<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2013-04-30</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Alexis Jakobson</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>*Proofed title page(s).
*Reviewed structure.
*Checked division-marking material at heads and feet of divisions (HEADS, CLOSER, OPENER, ARGUMENT, EPIGRAPH, SIGNED, BYLINE, etc.).
*Added TYPEs to DIVs in order to validate.
*Checked for N=""s.
*Checked ^s.
*Checked placement and completeness of PBs.
*Checked for foreign, damage and missing-page GAPs, #, --.
*Checked for LBs, startqs / endqs, q;s, ABBRs, LETTERs and Qs.
*Checked for FIGUREs and decorated initials.
*Checked proofsheets and made corrections found there.
*Corrected <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">s etc.
*Converted <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">s to GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="[vendor name]".
*Revalidated.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A77813">
<STC T="W">B5516</STC>
<STC T="T">E1927_2</STC>
<STC T="C">R210338</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99869147</BIBNO>
<VID>170678</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A FEW Sighs from Hell, OR, <HI>The Groans of a damned Soul.</HI></P>
<P>OR, An Expo&s;ition of tho&s;e Words in the &s;ix|teenth of <HI>Luke,</HI> Concerning the Rich Man and the Beggar: Wherein is di&s;covered the <HI>Lamen|table</HI> State of the damned: their cries, their de|&s;ires in their di&s;tre&s;&s;es, with the determination of God upon them. A good warning Word to Sin|ners, both Old and Young, to take into <HI>Con&s;ide|ration</HI> betimes, and to &s;eek by Faith in Je&s;us Chri&s;t to avoid, le&s;t they come into the &s;ame place of torment.</P>
<P>ALSO A brief Di&s;cour&s;e touching the profitablene&s;s of the Scriptures for our In&s;truction in the way of Righteou&s;ne&s;s, according to the ten|dancy of the &s;aid Parable.</P>
<P>By that Poor and Contemptible Servant of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, JOHN BUNYAN.</P>
<Q>The wicked &s;hall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God, <BIBL><HI>P&s;al. 9.17.</HI></BIBL></Q>
<Q>And who&s;oever was not found written in the book of life, was ca&s;t into the lake of fire, <BIBL><HI>Revel. 20.15.</HI></BIBL></Q>
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed by <HI>Ralph Wood,</HI> for <HI>M. Wright,</HI> at the Kings Head in the <HI>Old Bailey,</HI> 1658.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>To the Reader.</HEAD>
<P>IT is &s;ad to &s;ee how the mo&s;t of men neglect their precious &s;ouls, turning their backs up|on the glorious Go&s;pel, and little minding a crucified Je&s;us, when in the mean while their bodies are well provided for, their e&s;tates much regarded, and the things of this pre&s;ent life are highly prized; as if the darling was of le&s;s value then a clod of earth, an immortal &s;oul then a peri&s;hing body, a precious Savior then un&s;atisfying creatures: Yea, though they have been often wooed with gracious intreaties, glo|rious promi&s;es, and fre&s;h bleeding wounds to make choice of the bet|ter part, that &s;hall never be taken from them, yet alas &s;uch influence hath this world and the plea&s;ures
<PB REF="3"> of it, and &s;uch is the blindne&s;s of their under&s;tandings, that they con|tinue &s;till to hunt after tho&s;e things which cannot profit, nor be a help to them in the wor&s;t hour; yea, that will prove no better then poy|&s;on to their &s;ouls, and refu&s;e that would be (if embraced) their hap|pine&s;s here, and their glory hereaf|ter: &s;uch a &s;trange &s;tupidity hath &s;eized upon the hearts of men, that they will venture the lo&s;s of their immortall &s;ouls for a few dying comforts; and will expo&s;e them|&s;elves to endle&s;s mi&s;ery, for a mo|ments mirth, and &s;hort-liv'd plea|&s;ures. 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 &s;hall not onely &s;eparate their &s;ouls 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
<PB REF="3"> for their &s;ouls? Be wi&s;e then (O Reader, to who&s;e &s;ight this may come) before it be too late, and thou repent, when repentance &s;hall be hid from thine eyes; el&s;e it will be as a dagger to thine heart one day, to remember what a Chri&s;t, what a &s;oul, what a heaven thou ha&s;t lo&s;t, for a few plea&s;ures, a lit|tle mirth, a &s;hort enjoyment of this pre&s;ent world; yea, and that after many warnings, again&s;t many re|proofs, and notwith&s;tanding the many tenders of a full Chri&s;t, in|&s;tead of tho&s;e empty vanities, which thy &s;oul clo&s;ed with, hunted after, and would by no means be per&s;waded to part withall. No, but thou woulde&s;t take thy time, and &s;wim in this worlds delights, though thy &s;oul thereby was drowned in perdition and de&s;tructi|on, 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 6.9. True, few there are that will be per&s;waded, that this cour&s;e they take, though their dai|ly conver&s;ations do bear witne&s;s
<PB REF="4"> to it: for how much time is &s;pent, and how much care is the hearts of men fill'd withall, after attaining, keeping, and increa&s;ing the&s;e things? And how &s;eldom do they trouble their heads, to have their mindes taken up with thoughts of the better? Cumbring them&s;elves with many things, but wholly neg|lecting the one thing nece&s;&s;ary; yea, whereby do they mea&s;ure their own or other mens happine&s;s, but by the large incomes of this worlds good, accounting this the greate&s;t, if not the onely ble&s;&s;edne&s;s, to have their corn, wine and oyl increa&s;e in abundance, and reckoning tho&s;e that are mo&s;t &s;erious about, and earne&s;t after the world to come, men of fooli&s;h &s;pirits, giddy brains, and worthy to be branded in the forehead for &s;imple deluded ones. But &s;urely he is the mo&s;t fool that will be one at la&s;t, and he that God calls &s;o (<HI>Luke</HI> 12.20.) will pa&s;s for one in the end: yea, within a
<PB REF="4"> &s;hort time they them&s;elves &s;hall change their notes. Ask the rich man &s;poken of in the en&s;uing Trea|ti&s;e, who was the fool? he, or <HI>La|zarus?</HI> and he will &s;oon re&s;olve the que&s;tion, that he now &s;ees, and by wofull experience finds, (what|&s;oever his former thoughts were) that he, not <HI>Lazarus</HI> was the &s;illy deluded one, for he, fool like, pre|ferred the wor&s;e things before the better, and refu&s;ed that which once might have been had, but now he hath &s;lipt the time, it cannot be gained; when this poor man (know|ing the day of his vi&s;itation) was making &s;ure of that glory which he now enjoyes, and &s;hall enjoy for evermore. So that in this Parable (if I may &s;o call it) thou &s;halt finde that Scripture confirmed, <HI>That the triumphing of the wicked is &s;hort,</HI> Job 20.5. Together with that, <HI>That the temptations (or afflictions) of the righteous, which cau&s;e heavine&s;s, are but for a &s;ea&s;on,</HI> 1 Pet. 1.6. And in
<PB REF="5"> this treati&s;e both of tho&s;e are large|ly opened and explained. Behold here a rich man cloathed in &s;ilks, fed with delicates, and faring deli|ciou&s;ly every day: but look a little further, and &s;o, this man cloathed with vengeance, roaring under tor|ments, and earne&s;tly begging for a drop of water to cool his tongue, a &s;ad change. On the other hand here thou &s;halt &s;ee a poor, but a gra|cious man, with a pinched belly, naked back, and running &s;oars, beg|ing at the rich mans gate for a mor|&s;ell to feed his belly, a &s;ad &s;tate, yet but &s;hort: for look again, and be|hold this beggar gloriou&s;ly carried (as in a Chariot of triumph by the Angels into <HI>Abrahams</HI> bo&s;ome, &s;hining in glory, cloathed with beautiful garments, and his &s;oul &s;at down with <HI>Abraham, I&s;aac</HI> and <HI>Jacob,</HI> in the kingdom of the Father; his rags are gone, his &s;oars healed, and his &s;oul filled with joy un|&s;peakable, and full of glory; the
<PB REF="5"> one carried not his co&s;tly fare, and his gorgeous apparel with him into hell, nor the other his cour&s;e diet, mouldy bread, filthy rags, and ul|cerous body into heaven; but the happine&s;s of the one, and the mi&s;e|ry of the other took their leaves at the grave; the worldly mans porti|on was but for his life, and the godly mans afflictions la&s;ted no longer, <HI>For mark the perfect, and be|hold the upright, for the end of that man is peace, but the end of the wick|ed &s;hall be cut off,</HI> P&s;al. 37.37, 38. His pre&s;ent comforts, his future hopes, and his cur&s;ed &s;oul together; yea, though he lives many dayes, and rejoyces in them all, yet the dayes of darkne&s;s will overtake him, and his eye &s;hall &s;ee no more good; in his life time he enjoyed his good things, and at the hour of death legions of devils will be&s;et him, innumerable evils will befall him: and then &s;hall he pay full dear for all the plea&s;ures of &s;in, that
<PB REF="6"> have carried away his heart from clo&s;ing with, and following the Lord in the day of his pro&s;perity. Ungodly men, becau&s;e they feel no changes now, they fear none here|after, but flatter them&s;elves with dying as the godly, though their life is con&s;umed in wickedne&s;s, and their &s;trength in providing for, and &s;atisfying the lu&s;ts of the fle&s;h, but as it fared with wicked <HI>Balaam,</HI> &s;o &s;hall it fare with the&s;e, and their vain hopes will prove a feeding up|on a&s;hes through their deceived heart, that hath turned them a&s;ide, <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> 44.20. <HI>For they that &s;ow to the fle&s;h, &s;hall of the fle&s;h reap corrupti|on,</HI> Galat. 6.8. <HI>And they that plow iniquity, and &s;ow wickedne&s;s, &s;hall reap the &s;ame,</HI> Job 4.8. Ho&s;ea 8.7. <HI>But they that &s;ow to the Spirit, &s;hall of the Spirit reap life everla&s;ting.</HI> Say ye then to the righteous, it &s;hall go well with him, however it goes with him now, a few dayes will produce a happy change, <HI>It &s;hall go
<PB REF="6"> well with him that feareth the Lord,</HI> Eccle&s;. 8.12. Go on then (O &s;oul) thou that ha&s;t &s;et thy face towards heaven though the ea&s;t-wind beats upon thee, and thou finde trouble and &s;orrow; the&s;e &s;hall endure but for a night, joy will undoubtedly come in the morning: be&s;ides tho&s;e &s;weet vi&s;its thou &s;halt have from thy precious Saviour in this thy day of darkne&s;s, wait but a while, and thy darkne&s;s &s;hall be turned in|to light. <HI>When the light of the wick|ed &s;hall be put out, and the &s;park of his fire</HI> (wherewith he warmed him|&s;elf) <HI>&s;hall not &s;hine,</HI> Job 18.5. Grudge not to &s;ee the wicked pro|&s;per, and their &s;teps wa&s;hed with butter, but rather put on bowels of mercy, and pitty, as the elect of God, knowing that they are &s;et in &s;lippery places, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 73.18. And their day is coming, when fearful horrour &s;hall &s;uprize them, and hell be opened to receive them: nor yet be di&s;quieted in thy minde, that
<PB REF="7"> troubles and afflictions do be&s;et thee round: for as a wor&s;er thing is re&s;erved for them, &s;o a better is prepared for thee. Do they drink wine in bowls? and do&s;t thou min|gle thy tears with thy drink? Do they live in plea&s;ures, and &s;pend their dayes in wealth? and do&s;t thou &s;igh and mourn in &s;ecret? Well, there is a cup for them in the hand of the Lord, the wine where|of is red, and full of mixture, which they mu&s;t drink up the dregs, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 75.8. And the Lord hath a bottle for thy tears; <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 56.8. And a book fo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> thy &s;ecret &s;ighs, and ere long thy brin<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;h tears &s;hal be turned into the &s;weete&s;t wine, which thou &s;halt drink new in the kingdom of the Father, and thy &s;ecret &s;ighs in|to glorious prai&s;es, when thy mouth &s;hall be filled with laughter, and thy eyes &s;ee the King in his glory.</P>
<P>Now con&s;idering that the&s;e lines may be brought to the &s;ight, both
<PB REF="7"> of the one &s;ort and the other, I &s;hall lay a few things before the thought of each, and fir&s;t to the wor&s;er &s;ort.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, con&s;ider what an ill bar|gain thou wilt make to &s;ell thy pre|cious &s;oul for a &s;hort continuance in thy &s;ins and plea&s;ures; if that man drives but an ill trade, who to gain the world, &s;hould lo&s;e his &s;oul, <HI>Matth.</HI> 16.26. then certainly thou a far wor&s;e, that &s;ells thy &s;oul for a very trifle. Oh, 'tis pitty that &s;o precious a thing &s;hould be parted withall, to be made a prey for the devouring lion, for that which is wor&s;e then nothing; if they were branded for de&s;perate wretches, that cau&s;ed their children to pa&s;s through the fire to <HI>Molech,</HI> &s;urely thou much more that gives thy &s;oul to devouring flames, to be fewel for the everla&s;ting fire, upon &s;o ea|&s;ie tearms; what meane&s;t thou, O man, to truck with the devils? Is there no better merchandize to
<PB REF="8"> trade in, then what comes from hell, or out of the bowels of the earth? and to be had upon no low|er rates, then thy immortal &s;oul? Yes, &s;urely the merchandize of wi&s;dom, which is better then the <HI>merechandize of &s;ilver, and the gain thereof then fine gold,</HI> Prov. 3.14. Prov. 8.19. is expo&s;ed to &s;ale. Rev. 3.18. And to be had with|out money or price; and if thou &s;houlde&s;t part with any thing for it, it is &s;uch, that it is better to part withal then to keep. The wi&s;e Merchant that &s;ought a goodly pearl, having found one, &s;old all that he had, not him&s;elf, not his &s;oul; and all that he &s;old was in it &s;elf not worth a farthing, and yet obtained the Pearl, <HI>Mat.</HI> 13.45, 46. <HI>Paul</HI> made the like exchange when he threw away his own righ|teou&s;ne&s;s, which was but rags, yea, filthy rags, <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> 64.6. And put on the garment of &s;alvation, and ca&s;t away to the dunghil that which
<PB REF="8"> was once his gain, and won Chri&s;t, <HI>Phil.</HI> 3.8. Thou neede&s;t not ca&s;t away thy &s;oul for puddle plea&s;ures, behold the fountain of living water is &s;et open, and thou invited to it, to take and drink thy belly, thy &s;oul full without price or money, <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> 55.1.</P>
<P N="2">2^l^y^. Take a &s;hort (yet let it not be a &s;light) view of the be&s;t of the things men prize &s;o high, that for the love of, they lo&s;e their &s;ouls: what are they? Even painted no|things, promi&s;ing vanities, (like the apples of <HI>Sodom,</HI> fair to the eye, but being touched, turn to du&s;t: or like our Mother <HI>Eve's,</HI> that had a beau|tiful look, but being ta&s;ted, brings forth death) which for the mo&s;t part have proved &s;nares to the ow|ners, and alwayes mi&s;erable com|forters at the parting, they cannot &s;atisfie in life; for the more of the&s;e things are had, the more (with a di&s;quieted &s;pirit) are they reached after, and what comes in, &s;erves
<PB REF="9"> but to whet up the greedy un&s;atis|fied appetite after more. <HI>The world pa&s;&s;eth away, and the lust thereof,</HI> 1 John 2.17. Though mo&s;t men content them&s;elves with the&s;e, yet it is not in the&s;e to &s;atisfie them, and had they but one glimp&s;e of the world to come, one cranny of light to di&s;cern the riches of Chri&s;t, and the lea&s;t ta&s;te of the plea&s;ures that are at the right hand of God, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 16.11. They would be as little &s;a|tisfied without a &s;hare in them, as they are now with what of worldly things they enjoy: much le&s;s can they ea&s;e from pain at death, clap a bag of gold (as one once did) to thy &s;inking &s;pirit, pained body, and tormented con&s;cience, and it can neither chear up the one, nor appea&s;e the other, lea&s;t of all can they deli|ver from, or yield comfort after death; tho&s;e cannot &s;erve as a bribe to death, to pa&s;s thee by, nor yet bring comfort to thy &s;oul, when thou art gone: the rich fools large
<PB REF="9"> crop and great increa&s;e, could not procure one nights re&s;pite, nor one moments comfort. Be&s;ides, God regards them &s;o little, that fre|quently he gives the large&s;t &s;hare of them, to whom he hateth mo&s;t, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 17.14. And the lea&s;t to them who are the excellent in the earth, in whom his &s;oul delights, although he hath made them heirs of the Kingdom, <HI>Jam.</HI> 2.5. Yet doth he be&s;tow but a &s;mall portion of the&s;e worldly things upon them, hereby declaring to all, how little he &s;ets by tho&s;e things which mo&s;t &s;et &s;o much by, and to draw up our hearts, mindes and affections to the things above: yea, <HI>His own Son that he appointed heir of all things,</HI> Heb. 1.2. &s;hall come forth neither of rich kindred, nor attended with gal|lants, nor yet accoutred with the worlds glory, but in a low, mean, and abject condition, at who&s;e birth a manger received him, and through his life, &s;orrows, wants,
<PB REF="10"> and &s;ufferings did attend, and at the end a &s;hameful death (in the worlds e&s;teem) befals him, and by all this he &s;hews his contempt of the worldly mans darling. Ca&s;t not away thy &s;oul then, O man, in &s;eeking after, &s;olacing thy &s;elf in, and contenting thy &s;elf with this pre&s;ent world; for though thou maye&s;t make gold thy hope, and put thy confidence in thy wealth, yet when this thy hope &s;hall fail, and thy confidence &s;lip from thee, (as &s;ure it will ere long) glad would|e&s;t thou be of the lea&s;t drop of the water of life, and the lea&s;t filing of that precious gold, (that thou art now called upon to drink of, and to buy for thy &s;elf) but alas they &s;hall not be had, then: O then what profit will thy trea&s;ures of wicked|ne&s;s yield thee! and whereto will thy thick clay that thou ha&s;t hoor|ded up, and thy carnal plea&s;ures which thou ha&s;t drunk down, as the fi&s;h drinks down water: where|to
<PB REF="10"> I &s;ay will they &s;erve, unle&s;s to weigh thee the deeper into hell, and increa&s;e the fire, when it &s;hall be kindled upon thee.</P>
<P>Thirdly, look upon thy lo&s;s too, which is &s;uch, that ten thou&s;and worlds cannot repair thy &s;oul, thy body, thy comforts, thy hopes, thy &s;hare in a crucified Je&s;us, the crown of life, and everla&s;ting Communion with the Father, Son, and Spirit, ble&s;&s;ed Angels, and glorified Saints, and a &s;oul-&s;atisfying, &s;oul-&s;aving Chri&s;t, who came from the bo&s;ome of love, and gave him&s;elf to open a way to everla&s;ting glory, by the &s;acrifice of him&s;elf, to whom thou art called, invited, and per|&s;waded to come; who&s;e heart is open, arms &s;pread, and who hath room enough in his bo&s;ome to re|ceive thee, grace enough to pardon thee, blood enough to ju&s;tifie thee, trea&s;ures enough to enrich thee, plea&s;ures enough to delight thee, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 36.8. And glory enough to
<PB REF="11"> crown thee, <HI>In whom it hath plea&s;ed the Father, that in him &s;hould all ful|ne&s;s dwell,</HI> Colo&s;. 1.19. to make them perfectly ble&s;&s;ed that come to him; &s;o that there is no need to &s;eek happine&s;s among the creatures, which mo&s;t do, and thereby lo&s;e true happine&s;s, and their &s;ouls too; turn in hither, and thou &s;halt eat of his bread, and drink of the wine which he hath mingled, <HI>Prov.</HI> 9.4, 5. Woulde&s;t thou fare deliciou&s;|ly every day, <HI>and have thy &s;oul de|light it &s;elf in fatne&s;s,</HI> I&s;a. 55.2. Hearken diligently, and come to the wedding, the oxen and fatlings are killed, and all things are ready, <HI>Mat.</HI> 22.5. I tell thee, what&s;oever food thou feede&s;t upon el&s;e, will prove no better to thee, then the Prodigals husks, <HI>Luke</HI> 15.16. That will &s;tarve thee while&s;t thou feede&s;t on them; &amp; if thou drinke&s;t of other wine, it will prove as a cup of wine mixed with poi&s;on, which though it be plea&s;ant to the ta&s;te, it will be
<PB REF="11"> the death of thy &s;oul. Wilt thou then lo&s;e this Chri&s;t, this food, this plea&s;ure, this heaven, this happi|ne&s;s for a thing of nought? Wilt thou drink out of a puddle, a bro|ken Ci&s;tern, which leaks out the water, and holds nothing but mud? and refu&s;e the fountain of living water, which who&s;oever ta&s;tes of, &s;hall live for ever.</P>
<P>Fourthly, beware of per&s;wading thy &s;elf into a conceit of the poor mans end, if thou live&s;t the rich mans life, and dye&s;t his death. It is &s;trange to &s;ee how many run &s;wift|ly the very way to hell, yet are full of confidence of going to heaven, though Scripture every where &s;huts them out, and Chri&s;t at la&s;t will certainly &s;hut them out for ever hereafter, living and dying in their pre&s;ent &s;tate; let none therefore de|ceive you, neither deceive your &s;elves, for none &s;uch can enter into the kingdom of heaven. <HI>But for the&s;e things &s;ake cometh the wrath of God on
<PB REF="12"> the children of di&s;obedience,</HI> 1 Cor. 6.9. Ephe&s;. 5.5, 6. And how &s;ad will thy di&s;appointment be, that goe&s;t on &s;ecurely, fearing no|thing, being fully (yet fal&s;ely) per|&s;waded of eternal life at la&s;t, and then drop down into the bottom|le&s;s pit? Like wicked <HI>Haman,</HI> that dreamed of greater honour, but be|hold a gallows: or our mother <HI>Eve,</HI> who conceited to be as God, but became a cur&s;ed creature. Though the devil may per&s;wade thee thou maye&s;t live as in hell here, yet in heaven hereafter; believe him not, for he endeavours to keep thee in his &s;nares, that he may drag thee to hell with him; and the better to ef|fect his devili&s;h de&s;ign upon thee, he will pre&s;ent (and through his cur&s;ed &s;ubtlety knows how to do it) thy &s;ins and this world, in as lovely and taking a gui&s;e as may be, but will hide the evil con&s;equences from thine eyes, that thou mighte&s;t be inveigled by gazing on the one,
<PB REF="12"> and not be afrighted by beholding the other; his bait &s;hall be plea&s;ant, but his hook hid, like the &s;trumpet in <HI>Proverbs</HI> 7. That intices the &s;imple with fair words, but con|ceals, that the way to her hou&s;e leads to the chambers of death; no|thing appears but a bed richly fur|ni&s;hed, and a promi&s;e of &s;olacing him with loves, but he that follow|eth after her, goeth as an ox to the &s;laughter, and as a fool to the cor|rection of the &s;tocks.</P>
<P>Fifthly, this is thy day to pre|vent the lo&s;s of the one, and to get an intere&s;t in the other, this is the day of &s;alvation, the accepted day of the Lord, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6.2. Let the &s;un of this day be &s;et before this work be done, and an everla&s;ting night of darkne&s;s will clo&s;e thee in, wherein thou thou &s;halt have time enough indeed to bemoan thy fol|ly, but none to learn to grow wi&s;er. It is a &s;ad thing (e&s;pecially in &s;oul concernments) to be wi&s;e too late,
<PB REF="13"> and to cry out when time is pa&s;t, Oh that I had improved it when it was pre&s;ent, then will the Remembrance of thy for|mer mi&s;pent time, and thy de&s;pair of ever gaining more, be like poi|&s;oned arrows drinking up thy &s;pi|rit. Among&s;t all the talents God hath entru&s;ted man withal, this is not the lea&s;t, becau&s;e on it depends eternity; and according to the u&s;e we make of this, will our eternal condition be, though the mo&s;t of men live at &s;uch a rate, as if it was given them to no other end, then to wa&s;te in wickedne&s;s, and con|&s;ume in plea&s;ures, what means el&s;e their &s;pending dayes, weeks, moneths, years; yea, their whole life in whoring, &s;wearing, playing, coveting and fulfilling the lu&s;ts of the fle&s;h, &s;o that when they come to die, the great work that they were &s;ent to do, is then to be done; their &s;ouls, Chri&s;t, eternity was &s;carce thought on before; but now
<PB REF="13"> when mercile&s;&s;e death begins to gripe them, then do they begin to bethink them&s;elves of tho&s;e things which they &s;hould have got in rea|dine&s;s before, and that is the rea&s;on why we &s;o often hear many that lie upon their death beds to cry out for a little longer time; and no wonder, for they have the &s;alvation of their &s;ouls to &s;eek. Oh &s;ad ca&s;e! to have their work to do when the night is come, and a Chri&s;t to &s;eek when death hath found them; take therefore the coun&s;el of the holy Gho&s;t, Heb. 3.7. <HI>To day if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.</HI> Mark, it is the Spirits coun&s;el; true, the devil and thine own heart will tell thee another tale, and be ready to whi&s;per in thine ears, thou may|e&s;t have time enough hereafter, what need of &s;o much ha&s;te, another day may &s;erve as well; let thy &s;oul be filled with plea&s;ure a little lon|ger, and thy bags filled a little more; thou maye&s;t have time for
<PB REF="14"> this and that too. Oh but this is the &s;ugge&s;tion of an enemy, that would cau&s;e thee to deferre &s;o long, that thy heart may grow too hard, and thine ear too heavy to hear at all, but certainly this being thy greate&s;t bu&s;ine&s;s, challengeth the fir&s;t and greate&s;t care, <HI>Mat.</HI> 6.33. And let this be done, then if thou &s;halt either have &s;o much time to &s;pare, or a heart to do it, take thy time for the other.</P>
<P>Sixthly, this day of thy mercy, and Chri&s;ts importunity will not la&s;t long, it is but a day, and that a day of vi&s;itation: indeed it is rich grace that there &s;hould be a day, but dally not, becau&s;e it is but a day. Jeru&s;alem had her day, but becau&s;e therein &s;he did not know the things of her peace, a pitch night did over|take, <HI>Luke</HI> 19.42.43. It is a day of patience, and if thou de&s;pi&s;e&s;t the riches of Gods goodne&s;s, pati|ence and long-&s;uffering towards thee, and art not thereby lead to re|pentance,
<PB REF="14"> <HI>Rom.</HI> 2.5. A &s;hort time will make it a day of vengeance, though now Chri&s;t calls, becau&s;e he is willing to &s;ave &s;inners, yet he will not alwayes call; &s;ee then that thou refu&s;e not him that &s;peaks from heaven in this Go&s;pel-day, <HI>Heb.</HI> 12.25. <HI>But &s;eek him while he may be found, and call upon him while he is near,</HI> I&s;a. 55.6. le&s;t thou crie&s;t after him hereafter, and he re|fu&s;e thee. It is not crying Lord, Lord, when the day of grace is pa&s;t, that will procure the lea&s;t crumb of mercy, <HI>Matth.</HI> 7.21. No, if thou come&s;t not when called, but &s;taye&s;t while &s;upper is ended, thou &s;halt not ta&s;te thereof, <HI>Luke</HI> 14.24. though a bit would &s;ave thy life, thy &s;oul; if thou drinke&s;t not of the fountain while it is opened, thou &s;halt not when it is &s;hut, though thou begge&s;t with tears of blood for one drop to cool thy &s;coarching flaming heart; thou that mighte&s;t have had thy ve&s;&s;el full, and well|come,
<PB REF="15"> &s;halt not now have &s;o much as will hang on the tip of a finger. Oh remember <HI>the axe is laid to the root of the tree,</HI> Matth. 3.10. And although three years time may be granted, through the Vine-dre&s;&s;ers importunity, that will &s;oon be ex|pired, and then the axe that is now laid, &s;hall cut up the tree by its roots, if it bring not forth good fruit. See&s;t thou not? that many of late have been &s;natched away, on each &s;ide of thee (by that hand that hath been &s;tretched out, and is &s;o &s;till) and though thou may&s;t e&s;cape a while, yet ha&s;t thou no a&s;&s;urance that the de&s;troying Angel will long pa&s;s by thy door: Oh then, neglect thy &s;oul no longer, but con&s;ider time is &s;hort, and uncertain, eterni|ty long, thy work great, thy &s;oul immortal, this world vani&s;hing, Chri&s;t precious, hell hot, and hea|ven de&s;irable.</P>
<P>And if thou bee&s;t a Chri&s;tian (to whom this may come) that ha&s;t
<PB REF="15"> not onely had a price in thy hand, but wi&s;dom given thee from above to make u&s;e of it, and art one who (whil&s;t others are &s;eeking to make this world and hell together &s;ure to them&s;elves) &s;pende&s;t thy time, and make&s;t it thy onely bu&s;ine&s;s to make &s;ure of the one thing nece&s;&s;a|ry, and heaven to thy &s;oul, I &s;hall lay two or three things before thy thoughts.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, walk with a fixed eye up|on the world to come, <HI>Look not at the things which are &s;een, that are temporal, but at the things which are not &s;een, that are eternal,</HI> 2 Cor. 4.18. A Chri&s;tians eye &s;hould be up|on his journeys end, as our Lord Je&s;us, who for the joy that was &s;et before him, endured the cro&s;s, <HI>Heb.</HI> 12.2. When the &s;tones fled about <HI>Stephens</HI> ears, <HI>His eyes were lifted up to heaven, and &s;aw the glory of God, and Je&s;us standing on the right hand of God,</HI> Acts 7.55, 56. What though thou at pre&s;ent maye&s;t lie
<PB REF="16"> at the rich mans gates, yet a few dayes will tran&s;late thee into <HI>Abra|hams</HI> bo&s;ome. Though I&s;rael had a &s;harp voyage through the wilder|ne&s;s, yet <HI>Caleb</HI> and <HI>Jo&s;hua</HI> men of excellent &s;pirits, had their eye upon the good Land they were going to; though gracele&s;s &s;ouls are too dull fighted to &s;ee a far off, 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.9. yet thou that ha&s;t received the un|ction from above, do&s;t in &s;ome mea&s;ure know what is the hope of thy calling, and what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints.</P>
<P>Secondly, be &s;atisfied with thy pre&s;ent condition, though it be af|flictive, for it &s;hall not la&s;t alwayes, thy &s;orrows &s;hall be &s;hort, and thy joyes long; roul thy &s;elf upon the Lord, for there is a heaven will pay for all; Chri&s;t fir&s;t endured the cro&s;s, before he wore the crown. <HI>David</HI> before he was a King, was a &s;hepherd. The poor man &s;poken of in this en&s;uing Treati&s;e, before
<PB REF="16"> he was carried into heaven, had ex|periences of &s;orrow, and &s;ufferings on earth, Let the fle&s;h be &s;ilent in pa&s;&s;ing judgement on the di&s;pen&s;a|tions of God towards thee, and the men of this world, in this pre&s;ent life. <HI>David</HI> by prying too far herein, with his own wi&s;dom, had almo&s;t caught a fall, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 73. Though Gods judgements may be too deep for our rea&s;on to dive in|to, yet are they alwayes righteous, <HI>and his paths mercy and truth to tho&s;e that keep his Covenants,</HI> P&s;al. 25.10. When <HI>Jeremiah</HI> would debate with the Lord concerning his judge|ments in the wickeds pro&s;perity, he would lay this down as an indu|bitable truth, that his judgements were righteous, <HI>Jer.</HI> 12.1. And his end was not to charge God, but to learn under&s;tanding of him in the way of his judgements; and although the wayes of his provi|dence may be dark to his people, that they cannot di&s;cern his foot|&s;teps,
<PB REF="17"> yet are they alwayes con|&s;i&s;tent with his everla&s;ting cove|nant, and the re&s;ults of the favour he bears to them, <HI>If the wicked flou|ri&s;h like the gra&s;s, it is that they &s;hould be de&s;troyed for ever,</HI> P&s;al. 92.7. And if the godly have many a wave beating upon them, <HI>yet will the Lord command his loving kindne&s;s in the day time,</HI> P&s;al. 42.7, 8. And after a little while being to&s;&s;ed too and fro in the&s;e boi&s;terous waves, they &s;hall arrive at the heavenly ha|ven, this world being not their re&s;t|ing place, but there remains one for them, <HI>Heb.</HI> 4.9.</P>
<P>Thirdly, let the faith and hopes of a glorious deliverance, get thy heart up above thy pre&s;ent &s;uffer|ings, that thou maye&s;t glory in tri|bulation, who ha&s;t ground of re|joycing in hope of the glory of God, <HI>Rom.</HI> 5.2, 3. For what&s;o|ever thy pre&s;ent grievances are, whether outward afflictions, or in|ward temptations; this may be thy
<PB REF="17"> con&s;olation, that a few dayes will rid thee of them, when thou &s;halt &s;igh no more, complain no more, but the&s;e &s;hall be turned into prai|&s;es: thou ha&s;t (if I may &s;o call it) all thy hell here, let thy life be expired, and thy mi&s;ery is ended; thy happi|ne&s;s begins, where wicked mens end; and when thine is once begun, it &s;hall have no more end.</P>
<P>Reader, I have an Adverti&s;ement to thee concerning the following Di&s;cour&s;e, and the Authour of it. Thou ha&s;t in the Di&s;cour&s;e many things of choice con&s;ideration pre|&s;ented to thee in much plainne&s;s, evidence, and authority, the expli|cations are full, the applications are natural; be not offended at his plain and down-right language, it is for the di&s;charge of the Authours con&s;cience, and thy profit, be&s;ides the &s;ubject nece&s;&s;arily leads him to it. It is a mercy to be dealt tho|rowly and plainly with, in the mat|ters
<PB REF="18"> of thy &s;oul; we have too many that &s;owe pillows under mens el|bows; and too few, who dealing plainly, divide to every man his portion. Read it not to pick quar|rels with it, but to profit by it; and let not prejudice either again&s;t the Authour, or manner of delivery, cau&s;e thee to &s;tumble and fall at the truth; prejudice will both blinde the eyes, that it &s;hall not &s;ee the truth, and clo&s;e it in with it, and make them too quick &s;ighted, either to make faults where there is none, or to greaten them where they are; and &s;o cau&s;e the Reader to turn the edge again&s;t the Authour, or his Work, that &s;hould be turned upon his own heart. It is marvellous to &s;ee how the truth is quarrelled at, that comes from one, that would be ea&s;ily received if it did drop from another: and I doubt not, if this Book had &s;ome other hand at it, there is &s;carce any expre&s;&s;ion that may be now carpt at by &s;ome,
<PB REF="18"> but would have been &s;wallowed without &s;training. We are now fallen into &s;uch an age, (the good Lord help us) that truth upon its own account, can challenge but lit|tle acceptance, except the Authour be liked, or his lines painted with his own wit. But certainly truth is of &s;o excellent a nature, of &s;uch &s;in|gular advantage, and of &s;o royal a de&s;cent, that it de&s;erves entertain|ment for it &s;elf, and that not in our hou&s;es, or heads onely, but in our hearts too, what&s;oever the hand is that brings it, or the form that it appears in; men account gold worth receiving, what&s;oever the me&s;&s;enger is that brings it, or the ve&s;&s;el that holds it.</P>
<P>If thou meete&s;t (Reader) with any pa&s;&s;age that &s;eems doubtful un|to thee, let love that thinks no evil put the be&s;t con&s;truction upon it, and do not ha&s;tily condemn, what thou can&s;t not pre&s;ently yield to; or if any expre&s;&s;ion thou meete&s;t
<PB REF="19"> with, may (haply) offend thee, do not throw a&s;ide the whole, and re|&s;olve to read of it no more; for though &s;ome one may offend thee, yet others (I hope) may affect thee; or if there be that which &s;ome may call Tautology, be not di&s;plea&s;ed at it; for that word that may not fa&s;ten upon thy heart in one page, may in another; and although it may be grievous to thy eye, (if thou bee&s;t nice and curious) yet bear with it, if it may be profitable to thy &s;oul.</P>
<P>Concerning the Authour (what|&s;oever the cen&s;ures and reports of many are) I have this to &s;ay, That I verily believe God hath counted him faithful, and put him into the Mini&s;tery: and though his outward condition, and former employment was m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">an, and his hamane learn|ing &s;mall, yet is he one that hath acquaintance with God, and taught by his Spirit, and hath been u&s;ed in his hand to do &s;ouls good: for
<PB REF="19"> to my knowledge there are divers, who have felt the power of the word delivered by him; and I doubt not, but that many more may, if the Lord continue him in his work; he is not like unto your drones, that will &s;uck the &s;weet, but do no work. For he hath laid forth him|&s;elf to the utmo&s;t of his &s;trength, taking all advantages to make known to others, what he him&s;elf hath received of God: and I fear this is one rea&s;on why the Archers have &s;hot &s;o &s;oarly at him; for by his, and others indu&s;try in their Ma&s;ters work, their &s;lothfulne&s;s hath been reproved, and the eyes of many have been opened to &s;ee a dif|ference between tho&s;e that are &s;ent of God, and tho&s;e that run before they are &s;ent. And that he is none of tho&s;e light fanatick &s;pirits, that our age abounds withal: this fol|lowing di&s;cour&s;e, together with his former, that have been brought to publique view will te&s;tifie; for
<PB REF="20"> among other things that may bear record to him herein, you &s;hall find him magnifying and exalting the holy Scriptures, and largely &s;hew|ing the worth, excelleny, and u&s;e|fulne&s;s of them.</P>
<P>And &s;urely if thou &s;halt (not|with&s;tanding this) &s;tumble at his meanne&s;s and want of humane learning, thou wilt declare thine unacquaintance with Gods decla|red method, who to perfect his own prai&s;e, and to &s;till the enemy and avenger, <HI>Makes choice of Babes and Su<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">klings&punc; and in their mouthes or|daineth strength,</HI> P&s;al. 8.2. Though men that have a great de&s;igne do, and mu&s;t make u&s;e of tho&s;e that in rea&s;on are mo&s;t likely to effect it, yet mu&s;t the Lord do &s;o too? then in&s;tru<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ents (not him&s;elf) would carry away the prai&s;e; but that no fle&s;h &s;hould glory in his pre&s;ence, <HI>he hath cho&s;en the fooli&s;h things of the world to confound the wife, and ba&s;e things of the world, and things that
<PB REF="20"> are de&s;pi&s;ed hath God cho&s;en,</HI> 1 Cor. 1.27, 28, 29. Ca&s;t thine eye back to the beginning of the Go&s;pel di&s;pen&s;ation, (which &s;urely if at any time &s;hould have come forth in the wi&s;dom and glory of the world) and thou &s;halt &s;ee what method the Lord did take at the fir&s;t to exalt his Son Je&s;us: he goes not among&s;t the Jewi&s;h Rabbi's, nor to the &s;chools of learning, to fetch out his Go&s;pel Preachers, but to the trades, and tho&s;e mo&s;t contemptible too; yet let not any from hence con|ceive that I undervalue the gifts and graces of &s;uch who have been, or now are endued with them, nor yet &s;peak again&s;t Learnnig, being kept in its place; but my meaning is, that tho&s;e that are learned &s;hould not de&s;pi&s;e tho&s;e that are not; or tho&s;e that are not, &s;hould not de|&s;pi&s;e tho&s;e that are, who are faithful in the Lords work: and therefore being about to leave thee, I &s;hall leave with thee two Scriptures to
<PB REF="21"> be con&s;idered of. The one is, John 13.20. <HI>Verily, verily I &s;ay unto you, he that receiveth whom&s;oever I &s;end,</HI> (mark whom&s;oever) <HI>receiveth me; and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that &s;ent me.</HI> The other is, Luke 10.16. <HI>He that heareth you, heareth me; and he that de&s;pi&s;e&s;t you, de&s;pi&s;e&s;t me; and he that de&s;pi&s;eth me, de&s;pi&s;eth him that &s;ent me.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>I. G.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="author to the reader">
<PB REF="21">
<HEAD>The Authour to the READER.</HEAD>
<P>FRiend, becau&s;e it is a dangerous thing to be walking towards the place of darkne&s;s and angui&s;h: and again, becau&s;e it is (notwith&s;tand|ing) the journey that mo&s;t of the poor &s;ouls in the world are taking, and that with delight and gladne&s;s, as if there was the onely happine&s;s to be found; I have therefore thought it my duty (being made &s;en&s;ible of the danger that will befall tho&s;e that walk therein) for the preventing of thee, (O thou poor man or woman) to tell thee, by opening this Parable, what &s;ad &s;ucce&s;s tho&s;e &s;ouls have had, and are al&s;o like to have, that have been or &s;hall be found per&s;evering therein.</P>
<P>We u&s;e to count him a friend that
<PB REF="22"> will forewarn his neighbour of the danger, when he knoweth thereof, and doth al&s;o &s;ee, that the way that his his neighbour is walking in, doth lead right thereto; e&s;pecially when we think that our neighbour may be either igno|rant, or carele&s;&s;e of his way. Why Friend it may be, nay twenty to one but thou ha&s;t been ever &s;ince thou did&s;t come into the world, with thy back towards heaven, and thy face to|wards hell; and thou (it may be) either through ignorance, or carele&s;ne&s;&s;e (which is as bad, if not wor&s;e) ha&s;t been running full ha&s;tily that way ever &s;ince. Why Friend? I be&s;eech thee put a little &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">op to thy earne&s;t race, and t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ke a view of what entertainment thou art like to have, if thou do indeed and in truth per&s;i&s;t in this thy cour&s;e. Friend, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hy way <HI>leads down to death, and thy &s;teps take hold on hell.</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Prov 5.5.</NOTE> It may be the path indeed is plea&s;ant to the fle&s;h, but the end thereof will be bitter to thy &s;oul. Hark, do&s;t thou hear the bitter cries of them that are
<PB REF="22"> but newly gone before? &s;aying, Let him dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue, that is &s;o tormented in this flame:<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Luke 16.</NOTE> Do&s;t thou not hear them &s;ay, Send one from the dead to prevent my father, my brother, and my fathers hou&s;e from comming into this place of torment? Shall not then the&s;e mourn|full groans pierce thy flinty heart? Wilt thou &s;top thine ears, and &s;hut thy eyes, and wilt thou not regard, take warning, and &s;top thy journey before it be too late? Wilt thou be like the &s;illy flie, that is not quiet, unl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;s &s;he be ei|ther intangled in the &s;piders web, or burned in the candle? Wilt thou be like the bird that ha&s;teth to the &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">are of the Fowler? Wilt thou he like that &s;imple one named in the <HI>7.</HI> of <HI>Pro|verbs,</HI> That wilt be drawn to the &s;laughter by the cord of a &s;illy lu&s;t? O &s;inner, &s;inner, there is better things then hell to be had, and at a cheaper rate by the thou&s;and part then that! (O there is no compari&s;on) there is hea|ven, the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e is God, there is Chri&s;t, there
<PB REF="23"> is communion with innumerable com|pany of Saints and Angels: hear the me&s;&s;age then that God doth &s;end, that Chri&s;t doth &s;end, that Saints do bring; nay, that the dead do &s;end unto thee. <HI>How long ye &s;imple ones, will you love &s;implicity? and ye &s;corners delight in &s;corning, 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.</HI> I &s;ay, hear this voice, O &s;illy one, and turn and live thou &s;inful &s;oul, le&s;t he make thee hear that other &s;aying: <HI>But, becau&s;e I have called, and you have refu&s;ed, I have &s;tretched out my hand, and no man regarded, I al&s;o will laugh at your calamity, and mock when your fear cometh.</HI></P>
<P>O poor &s;oul, if God and Chri&s;t did wi&s;h thee for thine harm, it would be another matter: then if thou didst re|fu&s;e, thou mighte&s;t have &s;ome excu&s;e to make, &s;ome fault to finde, and &s;ome ground to make delayes. O but this is
<PB REF="23"> for thy profit, for thy advantage, for the pardoning of thy &s;ins, the &s;alvati|on of thy &s;oul, the delivering of thee from hell fire, from the wrath to come, from everla&s;ting burnings, into favor with God, Chri&s;t, and communion with all happine&s;s, (that is &s;o indeed.)</P>
<P>But it may be thou wilt &s;ay, all that hath been &s;poken to in this di&s;cour&s;e, is but a Parable, and Parables are no re|alities.</P>
<P>I could put thee off with this an&s;wer, that though it be a Parable, yet it is a truth, and not a lie, and thou &s;halt finde it &s;o too, to thy co&s;t, if thou &s;halt be found a &s;lighter of God, Chri&s;t, and the &s;alvation of thy own &s;oul.</P>
<P>But &s;econdly, know for certain, that the things &s;ignified by Parables, are wonderful realities. O what a glorious reality was there &s;ignified by that Pa|rable! <HI>The kingdom of heaven is like to a net that is ca&s;t into the &s;ea, &amp;c.</HI> Signifying, that &s;inners of all &s;orts, of all Nations, &s;hould be brought into Gods kingdom, by the net of the
<PB REF="24"> Go&s;pel. And O how real a thing &s;hall the other part thereof be, when its ful|filled, which &s;aith, <HI>And when it was full, they drew it to &s;hore, and put the good into ve&s;&s;els, but threw the bad away;</HI> &s;ignifying the man&s;ions of glory that the Saints &s;hould have, and al&s;o the rejection that God will give to the ungodly, and to &s;inners. And al&s;o that Parable, what a glorious reality is there in it, which &s;aith, <HI>Except a corn of wheat fall to the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it doth bring forth much fruit.</HI> To &s;ignifie, that unle&s;s Je&s;us Chri&s;t did indeed &s;pill his blood, and die the cur|&s;ed death, he &s;hould abide alone; that is, have never a &s;oul into glory with him; but if he died, he &s;hould bring forth much fruit, that is, &s;ave many &s;inners. And al&s;o how real a truth there was in that Parable, concerning the Jews putting of Christ to death, which the poor di&s;per&s;ed Jews can be&s;t experience to their co&s;t; for they have been almo&s;t ever &s;ince a bani&s;hed peo|ple,
<PB REF="24"> and &s;uch as have had Gods &s;ore di&s;plea&s;ure wonderfully manife&s;ted again&s;t them, according to the truth of the Parable.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Mat. 21. v. 33. to 41</NOTE> O therefore for Je&s;us Chri&s;ts &s;ake, do not &s;l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ght the truth, be|cau&s;e it is di&s;covered in a Parable; for by this argument thou maye&s;t al&s;o, nay thou wilt &s;light almo&s;t all the things that our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t did &s;peak; for he &s;pake them for the mo&s;t part (if not all) in parable. Why &s;hould it be &s;aid of thee, as it is &s;aid of &s;ome, <HI>The&s;e things are &s;poken to them that are without in parables, that &s;eeing they might not &s;ee, and that hearing they might not under&s;tand</HI> Luke <HI>8.10.</HI> I &s;ay, take heed of being a quarreller a|gainst Chri&s;t parables, le&s;t Chri&s;t al&s;o objecteth again&s;t the &s;alvation of thy &s;oul at the judgement day.</P>
<P>Friend, I have no more to &s;ay to thee now, it may be &s;hortly thou maye&s;t hear from me again, in a di&s;cour&s;e touching the Covenant of Works, and the Cove|nant of Grace; it had been with thee now, had opportunity been afforded me;
<PB REF="25"> but being bu&s;ie here and there among the &s;aints and &s;inners (though I can do but little good) I have not had that con|veniencie nor lea&s;ure, that I could wi&s;h I had, to pre&s;ent it in right form for truth and edification to thee. Now if thou do&s;t love me, pray for me, that my God would not for&s;ake me, nor take his holy Spirit from me; and that God would fit me to do and &s;uffer, what &s;hall be from the world or devil inflicted up|on me. I mu&s;t tell thee, the world ra|ges, they &s;tamp and &s;hake their heads, and fain they would be doing: the Lord help me to take all they &s;hall do with patience, and when they &s;mite the one cheek, to turn the other to them, that I may do as Chri&s;t hath bidden me; for then the Spirit of God, and of glo|ry &s;hall re&s;t upon me. Farewel.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>I am thine, if thou be not a&s;ha|med to own me, becau&s;e of my low and contemptible de&s;cent in the world.</HI> John Bunyan.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="exposition">
<PB N="1" REF="25">
