Sighs from Hell OR THE Groans of a Damned Soul Discovering From the 16th of Luke The Lamentable State of the Damned And may fitly serve As a Warning-Word to SINNERS both Old and Young by Faith in JESUS CHRIST to avoid the same Place of Torment With a Discovery of the Usefulness of the SCRIPTURES as our Safe Conduct for avoiding the Torments of HELL By John Bunyan The Second Edition London Printed for F. Smith at the Elephant and Castle without Temple Barr. At 1s Bound The AUTHOR to the READER FRiend because it is a dangerous thing to be walking towards the place of darkness and anguish and again because it is notwithstanding the Journey that most of the poor Souls in the World are taking and that with delight and gladness as if there was the only happiness to be found I have therefore thought it my duty being made sensible of the danger that will befall those that walk therein for the preventing of thee O thou poor Man or Woman to tell thee by opening this Parable what sad success those Souls have had and are also like to have that have been or shall be found persevering therein We use to count him a friend that will forewarn his Neighbour of the danger when he knoweth thereof and doth also see that the way his Neighbour is walking in doth lead right thereto especially when we think that our neighbour may be either ignorant or careless of his way Why Friend it may be nay twenty to one but thou hast been ever since thou didst come into the World with thy back towards Heaven and thy face towards Hell and thou either through ignorance or carelessness which is as bad if not worse hast been running full hastily that way ever since Why I beseech thee put a little stop to thy earnest race and take a view of what entertainment thou art like to have if thou do indeed and in truth persist in this thy course Thy way leads down to death and thy steps take hold on hell Prov. 5. 5. It may be the path indeed is pleasant to the flesh but the end thereof will be bitter to thy Soul Hark dost thou not hear the bitter Cries of them that are but newly gone before saying Let him dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue that is so tormented in this flame Luke 16. Dost thou not hear them say Send one from the dead to prevent my father my brother and my father's house from coming into this place of torment Shall not then these mournful groans pierce thy flinty heart Wilt thou stop thine ears and shut thy eyes and wilt thou not regard Take warning and stop thy journey before it be too late Wilt thou be like the silly fly that is not quiet unless she be either entangled in the spider's web or burned in the Candle Wilt thou be like the Bird that hasteth to the snare of the Fowler Wilt thou be like that simple one named in the 7. of Proverbs That will be drawn to the slaughter by the cord of a silly lust O sinner sinner there is better things than Hell to be had and at a cheaper rate by the thousand part than that O there is no comparison there is Heaven there is God there is Christ there is Communion with an innumerable company of Saints and Angels Hearthe Message then that God doth send that Christ doth send that Saints do bring nay that the Dead do send unto thee I pray thee therefore that thou wouldst send him to my father's house if one went to them from the dead they would repent How long ye simple ones will you love simplicity and ye scorners delight in scorning and ye fools hate knowledge Turn you at my reproof and behold saith God I will po●r out my Spirit unto you I will make known my words unto you I say ●ear this voice O silly one and turn and live thou sinful ●●ul lest be make thee hear that other saying But because I have called and you have refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded I also will laugh at your calamity and mock when your fear cometh O poor Soul if God and Christ did wis● thee for thine harm it would be another matter then if thou didst refuse thou mightest have some excuse to make or fault to find and ground to make delays But this is for thy profit for thy advantage for the pardoning of thy si●s the salvation of thy Soul the delivering of thee from Hell fire from the wrath to come from everlasting burnings into favour with God Christ and Communion with all happiness that is so indeed But it may be thou wilt say All that hath been spoken to in this discourse is but a Parable and Parables are no realities I could put thee off with this Answer That though it be a Parable yet it is a truth and not a lie and thou shalt find it so too to thy cost if thou shalt be found a slighter of God Christ and the salvation of thy own Soul But secondly know for certain That the things signified by Parables are wonderful realities O what a glorious reality was there signified by that Parable The Kingdom of heaven is like to a net that is cast into the Sea etc. Signifying that sinners of all sorts of all Nations should be brought into God's Kingdom by the net of the Gospel And O how real a thing shall the other part thereof be when it 's fulfilled which saith And when it was full they drew it to shore and put the good into vessels but threw the bad away Matth. 13. 47 48. signifying the mansions of glory that the Saints should have and also the rejection that God will give to the ungodly and to sinners And also that Parable what a glorious reality is there in it which saith Except a corn of wheat fall to the ground and die it abideth alone but if it die it doth bring forth much fruit Joh. 12. 24. To signify That unless Jesus Christ did indeed spill his blood and die the cursed death he should abide alone that is have never a Soul into glory with him but if he died he should bring forth much fruit that is save many sinners And also how real a truth there was in that Parable concerning the Jews putting Christ to death which the poor dispersed Jews can best experience to their cost for they have been almost ever since a banished people and such as have had Gods sore displeasure wonderfully manifested against them according to the truth of the Parable Matth. 21. v. 33. to 41. O therefore for Jesus Christ's s●ke do not slight the truth because it is discovered in a Parable for by this argument thou mayest also nay thou wilt slight almost all the things that our Lord Jesus Christ did speak for spoke them for the most part if not all in Parable Why should it be said of thee as it is said of some These things are spoken to them that are without in Parables that seeing they might not see and that hearing they might not understand Luke 8. 