A FEW Sighs from Hell OR The Groans of a damned Soul OR An Exposition of those Words in the sixteenth of Luke Concerning the Rich Man and the Beggar Wherein is discovered the Lamentable State of the damned their cries their desires in their distresses with the determination of God upon them A good warning Word to Sinners both Old and Young to take into Consideration betimes and to seek by Faith in Jesus Christ to avoid lest they come into the same place of torment ALSO A brief Discourse touching the profitableness of the Scriptures for our Instruction in the way of Righteousness according to the tendancy of the said Parable By that Poor and Contemptible Servant of Jesus Christ JOHN BUNYAN The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the nations that forget God Psal 9.17 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire Revel 20.15 London Printed by Ralph Wood for M. Wright at the Kings Head in the Old Bailey 1658. To the Reader IT is sad to see how the most of men neglect their precious souls turning their backs upon the glorious Gospel and little minding a crucified Jesus when in the mean while their bodies are well provided for their estates much regarded and the things of this present life are highly prized as if the darling was of less value then a clod of earth an immortal soul then a perishing body a precious Savior then unsatisfying creatures Yea though they have been often wooed with gracious intreaties glorious promises and fresh bleeding wounds to make choice of the better part that shall never be taken from them yet alas such influence hath this world and the pleasures of it and such is the blindness of their understandings that they continue still to hunt after those things which cannot profit nor be a help to them in the worst hour yea that will prove no better then poyson to their souls and refuse that would be if embraced their happiness here and their glory hereafter such a strange stupidity hath seized upon the hearts of men that they will venture the loss of their immortall souls for a few dying comforts and will expose themselves to endless misery for a moments mirth and short-liv'd pleasures But certainly a barn well fraught a bag well fill'd a back well cloathed and a body well fed will prove but poor comforts when men come to dye when death shall not onely separate their souls from their bodies but both from their comforts What will it then avail them that they have gained much Or what will they give in exchange for their souls Be wise then O Reader to whose sight this may come before it be too late and thou repent when repentance shall be hid from thine eyes else it will be as a dagger to thine heart one day to remember what a Christ what a soul what a heaven thou hast lost for a few pleasures a little mirth a short enjoyment of this present world yea and that after many warnings against many reproofs and notwithstanding the many tenders of a full Christ instead of those empty vanities which thy soul closed with hunted after and would by no means be perswaded to part withall No but thou wouldest take thy time and swim in this worlds delights though thy soul thereby was drowned in perdition and destruction 1 Tim. 6.9 True few there are that will be perswaded that this course they take though their daily conversations do bear witness to it for how much time is spent and how much care is the hearts of men fill'd withall after attaining keeping and increasing these things And how seldom do they trouble their heads to have their mindes taken up with thoughts of the better Cumbring themselves with many things but wholly neglecting the one thing necessary yea whereby do they measure their own or other mens happiness but by the large incomes of this worlds good accounting this the greatest if not the onely blessedness to have their corn wine and oyl increase in abundance and reckoning those that are most serious about and earnest after the world to come men of foolish spirits giddy brains and worthy to be branded in the forehead for simple deluded ones But surely he is the most fool that will be one at last and he that God calls so Luke 12.20 will pass for one in the end yea within a short time they themselves shall change their notes Ask the rich man spoken of in the ensuing Treatise who was the fool he or Lazarus and he will soon resolve the question that he now sees and by wofull experience finds whatsoever his former thoughts were that he not Lazarus was the silly deluded one for he fool like preferred the worse things before the better and refused that which once might have been had but now he hath slipt the time it cannot be gained when this poor man knowing the day of his visitation was making sure of that glory which he now enjoyes and shall enjoy for evermore So that in this Parable if I may so call it thou shalt finde that Scripture confirmed That the triumphing of the wicked is short Job 20.5 Together with that That the temptations or afflictions of the righteous which cause heaviness are but for a season 1 Pet. 1.6 And in this treatise both of those are largely opened and explained Behold here a rich man cloathed in silks fed with delicates and faring deliciously every day but look a little further and so this man cloathed with vengeance roaring under torments and earnestly begging for a drop of water to cool his tongue a sad change On the other hand here thou shalt see a poor but a gracious man with a pinched belly naked back and running soars beging at the rich mans gate for a morsell to feed his belly a sad state yet but short for look again and behold this beggar gloriously carried as in a Chariot of triumph by the Angels into Abrahams bosome shining in glory cloathed with beautiful garments and his soul sat down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of the Father his rags are gone his soars healed and his soul filled with joy unspeakable and full of glory the one carried not his costly fare and his gorgeous apparel with him into hell nor the other his course diet mouldy bread filthy rags and ulcerous body into heaven but the happiness of the one and the misery of the other took their leaves at the grave the worldly mans portion was but for his life and the godly mans afflictions lasted no longer For mark the perfect and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace but the end of the wicked shall be cut off Psal 37.37 38. His present comforts his future hopes and his cursed soul together yea though he lives many dayes and rejoyces in them all yet the dayes of darkness will overtake him and his eye shall see no more good in
his life time he enjoyed his good things and at the hour of death legions of devils will beset him innumerable evils will befall him and then shall he pay full dear for all the pleasures of sin that have carried away his heart from closing with and following the Lord in the day of his prosperity Ungodly men because they feel no changes now they fear none hereafter but flatter themselves with dying as the godly though their life is consumed in wickedness and their strength in providing for and satisfying the lusts of the flesh but as it fared with wicked Balaam so shall it fare with these and their vain hopes will prove a feeding upon ashes through their deceived heart that hath turned them aside Isaiah 44.20 For they that sow to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption Galat. 6.8 And they that plow iniquity and sow wickedness shall reap the same Job 4.8 Hosea 8.7 But they that sow to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting Say ye then to the righteous it shall go well with him however it goes with him now a few dayes will produce a happy change It shall go well with him that feareth the Lord Eccles 8.12 Go on then O soul thou that hast set thy face towards heaven though the east-wind beats upon thee and thou finde trouble and sorrow these shall endure but for a night joy will undoubtedly come in the morning besides those sweet visits thou shalt have from thy precious Saviour in this thy day of darkness wait but a while and thy darkness shall be turned into light When the light of the wicked shall be put out and the spark of his fire wherewith he warmed himself shall not shine Job 18.5 Grudge not to see the wicked prosper and their steps washed with butter but rather put on bowels of mercy and pitty as the elect of God knowing that they are set in slippery places Psal 73.18 And their day is coming when fearful horrour shall suprize them and hell be opened to receive them nor yet be disquieted in thy minde that troubles and afflictions do beset thee round for as a worser thing is reserved for them so a better is prepared for thee Do they drink wine in bowls and dost thou mingle thy tears with thy drink Do they live in pleasures and spend their dayes in wealth and dost thou sigh and mourn in secret Well there is a cup for them in the hand of the Lord the wine whereof is red and full of mixture which they must drink up the dregs Psal 75.8 And the Lord hath a bottle for thy tears Psal 56.8 And a book foâ— thy secret sighs and ere long thy brinâ—sh tears shal be turned into the sweetest wine which thou shalt drink new in the kingdom of the Father and thy secret sighs into glorious praises when thy mouth shall be filled with laughter and thy eyes see the King in his glory Now considering that these lines may be brought to the sight both of the one sort and the other I shall lay a few things before the thought of each and first to the worser sort First consider what an ill bargain thou wilt make to sell thy precious soul for a short continuance in thy sins and pleasures if that man drives but an ill trade who to gain the world should lose his soul Matth. 