<HEAD>A FEW <HI>Sighs from Hell:</HI> OR, <HI>The Groans of a damned Soul:</HI> OR, An Expo&s;ition of tho&s;e words in the 19^t^h^. of <HI>Luke, ver.</HI> 19. <HI>&amp;c.</HI></HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>19</HI></BIBL> THere was a certain rich man, which was cloathed in purple, and fine linnen, and fared &s;umptuou&s;ly eve|ry day.</Q>
<Q><BIBL><HI>20</HI></BIBL> And there was a certain beggar, named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate full of fores;</Q>
<Q><BIBL><HI>21</HI></BIBL> And de&s;iring to be fed with the the crumbs, which f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ll from the rich mans tabl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">: moreover the dogs came and licked his &s;ores.</Q>
<Q><BIBL><HI>22</HI></BIBL> And it came to pa&s;s, that the beggar died, and was carried by the Angels into Abrahams bo&s;ome: the rich man al&s;o dy|ed, and was buried.</Q>
<PB REF="26">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="1" REF="26">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<Q><BIBL><PB N="2" REF="27"><HI>23</HI></BIBL> And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and &s;eeth <HI>Abraham</HI> afar off, and <HI>Lazarus</HI> in his bo&s;ome:</Q>
<Q><BIBL><HI>24</HI></BIBL> And he cried, and &s;aid, Father <HI>Abraham,</HI> have mercy on me, and &s;end <HI>Lazarus,</HI> that he may dip the tip of his fin|ger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.</Q>
<Q><BIBL><HI>25</HI></BIBL> But <HI>Abraham</HI> &s;aid, Son, remember that thou in thy life time received&s;t thy good things, and likewi&s;e <HI>Lazarus</HI> evill things, but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.</Q>
<Q><BIBL><HI>26</HI></BIBL> And be&s;ides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, &s;o that they which would pa&s;s from hence to you, can|not: neither can they pa&s;s to us, that would come from thence.</Q>
<Q><BIBL><HI>27</HI></BIBL> Then he &s;aid, I pray thee therefore father, that thou woulde&s;t &s;end him to my fathers hou&s;e.</Q>
<Q><BIBL><HI>28</HI></BIBL> For I have five Brethren, that he may testifie unto them, le&s;t they al&s;o come into this place of torment.</Q>
<Q><BIBL><HI>29 Abraham</HI></BIBL> &s;aith unto him, They have <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and the Prophets, let them hear them.</Q>
<Q><BIBL><HI>30</HI></BIBL> And he &s;aid, Nay, father <HI>Abra|ham:</HI> but if one went unto them from
<PB N="3" REF="27"> the dead, they will repent.</Q>
<Q><BIBL><HI>31</HI></BIBL> And he &s;aid unto him, If they hear not <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and the Propets, neither will <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hey be per&s;waded, though one ro&s;e from the dead.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_THis Scripture was not &s;po|ken by our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ver&s;e</HI> 19.</NOTE> to &s;hew you the &s;tate of two &s;ingle per&s;ons onely, (as &s;ome through their ignorance of the drift of Chri&s;t in his Parables do dream) but to &s;hew you the &s;tate of the godly and ungodly to the worlds end; as is clear to him that is of an under&s;tanding heart. For he &s;pake them to the end, that after gene|rations &s;hould take notice thereof, and fear, le&s;t they al&s;o fell into the &s;ame condition.</P>
<P>Now in my di&s;cour&s;e upon the&s;e words, I &s;hall not be tedious, but as briefly as I may, I &s;hall pa&s;s through the &s;everal Ver&s;es, and lay you down &s;ome of the &s;everal truths contained therein: and the Lord grant that they may be profitable, and of great advantage to
<PB N="4" REF="28"> tho&s;e that read them, or hear them read.</P>
<P>The 19 and 20 ver&s;es al&s;o, I &s;hall not &s;pend much time upon, onely give you three or four &s;hort hints, and &s;o pa&s;s to the next ver&s;es; for they are the words I do intend mo&s;t e&s;pecially to in&s;i&s;t upon.</P>
<P>The 19, 20, and 21, ver&s;es run thus, <HI>There was a certain rich man, which was cloathed in purple and fine linnen, and fa|red deliciou&s;ly or &s;umptuou&s;ly every day. And there was a certain beggar named La|zarus, which was laid at his gate full of &s;ores, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. If the&s;e ver&s;es had been &s;poken by Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and no more, all the world would have gone near to have ca&s;t a wrong interpretation on them. I &s;ay, if Je&s;us had &s;aid onely thus much, <HI>There was a certain rich man that fared &s;umptu|ou&s;ly daily, and a certain beggar laid at his gate full of &s;ores.</HI> The world would have made this conclu&s;ion of them, the rich man was the happy man. For at the fir&s;t view it doth repre&s;ent &s;uch a thing. But take all together, (that is) read the whole Parable, and you &s;hall finde, that there is no man in a wor&s;e
<PB N="5" REF="28"> condition then he, as I &s;hall clearly hold forth afterward.</P>
<P N="2">2. Again, if a man would judge of men according to outward appearance, he &s;hall oft-times take his mark ami&s;s. Here is a man to outward appearance, appears the onely ble&s;&s;ed man; better by half then the beggar, in as much as he is rich, the beggar poor; he is well cloathed, but peradventure the beggar is naked; he hath good food, but the beggar would be glad of dogs meat; <HI>(And he de&s;ired to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich mans table)</HI> the rich man fares well every day, but the beg|gar mu&s;t be glad of a bit when he can g<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t it. Oh! who would not be in the rich mans &s;tate? A wealthy man, &s;orts of new &s;uits, and dainty di&s;hes every day: enough to make one, who mindes nothing but his belly, and his back, &amp; his lu&s;ts, to &s;ay, Oh, that I were in that mans condition! Oh that I had about me as that man had! Then I &s;hould live a life indeed; then &s;hould I have hearts ea&s;e good &s;tore; then I &s;hould live plea&s;antly, and might &s;ay to my &s;oul, Soul, be of good chear, eat, drink and be merry, thou ha&s;t every
<PB N="6" REF="29"> thing plenty, and art in mo&s;t ble&s;&s;ed condition.</P>
<P>I &s;ay this might be, I, and is the con|clu&s;ion with them that judg<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> according to outward app<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">arance. But if the whole Parable be well con&s;idered, you will &s;ee, that that which is had in high e&s;timation with men, is an abomination in the &s;ight of God. And again, that condition that is the &s;adde&s;t condition, according to outward appearance, is oft times t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e mo&s;t excellent; for the beggar had t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n thou&s;and degrees the be&s;t of it, though to outward appearance his &s;tate was the &s;adde&s;t; from we &s;hall ob&s;erve thus much.</P>
<P N="1">1 That tho&s;e who judge according to outward appearance, do for the mo&s;t part judge ami&s;s.</P>
<P N="2">2. That they who look upon their outward enjoyments to be tokens of Gods &s;pecial grace unto them, are al&s;o deceived; for as it is here in the Para|ble, a man of wealth, and a childe of the devil may make but one per&s;on; or thus, a man may have abundance of out|ward enjoyments, and yet be carried by the devils into eternal burnings. But this is the trap, in which the devil hath
<PB N="7" REF="29"> caught many thou&s;ands of poor &s;ouls, namely, by getting them to judge accor|ding to outward appearance.</P>
<P>Do but ask a poor carnal covetous wretch, how we &s;hould know a man to be in a happy e&s;tate, and he will an&s;wer, Tho&s;e that God ble&s;&s;eth, and giveth abundance of this world unto; when for the mo&s;t part they are they that are the the cur&s;ed men. Alas poor men, they are &s;o ignorant, as to think, that becau&s;e a man is increa&s;ed in outward things, and that by a &s;mall &s;tock, therefore God doth love that man with a &s;pecial love, or el&s;e he would never do &s;o much for him, never ble&s;s him &s;o, and pro&s;per the work of his hands. Ah! poor &s;oul, it is the rich man that goes to hell. <HI>And the rich man died, and in hell,</HI> mark, <HI>in hell he lift up his eyes, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Methinks to &s;ee how the great ones of the world will go &s;trutting up and down the &s;treets &s;ometimes, it makes me wonder. Surely, they look upon them&s;elves to be the onely happy men, but it is becau&s;e they judge according to outward appearance; they look upon them&s;elves to be the onely ble&s;&s;ed men when the Lord knows, the generality
<PB N="8" REF="30"> are left out of that ble&s;&s;ed condition. <HI>Not many wi&s;e men after the fle&s;h, not ma|ny mighty, not many noble are called,</HI> 1 Cor. 1.26. Ah! did they that do now &s;o brag, that no body dare &s;carce look on them, but believe this, it would make th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">m hang down their heads, and cry, O give me a <HI>Lazarus</HI> portion.</P>
<P>I might here enlarge very much, but I &s;hall not&punc; onely thus much I &s;hall &s;ay to you that have much of this world; Have a care that you have not your por|tion in this world; take heed that it be not &s;aid to you hereafter, when you would very willingly have heaven. Re|member in your life time you had your good things, in your life time you had your por<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">on <HI>P&s;alm</HI> 17.14.</P>
<P>And Friend, thou that &s;eeke&s;t after this world, and de&s;ire&s;t riches, let me ask this que&s;tion, woulde&s;t thou be con|tent that God &s;hould put thee off with a portion in this life? Woulde&s;t 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? Woulde&s;t thou be glad to have all thy good things in thy life time, to have thy heaven to la&s;t no longer then while
<PB N="9" REF="30"> thou do&s;t live in this world? Woulde&s;t thou be willing to be deprived of eter|nal happine&s;s and felicity? If you &s;ay, no, then have a care of the world and thy &s;ins; have a care of de&s;iring to be a rich man, le&s;t thy table be made a &s;nare unto thee; le&s;t the wealth in this world do bar thee out of glory. For as the Apo|&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>They that w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ll be rich do fall in|to temptation, and a &s;nare, and into many fooli&s;h and hurtful lu&s;ts, which drown men in perdition and de&s;truction,</HI> 1 Tim. 6.9. Thus much in general, but now more particularly.</P>
<P>The&s;e two men here &s;poken of (as I &s;aid) do hold forth to us the &s;tate of the godly and ungodly: the beggar hold|eth forth the godly, and the rich man the ungodly. <HI>There was a certain rich man. &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>But <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hy are the ungodly held forth under the notion of a rich man?</P>
<P N="1">1. Becau&s;e Chri&s;t would no have them look too high, as I &s;aid before, but that tho&s;e who have riches &s;hould have a care, that they be not all their portion,</P>
<P N="2">2. Becau&s;e rich men are mo&s;t liable to the devils temptations, are mo&s;t rea|dy
<PB N="10" REF="31"> to be puft up with pride, &s;toutne&s;s, cares of this world, in which things they &s;pend mo&s;t of their time, in lu&s;ts, drun|kenne&s;s, wantonne&s;s, idlene&s;s, together with the other works of the fle&s;h, <HI>For which things &s;ake the wrath of God co|mith upon the children of di&s;obedience,</HI> Col. 3.6.</P>
<P N="3">3. Becau&s;e he would comfort the hearts of his own which are mo&s;t commonly of the poorer &s;ort, <HI>But God hath cho&s;en the poor&punc; de&s;pi&s;ed and ba&s;e things of this world,</HI> 1 Cor. 1.26. Should God have &s;et the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ich man in the ble&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d &s;tate, his children would have concluded being poor, that they had no &s;hare in the life to come.</P>
<P>And again, had not God given &s;uch a di&s;covery of the &s;ad condition of tho&s;e that are for the mo&s;t part rich men; we &s;hould have had men conclude ab&s;olute|ly, that the rich are the ble&s;&s;ed men. Nay, albeit the Lord him&s;elf doth &s;o evi|dently declare, that the rich ones of the world are for the mo&s;t part in the &s;ad|de&s;t condition, yet they through unbe|lief, or el&s;e pre&s;umption, do harden them&s;elves, and &s;eek for the glory of this world, as though the Lord Je&s;us
<PB N="11" REF="31"> Chri&s;t did not mean as he &s;aid; or el&s;e that he will &s;ay more then &s;hall a&s;&s;ured|ly come to pa&s;s: but let them know, that the Lord hath a time to fulfil that he had a time to declare, for the Scri|pture cannot be b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">oken.</P>
<P>But again, the Lord by this word doth not mean tho&s;e are ungodly, who a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e rich in the world, and no other, for then mu&s;t all tho&s;e that are poor, yet gracele&s;s and vain men be &s;aved, and de|livered from eternal vengeance; which w uld be contrary to the word of God, which &s;aith, 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 &s;ervants, and &s;laves that cry out at the appea|rance of the Almighty God, and his Son Je&s;us Chri&s;t to Judgement, <HI>Rev.</HI> 6.15.</P>
<P>So that though Chri&s;t doth &s;ay, <HI>There was a certain rich man,</HI> yet you mu&s;t un|der&s;tand he meaneth all the ungodly, ri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> or poor. Nay, if you will not under|&s;tand it &s;o now, you &s;hall be made to under&s;tand it to be &s;o meant, at the day of Chri&s;ts &s;econd comming, when all that are ungodly &s;hall &s;tand at the left
<PB N="12" REF="32"> hand of Chri&s;t with pale faces and guil|ty con&s;ciences, with the vials of the Almighties wrath, ready to be powred out upon them. Thus much in brief, touching the 19. ver&s;e. I might have ob|&s;erved other things from it, but now I forbear, having other things to &s;peak of at this time.</P>
<DIV2 N="20" TYPE="verse">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Ver&s;e 20.</HI></BIBL> And there was a certain beg|gar named Lazarus which was laid at his gate full of &s;ores.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ver&s;e</HI> 20.</NOTE>THis ver&s;e doth chiefly hold forth the&s;e things. 1. That the Saints of God are a poor contemptible peo|ple. <HI>There was a certain beggar.</HI> If you under&s;tand the word beggar, to hold forth outward poverty, or &s;carcity in outward things, the Saints of the Lord, for they are for the mo&s;t part a poor, de&s;pi&s;ed, contemptible people. But if you allegorize it, and interpret it <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">us, They are &s;uch as beg earne&s;tly for heavenly food; this is al&s;o the &s;pirit of the Children of God, and it may be, and is a truth in this &s;ence, though not &s;o naturally gathered from this Scri|pture.</P>
<P N="2"><PB N="13" REF="32">2. <HI>That he was laid at his gate full of &s;ores.]</HI> The&s;e words hold forth the di|&s;tempers of believers, &s;aying, <HI>He was full of &s;ores;</HI> which may &s;ignifie the many troubles, temptations, per&s;ecutions, and afflictions in body and &s;pirit, which they meet withal while they are in the world; but al&s;o the entertainment they finde at the hands of tho&s;e ungodly ones, who live upon the earth. Where|as it is &s;aid, <HI>He was laid at his gate full of &s;ores.</HI> Mark, <HI>He was laid at his gate,</HI> not in his hou&s;e, that was thought too good for him, <HI>But he was laid at his gate full of &s;ores.</HI> From whence ob&s;erve, That the ungodly world do not de&s;ire to enter|tain and receive the poor Saints of God into their hou&s;es. If they mu&s;t needs be &s;omewhere near unto them, yet they &s;hall not come into their hou|&s;es: &s;hut them out of doors, if they will needs be near us, let them be at the gate. <HI>And he was laid at the gate full of &s;ores.</HI> 2. Ob&s;erve, that the world are not at all touched with the afflictions of Gods children, for all they are full of &s;ores; a de&s;pi&s;ed, afflicted, tempted, per|&s;ecuted people, the world doth not pit|ty; no, but rather labour to aggravate
<PB N="14" REF="33"> their trouble, by &s;hutting them out of doors; &s;ink, or &s;wim, what cares the world, they are re&s;olved to di&s;own them, they will give them no entertain|ment; if the lying in the &s;treets will do them any good; if hard u&s;age will do them any good; if to be di&s;owned, re|jected, and &s;hut out of doors by the world will do them any good: they &s;hall have enough of that, but other|wi&s;e no refre&s;hment, no comfort from the world. <HI>And he was laid at his gate full of &s;ores.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="21" TYPE="verse">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Ver&s;e 21.</HI></BIBL><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ver&s;e</HI> 21.</NOTE> And de&s;iring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich mans table: the dogs came al&s;o, and licked his &s;ores.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>BY the&s;e words our Lord Je&s;us doth &s;hew us the frame of a Chri&s;tians heart, and al&s;o the heart and carriage of worldly men toward the Saints of the Lord: the Chri&s;tians heart is held forth by this, that any thing will content him while he is on this &s;ide glory. <HI>And he de&s;ired to be fed with the crumbs,</HI> the dogs meat, any thing. I &s;ay a Chri&s;tian will be content with any thing, if he have but
<PB N="15" REF="33"> to keep life and &s;oul together. (as we u&s;e to &s;ay.) He is content, he is &s;atisfied, he hath learned, if he hath learned to be a Chri&s;tian, to be content with any thing, as <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Phil.</HI> 4.21.</NOTE> <HI>I have learned in what&s;oever state I am, therewith to be con|tent.</HI> He learns in all conditions to &s;tudy to love God, to walk with God, to give up him&s;elf to God; and if the crumbs that fall from a rich mans table will but &s;atisfie nature, and give him bodily &s;trength, that thereby he may be the more able to walk in the way of God: he is contented. <HI>And he de&s;ired to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich mans table.</HI> But mark, he had them not, you do not finde that he had &s;o much as a crumb or a &s;crap allowed unto him. No, then the dogs will be beguild, that mu&s;t be pre&s;erved for the dogs. From whence ob&s;erve, that the ungodly world do love their dogs better then the chil|dren of God. You will &s;ay that's &s;trange. It is &s;o indeed, yet it is true, as will be clearly manife&s;ted, as for in&s;tance. How many pounds do &s;ome men &s;pend in a year on their dogs, when in the mean while the poor Saints of God may &s;tarve for hunger. They will build hou&s;es for
<PB N="16" REF="34"> their dogs, when the Saints mu&s;t be glad to wander, and lodge in dens and caves of the earth: and if they be in any of their hou&s;es for the hire there<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">f, they will warn them out, or eject them, or pull down the hou&s;e over their heads, rather then not rid them&s;elves of &s;uch Tenants. Again, &s;ome men cannot go half a mile from home, but they mu&s;t have their dogs at their heels; but they can very willingly go half a &s;core miles without the &s;ociety of a Chri&s;tian Nay, if when they are bu&s;ie with their dogs they &s;hould chance to meet a Chri&s;tian, they would willingly &s;hift him if they could. They will go on the other &s;ide of the hedge or the way, rather then they will have any &s;ociety with him; and if at any time a child of God &s;hould come into an hou&s;e where there are but two or three ungodly wretches, they do commonly wi&s;h either them&s;elves, or the Saint out of doors; and why &s;o? Becau&s;e they cannot down with the &s;ociety of a Chri&s;tian: though if there come in at the &s;ame time a dog, or a drunken &s;wearing wretch, which is wor&s;e then a dog, they will make him welcome, he &s;hall &s;it down with them, and partake of their
<PB N="17" REF="34"> dainties. And now tell me, you that love your &s;ins and your plea&s;ures; had you not rather keep company with a drunkard, a &s;wearer, a &s;trumpet, a thief; nay, a dog (as I &s;aid before) then with an hone&s;t hearte<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Chri&s;tian? If you &s;ay, no. What mea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> your &s;owre carriage to the people of God? Why do you look on them, as if you would eat them up? yet at the very &s;ame time if you can but meet your dog, or a drunken compani|on, you can fawn upon them, take ac|quaintance with them, to the Tavern or Ale-hou&s;e with them, if it be two or three times in a week; but if the Saints of God meet together, pray together, and labour to edifie one another, you will &s;tay till doomes-day (as they call it) before you will look into the hou&s;e where they are. Ah friends, when all comes to all, you will be found to love drunkards, &s;trumpets, dogs, any thing; nay, to &s;erve the devil, rather then to have loving and friendly &s;ociety with the Saints of God.</P>
<P>Moreover, <HI>The dogs came and licked his &s;ores]</HI> Here again you may &s;ee, not onely the afflicted &s;tate of the Saints of God in this world, but al&s;o, that even
<PB N="18" REF="35"> dogs them&s;elves, according to their kind, are more favourable to the Saints, then the &s;inful world; though the ungodly will have no mercy on the Saints, yet it is ordered &s;o, that the&s;e creatures, dogs, lions, &amp;c. will. Though the rich man would not entertain hi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> into his hou&s;e, yet his dogs will come, and do him the be&s;t good they can even to lick his run|ning &s;ores. It was thus with <HI>Daniel,</HI> when the world was mad again&s;t him, and would have him thrown to the lions to be devoured, the lions &s;hut their mouthes at him, (or rather the Lord did &s;hut them up) &s;o that there was not that hurt befell to him, as was de&s;ired by the adver&s;aries. <HI>Dan.</HI> 6. And this I am per&s;waded of, that would the creatures do as &s;ome men would have them, the Saints of God &s;hould not walk &s;o qui|etly up and down the &s;treets, and other places, as they do. And as I &s;aid before, &s;o I &s;ay again, I am per&s;waded, that at the day of judgement many mens condi|tions and carriages will be &s;o laid open, that it will evidently appear, they have been very mercile&s;s, and mad again&s;t the children of God; in&s;omuch, that when the providence of God did fall out &s;o, as
<PB N="19" REF="35"> to cro&s;s their expectations,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ver&s;e</HI> 22.</NOTE> they have been very much offended thereat, as is very evidently &s;een in them who &s;et them&s;elves to &s;tudy how to bring the Saints into bondage, and to thru&s;t them into corners, as in the&s;e late years. And becau&s;e God hath in his goodne&s;s order|ed things ot<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">erwi&s;e, they have gna&s;hed their teeth thereat. Hence then let the Saints learn not to commit them&s;elves to their enemies, they are very mercile&s;s men, and will not &s;o much favour you, (if they can help it) as you may &s;uppo&s;e they may. Nay, unle&s;s the over-ruling hand of God in goodne&s;s do order things contrary to their naturall inclination, they will not favour you &s;o much as a dog.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="22" TYPE="verse">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Ver&s;e 22.</HI></BIBL> And it came to pa&s;s, that the beggar died, and was carried by the Angels into Abrahams bo&s;ome: the rich man al|&s;o died, and was buried.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>THe former ver&s;es do briefly hold forth the carriage of of the ungod|ly in this life toward the Saints. Now this Ver&s;e doth hold forth the departure both of the godly and
<PB N="20" REF="36"> the ungodly out of this life.</P>
<P>Where he &s;aith, <HI>And it came to pa&s;s, that the beggar died, and was carried into Abrahams bo&s;ome: and the rich man died al&s;o.]</HI> The beggar died, that repre&s;ents the godly: and the rich man died, that repre&s;ents the ungodly; from whence ob&s;erve. Neither godly <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">or ungodly mu&s;t live alwayes without a change, ei|ther by death or judgement; the good man died, and the bad man died; that Scripture al&s;o doth back this truth, that good and bad mu&s;t die, marvellous well, where it is &s;aid, And it is appointed to men once to die, and after that the judgement. <HI>Heb.</HI> 9.27.</P>
<P>Mark, he doth not &s;ay it is &s;o, that men by chance may die, which might beget in the hearts of the ungodly, e&s;pe|cially &s;ome hope to &s;cape the bitterne&s;s of it; but he &s;aith, It is a thing mo&s;t cer|tain, it is appointed. Mark, it is ap|pointed for men once to die, and after that the judgement. God hath decreed it, that &s;ince men have fallen from that happy e&s;tate that God at the fir&s;t did &s;et them in, they &s;hall die: now when it is &s;aid the beggar died, and the rich man died; part of the meaning is, they
<PB N="21" REF="36"> cea&s;ed to be any more in this world; I &s;ay, partly the meaning, but not altoge|ther. Though it be altogether the mean|ing when &s;ome of the creatures die, yet it is but in part the meaning, when it is &s;aid, that men, women, or children die; for there is to them &s;omething el&s;e to be &s;aid more then barely a going out of the world: For if when unregenera<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e men and women die, there were an end of them, not onely in this world, but al&s;o in the world to come, they would, as I may &s;ay, be happy over they will be now; for when ungodly men and wo|men 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 darkne&s;s from their death-beds to hell, there to be re&s;er|ved to the judgement of the great day, when both body and &s;oul &s;hall meet, and be united together again, and made capable to undergo the uttermo&s;t ven|geance of the Almighty to all eternity. This is that I &s;ay, which doth follow a man (that is not born again) after death; as is clear from that in 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3.18, 19. Where before &s;peaking of Chri&s;t being rai&s;ed again by the power of his eter|nal
<PB N="22" REF="37"> &s;pirit, he &s;aith, by which, that is, by that &s;pirit he went and preached to the &s;pirits in pri&s;on; but what is the mean|ing of this? Why thus much; that tho&s;e &s;ouls who were once alive in the world in the time, or dayes in which <HI>Noah</HI> li|ved, being di&s;obedient in their times to the calls of God by his Spirit in <HI>Noah,</HI> for &s;o I under&s;tand it, was according to that which was foretold by that Preach|er deprived of life, and overcome by the flood, and are now in pri&s;on. Mark, he preached to the &s;pirits <HI>in Pri&s;on;</HI> he doth not &s;ay, who were in Pri&s;on, but to them (in) that is, now in Pri&s;on, under chains of da<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">kne&s;s, re&s;erved, or kept there, in that pri&s;on, in which now they are (ready like villains in the jayl to be brought before the judgement &s;eat of Chri&s;t at the great day: but of this I &s;hall &s;peak further by and by. Now if this one truth&punc; that men mu&s;t die and depart this world, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nd either enter into joy, or el&s;e into pri&s;on, to be re&s;erved to the day of judgement, were believed, we &s;hould not have &s;o many wantons walk up and down the &s;treeets as there do; at lea&s;t it would put a mighty check to their filthy carriages, &s;o that they
<PB N="23" REF="37"> would not, could not walk &s;o ba&s;ely and &s;infully as they do. <HI>Bel&s;hazzer</HI> notwith|&s;tanding he was &s;o far from the fear of God, &s;o long as he was &s;en&s;ele&s;s of the Lords hand again&s;t him; yet when he did but &s;ee that God was offend|ed, and threatned him for his wicked|ne&s;s, it made him hang down his head, and knock his knees together, <HI>Dan.</HI> 5.5, 6. If you read the ver&s;es before, you will finde he was carele&s;s, and &s;atisfying his lu&s;ts in drinking, and playing the wanton with his Concubines. But &s;o &s;oon as he did but perceive the finger of an hand, writing, then (&s;aith the Scri|pture) the Kings countenance was chan|ged, and his thoughts troubled him, &s;o <HI>that the joynts of his loins were loo&s;ed, and his knees &s;mote one again&s;t another.</HI> And when <HI>Paul</HI> told <HI>Felix</HI> of Righteou&s;ne&s;s,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 24.25.</NOTE> Temperance, and Judgement to come, it made him rremble. And let me tell thee (Soul) who&s;oever thou art, that if thou did&s;t but verily believe that thou mu&s;t die, and come into the judgement, it would make thee turn over a new leaf, as we &s;ay. But this is the mi&s;ery, the de|vil doth labour by all means, as to keep out other things that are good, &s;o to
<PB N="24" REF="38"> keep out of the heart as much as in him lies, the thoughts of pa&s;&s;ing from this life into another world; for he knows, if he can but keep them from the &s;erious thoughts of death, he &s;hall the more ea|&s;ily keep them in their &s;ins; and &s;o from clo&s;ing with Je&s;us Chri&s;t, as <HI>Job</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Their hou&s;es are &s;afe from fear,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Job</HI> 21.9.</NOTE> <HI>neither is the rod of God upon them.</HI> Which makes them &s;ay to God, <HI>Depart from us, for we de&s;ire not the knowledge of thy wayes,</HI> ver&s;e 14. Becau&s;e there is no fear of death, and judgement to come, therefore they do put off God and his wayes, and &s;pend their dayes in their &s;ins; and in a mo|ment, that is, before they are aware, go down to the grave. <HI>ver.</HI> 17. And thus it &s;ared al&s;o with the man &s;poken of in <HI>Luke</HI> 12.20. the man in&s;tead of thinking of death, he thought how he might make his barns bigger: but in the mid&s;t of his bu&s;ine&s;s in the world, he lo&s;t his &s;oul be|fore he was aware: &s;uppo&s;ing that death had been many years off. But God &s;aid unto him, <HI>Thou fool,</HI> thou trouble&s;t thy &s;elf abo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t things of this life&punc; thou putte&s;t off the thoughts of departing this world, <HI>when this night thy &s;oul &s;hall be taken from thee.</HI> Or, this night, they,
<PB N="25" REF="38"> that is, the devil will fetch away thy &s;oul from thee. And here it comes to pa&s;s, mens not being exerci&s;ed with the thoughts of departing this life, that they are &s;o unexpected to them&s;elves and their neighbours, taken away from the plea&s;ures and profits; yea, all the enjoy|ments they bu&s;ie them&s;elves withall while they live in this world. And hence it is again, that you have &s;ome in your towns and cities that are &s;o &s;ud|denly taken away, &s;ome from haunting the Ale-hou&s;e, others from haunting the Whore-hou&s;es, others from playing and gaming, others from the cares and covetous de&s;ires after this world, un|looked for as by them&s;elves, or their companions. Hence it is al&s;o, that men do &s;o wonder at &s;uch tidings as this, there is &s;uch an one dead, &s;uch an one is departed; it is becau&s;e they do &s;o little con&s;ider, both the tran&s;itorine&s;s of them&s;elves and their neighbours: for had they but their thoughts well exer|ci&s;ed about the &s;hortne&s;s of this life, and the danger that will befall &s;uch as do mi&s;s of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, it would make them more wary and &s;ober, and &s;pend more time in the &s;ervice of God,
<PB N="26" REF="39"> and be more delighted and diligent in enquiring after the Lord Je&s;us, who is the deliverer from wrath to come. For as I &s;aid before, it is evident, that they who live after the fle&s;h in the lu&s;ts there|of, do not really and &s;eriou&s;ly think on death, and the judgement that doth fol|low after, neither do they indeed endea|vour &s;o to do; for did they, it would make them &s;ay with holy <HI>Job.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 14.14.</NOTE> <HI>All the dayes of my appointed time will I wait till my change come.</HI> And as I &s;aid before, that not onely the wicked, but al&s;o the godly have their time to depart this life. <HI>And the beggar died.</HI> The Saints of the Lord, they mu&s;t be deprived of this life al&s;o, they mu&s;t yield up the Gho&s;t into the hands of the Lord their God; they mu&s;t al&s;o be &s;eparated from their wives, children, husbands, friends, goods, and all that they have in the world. For God hath decreed it: It is appointed name|ly, by the Lord for men once to die, and <HI>we mu&s;t all appear before the judgement &s;eat of Chri&s;t.</HI> As it is 2 Corinth. 5.10, 11.</P>
<P>But it may be objected, if the godly do die as well as the wicked, and if the &s;aints mu&s;t appear before the judge|ment
<PB N="27" REF="39"> &s;eat as well as the &s;inners; then what advantage have the godly more then the ungodly, and how can the Saints be in a better condition then the wicked?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Read the 22^t^h^. ver&s;e over again, and you &s;hall finde a marvellous difference between them, as much as is between heaven and hell, everla&s;ting joy, and everla&s;ting torment; for you finde, that when the beggar died, which repre|&s;ents the godly. <HI>He was carried by the Angels into Abrahams bo&s;ome,</HI> or into everla&s;ting joy;<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 1.</NOTE> but the ungodly are not &s;o, but are hurried by the devils into the bottomle&s;s pit: for he &s;aith, <HI>And in hell he lift up his eyes.</HI> When the ungodly do die, their mi&s;ery beginneth; for then appear the devils, like &s;o many lions, waiting every moment till the &s;oul de|part from the body. Sometimes they are very vi&s;ible to the dying party, but &s;ometimes more invi&s;ible; but alwayes this is certain, they never mi&s;s of the &s;oul, if it do die out of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, but do hale it away to the pri&s;on, as I &s;aid before, there to be tormented, and re&s;erved until that great and gene|ral day of judgement, at which day they
<PB N="28" REF="40"> mu&s;t body and &s;oul receive a final &s;en|tence from the righteous Judge, and from that time be &s;hut out from the pre|&s;ence of God into everla&s;ting woe and di&s;tre&s;s. But the godly, when the time of their departure is at hand, then al&s;o are the Angels of the Lord at hand; yea, they are ready waiting upon the &s;oul to conduct it &s;afely into <HI>Abrahams</HI> bo&s;om. I do not &s;ay, but the devils are oft times very bu&s;ie doubtle&s;s, and attending the Saints in their &s;ickne&s;&s;e; I, and no que|&s;tion but they would willingly deprive the &s;oul of glory. But here is the com|fort, as the devils come from hell to de|vour the &s;oul, (if it be po&s;&s;ible, at its de|parture) &s;o the Angels of the Lord come from heaven to watch over and conduct the &s;oul (in &s;pite of the devil) &s;afe into <HI>Abrahams</HI> bo&s;ome.</P>
<P><HI>David</HI> had the comfort of this, and &s;peaks it forth for the comfort of his Brethren. <HI>P&s;alm</HI> 34.7. &s;aying, <HI>The An|gels of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.</HI> Mark, the Angels of the Lord encamp|eth round about his children, to deliver them. From what? From their enemies, of which the devil is not the lea&s;t. This
<PB N="29" REF="40"> is an excellent comfort at any time to have the holy Angels of God to attend a poor man or woman; but e&s;pecially it is comfortable in the time of di&s;tre&s;s, at the time of death, when the devils be&s;et the &s;oul with all the power that hell can afford them. But now it may be, that the glorious Angels of God do not ap|pear at the fir&s;t, to the view of the &s;oul; nay, rather it may be, hell &s;tands 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 la&s;t, and will not fail the &s;oul, but will carry it &s;afe into <HI>Abrahams</HI> bo|&s;ome.</P>
<P>Ah Friends! con&s;ider, here is an un|godly man upon his death bed, and he hath none to &s;peak for him, none to &s;peak comfort unto him; but it is not &s;o with the children of God, for they have the Spirit to comfort them. Here is the ungodly, and they have no Chri&s;t to pray for their &s;afe conduct to glory, but the Saints have an Interce&s;&s;our.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>John</HI> 17.</NOTE> 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
<PB N="30" REF="41"> per&s;on when he dieth, he &s;inks into the bottomle&s;s pit. But the Saints when they die, do a&s;cend with, and by the An|gels, into <HI>Abrahams</HI> bo&s;om, or into un|to un&s;peakable glory.</P>
<P>Again, it is &s;aid that the rich man when he died was buried, or put into the earth, but when the beggar died, he was carri|ed by the Angels into <HI>Abrahams</HI> bo&s;om. The one is a very excellent &s;tile, where he &s;aith, he was carried by the Angels into <HI>Abrahams</HI> bo&s;ome; it denotes the excellent condition of the Saints of God, as I &s;aid before; and not onely &s;o, but al&s;o the preciou&s;ne&s;s of the death of the Saints in the eyes of the Lord, that after generations may &s;ee how precious in the &s;ight of the Lord the death of his Saints is, when he &s;aith, they are carried by the Angels into <HI>Abrahams</HI> bo&s;ome. 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 &s;aid of <HI>Enoch,</HI> that God took him; of <HI>Abraham,</HI> that he died in a good old age of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> that the Lord buried him; of <HI>Elijah,</HI> that he was taken up into heaven; that the Saints &s;leep in Je&s;us; that they die
<PB N="31" REF="41"> in the Lord; that they re&s;t from their labour; that their works follow them; that they are under the Altar; that they are with Chri&s;t; that they are in light; that they are to come with the Lord Je|&s;us to judge the world. All which &s;ay|ings &s;ignifie thus much, That to die <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Saint is very great honour and dignity. But the ungodly are not &s;o. The rich or ungodly die, and are buried, he is carri|ed from his dwelling to the grave, and there he is buried, hid in the du&s;t; and his body doth not &s;o fa&s;t molder and come to nought there, but his name doth &s;tink as fa&s;t in the world: as &s;aith the holy Scripture, <HI>The name of the wicked &s;hall rot.</HI> And indeed the names of the godly are not in &s;o much honour after their departure, but the wicked and their names do as much rot. What a di&s;ho|nour to po&s;terity was the death of <HI>Bala|am, Agag, Achitophel, Haman, Judas He|rod,</HI> with the re&s;t of their companions. So that though the wicked have their names written in the earth, and they do peri&s;h and rot, yet the name of the Saints do ca&s;t forth a dainty &s;avour to following generations: and that the Lord Je&s;us doth &s;ignifie where he &s;aith,
<PB N="32" REF="42"> The godly are carried by the Angels in|to <HI>Abrahams</HI> bo&s;ome. And that the wicked are nothing worth; where he &s;aith, The ungodly die and are buried.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="23" TYPE="verse">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Ver&s;e 23.</HI></BIBL> And in hell he lift up his <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">es being in torment, and &s;eeth Abra|ham afar off, and Lazarus in his bo|&s;ome.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>THe former ver&s;e &s;peaks onely of the departure of the ungodly out of this life, together with the glorious con|duct that the godly have into the king|dome of their Father. Now our Lord doth &s;hew in this ver&s;e, partly, what doth, and &s;hall befall to the reprobate after this life is ended, where he &s;aith, <HI>And in hell he lift up his eyes.]</HI> That is, the ungodly after they depart this life, do lift up their eyes in hell. From the&s;e words may be ob&s;erved the&s;e things.</P>
<P N="1">1. That there is an hell for &s;ouls to be tormented in when this life is ended. Mark, after he was dead and buried. <HI>In hell he lift up his eyes.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. That all that are ungodly, and do live and die in their &s;ins, &s;o &s;oon as ever they die they go into hell: he died,
<PB N="33" REF="42"> and was buried. <HI>And in hell he lift up his eyes.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. That &s;ome are &s;o fa&s;t a&s;leep, and &s;ecure in their &s;ins, that they &s;carce know well where they are, till they come into hell, and that I gather from the&s;e words, <HI>In hell he lift up his eyes.</HI> He was a&s;leep before, but hell makes him lift up his eyes.</P>
<P>As I &s;aid before, it is evident that there is an hell for &s;ouls; yea, and bo|dies too, to be tormented in after they depart this life, as is clear. Fir&s;t, becau&s;e the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t that cannot lie, did &s;ay, that after the &s;inner was dead and buried, <HI>In hell he lift up his eyes.</HI></P>
<P>Now if it be objected, that hell is here meant the grave, that I plainly deny. Fir&s;t, becau&s;e there the body is not &s;en&s;i|ble of torment or ea&s;e; but in that hell, into which the &s;pirits of the damned de|part, they are &s;en&s;ible of torment, and would be very willingly freed from it, to enjoy ea&s;e, which they are &s;en&s;ible of the want of; as is clearly di&s;covered in this Parable. <HI>Send Lazarus that he may dip, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. It is not meant the grave, but &s;ome
<PB N="34" REF="43"> other place, becau&s;e the bodies &s;o long as they lie there, are not capable of lift|ing up their eyes, to &s;et the glorious condition of the children of God, as the &s;ouls of the damned do. <HI>In hell he lift up his eyes.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. It cannot be the grave, for then it mu&s;t follow, that the &s;oul was buried there with the body, which cannot &s;tand with &s;uch a dead &s;tate as is here menti|oned; for he &s;aith, <HI>The rich man died;</HI> that is, his &s;oul was &s;eparated from his body. <HI>And in Hell he lift up his eyes.</HI></P>
<P>If it be again objected, that there is no hell but in this life, that I do al&s;o deny, as I &s;aid before; after he was dead and buried, <HI>In hell he lift up his eyes.</HI> And let me tell thee, O &s;oul, whoever thou art, that if thou clo&s;e not in &s;avingly with the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and lay hold on what he hath done, and is doing in his own per&s;on for &s;inners, thou wilt finde &s;uch 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 doe&s;t make but a mock at the &s;er|vants of the Lord, when they tell thee of the torments of hell, thou wilt finde,
<PB N="35" REF="43"> that when thou departe&s;t out of this life, that hell, even the hell which is af|ter this life, will meet thee in thy jour|ney thither, and will with its helli&s;h crew give thee &s;uch a &s;ad &s;alutation, that thou wilt not forget it to all eternity, when that Scripture comes to be fulfilled on thy &s;oul, in <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 14.9. where it is &s;aid, <HI>Hell from beneath it moved for thee, to meet thee at thy comming: it &s;tirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth: it hath rai&s;ed from their thrones all the kings of the nations. All they,</HI> that is, that are in hell &s;hall &s;ay, <HI>Art thou become weak as we? art thou become like unto us?</HI> O &s;ometimes when I have had but thoughts of going to hell, and con&s;i|dered the everla&s;tingne&s;s of their ruine that fall in thither; it hath &s;tirred me up rather to &s;eek to the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, to deliver me from thence, then to &s;light it, and make a mock at it.</P>
<P><HI>And in hell he lift up his eyes.]</HI> The &s;e|cond thing I told you, was this, That all the ungodly that live and die in their &s;ins, &s;o &s;oon as ever they depart this life, do de&s;cend into hell. This is al&s;o verified by the words in this parable, where Chri&s;t &s;aith, He died and was buried, <HI>and
<PB N="36" REF="44"> in hell he lift up his eyes.</HI> As the tree falls, &s;o it &s;hall lie, whether it be to heaven or hell. And as Chri&s;t &s;aid to the thief on the Cro&s;s, <HI>This day &s;halt thou be with me in Paradi&s;e.</HI> Even &s;o the devil in the like manner may &s;ay unto thy &s;oul, To morrow &s;halt thou be with me in hell. See then what a mi&s;erable ca&s;e he that dies in an unregenerate &s;tate is in; he departs from a long &s;ickne&s;s to a longer hell; from the gripings of death to the everla&s;ting torments of hell. <HI>And in hell he lift up his eyes.</HI> Ah Friends! if you were but your &s;elves, you would have a care of your &s;ouls; if you did but re|gard you would &s;ee how mad they are that &s;light the &s;alvation of their &s;ouls. O what will it profit thy &s;oul to have plea&s;ure in this life, and torments in hell; thou had&s;t better part with all thy &s;ins and plea&s;ures, and companions, or what|&s;oever thou delighte&s;t in, then to have &s;oul and body to be ca&s;t into hell. O then, do not now neglect our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, le&s;t thou drop down to hell. Con&s;ider, would it not wound thee to thine heart, to come upon thy death-bed, and in&s;tead of having the comfort of a well-&s;pent life, and the
<PB N="37" REF="44"> merits of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, together with the comforts of his glorious Spi|rit: to have, fir&s;t, the &s;ight of an ill-&s;pent life, thy &s;ins flying in thy face, thy con&s;cience uttering it &s;elf with thunder|claps again&s;t thee, the thoughts of God terrifying of thee, death with his merci|le&s;s paw &s;eizing upon thee, the devils &s;tanding ready to &s;cramble for thy &s;oul, and hell enlarging her &s;elf, and ready to &s;wallow thee up; and eternity of mi&s;e|ry and torment attending upon thee, from which there will be no relea&s;e. For mark, death doth not come alone to an unconverted &s;oul, but with &s;uch compa|ny, as wert thou but &s;en&s;ible of, it would make thee tremble. I pray con&s;i|der that Scripture. <HI>Rev.</HI> 6.8. <HI>And I looked, and beheld a pale ho<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;e, and his name that &s;a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> on him was Death, and hell followed with him.</HI> Mark, death doth not come alone to the ungodly; no, but hell goeth with <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">im. O mi&s;erable comforters! O mi&s;erable &s;ociety! here comes death and hell unto thee. Death goeth into thy body, and &s;eparates body and &s;oul a&s;under; hell &s;tands without (as I may &s;ay) to embrace, or rather to cru&s;h thy &s;oul between its everla&s;ting
<PB N="38" REF="45"> grinders. Then thy mirth, thy joy, thy &s;inful delights will be cea&s;ed when this comes to pa&s;s; lo, it will come. Ble&s;&s;ed are all tho&s;e, that through Chri&s;t Je&s;us his merits, by faith, do e&s;cape the&s;e &s;oul-murthering companions. <HI>And in hell he lift up his eyes.</HI></P>
<P>The third thing you know that we did ob&s;erve from the&s;e words, was this, That &s;ome are &s;o fa&s;t a&s;leep, and &s;ecure in their &s;ins, that they &s;carce know where they are, untill they come into hell. And that you know I told you I gather by the&s;e words. <HI>In hell he lift up his eyes.</HI> Mark, it was in hell that he lift up his eyes. Now &s;ome do under&s;tand by the&s;e words, that he came to him&s;elf, or be|gan to con&s;ider with him&s;elf, or to think with him&s;elf in what an e&s;tate he was, and what he was deprived of; which is &s;till a confirmation of the thing laid down by me. There it is that they come to them&s;elves, that is, there they are &s;en|&s;ible where they are indeed; thus it fares with &s;ome men, that they &s;carce know where they are, till they lift up their eyes in hell. It is with the&s;e people, as with tho&s;e that fall down in a &s;woun; you know if a man do fall down in a