10. I say take heed of being a quarrel against Christ's Parables lest Christ also objecteth against the salvation of thy Soul at the Judgement Day Friend I have no more to say to thee now if thou dost love me pray for me that my God would not forsake me nor take his holy Spirit from me and that God would fit me to do and suffer what shall be from the World or Devil inflicted upon me I must tell thee the World rages they stamp and shake their heads and fain they would be doing the Lord help me to take all they shall do with patience and when they smite the one cheek to turn the other to them that I may do as Christ hath bidden me for then the Spirit of God and of glory shall rest upon me Farewell I am thine to serve in the Lord Jesus John Bunyan Sighs from Hell OR The Groans of a damned Soul Luke the 16th Verse 19 etc. verse 19 THere was a certain rich man which was clothed in Purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day verse 20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazirus which was laid at his gate full of sores verse 21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's Table moreover the Dogs came and licked his sores verse 22 And it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the Angels into Abraham's Bosom the rich man also died and was buried verse 23 And in Hell he lift up his eyes being in torments and seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom verse 24 And he cried and said Father Abraham have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame verse 25 But Abraham said Son remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things and likewise Lazarus evil things but now he is comforted and thou art tormented verse 26 And besides all this between us and you there is a great Gulf fixed so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot neither can they pass to us that would come from thence verse 27 Then he said I pray thee therefore Father that thou wouldst send him to my Father's House verse 28 For I have five Brethren that he may testify unto them lest they also come into this place of torment verse 29 Abraham saith unto him They have Moses and the Prophets l●t them hear them verse 30 And he said Nay Father Abraham but if one went unto them from the dead they will repent verse 31 And he said unto him If they hear not Moses and the Prophets neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead Verse 19 THis Scripture was not spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ to show you the state of two single persons only as some through their ignorance of the drift of Christ in his Parables do dream but to show you the state of the godly and ungodly to the World's end as is clear to him that is of an understanding heart For he spoke them to the end that after Generations should take notice thereof and fear lest they also fell into the same condition Now in my discourse upon these words I shall not be tedious but as briefly as I may I shall pass through the several Verses and lay you down some of the several truths contained therein and the Lord grant that they may be profitable and of great advantage to those that read them or hear them read The 19 and 20 Verse also I shall not spend much time upon onel● give you three or four short hints and so pass to the next Verses for they are the words I do intend most especially to insist upon The 19 20 and 2● Verses ●un thus There was a rich man which was clothed in Purple and s●●e and fared deliciously sumptuously everyday And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus which was laid at his Gate full of force etc. 1. If these Verses had been spoken by Jesus Christ and no more all the World would have gone to have cast a wrong interpretation on 〈…〉 if Jesus had said only thus much There was a certain rich man that fared sumptuously daily and a certain beggar laid at his Gate full of sores The World would have made this conclusion of them the rich man was the happy man For at the first view it doth represent such a thing But take all together that is read the whole Parable and you shall find that there is no man in a worse condition than he as I shall clearly hold forth afterward 2. Again if a man would judge of men according to outward appearance he shall oft●●●●● take his mark ●miss Here is a man to outward appearance appears the only blessed man bet●e● by half then the beggar in as much as he is rich the beggar poor he is well clothed but peradventure the beggar is naked he hath good food but the beggar would be glad of Dog's meat And he desired to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's Table the rich man fares well every day but the beggar must be glad of a bit when he can get it Oh! who would not be in the rich man's state A wealthy man sorts of new Suits and dainty dishes every day enough to make one who minds nothing but his belly and his back and his lusts to say Oh that I were in that man's condition Oh that I had about me as that man had Then I should live a life indeed then should I have hearts ease good store then I should live pleasantly and might say to my soul Soul be of good cheer eat drink and be merry Luke 12. 19 thou hast every thing plenty and art in a most blessed condition I say this might be ay and is the conclusion with them that judge according to outward appearance But if the whole Parable be well considered you will see Luke 16. 15. That that which is had in high estimation with men is an abomination in the sight of God And again Joh. 16. 20 21 22. that condition that is the saddest condition according to outward appearance is oft times the most excellent for the beggar had ten thousand degrees the best of it though to outward appearance his state was the saddest from whence we shall observe thus much 1. That those who judge according to outward appearance do for the most part judge amiss Joh. 7. 24. 2. That they who look upon their outward enjoyments to be tokens of Gods special grace unto them are also deceived Rev. 3. 17. For as it is here in the Parable a man of wealth and a child of the Devil may make but one person or a man may have abundance of outward enjoyments and yet be carried by the devils into eternal burnings Luke 12. 20. But this is the trap in which the Devil hath caught many thousands of poor souls namely by getting them to judge according to outward appearance or according to God's outward blessings Do but ask a poor carnal covetous wretch how we should know a man to be in a happy estate and he will answer Those that God blesseth and giveth abundance of this world unto when for the most part they are they that are the cursed men Alas poor men they are so ignorant as to think that because a man is increased in outward things and that by a small stock therefore God doth love that man with a special love or else he would never do so much for him never bless him so and prosper the work of his hands Ah poor soul it is the rich man that goes to hell And the rich man died and in hell mark in hell he lift up his eyes etc. Methinks to see how the great ones of the world will go st●n●●ing up and down the streets sometimes it makes me wonder Surely they look upon themselves to be the only happy men but it is because they judge according to outward appearance they look upon themselves to be the only blessed men when the Lord knows the generality are left out of that blessed condition Not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called 1 Cor. 1. 26. Ah! did they that do now so br●g that no body dare scarce look on them but believe this it would make them hang down their heads and cry O give me a Lazarus' portion I might here enlarge very much but I shall not only thus much I shall say to you that have much of this World Have a care that you have not your portion in this world take heed that it be not said to you hereafter when you would very willingly have heaven Remember in your life time you had your good things in your life time you had your portion Psalm 17. 14. And Friend thou that seekest after this world and desirest riches let me ask this question wouldst thou be content that God should put thee off with a portion in this life wouldst thou be glad to be kept out of heaven with a back well clothed and a belly well filled with the dainties of this world wouldst thou be glad to have all thy good things in thy life time to have thy heaven to last no longer than while thou dost live in this world wouldst thou be willing to be deprived of eternal happiness and felicity If you say no then have a care of the world and thy sins have a care of desiring to be a rich man lest thy Table be made a snare unto thee Psal. 69. 