16.26 then certainly thou a far worse that sells thy soul for a very trifle Oh 't is pitty that so precious a thing should be parted withall to be made a prey for the devouring lion for that which is worse then nothing if they were branded for desperate wretches that caused their children to pass through the fire to Molech surely thou much more that gives thy soul to devouring flames to be fewel for the everlasting fire upon so easie tearms what meanest thou O man to truck with the devils Is there no better merchandize to trade in then what comes from hell or out of the bowels of the earth and to be had upon no lower rates then thy immortal soul Yes surely the merchandize of wisdom which is better then the merechandize of silver and the gain thereof then fine gold Prov. 3.14 Prov. 8.19 is exposed to sale Rev. 3.18 And to be had without money or price and if thou shouldest part with any thing for it it is such that it is better to part withal then to keep The wise Merchant that sought a goodly pearl having found one sold all that he had not himself not his soul and all that he sold was in it self not worth a farthing and yet obtained the Pearl Mat. 13.45 46. Paul made the like exchange when he threw away his own righteousness which was but rags yea filthy rags Isaiah 64.6 And put on the garment of salvation and cast away to the dunghil that which was once his gain and won Christ Phil. 3.8 Thou needest not cast away thy soul for puddle pleasures behold the fountain of living water is set open and thou invited to it to take and drink thy belly thy soul full without price or money Isaiah 55.1 2 ly Take a short yet let it not be a slight view of the best of the things men prize so high that for the love of they lose their souls what are they Even painted nothings promising vanities like the apples of Sodom fair to the eye but being touched turn to dust or like our Mother Eve's that had a beautiful look but being tasted brings forth death which for the most part have proved snares to the owners and alwayes miserable comforters at the parting they cannot satisfie in life for the more of these things are had the more with a disquieted spirit are they reached after and what comes in serves but to whet up the greedy unsatisfied appetite after more The world passeth away and the lust thereof 1 John 2.17 Though most men content themselves with these yet it is not in these to satisfie them and had they but one glimpse of the world to come one cranny of light to discern the riches of Christ and the least taste of the pleasures that are at the right hand of God Psal 16.11 They would be as little satisfied without a share in them as they are now with what of worldly things they enjoy much less can they ease from pain at death clap a bag of gold as one once did to thy sinking spirit pained body and tormented conscience and it can neither chear up the one nor appease the other least of all can they deliver from or yield comfort after death those cannot serve as a bribe to death to pass thee by nor yet bring comfort to thy soul when thou art gone the rich fools large crop and great increase could not procure one nights respite nor one moments comfort Besides God regards them so little that frequently he gives the largest share of them to whom he hateth most Psal 17.14 And the least to
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
for he laid the sins of thousands and ten thousands and thousands of thousands of sinners to his charge Esay 53. And caused him to drink the terrible cup that was due to them all and not onely so but did delight in so doing For it pleased the Lord to bruise him God dealt indeed with his Son as Abraham would have dealt with Isaac I and more terribly by ten thousand parts for he did not onely tear his body like a lion but made his soul an offering for sin And this was not done fainedly but really for justice called for it he standing in the room of sinners witness that horrible and unspeakable agony that fell on him suddenly in the Garden as if all the vials of Gods unspeakable scalding vengeance had been cast upon him all at once and all the devils in hell had been broken loose from thence at once to destroy him and that for ever insomuch that the very pangs of death seized upon him the same hour For saith he My soul is exceeding sorrowful and amazed even unto death Mark 14.33 34. Witness also that strange kinde of sweat that trickled down his most blessed face where it is said And he sweat as it were great mark I beseech you great drops or clodders of blood trickling down to the ground O Lord Jesus what a load didst thou carry what a burthen didst thou bear of the sins of the world and the wrath of God! O thou didst not onely bleed at nose and mouth with the pressure that lay upon thee but thou wast so pressed so loaden that the pure blood gushed through the flesh and skin and so ran trickling down to the ground And his sweat was as it were great drops of blood trickling or falling down to the ground Luke 22.44 Canst thou read this O thou wicked sinner and yet go in sin Canst thou think of this and defer repentance one hour longer O heart of flint yea harder O miserable wretch what place in hell will be hot enough for thee to have thy soul put into if thou shalt persist or go on still to adde iniquity to iniquity Besides his soul went down to hell Psal 16.10 Acts 2.31 and his body to the bars of the grave And had hell death or the grave been strong enough to hold him then he had suffered the vengeance of eternal fire to all eternity But O blessed Jesus how didst thou discover thy love to man in thy thus suffering And O God the Father how didst thou also declare thy purity and exactness of thy justice in that though it was thine onely holy innocent harmless and undefiled Son Jesus that did take on him our nature and represent our persons answering for our sins instead of our selves thou didst so wonderfully pour out thy wrath upon him to the making of him cry out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me And O Lord Jesus what a glorious conquest hast thou made over the enemies of our souls even wrath sin death hell and devils in that thou didst wring thy self from under the power of them all and not onely so but hast led them captive which would have led us captive and also hast received for us that glorious and unspeakable inheritance That eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive And also hast given thine some discovery thereof through thy Spirit And now sinner together with this consider Fourthly That though Jesus Christ hath done all these things for sinners yet the devils make it their whole work and continual study how they may keep thee and others from enjoying of these blessed priviledges that have been thus obtained for sinners by this sweet Jesus He labours I say first to keep thee ignorant of thy state by nature Secondly to harden thy heart against the wayes of God Thirdly to inflame thy heart with love to sin and the wayes of darkness And fourthly to get thee to continue herein For that is the way he knows to get thee to be a partaker with him of the flaming hell fire even the same that he himself is fallen into together with the rest of the wicked world by reason of sin Look to it therefore But now in the next place a word of incouragement to you that are the Saints of the Lord. 1. Consider what an happy state thou art in that hast gotten the faith of the Lord Jesus into thy soul But be sure thou have it I say how safe how sure how happy art thou For when others go to hell thou must go to heaven when others go to the devil thou must go to God when as others go to prison thou must be set at liberty at ease and at freedom when others must roar for sorrow of heart then thou shalt also sing for the joy of heart Secondly consider thou must have all thy well spent life to follow thee instead of all thy sins and the glorious blessings of the Gospel instead of the dreadful curses and condemnations of the Law The blessing of the Father instead of a fiery sentence from the Judge Thirdly let dissolution come when it will it can do thee no harm for it will be but onely a passage out of a prison into a palace out of a sea of troubles into an haven of rest out of a croud of enemies to an innumerable company of true loving and faithful friends out of shame reproach and contempt into exceeding great and eternal glory For death shall not hurt thee with his sting nor bite thee with his soul-murthering teeth but shall be a welcome guest to thee even to thy soul in that it is sent to free thee from thy troubles which thou art in whiles here in this world dwelling in the tabernacle of clay Fourthly consider how ever it goes with friends and relations yet it will go well with thee Ecclesiastes 8.12 However it goes with the wicked yet I know Mark yet I know saith he that it shall go well with them that fear the Lord that fear before him And therefore let this in the first place cause thee chearfully to exercise thy patience under all the calamities crosses troubles and afflictions that may come upon thee and by patient continuance in well doing to commit both thy self and thine affairs and actions into the hands of God through Jesus Christ as to a faithful Creatour who is true in his word and loveth to give unto thee whatsoever he hath promised to thee And therefore to incourage thee while thou art here with comfort to hold on for all thy crosses in this thy journey be much in considering the place that thou must go into so soon as dissolution comes It must be into heaven to God the Judge of all to an innumerable company of Angels to the spirits of just men made perfect to the general Assembly and Church of the first born whose names are written in heaven and to Jesus too the
