saints be in a better condition then the wicked Answ Read the 22 th verse over again and you shall finde a marvellous difference between them as much as is between heaven and hell everlasting joy and everlasting torment for you finde that when the beggar died which represents the godly He was carried by the Angels into Abrahams bosome or into everlasting joy * Psal 1. but the ungodly are not so but are hurried by the devils into the bottomless pit for he saith And in hell he lift up his eyes When the ungodly do die their misery beginneth for then appear the devils like so many lions waiting every moment till the soul depart from the body Sometimes they are very visible to the dying party but sometimes more invisible but alwayes this is certain they never miss of the soul if it do die out of the Lord Jesus Christ but do hale it away to the prison as I said before there to be tormented and reserved until that great and general day of judgement at which day they must body and soul receive a final sentence from the righteous Judge and from that time be shut out from the presence of God into everlasting woe and distress But the godly when the time of their departure is at hand then also are the Angels of the Lord at hand yea they are ready waiting upon the soul to conduct it safely into Abrahams bosom I do not say but the devils are oft times very busie doubtless and attending the Saints in their sicknesse I and no question but they would willingly deprive the soul of glory But here is the comfort as the devils come from hell to devour the soul if it be possible at its departure so the Angels of the Lord come from heaven to watch over and conduct the soul in spite of the devil safe into Abrahams bosome David had the comfort of this and speaks it forth for the comfort of his Brethren Psalm 34.7 saying The Angels of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him and delivereth them Mark the Angels of the Lord encampeth round about his children to deliver them From what From their enemies of which the devil is not the least This is an excellent comfort at any time to have the holy Angels of God to attend a poor man or woman but especially it is comfortable in the time of distress at the time of death when the devils beset the soul with all the power that hell can afford them But now it may be that the glorious Angels of God do not appear at the first to the view of the soul nay rather it may be hell stands before it and the devils ready as if they would carry it thither But this is the comfort the Angels do alwayes appear at the last and will not fail the soul but will carry it safe into Abrahams bosome Ah Friends consider here is an ungodly man upon his death bed and he hath none to speak for him none to speak comfort unto him but it is not so with the children of God for they have the Spirit to comfort them Here is the ungodly and they have no Christ to pray for their safe conduct to glory but the Saints have an Intercessour John 17. Here is the world when they die they have none of the Angels of God to attend upon them but the Saints have their company In a word the unconverted person when he dieth he sinks into the bottomless pit But the Saints when they die do ascend with and by the Angels into Abrahams bosom or into unto unspeakable glory Again it is said that the rich man when he died was buried or put into the earth but when the beggar died he was carried by the Angels into Abrahams bosom The one is a very excellent stile where he saith he was carried by the Angels into Abrahams bosome it denotes the excellent condition of the Saints of God as I said before and not onely so but also the preciousness of the death of the Saints in the eyes of the Lord that after generations may see how precious in the
sight of the Lord the death of his Saints is when he saith they are carried by the Angels into Abrahams bosome 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 â— 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 So that though the wicked have their names written in the earth and they do perish and rot yet 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 bosome 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 â—â—es being in torment and seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosome THe former verse speaks onely of the departure of the ungodly out of this life together with the glorious conduct that the godly have into the kingdome of their Father Now our Lord doth shew in this verse 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 c. 2. 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 set the glorious condition of the children of God as the souls of the damned do In hell he lift up his eyes 3. 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 finde 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 doest make but a mock at the servants of the Lord when they tell thee of the torments of hell thou wilt finde 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 where it is said Hell from beneath it moved for thee to meet thee at thy comming 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 then 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 whether it be to heaven or hell 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 To morrow 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 of your souls if you did but regard you would see how mad they are that slight the salvation of their souls O what will it profit thy soul to have pleasure in this life and torments in hell thou hadst better part with all thy sins and pleasures and companions or whatsoever thou delightest in then to have soul and body to be cast into hell O then do not now neglect our Lord Jesus Christ lest thou drop down to hell Consider would it not wound thee to thine heart to come upon thy death-bed and instead of having the comfort of a well-spent life and the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ together with the comforts of his glorious Spirit to have first the sight of an ill-spent life thy sins flying in thy face thy conscience uttering it self with thunder-claps against thee the thoughts of God terrifying of thee death with his merciless paw seizing upon thee the devils standing ready to scramble for thy soul and hell enlarging her self and ready to swallow thee up and eternity of misery and torment attending upon thee from which there will be no release For mark death doth not come alone to an unconverted soul but with such company as wert thou but sensible of it would make thee tremble I pray consider that Scripture Rev. 6.8 And I looked and beheld a pale hoâ—se and his name that saâ— on him was Death and hell followed with him Mark death doth not come alone to the ungodly no but hell goeth with â—im O miserable comforters O miserable society here comes death and hell unto thee Death goeth into thy body and separates body and soul asunder hell stands without as I may say to embrace or rather to crush thy soul between its everlasting grinders Then thy mirth thy joy thy sinful delights will be ceased when this comes to pass lo it will come Blessed are all those that through Christ Jesus his merits by faith do escape these soul-murthering companions And in hell he lift up his eyes The third thing you know that we did observe from these words was this That some are so fast asleep and secure in their sins that they scarce know where they are untill they come into hell And that you know I told you I gather by these words In hell he lift up his eyes Mark it was in hell that he lift up his eyes Now some do understand by these words that he came to himself or began to consider with himself or to think with himself in what an estate he was and what he was deprived of which is still a confirmation of the thing laid down by me There it is that they come to themselves that is there they are sensible where they are indeed thus it fares with some men that they scarce know where they are till they lift up their eyes in hell It is with these people as with those that fall down in a swoun you know if a man do fall down in a swoun in one room though you take him up and carry him into another yet he is not sensible where he is till he cometh unto himself and lifteth up his eyes Truly thus it is to be feared it is with many poor souls they are so senseless so hard so seared in their conscience that they are very ignorant of their state and when death comes it strikes them as it were into a swoun especially if they die suddenly and so they are hurried away and scarce know where they are till in hell they lift up their eyes Of this sort are they spoken of in Psalm 73. where he saith There are no bonds in their death but their strength is firm They are not troubled as other folk neither are they plagued like other men And again they spend their dayes in wealth and in a moment mark in a moment before they are aware they go down to the grave Job 21.17 Indeed this is too much known by woful and daily experience sometimes when we go to visit them that are sick in the towns and places where we live Oh how senceless how seared in their consciences are they they are neither sensible of heaven nor of hell of sin nor a Saviour speak to them of their condition and the state of their souls and you shall finde them as ignorant as if they had no souls to regard Others though they lie ready to die yet they are busying themselves about their outward affairs as though they should certainly live here even to live and enjoy the same for ever Again come to others speak to them about the state of their souls though they have no more experience of the new birth then a beast yet will they speak as confidently of their eternal state and the welfare of their souls as if they had the most excellent experience of any man or woman in the world When as I said even now the Lord knows they are as ignorant of the new birth of the nature and operation of faith of the witness of the Spirit as if there were no new birth no faith no witness of the Spirit of Christ in any of the Saints in the world Nay thus many of them are even an hour or less before their departure Ah poor souls though they may go away here like a lamb as the world sayes yet if you could but follow them a little to stand and listen soon after their departure It is to be feared you should hear them roar like a lion at their first entrance into hell Now by this one thing doth the devil take great advantage on the hearts of the ignorant suggesting unto them that because the party deceased departed so quietly without all doubt they are gone to rest and joy when alas it is to be feared the reason why they went away so quietly was rather because they were senseless and hardened in their consciences yea dead before in sins and trespasses For had they had but some awakenings on their death beds as some have had they would have made all the town to ring of their doleful condition But because they are seared and ignorant and so depart quietly therefore the world takes heart at grass as we use to say and make no great matter of living and dying they cannot well tell how But let them look to themselves for if they have not an interest in the Lord Jesus now while they live in the world they will whether they die raging or still go unto the same place and lift up their eyes in hell O my friends did you but know what a miserable condition they are in that go out of 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 Men and brethren what shall we do to be saved And not onely so but thou wouldest not be comforted until thou didst finde 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 possibly 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 signifie 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 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 For while men live in this world and are in a naturall state they will have a good conceit of themselves and of their condition they will conclude that they are Christians 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 onely 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 flee from these intolerable torments into which the damned do go I shall shew you darkly and briefly what are the torments of hell First by the means of it Secondly by the sad state thou wilt be in if thou comest there First the names It is called a never dying worm Mark 9. It is called an oven fire hot Malachi 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 sight 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 Psalm 50. and in such a place for such a thing and with such an one which will be an hell unto thee 2. Thou shalt have the guilt of them all lie heavy on thy soul not onely the guilt of one or two but the guilt of them all together and there they shall lie in thy soul as if thy belly were full of pitch and set on a light fire Now 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 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 But now when thou comest into hell and hast not onely 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 all together 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 now 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 Now these are the words I aim at where he saith And it shall be a vexation onely to hear the report A vexation that is a torment or a great part of hell onely to understand the report that is to understand the good tidings that came into the world by Christs death for poor sinners and you will finde this to be verily the minde 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 die 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 eternall 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 kingdom of heaven and thy self thrust out And this is