22. lest the wealth in this world do bar thee out of glory For as the Apostle saith They that will be rich do fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in perdition and destruction 1 Tim. 6. 9 Thus much in general but now more particularly These two men here spoken of as I said do hold forth to us the state of the godly and ungodly the beggar holdeth forth the godly and the rich man the ungodly There was a certain rich man etc. But why are the ungodly held forth under the notion of a rich man 1. Because Christ would not have them look too high as I said before but that those who have riches should have a care that they be not all their portion Jam. 1. 10 11 12. 1 Tim. 6. 17. 2. Because rich men are mostly able to the Devils temptations are most ready to be puffed up with pride stoutness cares of this world in which things they spend most of their time in lusts drunkenness wantonness idleness together with the other works of the flesh For which things sake the wrath of God cometh upon the children of disobedience Col. 3. 6. 3. Because he would comfort the hearts of his own which are most commonly of the poorer sort But God hath chosen the poor despised and base things of this world 1 Cor. 1. 26. Should God have set the rich man in the blessed state his children would have concluded being poor that they had no share in the life to come And again had not God given such a discovery of the sad condition of those that are for the most part rich men we should have had men conclude absolutely that the rich are the blessed men Nay albeit the Lord himself doth so evidently declare that the rich ones of the world are for the most part in the saddest condition yet they through unbelief or else presumption do harden themselves and seek for the glory of this world as though the Lord Jesus Christ did not means as he said or else that he will say more than shall assuredly come to pass but let them know that the Lord hath a time to fulfil that he had a time to declare for the Scripture cannot be broken Joh. 10. 35. But again the Lord by this word doth not mean those are ungodly who are rich in the world and no other for than must all those that are poor yet graceless and vain men be saved and delivered from eternal vengeance which would be contrary to the word of God which saith That together with the Kings of the earth and the great men and the chief Captains and the mighty men there are bondmen or servants and slaves that cry out at the appearance of the Almighty God and his Son Jesus Christ to Judgement Rev. 6. 15. So that though Christ doth say There was a certain rich man yet you must understand he meaneth all the ungodly rich or poor Nay if you will not understand it so now you shall be made to understand it to be so meant at the day of Christ's second coming when all that are ungodly shall stand at the left hand of Christ with pale faces and guilty Consciences with the vials of the Almighty's wrath ready to be poured out upon them Thus much in brief touching the 19th verse I might have observed other things from it but now I forbear having other things to speak of at this time Verse 20. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus which was laid at his gate full of sores THis verse doth chiefly hold forth these things 1. That the Saints of God are a poor contemptible people There was a certain beggar If you understand the word beggar to hold forth outward poverty or scarcity in outward things the Saints of the Lord for they are for the most part a poor despised contemptible people But if you allegorise it and interpret it thus They are such as beg earnestly for heavenly food this is also the spirit of the Children of God and it may be and is a truth in this sense though not so naturally gathered from this Scripture 2. That he was laid at his gate full of sores These words hold forth the distempers of believers saying He was full of sores which may signify the many troubles temptations persecutions and afflictions in body and spirit which they meet withal while they are in the world but also the entertainment they find at the hands of those ungodly ones who live upon the earth Whereas it is said He was laid at his gate full of sores Mark He was laid at his gate not in his house that was thought too good for him But he was laid at his gate full of sores From whence observe That the ungodly world do not desire to entertain and receive the poor Saints of God into their houses If they must needs be somewhere near unto them yet they shall not come into their houses shut them out of doors if they will needs be near us let them be at the gate And he was laid at the gate full of sores 2. Observe that the world are not at all touched with the afflictions of God's children for all they are full of sores a despised afflicted tempted persecuted people the world doth not pity no but rather labour to aggravate their trouble by shutting them out of doors sink or swim what cares the world they are resolved to disown them they will give them no entertainment if the lying in the streets will do them any good if hard usage will do them any good if to be disowned rejected and shut out of doors by the World will do them any good they shall have enough of that but otherwise no refreshment no comfort from the World And he was laid at his Gate full of sores Verse 21. And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's Table the Dogs came also and licked his Sores BY these words our Lord Jesus doth show us the frame of a Christians heart and also the heart and carriage of worldly men towards the Saints of the Lord The Christians heart is held forth by this that any thing will content him while he is on this side glory And he desired to be fed with the Crumbs the Dog's meat any thing I say a Christian will be content with any thing if he have but to keep Life and Soul together as we use to say He is content he is satisfied he hath learned if he hath learned to be a Christian to be content with any thing as Paul saith I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content He learns in all conditions to study to love God to walk with God to give up himself to God and if the Crumbs that fall from a Rich-man's Table will but satisfy Nature and give him bodily strength that thereby he may be the more able to walk in the way of God he is contented And he desired to be fed with the Crumbs that fell from the rich man's Table But mark he had them not you do not find that he had so much as a Crumb or a Scrap allowed unto him No than the Dogs will be beguiled that must be preserved for the Dogs From whence observe that the ungodly World do love their Dogs better than the Children of God You will say that 's strange It is so indeed yet it is true as will be clearly manifested as for instance How many pounds do some men spend in a year on their Dogs when in the mean while the poor Saints of God may starve for hunger They will build Houses for their Dogs when the Saints must be glad to wander and lodge in Dens and Caves of the Earth Heb. 11. 