the day of judgement many mens conditions and carriages will be so laid open that it will evidently appear they have been very merciless and mad against the children of God insomuch that when the providence of God did fall out so as to cross their expectations Verse 22. they have been very much offended thereat as is very evidently seen in them who set themselves to study how to bring the Saints into bondage and to thrust them into corners as in these late years And because God hath in his goodness ordered things otâ—erwise they have gnashed their teeth thereat Hence then let the Saints learn not to commit themselves to their enemies they are very merciless men and will not so much favour you if they can help it as you may suppose they may Nay unless the over-ruling hand of God in goodness do order things contrary to their naturall inclination they will not favour you so much as a dog Verse 22. And it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the Angels into Abrahams bosome the rich man also died and was buried THe former verses do briefly hold forth the carriage of of the ungodly in this life toward the Saints Now this Verse doth hold forth the departure both of the godly and the ungodly out of this life Where he saith And it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried into Abrahams bosome and the rich man died also The beggar died that represents the godly and the rich man died that represents the ungodly from whence observe Neither godly â—or ungodly must live alwayes without a change either by death or judgement the good man died and the bad man died that Scripture also doth back this truth that good and bad must die marvellous well where it is said And it is appointed to men once to die and after that the judgement Heb. 9.27 Mark he doth not say it is so that men by chance may die which might beget in the hearts of the ungodly especially some hope to scape the bitterness of it but he saith It is a thing most certain it is appointed Mark it is appointed for men once to die and after that the judgement God hath decreed it that since men have fallen from that happy estate that God at the first did set them in they shall die now when it is said the beggar died and the rich man died part of the meaning is they ceased to be any more in this world I say partly the meaning but not altogether Though it be altogether the meaning when some of the creatures die yet it is but in part the meaning when it is said that men women or children die for there is to them something else to be said more then barely a going out of the world For if when unregeneraâ—e men and women die there were an end of them not onely in this world but also in the world to come they would as I may say be happy over they will be now for when ungodly men and women die there is that to come after death if they die unregenerate that will be very terrible to them namely to be carried by the Angels of darkness from their death-beds to hell there to be reserved to the judgement of the great day when both body and soul shall meet and be united together again and made capable to undergo the uttermost vengeance of the Almighty to all eternity This is that I say which doth follow a man that is not born again after death as is clear from that in 1 Pet. 3.18 19. Where before speaking of Christ being raised again by the power of his eternal spirit he saith by which that is by that spirit he went and preached to the spirits in prison but what is the meaning of this Why thus much that those souls who were once alive in the world in the time or dayes in which Noah lived being disobedient in their times to the calls of God by his Spirit in Noah for so I understand it was according to that which was foretold by that Preacher deprived of life and overcome by the flood and are now in prison Mark he preached to the spirits in Prison he doth not say who were in Prison but to them in that is now in Prison under chains of daâ—kness reserved or kept there in that prison in which now they are ready like villains in the jayl to be brought before the judgement seat of Christ at the great day but of this I shall speak further by and by Now if this one truth that men must die and depart this world â—nd either enter into joy or else into prison to be reserved to the day of judgement were believed we should not have so many wantons walk up and down the streeets as there do at least it would put a mighty check to their filthy carriages so that they would not could not walk so basely and sinfully as they do Belshazzer notwithstanding he was so far from the fear of God so long as he was senseless of the Lords hand against him yet when he did but see that God was offended and threatned him for his wickedness it made him hang down his head and knock his knees together Dan. 5.5 6. If you read the verses before you will finde he was careless and satisfying his lusts in drinking and playing the wanton with his Concubines But so soon as he did but perceive the finger of an hand writing then saith the Scripture the Kings countenance was changed and his thoughts troubled him so that the joynts of his loins were loosed and his knees smote one against another And when Paul told Felix of Righteousness Acts 24.25 Temperance and Judgement to come it made him rremble And let me tell thee Soul whosoever thou art that if thou didst but verily believe that thou must die and come into the judgement it would make thee turn over a new leaf as we say But this is the misery the devil doth labour by all means as to keep out other things that are good so to keep out of the heart as much as in him lies the thoughts of passing from this life into another world for he knows if he can but keep them from the serious thoughts of death he shall the more easily keep them in their sins and so from closing with Jesus Christ as Job saith Their houses are safe from fear Job 21.9 neither is the rod of God upon them Which makes them say to God Depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes verse 14. Because there is no fear of death and judgement to come therefore they do put off God and his wayes and spend their dayes in their sins and in a moment that is before they are aware go down to the grave ver 17. And thus it sared also with the man spoken of in Luke 12.20 the man instead of thinking of death he thought how he
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
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
him yet now let me have some society with him Though the world disregard the society of God children now yet there is a time coming in which they would be glad to have the least company with them Nay do but observe those of the Saints that are now most rejected by them even from them shall they be glad of comfort if it might be Send Lazarus he that I slighted more then my dogs he that I could not endure should come into my house but must lye at my gate send him Now Lazarus shall be welcome to me now do I desire some comfort from him but he shall go without it From whence again observe that there is a time coming O ye surly dogged persecutors of the Saints that they shall slight you as much as ever you slighted them You have given them many an hard word told many a lie of them given them many a blow And now in your greatest need and extremity they shall not pitty you Again send Lazarus From whence observe that any of the Saints shall then be owned by you to be Saints Now ye look upon them to be of the sect with Hymeneus and Philetus but then you shall see them to be the Lazarus's of God even Gods dear children Though now the Saints of the Lord will not be owned by you because they are beggerly poor low contemptible among you here yet the day is coming that you shall own them desire their company and wish for the least courtesie from them Send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame Thus shall the souls that abide in their sins cry out in the bitterness of their spirits with wonderful anguish torment of conscience without intermission that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue That he namely the man who before I scorned should eat with the dogs of my flock that before I slighted and had no regard of that I shut out of door send him that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue Now these words that he may dip the tip of his finger in water c. do hold forth the least friendship or favour as much as if he should have said Father now I would be glad of the least mercie now I would be glad of the lâ—â—st comfort though it be but one drop of cold water on the tip of his finger One would have thought that this had been a small request a small courtesie one drop of water what is that Take a pail full of it if that will do the any good But mark he is not permitted to have so much as one drop not so much as a man may hold upon the tip of his finger This signifies thus much that they that fall short of Christ shall be night and day tormented from years end to years end as I may say even as long as eternity lasteth and shall not have so much as the least ease no not so long as while a man may turn himself round not so much leave as to swallow his spittle not a drop of cold water 2. Again consider that though the rebels while they are in this world can turne their backs upon the greatest mercy namely the Grace of God in Christ yet the time will come that they would be glad of the least mercy even a drop of cold water 3. Again observe that those who in their life time do turn their back upon the streams of Gods grace and love when they depart this life they shall not have the priviledge of the least mercy though they would never so willingly O that these things did take place in your hearts how would it make you to seek after rest for your souls before it be too late before the sun of the Gospel be set upon you Consider I say the misery of the ungodly that they shall be in and avoid their vices by closing in with the tenders of mercy lest you partake of the same portion with them and cry out in the bitterness of your souls one drop of cold water and cool my tongue For I am tormented in this flame These words hold forth the reason why the damned do so much request there might be some pitty shewed to them namely because they are under sore and sad affliction for I am tormented in this flame Indeed the reason why the poor world do not so earnestly desire for mercy is partly because they do not so seriously consider the torment that they must certainly fall into if they die out of Christ For let me tell you did but poor souls indeed consider that wrath that doth by right fall to their shares because of their sins against God they would make more haste to God through Christ for mercy then they do Then we should have them say it is good closing with Christ to day before we fall into such distress But why is it said Let him dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue Because that as the several members in the bodie have their share in sin and committing of that so the several members and every member of the body shall at that time be punished for the same Therefore when Christ is admonishing his desciples that they should not turne aside from him and that they should rather fear and dread the power of their God then any other power he saith Fear him therefore that can cast both body and soul into hell And again fear him that can destroy both soul and hody in hell Here is not one member onely but all the body the whole body of which the hands feet eyes eares and tongue are members And I am perswaded that though this may be judged carnal by some now yet it will appear to be a truth then to the greater misery of those who shall be forced to undergo that which God in his just judgement shall inflict upon them O then they will cry one dram of ease for my cursing swearing lying jearing tongue Some ease for my bragging braving flattering threatning dissembling tongue now men can let their tongues run at randome as we use to say now they will be apt to say our tongues are our own who shall controle them But then they will be in another mind Then O that I might have a little ease for my deceitful tongue Methinks sometimes to consider how some men do let their tongues run at randome they cannot tell well how it makes me marvell Surely they do not think they shall be made to give an account for their offending with their tongue Did they but think they shall be made to give an account to him who is ready to judge the quick and the dead surely they would be more wary of and have more regard unto their tongue The tongue saith James is * Jam. 2. an unruly member full of deadly poison