<PB N="39" REF="45"> &s;woun in one room, though you take him up, and carry him into another, yet he is not &s;en&s;ible where he is, till he cometh unto him&s;elf, and lifteth up his eyes.</P>
<P>Truly thus it is to be feared, it is with many poor &s;ouls, they are &s;o &s;en&s;ele&s;s, &s;o hard, &s;o &s;eared in their con&s;cience, that they are very ignorant of their &s;tate; and when death comes, it &s;trikes them, as it were, into a &s;woun, (e&s;pecially if they die &s;uddenly) and &s;o they are hurri|ed away, and &s;carce know where they are, till in hell they lift up their eyes.</P>
<P>Of this &s;ort are they &s;poken of in <HI>P&s;alm</HI> 73. where he &s;aith, <HI>There are no bonds in their death, but their &s;trength is firm. They are not troubled as other folk, neither are they plagued like other men.</HI> And again, they &s;pend their dayes in wealth, and in a moment, mark, in a mo|ment, before they are aware, they go down to the grave, <HI>Job</HI> 21.17.</P>
<P>Indeed this is too much known by woful and daily experience, &s;ometimes when we go to vi&s;it them that are &s;ick in the towns and places where we live, Oh how &s;encele&s;s, how &s;eared in their con|&s;ciences are they? they are neither &s;en&s;i|ble
<PB N="40" REF="46"> of heaven, nor of hell; of &s;in, nor a Saviour: &s;peak to them of their condi|tion, and the &s;tate of their &s;ouls, and you &s;hall finde them as ignorant, as if they had no &s;ouls to regard. Others, though they lie ready to die, yet they are bu&s;ying them&s;elves about their outward affairs, as though they &s;hould certainly live here, even to live and enjoy the &s;ame for ever. Again, come to others, &s;peak to them about the &s;tate of their &s;ouls, though they have no more experience of the new birth then a bea&s;t, yet will they &s;peak as confidently of their eternal &s;tate, and the welfare of their &s;ouls, as if they had the mo&s;t excellent experi|ence of any man or woman in the world, When as I &s;aid even now, the Lord knows they are as ignorant of the new birth, of the nature and operati|on of faith, of the witne&s;s of the Spirit: as if there were no new birth, no faith, no witne&s;s of the Spirit of Chri&s;t in any of the Saints in the world. Nay, thus many of them are, even an hour or le&s;s before their departure. Ah poor &s;ouls, though they may go away here like a lamb, as the world &s;ayes, yet if you could but follow them a little to
<PB N="41" REF="46"> &s;tand and li&s;ten &s;oon after their de|parture; It is to be feared you &s;hould hear them roar like a lion at their fir&s;t entrance into hell.</P>
<P>Now by this one thing doth the de|vil take great advantage on the hearts of the ignorant, &s;ugge&s;ting unto them, that becau&s;e the party decea&s;ed, departed &s;o quietly, without all doubt they are gone to re&s;t and joy: when alas, it is to be feared, the rea&s;on why they went away &s;o quietly, was rather becau&s;e they were &s;en&s;ele&s;s and hardened in their con&s;cien|ces; yea, dead before in &s;ins and tre&s;pa&s;|&s;es. For had they had but &s;ome awaken|ings on their death beds, as &s;ome have had, they would have made all the town to ring of their doleful condition, But becau&s;e they are &s;eared and ignorant, and &s;o depart quietly: therefore the world takes heart at gra&s;s, (as we u&s;e to &s;ay) and make no great matter of living and dy|ing they cannot well tell how. But let them look to them&s;elves; for if they have not an intere&s;t in the Lord Je&s;us, now while they live in the world, they will, whether they die raging or &s;till, go unto the &s;ame place, and lift up their eyes in hell.</P>
<PB N="42" REF="47">
<P>O my friends, did you but know what a mi&s;erable condition they are in, that go out of this world without an intere&s;t in the Son of God, it would make you &s;mite upon your thigh, and in the bitter|ne&s;s of your &s;ouls cry out, Men and bre|thren, what &s;hall we do to be &s;aved? And not onely &s;o, but thou woulde&s;t not be comforted, until thou did&s;t finde a re&s;t for thy &s;oul in the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="23" TYPE="verse">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Ver&s;e 23.</HI></BIBL> And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and &s;eeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bo&s;ome.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>Something in brief I have ob&s;erved from the fir&s;t part of this ver&s;e, namely from the&s;e words, <HI>And in hell he lift up his eyes.</HI> And indeed I have ob&s;erved but &s;omething, for they are very full of mat|ter, and many things po&s;&s;ibly might be taken notice of in them. There is one thing more that I might touch upon, as touched in this &s;aying, and that is this, Methink the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t doth hereby &s;ignifie, that men are naturally unwilling to &s;ee or take notice of their &s;ad &s;tate, I &s;ay by nature; but though now they are willingly ignorant, yet in hell they &s;hall lift up their eyes. That
<PB N="43" REF="47"> is, in hell they &s;hall &s;ee and under&s;tand their mi&s;erable condition; and there|fore to the&s;e words, <HI>In hell he lift up his eyes,</HI> he added, <HI>being in torment.</HI> As if he had &s;aid, Though once they &s;hut their eyes, though once they were willingly ignorant, yet when they depart into hell, they &s;hall be &s;o mi&s;erably handled and tormented, that they &s;hall be for|ced to lift up their eyes. For while men live in this world, and are in a naturall &s;tate, they will have a good conceit of them&s;elves, and of their condition; they will conclude that they are Chri&s;tians, and their &s;tate to be as good as the be&s;t; they will conclude they have faith, the Spirit, good hope, and an intere&s;t in the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t: but then, when they drop into hell, and lift up their eyes there, and behold, fir&s;t their &s;oul to be in extream torments; their dwelling to be the bottomle&s;s pit; their company thou&s;ands of damned &s;ouls; al&s;o the in|numerable company of devils; and the hot &s;calding 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 &s;leep. I &s;ay, when this
<PB N="44" REF="48"> comes to pa&s;s, Lo it will, then in hell they &s;hall lift up their eyes, in the mid&s;t of torments they &s;hall lift up their eyes.</P>
<P>Again, you may ob&s;erve from the&s;e words. <HI>And in hell he lift up his eyes be|ing in torment.</HI> That the time of the un|godly mens &s;marting for their &s;ins, will be in the torments of hell. Now here I am put to a &s;tand, when I con&s;ider the torments of hell, into which the dam|ned do fall. O un&s;peakable torments! O endle&s;s torments! Now that thy &s;oul might be made to flee from the&s;e in|tolerable torments, into which the damned do go. I &s;hall &s;hew you darkly and briefly what are the torments of hell. Fir&s;t, by the means of it. Se|condly, by the &s;ad &s;tate thou wilt be in, if thou come&s;t there. Fir&s;t the names. It is called <HI>a never dying worm.</HI> Mark 9. It is called <HI>an oven, fire hot,</HI> Ma|lachi 4.1. It is called <HI>a furnace, a fiery fur|nace,</HI> Mat. 13. It is called <HI>the bottomle&s;s pit, the unquenchable fire, fire and brim|&s;tone, hell fire, the lake of fire, devouring fire, everla&s;ting fire, eternal fire, a &s;tream of fire.</HI> Rev. 21.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, one part of thy torments will
<PB N="45" REF="48"> be this, thou &s;halt have a full &s;ight of all thy ill-&s;pent life from fir&s;t to la&s;t, though here thou can&s;t &s;in to day, and forget it by to morrow; yet there thou &s;halt be made to remember how thou did&s;t &s;in again&s;t God at &s;uch a time,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>P&s;alm</HI> 50.</NOTE> and in &s;uch a place, for &s;uch a thing, and with &s;uch an one, which will be an hell unto thee.</P>
<P N="2">2. Thou &s;halt have the guilt of them all lie heavy on thy &s;oul, not onely the guilt of one or two, but the guilt of them all together, and there they &s;hall lie in thy &s;oul, as if thy belly were full of pitch, and &s;et on a light fire. Now here men can &s;ometimes think on their &s;ins with delight, but there with un&s;peak|able torment; for that I under&s;tand to be the fire that Chri&s;t &s;peaketh of, which &s;hall never be quenched. Mark, while men live here, O how doth the guilt of one &s;in &s;ometimes cru&s;h the &s;oul, it makes a man in &s;uch plight, that he is weary of his life, &s;o that he can neither re&s;t at home nor abroad, neither up nor in bed. Nay, I do know, that they have been &s;o tormented with the guilt of one &s;inful thought, that they have been even at their wits end. But now when thou
<PB N="46" REF="49"> come&s;t into hell, and ha&s;t not onely one or two, or an hundred &s;ins with the guilt of them all on thy &s;oul and body; but all the &s;ins that ever thou did&s;t com|mit &s;ince thou came&s;t into the world, all together clapt on thy con&s;cience at one time, as one &s;hould clap a red hot iron to thy brea&s;ts, and there to continue to all eternity, this is mi&s;erable.</P>
<P N="3">3. Again, then thou &s;halt have brought into thy remembrance the &s;lighting of the Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t; here now thou &s;halt con&s;ider how willing Chri&s;t was to come into the world to &s;ave &s;inners, and for what a trifle thou did&s;t reject him. This is plainly held forth in <HI>E&s;ay</HI> 28. where &s;peaking of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t the foundation of &s;alvation, ver. 16. he &s;aith of them that reject the Go&s;pel, that when the overflowing &s;courge doth pa&s;s through the earth, (which I under|&s;tand to be at the end of the world) then &s;aith he, <HI>It &s;hall take you morning by morning, by day and by night &s;hall it pa&s;s over you;</HI> that is, continually without any intermi&s;&s;ion. Now the&s;e are the words I aim at, where he &s;aith, <HI>And it &s;hall be a vexation onely to hear the report.</HI> A vexation, that is, a torment, or a great
<PB N="47" REF="49"> part of hell onely to under&s;tand the re|port, that is, to under&s;tand the good ti|dings that came into the world by Chri&s;ts death for poor &s;inners, and you will finde this to be verily the minde of the Spirit, if you compare it with Chap. 53. of <HI>E&s;ay</HI> ver&s;e 1. where he &s;peaks of mens turning their backs upon the ten|ders of Gods grace in the Go&s;pel, he &s;aith, <HI>Who hath believed our report,</HI> or the Go&s;pel declared by us? Now this will be a mighty torment to the ungod|ly, when they &s;hall under&s;tand the good|ne&s;s of God was &s;o great, that he even &s;ent his Son out of his bo&s;ome to die for &s;inners, and yet that they &s;hould be &s;o fooli&s;h, as to put him off from one time to another; that they &s;hould be &s;o foo|li&s;h, as to lo&s;e heaven, and Chri&s;t, and eternall life in glory, for the &s;ociety of a company of drunkards; that they &s;hould lo&s;e their &s;ouls for a little &s;port, for this world, for a &s;trumpet, for that which is lighter then vanity, and nothing. I &s;ay, this will be a very great torment unto thee.</P>
<P N="4">4. Another part of thy torment will be this, thou &s;halt &s;ee thy friends, thy acquaintance, thy neighbours; nay, it
<PB N="48" REF="50"> may be thy father, thy mother, thy wife, thy husband, thy children, thy brother, thy &s;i&s;ter with others in the kingdom of heaven, and thy &s;elf thru&s;t out. And this is that, that Chri&s;t told the Jews would befall them in <HI>Luke</HI> 13.28. <HI>There &s;hall be weeping, &amp;c. when you &s;hall &s;ee Abra|ham</HI> (your father) <HI>and I&s;aac, and Jacob,</HI> (together with your brethren) <HI>the Pro|phets in the kingdom of heaven, and your &s;elves thru&s;t out.</HI> Nay, &s;aith he, There &s;hall come from the Ea&s;t, and from the We&s;t, that is, tho&s;e that thou did&s;t never &s;ee in all thy life before, and they &s;hall &s;it down with thy friends, and thy neigh|bours, thy wife and thy children in the kingdom of heaven, and thou for thy &s;ins and di&s;obediencc &s;halt be &s;hut, nay, thru&s;t out. O wonderfull tor|ment!</P>
<P N="5">5. Again, thou &s;halt have none but a company of damned &s;ouls, with an in|numerable 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 fle&s;h to tremble, and thine hair ready to &s;tand upright on thy head. But O what wilt thou do, when not onely the &s;uppo|&s;ition
<PB N="49" REF="50"> of the devils appearing, but the reall &s;ociety of all the devils in hell to be with thee howling and roaring, &s;creeching and yelling in &s;uch a hideous manner, that thou wilt be even at thy wits end, and be ready to run &s;tark madde again for angui&s;h and tor|ment.</P>
<P N="6">6. Again, that thou mighte&s;t be tor|mente<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> to purpo&s;e, the mighty God of heaven will lay as great wrath and ven|geance upon thee, as ever he can, by the might of his glorious power. As I &s;aid before; Thou &s;halt have his wrath not by drops, no, but by whole &s;howres &s;hall it come thunder, thunder upon thy body and &s;oul &s;o fa&s;t, and &s;o thick, that thou &s;halt be tormented out of mea&s;ure. And &s;o &s;aith the Scripture. 2. <HI>The&s;.</HI> 1.9. &s;peaking of the wicked, <HI>Who &s;hall be pu|ni&s;hed with everla&s;ting de&s;truction from the pre&s;ence of the Lord, and from the glo|ry of his power, when the Saints &s;hall be ad|miring his gooodne&s;s and glory.</HI></P>
<P>Again, this thou &s;halt have, as I &s;aid before, without any intermi&s;&s;ion, thou &s;halt not have any ea&s;e &s;o long as while a man may turn him&s;elf round: thou &s;halt have it alwayes every hour, day
<PB N="50" REF="51"> and night: for their worm never dies, but alwayes gnaws, and their fire is never quenched. As it is written in <HI>Mark</HI> 9.</P>
<P N="7">7. Again, in this condition thou mu&s;t be for ever, and that is as &s;ad as all the re&s;t. For if a man were to have all his &s;ins laid to his charge, and communion with the devils, and as much wrath as the great God of heaven can inflict upon them. I &s;ay, if it were but for a time, even ten thou&s;and years, if then it might have an end, there would be ground of comfort, and hopes of deliverance; but here is thy mi&s;ery, this is thy &s;tate for ever, here thou mu&s;t be for ever: when thou looke&s;t about thee, and &s;ee&s;t what an innumerable company of howling devils thou art among&s;t, thou &s;halt think this again, this is my portion for ever. When thou ha&s;t been in hell &s;o many thou&s;and years as there are &s;tars in the firmament, or drops in the &s;ea, or &s;ands on the &s;ea &s;hore, yet thou ha&s;t to lie there for ever. O this one word, ever, how will it torment thy &s;oul. O friends, I have onely given a very &s;hort touch of the torments of hell. O! I am &s;et, I am &s;et, and am not able to utter
<PB N="51" REF="51"> what my minde conceives of the tor|ments of hell. Yet this let me &s;ay to thee, accept of Gods mercy, through our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, le&s;t thou feel that with thy con&s;cience, which I cannot expre&s;&s;e with my tongue, and &s;ay, I am &s;orely tormented in this flame.</P>
<P><HI>And &s;eeth Abraham afar off, and La|zarus in his bo&s;ome.]</HI></P>
<P>When the damned are in this pittiful &s;tate, &s;urrounded with fears, with ter|rors, with torment and vengeance; one thing they &s;hall have, which is this, they &s;hall &s;ee the happy and ble&s;&s;ed &s;tate of Gods children: he &s;eeth <HI>Abraham</HI> afar off, and <HI>Lazarus</HI> in his bo&s;ome, which as I &s;aid before, is the happy &s;tate of the Saints, when this life is ended. This now &s;hall be &s;o far from being an ea&s;e unto them, that it &s;hall mo&s;t wonderfully ag|gravate or heighten their torment, as I &s;aid before. There &s;hall be weeping, or cau&s;e of lamentation, when they &s;hall &s;ee <HI>Abraham,</HI> and <HI>I&s;aac,</HI> and <HI>Jacob</HI> in the kingdom of heaven, and them&s;elves thru&s;t out.</P>
<P N="2">2. Ob&s;erve, tho&s;e that die in their &s;ins are far from going to heaven. He &s;eeth <HI>Abraham</HI> afar off, and <HI>Lazarus</HI> in his
<PB N="52" REF="52"> bo&s;ome. And indeed it is ju&s;t with God to deal with them that die in their &s;ins, according to what they have done; and to make them who are far from righte|ou&s;ne&s;s now, to &s;tand far from heaven to all eternity. <HI>Hearken to this ye &s;tout hearted, that are far from righteou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> and that are re&s;olved to go on in your &s;ins; when you die, you will be far from heaven; you will &s;ee <HI>Lazarus,</HI> but it will be afar off. Again, <HI>he &s;eeth Abra|ham afar off, and Lazarus in his bo&s;ome.</HI> The&s;e are &s;ome of the things that the damned do behold, &s;o &s;oon as they come into torment. Mark, <HI>And he &s;eeth La|zarus in Abrahams bo&s;ome. Lazarus,</HI> who was he? Why, even he that was &s;o flighted, &s;o di&s;regaded, &s;o undervalued by this ungodly one while he was in the world; he &s;eeth <HI>Lazarus</HI> in his bo|&s;ome.</P>
<P>From whence ob&s;erve, That tho&s;e who live and the die enemies of the Saints of God; let them be never &s;o great or &s;tout; let them bear never &s;o much &s;way while they are in the world; let them brag and boa&s;t never &s;o much while they are here, they &s;hall in &s;pight of their teeths &s;ee the Saints, yea, the
<PB N="53" REF="52"> poor Saints, even the <HI>Lazarus</HI>'s, or the ragged ones that belong to Je&s;us, to be in a better condition then them|&s;elves. O who do you think was in the be&s;t condition, or who do you think &s;aw them&s;elves in the be&s;t condition, he that was in hell, or he that was in hea|ven? He that was in darkne&s;s, or he that was in light? He that was in everla&s;t|ing joy, or he that was in everla&s;ting torments? The one with God, Chri&s;t, Saints, Angels: the other in torment|ing flames, under the cur&s;e of Gods eternal hatred, with the devils and their angels, together with an innumerable company of howling, roaring, cur&s;ing, ever burning reprobates. Certainly this ob&s;ervation will be ea&s;ily proved to be true here in this world, by him that looks upon it with an under&s;tanding heart, and will clear it &s;elf to be true in the world to come, by &s;uch as &s;hall go either to heaven or to hell.</P>
<P N="2">2. The &s;econd ob&s;ervation from the&s;e words, <HI>And &s;eeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bo&s;ome,</HI> is this, They that are the per&s;ecutours of the Saints of the Lord now in this world, &s;hall &s;ee the Lords per&s;ecuted ones, to be they that
<PB N="54" REF="53"> are &s;o highly e&s;teemed by the Lord, as to &s;it, or to be in <HI>Abrahams</HI> bo&s;ome (in everla&s;ting glory) though they, the ene|mies to the children of God, and the practice of the Saints did &s;o lightly e&s;teem them, that they &s;corn to let them gather up the dogs meat that falls under their table; this is al&s;o verified and held forth plainly by this Parable. And therefore be not grieved, O you that are the tempted, per&s;ecuted, afflicted, &s;ighing, praying Saints of the Lord, though your adver&s;aries look upon you now with a di&s;dainful, &s;urly, rugged, proud and haughty countenance, yet the time &s;hall come, when they &s;hall &s;pie you in <HI>Abrahams</HI> bo&s;ome.</P>
<P>I might enlarge upon the&s;e things, but &s;hall leave them to the Spirit of the Lord, which can better by ten thou&s;and degrees enlarge them on thy heart and con&s;cience; then I can upon a piece of pa|per. Therefore leaving the&s;e to the ble&s;&s;ing of the Lord, I &s;hall come to the next ver&s;e, and &s;hall be brief in &s;peaking to that al&s;o, and &s;o pa&s;s to the re&s;t.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="24" TYPE="verse">
<PB N="55" REF="53">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Ver&s;e 24.</HI></BIBL><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ver&s;e</HI> 24.</NOTE> And he cried, and &s;aid, Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and &s;end Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water to cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>YOu know I told you the 22. ver&s;e is a di&s;covery of the departure of the godly and the ungodly out of this life; where he &s;aith, The beggar died, and the rich man al&s;o died. The 23. ver&s;e is a di&s;covery of the proper places, both of the godly, and the ungodly af|ter death; one being in <HI>Abrahams</HI> bo|&s;ome, or in glory, the other in hell. Now this 24. ver&s;e is a di&s;covery of part of the too late repentance of the ungodly, when they are dropt down into hell. <HI>And he cried, and &s;aid, Father Abraham, have mercy upon me.]</HI></P>
<P>From the&s;e words, <HI>and he cried,</HI> we may ob&s;erve, fir&s;t, what a change the un|godly will have, when they come into hell. Where he &s;aith, he cried; it is like he was laughing, je&s;ting, jearing, drink|ing, mocking, &s;wearing, cur&s;ing, pra|ting, per&s;ecuting of the godly in his pro&s;perity, among his filthy compani|ons;
<PB N="56" REF="54"> but now the ca&s;e is otherwi&s;e; now he is inanother frame; now his proud, &s;tout, curri&s;h carriage is come down, as is clearly &s;ignified by the&s;e words, <HI>And he cried.</HI> Therefore by the&s;e words you may &s;econdy ob&s;erve, that the laughter of the ungodly will not la&s;t alwayes, but will be &s;ure to end in a cry. O no my friends, con&s;ider, you mu&s;t have a change either here or in hell. If you be not new creatures, regenerate per&s;ons, new born babes in this world before you go hence, your note will be chan|ged, you. conditions will be changed: for if you come into hell, you mu&s;t cry. O did but the &s;inging drunkards, when they are making merry on the Alebench think on this, that if they drop into hell they mu&s;t cry, it would make them change their note, and cry, What &s;hall I do, whither &s;hal I go when I die? But as I &s;aid before, the devil, as he labors to get poor &s;ouls to follow their &s;ins, &s;o he la|bors al&s;o to keep the thoughts of eternal damnation out of their mindes; and in|deed the&s;e two things are &s;o nearly linked together, that the devil cannot well get the &s;oul to go on in &s;in with delight, unle&s;s he can keep the thougths
<PB N="57" REF="54"> of that terrible after-clap out of their mindes. But let them know that it &s;hall not alwayes be thus with them; for if when they depart, they drop down into eternal de&s;truction, they &s;hall have &s;uch a &s;ence of their &s;ins, and the pu|ni&s;hment due to the &s;ame, that it &s;hall make them to cry. <HI>And he cried.</HI> O what an alteration will there be among the ungodly, when they go out of this world! it may be a fortnight or a moneth before their departure, they were light, &s;tout, &s;urly, drinking them|&s;elves drunk, &s;lighting Gods people, mocking at goodne&s;s, and delighting in &s;in; following the world, &s;eeking after riches, faring deliciou&s;ly, keeping com|pany with the brave&s;t; but now they are dropt down into hell, they cry. A little while ago they were painting their faces, feeding their lu&s;ts, following their whores, robbing their neighbours, telling of lies, following of playes, and &s;ports to pa&s;s away the time; but now they are in hell they do cry. It may be la&s;t year they heard &s;ome good &s;ermons, was invited to receive heaven, was told their &s;ins &s;hould be pardoned, if they clo&s;ed in with Je&s;us; but refu&s;ing his
<PB N="58" REF="55"> profers, and &s;lighting the grace that was once tendered, they are now in hell, and do cry.</P>
<P>Before they had &s;o much time (they thought) that they could not tell how to &s;pend it, unle&s;s it were in hunting, and whoring, in dancing and playing, and &s;pending whole hours; yea, dayes, nay weeks in the lu&s;ts of the fle&s;h, but when they depart into another place, and be|gin to lift up their eyes in hell, and con|&s;ider their mi&s;erable, and irrecoverable condition they will cry.</P>
<P>O what a condition wilt thou fall into, when thou do&s;t depart this world, if thou depart unconverted, and not born again, thou had&s;t better have been &s;mothered the fir&s;t hour thou wa&s;t born; thou had&s;t better have been plucked one limb from another; thou had&s;t bet|ter have been made a dog, a toad, a &s;er|pent; nay, any other creature in the vi|&s;ible world, then to die unconverted, and this thou wilt finde to be true, when <HI>in hell thou do&s;t lif<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> up thine eyes, and do&s;t cry.</HI></P>
<P>Here then before we go any further you may &s;ee, that it is not without good ground that the&s;e words are here &s;po|ken
<PB N="59" REF="55"> by our Lord, That when any of the ungodly do depart into hell, they will will cry. Cry, why &s;o?</P>
<P N="1">1. They will cry to think, that they &s;hould be cut off from the Land of the living, never more to have any footing therein.</P>
<P N="2">2. They will cry to think, that the Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t &s;hould be &s;o often pro|fered them, and yet they are not profited by it.</P>
<P N="3">3. They will cry to think, that now though they would never &s;o willingly repent and be &s;aved, yet they are pa&s;t all recovery.</P>
<P N="4">4. They will cry to think, that they &s;hould be &s;o fooli&s;h as to follow their plea&s;ures, when others were following of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P N="5">5. They will cry to think, that they mu&s;t be &s;eparated from God, Chri&s;t, and the kingdom of heaven, and that for ever.</P>
<P N="6">6. To think, that their crying will now do them no good.</P>
<P N="7">7. To think, that at the day of judge|ment they mu&s;t &s;tand at the left hand of Chri&s;t, among an innumerable company of damned ones.</P>
<P N="8"><PB N="60" REF="56">8. They will cry to think, that <HI>Laza|rus,</HI> whom once they &s;lighted, mu&s;t be of them that mu&s;t &s;it with Chri&s;t to judge, or together with Chri&s;t, to pa&s;s a &s;entence of condemnation on their &s;ouls for ever and ever, 1 <HI>Corinthians</HI> 6.2, 3.</P>
<P N="9">9. Cry to think, that when the judgement is over, and others are taken into the everla&s;ting kingdom of glory, then thou mu&s;t depart back again into that dungeon of darkne&s;s, from whence thou came&s;t our, (to appear before that terrible tribunal) where thou &s;halt be tormented &s;o long as eternity la&s;ts, without the lea&s;t intermi&s;&s;ion or ea&s;e. How &s;aye&s;t thou, O thou wanton, proud, &s;wearing, lying ungodly wretch, whe|ther this be to be &s;lighted, and made a mock at. And again, tell me now, if it be not better to leave &s;in, and to clo&s;e in with Chri&s;t Je&s;us, notwith&s;tanding that reproach thou &s;halt meet with for &s;o doing; then to live a little while in this world in plea&s;ures, and feeding thy lu&s;ts, in neglecting the welfare of thy &s;oul, and refu&s;ing to be ju&s;tified by Je&s;us, and in a moment to drop down to hell, and to cry? O con&s;ider, I &s;ay
<PB N="61" REF="56"> con&s;ider betimes, and put not off the the tenders of the grace of our Lord Je|&s;us Chri&s;t, le&s;t you lift up your eyes in hell, and cry for angui&s;h of &s;pirit.</P>
<P><HI>And he cried, and &s;aid, Father Abraham have mercy upon me, and &s;end Lazarus, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>The&s;e words do not onely hold forth the lamentable condition of the dam|ned, and their lamentable howling and crying out under their angui&s;h of &s;pi|rit, but al&s;o they do &s;ignifie to us (as I &s;aid before) their too late repentance; and al&s;o that they would very willingly if they might, be &s;et at liberty from that everla&s;ting mi&s;ery, that by their &s;ins they have plunged them&s;elves into. I &s;ay, the&s;e words do hold forth a de&s;ire that the damned have to be delivered from tho&s;e torments that they now are in: <HI>O Father Abraham,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>have mercy upon me, and &s;end Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame.</HI> The&s;e words, Father <HI>Abraham,</HI> may have &s;ome difficulty in them. It is po&s;&s;ible, that &s;ome may think them to be meant of <HI>Abraham,</HI> and tho&s;e; or him that crieth out here, to be the Jews.
<PB N="62" REF="57"> Or it may be &s;ome may under&s;tand it to be God, or Je&s;us Chri&s;t his Son, which I rather &s;uppo&s;e it may be, that is here cried out unto, becau&s;e you finde the &s;ame cry to him, as it were uttered by the ungodly in other places of the Scri|pture, as in <HI>Luke</HI> 13. ver&s;e 25, 26. <HI>Then &s;hall they &s;ay, Lord, Lord, we have eat and drunk in thy pre&s;ence, and thou ha&s;t taught in our &s;treets.</HI> Nay more, <HI>In thy Name have we ca&s;t out devils, and in thy Name done many wonderfull works.</HI> This was ju&s;t at their rejection. And again in <HI>Mat.</HI> 25.11. They cry again to him, even to Je&s;us. <HI>Lord, Lord, open to us.</HI> And he there again gives them a repul&s;e, as al&s;o in this Parable. But however, or who&s;oever <HI>Abraham</HI> is, yet the&s;e truths may be ob&s;erved from the words.</P>
<P N="1">1. That the damned, when in an ir|recoverable e&s;tate, will &s;eek for, or de|&s;ire deliverance from the wrath that they are, and &s;hall be in for eter|nity.</P>
<P N="2">2. That they will pray (if I may &s;o call it) earne&s;tly for deliverance from their mi&s;erable e&s;tate. The&s;e two things are clear from the words. For mark, He not onely &s;aid, <HI>Father Abraham have
<PB N="63" REF="57"> mercy upon me.</HI> But he cried and &s;aid, <HI>Father Abraham have mercy on me.</HI> From whence take a third ob&s;ervation, and that is, There is a time comming, wherein though men &s;hall both cry and pray, yet they are like to have no mercy at the hands of God; for &s;o was this man &s;erved, as I &s;hall further &s;hew by and by when I come to it.</P>
<P>Some people are &s;o deluded by the devil, as to think that God is &s;o merci|ful, as to own or regard any thing for prayer; they think any thing will go for currant and good &s;atisfaction, while they are here in this world, through ig|norance of the true nature of the mercy of God, and the knowledge in what way God is &s;atisfied for &s;inners. Now I &s;ay, through ignorance they think, that if they do but mutter over &s;ome form of prayers, though they know not what they &s;ay, nor what they reque&s;t, yet God is &s;atisfied, yea, very well &s;atisfied with their doings; when alas! there is no|thing le&s;&s;e. O friends, I be&s;eech you to look about you, and &s;eek in good ear|ne&s;t for the Spirit of Chri&s;t, &s;o to help you now, to &s;trive and pray, and to en|able you to lay hold of Chri&s;t, that your
<PB N="64" REF="58"> &s;ouls may be &s;aved, le&s;t the time come, that though you cry and pray, and wi&s;h al&s;o that you had laid hold on the Lord Je&s;us, yet you mu&s;t, and &s;hall be damned.</P>
<P>Then again, you may &s;ee that though God be willing to &s;ave &s;inners at &s;ome time, yet this time doth not alwayes la&s;t: No, he that can finde in his heart to turn his back upon Je&s;us Chri&s;t now, &s;hall 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 &s;eek after him: they &s;hall have a time, yea, time enough hereafter to repent their folly, and to befool them|&s;elves for turning their backs upon the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Again, this &s;hould admoni&s;h us to take time while it is profered, le&s;t we repent us of our unbelief and rebellion, when we are deprived of it. Ah friends! time is precious, an hours time to hear a &s;ermon is precious; I have &s;ometimes thought thus with my &s;elf. Set the ca&s;e the Lord &s;hould &s;end two or three of his &s;ervants the Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel to hell among the damned
<PB N="65" REF="58"> with this Commi&s;&s;ion; Go ye to Hell and preach my grace to tho&s;e that are there: let your Sermon be an hour long, and hold forth the merits of my Sons birth, righteou&s;ne&s;s, death, re&s;urrection, a&s;cen&s;ion, and interce&s;&s;ion with all my love in him, and proffer it to them, tel|ling them that now once more, and but once, do I profer the means of recon|ciliation to them. They who are now roaring, being pa&s;t hope would then leap at the lea&s;t proffer of mercy: Oh they that could &s;pend whole dayes, weeks, nay years, in rejecting the Son of God, would now be glad of one tender of that mercy. Father &s;aith he, have mercy on me.</P>
<P>Again, from the&s;e words you may ob&s;erve, that mercy will be welcome when &s;ouls are under judgement; now his &s;oul 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 &s;pirits, now he feels the vengeance of God: now, Oh, now have mercy on me. Here you may &s;ee again that mercy is prized by them that are in Hell, they would be glad if they could have it. Father, have mercy
<PB N="66" REF="59"> on me. For my poor &s;ouls &s;ake &s;end me a little mercy.</P>
<P><HI>And &s;end Lazarus, that he may dip th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue.</HI></P>
<P>The&s;e words do not onely hold forth that the ungodly have a de&s;ire of mercy, but what tho&s;e mercies are that the&s;e poor creatures would be glad of.</P>
<P>As fir&s;t, To have the company of a <HI>La|zarus,</HI> granted to them. <HI>Father Abra|ham have mercy upon me, and &s;end Laza|rus.</HI> Now <HI>Lazarus</HI> was he that was be|loved of God and al&s;o he that was ha|ted of him. Therefore,</P>
<P N="2">2. Ob&s;erve, that tho&s;e Saints that the world in their life-time could not indure, now they are departed they would be glad to have &s;ociety with them. O now &s;end <HI>Lazarus,</HI> though the time was when I cared not for him, yet now let me have &s;ome &s;ociety with him.</P>
<P>Though the world di&s;regard the &s;o|ciety of God children now, yet there is a time coming in which they would be glad to have the lea&s;t company with them. Nay do but ob&s;erve, tho&s;e of the Saints that are now mo&s;t rejected by them, even from them &s;hall they be glad of comfort, if it might be. Send <HI>Laza|rus;</HI>
<PB N="67" REF="59"> he that I &s;lighted more then my dogs, he that I could not endure &s;hould come into my hou&s;e, but mu&s;t lye at my gate, &s;end him: Now <HI>Lazarus</HI> &s;hall be welcome to me, now do I de&s;ire &s;ome comfort from him; but he &s;hall go without it.</P>
<P>From whence again ob&s;erve, that there is a time coming, O ye &s;urly dog|ged per&s;ecutors of the Saints, that they &s;hall &s;light you as much as ever you &s;lighted them. You have given them many an hard word, told many a lie of them, given them many a blow: And now in your greate&s;t need and extre|mity they &s;hall not pitty you.</P>
<P>Again, &s;end <HI>Lazarus.</HI> From whence ob&s;erve, that any of the Saints &s;hall then be owned by you to be Saints. Now ye look upon them to be of the &s;ect with <HI>Hymeneus</HI> and <HI>Philetus,</HI> but then you &s;hall &s;ee them to be the <HI>Lazarus's</HI> of God, even Gods dear children. Though now the Saints of the Lord will not be owned by you, becau&s;e they are begger|ly, poor, low, contemptible among you here, yet the day is coming that you &s;hall own them, de&s;ire their company, and wi&s;h for the lea&s;t courte&s;ie from them.</P>
<PB N="68" REF="60">
<P><HI>Send</HI> Lazarus <HI>that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame.</HI></P>
<P>Thus &s;hall the &s;ouls that abide in their &s;ins cry out in the bitterne&s;s of their &s;pi|rits with wonderful angui&s;h &amp; torment of con&s;cience, without intermi&s;&s;ion; <HI>that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue.</HI> That he, namely, the man who before I &s;corned &s;hould eat with the dogs of my flock, that before I &s;light|ed and had no regard of, that I &s;hut out of door, &s;end him, <HI>that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue.</HI> Now the&s;e words, <HI>that he may dip the tip of his finger in water,</HI> &amp;c. do hold forth the lea&s;t friend&s;hip, or fa|vour; as much as if he &s;hould have &s;aid, Father now I would be glad of the lea&s;t mercie, now I would be glad of the l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;t 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 &s;mall reque&s;t, a &s;mall courte&s;ie, 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 &s;o much as one drop, not &s;o much as a man may hold upon the tip
<PB N="69" REF="60"> of his finger. This &s;ignifies thus much, that they that fall &s;hort of Chri&s;t, &s;hall be night and day tormented from years end, to years end, as I may &s;ay, even as long as eternity la&s;teth, and &s;hall not have &s;o much as the lea&s;t ea&s;e, no not &s;o long as while a man may turn him&s;elf round, not &s;o much leave as to &s;wallow his &s;pittle, not a drop of cold water.</P>
<P N="2">2. Again con&s;ider, that though the rebels while they are in this world can turne their backs upon the greate&s;t mer|cy, namely the Grace of God in Chri&s;t; yet the time will come that they would be glad of the lea&s;t mercy even a drop of cold water.</P>
<P N="3">3. Again ob&s;erve, that tho&s;e who in their life time do turn their back upon the &s;treams of Gods grace and love, when they depart this life, they &s;hall not have the priviledge of the lea&s;t mer|cy, though they would never &s;o wil|lingly. O that the&s;e things did take place in your hearts, how would it make you to &s;eek after re&s;t for your &s;ouls be|fore it be too late, before the &s;un of the Go&s;pel be &s;et upon you. Con&s;ider, I &s;ay, the mi&s;ery of the ungodly that they &s;hall be in, and avoid their vices by
<PB N="70" REF="61"> clo&s;ing in with the tenders of mercy; le&s;t you partake of the &s;ame portion with them, and cry out in the bitterne&s;s of your &s;ouls, one drop of cold water and cool my tongue.</P>
<P><HI>For I am tormented in this flame.</HI></P>
<P>The&s;e words hold forth the rea&s;on why the damned do &s;o much reque&s;t there might be &s;ome pitty &s;hewed to them; namely becau&s;e they are under &s;ore and &s;ad affliction; for I am tormen|ted in this flame. Indeed the rea&s;on why the poor world do not &s;o earne&s;tly de|&s;ire for mercy is, partly becau&s;e they do not &s;o &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;ider the torment that they mu&s;t certainly fall into if they die out of Chri&s;t. For let me tell you, did but poor &s;ouls indeed con&s;ider that wrath that doth by right fall to their &s;hares becau&s;e of their &s;ins again&s;t God, they would make more ha&s;te to God through Chri&s;t for mercy then they do. Then we &s;hould have them &s;ay, it is good clo&s;ing with Chri&s;t to day before we fall into &s;uch di&s;tre&s;s.</P>
<P>But why is it &s;aid, <HI>Let him dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue?</HI> Becau&s;e that as the &s;everal members in the bodie have their &s;hare
<PB N="71" REF="61"> in &s;in, and committing of that, &s;o the &s;e|veral members and every member of the body, &s;hall at that time be puni&s;hed for the &s;ame. Therefore when Chri&s;t is ad|moni&s;hing his de&s;ciples, that they &s;hould not turne a&s;ide from him; and that they &s;hould rather fear and dread the power of their God then any other power, he &s;aith, <HI>Fear him therefore, that can ca&s;t both body and &s;oul into hell.</HI> And again; <HI>fear him that can de&s;troy both &s;oul and hody in hell.</HI> Here is not one mem|ber onely, <HI>but all the body,</HI> the whole bo|dy, of which the hands, feet, eyes, eares, and tongue are members. And I am per&s;waded, that though this may be judged carnal by &s;ome now, yet it will appear to be a truth then to the grea|ter mi&s;ery of tho&s;e who &s;hall be for|ced to undergo, that which God in his ju&s;t judgement &s;hall inflict upon them. O then they will cry, one dram of ea&s;e for my cur&s;ing, &s;wearing, lying, jearing tongue. Some ea&s;e for my bragging, braving, flattering, threatning, di&s;&s;em|bling tongue, now men can let their tongues run at randome, as we u&s;e to &s;ay, now they will be apt to &s;ay our tongues are our own; who &s;hall con|trole
<PB N="72" REF="62"> them? But then they will be in another mind. Then O that I might have a little ea&s;e for my deceitful tongue.</P>
<P>Methinks &s;ometimes to con&s;ider how &s;ome men do let their tongues run at randome, they cannot tell well how, it makes me marvell. Surely, they do not think they &s;hall be made to give an ac|count for their offending with their tongue. Did they but think they &s;hall be made to give an account to him who is ready to judge the quick and the dead, &s;urely they would be more wary of, and have more regard unto their tongue.</P>
<P>The tongue &s;aith <HI>James</HI> is<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Jam. 2.</NOTE> an unru|ly member full of deadly poi&s;on, it &s;et|teth on fire the whole frame of nature, and is &s;et on fire of hell. The tongue, how much mi&s;chief will it &s;tir up in a very little time? How many blows and wounds doth it cau&s;e? How many times doth it (as <HI>James</HI> &s;aith) cur&s;e man? How oft is the tongue made the con|veyer of that helli&s;h poy&s;on that is in the heart, both to the di&s;honour of God, the hurt of its neighbours, and the utter ruine of its own &s;oul? And do you think that the Lord will &s;it &s;till (as
<PB N="73" REF="62"> I may &s;ay) and let thy tongue run as it li&s;ts,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ver&s;e</HI> 25.</NOTE> and yet never bring you to an ac|count for the &s;ame? No &s;tay; the Lord will not alwayes keep &s;ilence,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>P&s;al.</HI> 50.21.</NOTE> but will reprove thee, and &s;et thy &s;innes in order before thine eyes, O &s;inner. Yea and thy tongue, together with the re&s;t of thy members, &s;hall be tormented for &s;in|ning. And I &s;ay, I am very confident, that though this be made light of now, yet the time is coming when many poor &s;ouls will rue the day that ever they did &s;peak with a tongue, will one &s;ay that I &s;hould &s;o di&s;regard my tongue. O that I when I &s;aid &s;o and &s;o had before bit|ten 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 re&s;t of my members, by &s;inning have brought me to. Poor &s;ouls now will let their tongues &s;ay 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 mu&s;t &s;mart for that which they by their tongues have done while they were in this world. Then
<PB N="74" REF="63"> you that love your &s;ouls look to your tongues, le&s;t you bind your &s;elves down &s;o fa&s;t to hell with the &s;ins of your tongues, that you will never be able to get loo&s;e again to all eternity.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jam. 1.26.</NOTE> For by thy words thou &s;halt be condemned if thou have not a care of thy tongue.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="25" TYPE="verse">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Ver&s;e 25.</HI></BIBL> But Abraham &s;aid, Son, remember, that thou in thy life time had&s;t thy good things, and likewi&s;e Lazarus evill things, now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>THe&s;e words are a di&s;covery of the an&s;wer to the reque&s;t of the dam|ned, &s;uch as did or &s;hall depart this life unconverted. The ver&s;e before (as I told you) is a di&s;covery of the de&s;ires they have after they depart this world. Here is the an&s;wer, <HI>Son, Remember,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>The an&s;wer &s;ignifies thus much, that in &s;tead of having any relief or ea&s;e, they are hereby the more tormented, and that by fre&s;h recollections, or by bringing afre&s;h their former ill &s;pent life, while in the world, into their re|membrance: <HI>Son, Remember,</HI> thou had&s;t good things in thy life time, as much as
<PB N="75" REF="63"> if he had &s;aid,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ver&s;e</HI> 24.</NOTE> thou art now &s;en&s;ible what it is to lo&s;e thy &s;oul, thou art now &s;en|&s;ible what it is to put off repentance; thou art now &s;en&s;ible that thou ha&s;t be|fooled thy &s;elf in that thou did&s;t &s;pend that time in &s;eeking after outward, mo|mentary, earthly things, which thou &s;houlde&s;t have &s;pent in &s;eeking to make Je&s;us Chri&s;t &s;ure to thy &s;oul; and now through thy angui&s;h of &s;pirit, in the pains of hell thou woulde&s;t enjoy that which in former time thou did&s;t make light of, but alas thou art here beguil|ed and altogether di&s;appointed, thy cry|ing will now avail thee nothing at all. <HI>This is not the acceptable time.</HI> 2 Cor. 6.2. This is not a time to an&s;wer the de&s;ires of damned reprobates; If thou had&s;t cryed out in good earne&s;t while grace was offered, much might have been, but then thou wert carele&s;s, and did&s;t turne the forbearance and goodne&s;s of God into wantonne&s;s: wert thou not told that the&s;e who would not hear the Lord when he did call, &s;hould not be heard (if they turned away from him) when they did call, <HI>Prov.</HI> 1.24. to 28. <HI>But contrariwi&s;e he would laugh at their calamity and mock when their fear did
<PB N="76" REF="64"> come.</HI> Now therefore in&s;tead of expe|cting the lea&s;t drop of mercy and fa|vour, call into thy mind how thou did&s;t &s;pend tho&s;e dayes which God did per|mit thee to live, I &s;ay, remember that in thy life time thou did&s;t behave thy &s;elf rebelliou&s;ly again&s;t the Lord in that thou wert carele&s;s of his word and or|dinances, yea, and of the welfare of thine own &s;oul al&s;o; therefore, now I &s;ay, in &s;tead of expecting or hoping for any relief thou mu&s;t be forced to call to remembrance thy filthy wayes and feed upon them to thine everla&s;ting a&s;toni&s;h|ment and con&s;u&s;ion.</P>
<P>From the&s;e words therefore which &s;ay, <HI>Remember that thou in thy life time had&s;t thy good things.</HI> There are the&s;e things to be taken notice of.</P>
<P N="1">1. They that by putting off repen|tance and living in their &s;ins lo&s;e their &s;ouls, &s;hall in&s;tead of having the lea&s;t mea&s;ure of comfort, when they come into hell, have their ill &s;pent life alwaies very fre&s;h in their remembrance. While they live here they can &s;in and forget it, but when they depart they &s;hall have their ill &s;pent life before them, they &s;hall have a remembrance, or their me|mory
<PB N="77" REF="64"> notably enlighrened and a clearer,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ver&s;e</HI> 25.</NOTE> and a continual fight of all their wicked practices, that they wrought and did while they were in the world. <HI>Son, remember</HI> &s;aith he, then you will be made to remember. 1. How you were born in &s;in, and brought up in the &s;ame.</P>
<P N="2">2. How thou had&s;t many a time the Go&s;pel preached to thee for taking a|way of the &s;ame, by him, whom the Go&s;|pel doth hold forth.</P>
<P N="3">3. That out of love to thy &s;ins and lu&s;ts, thou did&s;t turne thy back on the tenders of the &s;ame Go&s;pel of good ti|dings and peace.</P>
<P N="4">4. Then thou &s;halt &s;ee clearly, that the rea&s;on why thou did&s;t lo&s;e thy &s;oul was, becau&s;e thou did&s;t not clo&s;e in with free grace, and the tenders of a loving and free-hearted Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P N="5">5. Thou &s;halt remember how near thou wa&s;t to turning at &s;uch and &s;uch a time, onely thou wa&s;t willing to give way to thy lu&s;ts when they wrought, to drunkards when they called, to plea&s;ures when they proffered them&s;elves, to the cares and incumbrances of the world, which like &s;o many thornes did choak
<PB N="78" REF="65"> that or tho&s;e convictions that were &s;et on thy heart.</P>
<P N="6">6. How willing thou wa&s;t to &s;atisfie thy &s;elf with an hypocrites hope, and with a notion of the things of God without the real power and life of the &s;ame.</P>
<P N="7">7. Thou &s;halt remember how thou, when thou wert admoni&s;hed to turn, did&s;t put off turning and repenting till another time.</P>