38. And if they be in any of their houses for the hire thereof they will warn them out or eject them or pull down the house over their heads rather than not rid themselves of such Tenants Again some men cannot go half a mile from home but they must have Dogs at their heels but they can very willingly go half a score miles without the society of a Christian. Nay if when they are busy with their Dogs they should chance to meet a Christian they would willingly shift him if they could They will go on the other s●●e of the hedge or the way rather than they will have any society with him and if at any time a Child of GOD should come into an house where there are but two or three ungodly Wretches they do commonly wish either themselves or the Saint out of doors and why so Because they cannot down with the society of a Christian Though if there come in at the same time a Dog or a drunken swearing Wretch which is worse than a Dog they will make him welcome he shall sit down with them and partake of their dainties And now tell me you that love your sins and your pleasures had you not rather keep company with a Drunkard a Swearer a Strumpet a Thief nay a Dog than with an honest-hearted Christian If you say No What means your sour carriage to the People of God Why do you look on them as if you would eat them up Yet at the very same time if you can but meet your Dog or a drunken Companion you can fawn upon them take acquaintance with them to the Tavern or Alehouse 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 edify one another you will stay till Doomsday before you will look into the house where they are Ah Friends when all comes to all you will be found to love Drunkards Strumpets Dogs any thing nay to serve the Devil rather than to have loving and friendly society with the Saints of God Moreover The Dogs came and licked his Sores Here again you may see not only the afflicted state of the Saints of God in this World but also that even Dogs themselves according to their kind are more favourable to the Saints than the sinful World though the ungodly will have no mercy on the Saints yet it is ordered so that these Creatures Dogs Lions etc. will Though the rich man would not entertain him into his house yet his Dogs will come and do him the best good they can even to lick his running Sores It was thus with Daniel when the World was mad against him and would have him thrown to the Lions to be devoured the Lions shut their mouths at him or rather the Lord did shut them up so that there was not that hurt befell to him as was desired by the Adversaries Dan. 6. And this I am persuaded of that would the Creatures do as some men would have them the Saints of God should not walk so quietly up and down the streets and other places as they do And as I said before so I say again I am persuaded that at the Day of Judgement many men's Conditions and Carriages will be so laid open that it will evidently appear they have been very merciless and mad against the Children of God insomuch that when the Providence of God did fall out so ●s to cross their expectations they have been very much offended thereat as is very evidently seen in them who set themselves to study Psal. 31 13. how to bring the Saints into bondage and to thrust them into Corners as in these late Years And because God hath in his goodness ordered Things otherwise they have gnashed their Teeth thereat Hence then let the Saints learn not to commit themselves to their Enemies beware of men Matth. 10. 17. They are very merciless men and will not so much favour you if they can help it as you may suppose they may Nay unless the overruling Hand of God in goodness do order Things contrary to their natural inclination they will not favour you so much as a Dog Vers. 22. And it came to pass that the Beggar died and was carried by the Angels into Abraham's Bosom the rich man also died and was buried THe former Verses do briefly hold forth the carriage of the ungodly in this Life toward the Saints Now this Verse doth hold forth the departure both of the godly and the ungodly out of this Life Where he saith And it came to pass that the Beggar died and was carried into Abraham's Bosom and the rich man died also The Beggar died that represents the godly and the rich man died that represents the ungodly From whence observe Neither godly nor ungodly must live always without a change either by Death or Judgement the good man died and the bad man died That Scripture doth also back this Truth that good and bad must die marvellous well where it is said And it is appointed to men once to die and after that the Judgement Heb. 9 27. Mark he doth not say it is so that men by chance may die which might beget in the hearts of the ungodly especially some hope to scape the bitterness of it But he saith It is a thing most certain it is appointed Mark it is appointed for men once to die and after that the Judgement God hath decreed it that since men have fallen from that happy estate that God at the first did set them in they shall die Rom. 6. 23. Now when it is said the Beggar died and the rich man died part of the meaning is they ceased to be any more in this World I say partly the meaning but not altogether Though it be altogether the meaning when some of the Creatures die yet it is but in part the meaning when it is said that Men Women or Children die for there is to them something else to be said more than barely a going out of the World For if when unregenerate men and women die there were an end of them not only in this World but also in the World to come they would be happy over they will be now for when ungodly men & women die there is that to come after death that will be very terrible to them namely to be carried by the Angels of Darkness from their Deathbeds to Hell there to be reserved to the Judgement of the Great Day when both Body and Soul shall meet and be united together again and made capable to undergo the uttermost Vengeance of the Almighty to all Eternity This is that I say which doth follow a man that is not born again after Death as is clear from that in 1 Pet. 3. 18 19 Where before speaking of Christ being raised again by the power of his Eternal Spirit he saith By which that is by that Spirit he went and preached to the Spirits in Prison But what is the meaning of this Why thus much that those Souls who were once alive in the World in the time or days in which Noah lived being disobedient in their Times to the Calls of God by his Spirit in Noah for so I understand it was according to that which was foretold by that Preacher deprived of Life and overcome by the Flou● and are now in Prison Mark he preached to the Spirits in Prison he doth not say who were in Prison but to them in that is now in Prison under Chains of Darkness reserved or kept there in that Prison in which now they are ready like Villains in the Jail to be brought before the Judgement Seat of Christ at the Great Day But of this I shall speak further by and by Now if this one Truth that men must die and depart this World and either enter into Joy or else into Prison to be reserved to the Day of Judgement were believed we should not have so many Wantoness walk up and down the streets as there do at least it would put a mighty check to their filthy Carriages so that they would not could not walk so basely and sinfully as they do Belshazzer notwithstanding he was so far from the fear of God as he was yet when be did but see that God was offended and threatened him for his wickedness it made him hang down his head and knock his knees together Dan. 5. 