or did but rain thou that wert loath to come out of the chimney corner if the winde did but blow a little cold and wert loath to go half a mile yea half a furlong to hear the word of God if it were but a little dark thou that wert loath to leave a few vain companions to edifie thy soul thou shalt have fire enough thou shalt have night enough and evil company enough thy belly full if thou miss of Jesus Christ and besides all this thou shalt have them for ever and for ever O thou that dost spend whole nights in carding and dicing in rioting and wantonness thou that countest it a brave thing to swear as fast as the bravest to spend with the greatest spend-thrift as we call them in the countrey O thou that lovest to sin in a corner when no body sees thee O thou that for by-ends dost carry on an hypocrites profession because thou wouldest be counted some body among the children of God but art an enemy to the things of Christ in thine heart thou that dost satisfie thy self either with sins or a bare profession of godliness thy soul will fall into extreme torment and anguish so soon as ever thou dost depart this world and there thou shalt be weeping and gnashing thy teeth And besides all this thou art like never to have any ease or remedy never look for any deliverance if thou die out of Christ thou shalt die in thy sins and be tormented as many years as there are stars in the firmament or sands on the sea-shore and besides all this thou must abide it for ever And besides al this between us you there is a great gulf fixed so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot neither can they come to us that would come from thence There is a great gulf fixed You will say what is that Answ It is a nice question therefore first seek thou rather to enter in at the straight gate than curiously to enquire what this gulf is But 2. if thou wouldest needs know it is like that if thou do fall short of heaven thou wilt find it this namely the everlasting decree of God that is that there is a decree gone forth from God that those who fall short of heaven in this world God is resolved they shall never enjoy it in the world to come And thou wilt find this gulf so deep that thou shalt never be able to wade through it as long as eternity lasts As Christ saith Agree with thine adversary quickly while thou art in the way with him lest he hale thee to the judge and the judge deliver thee to the officer and thou be cast into prison I tell thee thou shalt in no wise come out thence there is the gulf the decree thou shalt not depart thence till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing or very last mite Luk. 12.58 59. These words therefore there is a great gulf fixed I do understand to be the everlasting decree of God that is God hath decreed that those who go to heaven shall never go from thence again into a worse place and also those that go to hell and would come out they shall not come out thence again And friend this is such a gulf so fixed by him that cannot lie that thou wilt find it so which way soever thou goest whether it be to heaven or hell Here therefore thou seest how secure God will make those who dye in the faith God will keep them in heaven but those that die in their sins God will throw them to hell and keep them there so that they that would go from heaven to hell cannot neither can they come from hell that would go to heaven Mark he doth not say they would not for oh how fain would these who have lost their souls for a lust for two pence for a jug of Ale for a strumpet for this world come out of that hot scalding fiery furnace of Gods eternal vengeance if they might but here is their misery they that would come from you to us that is from hell to heaven cannot They must not they shall not they cannot God hath decreed it and is resolved the contrary here therefore lies the misery not so much that they are in hell if they might come out again but there they must lie for ever and ever O therefore if thy heart would at any time tempt thee to sin against God cry out O no for then I must go to hell and lie there for ever O if the drunkards swearers lyars and hypocrites did but take this doctrine soundly down it would make them tremble when they think of sinning But poor souls now they will make a mock at sinne and play with it as a child doth play with a rattle but the time is coming that these rattles that now they play with will make such a noise in their ears and consciences one day that they shall find that if all the devils in hell were yelling at their heels the noise would not be comparable to it Numb 32.23 O friend thy sins as so many blood-hounds will first hunt thee out and then take thee and bind thee and hold thee down for ever Prov. 5.22 They will gripe thee and gnaw thee as if thou hadst a nest of poisonous Serpents in thy bowels and this will not be for a time but as I have said for ever for ever for ever Ver. 27. Then he said I pray thee therefore father Verse 27. that thou wouldst send him to my fathers house THe verses before I told you were spoken partly to hold forth a desire that the damned have to be freed of their endless misery Now this verse that I have read unto you still holds forth that the cries of those poor souls very vehement they would very fain have something granted to them but it will not be as will more clearly appear afterward Then he said I pray thee therefore Father c. As if he should say Seeing I have brought my self into such a miserable condition that God will not regard me that my exceeding loud and bitter cryes will not be heard for my self seeing I must not be admitted to have so much as one drop of cold water nor the least help from the poorest Saint And seeing besides all this here my soul must lye to all eternity broyling and frying Seeing I must whether I will or no undergo the hand of eternal vengeance and the rebukes of devouring fire seeing my state is such that I would not wish a dog in my condition send him to my fathers house It is worthy to be taken notice of again who it is he desired should be sent namely Lazarus O friend see here how the stout hearts and stomacks of poor creatures will be humbled as I said before they will be so brought down that those things that they d sdained and made light of in this world they would be glad of in the
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
Lord Jesus Christ and that for sinners 3. Consider that the Lord calls to thee for to receive whatsoever Christ hath done and that on free cost Rev. 22.17 4. Consider that thou canst not honour God more then to close in with his profers of grace mercy and pardon of sin Rom. 4. And because there is a gap open for poor sinners to come from under the curse and condemnation of the Law into the grace of Christ for there is one made by the blood of Christ he having broken down the middle wall of partion I shall speak a few words further and they are these To invite sinners seeing there is mercy and deliverance to be had to come in and accept of it and that from these considerations 1. Consider thy state by nature if thou come not in which is this Thou art under the breach of the law and so under the curse which doth call for inexpressible destruction I mean destruction of soul destruction of body destruction by fire by hell fire by the fire the devils must be burned in even eternal fire destruction from God for sins against the law without intermission without ease without end without hopes of any recovery or of ever coming out of this sad and miserable condition 2. Consider thou wilt bring all this upon thy self for having some of the devils brats some hellish lusts that like so many witches imps will suck and draw thy soul from God Christ Angels Saints Heaven and all happiness 3. Consider thou wilt buy sin at a dear rate inasmuch as it will cost the body soul ease peace joy comfort heaven God Christ c. 4. Consider that that Christ who will â—ow save the soul and body if thou wilt come in will hereafter reject thee and cast thee out from the joyes of the world to come and damn thee though thou hadst a thousand souls without any pitty or yerning of bowels toward thee if thou shalt refuse him now 5. That which is worse then all the rest thou shalt have the very mercy of God the blood of Christ the preachers of the word together with every Sermon all the promises invitations exhortations and all the counsels and threatnings of the blessed word of God Nay besides thou shalt have all thy thoughts words and actions together with all thy food thy raiment thy sleep thy goods and also all hours dayes weeks moneths and years together with whatsoever else God hath given theâ—e I say thy abuse of all these shall come up in judgement against thy soul For God will reckon with thee for every thing whether it be good or bad Eccles 12.14 Again 7. Thy damnation will be worse then the damnation of the very devils forasmuch as thou wilt have not onely the law from God as a Creator which they also had to answer for the breach of But thou wilt have thy rejection of the tenders of the glorious Gospel of the glorious Lord Jesus to answer for as I said before which sin the devil was never in a capacity to commit inasmuch as he never had the Gospel tendered to him But thou vile wretch hast had it over and over once and again time after time and that with intreaties beseechings wishings and wooings by one messengers after another and yet hast rejectâ—d O wonderful calamity that is coming upon thee For first thou shalt fall into endless torment Secondly thou shalt groan and weep to see for what thou hast brought thy self into such a sad and miserable condition