that that Christ told the Jews would befall them in 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 kingdom of heaven and your selves thrust out Nay saith he There shall come from the East and from the West that is those 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 kingdom of heaven and thou for thy sins and disobediencc shalt be shut nay thrust out O wonderfull torment 5. Again thou shalt have none but a company of damned souls with an innumerable company of huge 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 onely the supposition of the devils appearing but the reall society of all the devils in hell to be with thee howling and roaring screeching and yelling in such a hideous manner that thou wilt be even at thy wits end and be ready to run stark madde again for anguish and torment 6. Again that thou mightest be tormenteâ— 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 no 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 gooodness 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 worm never dies 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 if then it might have an 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 hast 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 lie there for ever O this one word ever how will it torment thy soul O friends I have onely given a very short touch of the torments of hell O! I am set I am set and am not able to utter what my minde 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 expresse 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 terrors 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 bosome 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 afar off and Lazarus in his bosome 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 flighted so disregaded 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 the die 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 brag 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 bosome is this They that are the persecutours 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 bosome in everlasting glory though they the enemies to the children of God and the practice of the Saints did so lightly esteem them that they scorn to let
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 then to live a little while in this world in pleasures and feeding thy lusts 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 betimes and put not off the 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 cried and said Father Abraham have mercy upon me and send Lazarus c. These words do not onely hold forth the lamentable condition of the damned and their lamentable howling and crying out 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 misery 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 tormented 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 crieth 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 finde the same cry to him as it were uttered by the ungodly in other places of the Scripture as in Luke 13. verse 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 wonderfull works This was just at their rejection And again in Mat. 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 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 comming 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 nor what they request yet God is satisfied yea very well satisfied with their doings when alas there is nothing lesse O friends I beseech you to look about you and seek in good earnest for the Spirit of Christ so to help you now to strive and pray and to enable you to lay hold of Christ that your souls may be saved lest the time come that though you cry and pray and wish also that you had laid hold on the Lord Jesus yet you must and shall be damned Then again you may see that though God be willing to save sinners at some time yet this time doth not alwayes last No he that can finde in his heart to turn his back upon Jesus Christ now shall have the back turned 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 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 Again this should admonish us to take time while it is profered lest 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 profer 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 dayes 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 judgement 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 devills and damned spirits now he feels the vengeance of God now Oh now have mercy on me Here you may see again 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 thâ— 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 he that was hated of him Therefore 2. Observe that those Saints that the world in their life-time could not indure now they are departed they would be glad to have society with them O now send Lazarus though the time was when I cared not for
did neglect the precious mercy and goodness of God you did turn your back on the Son of God that came into the world to save sinners you made a mock of preaching the Gospel you was admonished over and over to close in with the loving kindness of the Lord in his Son Jesus Christ The Lord let you live 20. 30. 40. 50. 60. years all which time you instead of spending it to make your calling and election sure did spend it in making of eternal damnation sure to thy soul And also Lazarus he in his life time did make it his business to accept of my grace and salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ When thou wast in the Alehouse he frequented the word preached when thou wert jearing at goodness he was sighing for the sins of the times while thou wert swearing he was praying in a word while thou wert making sure of eternal ruine he by faith in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ was making sure of eternal salvation Therefore Now he is comforted and thou art tormented Here then yoâ—â—ay see that as the righteous shall 〈◊〉 be alwaies void of comfort and blessedness so neither shall the ungodly go alwayes without their punishment No as sure as God is in heaven it will be thus they must have their several portions And therefore you that are the Saints of the Lord follow on be not dismayed forasmuch as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord 1 Cor. 15. last ver your portion is eternal glory And you that are so loath now to close in with Jesus Christ Verse 26. and to leave your sins to follow him your day is coming in which you shall know that your sweet morsells of sin that you do so easily take down now and it scarce troubles you will have a time so to work within you to your eternal ruine that you will be in a worse condition than if you had ten thousand devils tormenting of you nay you had better have been plucked limb from limb a thousand times if it could be than to be partakers of this torment that will assuredly without mercy lie upon you if you lose the mercy of God in Jesus Christ in this your life time Ver. 26. And beâ—â—â—es all this between us and you there is a great gulf fixed so that they which would go from hence to you cannot neither can they come to us that would come from thence THese words are still part of that answer that the souls in hell shall have for all their sobbings sighings grievous cries tears and desires that they have be released out of those intollerable pains they fell and are perplexed with And O methinks the words at the first view if rightly considered are enough to make any heard-hearted sinner in the world to fall down dead The verse I last spake to was and is a very terrible one and aggravates the torments of poor sinners wonderfully Where he saith Remember that thou in thy ife time hadst thy good things and Lazarus his evil things but now he is comforted and thou art tormented I say these words are very terrible to those poor souls that die out of Christ But these latter words do much more hold out their sorrow They were spoken as to the present condition then upon the sinner these do not onely back the former but do yet further aggravate their misery holding forth that which will be more intollerable the former verse is enough to smite any sinner into a swound but this to make him fall down dead Where he saith And besides all this there is still something to aggravate thy misery yet far more abundantly I shall briefly speak to the words as they have relation to the terrour spoken of in the verses before As if he had said Thou thinkest thy present state unsupportable it makes thee sob and sigh it makes thee to rue the time that ever thou wert borne Now thou findest the want of mercy now thou wouldst leap at the least dram of it now thou feelest what it is to slight the tenders of the grace of God now it makes the to sobbe sigh and roar exceedingly for the anguish that thou art in But besides all this I have other things to tell thee of that will break thine heart indeed As if he should say O t is true thou art now deprived of a being in the world thou art deprived of hearing the Gospel the devil hath been too hard for thee and hath made thee miss of heaven thou art now in hell among an innumerable company of devils and all thy sins beset thee round thou art all over wrapped in flames and canst not have one drop of water to give theâ— any ease thou cryest in vain for nothing will be granted thou seest the Saints in heaven which is no small trouble to thy damned soul thou seest that neither God nor Christ takes any care to ease thee or to speak any comfort unto thee But besides all this there thou art and there thou art like to lie never think of any ease never look for any comfort repentance now will do thee no good the time is past and can never be called again look what thou hast now thou must have for ever 'T is true I speak enough before to break thine heart asu der But besides all this there lie and swim in flame for ever these words Besides all this are terrible words indeed I will give you the scope of them in a similitude Set case you should take a man and tie him to a stake and with red hot Pincers pinch off his flesh by little pieces for two or three years together and at last when the poor man cryes out for ease and help the tormentors answer Nay but besides all this you must be handled worse We will serve you thus these 20. years together and after that we will fill your mangled body full of scalding lead and run you through with a red hot spit would not this be lamentable yet this is but a flea-biting to the sorrows of these that go to hell for if a man were served so there would ere it were long be an end of him But he that goes to hell shall suffer ten thousand times worse torments then these and yet shall never be quite dead under them There they shall be ever whining pining weeping mourning ever tormented without ease and yet never dissolved into nothing if the biggest devil in hell might pull thee all to pieces and rend thee small as dust and dissolve thee into nothing thou wouldst count this a mercy But here thou mayest lie and fry scorch and broil and burn for ever For ever that is a long while yet it must be so long Depart from me saith Christ into everlasting fire or into the fire that burns for ever prepared for the devil and his Angels Mat. 25.41 Oh thou that wert loath to foul thy foot if it were but durty