5 6. If you read the verses before you will find he was careless and satisfying his Lusts in Drinking and playing the wanton with his Concubines But so soon as he did perceive the finger of an Hand writing than saith the Scripture the King's Countenance was changed and his Thoughts troubled him so that the Joints of his Loins were loosed and his knees smote one against another And when Paul told Felix of Righteousness Temperance and Judgement to come it made him tremble And let me tell thee Soul whosoever thou art that if thou didst but verily believe that thou must die and come into the Judgement it would make thee turn over a new leaf But this is the misery the Devil doth labour by all means as to keep out other Things that are good so to keep out of the heart as much as in him lies the Thoughts of passing from this Life into another World for he knows if he can but keep them from the serious Thoughts of Death he shall the more easily keep them in their sins and so from closing with Jesus Christ as Job saith Their houses are safe from fear neither is the Rod of God upon them Which makes them say to God Depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways vers. 14. Because there is no fear of Death and Judgement to come therefore they do put off God and his ways and spend their days in their sins and in a moment that is before they are aware go down to the Grave ver 17. And thus it fared also with the man spoken of in Luk. 12. 20. the man instead of thinking of Death he thought how he might make his Barns bigger But in the midst of his business in the World he lost his Soul before he was aware supposing that Death had been many Years off But God said unto him Thou Fool thou troublest thyself about Things of this Life thou puttest off the Thoughts of departing this World when this Night thy Soul shall be taken from thee O● this Night they that is the Devil will fetch away thy Soul from thee And here it comes to pass men's not being exercised with the Thoughts of departing this Life that they are so unexpected to themselves and their Neighbours taken away from the pleasures and profits yea all the Enjoyments they busy themselves withal while they live in this World And hence it is again that you have some in your Towns and Cities that are so suddenly taken away some from haunting the Alehouse others from haunting the Where-houses others from playing and gaming others from the cares and covetous desires after this World unlooked for as by themselves or their Companions Hence it is also that men do so wonder at such Tidings as this There is such an one dead such an one is departed it is because they do so little consider both the transitoriness of themselves and their Neighbours for had they but their Thoughts well exercised about the shortness of this Life and the danger that will befall such as do miss of the Lord Jesus Christ it would make them more wary and sober and spend more time in the service of God and be more delighted and diligent in enquiring after the Lord Jesus who is the Deliverer from wrath to come 1 Thes. 1. 10. For as I said before it is evident that they who live after the flesh in the Lusts thereof do not really and seriously think on Death and the Judgement that doth follow after neither do they indeed endeavour so to do for did they it would make them say with Holy Job All the days of my appointed time will I wait till my Change come Job 14. 14. And as I said before that not only the Wicked but also the Godly have their time to depart this Life And the Beggar died The Saints of the Lord they must be deprived of this Life also they must yield up the Ghost into the hands of the Lord their God they must also be separated from their Wives Children Husbands Friends Goods and all that they have in the World For God hath decreed it It is appointed namely by the Lord for men once to die and we must appear before the Judgement Seat of Christ As it is 2 Cor. 5. 10 11. But it may be objected if the godly do die as well as the wicked and if the Saints must appear before the Judgement Seat as well as the sinners then what advantage have the godly more than the ungodly and how can the Saints be in a better condition than the wicked Answ. Read the 22th Verse over again and you shall find a marvellous difference between them as much as is between Heaven and Hell everlasting joy and everlasting torment for you find that when the beggar died which represents the godly He was carried by the Angels into Abraham's Bosom or into everlasting joy Psal. 1. but the ungodly are not so but are hurried by the Devils into the bottomless pit drawn away in their wickedness Prov. 14. 32. for he saith And in Hell he lift up his eyes When the ungodly do die their misery beginneth for then appear the Devils like so many Lions waiting every moment till the Soul depart from the Body Sometimes they are very visible to the dying party but sometimes more invisible but always this is certain they never miss of the Soul if it do die out of the Lord Jesus Christ but do hale it away to the prison as I said before there to be tormented and reserved until that great and general day of Judgement at which day they must Body and Soul receive a final sentence from the Righteous Judge and from that time be shut out from the presence of God into everlasting woe and distress But the godly when the time of their departure is at hand than also are the Angels of the Lord at hand yea they are ready waiting upon the Soul to conduct it safely into Abraham's Bosom I do not say but the Devils are oft times very busy doubtless and attending the Saints in their sickness I and no question but they would willingly deprive the Soul of Glory But here is the comfort as the Devils come from Hell to devour the Soul if it be possible at its departure so the Angels of the Lord come from Heaven to watch over and conduct the Soul in spite of the Devil safe into Abraham's Bosom David had the comfort of this and speaks it forth for the comfort of his Brethren Psal 34. 7. saying The Angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him and delivereth them Mark the Angel of the Lord encampeth round about his Children to deliver them From what From their enemies of which the Devil is not the least This is an excellent comfort at any time to have the holy Angels of God to attend a poor man or woman but especially it is comfortable in the time of distress at the time of death when the Devils beset the Soul with all the power that Hell can afford them But now it may be that the glorious Angels of God do not appear at the first to the view of the Soul nay rather Hell stands before it and the Devils ready as if they would carry it thither But this is the comfort the Angels ●o always appear at the last and will not fa●l the Soul but will carry it safe into Abraham's Bosom Ah Friend's consider here is an ungodly manupon his deathbed and he hath none to speak for him none to speak comfort unto him but it is not so with the Children of God for they have the Spirit to comfort them Here is the ungodly and they have no Christ to pray for their safe conduct to glory but the Saints have an Intercessor John 17. 9 Here is the World when they die they have none of the Angels of God to attend upon them but the Saints have their company In a word the unconverted person when he dieth he sinks into the bottomless pit But the Saints when they die do ascend with and by the Angels into Abraham's Bosom or into unto unspeakable glory Luke 23. 43. Again it is said that the rich man when he died was buried or put into the Earth but when the beggar died he was carried by the Angels into Abraham's Bosom The one is a very excellent stile where he saith he was carried by the Angels into Abraham's Bosom it denotes he excellent condition of the Saints of God as I said before and not only so but also the preciousness of the death of the Saints in the eyes of the Lord Psal. 116. 