Thirdly thou shalt weep to think that weeping and repenting will do thee no good Fourthly thou shalt see thy neighbours in heaven thy Father Mother or other of thy relations but they shall not groan for thee but rather rejoyce that the judgements of God have found out thee so vile a wretch and are a punishing thee The righteous shall rejoyce when he seeth the vengeance he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked Psal 58.10 O woful woful One would think this enough if thou be not stark mad and fully bent to give the devil thy soul to make thee fly to Christ for succour and help that thou mayest be delivered in the day of trouble I say therefore consider seriously of these things 1. May not the very devils themselves come in against thee as well as Sodom that damned crue May not they I say come in against thee and say O thou simple man or woman O vile wretch that had not so much care of thy soul thy precious soul as the beast hath of his young or the dog of the very bone that lyeth before him Was thy soul worth so much and didst thou so little regard it were the thunder-claps of the law so terrible and didst thou so slight them Besides was the Gospel so freely so frequently so fully tendered to thee and yet hast thou rejected all these things Hast thou valued sin at an higher rate then thy soul then God Christ Angels Saints and Communion with them in eternal Blessedness and Glory Wast thou not told of hell fire those intollerable flames Didst thou never hear of the intollerable roarings of the damned ones that are therein Didst thou never hear or read that doleful saying in the 16. of Luke how the sinful man cries out among the flames One drop of water to cool my tongue Thus I say may the very devils being ready to go with thee into the burning furnace of fire and brimstone though not for sins of so high a nature as thine tremblingly say Oh that Christ had died for devils as he died for man And Oh that the Gospel had been preached to us as it hath been to thee O how glad would we have been of it How would we have laboured to have closed in with it But woe be to us for we might never have it profered no not in the least though we would have been glad of it But you you have had it profered preached and proclaimed unto you besides you have been intreated and beseeched to accept of it but you would not O simple fools that might have escaped wrath vengeance hell fire and that to all eternity and had no heart at all to do it 2 May not the messengers of Jesus Christ also come in with a shrill and terrible note against thy soul when thou standest at the bar of Gods Justice saying Nay thou ungodly one but how often hast thou been forewarned of this day Did we not sound an alarum in thine ears by the trumpet of Gods word day after day How often didst thou hear us tell thee of these things Did we not tell thee sin would damn thy soul Did we not tell thee that without conversion there was no salvation Did we not tell thee that they who loved their sins should be damned at this dark and gloomy day as thou art like to be Yet did we not tell thee that God out of his love to sinners sent Christ to die for them
that they were sent to do is then to be done their souls Christ eternity was scarce thought on before but now when mercilesse death begins to gripe them then do they begin to bethink themselves of those things which they should have got in readiness before and that is the reason why we so often hear many that lie upon their death beds to cry out for a little longer time and no wonder for they have the salvation of their souls to seek Oh sad case to have their work to do when the night is come and a Christ to seek when death hath found them take therefore the counsel of the holy Ghost Heb. 3.7 To day if you will hear his voice harden not your hearts Mark it is the Spirits counsel true the devil and thine own heart will tell thee another tale and be ready to whisper in thine ears thou mayest have time enough hereafter what need of so much haste another day may serve as well let thy soul be filled with pleasure a little longer and thy bags filled a little more thou mayest have time for this and that too Oh but this is the suggestion of an enemy that would cause thee to deferre so long that thy heart may grow too hard and thine ear too heavy to hear at all but certainly this being thy greatest business challengeth the first and greatest care Mat. 6.33 And let this be done then if thou shalt either have so much time to spare or a heart to do it take thy time for the other Sixthly this day of thy mercy and Christs importunity will not last long it is but a day and that a day of visitation indeed it is rich grace that there should be a day but dally not because it is but a day Jerusalem had her day but because therein she did not know the things of her peace a pitch night did overtake Luke 19.42.43 It is a day of patience and if thou despisest the riches of Gods goodness patience and long-suffering towards thee and art not thereby lead to repentance Rom. 2.5 A short time will make it a day of vengeance though now Christ calls because he is willing to save sinners yet he will not alwayes call see then that thou refuse not him that speaks from heaven in this Gospel-day Heb. 12.25 But seek him while he may be found and call upon him while he is near Isa 55.6 lest thou criest after him hereafter and he refuse thee It is not crying Lord Lord when the day of grace is past that will procure the least crumb of mercy Matth. 7.21 No if thou comest not when called but stayest while supper is ended thou shalt not taste thereof Luke 14.24 though a bit would save thy life thy soul if thou drinkest not of the fountain while it is opened thou shalt not when it is shut though thou beggest with tears of blood for one drop to cool thy scoarching flaming heart thou that mightest have had thy vessel full and wellcome shalt not now have so much as will hang on the tip of a finger Oh remember the axe is laid to the root of the tree Matth. 3.10 And although three years time may be granted through the Vine-dressers importunity that will soon be expired and then the axe that is now laid shall cut up the tree by its roots if it bring not forth good fruit Seest thou not that many of late have been snatched away on each side of thee by that hand that hath been stretched out and is so still and though thou mayst escape a while yet hast thou no assurance that the destroying Angel will long pass by thy door Oh then neglect thy soul no longer but consider time is short and uncertain eternity long thy work great thy soul immortal this world vanishing Christ precious hell hot and heaven desirable And if thou beest a Christian to whom this may come that hast not onely had a price in thy hand but wisdom given thee from above to make use of it and art one who whilst others are seeking to make this world and hell together sure to themselves spendest thy time and makest it thy onely business to make sure of the one thing necessary and heaven to thy soul I shall lay two or three things before thy thoughts First walk with a fixed eye upon the world to come Look not at the things which are seen that are temporal but at the things which are not seen that are eternal 2 Cor. 4.18 A Christians eye should be upon his journeys end as our Lord Jesus who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross Heb. 12.2 When the stones fled about Stephens ears His eyes were lifted up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God Acts 7.55 56. What though thou at present mayest lie at the rich mans gates yet a few dayes will translate thee into Abrahams bosome Though Israel had a sharp voyage through the wilderness yet Caleb and Joshua men of excellent spirits had their eye upon the good Land they were going to though graceless souls are too dull fighted to see a far off 2 Pet. 1.9 yet thou that hast received the unction from above dost in some measure know what is the hope of thy calling and what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints Secondly be satisfied with thy present condition though it be afflictive for it shall not last alwayes thy sorrows shall be short and thy joyes long roul thy self upon the Lord for there is a heaven will pay for all Christ first endured the cross before he wore the crown David before he was a King was a shepherd The poor man spoken of in this ensuing Treatise before he was carried into heaven had experiences of sorrow and sufferings on earth Let the flesh be silent in passing judgement on the dispensations of God towards thee and the men of this world in this present life David by prying too far herein with his own wisdom had almost caught a fall Psal 73. Though Gods judgements may be too deep for our reason to dive into yet are they alwayes righteous and his paths mercy and truth to those that keep his Covenants Psal 25.10 When Jeremiah would debate with the Lord concerning his judgements in the wickeds prosperity he would lay this down as an indubitable truth that his judgements were righteous Jer. 12.1 And his end was not to charge God but to learn understanding of him in the way of his judgements and although the wayes of his providence may be dark to his people that they cannot discern his footsteps yet are they alwayes consistent with his everlasting covenant and the results of the favour he bears to them If the wicked flourish like the grass it is that they should be destroyed for ever Psal 92.7 And if the godly have many a wave beating upon them yet will the Lord command his loving kindness