the law really they do not also believe really and effectually the law that doth condemn them For as men have but a notion of the one that is their condemnation because of sins against the law Verse 3 so they have but a notion of the condemning killing and destroying power of the law for as the one is so in these things alwayes is the other there is no man that doth really believe the law or Gospel further then they do feel the power and authority of them in their hearts Ye erre not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God Now this letter or law is not to be taken in the largest sense but is strictly to be tyed to the ten Commandments whose proper work is onely by shewing the soul its sins against this law to kill and there leaves him stark dead not giving him the least life or support or comfort but leaves the soul in an helpless and hopeless condition as from it self or any other meer creature 'T is true the law hath laid all men for dead as they come into the world but all men do not see themselves dead untill they see that law that struck them dead sticking in their souls and having struck them that fatall blow As a man that is fast asleep in an house and that on fire about his ears and he not knowing of it because he is asleep even so because poor souls are asleep in sin though the wrath of God Verse 31. the curse of his law and the flames of hell have beset them round about yet they do not believe it because they are asleep in sin Now he that is awakened and sees this sees that through this he is a dead man Even so they that do see their state by nature being such a sad condition do also see themselves by that law to be dead men naturally But now when didst thou feel the power of this first part of the Scripture the law so mighty as to strike thee dead if not thou dost not so much as verily believe that part of Scripture that doth contain the law in it to be the truth of God Yet if thou shouldest have felt something I say something of the killing power of the law of God in thine heart this is not an argument to prove that thou believest all the things contained in Scripture for there is Gospel as well as Law and therefore I shall speak to that also That is whether thou hast felt the power of the Gospel as well as something of the power of the Law 2. Then if thou hast found the power of the Gospel and so believed it thou hast found it thus with thy soul 1. Thou hast been shewed by the word or truth of the Gospel in the light of the Spirit of Christ that by nature thou wert without the true faith of the Son of God in thy soul For when He the Spirit is come he shall shew men that they believe not in me saith Christ Joh. 16.9 For mark though thou hast as I said before felt somewhat of the power of the Law Letter or ten Commandments yet if thou hast not been brought to this to see by the spirit in the Gospel that thou art without faith by nature thou hast not yet tasted much less believed any part of the Gospel For the Gospel and the Law are two distinct covenants as I have before shewed And they that are under the law maybe convinced by it and so believe the law or first covenant and yet in the mean time to be a stranger to the covenant of promise that is the Gospel so have no hope in them Eph. 2.12 There is not any promise that can be savingly believed untill the soul be by the Gospel converted to Jesus Christ For though men do think never so much that they believe the things of the Gospel or the word of the Gospel of our salvation yet unless they have the work of grace in their souls they do not cannot rightly believe the things contained in the Scriptures Again as the law killeth those that believe it even so the promises contained in the Gospel do through faith administer comfort to those that believe it aright My words saith Christ my words they are spirit and they Mark and they are life Joh. 6.63 As if he had said The words contained in in the law as a covenant of works they wound they kill they strike dead those that are under them But as for me the words that I speake unto you they are spirit and they are life That is whosoever doth receive them believingly shall find them full of operation to comfort quicken and revive their soul For as I did not come into the world to destroy mens lives so the words that I speak as I am sent to preach the Gospel they have no such tendency unto those that believe them The promises that are in the Gospel Oh how do they comfort them such a promise and such a promise O how sweet is it O how comfortable to those that believe them Alas there are many poor souls that think they believe the Scriptures that they believe the word of God and yet poor souls that they are they never enjoyed any thing of the life and power of the promises to comfort them after they were killed by the law For mark If thy comfort be indeed by the promises they come in upon thy heart to quicken to revive thee to raise thee from the sentence of death that is passed on thee by the law And through the faith that is wrought in thy soul by the operation of Gods holy Spirit though once killed by the Law or Letter thou art made alive in the Lord Jesus Christ presented to thy soul in the promises 3. Dost thou indeed and in truth believe the Scriptures to be the word of God then the things contained in them especially the things of the Gospel are very excellent to thy soul as the birth of Christ the death resurrection intercession and second coming of Christ O how precious and excellent are they to thy soul insomuch that thou regardest nothing in comparison of them O! it is Christs birth death blood resurrection c. according to the Scriptures that thou doest rejoyce in exceedingly and abundantly desire after 1 Cor. 15.1 2 3 4 5 6. compare with Phil. 3.6 7 8. 4. Doest thou believe the Scriptures to be the word of God Then thou standest in aw of and dost much reverence them Why they are the word of God the true sayings of God they are the counsel of God they are his promises and his threatnings 'T is like poor souls are apt to think If I could hear God speak to me from heaven with an audible voice then sure say they I should be serious and sure I should believe it But truly if God should speak to thee from heaven except thou wert converted thou wouldest not regard nor really believe him But if thou
that they might by comming to him be saved Did we not tell thee of these things Did we not run ride labour and strive abundantly if it might have been for the good of thy soul though now a damned soul Did we not venture our goods our names our lives Yea did we not even kill our selves with our earnest intreatings of thee to consider of thine estate and by Christ to escape this dreadful day O sad doom when thou shalt be forced full sore against thy will to fall under the truth of this judgement saying O how have I hated instruction aâ—d how hath my heart despised reproof for indeed I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me Proverbs 5.11 12 13. Thirdly may not thy Father thy Mother thy Brother thy Sister thy Friend c. appear with gladness against thâ—e at the terrible day Saying O thou silly son or daughter brother or sister or friend Oh â—ow rightly hath God met with thee O how righteously doth his sentence pass upon thee Remember thou wouldst not be ruled nor perswaded in thy life time as thou didst not care for us and our admonitions then so neither do we care for thy ruine terrour and damnation now No but we will stand on Gods side in sentencing of thee to that portion which the devils must be partakers of O sad it is enough to make mountains tremble and the rocks to rend in pieces to hear this doleful sound Consider these things and if thou wouldest be loth to be in this condition then have a care of living in sin now O consider how loth thou wilt be to be thrust away from the gates of heaven and how loâ—â— thou wilt be to be deprived of the â—â—rcy of God 2. How unwillingly will thou set foot forward towards the lake of fire Never did Malefactour so unwillingly turn off the ladder when the halter was about his neck as thou wilt turn from God to the devil from heaven to hell when the sentence is passed upon thy soul Oh how wilt thou sigh and groan Oh how willingly wouldest thou hide thy self and run away from Justice but alas as it is with them that are on the ladder ready to be executed so it will be with thee Alas they would fain run away but there are many Halberd-men to stay them And so the powers of God will beset thee round I say round on every side so that thou mayest indeed look but run thou canst not thou mayest wish thy self under some great rock or mountain but how to get under thou knowest not 3 Oh how unwilling wilt thou be to let thy father go to heaven without thee thy mother or friends c. go to heaven without thee O how willingly wouldest thou hang on them and not let them go O Father cannot you help me O Mother cannot you do me some good O how loath am I to burn and fry in hell while you are singing in Heaven But alas the father mother brother sister son daughter or friend rejects them slights them and turn their backs upon them saying You would have none of heaven in your life time therefore you shall have none of it now you slighted our counsels then and we slight your tears cries and condition now What sayest thou sinner will not this perswade thine heart nor make thee bethink thy self This is now before thou fall into that dreadful place that fiery furnace But O consider how dreadful the place it self the devils themselves the fire it self will be And this at the end of all here thou must lie for ever here thou must fry for ever and for ever This will be more to thee then any man with tongue can express or with pen can write there is none that can I say by the ten thousand part discover the state and condition of such a soul O sad And now I shall give thee a few considerations more and they shall be thus and so conclude 1. Consider for I would fain have thee come in sinner that there is way made by Jesus Christ for them that are under the law of works to come to this comfortable and blessed state that I was speaking of See Ephesians 2. 2. Consider if thou never come thy blood will be charged on thy own head and so much the more because thou hast been told of thy misery and sin and also of the safety thou shalt be in if thou do indeed come into this Lord Jesus Ezek. 33.1 2 3 4 5. Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet and taketh not warning if the sword commeth and taketh away any person his blood shall be upon his own head He heard the sound of the trumpet that is the good news of the Gospel and taketh not warning that is did not fly to Jesus Christ for succour his blood shall be upon his own head 3. Consider what pains Christ Jesus took for the ransoming of thy soul from all the curses thunder-claps and tempests of the law from all the intollerable flames of hell from that soul sinking appearance of thy person on the left hand before the judgement-seat of Christ Jesus from everlasting fellowship with innumerable companies of yelling and soul-amazing devils I say consider what pains the Lord Jesus Christ took in bringing in redemption for sinners from these things 1. In that Though he were rich yet he became poor that thou through his poverty might be made rich 2 Cor. 8 9. He laid aside his glory John 17. and became a servant Phil. 2. He left the company of Angels and incountred with the devil Luke 4. Mat. 4. He left heavens ease for a time to lie upon hard mountains John 8. In a word he became poorer then they that go with flail and rake yea then the very birds or foxes and all to do thee good Besides consider a little of these unspeakable and intollerable slightings and rejections and the manifold abuses that came from man upon him How he was falsly accused being a sweet harmless and undefiled Lamb. How he was undervalued so that a Murtherer was counted less worthy of condemnation then he Besides how they mocked him spat on him beat him over the head with staves had the hair pluckt from his cheeks I gave my back to the smiters saith he and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair I hid not my face from shame and spitting His head crowned with thorns his hands pierced with nails and his side with a spear together with how they used him scourging him and so miserably misusing him that they had even spent him in a great measure before they did crucifie him Insomuch that there was another fain for to carry his Crosse Again not onely this but lay to heart a little what he received from God his dear Father though he were his dear and tender Son First in that he did reckon him the greatest sinner and rebell in the world