15. that after Generations may see how precious in the sight of the Lord the death of his Saints is when he saith they are carried by the Angels into Abraham's Bosom Thus many times the Lord adorneth the death and departure of his Saints to hold forth unto after Generations how excellent they are in his eyes It is said of Enoch that God took him of Abraham that he died in a good old age of Moses that the Lord buried him of Elijah that he was taken up into Heaven that the Saints sleep in Jesus that they die in the Lord that they rest from their labour that their works follow them that they are under the Altar that they are with Christ that they are in light that they are to come with the Lord Jesus to judge the World All which sayings signify thus much That to die a Saint is very great Honour and Dignity But the ungodly are not so The rich or ungodly die and are buried he is carried from his dwelling to the Grave and there he is buried hid in the dust and his Body doth not so fast molder and come to nought there but his name doth stink as fast in the World as saith the holy Scripture The name of the wicked shall rot And indeed the names of the godly are not in so much honour after their departure but the wicked and their names do as much rot What a dishonour to Posterity was the death of Balaam Agag Achitophel Haman Judas Herod with the rest of their companions Thus the wicked have their names written in the Earth and they do perish and rot and the name of the Saints do cast forth a dainty savour to following Generations and that the Lord Jesus doth signify where he saith The godly are carried by the Angels into Abraham's Bosom And that the wicked are nothing worth where he saith The ungodly die and are buried Verse 23. And in Hell he lift up his eyes being in torment and seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his Bosom THE form●● Verse speaks only of the departure of the ungodly out of this life together with the glorious conduct that the godly have into the Kingdom of their Father Now our Lord doth show in this Verses partly what doth and shall befall to the Reprobate after this life is ended where he saith And in Hell he lift up his eyes That is the ungodly after they depart this life do lift up their eyes in Hell From these words may be observed these things 1. That there is an Hell for Souls to be tormented in when this life is ended Mark after he was dead and buried In Hell he lift up his eyes 2. That all that are ungodly and do live and die in their sins so soon as ever they die they go into Hell he died and was buried And in Hell he lift up his eyes 3. That some are so fast asleep and secure in their sins that they scarce know well where they are till they come into Hell and that I gather from these words In Hell he lift up his eyes He was asleep before but Hell makes him lift up his eyes As I said before it is evident that there is an Hell for Souls yea and Bodies too to be tormented in after they depart this life as is clear First because the Lord Jesus Christ that cannot lie did say that after the sinner was dead and buried In Hell he lift up his eyes Now if it be objected that Hell is here meant the Grave that I plainly deny First Because there the Body is not sensible of torment or ease but in that Hell into which the spirits of the damned depart they are sensible of torment and would be very willingly freed from it to enjoy ease which they are sensible of the want of as is clearly discovered in this Parable Send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water to cool my tongue Secondly It is not meant the Grave but some other place because the Bodies so long as they lie there are not capable of lifting up their eyes to see the glorious condition of the Children of God as the souls of the damned do In Hell he lift up his eyes Thirdly It cannot be the Grave for than it must follow that the Soul was buried there with the Body which cannot stand with such a dead state as is here mentioned for he saith The rich man died that is his soul was separated from his body And in Hell he lift up his eyes If it be again objected that there is no Hell but in this life that I do also deny as I said before after he was dead and buried In Hell he lift up his eyes And let me tell thee O soul whoever thou art that if thou close not in savingly with the Lord Jesus Christ and lay hold on what he hath done and is doing in his own person for sinners thou wilt find such an hell after this life is ended that thou wilt not get out of again for ever and ever And thou that art wanton and dost make but a mock at the Servants of the Lord when they tell thee of the torments of hell thou wilt find that when thou departest out of this life that Hell even the hell which is after this life will meet thee in thy Journey thither and will with its hellish crew give thee such a sad salutation that thou wilt not forget it to all eternity when that Scripture comes to be fulfilled on thy soul in Isa. 14. 9 Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming it stirreth up the dead for thee even all the chief ones of the earth it hath raised from their Thrones all the Kings of the Nations All they that is that are in hell shall say Art thou become weak as we Art thou become like unto us O sometimes when I have had but thoughts of going to hell and considered the everlastingness of their ruin that fall in thither it hath stirred me up rather to seek to the Lord Jesus Christ to deliver me from thence than to slight it and make a mock at it And in hell he lift up his eyes The second thing I told you was this That all the ungodly that live and die in their sins so soon as ever they depart this life do descend into Hell This is also verified by the words in this Parable where Christ saith He died and was buried and in hell he lift up his eyes As the Tree falls so it shall lie wh●●●er it be to Heaven or Hell Eccl. 11. 3. And as Christ said to the Thief on the Cross This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Even so the Devil in the like manner may say unto thy Soul Tomorrow shalt thou be with me in hell See then what a miserable case he that dies in an unregenerate state is in he departs from a long sickness to a longer hell from the gripe of death to the everlasting torments of hell And in hell he lift up his eyes Ah Friends if you were but yourselves you would have a care of your Souls if you did but regard you would see how mad they are that slight the salvation of their souls O what will it profit thy soul to have pleasure in this life and torments in hell Mark 8. 36. Thou hadst better part with all thy sins and pleasures and companions or whatsoever thou delightest in than to have Soul and Body to be cast into hell O then do not now neglect our Lord Jesus Christ lest thou drop down to hell Heb. 2. 3. Consider would it not wound thee to thine heart to come upon thy deathbed and instead of having the comfort of a well-spent life and the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ together with the comforts of his glorious Spirit to have first the sight of ill-spent life thy sins flying in thy face thy conscience uttering itself with Thunderclaps against thee the thoughts of God terrifying of thee death with his merciless paw seizing upon thee the devils standing ready to scramble for thy soul and hell enlarging herself and ready to swallow th●e up and eternity of misery and torment attending upon thee from which there will be no release For mark death doth not come alone to an unconverted soul but with such company as were thou but sensible of it would make thee tremble I pray consider that Scripture Rev. 6. 