is John 13.20 Verily verily I say unto you he that receiveth whomsoever I send mark whomsoever receiveth me and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me The other is Luke 10.16 He that heareth you heareth me and he that despisest you despisest me and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me I. G. The Authour to the READER FRiend because it is a dangerous thing to be walking towards the place of darkness and anguish and again because it is notwithstanding the journey that most of the poor souls in the world are taking and that with delight and gladness as if there was the onely happiness to be found I have therefore thought it my duty being made sensible of the danger that will befall those that walk therein for the preventing of thee O thou poor man or woman to tell thee by opening this Parable what sad success those souls have had and are also like to have that have been or shall be found persevering therein We use to count him a friend that will forewarn his neighbour of the danger when he knoweth thereof and doth also see that the way that his his neighbour is walking in doth lead right thereto especially when we think that our neighbour may be either ignorant or carelesse of his way Why Friend it may be nay twenty to one but thou hast been ever since thou didst come into the world with thy back towards heaven and thy face towards hell and thou it may be either through ignorance or carelesnesse which is as bad if not worse hast been running full hastily that way ever since Why Friend I beseech thee put a little sâ—op to thy earnest race and tâ—ke a view of what entertainment thou art like to have if thou do indeed and in truth persist in this thy course Friend â—hy way leads down to death and thy steps take hold on hell * Prov 5.5 It may be the path indeed is pleasant to the flesh but the end thereof will be bitter to thy soul Hark dost thou hear the bitter cries of them that are but newly gone before saying Let him dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue that is so tormented in this flame * Luke 16. Dost thou not hear them say Send one from the dead to prevent my father my brother and my fathers house from comming into this place of torment Shall not then these mournfull groans pierce thy flinty heart Wilt thou stop thine ears and shut thy eyes and wilt thou not regard take warning and stop thy journey before it be too late Wilt thou be like the silly flie that is not quiet unlâ—ss she be either intangled in the spiders web or burned in the candle Wilt thou be like the bird that hasteth to the sâ—are of the Fowler Wilt thou he like that simple one named in the 7. of Proverbs That wilt be drawn to the slaughter by the cord of a silly lust O sinner sinner there is better things then hell to be had and at a cheaper rate by the thousand part then that O there is no comparison there is heaven theâ—e is God there is Christ there is communion with innumerable company of Saints and Angels hear the message then that God doth send that Christ doth send that Saints do bring nay that the dead do send unto thee How long ye simple ones will you love simplicity and ye scorners delight in scorning and ye fools hate knowledge Turn you at my reproof and behold I will pour out my Spirit unto you I will make known my words unto you I say hear this voice O silly one and turn and live thou sinful soul lest he make thee hear that other saying But because I have called and you have refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded I also will laugh at your calamity and mock when your fear cometh O poor soul if God and Christ did wish thee for thine harm it would be another matter then if thou didst refuse thou mightest have some excuse to make some fault to finde and some ground to make delayes O but this is for thy profit for thy advantage for the pardoning of thy sins the salvation of thy soul the delivering of thee from hell fire from the wrath to come from everlasting burnings into favor with God Christ and communion with all happiness that is so indeed But it may be thou wilt say all that hath been spoken to in this discourse is but a Parable and Parables are no realities I could put thee off with this answer that though it be a Parable yet it is a truth and not a lie and thou shalt finde it so too to thy cost if thou shalt be found a slighter of God Christ and the salvation of thy own soul But secondly know for certain that the things signified by Parables are wonderful realities O what a glorious reality was there signified by that Parable The kingdom of heaven is like to a net that is cast into the sea c. Signifying that sinners of all sorts of all Nations should be brought into Gods kingdom by the net of the Gospel And O how real a thing shall the other part thereof be when it s fulfilled which saith And when it was full they drew it to shore and put the good into vessels but threw the bad away signifying the mansions of glory that the Saints should have and also the rejection that God will give to the ungodly and to sinners And also that Parable what a glorious reality is there in it which saith Except a corn of wheat fall to the ground and die it abideth alone but if it die it doth bring forth much fruit To signifie that unless Jesus Christ did indeed spill his blood and die the cursed death he should abide alone that is have never a soul into glory with him but if he died he should bring forth much fruit that is save many sinners And also how real a truth there was in that Parable concerning the Jews putting of Christ to death which the poor dispersed Jews can best experience to their cost for they have been almost ever since a banished people and such as have had Gods sore displeasure wonderfully manifested against them according to the truth of the Parable * Mat. 21. v. 33. to 41 O therefore for Jesus Christs sake do not slâ—ght the truth because it is discovered in a Parable for by this argument thou mayest also nay thou wilt slight almost all the things that our Lord Jesus Christ did speak for he spake them for the most part if not all in parable Why should it be said of thee as it is said of some These things are spoken to them that are without in parables that seeing they might not see and that hearing they might not understand Luke 8.10 I say take heed of being a quarreller against Christ parables lest Christ also objecteth against the salvation of
also deceived for as it is here in the Parable a man of wealth and a childe of the devil may make but one person or thus a man may have abundance of outward enjoyments and yet be carried by the devils into eternal burnings But this is the trap in which the devil hath caught many thousands of poor souls namely by getting them to judge according to outward appearance Do but ask a poor carnal covetous wretch how we should know a man to be in a happy estate and he will answer Those that God blesseth and giveth abundance of this world unto when for the most part they are they that are the the cursed men Alas poor men they are so ignorant as to think that because a man is increased in outward things and that by a small stock therefore God doth love that man with a special love or else he would never do so much for him never bless him so and prosper the work of his hands Ah! poor soul it is the rich man that goes to hell And the rich man died and in hell mark in hell he lift up his eyes c. Methinks to see how the great ones of the world will go strutting up and down the streets sometimes it makes me wonder Surely they look upon themselves to be the onely happy men but it is because they judge according to outward appearance they look upon themselves to be the onely blessed men when the Lord knows the generality are left out of that blessed condition Not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called 1 Cor. 1.26 Ah! did they that do now so brag that no body dare scarce look on them but believe this it would make thâ—m hang down their heads and cry O give me a Lazarus portion I might here enlarge very much but I shall not onely thus much I shall say to you that have much of this world Have a care that you have not your portion in this world take heed that it be not said to you hereafter when you would very willingly have heaven Remember in your life time you had your good things in your life time you had your porâ—â—on Psalm 17.14 And Friend thou that seekest after this world and desirest riches let me ask this question wouldest thou be content that God should put thee off with a portion in this life Wouldest thou be glad to be kept out of heaven with a back well cloathed and a belly well filled with the dainties of this world Wouldest thou be glad to have all thy good things in thy life time to have thy heaven to last no longer then while thou dost live in this world Wouldest thou be willing to be deprived of eternal happiness and felicity If you say no then have a care of the world and thy sins have a care of desiring to be a rich man lest thy table be made a snare unto thee lest the wealth in this world do bar thee out of glory For as the Apostle saith They that wâ—ll be rich do fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in perdition and destruction 1 Tim. 6.9 Thus much in general but now more particularly These two men here spoken of as I said do hold forth to us the state of the godly and ungodly the beggar holdeth forth the godly and the rich man the ungodly There was a certain rich man c. But â—hy are the ungodly held forth under the notion of a rich man 1. Because Christ would no have them look too high as I said before but that those who have riches should have a care that they be not all their portion 2. Because rich men are most liable to the devils temptations are most ready to be puft up with pride stoutness cares of this world in which things they spend most of their time in lusts drunkenness wantonness idleness together with the other works of the flesh For which things sake the wrath of God comith upon the children of disobedience Col. 3.6 3. Because he would comfort the hearts of his own which are most commonly of the poorer sort But God hath chosen the poor despised and base things of this world 1 Cor. 1.26 Should God have set the â—ich man in the blessâ—d state his children would have concluded being poor that they had no share in the life to come And again had not God given such a discovery of the sad condition of those that are for the most part rich men we should have had men conclude absolutely that the rich are the blessed men Nay albeit the Lord himself doth so evidently declare that the rich ones of the world are for the most part in the saddest condition yet they through unbelief or else presumption do harden themselves and seek for the glory of this world as though the Lord Jesus Christ did not mean as he said or else that he will say more then shall assuredly come to pass but let them know that the Lord hath a time to fulfil that he had a time to declare for the Scripture cannot be bâ—oken But again the Lord by this word doth not mean those are ungodly who aâ—e rich in the world and no other for then must all those that are poor yet graceless and vain men be saved and delivered from eternal vengeance which w uld be contrary to the word of God which saith That together with the kings of the earth and the great men and the chief captains and the mighty men there are bond-men or servants and slaves that cry out at the appearance of the Almighty God and his Son Jesus Christ to Judgement Rev. 6.15 So that though Christ doth say There was a certain rich man yet you must understand he meaneth all the ungodly riâ—â— or poor Nay if you will not understand it so now you shall be made to understand it to be so meant at the day of Christs second comming when all that are ungodly shall stand at the left hand of Christ with pale faces and guilty consciences with the vials of the Almighties wrath ready to be powred out upon them Thus much in brief touching the 19. verse I might have observed other things from it but now I forbear having other things to speak of at this time Verse 20. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus which was laid at his gate full of sores Verse 20. THis verse doth chiefly hold forth these things 1. That the Saints of God are a poor contemptible people There was a certain beggar If you understand the word beggar to hold forth outward poverty or scarcity in outward things the Saints of the Lord for they are for the most part a poor despised contemptible people But if you allegorize it and interpret it â—â—us They are such as beg earnestly for heavenly food this is also the spirit of the Children of God and it may be and is a truth in this