to dispute for the truth to preach the Gospel and labour to vindicate it in opposition to gain-sayers and yet be found at the left hand of Christ at the Judgement-day forasmuch as thou didst content thy self with a notion or a traditionall knowledge of them 2. Have a care that thou own the whole Scripture and not own one part and neglect another or slight it as thus To own the law and slight the Gospel or to think that thou must be saved by thy good doing and works for that is all one as if thou diddest thrust Christ away from thee or else so to own the Gospel as if by it thou wert exempted from all obedience to the ten Commandments and conformity to the Law in life and conversation For in so doing thou wilt for certain make sure of eternall vengeance Thirdly have a care that thou put not wrong names on the things contained in the Scriptures as to call the Law Christ and Christ the Law For some having done so in my knowledge have so darkened to themselves the glorious truths of the Gospel that in a very little time they have been resolved to thwart and oppose them and so have made room in their own souls for the Devil to inhabit and obtained a place in hell for their own souls to be tormented for ever and ever Against this danger therefore in reading and receiving the testimony of Scripture learn to distinguish between the Law and the Gospel and to keep them clear asunder as to the salvation of thy soul and that thou mayest so do In the first place beg of God that he would shew thee the nature of the Gospel And set it home effectually with life and power upon thy soul by Faith Which is this That God would shew thee that as thou being man hast sinned against God so Christ being God Man hath bought thee again and with his most precious blood set thee free from the bondage thou wast fallen into by thy sins and that not upon condition that thou wilt do thus and thus this and the other good work but rather that thou being first justified freely by meer grace through the blood of Jesus shouldest also receive thy strength from him who hath bought thee to walk before him in all well pleasing being inabled thereto by vertue of his Spirit which hath revealed to thy soul that thou art delivered already from wrath to come by the obedience not of thee but of another man viz. Jesus Christ Secondly Then if the law thou readest of tell thee in thy conscience thou must do this and the other good work of the Law if ever thou wilt be saved Then answer plainly that for thy part thou art resolved now not to work for life but to believe in the vertue of that blood shed upon the Crosse upon Mount Calvary for the remission of sins and yet because Christ hath justified thee freely by his Grace thou wilt serve him in Holinesse and Righteousnesse all the dayes of thy life yet not in a legall Spirit or in a covenant of Works but mine obedience say thou I will endeavour to have it free and chearful out of love to my Lord Jesus Thirdly Have a care thou receive not this doctrine in the notion onely lest thou bring a just damnation upon thy soul by professing thy self to be freed by Christs blood from the guilt of sin while thou remainest still a servant to the filth of sin For I must tell you that unlesse you have the true and saving work of the Faith and Grace of the Gospel in your hearts you will either go on in a legall Holiness according to the tenour of the Law or else through a notion of the Gospel the Devil bewitching and beguiling thy understanding will and affections thou wilt Ranter-like turn the Grace of God into wantonness and bring upon thy soul double if not treble damnation in that thou couldest not be contented to be damned for thy sins against the Law but also to make ruine sure to thy soul thou wouldest dishonour the Gospel and turn the Grace of God held forth and discovered to man by that into licentiousness But that thou mightest be sure to escape these dangerous rocks on the right hand and on the left see that thy faith be such as spoken of in Scripture and that thou be not satisfied without that which is a faith wrought by the mighty operation of God revealing Christ to and in thee as having wholly freed thee from thy sins by his most precious blood Which faith if thou attain unto will so work in thy heart that first thou wilt see the nature of the Law and also the nature of the Gospel and delighting in the glory of it and also thou wilt finde an ingaging of thy heart and soul to Jesus Christ even to the giving up of thy whole man unto him to be ruled and governed by him to his glory and thy comfort by the Faith of the same Lord Jesus The End Errata Courteous Reader before thou readest this Treatise thou art desired to correct these Faults with thy pen which hereaâ—ter followeth PAge 1. for Luke 19. read Luke 16 p. 6. l. 15. r. whence p 44. l 18. for means 1. names p. 54. l. 5. put out and the practice of the Saints p. 64. â— 15. after seek r. not p. 81. l 17. for them r. then l 26. for friends r. friend p. 92. l. 27. r. to be p. 104. l. 6. for sead r. send p. 120 l. 9. for converted r. contented p. 129 l. 12. for the r. their p. 144. l. 16. for 1 Tim. 1.9 r. 2 Tim. 1. 9. p. 145. l 27 for 1 Pet. 2.21 r. 1 Pet. 2.24 p. 166. l. 26. for contradiction r. traditional p. 171. l 23 r. of p. 194. l. 14. for intend r. indeed p. 196. l. 24. leave out that p. 229. l. 6. for powers r. angels Page 199. line 18. thou wilt finde these words as I said before which I desire thee to leave ouâ— The reason why I put th m in was because at the first I thought to put out wi h this a Discourse of the two Covenâ—â—â—s which since I thought to put fâ—r h in a Piece by â—t self and therefore should have put ouâ— these words Bunyan's Sighs from Hell
in the day time Psal 42.7 8. And after a little while being tossed too and fro in these boisterous waves they shall arrive at the heavenly haven this world being not their resting place but there remains one for them Heb. 4.9 Thirdly let the faith and hopes of a glorious deliverance get thy heart up above thy present sufferings that thou mayest glory in tribulation who hast ground of rejoycing in hope of the glory of God Rom. 5.2 3. For whatsoever thy present grievances are whether outward afflictions or inward temptations this may be thy consolation that a few dayes will rid thee of them when thou shalt sigh no more complain no more but these shall be turned into praises thou hast if I may so call it all thy hell here let thy life be expired and thy misery is ended thy happiness begins where wicked mens end and when thine is once begun it shall have no more end Reader I have an Advertisement to thee concerning the following Discourse and the Authour of it Thou hast in the Discourse many things of choice consideration presented to thee in much plainness evidence and authority the explications are full the applications are natural be not offended at his plain and down-right language it is for the discharge of the Authours conscience and thy profit besides the subject necessarily leads him to it It is a mercy to be dealt thorowly and plainly with in the matters of thy soul we have too many that sowe pillows under mens elbows and too few who dealing plainly divide to every man his portion Read it not to pick quarrels with it but to profit by it and let not prejudice either against the Authour or manner of delivery cause thee to stumble and fall at the truth prejudice will both blinde the eyes that it shall not see the truth and close it in with it and make them too quick sighted either to make faults where there is none or to greaten them where they are and so cause the Reader to turn the edge against the Authour or his Work that should be turned upon his own heart It is marvellous to see how the truth is quarrelled at that comes from one that would be easily received if it did drop from another and I doubt not if this Book had some other hand at it there is scarce any expression that may be now carpt at by some but would have been swallowed without straining We are now fallen into such an age the good Lord help us that truth upon its own account can challenge but little acceptance except the Authour be liked or his lines painted with his own wit But certainly truth is of so excellent a nature of such singular advantage and of so royal a descent that it deserves entertainment for it self and that not in our houses or heads onely but in our hearts too whatsoever the hand is that brings it or the form that it appears in men account gold worth receiving whatsoever the messenger is that brings it or the vessel that holds it If thou meetest Reader with any passage that seems doubtful unto thee let love that thinks no evil put the best construction upon it and do not hastily condemn what thou canst not presently yield to or if any expression thou meetest with may haply offend thee do not throw aside the whole and resolve to read of it no more for though some one may offend thee yet others I hope may affect thee or if there be that which some may call Tautology be not displeased at it for that word that may not fasten upon thy heart in one page may in another and although it may be grievous to thy eye if thou beest nice and curious yet bear with it if it may be profitable to thy soul Concerning the Authour whatsoever the censures and reports of many are I have this to say That I verily believe God hath counted him faithful and put him into the Ministery and though his outward condition and former employment was mâ—an and his hamane learning small yet is he one that hath acquaintance with God and taught by his Spirit and hath been used in his hand to do souls good for to my knowledge there are divers who have felt the power of the word delivered by him and I doubt not but that many more may if the Lord continue him in his work he is not like unto your drones that will suck the sweet but do no work For he hath laid forth himself to the utmost of his strength taking all advantages to make known to others what he himself hath received of God and I fear this is one reason why the Archers have shot so soarly at him for by his and others industry in their Masters work their slothfulness hath been reproved and the eyes of many have been opened to see a difference between those that are sent of God and those that run before they are sent And that he is none of those light fanatick spirits that our age abounds withal this following discourse together with his former that have been brought to publique view will testifie for among other things that may bear record to him herein you shall find him magnifying and exalting the holy Scriptures and largely shewing the worth excelleny and usefulness of them And surely if thou shalt notwithstanding this stumble at his meanness and want of humane learning thou wilt declare thine unacquaintance with Gods declared method who to perfect his own praise and to still the enemy and avenger Makes choice of Babes and Suâ—klings and in their mouthes ordaineth strength Psal 8.2 Though men that have a great designe do and must make use of those that in reason are most likely to effect it yet must the Lord do so too then instruâ—ents not himself would carry away the praise but that no flesh should glory in his presence he hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wife and base things of the world and things that are despised hath God chosen 1 Cor. 1.27 28 29. Cast thine eye back to the beginning of the Gospel dispensation which surely if at any time should have come forth in the wisdom and glory of the world and thou shalt see what method the Lord did take at the first to exalt his Son Jesus he goes not amongst the Jewish Rabbi's nor to the schools of learning to fetch out his Gospel Preachers but to the trades and those most contemptible too yet let not any from hence conceive that I undervalue the gifts and graces of such who have been or now are endued with them nor yet speak against Learnnig being kept in its place but my meaning is that those that are learned should not despise those that are not or those that are not should not despise those that are who are faithful in the Lords work and therefore being about to leave thee I shall leave with thee two Scriptures to be considered of The one