<P N="8">8. How thou did&s;t di&s;&s;emble at &s;uch a time, lie at &s;uch a time, cheat thy neighbour at &s;uch a time, mock, flout, &s;coff, taunt, hate, per&s;ecute the people of God at &s;uch a time, in &s;uch a place, among &s;uch company.</P>
<P N="9">9. Thou &s;halt remember that while others were met together in the fear of the Lord to &s;eek him, thou wa&s;t met with a company of vain companions to &s;in again&s;t him; while the Saints were a praying thou wert a cur&s;ing; while they were &s;peaking good of the name of God, thou wert &s;peaking evil of the &s;aints of God. O then thou &s;halt have a &s;calding hot remembrance of all thy &s;in|ful thoughts, words and actions, from the very fir&s;t to the la&s;t of them that
<PB N="79" REF="65"> ever thou did&s;t commit in all thy life time: Then thou wilt find that Scri|pture to be a truth, (<HI>Deut.</HI> 28.65, 66, 67.) <HI>The Lord &s;hall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and &s;orrow of mind. And thy life &s;hall hang in doubt before thee, and thou &s;halt fear day and night, and &s;halt have none a&s;&s;u|rance of thy life. In the morning thou &s;halt &s;ay, would God it were even: and at even thou &s;halt &s;ay, would God it were morning; for the fear of thine heare wherewith thou &s;halt fear, and for the &s;ight of thine eyes which thou &s;halt &s;ee.</HI> Nay thou wilt find wor&s;e things to thy woe then this Scripture doth manife&s;t. For indeed there is no tongue able to ex|pre&s;s the horrour, terrour, torment and eternal mi&s;ery, that tho&s;e poor &s;ouls &s;hall undergo, without the lea&s;t miti|gation o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> ea&s;e, and a very great part of it &s;hall flow, or come from that quick, full, and continual remembrance that they &s;hall have. And therefore there is much weight in the&s;e words. <HI>Son, re|member that thou in thy life time had&s;t thy good things.</HI> That is, all thou art like to have.</P>
<P>From the&s;e words you &s;ee this is to
<PB N="80" REF="66"> be ob&s;erved, that the ungodly &s;hall re|member, or have in remembrance the mi&s;pending their lives, and that I ga|ther from the&s;e words, <HI>Remember that in thy life time thou had&s;t thy good things.</HI> You may take the&s;e words <HI>good things</HI> either &s;imply, for the things of this world, which in them&s;elves are cal|led and may be called good things, or el&s;e with the&s;e words, namely, (the things <HI>of this life</HI>) all the plea&s;ures, de|lights, profits, and vanities, which the ignorant people of the world do count their good things, and do very much cheer them&s;elves therewith. <HI>Soul, &s;oul, eat, drink and be merry, for thou ha&s;t much goods laid up for many years. Luke</HI> 12.20. Now I &s;ay, God according to his glorious power and wi&s;dome will make poor creatures have alwayes in their minds a fre&s;h and clear remem|brance of their ill &s;pent life; he will &s;ay unto them, <HI>Remember, remember that in thy life time, it was thus and thus with thee, and in thy life time thy carriage was &s;o and &s;o.</HI></P>
<P>It is like that if &s;inners might have their choice, they would not have their &s;ins and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions &s;o much in re|membrance;
<PB N="81" REF="66"> as is evident by their car|riages here in this world: for here they will not endure to entertain a &s;erious thought of their filthy life, but will la|bour by all means to put the thought of it out of their mind: but there they &s;hall be made to remember to a purpo&s;e, and to think continually of their ungodly deeds. And therefore it is &s;aid that when our Lord Je&s;us comes to judge|ment, it will be to convince the ungod|ly world of their wicked and ungodly deeds. Mark, <HI>To convince them. Jude</HI> 14, 15. It is like they will not willingly take notice of them: But they &s;hall be convinced of them in &s;pite of their teeth. And al&s;o between this and them, the&s;e that die out of Chri&s;t &s;hall be made to &s;ee, acknowledge, and confe&s;s, do what they can, when they lift up their eyes in hell, and to remember their tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions. God will be a <HI>&s;wift wit|ne&s;s again&s;t them. Mat.</HI> 3.5. and will &s;ay, Remember what thou did&s;t in thy life time, how thou did&s;t live in thy life time. Ha friend! <HI>if thou do&s;t not in the&s;e dayes of light remember the dayes of darkne&s;s, Eccle&s;,</HI> 11.8. (the dayes of death, hell, and judgement) thou &s;halt
<PB N="82" REF="67"> be made in the dayes of darkne&s;s, death, hell, and at the judgement too, to re|member the dayes of the Go&s;pel, and how thou did&s;t di&s;regard them too, to thy own de&s;truction and everla&s;ting mi&s;ery.</P>
<P><HI>Remember that in thy life time thou had&s;t thy good things.</HI></P>
<P>The great God in &s;tead of giving the ungodly any ea&s;e, will even aggra|vate their torments, fir&s;t, by &s;lighting their perplexities. Secondly, by tel|ling of them what they mu&s;t be think|ing of; Remember, &s;aith he, O ye lo&s;t &s;ouls, that you had your joy in your life time, your peace in your life time, your comforts, delights, ea&s;e, wealth, health, your heaven, your happine&s;s, and your portion in your life time.</P>
<P>O mi&s;erable &s;tate! Thou will then be in a &s;ad condition indeed, when thou &s;halt &s;ee that thou ha&s;t had thy good things, thy be&s;t things, thy plea&s;ent things, for that is clearly &s;ignified by the&s;e words, <HI>Remember that thou in thy life time had&s;t thy good things, or all the good things thou art like to have.</HI> From whence take notice of another truth, (though it be a dreadful one to them
<PB N="83" REF="67"> that fall under the &s;entence of it) which is this; there are many poor creatures, who have all their good, &s;weet, and comfortable things in this life, or while they are alive in this world: remember, &s;aith he, that in thy life time thou had&s;t thy good thi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">gs, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 17.14.</P>
<P N="2">2. Ob&s;erve, That the wickeds good things will &s;hortly have an end: they will la&s;t no longer with them then this life, or their life time. That Scripture was not written in vain, It is like the crackling of thorns under a pot make a litle blaze for a &s;udden, a little heat for a while, but come and con&s;ider them by and by, and in&s;tead of a comfortable heat, you will find nothing but a few dead a&s;hes; and in&s;tead of a flaming fire, nothing but a &s;mell of &s;moak.</P>
<P N="3">3. Again ob&s;erve that there is a time coming that the ungodly would be glad of a better portion, when they &s;hall &s;ee the vanity of this; that is, when they &s;hall &s;ee what a poor thing it is for a man to have his portion in this world. 'Tis true, while they are here on this &s;ide hell, they think there is nothing to be compared with riches, honours, and plea&s;ures in this world; which
<PB N="84" REF="68"> makes them cry out, Who will &s;hew us any good, that is comparable to the plea&s;ures, profits, and glory of this world? but then they will &s;ee there is another thing that is better, and of more value then ten thou&s;and worlds. And &s;eriou&s;ly friends, will it not grieve you, trouble, perplex and torment you, when you &s;hall &s;ee that you lo&s;t heaven for a little plea&s;ure and profits in your life time&punc; certainly it will grieve you and perplex you exceedingly to &s;ee what a ble&s;&s;ed heaven you left for a dunghill world. Oh! that you did but believe this, that you did but con|&s;ider this, and &s;ay within your &s;elves, What, &s;hall I be contented with my portion in this world? what, &s;hall I lo&s;e heaven for this world? I &s;ay, con&s;i|der it while you have day-light, and Go&s;pel-light, while the Son of God doth hold out termes of reconciliation to you, lea&s;t you be made to hear &s;uch a voice as this is, <HI>Son, remember, that in thy life time thou had&s;t thy good things;</HI> thy comforts, thy joyes, thy ea&s;e, thy peace, and all the heaven thou art like to have: thou had&s;t, all thy good things in thy life time. O poor heaven!
<PB N="85" REF="68"> O &s;hort plea&s;ures! what a pitiful thing it is to be left in &s;uch a ca&s;e. Soul con|&s;ider, is it not mi&s;erable to lo&s;e hea|ven for twenty thirty or forty years &s;in|ning again&s;t God. Con&s;ider, when thy life is done thy heaven is al&s;o done; when death comes to &s;eparate thy &s;oul and body, in that day al&s;o thou mu&s;t have thy heaven and happine&s;s &s;epara|ted from thee and thou from that. Con|&s;ider the&s;e things therefore betimes, le&s;t thou have thy portion in thy life time. For if in this life onely we have our portion, we are of all people the mo&s;t mi&s;erable. Again con&s;ider, that when other men (the Saints) are to receive their good things, then thou ha&s;t had thine: when others are to enter into joy, then thou art to leave and depart from thy joy: when others are to go to God, thou mu&s;t go to the devil. Oh mi&s;erable! thou had&s;t better thou had&s;t never been born then to be an heir of &s;uch a portion, therefore I &s;ay have a care it be not thy condition.</P>
<P><HI>Remember, that thou had&s;t thy good things, and Lazarus evil things.</HI></P>
<P>The&s;e words do not onely hold forth the mi&s;ery of the wicked in this life, or
<PB N="86" REF="69"> world to come, but al&s;o great con&s;ola|l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">tion to the Saints, where he &s;aith, <HI>And Lazarus evil things,</HI> That is, <HI>Lazarus</HI> had his evil things in his life time, or when he was in the world.</P>
<P>From whence ob&s;erve. 1. That the life of the Saints &s;o long as they are in this world, is attended with many evils or afflictions, which may be di&s;covered to be of divers natures, as &s;aith the Scri|pture. <HI>Many are the troubles of the righte|ous but the Lord delivereth him out of all.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. Take notice, that the afflictions, or evils, that accompany the Saints, may continue with them their life time, &s;o long as they live in this vale of tears; yea, and they may be divers, that is, of &s;everal &s;orts; &s;ome outward, &s;ome in|ward, and that as long as they &s;hall continue here below, as hath been the experience of all Saints in all ages, and this might be proved at large, but I one|ly hint in the&s;e things, although I might enlarge much upon them.</P>
<P N="3">3. The evils that do accompany the Saints will continue with them no lon|ger then their life time; and here in|deed lies the comfort of Believers, the <HI>Lazarus</HI>'s, the Saints, they mu&s;t have all
<PB N="87" REF="69"> their bitter cup wrung out to them in their life time: here mu&s;t be all their trouble, here mu&s;t be all their grief. Behold, &s;aith Chri&s;t, the world &s;hall re|joyce, but you &s;hall lament; but your mourning &s;hall, mark, it &s;hall be turned into joy; you &s;hall lament, you &s;hall be &s;orrowful, you &s;hall weep in you life time, but your &s;orrow &s;hall be tur-turned into joy, and your joy no man (let him be what he will, no man) &s;hall take away from you. Now if you think, when I &s;ay the Saints have all their e|vil things in their life time, that I mean they have nothing el&s;e but trouble in this their life time, this is your mi&s;take: for let me tell you, that though the Saints have all their evil things in their life time, yet even in their life time they have al&s;o joy un&s;peakable and full of glory,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Pet</HI> 1.6, 7, 8.</NOTE> while they look not at the things that are &s;een, but at the things which are not &s;een. The joy that the Saints have &s;ometimes in their hearts by a be|lieving con&s;ideration of the good things to come when this life is ended, doth fill them fuller of joy then all the cro&s;|&s;es, troubles, temptations, and evils that accompany them in this life can fill
<PB N="88" REF="70"> them with grief, 2 <HI>Corinth.</HI> 4.</P>
<P>But &s;ome Saint may &s;ay, my troubles are &s;uch as are ready to overcome me. <HI>An&s;w.</HI> Yet be of good comfort, they &s;hall la&s;t no longer than thy life time.</P>
<P>But my trouble is, I am perplexed with an heart full of corruption &amp; &s;in, &s;o that I am much hindred in walking with God</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> 'Tis like &s;o, but thou &s;halt have the&s;e troubles no longer then thy life time. But I have a cro&s;s husband and that's a great grief to mee.</P>
<P>It is like &s;o, but thou &s;halt be trou|bled with him no longer than thy life time, and therefore be not di&s;maid, be not di&s;comforted, thou &s;halt have no trouble longer than this life time.</P>
<P>Art thou troubled with cro&s;s chil|dren, cro&s;s relations, cro&s;s neighbours, they &s;hall trouble thee no longer then this life time.</P>
<P>Art thou troubled with a cunning de|vil, with unbelief, yea, let it be what it will, thou &s;halt take thy farewel of them all (if thou be a believer) after thy life time is ended. O excellent! O &s;weet! that there &s;hould be an end put to all our troubles after this life is ended: this priviledge have all the Saints. But
<PB N="89" REF="70"> now on the contrary, if thou be not a right and &s;ound believer, if thou be no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> indeed effectual converted to the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, then though thou &s;hould&s;t live a thou&s;and years in this world, and meet with &s;ore afflictions every day, yet the&s;e afflictions be they never &s;o great and grievous, they are nothing to that torment that will come upon thee both in &s;oul &amp; in body after this life is ended.</P>
<P>I &s;ay, be what thou wilt, if thou be found in unbelief, or under the fir&s;t co|venant thou art &s;ure to &s;mart for it at the time when thou do&s;t depart this world? But the thing to be lamented is this: For all this is &s;o &s;ad a condition to be fallen into, yet poor &s;ouls are for the mo&s;t part &s;en&s;ele&s;s of it, yea, &s;o &s;en&s;ele&s;s at &s;ometimes, as though there was no &s;uch mi&s;ery to come hereafter. Becau&s;e the Lord doth not immediately &s;trike with his &s;word, but doth bear long with his creature, waiting that he might be gracious, therefore I &s;ay the hearts of &s;ome of the &s;onnes of men, are wholly &s;et upon it to do mi&s;chief:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;.</NOTE> And that forbearance and goodne&s;s of God, that one would think &s;hould lead them to repentance; the devil harden|ing
<PB N="90" REF="71"> of them by their continuing in &s;in, and by blinding their eyes, as to the end of Gods forbearance toward them,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rom</HI> 2.1.</NOTE> they are led away with a very hardened and &s;en&s;ele&s;s heart, even until they drop in|to eternal de&s;truction. But poor hearts as they are, they mu&s;t have a time in which they mu&s;t be made &s;en&s;ible of their former behaviours, when the ju&s;t judgements of the Lord &s;hall flame a|bou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> their ears, in&s;omuch that they &s;hall be made to cry out again with angui&s;h, <HI>I am &s;orely tormented in this flame.</HI></P>
<P><HI>But now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.</HI></P>
<P>As if he &s;hould &s;ay, Now hath God recompenced both <HI>Lazarus</HI> and you ac|cording to what you &s;ought after, while you were in this world; as for your p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rt, you did neglect the precious mercy and goodne&s;s of God, you did turn your back on the Son of God that came into the world to &s;ave &s;inners: you made a mock of preaching the Go&s;|pel; you was admoni&s;hed over and o|ver to clo&s;e in with the loving kind|ne&s;s of the Lord in his Son Je&s;us Chri&s;t. The Lord let you live 20. 30. 40. 50. 60. years, all which time you in&s;tead of
<PB N="91" REF="71"> &s;pending it to make your calling and election &s;ure, did &s;pend it in making of eternal damnation &s;ure to thy &s;oul. And al&s;o <HI>Lazarus</HI> he in his life time did make it his bu&s;ine&s;s to accept of my grace and &s;alvation in the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t. When thou wa&s;t in the Alehou&s;e, he frequen|ted the word preached; when thou wert jearing at goodne&s;s, he was &s;ighing for the &s;ins of the times; while thou wert &s;wearing, he was praying; in a word, while thou wert making &s;ure of eternal ruine, he by faith in the blood of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t was making &s;ure of eternal &s;alvation. Therefore, <HI>Now he is comforted and thou art tor|mented.</HI></P>
<P>Here then yo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ay &s;ee, that as the righteous &s;hall <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> be alwaies void of comfort and ble&s;&s;edne&s;s, &s;o neither &s;hall the ungodly go alwayes without their puni&s;hment. No, as &s;ure as God is in heaven, it will be thus; they mu&s;t have their &s;everal portions. And therefore you that are the Saints of the Lord fol|low on, be not di&s;mayed <HI>fora&s;much as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord,</HI> 1 Cor. 15. la&s;t <HI>ver.</HI> your portion is eternal glory. And you that
<PB N="92" REF="72"> are &s;o loath now to clo&s;e in with Je&s;us Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ver&s;e</HI> 26.</NOTE> and to leave your &s;ins to follow him, your day is coming in which you &s;hall know that your &s;weet mor&s;ells of &s;in that you do &s;o ea&s;ily take down now and it &s;carce troubles you, will have a time &s;o to work within you to your eternal ruine, that you will be in a wor&s;e condition than if you had ten thou&s;and devils tormenting of you; nay, you had better have been plucked limb from limb a thou&s;and times (if it could be) than to be partakers of this torment that will a&s;&s;uredly without mercy lie upon you, if you lo&s;e the mercy of God in Je&s;us Chri&s;t in this your life time.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="26" TYPE="verse">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Ver. 26.</HI></BIBL> And be<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">es all this, between us and you, there is a great gulf fixed, &s;o that they which would go from hence to you cannot, neither can they come to us that would come from thence.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>THe&s;e words are &s;till part of that an&s;wer that the &s;ouls in hell &s;hall have for all their &s;obbings, &s;ighings, grie|vous cries tears and de&s;ires that they have be relea&s;ed out of tho&s;e intollerable
<PB N="93" REF="72"> pains they fell, and are perplexed with, And O, methinks the words at the fir&s;t view, if rightly con&s;idered, are enough to make any heard-hearted &s;inner in the world to fall down dead. The ver&s;e I la&s;t &s;pake to was, and is a very terrible one, and aggravates the torments of poor &s;inners wonderfully. Where he &s;aith, <HI>Remember that thou in thy ife time had&s;t thy good things, and Lazarus his evil things, but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented,</HI> I &s;ay the&s;e words are very terrible to tho&s;e poor &s;ouls that die out of Chri&s;t. But the&s;e latter words do much more hold out their &s;orrow. They were &s;poken as to the pre&s;ent condition then upon the &s;inner, the&s;e do not onely back the former but do yet further aggravate their mi&s;ery, hol|ding forth that which will be more in|tollerable; the former ver&s;e is enough to &s;mite any &s;inner into a &s;wound, but this to make him fall down dead. Where he &s;aith, And be&s;ides all this, there is &s;till &s;omething to aggravate thy mi&s;ery yet far more abundantly, I &s;hall briefly &s;peak to the words, as they have relation to the terrour &s;poken of in the ver&s;es before. As if he had &s;aid, Thou
<PB N="94" REF="73"> thinke&s;t thy pre&s;ent &s;tate un&s;upportable, it makes thee &s;ob and &s;igh, it makes thee to rue the time that ever thou wert borne: Now thou finde&s;t the want of mercy; now thou would&s;t leap at the lea&s;t dram of it; now thou feele&s;t what it is to &s;light the tenders of the grace of God; now it makes the to &s;obbe, &s;igh, and roar exceedingly for the an|gui&s;h that thou art in. <HI>But be&s;ides all this,</HI> I have other things to tell thee of that will break thine heart indeed. As if he &s;hould &s;ay, O tis true, thou art now deprived of a being in the world, thou art deprived of hearing the Go&s;pel, the devil hath been too hard for thee, and hath made thee mi&s;s of heaven: thou art now in hell among an innumerable company of devils, and all thy &s;ins be&s;et thee round, thou art all over wrapped in flames, and can&s;t not have one drop of water to give the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> any ea&s;e; thou cry|e&s;t in vain, for nothing will be granted; thou &s;ee&s;t the Saints in heaven which is no &s;mall trouble to thy damned &s;oul; thou &s;ee&s;t that neither God nor Chri&s;t takes any care to ea&s;e thee, or to &s;peak any comfort unto thee. <HI>But be&s;ides all this,</HI> there thou art, and there thou art
<PB N="95" REF="73"> like to lie, never think of any ea&s;e, ne|ver look for any comfort; repentance now will do thee no good, the time is pa&s;t, and can never be called again; look what thou ha&s;t now thou mu&s;t have for ever. 'Tis true I &s;peak enough before to break thine heart a&s;u der, <HI>But be&s;ides all this,</HI> there lie and &s;wim in flame for ever: the&s;e words, <HI>Be&s;ides all this,</HI> are terrible words indeed. I will give you the &s;cope of them in a &s;imilitude. Set ca&s;e you &s;hould take a man, and tie him to a &s;take, and with red hot Pincers, pinch off his fle&s;h by little pieces for two or three years together, and at la&s;t, when the poor man cryes out for ea&s;e and help, the tormentors an&s;wer, Nay, but be&s;ides all this, you mu&s;t be handled wor&s;e. We will &s;erve you thus the&s;e 20. years together, and after that we will fill your mangled body full of &s;cal|ding lead, and run you through with a red hot &s;pit, would not this be lamen|table? yet this is but a flea-biting to the &s;orrows of the&s;e that go to hell; for if a man were &s;erved &s;o, there would ere it were long be an end of him. But he that goes to hell &s;hall &s;uffer ten thou|&s;and times wor&s;e torments then the&s;e,
<PB N="96" REF="74"> and yet &s;hall never be quite dead under them. There they &s;hall be ever whining, pining, weeping, mourning, ever tor|mented without ea&s;e, and yet never di&s;|&s;olved into nothing; if the bigge&s;t devil in hell might pull thee all to pieces, and rend thee &s;mall as du&s;t, and di&s;&s;olve thee into nothing, thou would&s;t count this a mercy. But here thou maye&s;t lie and fry, &s;corch and broil, and burn for ever. For ever, that is, a long while, &amp; yet it mu&s;t be &s;o long. <HI>Depart from me,</HI> &s;aith Chri&s;t, <HI>into everla&s;ting fire,</HI> or into the fire that burns for ever, <HI>prepared for the devil and his Angels, Mat.</HI> 25.41. Oh, thou that wert loath to foul thy foot if it were but durty, 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 &s;oul: thou &s;halt have fire enough, thou &s;halt have night enough, and evil company enough, thy belly full if thou mi&s;s of Je&s;us Chri&s;t; and <HI>be&s;ides all this,</HI> thou &s;halt have them for ever and for ever.</P>
<PB N="97" REF="74">
<P>O thou that do&s;t &s;pend whole nights in carding and dicing, in rioting and wantonne&s;s, thou that counte&s;t it a brave thing to &s;wear as fa&s;t as the brave&s;t, to &s;pend with the greate&s;t &s;pend-thrift (as we call them) in the countrey: O thou that love&s;t to &s;in in a corner when no body &s;ees thee! O thou that for by-ends do&s;t carry on an hypocrites profe&s;&s;ion, becau&s;e thou woulde&s;t be counted &s;ome body among the children of God, but art an enemy to the things of Chri&s;t in thine heart: thou that do&s;t &s;atisfie thy &s;elf, either with &s;ins, or a bare profe&s;|&s;ion of godline&s;s; thy &s;oul will fall in|to extreme torment, and angui&s;h &s;o &s;oon as ever thou do&s;t depart this world, and there thou &s;halt be weeping and gna&s;hing thy teeth. <HI>And be&s;ides all this,</HI> thou art like never to have any ea&s;e or remedy, never look for any deliverance, if thou die out of Chri&s;t; thou &s;halt die in thy &s;ins; and be tormented as many years as there are &s;tars in the firma|ment, or &s;ands on the &s;ea-&s;hore; <HI>and be|&s;ides all this,</HI> thou mu&s;t abide it for ever.</P>
<P><HI>And be&s;ides al this between us &amp; you there is a great gulf fixed, &s;o that they which would
<PB N="98" REF="75"> pa&s;s from hence to you cannot, neither can they come to us that would come from thence. There is a great gulf fixed.]</HI> You will &s;ay what is that? <HI>An&s;w.</HI> It is a nice que&s;tion, therefore, fir&s;t &s;eek thou, ra|ther to enter in at the &s;traight, gate than curiou&s;ly to enquire what this gulf is. But 2. if thou woulde&s;t needs know, it is like that if thou do fall &s;hort of hea|ven thou wilt find it this; namely, the everla&s;ting decree of God, that is, that there is a decree gone forth from God, that tho&s;e who fall &s;hort of heaven in this world, God is re&s;olved they &s;hall ne|ver enjoy it in the world to come. And thou wilt find this gulf &s;o deep, that thou &s;halt never be able to wade through it as long as eternity la&s;ts. As Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>Agree with thine adver&s;ary quickly, while thou art in the way with him, le&s;t he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be ca&s;t into pri&s;on; I tell thee, thou &s;halt in no wi&s;e come out thence</HI> (there is the gulf) <HI>the decree; thou &s;halt not depart thence, till thou ha&s;t paid the uttermo&s;t farthing,</HI> or very <HI>last mite,</HI> Luk. 12.58, 59. The&s;e words therefore, <HI>there is a great gulf fixed,</HI> I do under&s;tand to be the everla&s;ting decree of God; that
<PB N="99" REF="75"> is, God hath decreed, that tho&s;e who go to heaven &s;hall never go from thence again into a wor&s;e place; and al&s;o tho&s;e that go to hell, and would come out, they &s;hall not come out thence again. And friend this is &s;uch a gulf, &s;o fixed by him that cannot lie, that thou wilt find it &s;o which way &s;oever thou goe&s;t, whe|ther it be to heaven or hell. Here there|fore thou &s;ee&s;t how &s;ecure God will make tho&s;e who dye in the faith; God will keep them in heaven, but tho&s;e that die in their &s;ins, God will throw them to hell and keep them there; &s;o that they that would go from heaven to hell can|not, neither can they come from hell that would go to heaven. Mark, he doth not &s;ay, they would not; for oh how fain would the&s;e who have lo&s;t their &s;ouls for a lu&s;t, for two pence, for a jug of Ale for a &s;trumpet, for this world; come out of that hot &s;calding fiery fur|nace of Gods eternal vengeance, if they might; but here is their mi&s;ery, they that would come from you to us, that is, from hell to heaven, cannot. They mu&s;t not, they &s;hall not, they cannot, God hath decreed it, and is re&s;olved the contrary, here therefore lies the mi&s;ery,
<PB N="100" REF="76"> not &s;o much that they are in hell, if they might come out again; but there they mu&s;t lie for ever and ever. O therefore if thy heart would at any time tempt thee to &s;in again&s;t God, cry out, O no, for then I mu&s;t go to hell and lie there for ever. O if the drunkards, &s;wearers, lyars, and hypocrites did but take this doctrine &s;oundly down, it would make them tremble when they think of &s;in|ning. But poor &s;ouls, <HI>now they will make a mock at &s;inne,</HI> and play with it as a child doth play with a rattle; but the time is coming that the&s;e rattles that now they play with, will make &s;uch a noi&s;e in their ears and con&s;ciences one day, that they &s;hall find, that if all the devils in hell were yelling at their heels, the noi&s;e would not be compara|ble to it. <HI>Numb.</HI> 32.23. O friend, thy &s;ins, as &s;o many blood-hounds will fir&s;t hunt thee out, and then take thee, and bind thee, and hold thee down for ever, <HI>Prov.</HI> 5.22. They will gripe thee and gnaw thee as if thou had&s;t a ne&s;t of poi|&s;onous Serpents in thy bowels, and this will not be for a time, but as I have &s;aid, for ever, for ever, for ever.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="27" TYPE="verse">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Ver. 27.</HI></BIBL> Then he &s;aid I pray thee there|fore
<PB N="101" REF="76"> father,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ver&s;e</HI> 27.</NOTE> that thou would&s;t &s;end him to my fathers hou&s;e,</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>THe ver&s;es before, I told you, were &s;poken partly to hold forth a de|&s;ire that the damned have to be freed of their endle&s;s mi&s;ery. Now this ver&s;e that I have read unto you &s;till holds forth that the cries of tho&s;e poor &s;ouls very vehe|ment, they would very fain have &s;ome|thing granted to them, but it will not be; as will more clearly appear afterward.</P>
<P><HI>Then he &s;aid I pray thee therefore Father,</HI> &amp;c.] As if he &s;hould &s;ay, Seeing I have brought my &s;elf into &s;uch a mi&s;erable condition, that God will not regard me, that my exceeding loud and bitter cryes will not be heard for my &s;elf, &s;ee|ing I mu&s;t not be admitted to have &s;o much as one drop of cold water, nor the lea&s;t help from the poore&s;t Saint: And &s;eeing <HI>be&s;ides all this,</HI> here my &s;oul mu&s;t lye to all eternity broyling and fry|ing: Seeing I mu&s;t whether I will or no, undergo the hand of eternal vengeance, and the rebukes of devouring fire, &s;ee|ing my &s;tate is &s;uch, that I would not wi&s;h a dog in my condition; &s;end him to my fathers hou&s;e. It is worthy to be taken notice of, (again) who it is he de|&s;ired
<PB N="102" REF="77"> &s;hould be &s;ent, namely <HI>Lazarus. O</HI> friend, &s;ee here how the &s;tout hearts and &s;tomacks of poor creatures will be hum|bled, (as I &s;aid before) they will be &s;o brought down, that tho&s;e things that they d &s;dained and made light of in this world, they would be glad of in the life to come: He who by this man was &s;o &s;lighted, as that he thought it a di&s;|honour that he &s;hould eat with the dogs of his flock. What, &s;hall I r<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">gard <HI>Laza|rus?</HI> &s;crubbed, beggarly <HI>Lazarus?</HI> what &s;hall I &s;o far di&s;honour my fair &s;umptu|ous and g<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">y hou&s;e, with &s;uch a &s;cabbed creep-hedge as he; no, I &s;corne he &s;hould be entertained under my roof Thus in his life-time, while he was in his bravery: but now he is come into another world, now he is parted from his plea&s;ures, now he &s;ees his fine hou&s;e, his dainty di&s;hes, his rich neighbours and compa|nions and he are parted a&s;under, now he finds in&s;tead of plea&s;ures, torments; in<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> ead of joy, heavine&s;s; in&s;tead of hea|ven, hell; in&s;tead of the plea&s;ures of &s;in, the horrour and guilt of &s;inne: O now &s;end <HI>Lazarus..</HI></P>
<P><HI>Lazarus</HI> it may be, might have done him &s;ome good, if he might have been
<PB N="103" REF="77"> entertained in time pa&s;t: It may be God might have u&s;ed him as an in&s;trument to do this ungodly wretch, &s;ome good, and might have per&s;waded him at lea&s;t not to have gone on &s;o grievou&s;ly wick|ed: but he &s;lights him, he will not re|gard him, he is re&s;olved to di&s;own him, though he lo&s;e his &s;oul for &s;o doing. I, but now <HI>&s;end Lazarus,</HI> if not to me, yet to my father hou&s;e, and let him tell them from me, that if they run on in &s;in, as I have done, they mu&s;t and &s;hall re|ceive the &s;ame wages that I have re|ceived.</P>
<P>Take notice of this, you that are de|&s;pi&s;ers of the lea&s;t of the <HI>Lazarus</HI>'s of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t: it may be now you are loath to receive the&s;e little ones of his, becau&s;e they are not Gentlemen, becau&s;e they cannot with <HI>Pontius Pilate</HI> &s;peak Hebrew, Greek, and Latine. Nay, they mu&s;t not, &s;hall not &s;peak to them, admoni&s;h them and all becau&s;e of this.</P>
<P>Though now a Go&s;pel-Sermon of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t may be preached to them in Engli&s;h, freely, and for nothing; nay, they are now de&s;ired to hear and re|ceive it, and they will do him that preacheth a courte&s;ie. I &s;ay, though
<PB N="104" REF="78"> now they will not own; regard, or im|brace the&s;e Chri&s;tian profers of the glo|rious truth of Je&s;us, becau&s;e they come out of &s;ome of the ba&s;e&s;t earthen ve&s;&s;els: yet the time is coming when they will both &s;igh and cry, <HI>&s;ead him to my Fathers hou&s;e.</HI> I &s;ay, remember this ye that de|&s;pi&s;e the day of &s;mall things; the time is coming, when you would be glad, if you might enjoy from God, from Chri&s;t, or his Saints, one &s;mall drop of cold water: though now you are un|willing to receive the glorious di&s;tilling drops of the Go&s;pel of our Lord Je&s;us.</P>
<P>Again, &s;ee here the lamentable &s;tate they are in that go to hell from their Fathers, Mothers, Si&s;ters, Brothers, &amp;c. Now, while they are in this world, men delight to &s;et their children ill exam|ples; and al&s;o children love to follow the wicked &s;teps of their ungodly pa|rents, but when they depart this life, and drop down into hell, and find them|&s;elves in irrecoverable mi&s;ery, then they cry, Send &s;ome body to my fathers hou&s;e, to my brothers hou&s;e; O tell them my &s;tate is mi&s;erable, tell them I am undone forever; and tell them al&s;o, that if they will be walking in the&s;e un|godly &s;teps wherein I left them, they
<PB N="105" REF="78"> will a&s;&s;uredly fall into this place of tor|ments. <HI>I pray thee &s;end him to my fathers hou&s;e.]</HI> Ah friends and neighbours, it is like you little think of this, that &s;ome of your friends and relations are crying out in hell, Lord &s;end &s;ome body to my fa|thers hou&s;e, to preach the Go&s;pel to them, le&s;t they al&s;o come into the&s;e tor|ments. Here, men while they live can willingly walk together in the way of &s;in, and when they are parted by death, they that are living &s;eldome or never con&s;ider of the &s;ad condition that they that are dead are de&s;cended into. But ye ungodly fathers, how are your ungodly children, roaring now in hell? and you ungodly children how are your ungodly parents that lived and died un|godly, now in the pains of hell al&s;o; and one drunkard it is like &s;inging on the Ale-bench, and another roaring un|der the wrath of God, &s;aying, O that I was with him now, how would I re|buke him, and per&s;wade him by all means to leave off the&s;e evil cour&s;es. That he, or they, did but con&s;ider what I now &s;uffer for pride, covetou&s;ne&s;s, drun|kenne&s;s, lying, &s;wearing, &s;tealing, who|ring and the like. Oh! did they but feel the thou&s;and part thereof, it would
<PB N="106" REF="79"> make them look about them, and not buy &s;in at &s;o dear a rate as I have done; even with the lo&s;s of my precious &s;oul.</P>
<P><HI>Send him to my fathers hou&s;e.]</HI> Not to my father, but to my fathers hou&s;e. It may be there's ungodly children, there's ungodly &s;ervants, wallowing in their ungodline&s;s, &s;end him therefore to my fath<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rs hou&s;e. It is like, they are &s;till the &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">me that I left them; I left them wick|ed, and they are wicked &s;till, I left them &s;lighters of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">he Go&s;pel, Saints, and wayes of God, and they do it &s;till; &s;end him to my fathers hou&s;e, it is like there is but a little between them and the place where I am; &s;end him to day, before to morrow, le&s;t they come into the &s;ame place of torment. I pray thee that thou would&s;t &s;end him.] I beg it on my ben|ded knee, as it were, with crying and with tears, in the Agony of my &s;oul. It may be they will not con&s;ider, if thou do not &s;end him; I left them &s;otti&s;h enough hardned as well as I, they have the &s;ame devil to tempt them, the &s;ame lu&s;ts and world to overcome them, <HI>I pray thee therefore that thou woulde&s;t &s;end him to my fathers hou&s;e;</HI> make no delay le&s;t they lo&s;e their &s;ouls, le&s;t they
<PB N="107" REF="79"> come hither, if they do, they are like ne|ver to return again. Oh! little do they think how ea&s;ily they may lo&s;e their &s;ouls, they are apt to think their condi|tion to be as good as the be&s;t, as I once through ignorance did; But &s;end him, &s;end him without delay, le&s;t they come into this place of torment. O that thou woulde&s;t give him commi&s;&s;ion, do thou &s;end him thy &s;elf; it is true, the time was when I, together with them, &s;lighted tho&s;e that were &s;ent of God, and own|ed tho&s;e that were &s;ent of men, ye<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> though we could not deny but he &s;p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ke the word of God, and was &s;ent of him as our con&s;ciences told us; yet we pre|ferred the calls of men, b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">fore the calls of God: for though they had the one, yet becau&s;e they had not the other in that Antichri&s;tian way which we thought meet, we could not, would not, either hear him our &s;elves, nor yet give con&s;ent that others &s;hould. But now a call from God is worth all. Do (thou) <HI>therefore &s;end him to my fathers hou&s;e.</HI> The time was when we did not like it, ex|cept it might be preached in the Syna|gogue, and Steeple-hou&s;es, we thought it a low thing to preach and pray to|gether
<PB N="108" REF="80"> in hou&s;es: we were too high &s;pirited, too &s;uper&s;titious, the Go&s;pel would not down with us unle&s;s we had it in &s;uch a place, by &s;uch a man; no, nor then neither effectually: But now, Oh! that I was to live in the world again; and might have that priviledge to have &s;ome acquaintance with ble&s;&s;ed <HI>Laza|rus,</HI> &s;ome familiarity with that holy man; what attendance would I give unto his whole&s;ome words? how would I af|fect his doctrine; and clo&s;e in with it? how would I &s;quare my life thereby? now (therefore) it is better to hear the Go&s;pel under an hedge, then to &s;it roar|ing in a Tavern: it is better to welcome Gods begging <HI>Lazarus</HI>'s, then the wicked companions of this world. tis better to receive a Saint in the name of a Saint, a Di&s;ciple in the name of a Di&s;|ciple, then to do as I have done. Oh! it is better to receive a child of God, that can by experience deliver the things of God, his free love, his tender grace, his rich forbearance; and al&s;o the mi&s;ery of man, if without it, then to be daubed up with untempered morter. Oh! I may cur&s;e the day that ever I gave way to the flatteries, and fawning of a company
<PB N="109" REF="80"> of carnal Clergy-men, but this my repen|tance is too late; I &s;hould have looked about me &s;ooner if I would have been &s;aved from this woful place. O there|fore &s;end him, not onely to the town I lived in, and unto &s;ome of my acquain|tance, but to my fathers hou&s;e. Or el&s;e thus al&s;o may they cry; In my life time I did not care to hear that word that cut me mo&s;t, and &s;hewed me mine e&s;tate aright. I was vexed to hear my &s;ins men|tioned and laid to my charge; I loved him be&s;t that deceived me mo&s;t; that &s;aid peace, peace, when there was no &s;uch thing. But now, I &s;ay, Oh that I had been &s;oundly told of it! Oh that it had pierced both mine ears and heart, and had &s;tuck &s;o fa&s;t that nothing could have cured me &s;aving the blood of Chri&s;t! It is better to be dealt plainly with, then that we &s;hould be deceived! they had better &s;ee their lo&s;t condition in the world, then &s;tay while they be damned, as I have done; therefore &s;end <HI>Lazarus, &s;end him to my fathers hou&s;e.</HI> Let him go and &s;ay, I &s;aw your &s;on, your brother, in hell weeping and wailing, and gna&s;hing his teeth: Let him bear them down in it, and tell them plainly
<PB N="110" REF="81"> it is &s;o,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ver&s;e</HI> 28.</NOTE> and that they &s;hall &s;ee to their everla&s;ting mi&s;ery. if they have not a &s;pecial care&punc; <HI>&s;end him to my fathers hou&s;e.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="28" TYPE="verse">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Ver. 28.</HI></BIBL> For I have five brethren, that he may testifie unto them, le&s;t they al|&s;o come into this place of torment.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>THe&s;e words are [if I may &s;o &s;ay] a rea&s;on given by tho&s;e in hell, why they are &s;o re&s;tle&s;s, and do cry &s;o loud, it is that their companions might be de|livered from tho&s;e intollerable torments which they mu&s;t and &s;hall undergo if they fall &s;hort of everla&s;ting life by Je|&s;us Chri&s;t. <HI>Send him to my fathers hou&s;e, for I have five brethren,</HI> &amp;c. Though while they lived among them in the world they were not &s;o &s;en&s;ible of their ruine, yet now they are pa&s;&s;ed out of the world and do partake of that which be|fore they were warned of, they can I &s;ay, then cry out, now I find that to be true indeed which was once and again told and declared to me that it would certainly come to pa&s;s.</P>
<P><HI>For I have five brethren]</HI> Here you may &s;ee that there may be, and are, whole hou&s;holds in a damnable &s;tate &amp;
<PB N="111" REF="81"> condition, as our Lord Je&s;us doth by this &s;ignifie. <HI>Send him to my fathers hou&s;e,</HI> for they are all in one &s;tate, I left all my brethren in a pittiful ca&s;e. People while they live here cannot indure to hear that they &s;hould be all in a mi&s;erable condition; but when they are under the wrath of God, they &s;ee it, they know it, and are very &s;ure of it, for they them|&s;elves when they were in the world li|ved as they do, but they fell &s;hort of hea|ven, and therefore if they go on, &s;o &s;hall they. <HI>Oh therefore &s;end him</HI> quickly <HI>to my fathers hou&s;e, for all the hou&s;e is in an un|done condition, and mu&s;t be damned if they continue &s;o.</HI> The thing ob&s;ervable is this, namely, that tho&s;e that are in hell, do not de&s;ire that their companions &s;hould come thither; nay rather &s;aith he, &s;end him to my fathers hou&s;e, and let him te|&s;tifie to them that are therein, <HI>le&s;t they al&s;o come,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> But &s;ome may &s;ay, what &s;hould be the rea&s;on, that the damned &s;hould de&s;ire not to have there compa|nions come into the &s;ame condition that they are fallen into, but rather that they might be kept from it, and e&s;cape that dreadful &s;tate.</P>
<PB N="112" REF="82">
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> I do believe there is &s;carce &s;o much love in any of the damned in hell, as really to de&s;ire the &s;alvation of any; it would &s;eem &s;trange to me, that &s;uch a quality &s;hould be found in any there, as out of &s;inglene&s;s of heart, to de&s;ire the &s;alvation of their neighbours, out of love to them. But in that there is any de&s;ire in them that are damned, that their friends and relations &s;hould not come into that place of torment. It appears to me to be rather for their own ea&s;e then for their neighbours good; for let me tell you, this I do believe, that it will aggravate or heighten the grief and hor|rour of them, to &s;ee their ungodly neigh|bours in the like de&s;truction with them: For where the ungodly do live, and die, and de&s;cend into the pit together, the one is rather a vexation to the other, then any thing el&s;e. And it mu&s;t needs be &s;o, becau&s;e there are no ungodly people, that do live ungodly together, but they do learn ill examples one of another, as thus. If there live one in the town that is very expert and cunning for the world, why now the re&s;t of his neighbours that are of the &s;ame mind with him, they will labour to imitate him and fol|low
<PB N="113" REF="82"> his &s;teps: this is commonly &s;een. A|gain, if there be one given to drunken|ne&s;s, others of the town through his means, run the more into that &s;in with him, &amp; do accu&s;tom them&s;elves the more unto it, becau&s;e of his inticing them, and al&s;o by&s;etting &s;uch an ill example before them. And &s;o if there be any addicted to pride, &amp; mu&s;t needs be in all the newe&s;t fa&s;hions, how do their example provoke other to love and follow the &s;ame vani|ty; &s;pending that upon their lu&s;ts which &s;hould relieve their own and others wants. Al&s;o if there be any given to je&s;t|ing, &s;coffing, lying, whoring, backbiting, junketting, wantonne&s;s, or any other &s;in; they that are mo&s;t expert in the&s;e things do oft-times intangle others that peradventure would not have been &s;o vile as now they are, had they not had &s;uch an example. Now the&s;e will by their doings exceedingly aggravate the condemnation of one another, as thus. He that did &s;et his neighbour an ill ex|ample, and thereby cau&s;ed him to walk in &s;in: He will be found one cau&s;e of his and his friends de&s;truction, in&s;o|much that he will have to an&s;wer for his own &s;ins, and for a great part of his neighbours too, which will &s;till adde to
<PB N="114" REF="83"> his de&s;truction: as that Scripture in <HI>Ezek.</HI> &s;heweth, where &s;peaking of the watchman that &s;hould give the people warning, if he did not, though the man did die in his &s;ins, yet his blood &s;hould be required at the watchmans hand, <HI>Ezek.</HI> 33. So here let me tell thee, that if thou &s;houlde&s;t be &s;uch an one, as by thy conver&s;ation and practices, &s;halt be a trap and a &s;tumbling-block to cau&s;e thy neighbour to fall into eternal ruine, though he be damned for his own &s;in; yet God may, nay, he will charge thee as being guilty of his blood, in that thou did&s;t not content thy &s;elf to keep from heaven thy &s;elf, but did&s;t al&s;o by thy fil|thy conver&s;ation keep away others al&s;o, &amp; cau&s;e them to fall with thee. O there|fore, will not this aggravate thy tor|ment. Yea, if thou &s;houlde&s;t die, and go to hell before thy neighbour or com|panions, be&s;ides the guilt of thine own &s;ins, thou woulde&s;t be &s;o loaden with the fear of the damnation of others to be laid to thy charge, that thou woul|de&s;t cry out; <HI>O &s;end one from the dead to this companion, and that companion, with whom I had &s;ociety in my life time, for I &s;ee my cur&s;ed carriage will be one cau&s;e of
<PB N="115" REF="83"> his condemnation, if he fall &s;hort of glory.</HI> It is true, I left him living in foul and hainous offences: But I was one of the fir&s;t in&s;truments to bring him to them. Oh, I &s;hall be guilty both of mine own and his damnation too! that he might be kept out hence le&s;t my torment be aggravated by his comming hither.</P>
<P>For as I &s;aid before, where ungodly people do dwell together, they being a &s;nare and &s;tumbling-block one to an|other by their practices, they mu&s;t needs be a torment one to another, and an aggravation of each others damnation. O cur&s;ed be thy face, &s;aith one, that ever I &s;et mine eyes on thee: It was long of thee; I may thank the; it was thee that did intice me, and en&s;nare me; it was your filthy conver&s;ation that was as a &s;tumbling-block to me, it was your covetou&s;ne&s;s, it was your pride, your haunting the Alehou&s;e, your gaming and whoring, it was long o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> you that I fell &s;hort of life, if you had &s;et me a good example as you did &s;et me an ill one, it may be I might have done better then now I do: But I learned of you, I followed your &s;teps, I took coun&s;el of you. O that I had never &s;een thy face!