8. And I looked and beheld a pale horse and his name that sat on him was Death and hell followed with him Mark death doth not come alone to the ungodly no but hell goeth with him O miserable Comforters O miserable Society here comes death and hell unto thee Death goeth into thy body and separates body and soul asunder hell stands without as I may say to embrace or rather to crush thy soul between its everlasting grinders Then thy mirth thy joy thy sinful delights will be eased when this comes to pass so it will come Blessed are all those that through Christ Jesus his merits by saith do escape these soul-murthering companions And in hell he lift up his eyes The third thing you know that we did observe from these words was this That some are so fast asleep and secure in their sins that they scarce know where they are until they come into hell And that I told you I gather by these words In hell he life up his eyes Mark it was in hell that he lift up his eyes Now some do understand by these words that he came to himself or began to consider with himself or to think with himself in what an estate he was and what he was deprived of which is still a confirmation of the thing laid down by me There it is that they come to themselves that is there they are sensible where they are indeed Thus it fares with some men that they scarce know where they are till they lift up their eyes in hell It is with these people as with those that fall down in a swoon you know if a man do fall down in a swoon in one room though you take him up and carry him into another yet he is not sensible where he is till he cometh unto himself and lifteth up his eyes Truly thus it is to be feared it is with many poor souls they are so senseless so hard so feared in their Conscience 1 Tim. 4. 2. that they are very ignorant of their state and when death comes i● strikes them as it were into a swoon especially if they die suddenly and so they are hurried away and scarce know where they are till in hell they lift up their eyes this is he who ●ye●h in his full strength fully at ease and quiet Job 21. 23. Of this sort are they spoken of in Psalm 73. where he saith There are no bonds in their death but their strength is firm They are not troubled as other folk neither are they plagued like other men And again they spend their days in wealth and in a moment mark in a moment before they are aware they go down to the grave Job 21. 17. Indeed this is too much known by woeful and daily experience sometimes when we go to visit them that are sick in the Towns and places where we live Oh how senseless how feared in their Consciences are they they are neither sensible of heaven not of hell of sin nor a Saviour speak to them of their condition and the state of their souls and you shall find them as ignorant as if they had no souls to regard Others though they lie ready to die yet they are busying themselves about their outward affairs as though they should certainly live here even to live and enjoy the same for ever Again come to others speak to them about the state of their souls though they have no more experience of the new birth then a beast yet will they speak as confidently of their eternal state and the welfare of their souls as if they had the most excellent experience of any man or woman in the world saying I shall have Peace Deut. 29. 19 When as I said even now the Lord knows they are as ignorant of the new birth of the nature and operation of Faith of the witness of the Spirit as if there were no new birth no faith no witness of the Spirit of Christ in any of the Saints in the world Nay thus many of them are even an hour or less before their departure Ah poor souls though they may go away here like a lamb as the world says yet if you could but follow them a little to stand and listen soon after their departure it is to be feared you should hear them roa● like a Lion at their first entrance into Hell far worse than ever did Corah etc. when they went down quick into the ground Numb 16. 31 32 33 34 35. Now by this one thing doth the devil take great advantage on the hearts of the ignorant suggesting unto them that because the party deceased departed so quietly without all doubt they are gone to rest and joy when alas it is to be feared the reason why they went away so quietly was rather because they were senseless and hardened in their Consciences yea dead before in sins and trespasses For had they had but some awakenings on their death beds as some have had they would have made all the Town to ring of their doleful condition But because they are seared and ignorant and so depart quietly therefore the world takes heart at grass as we use to say and make no great matter of living and dying they cannot tell how therefore pride compasseth them as a chain Psal. 73. 5 6. But let them look to themselves for if they have not an interest in the Lord Jesus now while they live in the world they will whether they die raging or still goun●o the same place and lift up their eyes in hell O my friends did you but know what a miserable condition they are in that go out of this world without an interest in the Son of God it would make you smite upon your thigh and in the bitterness of your souls cry out Acts 16. 29 30 31. Men and brethren what shall we do to be saved And not only so but thou wouldst not be comforted until thou didst find a rest for thy soul in the Lord Jesus Christ Verse 23. And in hell he lift up his eyes being in torments and seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom Something in brief I have observed from the first part of this verse namely from these words And in hell he lift up his eyes And indeed I have observed but something for they are very full of matter and many things might be taken notice of in them There is one thing more that I might touch upon as touched in this saying and that is this Methink the Lord Jesus Christ doth hereby signify that men are naturally unwilling to see or take notice of their sad state I say by nature but though now they are willingly ignorant yet in hell they shall lift up their eyes That is in hell they shall see and understand their miserable condition and therefore to these words In hell he lift up his eyes he added being in torment As if he had said Though once they shut their eyes though once they were 2 Pet. 3. 5. willingly ignorant yet when they depart into hell they shall be so miserably handled and tormented that they shall be forced to lift up their eyes While men live in this world and are in a natural state they will have a good conceit of themselves and of their condition they will conclude that they are Christians that Abraham is their father Matth. 3. 