it setteth on fire the whole frame of nature and is set on fire of hell The tongue how much mischief will it stir up in a very little time How many blows and wounds doth it cause How many times doth it as James saith curse man How oft is the tongue made the conveyer of that hellish poyson that is in the heart both to the dishonour of God the hurt of its neighbours and the utter ruine of its own soul And do you think that the Lord will sit still as I may say and let thy tongue run as it lists Verse 25. and yet never bring you to an account for the same No stay the Lord will not alwayes keep silence Psal 50.21 but will reprove thee and set thy sinnes in order before thine eyes O sinner Yea and thy tongue together with the rest of thy members shall be tormented for sinning And I say I am very confident that though this be made light of now yet the time is coming when many poor souls will rue the day that ever they did speak with a tongue will one say that I should so disregard my tongue O that I when I said so and so had before bitten off my tongue that I had been born without a tongue my tongue my tongue a little water to cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame even that flame that my tongue together with the rest of my members by sinning have brought me to Poor souls now will let their tongues say any thing for a little profit for two pence or three-pence gain But O what a grief will this be at that day when they together with their tongue must smart for that which they by their tongues have done while they were in this world Then you that love your souls look to your tongues lest you bind your selves down so fast to hell with the sins of your tongues that you will never be able to get loose again to all eternity Jam. 1.26 For by thy words thou shalt be condemned if thou have not a care of thy tongue Verse 25. But Abraham said Son remember that thou in thy life time hadst thy good things and likewise Lazarus evill things now he is comforted and thou art tormented THese words are a discovery of the answer to the request of the damned such as did or shall depart this life unconverted The verse before as I told you is a discovery of the desires they have after they depart this world Here is the answer Son Remember c. The answer signifies thus much that in stead of having any relief or ease they are hereby the more tormented and that by fresh recollections or by bringing afresh their former ill spent life while in the world into their remembrance Son Remember thou hadst good things in thy life time as much as if he had said Verse 24. thou art now sensible what it is to lose thy soul thou art now sensible what it is to put off repentance thou art now sensible that thou hast befooled thy self in that thou didst spend that time in seeking after outward momentary earthly things which thou shouldest have spent in seeking to make Jesus Christ sure to thy soul and now through thy anguish of spirit in the pains of hell thou wouldest enjoy that which in former time thou didst make light of but alas thou art here beguiled and altogether disappointed thy crying will now avail thee nothing at all This is not the acceptable time 2 Cor. 6.2 This is not a time to answer the desires of damned reprobates If thou hadst cryed out in good earnest while grace was offered much might have been but then thou wert careless and didst turne the forbearance and goodness of God into wantonness wert thou not told that these who would not hear the Lord when he did call should not be heard if they turned away from him when they did call Prov. 1.24 to 28. But contrariwise he would laugh at their calamity and mock when their fear did come Now therefore instead of expecting the least drop of mercy and favour call into thy mind how thou didst spend those dayes which God did permit thee to live I say remember that in thy life time thou didst behave thy self rebelliously against the Lord in that thou wert careless of his word and ordinances yea and of the welfare of thine own soul also therefore now I say in stead of expecting or hoping for any relief thou must be forced to call to remembrance thy filthy wayes and feed upon them to thine everlasting astonishment and consusion From these words therefore which say Remember that thou in thy life time hadst thy good things There are these things to be taken notice of 1. They that by putting off repentance and living in their sins lose their souls shall instead of having the least measure of comfort when they come into hell have their ill spent life alwaies very fresh in their remembrance While they live here they can sin and forget it but when they depart they shall have their ill spent life before them they shall have a remembrance or their memory notably enlighrened and a clearer Verse 25. and a continual fight of all their wicked practices that they wrought and did while they were in the world Son remember saith he then you will be made to remember 1. How you were born in sin and brought up in the same 2. How thou hadst many a time the Gospel preached to thee for taking away of the same by him whom the Gospel doth hold forth 3. That out of love to thy sins and lusts thou didst turne thy back on the tenders of the same Gospel of good tidings and peace 4. Then thou shalt see clearly that the reason why thou didst lose thy soul was because thou didst not close in with free grace and the tenders of a loving and free-hearted Jesus Christ 5. Thou shalt remember how near thou wast to turning at such and such a time onely thou wast willing to give way to thy lusts when they wrought to drunkards when they called to pleasures when they proffered themselves to the cares and incumbrances of the world which like so many thornes did choak that or those convictions that were set on thy heart 6. How willing thou wast to satisfie thy self with an hypocrites hope and with a notion of the things of God without the real power and life of the same 7. Thou shalt remember how thou when thou wert admonished to turn didst put off turning and repenting till another time 8. How thou didst dissemble at such a time lie at such a time cheat thy neighbour at such a time mock flout scoff taunt hate persecute the people of God at such a time in such a place among such company 9. Thou shalt remember that while others were met together in the fear of the Lord to seek him thou wast met with a company of vain companions to
such a voice as this is Son remember that in thy life time thou hadst thy good things thy comforts thy joyes thy ease thy peace and all the heaven thou art like to have thou hadst all thy good things in thy life time O poor heaven O short pleasures what a pitiful thing it is to be left in such a case Soul consider is it not miserable to lose heaven for twenty thirty or forty years sinning against God Consider when thy life is done thy heaven is also done when death comes to separate thy soul and body in that day also thou must have thy heaven and happiness separated from thee and thou from that Consider these things therefore betimes lest thou have thy portion in thy life time For if in this life onely we have our portion we are of all people the most miserable Again consider that when other men the Saints are to receive their good things then thou hast had thine when others are to enter into joy then thou art to leave and depart from thy joy when others are to go to God thou must go to the devil Oh miserable thou hadst better thou hadst never been born then to be an heir of such a portion therefore I say have a care it be not thy condition Remember that thou hadst thy good things and Lazarus evil things These words do not onely hold forth the misery of the wicked in this life or world to come but also great consolalâ—tion to the Saints where he saith And Lazarus evil things That is Lazarus had his evil things in his life time or when he was in the world From whence observe 1. That the life of the Saints so long as they are in this world is attended with many evils or afflictions which may be discovered to be of divers natures as saith the Scripture Many are the troubles of the righteous but the Lord delivereth him out of all 2. Take notice that the afflictions or evils that accompany the Saints may continue with them their life time so long as they live in this vale of tears yea and they may be divers that is of several sorts some outward some inward and that as long as they shall continue here below as hath been the experience of all Saints in all ages and this might be proved at large but I onely hint in these things although I might enlarge much upon them 3. The evils that do accompany the Saints will continue with them no longer then their life time and here indeed lies the comfort of Believers the Lazarus's the Saints they must have all their bitter cup wrung out to them in their life time here must be all their trouble here must be all their grief Behold saith Christ the world shall rejoyce but you shall lament but your mourning shall mark it shall be turned into joy you shall lament you shall be sorrowful you shall weep in you life time but your sorrow shall be tur-turned into joy and your joy no man let him be what he will no man shall take away from you Now if you think when I say the Saints have all their evil things in their life time that I mean they have nothing else but trouble in this their life time this is your mistake for let me tell you that though the Saints have all their evil things in their life time yet even in their life time they have also joy unspeakable and full of glory 1 Pet 1.6 7 8. while they look not at the things that are seen but at the things which are not seen The joy that the Saints have sometimes in their hearts by a believing consideration of the good things to come when this life is ended doth fill them fuller of joy then all the crosses troubles temptations and evils that accompany them in this life can fill them with grief 2 Corinth 4. But some Saint may say my troubles are such as are ready to overcome me Answ Yet be of good comfort they shall last no longer than thy life time But my trouble is I am perplexed with an heart full of corruption sin so that I am much hindred in walking with God Answ 'T is like so but thou shalt have these troubles no longer then thy life time But I have a cross husband and that 's a great grief to mee It is like so but thou shalt be troubled with him no longer than thy life time and therefore be not dismaid be not discomforted thou shalt have no trouble longer than this life time Art thou troubled with cross children cross relations cross neighbours they shall trouble thee no longer then this life time Art thou troubled with a cunning devil with unbelief yea let it be what it will thou shalt take thy farewel of them all if thou be a believer after thy life time is ended O excellent O sweet that there should be an end put to all our troubles after this life is ended this priviledge have all the Saints But now on the contrary if thou be not a right and sound believer if thou be noâ— indeed effectual converted to the Lord Jesus Christ then though thou shouldst live a thousand years in this world and meet with sore afflictions every day yet these afflictions be they never so great and grievous they are nothing to that torment that will come upon thee both in soul in body after this life is ended I say be what thou wilt if thou be found in unbelief or under the first covenant thou art sure to smart for it at the time when thou dost depart this world But the thing to be lamented is this For all this is so sad a condition to be fallen into yet poor souls are for the most part senseless of it yea so senseless at sometimes as though there was no such misery to come hereafter Because the Lord doth not immediately strike with his sword but doth bear long with his creature waiting that he might be gracious therefore I say the hearts of some of the sonnes of men are wholly set upon it to do mischief Eccles And that forbearance and goodness of God that one would think should lead them to repentance the devil hardening of them by their continuing in sin and by blinding their eyes as to the end of Gods forbearance toward them Rom 2.1 they are led away with a very hardened and senseless heart even until they drop into eternal destruction But poor hearts as they are they must have a time in which they must be made sensible of their former behaviours when the just judgements of the Lord shall flame abouâ— their ears insomuch that they shall be made to cry out again with anguish I am sorely tormented in this flame But now he is comforted and thou art tormented As if he should say Now hath God recompenced both Lazarus and you according to what you sought after while you were in this world as for your pâ—rt you