<PB N="116" REF="84"> O that thou had&s;t never been born! to do my &s;oul this wrong as you have done: O &s;aith the other, And I may as much blame you, for do not you re|member how at &s;uch a time, and at &s;uch 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 bu|&s;ine&s;s, about my calling; but you called me away, you &s;ent for me, you are as much in the fault as I, though I were covetous, you were proud; and if you learned covetou&s;ne&s;s of me,<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">This language is &s;ome|times heard at the gal|lows, but for ought that I can learn, it is more to be heard in hell.</NOTE> I lear|ned pride and drunkenne&s;s of you; though I learned you to cheat, you learn|ed me to whore, to lye, to &s;coff at good|ne&s;s. Though I ba&s;e wretch did &s;tumble you in &s;ome things, yet you did as much &s;tumble me in others. I can blame you as you blame me; and if I have to an|&s;wer for &s;ome of your mo&s;t filthy acti|ons, you have to an&s;wer for &s;ome of mine. I would you had not come hi|ther, the very looks of you doth wound my &s;oul, by bringing my &s;ins afre&s;h into my mind, the time when, the manner how, the place where, the per&s;ons with whom: it was with you, you! grief to my &s;oul! &s;ince I could not &s;hun thy
<PB N="117" REF="84"> company there. Oh! that I had been without thy company here.</P>
<P>I &s;ay therefore for the&s;e that have &s;inned together, to go to hell together, it will very much perplex and torment them both. Therefore I judge this is one rea&s;on why they that are in hell do de|&s;ire, that their friends, or companions do not come thither into the &s;ame place of torment that they are in. And there|fore, where Chri&s;t &s;aith, that the&s;e dam|ned &s;ouls cry out, <HI>Send to our companions, that they may be warned and commanded to look to them&s;elves. O &s;end to my five brethren;</HI> it is becau&s;e they would not have their own torments heightned by their company; and a &s;en&s;e, yea, a con|tinual &s;en&s;e of their &s;ins which they did cau&s;e them to commit, when they were in the world with them. For I do be|lieve that the very looks of tho&s;e that have been beguiled by their fellows, I &s;ay, their very looks will be a torment to them: for thereby will the remem|brance of their own &s;ins be kept (if po&s;|&s;ible) the fre&s;her on their con&s;ciences, which they committed with them, and al&s;o they will wonderfully have the guilt of the others &s;ins upon them, in
<PB N="118" REF="85"> that they we<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e partly the cau&s;e of his committing <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">em, being in&s;truments in the hands of the devil to draw them in|to them. And therefore le&s;t this come to pa&s;s, <HI>I pray thee &s;end him to my fathers hou&s;e.</HI> For if they might not come hi|ther, peradventure my torment might have &s;ome mitigation: that is, if they might be &s;aved, then their &s;ins will be pardoned, and not &s;o heavily charged on my &s;oul. But if they do fall into the &s;ame place where I am, the &s;ins that I have cau&s;ed them to commit will lie &s;o heavy, not only on their &s;ouls but al&s;o on mine, that they will be enough to &s;ink me into eternal mi&s;ery deeper and deeper. <HI>O therefore, &s;end him to my fa|thers hou&s;e, to my five brethren, and let him te&s;tifie to them le&s;t they come into this place of torment.</HI></P>
<P>The&s;e words being thus under&s;tood. What a condition doth it &s;hew them to be in then, that now &s;o much delight in being the very ring-leaders of their companions into &s;ins of all &s;orts what|&s;oever.</P>
<P>Now while men live here, if they can be counted the cunninge&s;t in cheating, the bolde&s;t for lying, the arche&s;t for
<PB N="119" REF="85"> whoring, the &s;ubtille&s;t for coveting, and getting the world: Now if men can but cunningly defraud, undermine, cro&s;s, and anger their neighbours&punc; yea, and hinder their neighbours from the means of Grace, the Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t; they can now glory in't, take a pride in't, and think them&s;elves pretty well at ea&s;e, and there minds and are &s;omewhat quiet be|ing beguiled with &s;in.</P>
<P>But my friend, when thou ha&s;t lo&s;t this life, and do&s;t begin to lift up thine eyes in hell, and &s;ee&s;t what thy &s;ins have brought thee to; and not onely &s;o, but that thou by thy filthy &s;ins did&s;t cau&s;e others, (devil-like) to fall into the &s;ame condemnation with thee: And that one of the rea&s;ons of their damnation was this, that thou did&s;t lead them to the commi&s;&s;ion of tho&s;e wicked practices of this world, and the lu&s;ts thereof. Oh! that &s;ome body would &s;top them from coming, le&s;t they al&s;o come into this place of torment, and be damned as I am; how will it torment me? For the rea&s;on (as I &s;aid before) why &s;ome mens condemnations are more intollerable then others, is &s;ometimes, becau&s;e they have not onely damned them&s;elves by
<PB N="120" REF="86"> their &s;ins, but their ungodly carriages have been &s;tumbling-blocks to others; cau&s;ing them al&s;o to &s;tumble and fall at that for which thou thy &s;elf art damned. <HI>Balaam</HI> could not be contented to be damned him&s;elf, but al&s;o he mu&s;t by his wickedne&s;s cau&s;e others to &s;tumble and fall.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 2.14.</NOTE> The Scribes and Phari&s;ees could not be converted to keep out of heaven them&s;elves, but they mu&s;t labour to keep out others too.</P>
<P>The deceived cannot be content to be deceived him&s;elf, but he mu&s;t labour to deceive others al&s;o. The drunkard cannot be contented to go to hell for his own &s;ins, but he mu&s;t labour to cau&s;e others to fall into the &s;ame furnace with him. O friends! look to your &s;elves, for here will be damnation upon dam|nation, damned for thy own &s;ins, and damned for thy being a partaker with others in their &s;ins; and damned for being guilty of the damnation of others. O how will the drunkard cry for leading their neighbours into drun|kenne&s;s? How will the covetous per|&s;on howle for &s;etting his neighbour, his friend, his brother, his children and re|lations &s;o wicked an example; by which
<PB N="121" REF="86"> he hath not onely wronged his own &s;oul, but al&s;o the &s;ouls of others. The liar by lying, learned others to lie; the &s;wearer learned others to &s;wear, the whoremonger learns others to whore. Now all the&s;e, with others of the like &s;ort, will be guilty, not onely of their own damnation, but al&s;o of the damna|tion of others. I tell you, that &s;ome men have been &s;o much the authors of the damnation of others, that I am ready to think that the damnation of them will trouble them as much as their own damnation. Some men (it is to be fear|ed) at the day of judgement will be found to be the author of de&s;troying whole nations. How many &s;ouls do you think <HI>Balaam</HI> with his deceit will have to an&s;wer for? How many, <HI>Ma|homet?</HI> How many, the Phari&s;ees, that hired the &s;ouldiers to &s;ay the Di&s;ciples &s;tole away Je&s;us, and by that means &s;tumbled their brethren to this day; and was one means of hindering them from believing the things of God and Je&s;us Chri&s;t; and &s;o the cau&s;e of the damna|tion of their brethren to this very day.</P>
<P>How many &s;ouls hath <HI>Bonner</HI> to an|&s;wer for think you? and &s;everal filthy
<PB N="122" REF="87"> blind Prie&s;ts? How many &s;ouls have they been the means of de&s;troying by their ignorance, and corrupt doctrine? preaching that that was no better to their &s;ouls, than Rats-bane to the body, for filthy lucres &s;ake.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">O ye Prie&s;ts this word is for you.</NOTE> They &s;hall &s;ee, that they, many of them, it is to be fear|ed, will have whole towns to an&s;wer for; whole cities to an&s;wer for. Ah, Friend, I tell thee, thou that ha&s;t taken in hand to preach to the people; it may be thou ha&s;t taken in hand thou can&s;t not tell what; Will it not grieve thee to &s;ee thy whole pari&s;h come bellow|ing after thee to hell, crying out, this we may thank thee for, this is long of thee, thou did&s;t not teach us the truth; thou did&s;t lead us away with fables, thou wa&s;t afraid to tell us of our &s;ins, le&s;t we &s;hould not put meat fa&s;t enough in thy mouth.<NOTE PLACE="marg">&rindx;</NOTE> O cur&s;ed wretch, that ever thou &s;houlde&s;t beguile us thus! de|ceive us thus! flatter us thus. We would have gone out to hear the word abroad, but that thou did&s;t reprove us; and al&s;o tell us, that that which we &s;ee now is the way of God, was Here&s;ie, and a decei|vable doctrine; and wa&s;t not contented (blind Guide as thou wert) to fall into
<PB N="123" REF="87"> the dich thy &s;elf, but ha&s;t al&s;o lead us thither with thee.</P>
<P>I &s;ay, look to thy &s;elf, le&s;t thou cry out when it is too late; <HI>O &s;end Lazarus to my people, my friends, my children, my congre|gation to whom I preached, and beguiled through my folly. Send him to the town in which I did pr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ach la&s;t, le&s;t I be the cau&s;e of their damnation. Send him to my friends from whence I came, le&s;t I be made to an&s;wer for their &s;oul and mine own too,</HI> Ezek. 33.1.2, 3, 4, 5, 6.</P>
<P>O &s;end him therefore, and let him tell them, and te&s;tifie unto them le&s;t they al&s;o come into this place of tor|ment. Con&s;ider this ye that live in the world, while you are in the land of the living, le&s;t you fall into this condition. Set ca&s;e thou &s;houlde&s;t by thy carriage de&s;troy but a &s;oul, but one poor &s;oul, by one of thy carriages, or actions, by thy &s;inful works; con&s;ider it now, I &s;ay, le&s;t thou be forced to cry, <HI>I pray thee therefore, that thou woulde&s;t &s;end him to my fathers hou&s;e for I have five brethren, that he may testifie unto them, le&s;t they al&s;o come into this place of torment.</HI></P>
<P>If &s;o, then I &s;hall not onely &s;ay to the blind guides, look you to your &s;elves,
<PB N="124" REF="88"> and &s;hut out others: no, but this doth reach in all tho&s;e that do not onely keep &s;ouls from heaven by preaching, and the like, but this doth al&s;o &s;peak forth the doom of tho&s;e that &s;hall any wayes be in&s;trumental to hinder others for clo|&s;ing in with Je&s;us Chri&s;t. O what red lines will tho&s;e be again&s;t all the&s;e rich ungodly Landlords, that &s;o keep under their poor Tenants, that they dare not go out to hear the word, for fear their Rent &s;hould be rai&s;ed, or they turned out of their hou&s;es. What &s;aye&s;t thou, Landlord, will it not cut thy &s;oul, when thou &s;halt &s;ee that thou coulde&s;t not be content to mi&s;s of heaven thy &s;elf, but thou mu&s;t labour to hinder others al&s;o? Will it not give thee an eternal wound in thy heart, both at death and judgement, to be accu&s;ed of the ruine of thy neighbours &s;oul, thy &s;ervants &s;oul, thy wives &s;oul, together with the ruine of thy own. Think on this you drunken proud, rich, and &s;cornful Landlords, think on this you mad-brain'd bla&s;phe|mous Husbands, that are again&s;t the godly and cha&s;te conver&s;ation of your Wives; al&s;o you that hold your Servants &s;o hard to it, that you will not &s;pare
<PB N="125" REF="88"> them time to hear the word, unle&s;s it be where, and when your lu&s;ts will let you. O if you love your own &s;ouls your Te|nants &s;ouls: your Wives &s;ouls, your Ser|vants &s;ouls, your Children &s;ouls: if you would not cry, if you would not howl, if you would not bear the burden of the ruine of others for ever; then I be|&s;eech you to con&s;ider this doleful &s;tory, and labour to avoid the &s;oul-killing tor|ment that this poor wretch groaneth under, when he &s;aith, <HI>I pray thee therefore that thou woulde&s;t &s;end him to my fathers hou&s;e.</HI></P>
<P><HI>For I have five brethren, that he may te|&s;tifie.</HI> Mark, that he may te&s;tifie unto them; <HI>lest they al&s;o come into this place of torment.</HI></P>
<P>The&s;e words have &s;till &s;omething more in them then I have yet ob&s;erved from them; there are one or two things more that I &s;hall briefly touch upon, and therefore, Mark, he &s;aith, <HI>That he may te&s;tifie unto them, le&s;t,</HI> &amp;c. Mark, I pray, you and take notice of the word, <HI>Te&s;tifie.</HI> He doth not &s;ay, and let him go unto them, or &s;peak with, or tell them &s;uch and &s;uch things. No, but <HI>let him te&s;tifie,</HI> or affirme it con&s;tantly, in
<PB N="126" REF="89"> ca&s;e any &s;hould oppo&s;e it. <HI>Let him te&s;ti|fie to them.</HI> It is the &s;ame word the Scripture u&s;eth to &s;et forth the vehe|mencie of Chri&s;t his telling of his di&s;|ciples of him that &s;hould betray him, <HI>And he te&s;tified, &s;aying, One of you &s;hall betray me.</HI> And he te&s;tified, that is, he &s;pake it &s;o, as to da&s;h, or overcome any that &s;hould have &s;aid, it &s;hall not be &s;o. It is a word that &s;ignifies thus much. That in ca&s;e any &s;hould oppo&s;e the things &s;poken of, yet that the party &s;peaking &s;hould &s;till continue con&s;tant in his &s;aying. <HI>And he commanded them to preach, and to testifie that it is he which was ordained of God to be the ju<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ge of quick and dead. To te&s;tifie,</HI> Mark, that is, to be con&s;tant, irre&s;i&s;tible, undanted, in ca&s;e it &s;hould be oppo&s;ed and object|ed again&s;t. So here&punc; let him <HI>te&s;tifie to them, le&s;t they come into this place of tor|ment.</HI></P>
<P>From whence ob&s;erve; That it is not an ea&s;ie matter to per&s;wade them who are in their &s;ins alive in this world, that they mu&s;t and &s;hall be damned if they turne not, and be converted to God. Let him te&s;tifie to them, let him &s;peak confidently, though they frown upon
<PB N="127" REF="89"> him, or di&s;like his way of &s;peaking to them. And how is this truth verified and cleared by the carriages of almo&s;t all men now in the world, toward them that do preach the Go&s;pel; and &s;hew their own mi&s;erable &s;tate plainly to them if they clo&s;e not with it. If a man do but indeed labour to convince &s;inners of their &s;ins, and lo&s;t condition by nature, though they mu&s;t be damned if they live and die in that condition; Oh how angry are they at it. Look how he judges, &s;ay they; hark how he con|demns us; he tells us we mu&s;t be damned if we live and die in this &s;tate; we are offended at him, we cannot abide to hear him, or any &s;uch as he; we will believe none of them all, but go on in the way we are a going.</P>
<P>I &s;ay, tell the drunkard he mu&s;t be damned if he leave not his drunkenne&s;s, the &s;wearer, liar, cheater, thief, cove|tous, railers, or any ungodly per&s;ons, they mu&s;t and &s;hall 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 &s;o are they like to be if they con|vert
<PB N="128" REF="90"> not to Je&s;us Chri&s;t and be found in him. Again, there are others that are more civil and &s;ober men, who, (al|though we know that their civility will not &s;ave them) if we do but tell them plainly of the emptine&s;s, and unprofit|ablene&s;s of that, as to the &s;aving of their &s;ouls, and that God will not ac|cept them, nor love them, notwith|&s;tanding the&s;e things, and that if they intend to be &s;aved, they mu&s;t be better provided than with &s;uch a righteou&s;|ne&s;s as this; they will either fling away and come to hear no more, or el&s;e if they do come, they will bring &s;uch pre|judice with them in their hearts, <HI>that the word preached &s;hall not profit them, it being mixed, not with faith but with pre|judice in them that hear it.</HI> Nay, they will &s;ome of them be &s;o full of anger, that they will break out and call even tho&s;e that &s;peak the truth <HI>Heretiques;</HI> and &s;ay they would deceive them. And why &s;o? Becau&s;e they tell them, that if they live in their &s;ins that will damne them, yet if the turne and live a righte|ous life, according to the holy and ju&s;t and good law of God, that will not &s;ave them. Yea, becau&s;e we tell them
<PB N="129" REF="90"> plainly, that unle&s;s they leave their &s;ins and righteou&s;ne&s;s too and clo&s;e in with a naked Je&s;us Chri&s;t, his blood and me|rits, and what he hath done, and is now doing for &s;inners, they cannot be &s;aved. And unle&s;s they do eat the fle&s;h of the Sonne of man and drink his blood, they have no life abiding in them: they gra|vel pre&s;ently, and are offended at it (as the Jews were with Chri&s;t for &s;peaking of the &s;ame thing to them, <HI>Joh.</HI> 6.53, 60.) and fling away them&s;elves, the &s;ouls and all, by quarrelling again&s;t the doctrine of the Sonne of God, as in|deed they do, though they will not be|lieve they do; and therefore he that is a Preacher of the word, had need, not onely tell them, <HI>but te&s;tifie to them</HI> again, and again, that their &s;ins, if they con|tinue in them, will damne them, and damne them again. And tell them a|gain, their living hone&s;tly 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 Go&s;pel, and &s;aying they do believe in Chri&s;t, will do them no good at the general day of Judge|ment, they are offended al&s;o. Ha friends!
<PB N="130" REF="91"> how many of you are there at this very day, that have been told once and again, of your lo&s;t undone condition, becau&s;e you want the right, reall, and &s;aving work of God upon our &s;ouls. I &s;ay, hath not this been told you, yea, te&s;tifi|ed unto you from time to time, that your &s;tate is mi&s;erable, that yet you are never the better, but do &s;till &s;tand where you did; &s;ome in an openly un|godly life, and &s;ome drowned in a &s;elf-conceited holine&s;s of Chri&s;tianity. Therefore for Gods &s;ake if you love your &s;ouls, con&s;ider, and beg of God for Je&s;us Chri&s;ts &s;ake, that he would work &s;uch a work of grace in your hearts, and give you &s;uch a faith in his Sonne Je&s;us Chri&s;t, that you may not onely have re&s;t here, as you think, not onely think your &s;tate &s;afe while you live here; but that you may be &s;afe indeed, not onely here, but al&s;o when you are gone; le&s;t you do cry in the angui&s;h and per|plexity of your &s;ouls, O &s;end one to my companions that have been beguiled by Satan, as I have been; and &s;o by go|ing on, come into this place of torment, as I have done.</P>
<P>Again, one thing more is to be ob&s;erved
<PB N="131" REF="91"> from the&s;e words, <HI>Let him te&s;tifie to them le&s;t they come into this place of torment.</HI></P>
<P>Mark, le&s;t they come in, as if he had &s;aid, or el&s;e they will come into this place of torment, as &s;ure as I am here. From whence ob&s;erve. That though &s;ome &s;ouls for &s;in do fall into the bottomle&s;s pit of hell before their fellows, becau&s;e they depart this world before them; yet the other abiding in the &s;ame cour&s;e, are as &s;ure to go to the &s;ame place, as if they were there already. How &s;o? Becau&s;e, they are all condemned toge|ther, they have all fallen under the &s;ame law, and have all offended the &s;ame ju|&s;tice; and mu&s;t for certain, if they die in that condition, drink as deep, if not deeper, of the &s;ame de&s;truction. Mark, I pray you what the Scriptures &s;ay, <HI>He that believeth not, is condemned already.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>John</HI> 3.18.</NOTE></P>
<P>He is condemned as well as they, having broken the &s;ame law with them: if &s;o, then what hinders, but they will partake of the &s;ame de&s;truction with them? onely the one hath not the law yet &s;o executed upon them, becau&s;e they are here; the other have had the law executed upon them, they are gone to drink that which they have been brew|ing,
<PB N="132" REF="92"> and thou art brewing that in this life, which thou mu&s;t certainly drink, if thou be not found in Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Mark, the &s;ame law I &s;ay, is in force again&s;t you both, onely he is executed, and thou art not. Ju&s;t as if there were a company of pri&s;oners at the bar, and all condemned to die; what, becau&s;e they are not all executed in one day, there|fore &s;hall they not be executed at all? Yes, the &s;ame law that executed its &s;e|verity upon the parties now decea&s;ed, will for certain be executed on them that are alive in its appointed time: Even &s;o it is here, we are all condemned by nature, if we clo&s;e not in with the grace of God by Je&s;us Chri&s;t, we mu&s;t and &s;hall be de&s;troyed with the &s;ame de|&s;truction; <HI>and therefore, &s;end him (&s;aith he)</HI> le&s;t. Mark, le&s;t they come into this place of torment.</P>
<P>Again, <HI>Send him to my fathers hou&s;e, &amp; let him te&s;tifie to them, le&s;t they come in|to this place of torment.</HI> As if he had &s;aid, It may be he may prevail with them; It may be he may win upon them, and &s;o they may be kept from hence, from coming into this grievous place of tor|ment. From whence ob&s;erve again.</P>
<PB N="133" REF="92">
<P>That <HI>there is a po&s;&s;ibility of obtaining mercy, if now, I &s;ay, now in this day of grace we turn from our &s;ins to Je&s;us Chri&s;t;</HI> yea, it is more then po&s;&s;ible. And there|fore for thy incouragement, do thou know for certain, that if thou &s;halt in this thy day accept of mercy upon Gods own terms, and clo&s;e with him effectu|ally, God hath promi&s;ed, yea made ma|ny promi&s;es, that thy &s;oul &s;hall be con|ducted &s;afe to glory, and &s;hall for cer|tain e&s;cape all the evils that I have told thee of; I, and many more then I can imagine. Do but &s;earch the Scri|ptures, and &s;ee how full of con&s;olation they are to a poor &s;oul that is minded to clo&s;e in with Je&s;us Chri&s;t. <HI>He that commeth to me (&s;aith Chri&s;t) I will in no wi&s;e ca&s;t out.</HI> Though he be an old &s;in|ner, <HI>I will in no wi&s;e ca&s;t him out.</HI> Mark, <HI>in no wi&s;e,</HI> though he be a great &s;inner, <HI>I will in no wi&s;e ca&s;t him out,</HI> if he come to me. Though he have &s;lighted me never &s;o many times, and not regarded the welfare of his own &s;oul, yet let him now come to me, and notwith&s;tanding this, <HI>I will in no wi&s;e ca&s;t him out,</HI> nor throw away his &s;oul, <HI>Joh.</HI> 6.37. Again, &s;aith the Apo&s;tle. <HI>Now</HI> (Mark now) <HI>is
<PB N="134" REF="93"> the accepted time, now is the day of &s;alva|tion.</HI> Now here is mercy good &s;tore, now Gods heart is open to &s;inners: now he will make you welcome; now he will receive any body if they do but come to Chri&s;t. He that comes to me (&s;aith Chri&s;t) <HI>I will in no wi&s;e ca&s;t out.</HI> And why? <HI>Becau&s;e now is the accepted time, now is the day of &s;alvation.</HI> 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6.2, 3. As if the Apo&s;tle had &s;aid, If you will have mercy, have it now, receive it now, clo&s;e in with it now.</P>
<P>God hath a certain day to hold out his grace to &s;inners; Now is the time, now is the day. 'Tis true, there is a day of damnation, but this is a day of &s;alva|tion. 'Tis true, there is a day coming wherein &s;inners, mu&s;t cry to the moun|tains 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 wa|ter to cool your tongue; if now, I &s;ay, if now you &s;light his grace and goodne&s;s which he holds out to you. Ah friends, con&s;ider there is now hopes of mercy, but then there will not; now Chri&s;t
<PB N="135" REF="93"> holds forth mercy unto you, but then he will not. (<HI>Mat.</HI> 7.23.) Now there are his Servants that do be&s;eech you to ac|cept of his grace, but if thou lo&s;e the opportunity that is put into thine hand, thou thy &s;elf maye&s;t be&s;eech hereafter, and no mercy be given thee. <HI>And he cryed and &s;aid, Father Abraham have mer|cy on me, and &s;end Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue.</HI> And there was none given. Therefore, let it never be &s;aid of thee as it will be &s;aid of &s;ome; <HI>Why is there a price put into the hand of a fool, &s;eeing he hath no heart to it:</HI> Seeing he hath no heart to make a good u&s;e of it, (<HI>Prov.</HI> 17.16.) con&s;ider therefore with thy &s;elf, and &s;ay, It is better going to heaven then hell; it is better to be &s;aved then damned; it is better to be with Saints, then with damned &s;ouls; and to go to God, is better then to go to the devil.</P>
<P>Therefore, <HI>&s;eek the Lord while he may be found, and call upon him while he is near. I&s;a.</HI> 55.6. Le&s;t in thy trouble he leave thee to thy &s;elf, and &s;ay unto thee plainly, <HI>Where I am, thither ye cannot come.</HI> Joh. 8.21.</P>
<P>O if they that are in hell might but
<PB N="136" REF="94"> now again have one &s;uch invitation as this, how would they leap for joy. I have thought &s;ometimes, &s;hould God &s;end but one of his mini&s;ters to the dam|ned in hell and give him commi&s;&s;ion to preach the free love of God in Chri&s;t extended to them, and held out to them, if now while it is profered to them they will accept of his kindne&s;s; O how welcome would they make this news, and clo&s;e in with it on any termes.</P>
<P>Certainly they would &s;ay, we will accept of grace on any termes in the world, and thank you too, though it co&s;t life and limbs to boot, we will &s;pare no co&s;t, nor charge, if mercy may be had. But poor &s;ouls, while they live here they will not part from &s;in, with hell-bred, devili&s;h &s;in: No, they will rather lo&s;e their &s;ouls then lo&s;e their filthy &s;ins. But friend, thou wilt change thy note ere it be long, and cry <HI>O &s;imple wretch that I am, that I &s;hould damne my &s;oul by &s;in.</HI> 'Tis true, I have had the Go&s;pel preach|ed to me and have been invited in: I have been preached to, and have been warned of this; but <HI>how have I hated in|&s;truction, and mine heart de&s;pi&s;ed reproof: I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers,
<PB N="137" REF="94"> nor inclined mine eare to them that in&s;tru|cted me.</HI> Prov. 5.10, 11. O therefore, I &s;ay, poor &s;oul, is there hope, then lay thine hand upon thy mouth and ki&s;s the du&s;t, and clo&s;e in with the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and make much of his glorious mercy, and invite al&s;o thy companions to clo&s;e in with the &s;ame Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, le&s;t one of you do go to hell be|fore hand, and expect with grief of heart, your companions to come after: And in the mean time with angui&s;h of &s;pirit do &s;igh and &s;ay,</P>
<P><HI>O &s;end him to my companions, and let him te&s;tifie to them, le&s;t they al&s;o come into this place of torment.</HI></P>
<P>Again I might ob&s;erve from the&s;e words, that though men in their life time are &s;o proud and &s;tout, that they will not hear nor regard the poor peo|ple of God, and their exhortations, I &s;ay, in their life time: yet the time is coming, that they would be glad, that the very meane&s;t of all the &s;ervants of God, &s;hould not onely admini&s;ter com|fort to them, but al&s;o, (when once they are departed this life) that even tho&s;e whom once they &s;lighted &s;hould go and te&s;tifie the certainty of eternal damna|tion
<PB N="138" REF="95"> to tho&s;e their companions,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ver&s;.</HI> 29.</NOTE> and that at home, at their hou&s;es, in all plain|ne&s;s amd &s;implicity of &s;oul. But I pa&s;s by enlarging upon it, as having touched on it already.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="29" TYPE="verse">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Ver. 29.</HI></BIBL> Abraham &s;aid unto him, they have Mo&s;es and the Prophets, let them hear them.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>IN the ver&s;es foregoing, you &s;ee there is a di&s;covery of the lamentable &s;tate of the poor &s;oul that dies out of Chri&s;t, and the &s;pecial favour of God. And al|&s;o how little the glorious God of hea|ven doth regard and take notice of their mo&s;t mi&s;erable condition, that he will not &s;o much as afford them one drop of cold water; that is, the lea&s;t ea&s;e or comfort. Now in this ver&s;e, the Lord doth magnifie the word which was &s;poken to the people by the Prophets and Apo&s;tles, where he &s;aith, <HI>They have Mo&s;es and the Prophets, let them here them.</HI> As if he &s;hould &s;ay, thou aske&s;t me that I &s;hould &s;end <HI>Lazarus</HI> back a|gain into the world, to preach to them that live there, that they might e&s;cape that doleful place that thou art in: what
<PB N="139" REF="95"> needs that? have they not <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and the Prophets, have they not had my Mi|ni&s;ters and &s;ervants &s;ent unto them, and coming as from me? I &s;ent <HI>Enoch,</HI> and <HI>Noah, Mo&s;es,</HI> and <HI>Samuel.</HI> I &s;ent <HI>Da|vid, I&s;aiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Ho&s;ea,</HI> and the re&s;t of the Prophets, to|gether with <HI>Peter, Paul, John, Matthew, James, Jude,</HI> with the re&s;t; <HI>Let them hear them.</HI> As if he &s;hould &s;ay again, what they have &s;poken by divine in&s;pi|ration, I will own, whether it be for the damnation of tho&s;e that reject, or the &s;aving of them that receive their do|ctrine: And therefore, what need have they that one &s;hould be &s;ent unto them in another way? Seeing they have <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and the Prophets <HI>let them hear them;</HI> let them receive their word, clo&s;e in with the doctrine declared by them; <HI>let them hear them.</HI> I &s;hall not at this time &s;peak any thing to that word <HI>(Abra|ham)</HI> having touched upon it already; but &s;hall tell you what is to be under|&s;tood by the&s;e words, <HI>They have Mo&s;es and the Prophets, let them hear them.</HI> The things that I &s;hall ob&s;erve from hence are the&s;e. 1. That the Scriptures &s;poken by the holy men of God, are a
<PB N="140" REF="96"> &s;ufficient rule to in&s;truct to &s;alvation, them that do a&s;&s;uredly believe and clo&s;e in with what they hold forth. <HI>They have Mo&s;es and the prophets, let them hear them.</HI> That is, if they would e&s;cape, that doleful place, and be &s;aved indeed from the intollerable pains of hell fire, as they de&s;ire, they have that which is &s;uf|ficient to coun&s;el them, for their going a|&s;ide from that. <HI>They have Mo&s;es and the Prophets,</HI> let them be in&s;tructed by them, be admoni&s;hed by them, <HI>let them hear them;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3.16.17.</NOTE> for all Scripture is given by in&s;pira|tion of God; and is profitable for do|ctrine, for reproof, for correction, for in|&s;truction in righteou&s;ne&s;s, why, that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furni&s;hed to every good work.</P>
<P>Do but mark the words. <HI>All Scripture is profitable,</HI> Mark <HI>All,</HI> take it where you will, and in what place you will; <HI>profit|able,</HI> for what? <HI>That the man of God,</HI> or he that is bound for heaven, and would in&s;truct others in their progre&s;s thither.</P>
<P>It is profitable to in&s;truct him, in ca&s;e he be ignorant; to reprove him, in ca&s;e he tran&s;gre&s;s; to correct him, if he hath need of it; to confirme him, if he be wa|vering. It is profitable for doctrine, &amp; all
<PB N="141" REF="96"> this in a very righteous way, that the poor &s;oul may not onely be helped, but throughly furni&s;hed, not onely to &s;ome, but to all good works. And when <HI>Paul</HI> would coun&s;el <HI>Timothy,</HI> to &s;tick clo&s;e to the things that are &s;ound &amp; &s;ure, pre&s;ent|ly he puts him upon the Scriptures, &s;ay|ing, <HI>Thou ha&s;t from a child known the Scri|ptures which are able to make thee wi&s;e unto &s;alvation,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 3.15.</NOTE> <HI>through faith which is in Chri&s;t Je&s;us.</HI> The Scriptures holds forth Gods mind and will, of his love and mercy to|wards man, and al&s;o the creatures carri|age towards him from fir&s;t to la&s;t; &s;o if thou would&s;t know the love of God in Chri&s;t to &s;inners?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 5.39.</NOTE> <HI>Then &s;earch the Scrip|tures, for they are they that te&s;tifie of him.</HI></P>
<P>Would thou know what thou art, and what is in thy heart, then &s;earch the Scri|ptures, and &s;ee what's written in them. <HI>Rom.</HI> 3. from 9. to 18. <HI>Rom</HI> 1.19.30, 31, 32. <HI>Jer.</HI> 17.9. <HI>Gen.</HI> 6.5. <HI>ch.</HI> 8.21. <HI>Eph.</HI> 4.18. with many others. The Scriptures I &s;ay, they are able to give a man perfect in&s;tructi|on into any of the things of God nece&s;|&s;ary to faith and godline&s;s, if he have but an hone&s;t heart, &s;eriou&s;ly to weigh and ponder the &s;everal things contained in them. As to in&s;tance in things more par|ticular
<PB N="142" REF="97"> for the further clearing up of this; And fir&s;t if we come to the crea|tion of the world.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know &s;omewhat con|cerning that, then read <HI>Gen.</HI> 1. and 2. <HI>chap.</HI> and compare them with <HI>P&s;al,</HI> 33. at the 6. Al&s;o, <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> 66.2. <HI>Prov.</HI> 8. to|ward the end.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know whether he made them of &s;omething or nothing, read <HI>Heb.</HI> 11.3.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know whether he put forth any labour in making them, as we do in making things, read <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 33.9.</P>
<P>If thou woulde&s;t know whether man was made by God corrupt or upright, read <HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 7, 26. <HI>Gen.</HI> 1.10, 18, 25, 31.</P>
<P>Would&s;t thou know where God did place man after he had made him, read <HI>Gen.</HI> 2.15.</P>
<P>Would&s;t thou know whether that man did live there all his time or not, then read, <HI>Gen.</HI> 3.23, 24.</P>
<P>If thou woulde&s;t know whether man be &s;till in that &s;tate by nature, that God did place him in, then read <HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 7.26. and compare it with <HI>Rom.</HI> 5.16. and <HI>Eph.</HI> 2.1, 2, 3. God made man upright, but he hath &s;ought out many inventi|ons.</P>
<PB N="143" REF="97">
<P>If thou woulde&s;t know whether the man were fir&s;t beguiled, or the woman that God made an help meet for him, read <HI>Gen.</HI> 3.6. &amp; com. it with 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2.14.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know whether God looked upon <HI>Adams</HI> eating of the for|bidden tree to be &s;in, or no, read <HI>Rom.</HI> 5.12, 13, 14, 15, and compare it with <HI>Gen.</HI> 3.17.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know whether it were the devil who beguiled them, or whether it was a natural Serpent &s;uch as do haunt the de&s;olate places, read <HI>Gen.</HI> 3.12. with <HI>Rev.</HI> 20.1, 2, 3.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know whether that &s;in be imputed to us, read <HI>Rom.</HI> 5.12.13, 14, 15. and compare it with <HI>Eph.</HI> 2.2.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know whether man were cur&s;ed for his &s;in, read <HI>Gal.</HI> 3.10. <HI>Rom.</HI> 5.15.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know whether the cur&s;e did fall on man, or on the whole creation with him, compare <HI>Gen,</HI> 3.17. with <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.20, 21, 22.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know whether man be defiled in every part of him by the &s;in he hath committed, then read <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 1.6.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know mans inclina|tion
<PB N="144" REF="98"> &s;o &s;oon as he is borne, read <HI>P&s;.</HI> 58.3.</P>
<P><HI>The wicked are estranged from the womb, they go a&s;tray as &s;oon as they be borne.</HI></P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know whether man once fallen from God by tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, can recover him&s;elf by all he can do, then read <HI>Rom</HI> 3.20, 23.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know whether it be the de&s;ire of the heart of man by nature to follow God in his own way, or no, compare <HI>Gen.</HI> 6.5. and <HI>Gen.</HI> 8.21. with <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 11.7.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know how Gods heart &s;tood affected towards man before the world began, compare <HI>Eph.</HI> 1.4. with 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1.9.</P>
<P>Woude&s;t thou know whether &s;in were &s;ufficient to draw Gods love from his creatures, compare <HI>Jer.</HI> 3.7. and <HI>Micah.</HI> 7.18. with <HI>Rom.</HI> 5.6, 7, 8.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know whether Gods love did &s;till abide towards his creatures for any thing they could do to make him amends, then read <HI>Deut.</HI> 11.5, 6, 7, 8.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know how God could &s;till love his creature and do his ju&s;tice no wrong, read <HI>Rom.</HI> 3.24, 25, 26. <HI>Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Chri&s;t
<PB N="145" REF="98"> Je&s;us. Whom God hath &s;et forth to be a propitiation for &s;in, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteou&s;ne&s;s for the remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins that are pa&s;t, through the forbearance of God. To declare, I &s;ay, at this time his righteou&s;ne&s;s, that he might be ju&s;t, and the ju&s;tifier of him that be|lieveth in Je&s;us.</HI> That is, God having his ju&s;tice &s;atisfied, in the blood, and righte|ou&s;ne&s;s, and death of his own Sonne Je&s;us Chri&s;t, for the &s;ins of poor &s;inners, he can now &s;ave them that come to him, though never &s;o great &s;inners, and do his ju&s;tice no wrong, becau&s;e it hath had a full and compleat &s;atisfaction gi|ven it by that blood, 1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 1.7, 8.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know who he was, and what he was, that did out of his love die for &s;inners, then compare <HI>Joh.</HI> 3.16, 17. <HI>Rom.</HI> 5, 8. with <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 9.6.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know whether this Saviour had a body of fle&s;h and bones, before the world was, or took it from the Virgin <HI>Mary,</HI> then read <HI>Gal.</HI> 4.4.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know whether he did in that body bear all our &s;ins, and where, then read 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.21. <HI>Who bare our &s;ins in his own body on the tree.</HI></P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know, whether he did
<PB N="146" REF="99"> ri&s;e again after he was crucified with the very &s;ame body, then read <HI>Luk.</HI> 24. at <HI>ver.</HI> 38, 39, 40, 41.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know whether he did eat or drink with his di&s;ciples after he aro&s;e out of the grave, then read <HI>Luke</HI> 24.42. and <HI>Acts.</HI> 10.41.</P>
<P>If thou woulde&s;t be per&s;waded of the truth of this, that that very body is now above the clouds and &s;tars, read <HI>Acts</HI> 1.9.10, 11. and <HI>Luk.</HI> 24. toward the end.</P>
<P>If thou woulde&s;t know that the Quakers hold an errour, that &s;ay the body of Chri&s;t is within them, con&s;ider the &s;ame Scripture.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know what that Chri&s;t that died for &s;inners is doing in that place whither he is gone, then read <HI>Heb.</HI> 7.24.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know who &s;hall have life by him, read 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1.14, 15. and <HI>Rom.</HI> 5.6, 7, 8. which &s;ay, Chri&s;t died for &s;inners, for the ungodly.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know whether they that live and die in their &s;ins &s;hall go to heaven, or not, then read 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6.9, 10. <HI>Rev.</HI> 21.8, 27. which &s;aith, They &s;hall have their part in the like that burns with fire and brim&s;tone.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know whether mans
<PB N="147" REF="99"> obedience will obtain that Chri&s;t &s;hould die for them, or &s;ave them, then read <HI>Mark.</HI> 2.17. <HI>Rom.</HI> 5.7.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know whether right Ju&s;tification and Sanctification doth come through the virtue of Chri&s;ts blood, compare <HI>Rom.</HI> 5.9. with <HI>Heb.</HI> 13.12.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know whether na|tural man can ab&s;tain from the outward act of &s;in again&s;t the law, meerly by a principle of n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ture, then compare well <HI>Rom.</HI> 2.14. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ith <HI>Phil.</HI> 3.6.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know whether a man by nature may know &s;omething of the invi&s;ible things of God, compare &s;eri|ou&s;ly, <HI>Rom.</HI> 1.20, 21. with <HI>Rom</HI> 2.14, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">5.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know how far a man may go on in a profe&s;&s;ion of the Go&s;|pel and yet fall away, then read, <HI>Heb.</HI> 6.4, 5, 6. <HI>They may taste the good word of God and the powers of the world to come. They may ta&s;te the heavenly gift, and be partakers of the holy Gho&s;t,</HI> and yet &s;o fall as never to be recovered, or renewed again unto repentance, &s;ee al&s;o, <HI>Luk.</HI> 13.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know how hard it is to go to heaven, read, <HI>Mat.</HI> 7.13, 14. <HI>Luk.</HI> 13.24.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know, whether a man
<PB N="148" REF="100"> by nature be a friend to God, or an ene|my, then read, <HI>Rom.</HI> 5.11. <HI>Col.</HI> 1.21.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know what, or who they are that &s;hall go to heaven; then read, <HI>Joh.</HI> 3.3, 5, 7. and 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.17. Al&s;o woulde&s;t thou know what a &s;ad thing it is for any to turn their backs upon the Go&s;pel of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, then read, <HI>Heb.</HI> 10.28, 29. and <HI>Mark</HI> 16.16.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know what is the wages of &s;in, then read, <HI>Rom.</HI> 6.23.</P>
<P>Woulde&s;t thou know whither tho&s;e do go that die unconverted to the faith of Chri&s;t, then read, <HI>P&s;.</HI> 9.17. and <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 14.9.</P>
<P>Reader, here might I &s;pend many &s;heets of paper, yea, I might upon this &s;ubject write a very great book, but I &s;hall now forbear, de&s;iring thee to be very con|ver&s;ant in the Scriptures, <HI>for they are they that will te&s;tifie of Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> Joh. 5.39. The <HI>Bereans</HI> were counted noble upon this account; <HI>The&s;e were more noble then tho&s;e of The&s;&s;alonica, in that they re|ceived the word with all readine&s;s of mind, and &s;earched the Scriptures daily, &amp;c.</HI> But here let me give thee one caution, that is, have a care that thou do not &s;a|tisfie thy &s;elf with a bare &s;earch of them, without a real application of him whom