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
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
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
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
destruction insomuch that he will have to answer for his own sins and for a great part of his neighbours too which will still adde to his destruction as that Scripture in Ezek. sheweth where speaking of the watchman that should give the people warning if he did not though the man did die in his sins yet his blood should be required at the watchmans hand Ezek. 33. So here let me tell thee that if thou shouldest be such an one as by thy conversation and practices shalt be a trap and a stumbling-block to cause thy neighbour to fall into eternal ruine though he be damned for his own sin yet God may nay he will charge thee as being guilty of his blood in that thou didst not content thy self to keep from heaven thy self but didst also by thy filthy conversation keep away others also cause them to fall with thee O therefore will not this aggravate thy torment Yea if thou shouldest die and go to hell before thy neighbour or companions besides the guilt of thine own sins thou wouldest be so loaden with the fear of the damnation of others to be laid to thy charge that thou wouldest cry out O send one from the dead to this companion and that companion with whom I had society in my life time for I see my cursed carriage will be one cause of his condemnation if he fall short of glory It is true I left him living in foul and hainous offences But I was one of the first instruments to bring him to them Oh I shall be guilty both of mine own and his damnation too that he might be kept out hence lest my torment be aggravated by his comming hither For as I said before where ungodly people do dwell together they being a snare and stumbling-block one to another by their practices they must needs be a torment one to another and an aggravation of each others damnation O cursed be thy face saith one that ever I set mine eyes on thee It was long of thee I may thank the it was thee that did intice me and ensnare me it was your filthy conversation that was as a stumbling-block to me it was your covetousness it was your pride your haunting the Alehouse your gaming and whoring it was long oâ— you that I fell short of life if you had set me a good example as you did set me an ill one it may be I might have done better then now I do But I learned of you I followed your steps I took counsel of you O that I had never seen thy face O that thou hadst never been born to do my soul this wrong as you have done O saith the other And I may as much blame you for do not you remember how at such a time and at such a time you drew me out and drew me away and asked me if I would go with you when I was going about other business about my calling but you called me away you sent for me you are as much in the fault as I though I were covetous you were proud and if you learned covetousness of me * This language is sometimes heard at the gallows but for ought that I can learn it is more to be heard in hell I learned pride and drunkenness of you though I learned you to cheat you learned me to whore to lye to scoff at goodness Though I base wretch did stumble you in some things yet you did as much stumble me in others I can blame you as you blame me and if I have to answer for some of your most filthy actions you have to answer for some of mine I would you had not come hither the very looks of you doth wound my soul by bringing my sins afresh into my mind the time when the manner how the place where the persons with whom it was with you you grief to my soul since I could not shun thy company there Oh! that I had been without thy company here I say therefore for these that have sinned together to go to hell together it will very much perplex and torment them both Therefore I judge this is one reason why they that are in hell do desire that their friends or companions do not come thither into the same place of torment that they are in And therefore where Christ saith that these damned souls cry out Send to our companions that they may be warned and commanded to look to themselves O send to my five brethren it is because they would not have their own torments heightned by their company and a sense yea a continual sense of their sins which they did cause them to commit when they were in the world with them For I do believe that the very looks of those that have been beguiled by their fellows I say their very looks will be a torment to them for thereby will the remembrance of their own sins be kept if possible the fresher on their consciences which they committed with them and also they will wonderfully have the guilt of the others sins upon them in that they weâ—e partly the cause of his committing â—â—em being instruments in the hands of the devil to draw them into them And therefore lest this come to pass I pray thee send him to my fathers house For if they might not come hither peradventure my torment might have some mitigation that is if they might be saved then their sins will be pardoned and not so heavily charged on my soul But if they do fall into the same place where I am the sins that I have caused them to commit will lie so heavy not only on their souls but also on mine that they will be enough to sink me into eternal misery deeper and deeper O therefore send him to my fathers house to my five brethren and let him testifie to them lest they come into this place of torment These words being thus understood What a condition doth it shew them to be in then that now so much delight in being the very ring-leaders of their companions into sins of all sorts whatsoever Now while men live here if they can be counted the cunningest in cheating the boldest for lying the archest for whoring the subtillest for coveting and getting the world Now if men can but cunningly defraud undermine cross and anger their neighbours yea and hinder their neighbours from the means of Grace the Gospel of Christ they can now glory in 't take a pride in 't and think themselves pretty well at ease and there minds and are somewhat quiet being beguiled with sin But my friend when thou hast lost this life and dost begin to lift up thine eyes in hell and seest what thy sins have brought thee to and not onely so but that thou by thy filthy sins didst cause others devil-like to fall into the same condemnation with thee And that one of the reasons of their damnation was this that thou didst lead them to the commission of those wicked
words have still something more in them then I have yet observed from them there are one or two things more that I shall briefly touch upon and therefore Mark he saith That he may testifie unto them lest c. Mark I pray you and take notice of the word Testifie He doth not say and let him go unto them or speak with or tell them such and such things No but let him testifie or affirme it constantly in case any should oppose it Let him testifie to them It is the same word the Scripture useth to set forth the vehemencie of Christ his telling of his disciples of him that should betray him And he testified saying One of you shall betray me And he testified that is he spake it so as to dash or overcome any that should have said it shall not be so It is a word that signifies thus much That in case any should oppose the things spoken of yet that the party speaking should still continue constant in his saying And he commanded them to preach and to testifie that it is he which was ordained of God to be the juâ—ge of quick and dead To testifie Mark that is to be constant irresistible undanted in case it should be opposed and objected against So here let him testifie to them lest they come into this place of torment From whence observe That it is not an easie matter to perswade them who are in their sins alive in this world that they must and shall be damned if they turne not and be converted to God Let him testifie to them let him speak confidently though they frown upon him or dislike his way of speaking to them And how is this truth verified and cleared by the carriages of almost all men now in the world toward them that do preach the Gospel and shew their own miserable state plainly to them if they close not with it If a man do but indeed labour to convince sinners of their sins and lost condition by nature though they must be damned if they live and die in that condition Oh how angry are they at it Look how he judges say they hark how he condemns us he tells us we must be damned if we live and die in this state we are offended at him we cannot abide to hear him or any such as he we will believe none of them all but go on in the way we are a going I say tell the drunkard he must be damned if he leave not his drunkenness the swearer liar cheater thief covetous railers or any ungodly persons they must and shall lie in hell for it if they die in this condition they will not believe you nor credit you Again tell others that there are many in hell that have lived and died in their