law and have all offended the same justice and must for certain if they die in that condition drink as deep if not deeper of the same destruction Mark I pray you what the Scriptures say He that believeth not is condemned already John 3.18 He is condemned as well as they having broken the same law with them if so then what hinders but they will partake of the same destruction with them onely the one hath not the law yet so executed upon them because they are here the other have had the law executed upon them they are gone to drink that which they have been brewing and thou art brewing that in this life which thou must certainly drink if thou be not found in Jesus Christ Mark the same law I say is in force against you both onely he is executed and thou art not Just as if there were a company of prisoners at the bar and all condemned to die what because they are not all executed in one day therefore shall they not be executed at all Yes the same law that executed its severity upon the parties now deceased will for certain be executed on them that are alive in its appointed time Even so it is here we are all condemned by nature if we close not in with the grace of God by Jesus Christ we must and shall be destroyed with the same destruction and therefore send him saith he lest Mark lest they come into this place of torment Again Send him to my fathers house let him testifie to them lest they come into this place of torment As if he had said It may be he may prevail with them It may be he may win upon them and so they may be kept from hence from coming into this grievous place of torment From whence observe again That there is a possibility of obtaining mercy if now I say now in this day of grace we turn from our sins to Jesus Christ yea it is more then possible And therefore for thy incouragement do thou know for certain that if thou shalt in this thy day accept of mercy upon Gods own terms and close with him effectually God hath promised yea made many promises that thy soul shall be conducted safe to glory and shall for certain escape all the evils that I have told thee of I and many more then I can imagine Do but search the Scriptures and see how full of consolation they are to a poor soul that is minded to close in with Jesus Christ He that commeth to me saith Christ I will in no wise cast out Though he be an old sinner I will in no wise cast him out Mark in no wise though he be a great sinner I will in no wise cast him out if he come to me Though he have slighted me never so many times and not regarded the welfare of his own soul yet let him now come to me and notwithstanding this I will in no wise cast him out nor throw away his soul Joh. 6.37 Again saith the Apostle Now Mark now is the accepted time now is the day of salvation Now here is mercy good store now Gods heart is open to sinners now he will make you welcome now he will receive any body if they do but come to Christ He that comes to me saith Christ I will in no wise cast out And why Because now is the accepted time now is the day of salvation 2 Cor. 6.2 3. As if the Apostle had said If you will have mercy have it now receive it now close in with it now God hath a certain day to hold out his grace to sinners Now is the time now is the day 'T is true there is a day of damnation but this is a day of salvation 'T is true there is a day coming wherein sinners must cry to the mountains to fall on them to the hills to cover them from the wrath of God but now now is the day in which he doth hold out his grace There is a day a coming in which you will not be admitted to have the priviledge of one drop of water to cool your tongue if now I say if now you slight his grace and goodness which he holds out to you Ah friends consider there is now hopes of mercy but then there will not now Christ holds forth mercy unto you but then he will not Mat. 7.23 Now there are his Servants that do beseech you to accept of his grace but if thou lose the opportunity that is put into thine hand thou thy self mayest beseech hereafter and no mercy be given thee 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 And there was none given Therefore let it never be said of thee as it will be said of some Why is there a price put into the hand of a fool seeing he hath no heart to it Seeing he hath no heart to make a good use of it Prov. 17.16 consider therefore with thy self and say It is better going to heaven then hell it is better to be saved then damned it is better to be with Saints then with damned souls and to go to God is better then to go to the devil Therefore seek the Lord while he may be found and call upon him while he is near Isa 55.6 Lest in thy trouble he leave thee to thy self and say unto thee plainly Where I am thither ye cannot come Joh. 8.21 O if they that are in hell might but now again have one such invitation as this how would they leap for joy I have thought sometimes should God send but one of his ministers to the damned in hell and give him commission to preach the free love of God in Christ extended to them and held out to them if now while it is profered to them they will accept of his kindness O how welcome would they make this news and close in with it on any termes Certainly they would say we will accept of grace on any termes in the world and thank you too though it cost life and limbs to boot we will spare no cost nor charge if mercy may be had But poor souls while they live here they will not part from sin with hell-bred devilish sin No they will rather lose their souls then lose their filthy sins But friend thou wilt change thy note ere it be long and cry O simple wretch that I am that I should damne my soul by sin 'T is true I have had the Gospel preached to me and have been invited in I have been preached to and have been warned of this but how have I hated instruction and mine heart despised reproof I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers nor inclined mine eare to them that instructed me Prov. 5.10 11. O therefore I say poor soul is there hope then lay thine hand upon thy mouth and kiss the dust and close in with
the Lord Jesus Christ and make much of his glorious mercy and invite also thy companions to close in with the same Lord Jesus Christ lest one of you do go to hell before hand and expect with grief of heart your companions to come after And in the mean time with anguish of spirit do sigh and say O send him to my companions and let him testifie to them lest they also come into this place of torment Again I might observe from these words that though men in their life time are so proud and stout that they will not hear nor regard the poor people of God and their exhortations I say in their life time yet the time is coming that they would be glad that the very meanest of all the servants of God should not onely administer comfort to them but also when once they are departed this life that even those whom once they slighted should go and testifie the certainty of eternal damnation to those their companions Vers 29. and that at home at their houses in all plainness amd simplicity of soul But I pass by enlarging upon it as having touched on it already 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 dies 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 that he will not so much as afford them one drop of cold water that is the least ease or comfort Now in this verse the Lord doth magnifie the word which was spoken to the people by the Prophets and Apostles where he saith They have Moses and the Prophets let them here 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 As if he should say again 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 Seeing they have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them let them receive their word close in with the doctrine declared by them let them hear 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 have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them The things that I shall observe from hence are these 1. That the Scriptures spoken by the holy men of God are a sufficient rule to instruct to salvation them that do assuredly believe and close in with what they hold forth They have Moses and the prophets let them hear them That is if they would escape that doleful place and be saved indeed from the intollerable pains of hell fire as they desire they have that which is sufficient to counsel them for their going aside from that They have Moses and the Prophets let them be instructed by them be admonished by them let them hear them 2 Tim. 3.16.17 for all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness why that the man of God may be perfect throughly furnished to every good work Do but mark the words All Scripture is profitable Mark All take it where you will and in what place you will profitable for what That the man of God or he that is bound for heaven and would instruct others in their progress thither It is profitable to instruct him in case he be ignorant to reprove him in case he transgress to correct him if he hath need of it to confirme him if he be wavering It is profitable for doctrine all this in a very righteous way that the poor soul may not onely be helped but throughly furnished not onely to some but to all good works And when Paul would counsel Timothy to stick close to the things that are sound sure presently he puts him upon the Scriptures saying Thou hast from a child known the Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation 2 Tim. 3.15 through faith which is in Christ Jesus The Scriptures holds forth Gods mind and will of his love and mercy towards man and also the creatures carriage towards him from first to last so if thou wouldst know the love of God in Christ to sinners Joh. 5.39 Then search the Scriptures for they are they that testifie of him Would thou know what thou art and what is in thy heart then search the Scriptures and see what 's written in them Rom. 3. from 9. to 18. Rom 1.19.30 31 32. Jer. 17.9 Gen. 6.5 ch 8.21 Eph. 4.18 with many others The Scriptures I say they are able to give a man perfect instruction into any of the things of God necessary to faith and godliness if he have but an honest heart seriously to weigh and ponder the several things contained in them As to instance in things more particular for the further clearing up of this And first if we come to the creation of the world Wouldest thou know somewhat concerning that then read Gen. 1. and 2. chap. and compare them with Psal 33. at the 6. Also Isaiah 66.2 Prov. 8. toward the end Wouldest thou know whether he made them of something or nothing read Heb. 11.3 Wouldest thou know whether he put forth any labour in making them as we do in making things read Psal 33.9 If thou wouldest know whether man was made by God corrupt or upright read Eccles 7 26. Gen. 1.10 18 25 31. Wouldst thou know where God did place man after he had made him read Gen. 2.15 Wouldst thou know whether that man did live there all his time or not then read Gen. 3.23 24. If thou wouldest know whether man be still in that state by nature that God did place him in then read Eccles 7.26 and compare it with Rom. 5.16 and Eph. 2.1 2 3. God made man upright but he hath sought out many inventions If thou wouldest know whether the man were first beguiled or the woman that God made an help meet for him read Gen. 3.6 com it with 1 Tim. 2.14 Wouldest thou know whether God looked upon Adams eating of the forbidden tree to be sin or no read Rom. 5.12 13