<PB N="149" REF="100"> they te&s;tifie of, to thy &s;oul, le&s;t in&s;tead of faring the better for thy doing this work, thou do&s;t fare a great deal the wor&s;e; and thy condemnation be very much heightened in that, though thou did&s;t read &s;o often the &s;ad &s;tate of tho&s;e that die in &s;in, and the glorious e&s;tate of them that clo&s;e in with Chri&s;t, thou thy &s;elf &s;hould&s;t be &s;uch a fool as to lo&s;e Je&s;us Chri&s;t, notwith&s;tanding thy hear|ing and reading &s;o plentifully of him.</P>
<P><HI>They have Mo&s;es and the Prophets, let them hear them.</HI></P>
<P>As if he &s;hould &s;ay, What need have they, that one &s;hould be &s;ent to them from the dead? what need have they of &s;uch a thing? Have they not <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and the Prophets? hath not <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> told them the danger of living in &s;in, <HI>Deut.</HI> 27. from <HI>ver.</HI> 15. to <HI>ver.</HI> 26. And <HI>chap.</HI> 28.15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. &amp;c. to the end of the chapter, al&s;o <HI>ch.</HI> 29.18, 19, 20, 21. hath he not there told them what a &s;ad &s;tate the&s;e per&s;ons are in, that deceive them&s;elves with the deceit of their hearts, &s;aying, They &s;hall have peace though they follow their &s;ins in the&s;e words. <HI>And when he heareth the words of this cur&s;e, he ble&s;s him&s;elf in his heart, &s;ay|ing,
<PB N="150" REF="101"> I &s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ll have peace, though I go on, or walk in the imagination of my heart, to adde drunkenne&s;s to thir&s;t. The Lord will not &s;pare that man, but then the anger of the Lord&punc; and his jealou&s;ie &s;hall &s;moak a|gain&s;t him, and all the cur&s;es that are writ|ten in this book &s;hall lye upon him: and the Lord &s;hall blot out his name from under heaven.</HI></P>
<P>Ag<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">in, did not <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> write of the Saviour that was to come afterwards into the world. <HI>Deut.</HI> 18.18. Nay have not all the Prophets from <HI>Samuel,</HI> with all tho&s;e that follow after, prophe&s;ied and foretold the&s;e things, therefore what need <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ave they that I &s;hould work &s;uch a miracle, as to &s;end one from the dead unto them? <HI>They have Mo&s;es and the Prophets, let them hear them.</HI></P>
<P>From whence ob&s;erve again? That God doth honour the writings of <HI>Mo|&s;es</HI> and the Prophets, as much, nay more, then if one &s;hould ri&s;e from the dead: <HI>Should not a people &s;eek unto their God? what, &s;eek for, &s;eek for the living among the dead? To the Law and to the te&s;timonies,</HI> (&s;aith <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">od) <HI>if they &s;peak not according to this word, it is becau&s;e there is no light in them.</HI> I&s;a. 8, 19, 20. And let me tell you
<PB N="151" REF="101"> plainly, I do believe that the devil knows this full well, which makes him labour to beget in the hearts of his di&s;|ciples and followers light thoughts of them; and doth per&s;wade them that even a motion from their own beguiled con&s;cience, or from his own wicked Spirit, is to be ob&s;erved, and obeyed be|fore them: when the very Apo&s;tle of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, though he heard a voice from the excellent glory &s;aying, <HI>This is my beloved Son, &amp;c.</HI> Yet writing to the Churches, and telling them he heard &s;uch a voice he commends the writings of the Prophets before it, &s;aying, <HI>We have al&s;o a more &s;ure word of the Prophets, unto which ye do well to take heed, &amp;c.</HI> 2 Pet. 1, 17, 18, 19. Now if thou doubt|e&s;t whether that place be meant the Scriptures, the words of the Prophets, or no, read but the next ver&s;e, where he addeth for a certain confirmation thereof the&s;e words. <HI>Knowing this fir&s;t, that there is no prophecy of the Scriptures.</HI> Mark, it is the prophecy of the Scri|ptures. <HI>There is no prophecy of the Scri|ptures of any private interpretation: for prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God &s;pake as they were
<PB N="152" REF="102"> moved by the Holy Gho&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>And therefore, O what a &s;ad thing is it with tho&s;e that go about to di&s;own the Scriptures. I tell you, however you may &s;light them now, yet when they come into hell, and in bitterne&s;s of &s;oul cry out, Oh that one might go to fore|warn my companions of their folly, <HI>le&s;t they come into this place of torment.</HI> God doth and will an&s;wer them with the&s;e words, <HI>they have Mo&s;es and the Prophets, let them hear them.</HI></P>
<P>Again, it is very ob&s;ervable, who they are, that are &s;o to&s;&s;ed to and fro with the &s;everal winds of doctrine, that have been broached in the&s;e dayes. They are &s;uch, for the mo&s;t part, as have had a light e&s;teem of the Scriptures: for the ground of errour (as Chri&s;t &s;aith) is be|cau&s;e they know not them, <HI>Mark.</HI> 12.24. And indeed it is ju&s;t with God to give them over to follow their own dark blinded con&s;ciences, to be led into errours, that they might be damned in|to hell, who did not believe that the things contained in the Scripture were the truth, that they might be &s;aved and go to heaven. I cannot well tell how to have done &s;peaking for, and on the
<PB N="153" REF="102"> Scriptures &s;ide, onely this I con&s;ider,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ver&s;e</HI> 30.</NOTE> A word is enough to the wi&s;e; and therefore I &s;hall commit the&s;e things in|to the hands of them that are of God: and as for the re&s;t, if they convert not to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, I &s;hall &s;ay to them, rather then God will &s;ave them from hell with the breach of his holy word, if they had a thou&s;and &s;ouls a piece, God would de&s;troy them all; for the Scri|ptures cannot be broken, <HI>Joh.</HI> 10.35.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="30" TYPE="verse">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Ver. 30.</HI></BIBL> And he &s;aid, nay Father A|braham, but if one went unto them from the dead, they would repent.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>THe ver&s;e before, you know, as I told you, it was part of an an&s;wer to &s;uch as lo&s;e their &s;ouls, &s;o it is a vin|dication of the Scriptures of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and the Prophets, where he &s;aith, <HI>They have Mo&s;es and the Prophets let them hear them;</HI> as if he had &s;aid, they &s;hould have clo&s;ed in with the tenders of mercy held out by <HI>Mo&s;es, Samuel, David, I&s;aiah, Jeremiah,</HI> together with the re&s;t of the glorious, &amp; certain truths that I moved them to utter and hold forth in their generation, to the world, and al&s;o
<PB N="154" REF="103"> which they have left on record both for the warning, comfort, and reproof of them who in after ages &s;hould come in|to the world, both by holding forth the &s;tate of man by nature, how mi&s;erable it was, and by holding out the mercy and grace of God, and how large that was: and al&s;o, how free God is and ever was to &s;ave them, that did come the right way to him, namely by Chri&s;t: toge|ther with the lamentable and &s;ad &s;tate that tho&s;e were, and are, and &s;hall be in, that did turne their backs on what they did then &s;peak, and afterwards leave on record for the good of &s;ucceeding ge|nerations; if they vvould, or v ill be ble&s;&s;ed that are yet alive, let them ovvn them, clo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e in vvith that vvhich is held forth by them, namely the <HI>Me&s;ias,</HI> or Je&s;us, that came from heaven to earth on purpo&s;e to lay dovvn his life for the rebellious, (as I &s;aid before.)</P>
<P>Novv this ver&s;e is an an&s;vver to the former, and &s;uch an one as hath in it a kind of reject<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">on of the former an&s;vver. <HI>Nay Father Abraham.</HI> Nay &s;aith he, do not &s;ay &s;o, do not put them off vvith this; <HI>&s;end one from the dead,</HI> and then there vvill be &s;ome hopes. 'Tis true;
<PB N="155" REF="103"> thou &s;peake&s;t of the Scriptures of <HI>Mo|&s;es and the Prophets, and &s;aye&s;t, let them hear them,</HI> but the&s;e things are not &s;o vvell as I could vvi&s;h, I had rather thou would&s;t &s;end one from the dead. In the&s;e vvords therefore, <HI>Nay, Father Abraham,</HI> there is a repul&s;e given. Nay, let it not be &s;o. Nay I do not like of that an&s;vver; Hear <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and the Prophets? nay. The &s;ame expre&s;&s;ion is u&s;ed by Chri&s;t, <HI>Luk.</HI> 13.2, 3. <HI>Think you that they upon whom the tow|er of Siloe fell, were &s;inners above others? I tell you nay, for except ye repent, ye &s;hall all likewi&s;e peri&s;h.</HI> So here, <HI>Nay, Father Abraham,</HI> &amp;c. By this vvord nay, there|fore is &s;ignified a rejecting the fir&s;t an|&s;vver. Novv ob&s;erve, I pray you, the rea&s;on vvhy he &s;ayes nay, is, becau&s;e God doth put over all tho&s;e that vvill be &s;a|ved to ob&s;erve and receive the truth contained in Scripture, and believe that. To have high e&s;teem of them, and to love and &s;earch them, as Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>Search the Scriptures,&mdash;for they are they which te&s;tifie of me. Joh.</HI> 5.39. But the damned &s;ay, Nay; as if he had &s;aid, It is true, the Scriptures are truth, and every cur&s;e contained in, and held forth by them, &s;hall be fulfilled, and have its time
<PB N="156" REF="104"> to be executed on them vvho live and die in unbelief; as novv I feel by vvoful experience, for I &s;vvim novv in the cur|&s;es and vvrath vvhich once they told me I &s;hould partake of. But this is the thing to be &s;hort, my brethren are un|believers, and do not regard the word of God, I know it by my &s;elf, for when I was in the world it was &s;o with me. 'Tis true, many a good Sermon did I hear, many a time was I admoni&s;hed, de&s;ired, intreated, be&s;eeched, threatned, forewarned of what I now &s;uffer: But alas, I was ignorant, &s;elf-conceited, &s;urly, ob&s;tinate and rebellious. 'Tis true, many a time the preacher told me, hell would be my portion, the devill would wreck his malice on me, God would pour on me his &s;ore di&s;plea&s;ure, but he had as good have preached to the &s;tock, to the po&s;t, to the &s;tones I trod on. 'Tis true, his words rang in mine ears, but I kept them from my heart. I remember he alledged many a Scripture, but tho&s;e I valued not; the Scriptures thought I, what are they? a dead let|ter, a little ink and paper, of three or four &s;hillings price. Alas, what is the Scripture, give me a Ballad, a News|book,
<PB N="157" REF="104"> <HI>George</HI> on hor&s;eback, or <HI>Bevis</HI> of <HI>Southhampton,</HI> give me &s;ome book that teaches curious arts, that tells of old fa|bles; but for the holy Scriptures I cared not. And as it was with me then, &s;o it is with my brethren now; we were all of one &s;pirit, loved all the &s;ame &s;ins, &s;lighted all the &s;ame coun&s;els, promi|&s;es, incouragements, and threatnings of the Scriptures; and they are &s;till as I left them, &s;till in unbelief, &s;till provoking God, and rejecting good coun&s;el, &s;o hardned in their wayes, &s;o bent to fol|low &s;in, that let the Scriptures be &s;hew|ed to them daily, let the me&s;&s;engers of Chri&s;t preach till their hearts ake, till they fall down dead with preaching, they will rather trampleit under foot, and &s;wine like, rent them, than clo&s;e in with tho&s;e gentle and ble&s;&s;ed profers of the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P>Thus therefore the&s;e words, (<HI>Nay Father Abraham, but if one &s;hould ri&s;e from the dead they would repent,</HI> are to be under&s;tood. That the world of ungod|ly men will not regard the Scriptures &s;eriou&s;ly. <HI>Though they have Mo&s;es and the Prophets,</HI> (the Scriptures) they will not repent or heartily clo&s;e in with Je|&s;us
<PB N="158" REF="105"> Chri&s;t, though the Scriptures do wit|ne&s;s again&s;t them. If therefore there be any good done to them, they mu&s;t have it another way. I think, &s;aith he, it would work much on them, <HI>if one &s;hould ri&s;e from the dead.</HI> And this truth in|deed is &s;o evident, that ungodly ones have a light e&s;teem of the Scriptures, that it needs not many &s;trong argu|ments to prove it, being &s;o evidently manife&s;ted by their every dayes pra|ctice, both in words and actions, almo&s;t in all things they &s;ay and do. Yet for the &s;atisfaction to the Reader, I &s;hall &s;hew you by a Scripture or two, (though I might &s;hew many) that this was, and is true with th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> ge<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">erality of the world. See the words of <HI>Nehemiah</HI> in his 9. Chapter, concerning the children of <HI>I&s;|rael,</HI> who though the Lord afforded them mercy upon mercy, as it is from <HI>ver.</HI> 19. to <HI>ver.</HI> 25. yet <HI>ver.</HI> 26. &s;aith he, <HI>Neverthele&s;s they were di&s;obedient for all thy goodne&s;s toward them, and rebelled a|gain&s;t thee,</HI> (but how?) <HI>and cast thy law behind their back.</HI> And was that all? <HI>No, for they &s;lew the Prophets which te&s;tified again&s;t them, to turn them to thee; and they wrought great provocations.</HI> Ob|&s;erve.
<PB N="159" REF="105"> 1. They &s;inned again&s;t mercy. And then. 2. they &s;lighted the law, or word of God 3. They &s;lew the Pro|phets that declared it unto them. 4. The Lord c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">unts it a great provocation. See <HI>Heb.</HI> 3. from <HI>ver</HI> 10. to <HI>ver.</HI> 19. And &s;ee <HI>Zach.</HI> 7.11, 12. <HI>But they refu&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d to hearken,</HI> (&s;aith he there of the wicked) <HI>and pulled away the &s;houlder, and &s;topped their ears, that they &s;hould not hear the law: Yea, they made their hearts hard as an adament &s;tone, le&s;t they &s;hould hear the law, and the words which the Lord of ho&s;ts &s;ent unto them by his &s;pirit in the former Prophets,</HI> &amp;c. Mark I pray you, here is al&s;o, Fir&s;t, a refu&s;ing to hearken, name|ly to the words of the Propehts.</P>
<P N="2">2. That they might &s;o do, they &s;top|ped their cares.</P>
<P N="3">3. If any thing was to be done they pulled away their &s;houlder.</P>
<P N="4">4. To effect this, they labor to make their hearts hard as an adament &s;tone.</P>
<P N="5">5. And all this, le&s;t they &s;hould hear and clo&s;e in with Je&s;us and live, and be delivered from the wrath to come, all which things do hold out an unwilling|ne&s;s to &s;ubmit to, and embrace the words of God; and &s;o Je&s;us Chri&s;t
<PB N="160" REF="106"> which is te&s;tified of by them. Many other Scriptures I might bring in for confirmation of the thing, as that in <HI>A|mos</HI> 7.12, 13. al&s;o 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 2.24, 25. 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 25.15, 16. <HI>Jer.</HI> 7.23, 24, 25, 26, 27. and <HI>Chap,</HI> 16, 12. Read al&s;o &s;e|riou&s;ly that &s;aying, in 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 36.15. where he &s;aith, <HI>And the Lord God of their Fathers &s;ent unto them, How? by his me&s;&s;engers ri&s;ing up betimes, becau&s;e he had compa&s;&s;ion on his people, and on his dwelling place.</HI> And did they make them welcome? No, <HI>But mocked (them) the me&s;&s;engers of God, and de&s;pi&s;ed his words: And was that all?</HI> No, <HI>they mi&s;u&s;ed his Prophets.</HI> How long? <HI>untill the wrath of the Lord aro&s;e again&s;t them.</HI> In how high a mea&s;ure? <HI>Till there was no remedy.</HI> See al&s;o <HI>Jer.</HI> 29.19. <HI>Chap.</HI> 25.3, 4, 5, 6, 7. <HI>Luk.</HI> 11.49.</P>
<P>But alas we need not be &s;o earne&s;t in quoting the Scriptures &s;o plentifully, &s;ee|ing any one or two places are enough. And be&s;ides, the conver&s;ation of almo&s;t all men doth bear witne&s;s to the &s;ame, both religious, and profane per&s;ons: in that they daily neglect, reject, and turn their backs upon the plain te&s;timo|ny of the Scriptures.</P>
<PB N="161" REF="106">
<P>As 1. Take the threatnings laid down in holy writ, and how are they di&s;re|garded; there are but a few places in the Bible, but there are threatnings a|gain&s;t one &s;inner or other; again&s;t drunkards, &s;wearers, liars, proud per|&s;ons, &s;trumpets, whoremonger, covet|ous railers, extortioners, theeves, lazy per&s;ons; In a word, all manner of &s;ins are reproved, and without faith in the Lord Je&s;us, there is a &s;ore puni&s;hment to be executed on the committers of them: and all this made mention of in the Scriptures.</P>
<P>But for all this, how thick, and by heaps, do the&s;e wretches walk up and down our &s;treets? Do but go into the Alehou&s;es &amp; you &s;hall &s;ee almo&s;t every room be&s;prinkled with them, &s;o foming out their own &s;hame, that it is enough to make the heart of a Saint to tremble, in &s;o much that they would not be bound to have &s;ociety with them any long while for all the world. For as the wayes of the godly are not liked of by the wicked, even <HI>&s;o the wayes of the wicked are an abomination to the ju&s;t,</HI> Prov. 29.27. P&s;al. 120.5, 6.</P>
<P>As now to particularize &s;ome things.
<PB N="162" REF="107"> The Scriptures &s;ay, <HI>Cur&s;ed is the man that tru&s;teth in man, that maketh fle&s;h his arm, and who&s;e heart departeth from the Lord.</HI> Jer. 17, 5.</P>
<P>And yet how many poor &s;ouls are there in the world, that &s;tand in &s;o much aw, and dread of man, and do &s;o highly e&s;teem their favour, that they will rather venture their &s;ouls in the hands of the devil, with their favour, then they will fly to Je&s;us Chri&s;t for the &s;alvation of their &s;oul, if they mu&s;t lo&s;e their favour, and have their frownes and di&s;plea&s;ure for the &s;ame. Nay, though they be convinced in their &s;ouls that the way is the way of God; yet how do they labour to &s;ti&s;le convictions, and turn their ears away from the truth, and all becau&s;e they will not lo&s;e the fa|vour of an oppo&s;ite neighbour. Oh! I dare not for my Ma&s;ter, my Brother, my Landlord, I &s;hall lo&s;e his favour, his hou&s;e of work, and &s;o decay my calling. O &s;aith another, I would willingly go in this way, but for my Father, he chides and tells me, he will not &s;tand my friend when I come to wants; I &s;hall never enjoy a penyworth of his goods, he will di&s;inherit me. And I dare not,
<PB N="163" REF="107"> &s;aith another, for my Husband, for he will be a railing, and tells me, he will turn me out of doors, he will beat me, and cut off my legs. But I tell you, if any of the&s;e, or any other things be &s;o prevalent with thee now, as to keep thee from &s;eeking after Chri&s;t in his wayes; they will al&s;o be &s;o prevalent with God again&s;t thee, as to make him ca&s;t off thy &s;oul, becau&s;e thou did&s;t rather tru&s;t man then God; and delight in the imbracings of man, rather than in the favour of the Lord.</P>
<P N="2">2. Again, the Scripture &s;aith, <HI>He that being often reproved heardneth his neck, &s;hall &s;uddenly be de&s;troyed and that without re|medy,</HI> Prov. 29.1. Yet many are &s;o far from turning, though they have been convinced of their wretched &s;tate an hundred times; that when convictions or trouble for &s;in comes on their con&s;cien|ces, they go on &s;till in the &s;ame manner re&s;i&s;ting and choaking the &s;ame, though remedile&s;s de&s;truction be hard at their heels.</P>
<P N="3">3. Again, thou ha&s;t heard &s;ay, <HI>&V;nle&s;s a man be borne again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven.</HI> Joh. 3.3, 5, 7. And yet thou goe&s;t on in a natural
<PB N="164" REF="108"> &s;tate, an unregenerate condition, nay, thou do&s;t re&s;olve never to turn nor be changed, though hell be appointed on purpo&s;e to &s;wallow up &s;uch, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 14.9. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 9.17. <HI>The wicked &s;hall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. Again the Scriptures &s;aith plainly, That <HI>he that loveth and maketh a lie, &s;hall have his part in the lake that burneth with fire and brim&s;tone.</HI> Rev. 21.8, 27. And yet thou art &s;o far from dreading it, that it is thy delight to jea&s;t and jeer, and lye for a penny or two pence or &s;ix pence gain. And al&s;o if thou can&s;t make the re&s;t of thy companions merry, by telling things that are fal&s;e of them that are better then thy &s;elf, thou do&s;t not care a &s;traw. Or if thou heare&s;t a lie from, or of another, thou wilt tell it, and &s;wear to the truth of it. O mi&s;e|rable!</P>
<P N="5">5. Thou ha&s;t heard and read, That <HI>he that believes not, &s;hall be damned.</HI> Mar. 16.16. And <HI>that all men have not faith.</HI> 2 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 3.2. and yet thou do&s;t &s;o much di&s;regard the&s;e things, that it is like thou did&s;t &s;carce ever &s;o much as examine &s;eriou&s;ly whether thou wert
<PB N="165" REF="108"> in the faith or no; but do&s;t content thy &s;elf with the hypocrites hope, which at the la&s;t God will cut off, and count it no better then the &s;piders web. <HI>Job</HI> 8.13, 14. or the hou&s;e that is builded on the &s;ands, <HI>Luk.</HI> 6.49. Nay, thou peradven|ture do&s;t flatter thy &s;elf, &amp; thinke&s;t that thy faith is as good as the be&s;t of them all, when alas poor &s;oul, thou maye&s;t have no &s;aving faith at all; which thou ha&s;t not, if thou be not borne again and made a new creature. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 2.17.</P>
<P N="6">6. Thou ha&s;t heard, That <HI>he that neg|lects Gods great &s;alvation, &s;hall never e&s;cape his great damnation. Heb.</HI> 2.3. compared with <HI>Luke</HI> 14.24. and <HI>Rev.</HI> 14.19, 20. And yet when thou art in|vited, intreated, and be&s;eeched to come in, (<HI>Luk.</HI> 14.17, 18. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.19, 20. <HI>Rom.</HI> 12.1.) thou wilt make any excu&s;e to &s;erve the turn. Nay, thou wilt be &s;o wicked, as to put off Chri&s;t time after time, notwith&s;tanding he is &s;o freely proferred to thee: a little ground, a few oxen, a farme, a wife, a two penny matter, a play, nay, the fear of a mock, a &s;coffe, or a jeer, to be of greater weight to draw thee back, than the &s;alvation of thy &s;oul to draw thee forward.</P>
<P N="7"><PB N="166" REF="109">7. And thou ha&s;t heard that, <HI>Who|&s;oever will be a friend of the world, is the enemy of God.</HI> Jam, 4.4. But thou regar|de&s;t not the&s;e things, but contrariwi&s;e, rather then thou wilt be out of the friend&s;hip and favour of this world, thou wilt &s;inne again&s;t thine own con|&s;cience, and get thy &s;elf into favour by fawning and flattering of the world. Yea, rather then thou wilt go without it, thou wilt di&s;&s;emble, lye, backbite thy neighbour, and an hundred other tricks thou wilt have. O &s;ad!</P>
<P N="8">8. You have heard that the day of judgement is near, in which you and I all of us mu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t appear before the tribunal of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and there be made to give an account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead; even of all that ever we did, yea, of all our &s;ins in thought, and word, and deed, and &s;hall certainly be damned for them too, if we clo&s;e not in with our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and what he hath done and &s;uf|fered for eternal life, and that not noti|onally or contradictionally, but really &amp; &s;avingly in the power and by opera|tion of the &s;pirit, through faith (<HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 11.9, 12, 14. <HI>Heb.</HI> 9, 27. <HI>Acts</HI> 10.42.
<PB N="167" REF="109"> <HI>Acts</HI> 17.30, 31. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.10. <HI>Rev,</HI> 20.12.) <HI>And I &s;aw the dead, &s;mall and great &s;tand before God, and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of tho&s;e things that were writ|ten in the books.</HI> There is the book of the Creatures, the book of Con&s;cience, the book of the Lords Remembrance, the book of the Law, the book of the Go&s;pel. (<HI>Rom.</HI> 1.20. compare, with <HI>Rom.</HI> 2.12, 15. <HI>Rev.</HI> 16. <HI>ver.</HI> 19. <HI>Joh.</HI> 12.48.) <HI>Then &s;hall he &s;eparate them one from another, as a &s;hepherd divideth his &s;heep from the goats, and &s;hall &s;et the &s;heep on his right hand, and the goats on his left. (Matth.</HI> 25.30, 31, 32.) <HI>And &s;hall &s;ay to them on his right hand, Come ye ble&s;&s;ed,</HI> ver. 34. <HI>But to the other go, or depart ye cur&s;ed,</HI> (ver. 41.) Yet notwith&s;tanding the Scriptures do &s;o plainly and plenti|fully &s;peak of the&s;e things, alas! who is there that is &s;o weaned from the world and from their &s;ins and plea&s;ures, as to fly from the wrath to come, (<HI>Mat.</HI> 3.7.) notwith&s;tanding the Scripture &s;aith al&s;o, <HI>That heaven and earth &s;hall pa&s;s away, rather than one jot or one tittle of the word &s;hall fail, till all be fulfilled,</HI> they
<PB N="168" REF="110"> are &s;o certain, <HI>Luke</HI> 21.37.</P>
<P>But leaving the threatnings, let us come to the promi&s;es, and &s;peak &s;ome|what of them, and you may &s;ee how light men make of them, and how little they &s;et by them, notwith&s;tanding the mouth of the Lord hath &s;poken them.</P>
<P>As fir&s;t, <HI>Turn ye fools, ye &s;corners, ye &s;imple ones at my reproof; and behold I will pour out my &s;pirit upon you. Prov.</HI> 1.24. And yet per&s;ons had rather be in their fooli&s;hne&s;s and &s;corning &s;till, and had rather embrace &s;ome filthy lu&s;t then the holy, undefiled, and ble&s;&s;ed Spirit of Chri&s;t thorow the promi&s;e, though by it, as many as receive it, <HI>are &s;ealed unto the day of redemption, Eph.</HI> 4.30. And al|though he that lives and dies without it, is none of Chri&s;ts, <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.9.</P>
<P N="2">2. God hath &s;aid, If thou do but come to him in Chri&s;t, <HI>though your &s;ins be as red as &s;carlet, they &s;hall be as white as &s;now: and he will by no means cast thee away,</HI> (compare <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 1.18. with <HI>Job</HI> 6.37.) And yet poor &s;ouls <HI>will not come to Chri&s;t that they might have life.</HI> (Joh. 5.41.) but rather <HI>after their hardne&s;s and impenitent heart, trea&s;ure up unto them&s;elves wrath against the day of wrath,
<PB N="169" REF="110"> and revelation of the righteous judgement of God.</HI> Rom. 2.4, 5, 6.</P>
<P N="3">3. Chri&s;t Je&s;us hath &s;aid in the word of truth, That if any man will &s;erve and follow him, <HI>Where he is, there &s;hall al&s;o his &s;ervant be, Joh.</HI> 12.26. but yet poor &s;ouls choo&s;e rather to follow &s;in, Satan, and the world, though their companions be the devills and damned &s;ouls for ever. <HI>Mat.</HI> 25.41.</P>
<P N="4">4. He hath al&s;o &s;aid,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Luke</HI> 12.31.</NOTE> <HI>Seek fir&s;t the kingdom of God and all other things &s;hall be added.</HI> But let who&s;o will &s;eek after the kingdom of heaven, in the fir&s;t place, for them; For they will take time while time &s;erves to get the things of this life for them and their &s;eed, while it is to be had: And if it be &s;o that they mu&s;t needs &s;eek after heaven, or el&s;e be damned in hell, they will &s;tay till they have more lei&s;ure, till they can better attend to it; till they have other things hand&s;ome about them; till they are old|er; when they have little el&s;e to do; or when they come to be &s;ick, and to die. Then Lord have mercy upon them; though it be ten thou&s;and to one but they peri&s;h for ever.</P>
<P>For commonly the Lord hath this
<PB N="170" REF="111"> way to deal with &s;uch &s;inners who put him off when he is &s;triving with them, &amp; tenders his Son &amp; his Go&s;pel to them, <HI>either to laugh at their calamity, and mock when their fear cometh,</HI> (Prov. 1, 26.27, 28.) or el&s;e &s;end them to the gods they have &s;erved, which are the devils, <HI>Judg.</HI> 10.13, 14. <HI>(Go to the gods you have &s;er|ved, and let them deliver you, &s;aith he,)</HI> compare this with <HI>Joh.</HI> 8.44.</P>
<P N="5">5. He hath &s;aid, <HI>There is no man that for&s;aketh father, or mother, wife or chil|dren, or lands for his &s;ake, and the Go&s;pels, but &s;hall have an hundred fold in this world, with per&s;ecution, and in the world to come, life everla&s;ting.</HI> Mark 10.29, 30.</P>
<P>But men for the mo&s;t part are &s;o far off from believing the certainty of this, that the will &s;carce lo&s;e the earning of a pen|ny to hear the word of God, the Go&s;pel of &s;alvation. Nay, they will neither go them&s;elves nor &s;uffer others to go, (if they can help it) without threatning to do them a mi&s;chief, if it lie in their way: Nay further, many are &s;o far from parting from any worldly gain, for Chri&s;ts &s;ake and the Go&s;pels, that they are &s;till &s;triving, by hook and by crook, as we &s;ay, by &s;wearing, lying, cou&s;en|ing,
<PB N="171" REF="111"> &s;tealing, covetou&s;ne&s;s, extortion, oppre&s;&s;ion, forgery, bribery, flattery, or any other way, to get more, though they get together with the&s;e worldly gains, death, wrath, damnation, hell, the devil, and all the plagues that God can powr upon them. Now if any do not run with them to the &s;ame exce&s;s of riot, but rather for all their threats, will be &s;o bold, and carele&s;s (as they call it) as to follow the wayes of God; if they can do no more, yet they will whet their tongues like a &s;word to wound them, and do them the greate&s;t mi&s;chief they can, both in &s;peaking a|gain&s;t them to neighbours, to wives, to husbands, to landlords and rai&s;ing fal&s;e reports of them. But let &s;uch take heed le&s;t they be in &s;uch a &s;tate and woful condition, as he was in, who &s;aid in vexation and angui&s;h of &s;oul, <HI>One drop of cold water to cool my tongue.</HI></P>
<P>Thus might I adde many things out the holy Writ, both threatnings and pro|mi&s;es, be&s;ides tho&s;e heavenly coun&s;els, loving reproofs, free invitations to all &s;orts of &s;inners, both old and young, rich and poor, bond and free, wi&s;e and unwi&s;e. All which have been, now are,
<PB N="172" REF="112"> and it is to be feared as long as this world la&s;ts, will be trampled under the feet of tho&s;e &s;wine. (I call them not men) who will continue in the &s;ame. But take a review of &s;ome of them.</P>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="section">
<HEAD>1. Coun&s;el.</HEAD>
<P><HI>What heavenly coun&s;el is that where Chri&s;t &s;aith,</HI> Buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou maye&s;t be rich, and white ray|ment that thou maye&s;t be clothed, that the &s;hame of thy nakedne&s;s do not appear. <HI>Rev. 3.17, 18. Al&s;o that,</HI> Ho every one that thir&s;teth, come to the waters: Yea come, buy wine and milk without money and without price, <HI>I&s;a. 55.1.</HI> Hear, and your &s;ouls &s;hall live. <HI>ver. 3.</HI> Lay hold of my &s;trength that you may make peace with me, and you &s;hall make peace with me. <HI>I&s;a. 27.5.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>2. In&s;truction.</HI> What in&s;truction is here.</HEAD>
<P>Hear in&s;truction and be wi&s;e, and refu&s;e it not. Why, what is it? Ble&s;&s;ed is the man that heareth me, <HI>(&s;aith Chri&s;t)</HI> watching daily at my gates, waiting at the po&s;ts of my doors: For who &s;o findeth me findeth life, and &s;hall obtain favour of the Lord. <HI>Prov. 8.32, 33, 34, 35.</HI> Take heed that no man deceive you by any means. Labour not for the meat that peri&s;heth, but for that which
<PB N="173" REF="112"> endureth unto everla&s;ting life. <HI>Joh. 6.27.</HI> Strive to enter in at the &s;trait gate, <HI>Luke 13.24.</HI> Believe on the Lord Je&s;us, and thou &s;halt be &s;aved. <HI>Act. 16.31.</HI> Believe not every &s;pirit, but try the &s;pirits. Quench not the &s;pirit. Lay hold on eternal life. Let your light &s;o &s;hine before men that they may &s;ee your good works, and glorifie your Father which is in heaven. <HI>Mat. 5.16.</HI> Take heed and beware of hypocri&s;ie; watch and be &s;o|ber. Learn of me <HI>(&s;aith Chri&s;t.)</HI> Come unto me.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="3" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>3. Forewarning.</HI> What forewarning is here.</HEAD>
<P>Becau&s;e there is wrath, beware le&s;t he take thee away with his &s;troak, then a great ran&s;ome cannot deliver thee, <HI>Job 36.18.</HI> Be ye not mockers, le&s;t your bands be made &s;trong, for I have heard from the Lord God of ho&s;ts a con&s;umption even determined on the whole earth. <HI>I&s;a. 28.22.</HI> Beware there|fore le&s;t that come upon you that is written: Behold ye di&s;pi&s;ers, and wonder and peri&s;h. For behold I work a work in your dayes which ye &s;hall in no wi&s;e believe, though a man declare it unto you, <HI>Act. 13.40, 41.</HI> Let him that thinketh he &s;tandeth take heed le&s;t he fall, <HI>1 Cor. 10.12.</HI> Watch and pray le&s;t you enter into temptation, <HI>Luke 22.40.</HI>
<PB N="174" REF="113"> Let us fear therefore, le&s;t a promi&s;e being made, or left us, of entring into his re&s;t, any of you &s;hould &s;eem to come &s;hort of it. <HI>Heb. 4.1.</HI> I will therefore put you in remem|brance, though you once knew this, how that the Lord having &s;aved the people out of Aegypt, afterward de&s;troyed them that be|lieved not. <HI>Jude 5.</HI> Hold fa&s;t that thou ha&s;t, let no man take thy Crown, <HI>Rev. 3.11.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="4" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>4. Comfort.</HI> What comfort is here.</HEAD>
<P>He that commeth unto me, I will in no wi&s;e ca&s;t out. <HI>Joh. 6. ver. 37.</HI> Come unto me all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you re&s;t. <HI>Mat. 11.28.</HI> Be of good chear, thy &s;ins are forgiven thee. I will never leave thee nor for&s;ake thee, <HI>(for)</HI> I have loved thee with an ever|la&s;ting love. <HI>Jer. 31.3.</HI> I lay down my life for my &s;heep; I lay down my life, that they might have life. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of &s;alvation have I &s;uccoured thee. <HI>2 Cor. 6.2.</HI> Though their &s;ins be as &s;carlet, they &s;hall be as white as &s;now; though they be as crim&s;on, they &s;hall be as wool. For I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions, and as a cloud
<PB N="175" REF="113"> thy &s;ins; return unto me, for I have re|deemed thee, <HI>I&s;a. 44.22.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="5" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>5. Grief to tho&s;e that fall &s;hort.</HI> O &s;ad grief.</HEAD>
<P><HI>How have I hated in&s;truction, and mine heart de&s;pi&s;ed reproof, and have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor enclined mine ear to them that in&s;tructed me,</HI> Prov. 7.11, 12, 13. <HI>They &s;hall cur&s;e their king and their God, and look upwards. And they &s;hall look to the earth, and behold trouble and darkne&s;s, and dimne&s;s of angui&s;h: and they &s;hall be driven into darkne&s;s,</HI> I&s;a. 8. ver. 21, 22. <HI>He hath di&s;per&s;ed abroad, he hath given to the poor, his righteou&s;ne&s;s endureth for ever.&mdash;The wicked &s;hall &s;ee it, and be grieved, he &s;hall gna&s;h with his teeth, and melt away; the de&s;ire of the wick|ed &s;hall peri&s;h,</HI> P&s;al. 112.9, 10.</P>
<P><HI>There &s;hall be weeping when ye &s;hall &s;ee Abraham, I&s;aac, and Jacob, and all the Prophets in the Kingdom of heaven, and your &s;elves thru&s;t out.</HI> Luke 13.26, 27, 28. all which things are &s;lighted by the world.</P>
<P>Thus much in &s;hort touching this; that ungodly men undervalue the Scriptures, and give no credit to them, when the truth that is contained in
<PB N="176" REF="114"> them; is held forth in &s;implicity unto them, but rather cry out, nay, but if one &s;hould ri&s;e from the dead, then they think &s;omething might be done: when alas, though &s;ignes and wonders were wrought by the hands of tho&s;e that preach the Go&s;pel, the&s;e poor creatures would never the &s;ooner convert, though they &s;uppo&s;e they &s;hould, as is evident by the carriages of their forerunners, who, albeit the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t him&s;elf did confirme his doctrine by miracles, as opening blind eyes, ca&s;ting out of de|vils, and rai&s;ing the dead, they were &s;o far from receiving either him, or his do|ctrine, that they put him to death for his pains. But to pa&s;s this I &s;hall lay down &s;ome of the grounds of their re|jecting and undervaluing <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">he Scriptures, and &s;o pa&s;s on.</P>
<P N="1">1. Becau&s;e they do not believe that they are the word of God, but rather &s;uppo&s;e them to be the inventions of men, written by &s;ome politicians, on purpo&s;e to make poor ignorant people to &s;ubmit to &s;ome religion and govern|ment. Though men do not &s;ay this with their mouthes, yet their practices te&s;tifie the &s;ame; as he that when he heares the
<PB N="177" REF="114"> words of the cur&s;e, yet ble&s;&s;eth him|&s;elf in his heart, and &s;aith, he &s;hall have peace, though God &s;aith he &s;hall have none. And this mu&s;t needs be, for did but men believe this that it is the word of God, then they mu&s;t believe that he that &s;pake it is true, and that; becau&s;e he that &s;pake it is true, therefore &s;hall every word and tittle be fulfilled. And if they come once to this, unle&s;s they be &s;tark mad, they will have a care how they do throw them&s;elves under the la&s;h of eternal vengeance. For the rea|&s;on why the <HI>The&s;&s;alonians</HI> received the word, was, becau&s;e they believed it was the word of God, and not the word of man, 1 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 2.13, 14.</P>
<P><HI>When ye received the word which ye heard of us</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>ye received it, not as the word of man, but as it is indeed the word of God; which effectually worketh in you that believe.</HI> So that did a man but receive it in hearing, or reading, or meditating, as it is the word of God, they would be converted. <HI>But the word preached doth not profit, not being mixed with faith in them that hear it. Heb.</HI> 4.1, 2.</P>
<P N="2">2. Becau&s;e they do not indeed &s;ee them&s;elves by nature heirs of that ex|ceeding
<PB N="178" REF="115"> wrath and vengeance that the Scriptures te&s;tifie of. For did they but con&s;ider what God intends to do with tho&s;e that live and die in a natural &s;tate, it would either &s;ink them into de&s;pair, or make them fly for refuge to the hope that is &s;et before them.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Heb.</HI> 6.18.</NOTE> But if there be never &s;uch &s;ins committed, and never &s;o great wrath denounced, and the time of execution be never &s;o near; yet if the party that is guilty be &s;en&s;ele&s;s and altogether ignorant thereof, he will be carele&s;s and regard it nothing at all. And that man by nature is in this condi|tion it is evident. For take the &s;ame man that is &s;en&s;ele&s;s and ignorant of that mi&s;ery he is in by nature, I &s;ay, take him at another time, when he is a little awakened, and then you &s;hall hear him roar, &amp; cry out &s;o long as trouble is up|on him, and a &s;en&s;e of the wrath of God hanging over his head: <HI>Good &s;irs, what must I do to be &s;aved?</HI> Though the &s;ame man at another time (when his con&s;ci|ence is fallen a &s;leep, and grown hard) will lie like the Smiths dog at the foot of the anvil though the fire-&s;parks fly in in his face. But as I &s;aid before, when any one is a little awakened, O! what work will one ver&s;e, one line, nay one
<PB N="179" REF="115"> word of holy Scriptures make in his heart, &s;o that he cannot eat, &s;leep, work, keep company with his former compa|nions; and all becau&s;e he is afraid that the damnation &s;poken of in Scripture will fall to his &s;hare, Like <HI>Balaam,</HI> who &s;aid, <HI>I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord,</HI> &s;o long as he had &s;omething of the word of the Lord with authority, &s;everity, and power on his heart: but at another time he could teach <HI>Balak to ca&s;t a &s;tumbling-block before the chil|dren of I&s;rael. Rev.</HI> 2.14.</P>
<P N="3">3. Becau&s;e the carnal Prie&s;ts do tickle the ears of their hearers with vain Philo|&s;ophy and deceit, and thereby harden their hearts again&s;t the &s;implicity of the Go&s;pel, and word of God, which things the Apo&s;tle admoni&s;hed tho&s;e that have a mind to clo&s;e in with Chri&s;t, to avoid, <HI>Col.</HI> 2.8. &s;aying, <HI>Bewar<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e&s;t any man</HI> (be he what he will) <HI>&s;poil you, through Phi|lo&s;ophy and vain deceit, after the traditions of men, and rudiments of the world, and not after Chri&s;t.</HI> And you who nuzzle up your people in ignorance with <HI>Ari&s;to|tle, Plato,</HI> and the re&s;t of the heatheni&s;h Philo&s;ophers, and preach little, if any thing of Chri&s;t rightly. I &s;ay unto you,
<PB N="180" REF="116"> that you will find that you have &s;inned again&s;t God, and beguiled your hearers, when God &s;hall in the judgement-day lay the cau&s;e of the damnation of many thou&s;ands of &s;ouls to your charge, and &s;ay, <HI>He will require their blood at your hands. Ezek.</HI> 33.6.</P>
<P N="4">4. Another rea&s;on why the carnal unbelieving world do &s;o &s;light the Scri|ptures, and word of God, is, becau&s;e the judgement &s;poken of in the Scri|pture is not pre&s;ently executed on the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ors. <HI>Becau&s;e &s;entence again&s;t an evil act is not &s;peedily executed, there|fore the hearts of the &s;ons of men are wholly &s;et in them to do evil. Eccle&s;.</HI> 8.11. Be|cau&s;e God doth not pre&s;ently &s;trike the poor wretch as &s;oon as he &s;ins, but waits, and forbears, and is patient; Therefore the world judging God to be unfaith|ful, go to it agai<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> and again, and every time grow harder and harder, till at la&s;t God is forced either to &s;tretch out his mighty power to turne them, or el&s;e &s;end death with the devil and hell to fetch them. <HI>Thou thoughte&s;t</HI> (&s;aith God) <HI>that I was altogether &s;uch an one as thy &s;elf, but I will reprove thee, and &s;et them in order before thy face. Now
<PB N="181" REF="116"> con&s;ider this, ye that forget God le&s;t I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver,</HI> P&s;al. 50.20, 21.</P>
<P N="5">5. Another rea&s;on why the blind world do &s;light the authority of Scri|pture, is, becau&s;e they give ear to the de|vil, who through his &s;ubtilty ca&s;teth fal&s;e eva&s;ions, and corrupt interpretati|ons on them, rendring them not &s;o point blank the minde of God, and a rule for direction to poor &s;ouls, per|&s;wading them, that they mu&s;t give ear and way to &s;omething el&s;e be&s;ides, and beyond that: or el&s;e he labours to ren|der it vile and contemptible, by per|&s;wading them that it is a dead letter, when indeed they know not what they &s;ay nor whereof they affirme. For the Scripture is not &s;o dead, but that the knowledge of it is able to make any man wi&s;e unto &s;alvation through faith and love which is in Chri&s;t Je&s;us, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3.15. And is profitable for in&s;truction, reproof, and correction in righteou&s;|ne&s;s; that the man of God may be throughly furni&s;hed to all good works, <HI>ver.</HI> 17.</P>