conditions and so are they like to be if they convert not to Jesus Christ and be found in him Again there are others that are more civil and sober men who although we know that their civility will not save them if we do but tell them plainly of the emptiness and unprofitableness of that as to the saving of their souls and that God will not accept them nor love them notwithstanding these things and that if they intend to be saved they must be better provided than with such a righteousness as this they will either fling away and come to hear no more or else if they do come they will bring such prejudice with them in their hearts that the word preached shall not profit them it being mixed not with faith but with prejudice in them that hear it Nay they will some of them be so full of anger that they will break out and call even those that speak the truth Heretiques and say they would deceive them And why so Because they tell them that if they live in their sins that will damne them yet if the turne and live a righteous life according to the holy and just and good law of God that will not save them Yea because we tell them plainly that unless they leave their sins and righteousness too and close in with a naked Jesus Christ his blood and merits and what he hath done and is now doing for sinners they cannot be saved And unless they do eat the flesh of the Sonne of man and drink his blood they have no life abiding in them they gravel presently and are offended at it as the Jews were with Christ for speaking of the same thing to them Joh. 6.53 60. and fling away themselves the souls and all by quarrelling against the doctrine of the Sonne of God as indeed they do though they will not believe they do and therefore he that is a Preacher of the word had need not onely tell them but testifie to them again and again that their sins if they continue in them will damne them and damne them again And tell them again their living honestly according to the law their paying every one their own their living quietly with their neighbours their giving to the poor their notion of the Gospel and saying they do believe in Christ will do them no good at the general day of Judgement they are offended also Ha friends how many of you are there at this very day that have been told once and again of your lost undone condition because you want the right reall and saving work of God upon our souls I say hath not this been told you yea testified unto you from time to time that your state is miserable that yet you are never the better but do still stand where you did some in an openly ungodly life and some drowned in a self-conceited holiness of Christianity Therefore for Gods sake if you love your souls consider and beg of God for Jesus Christs sake that he would work such a work of grace in your hearts and give you such a faith in his Sonne Jesus Christ that you may not onely have rest here as you think not onely think your state safe while you live here but that you may be safe indeed not onely here but also when you are gone lest you do cry in the anguish and perplexity of your souls O send one to my companions that have been beguiled by Satan as I have been and so by going on come into this place of torment as I have done Again one thing more is to be observed from these words Let him testifie to them lest they come into this place of torment Mark lest they come in as if he had said or else they will come into this place of torment as sure as I am here From whence observe That though some souls for sin do fall into the bottomless pit of hell before their fellows because they depart this world before them yet the other abiding in the same course are as sure to go to the same place as if they were there already How so Because they are all condemned together they have all fallen under the same
Verse 31. and the Lord give thee understanding For a miserable end will those have that go on sinning against God rejecting his word Other things might have been observed from this verse which at this time I shall pass by partly because the sum of them hath been touched already and may be more clearly hinted at in the following verse and therefore I shall speak a few words to the next verse and to draw towards a conclusion Ver. 31. And he said unto him If they hear not Moses and the Prophets neither will they be perswaded though one rise from the dead ANd he said That is and God made answer to the words spoken in the verse before And he said unto him If they hear not Moses c. As if he had said Moses was a man of great renown A man of worthy note A man that talked with God face to face as a man speaketh to his friend The words that Moses spake were such as I commanded him to speak Let who will question them I will own them credit them bless them that close in with them and curse those that reject them I my self sent the prophets they did not run of their own heads I gave them commission I thrust them out and told them what they should say In a word they have told the world what my mind is to do both to sinners and to saints They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them Therefore he that shall reject and turn his back either upon the threatnings counsels admonitions invitations promises or whatsoever else I have commanded them to speak as to salvation and life and to directions therein shall be sure to have a share in the many curses that they have spoken and the destruction that is pronounced by them Again if they hear not Moses and the Prophets c. As if he had said thou wouldest have me send one from the dead unto them what needs that They have my mind already I have declared unto them what I intend to stand to both for saving them that believe and damning them that do not That therefore which I have said I will make good whether they hear or forbear And as for this desire of yours you had as good desire me to make a new Bible and so to revoke my first sayings by the mouth of my prophets But I am God and not man and my word is immutable unchangeable and shall stand as fast as my decrees can make it Heaven and earth shall pass away but one jot or tittle of my word shall not pass If thou hadst ten thousand brethren and every one in danger of losing his soul if they did not close in with what is contained and recorded in the Scriptures of truth they must even every one of them perish and be for ever damned in hell for the Scriptures cannot be broken I did not send them so unadvisedly to recall it again by another consideration No for I speak it righteousness and judgement Isa 63.1 2 3. and in much wisdom and counsel It being therefore gone out of my mouth in this manner it shall not return in vain until it hath accomplished the thing whereto I have sent it But again thou supposest that miracles and wonders will work more on them which makes thee say send one from the dead But herein thou art mistaken for I have proved them with that once and again by more then one or two or three of my servants How many miracles did my servant Moses work by commandment from me in the land of Egypt at the red sea and in the wilderness yet they of that generation were never the sooner converted for that but notwithstanding rebelled lusted and in their hearts turned back into Egypt Acts 7. How many miracles did Samuel David Elias Elisha Daniel and the Prophets together with my Sonne who raised the dead cast out devils made them to see that were borne blind gave and restored limbs yet for all this as I said before they hated him they crucified him I raised him again from the dead and he appeared to his disciples who were called and chosen and faithful and he gave them commandment and commission to go and testifie the truth of this to the world and to confirme the same he inabled them to speak with divers tongues and to work miracles most plentifully yet there was great persecution raised against them insomuch that but a few of them died in their beds And therefore though thou thinkest that a miracle will do so much with the world yet I say No. For if they will not believe Moses and the Prophets neither will they be perswaded though one should rise from the dead From these words therefore take notice of this truth namely that those who reject and believe not Moses and the Prophets are a very hard-hearted people that will not be perswaded though one rise from the dead Again they that regard not the holy Scriptures to turn to God finding them to testifie of his goodness and mercie there is but little hopes of their salvation for they will not Mark They will not be perswaded though one should rise from the dead This truth is confirmed by Jesus Christ himself If you read Joh. 5. where the Lord is speaking of himself that he is the very Christ he brings in four or five witnesses to back what he said First John Baptist. 2 The works that his Father gave him to do 3. His Father speaking from heaven 4. The testimony of the Scriptures when all this was done seeing yet they would not believe he layes the fault upon one of these two things 1. Their regarding an esteem among men 2. Their not believing of the Prophets writings even Moses and the rest For had ye believed Moses saith he ye would have believed me why For he wrote of me But if ye believe not his writings how can ye believe my words Now I say he that shall slight the Scriptures and the testimonie of the prophets in them concerning Jesus Christ must needs be in great danger of losing his soul if he abide in this condition because he that slights the testimony doth also slight the thing that is testified of let him say what he will and say the contrary never so often For as Jesus Christ hath here laid down the reason of mens not receiving him so the Apostle in another place layes down the reason again with an high and mighty aggravation 1 Joh. 5.10 saying He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself he that believeth not God hath made him a liar because he believeth not the Record Mark the Record that God gave of his Son The record you will say what is that Even the testimony that God gave of him by the mouth of all the holy Prophets since the world began Acts 3.20 That is God sending his holy Spirit into the hearts of his servants the Prophets and Apostles he by
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
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
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
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