of them and all this made mention of in the Scriptures But for all this how thick and by heaps do these wretches walk up and down our streets Do but go into the Alehouses you shall see almost every room besprinkled with them so foming out their own shame that it is enough to make the heart of a Saint to tremble in so much that they would not be bound to have society with them any long while for all the world For as the wayes of the godly are not liked of by the wicked even so the wayes of the wicked are an abomination to the just Prov. 29.27 Psal 120.5 6. As now to particularize some things The Scriptures say Cursed is the man that trusteth in man that maketh flesh his arm and whose heart departeth from the Lord. Jer. 17 5. And yet how many poor souls are there in the world that stand in so much aw and dread of man and do so highly esteem their favour that they will rather venture their souls in the hands of the devil with their favour then they will fly to Jesus Christ for the salvation of their soul if they must lose their favour and have their frownes and displeasure for the same Nay though they be convinced in their souls that the way is the way of God yet how do they labour to stisle convictions and turn their ears away from the truth and all because they will not lose the favour of an opposite neighbour Oh! I dare not for my Master my Brother my Landlord I shall lose his favour his house of work and so decay my calling O saith another I would willingly go in this way but for my Father he chides and tells me he will not stand my friend when I come to wants I shall never enjoy a penyworth of his goods he will disinherit me And I dare not saith another for my Husband for he will be a railing and tells me he will turn me out of doors he will beat me and cut off my legs But I tell you if any of these or any other things be so prevalent with thee now as to keep thee from seeking after Christ in his wayes they will also be so prevalent with God against thee as to make him cast off thy soul because thou didst rather trust man then God and delight in the imbracings of man rather than in the favour of the Lord. 2. Again the Scripture saith He that being often reproved heardneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy Prov. 29.1 Yet many are so far from turning though they have been convinced of their wretched state an hundred times that when convictions or trouble for sin comes on their consciences they go on still in the same manner resisting and choaking the same though remediless destruction be hard at their heels 3. Again thou hast heard say Vnless a man be borne again he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven Joh. 3.3 5 7. And yet thou goest on in a natural state an unregenerate condition nay thou dost resolve never to turn nor be changed though hell be appointed on purpose to swallow up such Isa 14.9 Psal 9.17 The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the nations that forget God 4. Again the Scriptures saith plainly That he that loveth and maketh a lie shall have his part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone Rev. 21.8 27. And yet thou art so far from dreading it that it is thy delight to jeast and jeer and lye for a penny or two pence or six pence gain And also if thou canst make the rest of thy companions merry by telling things that are false of them that are better then thy self thou dost not care a straw Or if thou hearest a lie from or of another thou wilt tell it and swear to the truth of it O miserable 5. Thou hast heard and read That he that believes not shall be damned Mar. 16.16 And that all men have not faith 2 Thess 3.2 and yet thou dost so much disregard these things that it is like thou didst scarce ever so much as examine seriously whether thou wert in the faith or no but dost content thy self with the hypocrites hope which at the last God will cut off and count it no better then the spiders web Job 8.13 14. or the house that is builded on the sands Luk. 6.49 Nay thou peradventure dost flatter thy self thinkest that thy faith is as good as the best of them all when alas poor soul thou mayest have no saving faith at all which thou hast not if thou be not borne again and made a new creature 2 Cor. 2.17 6. Thou hast heard That he that neglects Gods great salvation shall never escape his great damnation Heb. 2.3 compared with Luke 14.24 and Rev. 14.19 20. And yet when thou art invited intreated and beseeched to come in Luk. 14.17 18. 2 Cor. 5.19 20. Rom. 12.1 thou wilt make any excuse to serve the turn Nay thou wilt be so wicked as to put off Christ time after time notwithstanding he is so freely proferred to thee a little ground a few oxen a farme a wife a two penny matter a play nay the fear of a mock a scoffe or a jeer to be 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 sinne against thine own conscience and get thy self into 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 O sad 8. You have heard that the day of judgement is near in which you and I all of us muâ—t 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 and 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 contradictionally but really savingly in the power and by 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 compare with Rom.
verse one line nay one word of holy Scriptures make in his heart so that he cannot eat sleep work keep company with his former companions and all because he is afraid that the damnation spoken of in Scripture will fall to his share Like Balaam who said I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord so long as he had something of the word of the Lord with authority severity and power on his heart but at another time he could teach Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the children of Israel Rev. 2.14 3. Because the carnal Priests do tickle the ears of their hearers with vain Philosophy and deceit and thereby harden their hearts against the simplicity of the Gospel and word of God which things the Apostle admonished those that have a mind to close in with Christ to avoid Col. 2.8 saying Bewarâ—â—est any man be he what he will spoil you through Philosophy and vain deceit after the traditions of men and rudiments of the world and not after Christ And you who nuzzle up your people in ignorance with Aristotle Plato and the rest of the heathenish Philosophers and preach little if any thing of Christ rightly I say unto you that you will find that you have sinned against God and beguiled your hearers when God shall in the judgement-day lay the cause of the damnation of many thousands of souls to your charge and say He will require their blood at your hands Ezek. 33.6 4. Another reason why the carnal unbelieving world do so slight the Scriptures and word of God is because the judgement spoken of in the Scripture is not presently executed on the transgressors Because sentence against an evil act is not speedily executed therefore the hearts of the sons of men are wholly set in them to do evil Eccles 8.11 Because God doth not presently strike the poor wretch as soon as he sins but waits and forbears and is patient Therefore the world judging God to be unfaithful go to it agaiâ— and again and every time grow harder and harder till at last God is forced either to stretch out his mighty power to turne them or else send death with the devil and hell to fetch them Thou thoughtest saith God that I was altogether such an one as thy self but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thy face Now consider this ye that forget God lest I tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver Psal 50.20 21. 5. Another reason why the blind world do slight the authority of Scripture is because they give ear to the devil who through his subtilty casteth false evasions and corrupt interpretations on them rendring them not so point blank the minde of God and a rule for direction to poor souls perswading them that they must give ear and way to something else besides and beyond that or else he labours to render it vile and contemptible by perswading them that it is a dead letter when indeed they know not what they say nor whereof they affirme For the Scripture is not so dead but that the knowledge of it is able to make any man wise unto salvation through faith and love which is in Christ Jesus 2 Tim. 3.15 And is profitable for instruction reproof and correction in righteousness that the man of God may be throughly furnished to all good works ver 17. And where it is said the letter killeth he meaneth the law as it is the ministration of damnation or a covenant of works and so indeed it doth kill and must do so because it is just forasmuch as the party that is under the same is not able to yield to it a compleat and continual obedience But otherwise I will call Paul and Peter to witness that the Scriptures are of a very glorious concernment in as much as in them is held forth to us the way of life and also in that they do administer good ground of hope to us Rom. 15.4 For whatsoever things were written a foretime Mark whatsoever were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scripture mâ—ght have hope And again Rom. 16.25 26. Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my Gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mistery which was kept hid since the world began but now is made manifest and by the Scriptures of the prophets according to the commandment of the everlasting God made known to all nations for the obedience of faith And therefore whosoever they be that slight the Scriptures they slight that which is no less then the word of God and they who slight that slight him that spake it and they that do so let them look to themselves for God will be revenged on such Much more might be said to this thing but I would not be tedious A word or two more and so I have done with this Consider the dangers of slighting the words of the Prophets or 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 adament 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 no man regarded but set at nought all my counsels and would 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 whirlewind Then shall they call but I will not answer they shall seek me early but they shall not find me Proverbs 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 delusions that they should believe a lie That they all might be damned 2 Thess 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 hearkenning to the voice of their father reproving them for their sins but disobeying his voice it is said 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 Forbear wherefore shouldst thou be smitten he did not hearken to the word of God Then the Prophet forbare saying I know that God hath determined to destroy thee because thou hast not hearkened to my counsel Read therefore