<P>And where it is &s;aid the letter killeth, he meaneth the law, as it is the mini&s;tra|tion
<PB N="182" REF="117"> of damnation, or a covenant of works, and &s;o indeed it doth kill, and mu&s;t do &s;o, becau&s;e it is ju&s;t: fora&s;much as the party that is under the &s;ame, is not able to yield to it a compleat and continual obedience. But otherwi&s;e I will call <HI>Paul</HI> and <HI>Peter</HI> to witne&s;s, that the Scriptures are of a very glorious concernment, in as much as in them is held forth to us the way of life; and al|&s;o, in that they do admini&s;ter good ground of hope to us, <HI>Rom.</HI> 15.4. <HI>For what&s;oever things were written a foretime</HI> (Mark, what&s;oever) <HI>were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scripture m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ght have hope.</HI> And again, <HI>Rom.</HI> 16.25, 26. <HI>Now to him that is of power to stabli&s;h you according to my Go&s;pel, and the preaching of Je&s;us Chri&s;t according to the revelation of the mi&s;tery which was kept hid &s;ince the world began, but now is made manife&s;t, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everla&s;ting God, made known to all nations for the obe|dience of faith.</HI> And therefore who|&s;oever they be that &s;light the Scriptures, they &s;light that which is no le&s;s then the word of God; and they who &s;light
<PB N="183" REF="117"> that, &s;light him that &s;pake it; and they that do &s;o, let them look to them&s;elves, for God will be revenged on &s;uch. Much more might be &s;aid to this thing, but I would not be tedious.</P>
<P>A word or two more, and &s;o I have done with this. Con&s;ider the dangers of &s;lighting the words of the Prophets or Apo&s;tles, whether they be, correction, reproof, admonition, forewarning, or the ble&s;&s;ed invitations and promi&s;es contained in them.</P>
<P N="1">1. Such &s;ouls do provoke God to an|ger, and to execute his vengeance on them. <HI>They refu&s;ed to hearken, they pul|led away their &s;houlder, they &s;topped their ears le&s;t they &s;hould hear the law, and they made their hearts adament &s;tone, that they might not hear the law, and the words that were &s;poken to them by his &s;pirit in the former prophets: Therefore came a great wrath upon them.</HI> Zach. 7.11, 12.</P>
<P N="2">2. God will not regard in their cala|mity. <HI>Becau&s;e I called and ye refu&s;ed, I &s;tretched out my hand &amp; no man regarded, but &s;et at nought all my coun&s;els, and would none of my reproof: I al&s;o will laugh at your calamities, and mock when your fear cometh. When their fear cometh as
<PB N="184" REF="118"> de&s;olation, and their de&s;truction, like a whirlewind. Then &s;hall they call, but I will not an&s;wer; they &s;hall &s;eek me early, but they &s;hall not find me,</HI> Proverbs, 1.25, 26, 27.</P>
<P N="3">3. God doth commonly give up &s;uch men to delu&s;ions to believe lies. <HI>Becau&s;e they received not the love of the truth that they might be &s;aved, therefore God &s;hall &s;end them &s;trong delu&s;ions, that they &s;hould believe a lie. That they all might be damned,</HI> 2 The&s;&s;. 2.11, 12.</P>
<P N="4">4. In a word, they that do continue to reject and &s;light the word of God, they are &s;uch, for the mo&s;t part, as are ordained to be damned. Old <HI>Eli</HI> his &s;ons not hearkenning to the voice of their father reproving them for their &s;ins, but di&s;obeying his voice, it is &s;aid, <HI>It was becau&s;e the Lord would &s;lay them.</HI> 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 2.15. Again, &s;ee in 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 25.15, 16. <HI>A|maziah</HI> having &s;inned again&s;t the Lord, he &s;ends to him a prophet to reprove him: But <HI>Amaziah</HI> &s;ayes, <HI>Forbear, wherefore &s;hould&s;t thou be &s;mitten?</HI> (he did not hearken to the word of God) <HI>Then the Prophet forbare, &s;aying, I know that God hath determined to de&s;troy thee, becau&s;e thou ha&s;t not hearkened to my
<PB N="185" REF="118"> coun&s;el.</HI> Read therefore,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ver&s;e</HI> 31.</NOTE> and the Lord give thee under&s;tanding. For a mi&s;era|ble end will tho&s;e have that go on &s;in|ning again&s;t God, rejecting his word.</P>
<P>Other things might have been ob&s;er|ved from this ver&s;e, which at this time I &s;hall pa&s;s by; partly becau&s;e the &s;um of them hath been touched already, and may be more clearly hinted at in the following ver&s;e, and therefore I &s;hall &s;peak a few words to the next ver&s;e, and to draw towards a conclu&s;ion.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="31" TYPE="verse">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Ver. 31.</HI></BIBL> And he &s;aid unto him, If they hear not Mo&s;es and the Prophets, nei|ther will they be per&s;waded, though one ri&s;e from the dead.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>ANd he &s;aid] That is, and God made an&s;wer to the words &s;poken in the ver&s;e before, <HI>And he &s;aid unto him, If they hear not Mo&s;es.</HI> &amp;c. As if he had &s;aid, <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> was a man of great renown, A man of worthy note, A man that talked with God face to face, as a man &s;peak|eth to his friend; The words that <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> &s;pake were &s;uch as I commanded him to &s;peak. Let who will que&s;tion them, I will own them, credit them,
<PB N="186" REF="119"> ble&s;s them that clo&s;e in with them, and cur&s;e tho&s;e that reject them.</P>
<P>I my &s;elf &s;ent the prophets they did not run of their own heads: I gave them commi&s;&s;ion: I thru&s;t them out, and told them what they &s;hould &s;ay. In a word, they have told the world what my mind is to do both to &s;inners and to &s;aints. <HI>They have Mo&s;es and the Prophets let them hear them.</HI> Therefore he that &s;hall reject and turn his back either upon the threat|nings, coun&s;els, admonitions, invitati|ons, promi&s;es, or what&s;oever el&s;e I have commanded them to &s;peak, as to &s;alva|tion and life, and to directions therein, &s;hall be &s;ure to have a &s;hare in the many cur&s;es, that they have &s;poken, and the de&s;truction that is pronounced by them.</P>
<P>Again <HI>if they hear not Mo&s;es and the Prophets,</HI> &amp;c. As if he had &s;aid, thou woulde&s;t have me &s;end one from the dead unto them, what needs that? They have my mind already, I have declared unto them what I intend to &s;tand to, both for &s;aving them that believe, and damning them that do not. That there|fore which I have &s;aid I will make good, whether they hear, or forbear. And as for this de&s;ire of yours, you had as
<PB N="187" REF="119"> good de&s;ire me to make a new Bible, and &s;o to revoke my fir&s;t &s;ayings by the mouth of my prophets. But I am God, and not man, and my word is immuta|ble, unchangeable, and &s;hall &s;tand as fa&s;t as my decrees can make it; <HI>Heaven and earth &s;hall pa&s;s away, but one jot or tittle of my word &s;hall not pa&s;s.</HI> If thou had&s;t ten thou&s;and brethren, and every one in danger of lo&s;ing his &s;oul, if they did not clo&s;e in with what is contained and recorded in the Scriptures of truth, they mu&s;t even every one of them peri&s;h and be for ever damned in hell: for the Scriptures cannot be broken. I did not &s;end them &s;o unadvi&s;edly to recall it a|gain by another con&s;ideration. No, <HI>for I &s;peak it righteou&s;ne&s;s and judgement, I&s;a.</HI> 63.1, 2, 3. and in much wi&s;dom and coun&s;el. It being therefore gone out of my mouth in this manner, <HI>it &s;hall not return in vain until it hath accompli&s;hed the thing whereto I have &s;ent it.</HI></P>
<P>But again, thou &s;uppo&s;e&s;t that miracles and wonders will work more on them, which makes thee &s;ay, &s;end one from the dead. But herein thou art mi&s;taken, for I have proved them with that once and again, by more then one, or two, or three
<PB N="188" REF="120"> of my &s;ervants. How many miracles did my &s;ervant <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> work by com|mandment from me in the land of <HI>E|gypt,</HI> at the red &s;ea, and in the wilder|ne&s;s; yet they of that generation were never the &s;ooner converted for that, but notwith&s;tanding rebelled &amp; lu&s;ted, and in their hearts turned back into <HI>Egypt, Acts</HI> 7. How many miracles did <HI>Samuel, David, Elias, Eli&s;ha, Daniel,</HI> and the Prophets, together with my Sonne, who rai&s;ed the dead, ca&s;t out devils, made them to &s;ee that were borne blind, gave and re&s;tored limbs, yet for all this (as I &s;aid before) they hated him, they cruci|fied him. I rai&s;ed him again from the dead, and he appeared to his di&s;ciples who were called, and cho&s;en, and faith|ful, and he gave them commandment and commi&s;&s;ion to go and te&s;tifie the truth of this to the world: and to con|firme the &s;ame he inabled them to &s;peak with divers tongues, and to work mi|racles mo&s;t plentifully, yet there was great per&s;ecution rai&s;ed again&s;t them, in&s;omuch that but a few of them died in their beds. And therefore, though thou thinke&s;t that a miracle will do &s;o much with the world, yet I &s;ay, No. <HI>For if
<PB N="189" REF="120"> they will not believe Mo&s;es and the Pro|phets, neither will they be per&s;waded though one &s;hould ri&s;e from the dead.</HI></P>
<P>From the&s;e words therefore take no|tice of this truth, namely that tho&s;e who reject, and believe not <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and the Prophets, are a very hard-hearted peo|ple, that will not be per&s;waded though one ri&s;e from the dead.</P>
<P>Again, they that regard not the holy Scriptures to turn to God, finding them to te&s;tifie of his goodne&s;s and mercie, there is but little hopes of their &s;alvation; <HI>for they will not,</HI> Mark, <HI>They will not be per&s;waded though one &s;hould ri&s;e from the dead.</HI> This truth is confir|med by Je&s;us Chri&s;t him&s;elf. If you read <HI>Joh.</HI> 5. where the Lord is &s;peaking of him&s;elf, that he is the very Chri&s;t: he brings in four or five witne&s;&s;es to back what he &s;aid. Fir&s;t, <HI>John Baptist.</HI> 2 The works that his Father gave him to do. 3. His Father &s;peaking from heaven. 4. The te&s;timony of the Scriptures; when all this was done, &s;eeing yet they would not believe, he layes the fault upon one of the&s;e two things. 1. Their regard|ing an e&s;teem among men. 2. Their not believing of the Prophets writings, even
<PB N="190" REF="121"> <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and the re&s;t. <HI>For had ye believed Mo&s;es</HI> (&s;aith he,) <HI>ye would have believed me;</HI> why? <HI>For he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how can ye be|lieve my words.</HI> Now I &s;ay, he that &s;hall &s;light the Scriptures, and the te&s;timo|nie of the prophets in them concerning Je&s;us Chri&s;t, mu&s;t needs be in great danger of lo&s;ing his &s;oul if he abide in this condition; becau&s;e he that &s;lights the te&s;timony, doth al&s;o &s;light the thing that is te&s;tified of, let him &s;ay what he will, and &s;ay the contrary never &s;o of|ten. For as Je&s;us Chri&s;t hath here laid down the rea&s;on of mens not receiving him, &s;o the Apo&s;tle in another place layes down the rea&s;on again with an high and mighty aggravation. 1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 5.10. &s;aying, <HI>He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witne&s;s in him&s;elf: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; becau&s;e he believeth not the Record.</HI> Mark, <HI>the Record that God gave of his Son.</HI> The record, you will &s;ay, what is that? Even the te&s;timony that God gave of him by the mouth of all the holy Prophets &s;ince the world began, <HI>Acts</HI> 3.20. That is, God &s;ending his holy Spirit into the hearts of his &s;ervants the Prophets and
<PB N="191" REF="121"> Apo&s;tles, he by his Spirit in them did bear witne&s;s, or record, to the truth of &s;alvation by his Son Je&s;us, both before, and after his comming. And thus is that place al&s;o to be under&s;tood which &s;aith, <HI>There are three that bear record in earth, the Spirit and the Water, and the Blood.</HI> That is, the Spirit in the Apo&s;tles which preached him to the world, as is clear if you read &s;eriou&s;ly, 1 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 4.8. The Apo&s;tle &s;peaking of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and obedience to God through him, &s;aith thus, <HI>Now he that de&s;pi&s;eth, de&s;pi|&s;eth not us,</HI> No? who then? <HI>Why God:</HI> But it is you that &s;peak. True, but it is by and through the Spirit. <HI>He therefore that de&s;pi&s;eth, de&s;pi&s;eth not man, but God, who al&s;o hath given us of his holy Spirit.</HI> This is therefore a mighty confirmation of this truth, that he that &s;lights the re|cord or te&s;timony that God by his &s;pirit in his Prophets and Apo&s;tles hath te&s;ti|fied unto us, &s;lights the te&s;timony of the &s;pirit who moved them to &s;peak the&s;e things: and if &s;o, then I would fain know, how any man can be &s;aved by Je&s;us Chri&s;t that &s;lights the te&s;timony concerning Chri&s;t, yea, the te&s;timony of his own &s;pirit concerning his own &s;elf.
<PB N="192" REF="122">
'Tis true, men may pretend to have the te&s;timony of the Spirit, and from that conceit &s;et a low e&s;teem on the holy Scriptures: But that &s;pirit that dwelleth in them and teacheth them &s;o to do, it is no better then the &s;pirit of Satan, though it calls it &s;elf by the name of the &s;pirit of Chri&s;t. <HI>To the law therefore and to the te&s;timony,</HI> Try them by that: <HI>If they &s;peak not according to this word, it is be|cau&s;e there is no light in them.</HI></P>
<P>The Apo&s;tle <HI>Peter</HI> when he &s;peaks of the glorious voice that he had from the excellent Maje&s;ty, &s;aying of Chri&s;t, <HI>This is my beloved Son, hear him,</HI> &s;aith thus to them whom he wrote unto; <HI>You have al&s;o a more &s;ure word of prophecy</HI> (or of the prophets, for &s;o you may read it) <HI>unto which you do well that you take heed.</HI> That is, though we tell you that we had his excellent te&s;timony from his own mouth, evidently, yet you have the pro|phets: we tell you this, and you need not doubt of the truth of it, but if you &s;hould, yet you may not, mu&s;t not, ought not, to que&s;tion them, Search therefore unto them until the day dawn, and the day &s;tar ari&s;e in your hearts. That is, until by the &s;ame &s;pirit that gave
<PB N="193" REF="122"> forth the Scripture, you find the truth confirmed to your &s;ouls which you have recorded in the Scriptures. That this word of prophecy, or of the prophets, is the Scriptures, read on. <HI>For</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>knowing this fir&s;t that no prophecy of the Scriptures, is of any private interpretation,</HI> &amp;c. 2 Pet. 1.18, 19, 20. But you will &s;ay, What needs all this ado, and why is all this time and pains &s;pent in &s;peaking to this that is &s;urely believed already? This is a thing received by all, that they believe the Scriptures to be the word of God, that &s;ure word of prophecy, and therefore you need not &s;pend your time in proving the&s;e things and the truth of them &s;eeing we grant and confe&s;s the truth of it before you begin to &s;peak your judgement of them.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> The truths of God cannot be borne witne&s;s unto too often, you may as well &s;ay, You need not preach Je&s;us Chri&s;t &s;o much, &s;eeing he hath been and is received for the true <HI>Me&s;&s;ias</HI> al|ready.</P>
<P N="2">2. Though many may &s;uppo&s;e that they do believe the Scriptures, yet if they were but well examined you would find them either by word of mouth, or
<PB N="194" REF="123"> el&s;e by conver&s;ation, to deny, reject, and &s;light the holy Scriptures. 'Tis true, there is a notional, and hi&s;toricall a&s;&s;ent in the head, I &s;ay, <HI>In the head</HI> of many, or mo&s;t, to the truth contained in Scri|pture: but try them, I &s;ay, and you &s;hall find but a little, if any, of the faith of the operation of God, in the hearts of poor men to believe the Scriptures and things contained in them. 'Tis true, ma|ny, yea mo&s;t men believe the Scriptures as they believe a fable, a &s;tory, a tale, of which there is no certainty; but alas! there are but few do intend, and in truth believe the Scriptures to be the very word of God.</P>
<P>But you will &s;ay, this &s;eems &s;trange to me. <HI>An&s;w.</HI> And it &s;eems as true to me, and I doubt not but to make it mani|fe&s;t, and plainly to appear, that there are but few, yea, very few, that do effe|ctually (for that I aim at) believe the Scriptures, and the truths contained in, and &s;poken of by them. But to make this appear, and that to purpo&s;e (if God will) I &s;hall lay you down the &s;everal operations that the Scriptures have on them who do effectually believe the things contained in them.</P>
<P N="1"><PB N="195" REF="123">1. He that doth effectually believe the Scriptures, hath in the fir&s;t place been killed, I &s;ay killed by the authoirty of the holy Scriptures; &s;truck &s;tark dead in a &s;piritual &s;en&s;e by the holy Scripture, being &s;et home by that &s;pirit which gave them forth upon the &s;oul. <HI>The letter killeth;</HI> the letter &s;trikes men dead, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3.6. and this <HI>Paul</HI> witne&s;&s;ed and found before he could &s;ay, <HI>I believe all that the prophets have &s;poken.</HI> Where he &s;aith, <HI>I was alive without the Law once;</HI> That is, in my na|tural &s;tate, before the Law was &s;et on my heart with power: <HI>But when the commandement came, &s;inne revived and I died,</HI> Rom. 7.9. <HI>and that law that was ordained to life I found to be unto death: For &s;in taking occa&s;ion by the command|ment deceived me, and thereby &s;tew me.</HI> v. 10. Now that which is called the Letter in <HI>Cor.</HI> is called the Law in <HI>Rom.</HI> 7. which by its power and operation, as it is wielded by the Spirit of God, doth in the fir&s;t place kill and &s;lay all tho&s;e that are enabled to believe the Scriptures. I kill &s;aith God; That is, with my law. I pierce, I wound, I prick men into the very heart by &s;hewing them their &s;ins again&s;t
<PB N="196" REF="124"> my law, <HI>Acts</HI> 2.36, 37. And he that is ignorant of this, is al&s;o ignorant of, and doth not really and effectually be|lieve the Scripture.</P>
<P>But you will &s;ay, how doth the law kill and &s;trike dead the poor creature? <HI>An&s;w.</HI> Fir&s;t the letter or law, do kill thus. It is &s;et home upon the &s;oul, and di&s;covers to the &s;oul its tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions a|gain&s;t the law; and &s;hews the &s;oul al&s;o that it cannot compleatly &s;atisfie the ju&s;tice of God for the breach of his law, therefore it is condemned, <HI>Joh.</HI> 3.19. Mark, <HI>He that believes not is condemned already;</HI> To wit, by the law, that is, the law doth condemn him, yea, it hath condemned him already for his &s;ins a|gain&s;t it, as it is written, <HI>Cur&s;ed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them, Gal.</HI> 3.10. Now all men as they come into the world are in this condi|tion, that is, condemned by the law. Yet not believing that their condemnation by the law really, they do not al&s;o be|lieve really and effectually the law that doth condemn them. For as men have but a notion of the one, that is, their condemnation, becau&s;e of &s;ins again&s;t
<PB N="197" REF="124"> the law;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ver&s;e</HI> 3</NOTE> &s;o they have but a notion of the condemning, killing, and de&s;troy|ing power of the law; for as the one is, &s;o in the&s;e things, alwayes is the o|ther; there is no man that doth really believe the law or Go&s;pel further, then they do feel the power and authority of them in their hearts. <HI>Ye erre, not know|ing the Scriptures nor the power of God.</HI> Now this letter, or law, is not to be taken in the large&s;t &s;en&s;e, but is &s;trictly to be tyed to the ten Commandments, who&s;e proper work is onely by &s;hew|ing the &s;oul its &s;ins again&s;t this law to kill, and there leaves him &s;tark dead, not giving him the lea&s;t life, or &s;upport, or comfort, but leaves the &s;oul in an help|le&s;s and hopele&s;s condition as from it &s;elf, or any other meer creature. 'Tis true, the law hath laid all men for dead, as they come into the world; but all men do not &s;ee them&s;elves dead, untill they &s;ee that law that &s;truck them dead, &s;ticking in their &s;ouls, and having &s;truck them that fatall blow. As a man that is fa&s;t a&s;leep in an hou&s;e, and that on fire about his ears, and he not knowing of it, becau&s;e he is a&s;leep; even &s;o, becau&s;e poor &s;ouls are a&s;leep in &s;in, though the
<PB N="196" REF="125">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="197" REF="125">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="198" REF="126"> wrath of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ver&s;e.</HI> 31.</NOTE> the cur&s;e of his law, and the flames of hell have be&s;et them round about, yet they do not believe it becau&s;e they are a&s;leep in &s;in. Now he that is awakened and &s;ees this, &s;ees, that through this he is a dead man: Even &s;o they that do &s;ee their &s;tate by nature, being &s;uch a &s;ad condition, do al&s;o &s;ee them&s;elves by that law to be dead men naturally.</P>
<P>But now, when did&s;t thou feel the power of this fir&s;t part of the Scripture, the law, &s;o mighty as to &s;trike thee dead? if not, thou do&s;t not &s;o much as verily believe that part of Scripture that doth contain the law in it, to be the truth of God. Yet if thou &s;houlde&s;t have felt &s;omething, I &s;ay &s;omething of the kil|ling power of the law of God in thine heart, this is not an argument to prove that thou believe&s;t all the things con|tained in Scripture; for there is Go&s;pel as well as Law, and therefore I &s;hall &s;peak to that al&s;o. That is, whether thou ha&s;t felt the power of the Go&s;pel, as well as &s;omething of the power of the Law.</P>
<P N="2">2. Then if, thou ha&s;t found the pow|er of the Go&s;pel, and &s;o believed it;
<PB N="199" REF="126"> thou ha&s;t found it thus with thy &s;oul. 1. Thou ha&s;t been &s;hewed by the word or truth of the Go&s;pel in the light of the Spirit of Chri&s;t, that by nature thou wert without the true faith of the Son of God in thy &s;oul: For when <HI>He, the Spirit is come, he &s;hall &s;hew men that they believe not in me,</HI> &s;aith Chri&s;t, Joh. 16.9. For mark, though thou ha&s;t, as I &s;aid be|fore, felt &s;omewhat of the power of the Law, Letter, or ten Commandments, yet if thou ha&s;t not been brought to this, to &s;ee by the &s;pirit in the Go&s;pel, that thou art without faith by nature, thou ha&s;t not yet ta&s;ted, much le&s;s believed any part of the Go&s;pel. For the Go&s;pel and the Law are two di&s;tinct covenants (as I have before &s;hewed:) And they that are under the law maybe convinced by it, and &s;o believe the law or fir&s;t co|venant, and yet in the mean time to be a &s;tranger to the covenant of promi&s;e; that is, the Go&s;pel, &amp; &s;o have no hope in them, (<HI>Eph.</HI> 2.12.) There is not any pro|mi&s;e that can be &s;avingly believed, untill the &s;oul be by the Go&s;pel converted to Je|&s;us Chri&s;t. For though men do think ne|ver &s;o much that they believe the things of the Go&s;pel, or the word of the Go&s;|pel<PB N="200" REF="127"> of our &s;alvation, yet unle&s;s they have the work of grace in their &s;ouls, they do not, cannot rightly believe the things contained in the Scriptures.</P>
<P>Again, as the law killeth tho&s;e that believe it, even &s;o the promi&s;es con|tained in the Go&s;pel, do through faith admini&s;ter comfort to tho&s;e that be|lieve it aright. <HI>My words</HI> (&s;aith Chri&s;t) <HI>my words, they are &s;pirit, and they</HI> (Mark, <HI>and they) are life,</HI> Joh. 6.63. As if he had &s;aid, The words contained in in the law as a covenant of works, they wound, they kill, they &s;trike dead tho&s;e that are under them. But as for me, <HI>the words that I &s;peake unto you, they are &s;pirit and they are life.</HI> That is, who&s;o|ever doth receive them believingly, &s;hall find them full of operation to comfort, quicken, and revive their &s;oul. For as I did not come into the world to de&s;troy mens lives, &s;o the words that I &s;peak, as I am &s;ent to preach the Go&s;pel, they have no &s;uch tendency unto tho&s;e that believe them. The promi&s;es that are in the Go&s;pel, Oh, how do they comfort them? &s;uch a promi&s;e, and &s;uch a pro|mi&s;e, O how &s;weet is it? O how com|fortable to tho&s;e that believe them?
<PB N="201" REF="127"> Alas, there are many poor &s;ouls that think they believe the Scriptures, that they believe the word of God, and yet poor &s;ouls that they are, they never en|joyed any thing of the life and power of the promi&s;es to comfort them, after they were killed by the law: For mark, If thy comfort be indeed by the promi|&s;es they come in upon thy heart to quicken, to revive thee, to rai&s;e thee from the &s;entence of death that is pa&s;|&s;ed on thee by the law. And through the faith that is wrought in thy &s;oul by the operation of Gods holy Spirit (though once killed by the Law or Letter) thou art made alive in the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, pre&s;ented to thy &s;oul in the promi&s;es.</P>
<P N="3">3. Do&s;t thou indeed and in truth believe the Scriptures to be the word of God, then the things contained in them, e&s;pe|cially the things of the Go&s;pel are very excellent to thy &s;oul, as the birth of Chri&s;t, the death, re&s;urrection, interce&s;&s;ion, and &s;econd coming of Chri&s;t, O how preci|ous and excellent are they to thy &s;oul, in|&s;omuch, that thou regarde&s;t nothing in compari&s;on of them. O! it is Chri&s;ts birth, death, blood, re&s;urrection, &amp;c. according to the Scriptures, that thou doe&s;t re|joyce in exceedingly, and abundantly
<PB N="202" REF="128"> de&s;ire after, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 15.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. compare with <HI>Phil.</HI> 3.6, 7, 8.</P>
<P N="4">4. Doe&s;t thou believe the Scriptures to be the word of God? Then thou &s;tande&s;t in aw of, and do&s;t much reve|rence them. Why, they are the word of God, the true &s;ayings of God; they are the coun&s;el of God; they are his promi&s;es and his threatnings. 'Tis like, poor &s;ouls are apt to think, If I could hear God &s;peak to me from heaven with an audible voice, then &s;ure, &s;ay they, I &s;hould be &s;erious, and &s;ure I &s;hould believe it. But truly if God &s;hould &s;peak to thee from heaven ex|cept thou wert converted, thou would|e&s;t not regard nor really believe him. But if thou doe&s;t believe the Scriptures thou &s;ee&s;t that they are the truth, as really as if God &s;hould &s;peak to thee from heaven through the clouds, and therefore never flatter thy &s;elf, fooli&s;h|ly thinking, that if it were &s;o, and &s;o, then thou coulde&s;t believe. I tell thee, &s;aith Chri&s;t, <HI>If they believe not Mo&s;es and the Prophets, neither will they believe though one &s;hould ri&s;e from the dead.</HI> But,</P>
<P N="5">5. Doe&s;t thou believe the Scripture to be the word of God? Then through
<PB N="203" REF="128"> faith in Chri&s;t, thou endeavoure&s;t to have thy life &s;quareed according to the Scriptures, both in word and practice. Nay, this, I &s;ay, thou maye&s;t have, though thou do not believe them all. My meaning is, that if thou believe none but the ten Commandments, thy life may be according to them a legal holy life: and if thou do believe the Go&s;pel too, then thy life will be the faith of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t; that is, either thou wilt live in the ble&s;&s;ed and holy enjoyment of what is te&s;tified in the Scripture concerning the glorious things of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, or el&s;e, thou wilt be exceedingly panting after them. For the Scriptures carry &s;uch a ble&s;&s;ed beauty in them to that &s;oul that hath faith in the things contained in them, that they do take the heart and capti|vate the &s;oul of him that believeth them, into the love and liking of them.</P>
<P N="6">6. He that believes the Scriptures to be the word of God, if he do but &s;up|po&s;e that any one place of the Scripture doth exclude him, and &s;hut him out of, and from a &s;hare in the promi&s;es con|tained in them: O it will trouble him, grieve him, perplex him, yea he will not
<PB N="204" REF="129"> be &s;atisfied until he be re&s;olved, and th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> contrary &s;ealed to his &s;oul, for he know<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> that the Scriptures are the word o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> God, all truth; and therefore he know<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> that if any one &s;entence doth exclude<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> or bar out him, for want of this or the other qualification; he knows al&s;o that not the word alone &s;huts him out, but he that &s;peaks it, even God him&s;elf; and therefore he cannot, will not, dare not be contented untill he find his &s;oul and Scripture together (with the things contained therein) to embrace each o|ther, and a &s;weet corre&s;pondency and agreement be between them. For you mu&s;t know, that to him that believes the Scriptures aright, the promi&s;es, or threatnings are of more power to com|fort or ca&s;t down, then all the promi&s;es or threatnings of all the men in the world. And this was the cau&s;e why the Martyrs of Je&s;us, did &s;o &s;light both the promi&s;es of their adver&s;aries, when they would have overcome them with pro|fering the great things of this world un|to them, and al&s;o their threatnings, when they told them they would rack them, hang them, burn them; none of the&s;e things could prevail upon them, or again&s;t them, becau&s;e they did
<PB N="205" REF="129"> mo&s;t really believe the Scriptures, &amp; the things contained in them; as is cleerly found, and to be &s;een in <HI>Heb.</HI> 11. and al&s;o in Mr. <HI>Fox,</HI> his records of their brethren.</P>
<P N="7">7. He that believeth the Scriptures to be the word of God; believeth that men mu&s;t be borne again, and have that faith which is of the operation of God, or el&s;e they cannot be &s;aved. And he that believeth this, believeth al&s;o, that if he be not borne again, and al&s;o be par|takers of that faith which is of the ope|ration of God, (according as he hath read and believed,) he mu&s;t and &s;hall be damned. And he that believeth this a|right, will not be contented until (accor|ding as it is written,) he do partake of, and enjoy the new birth, and until he do find through grace that faith, that is wrought by the operation of God, in his &s;oul. For this is the cau&s;e why men do &s;atisfie them&s;elves with &s;o &s;lender a conceited hope that their &s;tate is good, (when it is nothing &s;o) namely, becau&s;e, they do not credit the Scripture; for did they, they would look into their own hearts, and examine &s;eriou&s;ly whether that faith, that hope, that grace which they think they have, be of that nature,
<PB N="206" REF="130"> and wrought by that &s;pirit and power, that the Scripture &s;peaketh of. I &s;peak this of an effectual believing, without which all other is nothing unto &s;alvati|on. Now then becau&s;e I would not be too tedious, I &s;hall at this time lay down no more di&s;coveries of &s;uch an one as doth &s;avingly believe the Scri|ptures, and the things contained in them, but &s;hall &s;peak a few words of examination containing the things al|ready mentioned. As,</P>
<P N="1">1. Thou &s;aye&s;t thou do&s;t indeed and in truth effectually believe the Scri|ptures, I ask therefore, wa&s;t thou ever killed &s;tark dead by the law of works contained in the Scriptures? To be kil|led, and to be &s;truck dead, you will &s;ay, what is that? Why, to be killed by the law or letter, is by the power thereof to be made to &s;ee thy &s;ins again&s;t it, and to be left in an helple&s;s condition by that law, for I &s;ay the proper work of the law is to &s;lay the &s;oul, and to leave it dead, in a helple&s;s &s;tate. For it doth neither give the &s;oul any comfort it &s;elf, when it comes, nor doth it &s;hew the &s;oul where comfort is to be had; and therefore it is called <HI>the mini&s;tration
<PB N="207" REF="130"> of condemnation,</HI> as in 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3.9. Yea in plain termes, <HI>the mini&s;tration of death,</HI> 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3.7. For though men may have a notion of the ble&s;&s;ed word of God as as the children had, yet before they be converted, it may truly be &s;aid of to them, <HI>Ye erre, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God,</HI> Mark 12.24.</P>
<P N="2">2. You &s;ay you do believe the Scri|ptures to be the word of God. I &s;ay a|gain, examine, wa&s;t thou ever quickened from a dead &s;tate by the power of the Spirit of Chri&s;t through the other part of the Scripture. That is to &s;ay, by the power of God in his Sonne Je&s;us Chri&s;t through the covenant of promi&s;e. I tell thee from the Lord, if thou ha&s;t, thou ha&s;t felt &s;uch a quickning power in the words of Chri&s;t, (<HI>Joh.</HI> 6.) that thou ha&s;t been lifted out of that dead condition that thou before wa&s;t in, and that when thou wa&s;t under the guilt of &s;in, the cur&s;e of the law, and the power of the devil, and the ju&s;tice of the great God; that thou ha&s;t been inabled by the pow|er of God in Chri&s;t revealed to thee by the Spirit, through, and by the Scripture, to look &s;in, death, hell, the devil, and the law, and all things that are at enmi|ty
<PB N="208" REF="131"> with thee for thy &s;ins, with boldne&s;s and comfort in the face, through the blood, death, righteou&s;ne&s;s, re&s;urrecti|on, and interce&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;t made mention of in the Scriptures.</P>
<P>And thirdly, on this account, O how excellent are the Scriptures to thy &s;oul! O how much virtue do&s;t thou &s;ee in &s;uch a promi&s;e, in &s;uch an invitation! O &s;aye&s;t thou! there are &s;ome promi&s;es in the book of God that I have had nou|ri&s;hment from, and through Chri&s;t in them! O they are &s;o large; they &s;ay Chri&s;t will in no wi&s;e ca&s;t me out! My crim&s;on &s;ins &s;hall be white as &s;now. I tell thee friend there are &s;ome promi&s;es that the Lord hath helped me to lay hold of Je&s;us Chri&s;t 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 &s;tars. And why &s;o? O becau&s;e through them Chri&s;t is plea&s;ed by his Spirit, to convey comfort to my &s;oul! O I &s;ay, when the law cur&s;es, when the Devil tempts, when hell-fire flames in my con&s;cience, my &s;ins with the guilt of them tearing of me, then is Chri&s;t revealed &s;o &s;weetly to my poor &s;oul
<PB N="209" REF="131"> through the promi&s;es: that all is forced to fly and leave off to accu&s;e my &s;oul. So al&s;o, when the world frowns, when the enemies rage and threaten to knock me in the head, then al&s;o the precious, yea, the exceeding great and precious pro|mi&s;es do weigh down all, and comfort the &s;oul again&s;t all. This is the effect of believing the Scriptures &s;avingly; for they that do &s;o, have by and through the Scriptures good comfort, <HI>and al&s;o ground of hope.</HI> Rom. 15.4. believing tho&s;e things to be its own which the Scriptures hold forth.</P>
<P N="4">4. Examine, do&s;t thou &s;tand in aw of &s;inning again&s;t God, becau&s;e he hath in the Scriptures commanded thee to ab|&s;tain from it? Do&s;t thou give diligence to make thy calling and election &s;ure, becau&s;e God commandeth it in Scri|pture? Do&s;t thou examine thy &s;elf whe|ther thou be in the faith or no, having a command in Scripture &s;o to do? Or do&s;t thou (notwith&s;tanding what thou reade&s;t in the Scripture, follow the world; delight in &s;in; neglect coming to Je&s;us Chri&s;t; &s;peak evil of the Saints; &s;light and make a mock at the ordinan|ces of God, delight in wicked company,
<PB N="210" REF="132"> and the like. Then know that it is be|cau&s;e thou do&s;t not indeed and in truth believe the Scriptures effectually. For as I &s;aid before, if a man do believe them, and that &s;avingly, O then he &s;tands in aw, he looks to his &s;teps, he turns his feet from evil, and endeavours to fol|low that which is good, which God hath commanded in the Scriptures of truth; yet not from a legal or natural principle, that is, to &s;eek for life by do|ing that good thing, but knowing that &s;alvation is already obtained for him, by the blood of that man Chri&s;t Je&s;us on the Cro&s;s, becau&s;e he believes the Scriptures; therefore (mark I pray) therefore I &s;ay, he labours to walk with his God, in all well plea&s;ing and godli|ne&s;s becau&s;e the &s;weet power of the loves of Chri&s;t which he feels in his &s;oul by the Spirit according to the Scri|ptures, con&s;train him &s;o to do, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.14.</P>
<P N="5">5. Examine again, do&s;t thou labour af|ter tho&s;e qualifications that the Scri|ptures do de&s;cribe a child of God by? that is faith, yea the right faith, the mo&s;t holy faith, the faith of the operation of God. And al&s;o do&s;t thou examine whe|ther
<PB N="211" REF="132"> there is a real growth of grace in thy &s;oul, as love, zeal, &s;elf-denial and a &s;eeking by all means to attain, (if po&s;|&s;ible) to the re&s;urrection of the dead; that is, not to &s;atisfie thy &s;elf until thou be di&s;&s;olved &amp; rid of this body of death, and be transformed into that glory that the Saints &s;hall be in after the re&s;ur|rection day; and in the mean time do&s;t labour, and take all opportunities to walk as near as may be to the pitch, though thou know thou can&s;t not attain it perfectly, yet I &s;ay, thou doe&s;t aim at it, &s;eek after it, pre&s;s towards it, and to hold on in thy race thou &s;hunne&s;t that which may any way hinder thee, and al|&s;o clo&s;e in with what may any way fur|ther the &s;ame: knowing, that that mu&s;t be, or de&s;iring that it &s;hould be thine eternal frame, and therefore out of love and liking to it, thou do&s;t de&s;ire and long after it, as being the thing that doth much plea&s;e thy &s;oul.</P>
<P>Or how is it with thy &s;oul? Art thou &s;uch an one as regards not the&s;e things? but rather bu&s;ie thy thoughts about the things here below, following tho&s;e things that have no &s;ent of divine glory upon them: if &s;o, look to thy &s;elf, for
<PB N="212" REF="133"> it is high time for thee &s;o to do, for thou art an unbeliever, and &s;o under the wrath of God, and wilt for certain fall into the &s;ame place of torment that thy fellows have fallen into before thee, to the grief of thy own &s;oul, and ever|la&s;ting de&s;truction both of &s;oul and body.</P>
<P>Con&s;ider and regard the&s;e things, and lay them to thy heart, before it be too late to recover thy &s;elf by repenting of the one, and de&s;iring to clo&s;e in with the other. O I &s;ay, regard, regard, for hell is hot, Gods hand is up, the Law is re|&s;olved to di&s;charge again&s;t thy &s;oul; the judgement-day is at hand; the graves are ready to fly open, the trumpet is near the &s;ounding, the &s;entence will ere long be pa&s;t, and then you and I cannot call time again.</P>
<P>Now then from what hath been &s;po|ken, there might many things be &s;poken by way of U&s;e and Application: But I &s;hall be very brief, and but touch &s;ome things and &s;o wind up. And fir&s;t, I &s;hall begin with the &s;ad condition of tho&s;e that die out of Chri&s;t and &s;peak &s;ome|thing to that. Secondly, to the latter end of the parable which more evident|ly
<PB REF="133"> concerns the Scripture and &s;peak &s;omewhat to that.</P>
<P N="1">1. Therefore you &s;ee that the former part of the parable contains a &s;ad de|claration of the &s;tate of one living and dying out of Chri&s;t; how that they lo&s;e heaven for hell, God for the devil, light for darkne&s;s, joy for &s;orrow.</P>
<P N="2">2. How that they have not &s;o much as the lea&s;t comfort from God, who in the time they live here below, neglect coming to him for mercy; not &s;o much as one drop of cold water.</P>
<P N="3">3. That &s;uch &s;ouls will repent of their folly when repentance will do them no good, or when they &s;hall be pa&s;t recovery.</P>
<P N="4">4. That all the comfort &s;uch &s;ouls are like to have, they have it in this world.</P>
<P N="5">5. That all their groanings and &s;ighs will not move God to mitigate in the lea&s;t his heavy hand of vengeance that is upon them, for the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions they have committed again&s;t him.</P>
<P N="6">6. That their &s;ad &s;tate is irrecovera|ble; or they mu&s;t never, (mark) never come out of that condition.</P>
<P N="7">7. There de&s;ires will not be heard for
<PB REF="134"> their ungodly neighbours.</P>
<P>From the&s;e things then I pray you con&s;ider the &s;tate of tho&s;e that die out of Chri&s;t Je&s;us, yea I &s;ay, con&s;ider their mi&s;erable &s;tate; and think thus with thy &s;elf. Well, if I neglect coming to Chri&s;t, I mu&s;t go to the devil, and he will not neglect to fetch me away into tho&s;e intollerable torments. Think thus with thy &s;elf; What, &s;hall I lo&s;e a long heaven for &s;hort plea&s;ure? &s;hall I buy the plea&s;ures of this world at &s;o dear a rate as to lo&s;e my &s;oul for the obtaining of that? Shall I content my &s;elf with a heaven, that will la&s;t no longer then my life time? What advantage will the&s;e be to me when the Lord &s;hall &s;eparate &s;oul and body a&s;under, and &s;end one to the grave, the other to hell, and at the judgement-day the final &s;entence of e|ternal ruine mu&s;t be pa&s;t upon me?</P>
<P N="6">6. Con&s;ider, that the profits, plea|&s;ures, and vanities of this world will not la&s;t ever, but the time is coming, yea ju&s;t at the doors, when they will give thee the &s;lip, and leave thee in the &s;uds, and in the brambles of all that thou ha&s;t done.</P>
<P>And therefore to prevent this thy
<PB N="215" REF="134"> di&s;mal &s;tate, think thus with thy &s;elf. 'Tis true, I do love my &s;ins, my lu&s;ts, and plea|&s;ures, but what good will they do me at the day of death, and of judgement? Will my &s;ins do me good then, will they be able to help me when I come to fetch my la&s;t breath? What good will my profits do me? and what good will my vanities do when death &s;ayes he will have no nay? What good will all my companions, fellow je&s;ters, jeerers, liars, drunkards, and all my wantons do me? will they help to ea&s;e the pains of hell? will the&s;e help <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">o turn the hand of God from inflicting his fierce anger upon me? Nay, will not they rather cau&s;e God to &s;hew me no mercy, to give me no com|fort; but rather to thru&s;t me down in- into the hotte&s;t place in hell where I may &s;wim in fire and brim&s;tone.</P>
<P N="3">3. Con&s;ider thus with thy &s;elf; Would I be glad to have all, every one of my &s;ins to come in again&s;t me to inflame the ju|&s;tice of God again&s;t 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 <HI>Nebuchadnezzars</HI> fiery furnace.</P>
<P N="4"><PB N="216" REF="135">4. Con&s;ider thus. Would I be glad to have all and every one of the ten Commandments to di&s;charge them|&s;elves again&s;t my &s;oul? The fir&s;t &s;aying damne him, for he hath broken me. The &s;econd &s;aying damne him, for he hath broken me, &amp;c. Con&s;ider how ter|rible this will be, yea more terrible then if thou &s;houlde&s;t have ten of the bigge&s;t peeces of Ordnance in England to be di&s;charged again&s;t thy body; thun|der, thunder, one after another. Nay, this would not be comparable to the re|ports that the law (for the breach thereof) will give again&s;t thy &s;oul: For tho&s;e can but kill the body; but the&s;e will kill both body and &s;oul; 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 everla&s;ting damnation. eternal de&s;tru|ction, eternal wrath and di&s;plea&s;ure from God, eternal gnawings of con&s;ci|ence, eternal continuance with devils.</P>
<P>O con&s;ider, it may be the thoughts of &s;eeing the devil doth now make thine hair to &s;tand right up on the head. O but this to be damned, to be among all the devils, and that not onely for a time,
<PB N="217" REF="135"> as I &s;aid before, but for ever to all eter|nity.</P>
<P>This is, wonderfully mi&s;erable, even mi&s;erable; that no tongue of man, no nor of Angels is able to expre&s;s it.</P>
<P N="5">5. Con&s;ider thus with thy &s;elf, not onely my &s;ins again&s;t the law will be laid to my charge, but al&s;o the &s;ins I have committed in &s;lighting the go&s;pel, the glorious Go&s;pel; the&s;e al&s;o mu&s;t come with a voice again&s;t me. As thus, Nay, he is worthy to be damned, for he rejected the Go&s;pel, he undervalued the Go&s;pel, he &s;lighted the free grace of God tendred in the Go&s;pel. How ma|ny times wa&s;t thou (damned wretch) invited, intreated be&s;eeched to come to Chri&s;t, to accept of mercy, that thou mighte&s;t have heaven, thy &s;ins pardon|ed, thy &s;oul &s;aved, and body and &s;oul glorified, and all this for nothing but the acceptance, and through faith for|&s;aking tho&s;e imps of Satan, which by their embracements have drawn thee downward toward the gulf of Gods eternal di&s;plea&s;ure.</P>
<P>How often did&s;t thou read the pro|mi&s;es, yea the free promi&s;es of the com|mon &s;alvation? How oft did&s;t thou
<PB N="218" REF="136"> read the &s;weet coun&s;els and admontions of the Go&s;pel to accept of the grace of God, but thou would&s;t not, thou regard|e&s;t it not, thou did&s;t &s;light all.</P>
<P N="2">2. As I would have thee to con&s;ider the &s;ad and woful &s;tate of tho&s;e that die out of Chri&s;t, and are pa&s;t all reco|very; &s;o would I have thee con&s;ider the many mercies and priviledges thou enjoye&s;t above &s;ome (peradventure) of thy companions that are departed to their proper place. As fir&s;t, con&s;ider thou ha&s;t &s;till the thread of thy life lengthened which for thy &s;ins might &s;eaven years ago, or more, have been cut a&s;under, and thou have dropped down among the flames.</P>
<P N="2">2. Con&s;ider, the termes of reconci|liation by faith in Chri&s;t, is &s;till profered unto thee, and thou invited, yea intreat|ed to accept of it.</P>
<P N="3">3. Con&s;ider, the termes of reconci|liation is but (bear with me though I &s;ay but) onely to believe in Je&s;us Chri&s;t with that faith that purifies the heart and enables thy &s;oul to feed on him ef|fectually, and be &s;aved from this &s;ad &s;tate.</P>
<P N="4">4. Con&s;ider, the time of thy depar|ture
<PB N="219" REF="136"> is at hand, and the time is uncertain, and al&s;o that for ought thou knowe&s;t the day of grace may be be pa&s;t to thee before thou <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ie&s;t, not la&s;ting &s;o long as thy uncertain life in this world. And if &s;o, then know for certain that thou art as &s;ure to be dam|ned as if thou wert in hell alread<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, if thou convert not in the mean while.</P>
<P N="5">5. Con&s;ider, it may be &s;ome of thy friends are giving all dilligence to make their calling and election &s;ure, being re|&s;olved for heaven, and thou thy &s;elf en|deavoure&s;t as fa&s;t to make &s;ure of hell, as if re&s;olved to have it: and together, with this, con&s;ider how it will grieve thee, that while thou wert making &s;ure of hell, thy friends were making &s;ure of heaven: but more of this by and by.</P>
<P N="6">6. Con&s;ider, what a &s;ad reflection this will have on thy &s;oul to &s;ee thy friends in heaven and thy &s;elf in hell; thy Father in heaven, and thou in hell; thy Mother in heaven, and thou in hell; thy Brother, thy Si&s;ter, thy Children in heaven, and thou in hell. As Chri&s;t &s;aid to the Jews of their relations according the fle&s;h, &s;o may I &s;ay to thee concern|ing thy friends, <HI>There &s;hall be weeping
<PB N="220" REF="137"> and wailing, and gna&s;hing of teeth,</HI> when ye &s;hall &s;ee your Fathers and Mothers, Brethren and Si&s;ters, Husbands and Wives, Children and Kinsfolk, with your Friends and neighbours, in the kingdom of heaven, <HI>and thou thy &s;elf thru&s;t out,</HI> Luke 13, 27, 28, 29.</P>
<Q>But again, becau&s;e I would not onely tell thee of the damnable &s;tate of tho&s;e that die out of Chri&s;t, but al&s;o per&s;wade thee to take hold of life and go to heaven, take notice of the&s;e following things.</Q>
<P N="1">1. Con&s;ider, that what ever thou can&s;t do, as to thy acceptance with God, is not worth the dirt of thy &s;hoes, but is <HI>all as men&s;truous rags,</HI> I&s;a. 64.6.</P>
<P N="2">2. Con&s;ider, that all the conditions of the new covenant (as to &s;alvation) are and have been compleatly fulfilled by the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and that for &s;inners.</P>
<P N="3">3. Con&s;ider, that the Lord calls to thee for to receive what&s;oever Chri&s;t hath done, and that on free co&s;t, <HI>Rev.</HI> 22.17.</P>
<P N="4">4. Con&s;ider, that thou can&s;t not ho|nour God, more then to clo&s;e in with his profers of grace, mercy, and pardon of &s;in. <HI>Rom.</HI> 4.</P>
<PB N="221" REF="137">
<P>And becau&s;e there is a gap open for poor &s;inners to come from under the cur&s;e and condemnation of the Law in|to the grace of Chri&s;t, (for there is one made by the blood of Chri&s;t, he having broken down the middle wall of par|tion) I &s;hall &s;peak a few words further, and they are the&s;e.</P>
<P>To invite &s;inners, &s;eeing there is mer|cy and deliverance to be had, to come in and accept of it, and that from the&s;e con&s;iderations.</P>
<P N="1">1. Con&s;ider thy &s;tate by nature if thou come not in, which is this. Thou art under the breach of the law, and &s;o under the cur&s;e, which doth call for in|expre&s;&s;ible de&s;truction. I mean de&s;tru|ction of &s;oul, de&s;truction of body, de|&s;truction by fire, by hell fire; by the fire the devils mu&s;t be burned in, even eternal fire: de&s;truction from God for &s;ins again&s;t the law, without intermi&s;|&s;ion, without ea&s;e, without end, with|out hopes of any recovery, or of ever coming out of this &s;ad and mi&s;erable condition.</P>
<P N="2">2. Con&s;ider, thou wilt bring all this upon thy &s;elf for having &s;ome of the devils brats, &s;ome helli&s;h lu&s;ts, that like
<PB N="222" REF="138"> &s;o many witches, imps, will &s;uck and draw thy &s;oul from God, Chri&s;t, An|gels, Saints, Heaven and all happine&s;s.</P>
<P N="3">3. Con&s;ider, thou wilt buy &s;in at a dear rate, ina&s;much as it will co&s;t the body, &s;oul, ea&s;e, peace, joy, comfort, heaven, God, Chri&s;t, &amp;c.</P>
<P N="4">4. Con&s;ider, that that Chri&s;t who will <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ow &s;ave the &s;oul and body if thou wilt come in, will hereafter reject thee, and ca&s;t thee out from the joyes of the world to come, and damn thee, though thou had&s;t a thou&s;and &s;ouls, without any pitty or yerning of bowels toward thee, if thou &s;halt refu&s;e him now.</P>
<P N="5">5. That which is wor&s;e then all the re&s;t thou &s;halt have the very mercy of God, the blood of Chri&s;t, the preachers of the word, together with every Ser|mon, all the promi&s;es, invitations, ex|hortations, and all the coun&s;els and threatnings of the ble&s;&s;ed word of God: Nay, be&s;ides, thou &s;halt have all thy thoughts words and actions, together with all thy food, thy raiment, thy &s;leep, thy goods, and al&s;o all hours, dayes, weeks, moneths, and years, together with what&s;oever el&s;e God hath given the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e, I &s;ay, thy abu&s;e of all the&s;e &s;hall
<PB N="223" REF="138"> come up in judgement again&s;t thy &s;oul. For God will reckon with thee for e|very thing, whether it be good or bad, <HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 12.14.</P>
<P>Again. 7. Thy damnation will be wor&s;e then the damnation of the very devils, fora&s;much as thou wilt have not onely the law from God as a Creator (which they al&s;o had) to an&s;wer for the breach of; But thou wilt have thy reje|ction of the tenders of the glorious Go&s;|pel of the glorious Lord Je&s;us to an&s;wer for, (as I &s;aid before) which &s;in the devil was never in a capacity to commit, ina&s;|much as he never had the Go&s;pel tende|red to him. But thou vile wretch ha&s;t had it over and over, once and again, time after time, and that with intrea|ties, be&s;eechings, wi&s;hings and wooings, by one me&s;&s;engers after another, and yet ha&s;t reject<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d. O wonderful calamity that is coming upon thee! For fir&s;t, thou &s;halt fall into endle&s;s torment. Se|condly, thou &s;halt groan and weep to &s;ee for what thou ha&s;t brought thy &s;elf into &s;uch a &s;ad and mi&s;erable condition. Thirdly, thou &s;halt weep to think that weeping and repenting will do thee no good. Fourthly, thou &s;halt &s;ee thy
<PB N="224" REF="139"> neighbours in heaven, thy Father Mo|ther, or other of thy relations, but they &s;hall not groan for thee, but rather re|joyce that the judgements of God have found out thee &s;o vile a wretch and are a puni&s;hing thee. <HI>The righteous &s;hall re|joyce when he &s;eeth the vengeance: he &s;hall wa&s;h his feet in the blood of the wicked.</HI> P&s;al. 58.10. O woful! woful! One would think this enough (if thou be not &s;tark mad, and fully bent to give the devil thy &s;oul) to make thee fly to Chri&s;t for &s;uccour and help that thou maye&s;t be delivered in the day of trouble.</P>
<P>I &s;ay therefore con&s;ider &s;eriou&s;ly of the&s;e things. 1. May not the very de|vils them&s;elves come in again&s;t thee, as well as <HI>Sodom</HI> that damned crue? May not they I &s;ay come in again&s;t thee and &s;ay, O thou &s;imple man or woman! O vile wretch that had not &s;o much care of thy &s;oul, thy precious &s;oul, as the bea&s;t hath of his young, or the dog of the very bone that lyeth before him. Was thy &s;oul worth &s;o much, and did&s;t thou &s;o little regard it? were the thunder-claps of the law &s;o terrible, and did&s;t thou &s;o &s;light them? Be&s;ides, was the Go&s;pel &s;o freely, &s;o frequently, &s;o fully
<PB N="225" REF="139"> tendered to thee, and yet ha&s;t thou re|jected all the&s;e things?</P>
<P>Ha&s;t thou valued &s;in at an higher rate then thy &s;oul? then God, Chri&s;t, An|gels, Saints, and Communion with them in eternal Ble&s;&s;edne&s;s, and Glory? Wa&s;t thou not told of hell fire, tho&s;e intollerable flames? Did&s;t thou never hear of the intollerable roarings of the damned ones that are therein? Did&s;t thou never hear or read that doleful &s;aying in the 16. of <HI>Luke,</HI> how the &s;in|ful man cries out among the flames, <HI>One drop of water to cool my tongue.</HI> Thus I &s;ay may the very devils, being ready to go with thee into the burning furnace of fire and brim&s;tone, though not for &s;ins of &s;o high a nature as thine, trem|blingly &s;ay, Oh that Chri&s;t had died for devils, as he died for man! And, Oh that the Go&s;pel 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 clo&s;ed in with it? But woe be to us, for we might ne|ver have it profered; no, not in the lea&s;t, though we would have been glad of it. But you, you have had it profer|ed,
<PB N="226" REF="140"> preached, and proclaimed unto you; be&s;ides, you have been intreated, and be&s;eeched to accept of it, but you would not. O &s;imple fools! that might have e&s;caped wrath, vengeance, hell fire, and that to all eternity, and had no heart at all to do it.</P>
<P N="2">2 May not the me&s;&s;engers of Je&s;us Chri&s;t al&s;o come in with a &s;hrill and ter|rible note again&s;t thy &s;oul, when thou &s;tande&s;t at the bar of Gods Ju&s;tice, &s;ay|ing, Nay, thou ungodly one, but how often ha&s;t thou been forewarned of this day? Did we not &s;ound an alarum in thine ears, by the trumpet of Gods word day after day? How often did&s;t thou hear us tell thee of the&s;e things? Did we not tell thee &s;in would damn thy &s;oul? Did we not tell thee, that without conver&s;ion there was no &s;alva|tion? Did we not tell thee, that they who loved their &s;ins, &s;hould 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 &s;inners &s;ent Chri&s;t to die for them, that they might (by comming to him) be &s;aved? Did we not tell thee of the&s;e things? Did
<PB N="227" REF="140"> we not run, ride, labour, and &s;trive abundantly (if it might have been) for the good of thy &s;oul, (though now a damned &s;oul? Did we not venture our goods, our names, our lives? Yea, did we not even kill our &s;elves with our earne&s;t intreatings of thee to con&s;ider of thine e&s;tate, and by Chri&s;t to e&s;cape this dreadful day? O &s;ad doom! when thou &s;halt be forced full &s;ore again&s;t thy will to fall under the truth of this judge|ment, &s;aying, <HI>O how have I hated in&s;tru|ction, a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d how hath my heart de&s;pi&s;ed re|proof?</HI> for indeed) <HI>I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me,</HI> Proverbs 5.11, 12, 13.</P>
<P>Thirdly, may not thy Father, thy Mother, thy Brother, thy Si&s;ter, thy Friend, &amp;c. appear with gladne&s;s again&s;t th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e at the terrible day? Saying, O thou &s;illy &s;on, or daughter, brother, or &s;i&s;ter, or friend! Oh <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ow rightly hath God met with thee! O how righteou&s;ly doth his &s;entence pa&s;s upon thee? Re|member, thou would&s;t not be ruled nor per&s;waded in thy life time: as thou did&s;t not care for us, and our admoniti|ons
<PB N="228" REF="141"> then, &s;o neither do we care for thy ruine, terrour and damnation now. No, but we will &s;tand on Gods &s;ide in &s;en|tencing of thee to that portion which the devils mu&s;t be partakers of. O &s;ad! it is enough to make mountains trem|ble, and the rocks to rend in pieces, to hear this doleful &s;ound. Con&s;ider the&s;e things, and if thou woulde&s;t be loth to be in this condition, then have a care of living in &s;in now. O con&s;ider how loth thou wilt be to be thru&s;t away from the gates of heaven, and how lo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> thou wilt be to be deprived of the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">rcy of God.</P>
<P N="2">2. How unwillingly will thou &s;et foot forward towards the lake of fire. Never did Malefactour &s;o 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 &s;entence is pa&s;&s;ed upon thy &s;oul.</P>
<P>Oh how wilt thou &s;igh and groan! Oh how willingly would|e&s;t thou hide thy &s;elf, and run away from Ju&s;tice; but alas! as
<PB N="229" REF="141"> it is with them that are on the lad|der ready to be executed, &s;o it will be with thee. Alas, they would fain run away, but there are ma|ny Halberd-men to &s;tay them: And &s;o the powers of God will be&s;et thee round, I &s;ay, round on every &s;ide, &s;o that thou maye&s;t indeed look, but run thou can&s;t not; thou maye&s;t wi&s;h thy &s;elf under &s;ome great rock or moun|tain, but how to get under thou knowe&s;t not.</P>
<P N="3">3 Oh how unwilling wilt thou be to let thy father go to heaven without thee, thy mother or friends, &amp;c. go to heaven without thee? O how willingly woulde&s;t thou hang on them, and not let them go! O Father, cannot you help me? O Mother, cannot you do me &s;ome good? O how loath am I to burn and fry in hell, while you are &s;inging in Heaven! But alas, the father, mo|ther, brother, &s;i&s;ter, &s;on, daughter, or friend rejects them, &s;lights them, and turn their backs upon them, &s;aying,
<PB N="230" REF="142"> You would have none of heaven in your life time, therefore you &s;hall have none of it now: you &s;lighted our coun|&s;els then, and we &s;light your tears, cries, and condition now. What &s;aye&s;t thou &s;inner, will not this per&s;wade thine heart, nor make thee bethink thy &s;elf? This is now before thou fall into that dreadful place, that fiery furnace. But O con&s;ider how dreadful the place it &s;elf, the devils them&s;elves, the fire it &s;elf will be. And this at the end of all, here thou mu&s;t lie for ever, here thou mu&s;t fry for ever, and for ever. This will be more to thee, then any man with tongue can expre&s;s, or with pen can write; there is none that can, I &s;ay, by the ten thou&s;and part di&s;cover the &s;tate and condition of &s;uch a &s;oul. O &s;ad.</P>
<P>And now I &s;hall give thee a few con|&s;iderations more, and they &s;hall be thus, and &s;o conclude.</P>
<P N="1">1. Con&s;ider, (for I would fain have thee come in &s;inner) that there is way made by Je&s;us Chri&s;t for them that are under the law of works, to come to this comfortable and ble&s;&s;ed &s;tate that I was
<PB N="231" REF="142"> &s;peaking of. See Ephe&s;ians 2.</P>
<P N="2">2. Con&s;ider, if thou never come, thy blood will be charged on thy own head; and &s;o much the more, becau&s;e thou ha&s;t been told of thy mi&s;ery and &s;in: and al&s;o of the &s;afety thou &s;halt be in, if thou do indeed come into this Lord Je&s;us. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 33.1, 2, 3, 4, 5. <HI>Then who&s;oever heareth the &s;ound of the trum|pet, and taketh not warning, if the &s;word commeth, and taketh away any per&s;on, his blood &s;hall be upon his own head. He heard the &s;ound of the trumpet,</HI> (that is, the good news of the Go&s;pel) <HI>and ta|keth not warning,</HI> that is, did not fly to Je&s;us Chri&s;t for &s;uccour, <HI>his blood &s;hall be upon his own head.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. Con&s;ider, what pains Chri&s;t Je&s;us took for the ran&s;oming of thy &s;oul from all the cur&s;es, thunder-claps, and tem|pe&s;ts of the law; from all the intollera|ble flames of hell; from that &s;oul &s;ink|ing appearance of thy per&s;on (on the left hand) before the judgement-&s;eat of Chri&s;t Je&s;us, from everla&s;ting fellow&s;hip with innumerable companies of yelling, and &s;oul-amazing devils. I &s;ay, con&s;ider what pains the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t took
<PB N="232" REF="143"> in bringing in redemption for &s;inners from the&s;e things.</P>
<P N="1">1. In that, <HI>Though he were rich, yet he became poor, that thou through his poverty might be made rich,</HI> 2 Cor. 8, 9. He laid a&s;ide his glory, <HI>John</HI> 17. <HI>and became a &s;er|vant,</HI> Phil. 2. He left the company of Angels, and incountred with the devil, <HI>Luke</HI> 4. <HI>Mat.</HI> 4. He left heavens ea&s;e for a time to lie upon hard mountains, <HI>John</HI> 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. Be&s;ides, con&s;ider a little of the&s;e un&s;peakable and intolle|rable &s;lightings, and rejections, and the manifold abu&s;es that came from man up|on him. How he was fal&s;ly accu&s;ed, be|ing a &s;weet, harmle&s;s, and undefiled Lamb. How he was undervalued, &s;o that a Murtherer was counted le&s;s wor|thy of condemnation then he. Be&s;ides, how they mocked him, &s;pat on him, beat him over the head with &s;taves, had the hair pluckt from his cheeks. <HI>I gave my back to the &s;miters, (&s;aith he) and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair; I hid not my face from &s;hame and &s;pitting.</HI>
<PB N="233" REF="143"> His head crowned with thorns, his hands pierced with nails, and his &s;ide with a &s;pear; together, with how they u&s;ed him, &s;courging him, and &s;o mi&s;era|bly mi&s;u&s;ing him, that they had even &s;pent him in a great mea&s;ure before they did crucifie him. In&s;omuch, that there was another fain for to carry his Cro&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>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. Fir&s;t, in that he did reckon him the greate&s;t &s;inner, and re|bell in the world: for he laid the &s;ins of thou&s;ands, and ten thou&s;ands, and thou|&s;ands of thou&s;ands of &s;inners to his charge, <HI>E&s;ay</HI> 53. And cau&s;ed him to drink the terrible cup that was due to them all: and not onely &s;o, but did de|light in &s;o doing; <HI>For it plea&s;ed the Lord to brui&s;e him.</HI> God dealt indeed with his Son, as <HI>Abraham</HI> would have dealt with <HI>I&s;aac,</HI> I, and more terribly by ten thou&s;and parts: for he did not onely tear his body like a lion, but made his &s;oul an offering for &s;in. And this was not done fainedly, but really (for ju|&s;tice
<PB N="234" REF="144"> called for it, he &s;tanding in the room of &s;inners) witne&s;s that horrible and un&s;peakable agony that fell on him &s;uddenly in the Garden, as if all the vi|als of Gods un&s;peakable &s;calding ven|geance had been ca&s;t upon him all at once, and all the devils in hell had been broken loo&s;e from thence at once to de|&s;troy him, and that for ever; in&s;omuch, that the very pangs of death &s;eized up|on him the &s;ame hour. For &s;aith he, <HI>My &s;oul is exceeding &s;orrowful and amazed, even unto death,</HI> Mark 14.33, 34.</P>
<P>Witne&s;s al&s;o that &s;trange kinde of &s;weat, that trickled down his mo&s;t ble&s;&s;ed face, where it is &s;aid, <HI>And he &s;weat, as it were, great,</HI> mark I be&s;eech you, <HI>great drops, or clodders of blood trick|ling down to the ground.</HI> O Lord Je&s;us, what a load did&s;t thou carry! what a burthen did&s;t thou bear of the &s;ins of the world, and the wrath of God! O thou did&s;t not onely bleed at no&s;e and mouth with the pre&s;&s;ure that lay upon thee, but thou wa&s;t &s;o pre&s;&s;ed, &s;o loaden, that the pure blood gu&s;hed through the fle&s;h and skin, and &s;o ran trickling down to the ground, <HI>And his &s;weat was, as it
<PB N="235" REF="144"> were, great drops of blood, trickling or fall|ing down to the ground</HI> Luke 22.44. Can&s;t thou read this, O thou wicked &s;inner, and yet go in &s;in? Can&s;t thou think of this, and defer repentance one hour longer? O heart of flint! yea, harder. O mi&s;erable wretch! what place in hell will be hot enough for thee to have thy &s;oul put into, if thou &s;halt per&s;i&s;t, or go on &s;till to adde iniquity to iniquity?</P>
<P>Be&s;ides, his &s;oul went down to hell, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 16.10. <HI>Acts</HI> 2.31. and his body to the bars of the grave. And had hell, death, or the grave been &s;trong enough to hold him&punc; then he had &s;uffered the vengeance of eternal fire to all eternity. But O ble&s;&s;ed Je&s;us! how did&s;t thou di&s;cover thy love to man in thy thus &s;uf|fering? And O God the Father! how did&s;t thou al&s;o declare thy purity and exactne&s;s of thy ju&s;tice, in that, though it was thine onely, holy, innocent, harmle&s;s, and undefiled Son Je&s;us, that did take on him our nature, and repre|&s;ent our per&s;ons, an&s;wering for our &s;ins in&s;tead of our &s;elves: thou did&s;t &s;o wonderfully pour out thy wrath upon
<PB N="236" REF="145"> him, to the making of him cry out, <HI>My God, my God, why ha&s;t thou for&s;aken me?</HI> And O Lord Je&s;us! what a glori|ous conque&s;t ha&s;t thou made over the enemies of our &s;ouls, even wrath, &s;in, death, hell, and devils in that thou did&s;t wring thy &s;elf from under the power of them all? and not onely &s;o, but ha&s;t led them captive, which would have led us captive; and al&s;o ha&s;t received for us that glorious and un&s;peakable inheri|tance, <HI>That eye hath not &s;een, nor ear heard, neither hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive.</HI> And al&s;o ha&s;t given thine &s;ome di&s;covery thereof through thy Spirit.</P>
<P>And now &s;inner, together with this con&s;ider. Fourthly, That though Je&s;us Chri&s;t hath done all the&s;e things for &s;in|ners, yet the devils make it their whole work, and continual &s;tudy how they may keep thee and others from enjoy|ing of the&s;e ble&s;&s;ed priviledges that have been thus obtained for &s;inners by this &s;weet Je&s;us. He labours I &s;ay, fir&s;t, to keep thee ignorant of thy &s;tate by nature. Secondly, to harden thy heart again&s;t the wayes of God. Thirdly, to
<PB N="237" REF="145"> inflame thy heart with love to &s;in and the wayes of darkne&s;s. 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 &s;ame that he him&s;elf is fallen into; together with the re&s;t of the wicked world by rea&s;on of &s;in. Look to it therefore.</P>
<P>But now in the next place a word of in|couragement to you that are the Saints of the Lord.</P>
<P N="1">1. Con&s;ider, what an happy &s;tate thou art in, that ha&s;t gotten the faith of the Lord Je&s;us into thy &s;oul. (But be &s;ure thou have it) I &s;ay, how &s;afe, how &s;ure, how happy art thou. For when others go to hell, thou mu&s;t go to hea|ven; when others go to the devil, thou mu&s;t go to God; when as others go to pri&s;on, thou mu&s;t be &s;et at liberty, at ea&s;e, and at freedom; when others mu&s;t roar for &s;orrow of heart, then thou &s;halt al&s;o &s;ing for the joy of heart.</P>
<P>Secondly, con&s;ider thou mu&s;t have all thy well &s;pent life to follow thee, in|&s;tead of all thy &s;ins: and the glorious
<PB N="238" REF="146"> ble&s;&s;ings of the Go&s;pel, in&s;tead of the dreadful cur&s;es and condemnations of the Law. The ble&s;&s;ing of the Father, in&s;tead of a fiery &s;entence from the Judge.</P>
<P>Thirdly, let di&s;&s;olution come when it will, it can do thee no harm; for it will be but onely a pa&s;&s;age out of a pri&s;on, into a palace; out of a &s;ea of troubles, into an haven of re&s;t; out of a croud of enemies, to an innumerable compa|ny of true, loving, and faithful friends; out of &s;hame, reproach, and contempt, into exceeding great, and eternal glory. For death &s;hall not hurt thee with his &s;ting, nor bite thee with his &s;oul-mur|thering teeth, but &s;hall be a welcome gue&s;t to thee, even to thy &s;oul, in that it is &s;ent to free thee from thy troubles which thou art in whiles here, in this world, dwelling in the tabernacle of clay.</P>
<P>Fourthly, con&s;ider, how ever it goes with friends and relations, yet it will go well with thee, <HI>Eccle&s;ia&s;tes</HI> 8.12 However it goes with the wicked, yet I know, Mark, yet I know (&s;aith he) that it &s;hall go well with them that fear
<PB N="239" REF="146"> the Lord, that fear before him. And therefore let this in the fir&s;t place cau&s;e thee chearfully to exerci&s;e thy patience under all the calamities, cro&s;&s;es, trou|bles and afflictions that may come upon thee: and by patient continuance in well doing, to commit both thy &s;elf and thine affairs, and actions into the hands of God, through Je&s;us Chri&s;t, as to a faithful Creatour, who is true in his word, and loveth to give unto thee what&s;oever he hath promi&s;ed to thee.</P>
<P>And therefore to incourage thee while thou art here with comfort, to hold on for all thy cro&s;&s;es in this thy journey, be much in con&s;idering the place that thou mu&s;t go into, &s;o &s;oon as di&s;&s;olution comes. It mu&s;t be into heaven, to God the Judge of all, to an innumerable company of Angels, to the &s;pirits of ju&s;t men made perfect, to the general A&s;&s;embly, and Church of the fir&s;t born, who&s;e names are written in heaven, and to Je&s;us (too the Redeem|er) who is the Mediatour of the new covenant, and to the blood of &s;prink|ling, that &s;peaks better things for thee,
<PB N="240" REF="147"> then <HI>Abels</HI> did for <HI>Cain, Hebrews</HI> 12.22, 23, 24.</P>
<P N="3">3. Con&s;ider, that when the time of the dead that they &s;hall be rai&s;ed is come then &s;hall thy body be rai&s;ed out of the grave, and be glorified, and be made like to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, <HI>Phil.</HI> 3.21. O excellent condition.</P>
<P N="4">4. When Je&s;us Chri&s;t &s;hall &s;it on the throne of his glory, you al&s;o &s;hall &s;it with him, even when he &s;hall &s;it on the throne of his glory. O Will not this be glorious, that when thou&s;ands and thou&s;ands of thou&s;ands &s;hall be arreign|ed before the judgement-&s;eat of Chri&s;t, then for them to &s;it with him upon the throne, together with him to pa&s;s the &s;entence upon the ungodly, 1. <HI>Cor.</HI> 6.2, 3. Will it not be glorious to enjoy tho&s;e things that eye hath not &s;een, nor ear heard, neither hath entred into the heart of man to conceive.</P>
<P>Will it not be glorious to have this &s;entence, <HI>Come ye ble&s;&s;ed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you be|fore the foundation of the world.</HI> Will it not be glorious to enter then with the Angels and Saints into that glorious
<PB N="241" REF="147"> kingdom? Will it not be glorious for thee to be in glory with them, while others are in unutterable torments? O then! how will it comfort thee to &s;ee thou ha&s;t not lo&s;t that glory; to think that the devil hath not got thy &s;oul; that thy &s;oul &s;hould be &s;aved, and that not from a little, but from an exceeding danger; not with a little, but a great &s;alvation. O therefore let the Saints be joyful in glory, let them triumph over all their enemies. Let them begin to &s;ing heaven upon earth, triumph be|fore they come to glory, &s;alvation, even when they are in the mid&s;t of their ene|mies; <HI>For this honour &s;hall all his Saints have,</HI> P&s;al. 149.6, 7, 8, 9.</P>
<P>But &s;econdly, for the latter part of the Parable, touching the Scriptures, and the certainty of them. Seeing they are &s;o certain, &s;o &s;ure, &s;o irrevocable and firm; and &s;eeing the &s;aving faith of the things contained therein, is to reform the &s;oul, and bring it over into the things of God, really conforming to the things contained therein, both to the point of Ju&s;tification, and al&s;o
<PB N="242" REF="148"> an impracticall walking, and giving up the &s;oul and body to a conformity to all the commands, coun&s;els, in&s;tructi|ons, and exhortations contained there|in. This then will learn us how to judge of tho&s;e who give up them&s;elves to walk in the imaginations of their own hearts, who &s;light and lay a&s;ide the Scriptures, counting them but empty and uncertain things, and will live eve|ry day in open contradiction to what is contained, commanded, and forbidden therein.</P>
<P>As fir&s;t, this will &s;hew us that all your Drunkards, Whorema&s;ters, Liars, Thieves, Swearers, Back-biters, Slan|derers, Scoffers at goodne&s;s, &amp;c. I &s;ay, we may &s;ee by this, that they that live in &s;uch things, have not the faith of the things contained in their hearts; &s;eeing they delight to practi&s;e tho&s;e things that are forbidden by, and in them. And &s;o they continuing living and dying in this &s;tate, we may conclude without fear, that &s;uch portions of holy Scri|pture belong unto them, and &s;hall for certain be fulfilled upon them. <HI>He that believes not, &s;hall be damned,</HI> Mark. 16.
<PB N="243" REF="148"> 16. <HI>The unrighteous &s;hall not inherit the kingdom of God,</HI> 1. Corinthians 6.9, 10. <HI>But the abominable, the unbelei|ving, the whoremongers, and all liars &s;hall have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brim&s;tone,</HI> Revelation 21.8. <HI>Depart ye cur&s;ed into everla&s;ting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels,</HI> M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">tthew 25.41. Depart, that is, as if he &s;hould &s;ay, Depart from me, for I will not &s;ave you. Depart, for my blood &s;hall not at all wa&s;h you. De|part, for you &s;hall not &s;et one foot in|to the kingdom of heaven.</P>
<P>Depart ye cur&s;ed, that is, ye are cur&s;ed of God, cur&s;ed of his Law, cur&s;ed of me, cur&s;ed by the Saints, and cur&s;ed by the Angels, cur&s;ed all over, nothing but cur&s;ed, and therefore depart from me, and whither? Into everla&s;ting fire; fire that will &s;cald, &s;corch, burn, and flame to a purpo&s;e; fire that never &s;hall be quenched, <HI>Mark</HI> 9. fire that will la&s;t to all eternity. And mu&s;t we be all alone? No, you &s;hall have company, &s;tore of company with you. Namely, all th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> raging, roaring devils, together with an innumerable company of fel|low<PB N="244" REF="149"> damned &s;in<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ers, men, women, and children. And if the Scriptures be true, (as they will one day wonderful|ly appear to be) then this mu&s;t, and &s;hall be thy portion if thou live and die in this &s;tate, and of all them who continue in &s;inning again&s;t the truths contained in Scriptures.</P>
<P>As fir&s;t, Do&s;t thou delight to &s;in again&s;t plain commands, thou art gone?</P>
<P>Secondly, Do&s;t thou &s;light and &s;corn the coun&s;els contained in Scriptures, and continue in &s;o doing, then thou art gone.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Do&s;t thou continually neg|lect to come to Chri&s;t, and u&s;e&s;t argu|ments in thine own heart to &s;atisfie thy &s;oul with &s;o doing, then thou art gone? <HI>Luke</HI> 14.17, 18. compared with ver&s;e 24. and <HI>Hebrews</HI> 2.3. <HI>How &s;hall we e&s;cape, if we neglect &s;o great &s;alvation?</HI> How &s;hall we e&s;cape, that is, t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ere is no way to e&s;cape.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, becau&s;e God hath &s;aid we &s;hall not, <HI>Heb.</HI> 12.25. <HI>See that ye refu&s;e not him that &s;peaketh, for if they e&s;caped not who refu&s;ed him that &s;pake on earth</HI> (that
<PB N="245" REF="149"> was <HI>Mo&s;es) much more &s;hall not we e&s;cape, if we turn away from him that &s;peaketh from heaven.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. Becau&s;e he hath not onely &s;aid, they &s;hall not, but al&s;o hath bound it with an oath, &s;aying, <HI>So I &s;ware in my wrath, they &s;hall not enter into my re&s;t,</HI> Hebrews 3.11. But you will &s;ay, To whom did he &s;wear that they &s;hould not enter into his re&s;t? An&s; er. To them that believed not. <HI>So we &s;ee, they could not enter in, becau&s;e of unbelief.</HI> ver&s;e 18, 19.</P>
<P>Secondly, this will teach us what to think and conclude of &s;uch, who though they do not &s;o openly di&s;cover their folly by open and gro&s;&s;e &s;ins again&s;t the Law, yet will give more heed to their own &s;pir ts, and the movings thereof, though they be neither com|manded, nor commended for the &s;ame in Scripture; nay, though the Scri|pture command and commend the con|trary, <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> 8.20. then they will to the holy and revealed will of God&punc; I &s;ay, &s;uch men are in as bad a &s;tate as the other to the full, being di&s;obedient to Gods will revealed in his word, as well
<PB N="246" REF="150"> as they, though in a different manner; the one openly tran&s;gre&s;&s;ing again&s;t the plain and well known truths reveal|ed in it; the other though more clo&s;e and hidden, yet &s;ecretly rejecting and &s;lighting them, giving more heed to their own &s;pirits, and the motion there|of, although not warranted by the Scriptures.</P>
<P>A few words more, and &s;o I &s;hall conclude.</P>
<P>And fir&s;t, take heed that you content not your &s;elf with a bare notion of the Scriptures in your heads, by which you may go far, even &s;o far as to be able to di&s;pute for the truth, to preach the Go&s;pel, and labour to vindi|cate it in oppo&s;ition to gain-&s;ayers, and yet be found at the left hand of Chri&s;t at the Judgement-day, fora&s;much as thou did&s;t content thy &s;elf with a no|tion or a traditionall knowledge of them.</P>
<P N="2">2. Have a care, that thou own the whole Scripture, and not own one part, and neglect another, or &s;light it, as thus. To own the law, and &s;light the Go&s;pel; or to think that thou mu&s;t be
<PB N="247" REF="150"> &s;aved by thy good doing and works, for that is all one, as if thou didde&s;t thru&s;t Chri&s;t away from thee; or el&s;e &s;o to own the Go&s;pel, as if by it thou wert exempted from all obedience to the ten Commandments, and confor|mity to the Law in life and conver&s;ati|on. For in &s;o doing thou wilt for certain make &s;ure of eternall ven|geance.</P>
<P>Thirdly, have a care that thou put not wrong names on the things con|tained in the Scriptures, as to call the Law Chri&s;t, and Chri&s;t the Law. For &s;ome having done &s;o (in my know|ledge) have &s;o darkened to them|&s;elves the glorious truths of the Go&s;pel, that in a very little time they have been re&s;olved to thwart and oppo&s;e them, and &s;o have made room in their own &s;ouls for the Devil to inhabit, and obtained a place in hell for their own &s;ouls, to be tormented for ever and ever.</P>
<P>Again&s;t this danger therefore in reading and receiving the te&s;timony of Scripture, learn to di&s;tingui&s;h between the Law and the Go&s;pel, and to keep
<PB N="248" REF="151"> them clear a&s;under, as to the &s;alva|tion of thy &s;oul, and that thou maye&s;t &s;o do. In the fir&s;t place, beg of God, that he would &s;hew thee the nature of the Go&s;pel, And &s;et it home effectually with life and power upon thy &s;oul by Faith. Which is this, That God would &s;hew thee, that as thou being man ha&s;t &s;inned a|gain&s;t God; &s;o Chri&s;t being God Man hath bought thee again, and with his mo&s;t precious blood &s;et thee free from the bondage thou wa&s;t fal|len into by thy &s;ins; and that not up|on condition, that thou wilt do thus and thus, this and the other good work, but rather, that thou being fir&s;t ju&s;tified freely by meer grace, through the blood of Je&s;us, &s;hould|e&s;t al&s;o receive thy &s;trength from him who hath bought thee, to walk be|fore him in all well plea&s;ing, being inabled thereto by vertue of his Spi|rit, which hath revealed to thy &s;oul, that thou art delivered already from wrath to come, by the obedience not of thee, but of another man, <HI>(viz.)</HI> Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<PB N="249" REF="151">
<P>Secondly, Then if the law thou reade&s;t of, tell thee in thy con&s;ci|ence, thou mu&s;t do this and the other good work of the Law, if ever thou wilt be &s;aved. Then an&s;wer plainly, that for thy part thou art re&s;olved now not to work for life, but to believe in the vertue of that blood &s;hed upon the Cro&s;&s;e upon Mount <HI>Calvary,</HI> for the remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins: and yet, be|cau&s;e Chri&s;t hath ju&s;tified thee freely by his Grace, thou wilt &s;erve him in Holine&s;&s;e and Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e all the dayes of thy life, yet not in a legall Spirit, or in a covenant of Works, but mine obedience (&s;ay thou) I will endea|vour to have it free, and chearful, out of love to my Lord Je&s;us.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Have a care thou receive not this doctrine in the notion onely, le&s;t thou bring a ju&s;t damnation upon thy &s;oul, by profe&s;&s;ing thy &s;elf to be freed by Chri&s;ts blood from the guilt of &s;in, while thou remaine&s;t &s;till a &s;ervant to the filth of &s;in. For I mu&s;t tell you, that unle&s;&s;e you have the true and &s;aving work of the Faith and Grace of the Go&s;pel in your
<PB N="250" REF="152"> hearts, you will either go on in a le|gall Holine&s;s according to the tenour of the Law; or el&s;e through a notion of the Go&s;pel (the Devil bewitching, and beguiling thy under&s;tanding, will, and affections) thou wilt Ranter-like turn the Grace of God into wanton|ne&s;s, and bring upon thy &s;oul double, if not treble damnation, in that thou coulde&s;t not be contented to be dam|ned for thy &s;ins again&s;t the Law, but al&s;o to make ruine &s;ure to thy &s;oul: thou woulde&s;t di&s;honour the Go&s;pel, and turn the Grace of God held forth, and di&s;covered to man by that into li|centiou&s;ne&s;s.</P>
<P>But that thou mighte&s;t be &s;ure to e&s;cape the&s;e dangerous rocks on the right hand and on the left, &s;ee that thy faith be &s;uch, as &s;poken of in Scripture: and that thou be not &s;atisfied without that, which is a faith wrought by the mighty operation of God, revealing Chri&s;t to, and in thee, as having wholly freed thee from thy &s;ins by his mo&s;t pre|cious blood. Which faith if thou at|tain unto, will &s;o work in thy heart, that fir&s;t thou wilt &s;ee the nature of the
<PB N="251" REF="152"> Law, and al&s;o the nature of the Go&s;pel, and delighting in the glory of it; and al&s;o thou wilt finde an ingaging of thy heart and &s;oul to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, 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 &s;ame Lord Je&s;us.</P>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>The End.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="errata">
<PB REF="153">
<PB REF="153">
<HEAD>Errata.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Courteous Reader, before thou reade&s;t this Treati&s;e, thou art de&s;ired to cor|rect the&s;e Faults with thy pen, which herea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ter followeth.</HEAD>
<P>PAge 1. for <HI>Luke</HI> 19. read <HI>Luke</HI> 16 p. 6. l. 15. r. <HI>whence.</HI> p 44. l 18. for <HI>means</HI> 1. <HI>names.</HI> p. 54. l. 5. put out, <HI>and the practice of the Saints.</HI> p. 64. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. 15. after <HI>&s;eek</HI> r. <HI>not</HI> p. 81. l 17. for <HI>them</HI> r. <HI>then.</HI> l 26. for <HI>friends</HI> r. <HI>friend.</HI> p. 92. l. 27. r. <HI>to be.</HI> p. 104. l. 6. for <HI>&s;ead</HI> r. <HI>&s;end</HI> p. 120 l. 9. for <HI>converted</HI> r. <HI>con|tented.</HI> p. 129 l. 12. for <HI>the</HI> r. <HI>their.</HI> p. 144. l. 16. for 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1.9. r. 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1. 9. p. 145. l 27 for 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.21. r. 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.24. p. 166. l. 26. for <HI>contradiction</HI> r. <HI>traditional.</HI> p. 171. l 23 r. <HI>of.</HI> p. 194. l. 14. for <HI>intend</HI> r. <HI>indeed.</HI> p. 196. l. 24. leave out <HI>that.</HI> p. 229. l. 6. for <HI>powers</HI> r. <HI>angels.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Page</HI> 199. <HI>line</HI> 18. thou wilt finde the&s;e words, <HI>(as I &s;aid before)</HI> which I de&s;ire thee to leave ou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. The rea&s;on why I put th m in, was, be|cau&s;e at the fir&s;t I thought to put out wi h this a Di&s;cour&s;e of the two Coven<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">s, which &s;ince I thought to put f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">r h in a Piece by <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t &s;elf, and therefore &s;hould have put ou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> the&s;e words.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="half title">
<PB REF="154">
<P><HI>Bunyan's</HI> Sighs from Hell.</P>
<PB REF="154">
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