wise cast me out My crimson sins shall be white as snow I tell thee friend there are some promises that the Lord hath helped me to lay hold of Jesus Christ through and by that I would not have out of the Bible for as much Gold and Silver as can lie between York and London piled up to the stars And why so O because through them Christ is pleased by his Spirit to convey comfort to my soul O I say when the law curses when the Devil tempts when hell-fire flames in my conscience my sins with the guilt of them tearing of me then is Christ revealed so sweetly to my poor soul through the promises that all is forced to fly and leave off to accuse my soul So also when the world frowns when the enemies rage and threaten to knock me in the head then also the precious yea the exceeding great and precious promises do weigh down all and comfort the soul against all This is the effect of believing the Scriptures savingly for they that do so have by and through the Scriptures good comfort and also ground of hope Rom. 15.4 believing those things to be its own which the Scriptures hold forth 4. Examine dost thou stand in aw of sinning against God because he hath in the Scriptures commanded thee to abstain from it Dost thou give diligence to make thy calling and election sure because God commandeth it in Scripture Dost thou examine thy self whether thou be in the faith or no having a command in Scripture so to do Or dost thou notwithstanding what thou readest in the Scripture follow the world delight in sin neglect coming to Jesus Christ speak evil of the Saints slight and make a mock at the ordinances of God delight in wicked company and the like Then know that it is because thou dost not indeed and in truth believe the Scriptures effectually For as I said before if a man do believe them and that savingly O then he stands in aw he looks to his steps he turns his feet from evil and endeavours to follow that which is good which God hath commanded in the Scriptures of truth yet not from a legal or natural principle that is to seek for life by doing that good thing but knowing that salvation is already obtained for him by the blood of that man Christ Jesus on the Cross because he believes the Scriptures therefore mark I pray therefore I say he labours to walk with his God in all well pleasing and godliness because the sweet power of the loves of Christ which he feels in his soul by the Spirit according to the Scriptures constrain him so to do 2 Cor. 5.14 5. Examine again dost thou labour after those qualifications that the Scriptures do describe a child of God by that is faith yea the right faith the most holy faith the faith of the operation of God And also dost thou examine whether there is a real growth of grace in thy soul as love zeal self-denial and a seeking by all means to attain if possible to the resurrection of the dead that is not to satisfie thy self until thou be dissolved rid of this body of death and be transformed into that glory that the Saints shall be in after the resurrection day and in the mean time dost labour and take all opportunities to walk as near as may be to the pitch though thou know thou canst not attain it perfectly yet I say thou doest aim at it seek after it press towards it and to hold on in thy race thou shunnest that which may any way hinder thee and also close in with what may any way further the same knowing that that must be or desiring that it should be thine eternal frame and therefore out of love and liking to it thou dost desire and long after it as being the thing that doth much please thy soul Or how is it with thy soul Art thou such an one as regards not these things but rather busie thy thoughts about the things here below following those things that have no sent of divine glory upon them if so look to thy self for it is high time for thee so to do for thou art an unbeliever and so under the wrath of God and wilt for certain fall into the same place of torment that thy fellows have fallen into before thee to the grief of thy own soul and everlasting destruction both of soul and body Consider and regard these things and lay them to thy heart before it be too late to recover thy self by repenting of the one and desiring to close in with the other O I say regard regard for hell is hot Gods hand is up the Law is resolved to discharge against thy soul the judgement-day is at hand the graves are ready to fly open the trumpet is near the sounding the sentence will ere long be past and then you and I cannot call time again Now then from what hath been spoken there might many things be spoken by way of Use and Application But I shall be very brief and but touch some things and so wind up And first I shall begin with the sad condition of those that die out of Christ and speak something to that Secondly to the latter end of the parable which more evidently concerns the Scripture and speak somewhat to that 1. Therefore you see that the former part of the parable contains a sad declaration of the state of one living and dying out of Christ how that they lose heaven for hell God for the devil light for darkness joy for sorrow 2. How that they have not so much as the least comfort from God who in the time they live here below neglect coming to him for mercy not so much as one drop of cold water 3. That such souls will repent of their folly when repentance will do them no good or when they shall be past recovery 4. That all the comfort such souls are like to have they have it in this world 5. That all their groanings and sighs will not move God to mitigate in the least his heavy hand of vengeance that is upon them for the transgressions they have committed against him 6. That their sad state is irrecoverable or they must never mark never come out of that condition 7. There desires will not be heard for their ungodly neighbours From these things then I pray you consider the state of those that die out of Christ Jesus yea I say consider their miserable state and think thus with thy self Well if I neglect coming to Christ I must go to the devil and he will not neglect to fetch me away into those intollerable torments Think thus with thy self What shall I lose a long heaven for short pleasure shall I buy the pleasures of this world at so dear a rate as to lose my soul for the obtaining of that Shall I content my self with a heaven that will last no longer then my life time What advantage
will these be to me when the Lord shall separate soul and body asunder and send one to the grave the other to hell and at the judgement-day the final sentence of eternal ruine must be past upon me 6. Consider that the profits pleasures and vanities of this world will not last ever but the time is coming yea just at the doors when they will give thee the slip and leave thee in the suds and in the brambles of all that thou hast done And therefore to prevent this thy dismal state think thus with thy self 'T is true I do love my sins my lusts and pleasures but what good will they do me at the day of death and of judgement Will my sins do me good then will they be able to help me when I come to fetch my last breath What good will my profits do me and what good will my vanities do when death sayes he will have no nay What good will all my companions fellow jesters jeerers liars drunkards and all my wantons do me will they help to ease the pains of hell will these help â—o turn the hand of God from inflicting his fierce anger upon me Nay will not they rather cause God to shew me no mercy to give me no comfort but rather to thrust me down in into the hottest place in hell where I may swim in fire and brimstone 3. Consider thus with thy self Would I be glad to have all every one of my sins to come in against me to inflame the justice of God against me would I be glad to be bound up in them as the three Children were bound in their clothes and to be as really thrown into the fiery furnace of the wrath of almighty God as they were into Nebuchadnezzars fiery furnace 4. Consider thus Would I be glad to have all and every one of the ten Commandments to discharge themselves against my soul The first saying damne him for he hath broken me The second saying damne him for he hath broken me c. Consider how terrible this will be yea more terrible then if thou shouldest have ten of the biggest peeces of Ordnance in England to be discharged against thy body thunder thunder one after another Nay this would not be comparable to the reports that the law for the breach thereof will give against thy soul For those can but kill the body but these will kill both body and soul and that not for an hour a day a month or a year but they will condemn thee for ever Mark it is for ever for ever It is into everlasting damnation eternal destruction eternal wrath and displeasure from God eternal gnawings of conscience eternal continuance with devils O consider it may be the thoughts of seeing the devil doth now make thine hair to stand right up on the head O but this to be damned to be among all the devils and that not onely for a time as I said before but for ever to all eternity This is wonderfully miserable even miserable that no tongue of man no nor of Angels is able to express it 5. Consider thus with thy self not onely my sins against the law will be laid to my charge but also the sins I have committed in slighting the gospel the glorious Gospel these also must come with a voice against me As thus Nay he is worthy to be damned for he rejected the Gospel he undervalued the Gospel he slighted the free grace of God tendred in the Gospel How many times wast thou damned wretch invited intreated beseeched to come to Christ to accept of mercy that thou mightest have heaven thy sins pardoned thy soul saved and body and soul glorified and all this for nothing but the acceptance and through faith forsaking those imps of Satan which by their embracements have drawn thee downward toward the gulf of Gods eternal displeasure How often didst thou read the promises yea the free promises of the common salvation How oft didst thou read the sweet counsels and admontions of the Gospel to accept of the grace of God but thou wouldst not thou regardest it not thou didst slight all 2. As I would have thee to consider the sad and woful state of those that die out of Christ and are past all recovery so would I have thee consider the many mercies and priviledges thou enjoyest above some peradventure of thy companions that are departed to their proper place As first consider thou hast still the thread of thy life lengthened which for thy sins might seaven years ago or more have been cut asunder and thou have dropped down among the flames 2. Consider the termes of reconciliation by faith in Christ is still profered unto thee and thou invited yea intreated to accept of it 3. Consider the termes of reconciliation is but bear with me though I say but onely to believe in Jesus Christ with that faith that purifies the heart and enables thy soul to feed on him effectually and be saved from this sad state 4. Consider the time of thy departure is at hand and the time is uncertain and also that for ought thou knowest the day of grace may be be past to thee before thou â—iest not lasting so long as thy uncertain life in this world And if so then know for certain that thou art as sure to be damned as if thou wert in hell alreadâ— if thou convert not in the mean while 5. Consider it may be some of thy friends are giving all dilligence to make their calling and election sure being resolved for heaven and thou thy self endeavourest as fast to make sure of hell as if resolved to have it and together with this consider how it will grieve thee that while thou wert making sure of hell thy friends were making sure of heaven but more of this by and by 6. Consider what a sad reflection this will have on thy soul to see thy friends in heaven and thy self in hell thy Father in heaven and thou in hell thy Mother in heaven and thou in hell thy Brother thy Sister thy Children in heaven and thou in hell As Christ said to the Jews of their relations according the flesh so may I say to thee concerning thy friends There shall be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see your Fathers and Mothers Brethren and Sisters Husbands and Wives Children and Kinsfolk with your Friends and neighbours in the kingdom of heaven and thou thy self thrust out Luke 13 27 28 29. But again because I would not onely tell thee of the damnable state of those that die out of Christ but also perswade thee to take hold of life and go to heaven take notice of these following things 1. Consider that what ever thou canst do as to thy acceptance with God is not worth the dirt of thy shoes but is all as menstruous rags Isa 64.6 2. Consider that all the conditions of the new covenant as to salvation are and have been compleatly fulfilled by the