7 8. and their state to be as good as the best they will conclude they have faith the Spirit good hope and an interest in the Lord Jesus Christ but then when they drop into hell and lift up their eyes there and behold first their soul to be in extreme torments their dwelling to be the bottomless pit their company thousands of damned souls also the innumerable company of devils and the hot scalding vengeance of God not only to drop but to fall very violently upon them then they will begin to be awakened who all their life time were in a dead sleep I say when this comes to pass Lo it will then in hell they shall lift up their eyes in the midst of torments they shall lift up their eyes Again you may observe from these words And in hell he lift up his eyes being in torment That the time of the ungodly men's smarting for their sins will be in the torments of hell Now here I am put to a stand when I consider the torments of hell into which the damned do fall O unspeakable torments O endless torments Now that thy soul might be made to slay from these intolerable torments into which the damned do go I shall show you briefly what are the torments of hell First by the names of it Secondly by the sad state thou wilt be in if thou comest there First the names It is called a never dying worm Mark 9 It is called an oven fire hot Malach. 4. 1. It is called a furnace a fiery furnace Mat. 13. It is called the bottomless pit the unquenchable fire fire and brimstone hell fire the lake of fire devouring fire everlasting fire eternal fire a stream of fire Rev. 21. First one part of thy torments will be this thou shalt have a full fight of all thy ill spent life from first to last though here thou canst sin to day and forget it by to morrow yet there thou shalt be made to remember how thou didst sin against God at such a time and in such a place for such a thing and with such an one which will be an hell unto thee Psal. 50. 21. God will set them in order before thine eyes 2. Thou shalt have the guilt of them all lie heavy on thy soul not only the guilt of one or two but the guilt of them altogether and there they shall lie in thy soul as if thy belly were full of pitch and set on a light fire Here men can sometimes think on their sins with delight but there with unspeakable torment for that I understand to be the fire that Christ speaketh of which shall never be quenched Mark 8. 43 44 45 46. While men live here O how doth the guilt of one sin sometimes crush the soul it makes a man in such plight that he is weary of his life so that he can neither rest at home nor abroad neither up nor in bed Nay I do know that they have been so tormented with the guilt of one sinful thought that they have been even at their wit's end and have hanged themselves But now when thou comest into hell and hast not only one or two or an hundred sins with the guilt of them all on thy soul and body but all the sins that ever thou didst commit since thou camest into the world altogether clapped on thy conscience at one time as one should clap a red hot iron to thy breasts and there to continue to all eternity this is miserable 3. Again than thou shalt have brought into thy remembrance the slighting of the Gospel of Christ here thou shalt consider how willing Christ was to come into the world to save sinners and for what a trifle thou didst reject him This is plainly held forth in Esay 28. wheres speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ the foundation of salvation ver 16. he saith of them that reject the Gospel that when the overflowing scourge doth pass through the earth which I understand to be at the end of the world then saith he It shall take you morning by morning by day and by night shall it pass over you that is continually without any intermission And it shall be a vexation only to hear the report A vexation that is a torment or a great part of hell only to understand the report to understand the good tidings that came into the world by Christ's death for poor sinners and you will find this to be verily the mind of the Spirit if you compare it with Chap. 53. of Esay verse 1. where he speaks of men's turning their backs upon the tenders of God's grace in the Gospel he saith Who hath believed our report or the Gospel declared by us Now this will be a mighty torment to the ungodly when they shall understand the goodness of God was so great that he even sent his Son out of his bosom to die for sinners and yet that they should be so foolish as to put him off from one time to another that they should be so foolish as to lose heaven and Christ and eternal life in glory for the society of a company of drunkards that they should lose their souls for a little sport for this world for a strumpet for that which is lighter than vanity and nothing I say this will be a very great torment unto thee 4. Another part of thy torment will be this Thou shalt see thy friends thy acquaintance thy neighbours nay it may be thy Father thy mother thy wife thy husband thy children thy brother thy sister with others in the Kingdom of heaven and thyself thrust out Luke 13. 28. There shall be weeping etc. when you shall see Abraham your father and Isaac and Jacob together with your brethren the Prophets in the Kingdom of heaven and yourselves thrust out Nay saith he There shall come from the East and from the West that is th●se that thou didst never see in all thy life before and they shall sit down with thy friends and thy neighbours thy wife and thy children in the Kingdom of Heaven and thou for thy sins and disobedience sh●l● be shut nay thrust out O wonderful ●o●ment 5. Again thou shalt have none but a company of damned souls with an innumerable company of devils to keep company with thee While thou art in this World the very thoughts of the devils appearing to thee makes thy flesh to tremble and thine hair ready to stand upright on thy head But O what wilt thou do when not only the supposition of the devils appearing but the real society of all the devils in hell be with thee howling and roaring screeching and roaring in such a hideous manner that thou wilt be even at thy wit's end and be ready to run stark mad again for anguish and torment 6. Again that thou mightest be tormented to purpose the mighty God of heaven will lay as great wrath and vengeance upon thee as ever he can by the might of his glorious power As I said before Thou shalt have his wrath not by drops but by whole showers shall it come thunder thunder upon thy body and soul so fast and so thick that thou shalt be tormented out of measure And so saith the Scripture 2 Thes. 1. 9 speaking of the wicked Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power when the Saints shall be admiring his goodness and glory Again this thou shalt have as I said before without any intermission thou shalt not have any ease so long as while a man may turn himself round thou shalt have it always every hour day and night for their worth never dies but always gnaws and their fire is never quenched As it is written in Mark 9 7. Again in this condition thou must be for ever and that is as sad as all the rest For if a man were to have all his sins laid to his charge and communion with the devils and as much wrath as the great God of heaven can inflict upon them I say if it were but for a time even ten thousand years and so end there would be ground of comfort and hopes of deliverance but here is thy misery this is thy state for ever here thou must be for ever when thou lookest about thee and seest what an innumerable company of howling devils thou art amongst thou shalt think this again this is my portion for ever When thou h●st been in hell so many thousand years as there are stars in the firmament or drops in the Sea or sands on the seashore yet thou hast to lie there for ever O this one word ever how will it torment thy Soul Friends I have only given a very short touch of the torments of Hell O! I am set I am set and am not able to u●ter what my mind conceives of the torments of Hell Yet this let me say to thee accept of God's mercy through our Lord Jesus Christ lest thou feel that with thy Conscience which I cannot express with my Tongue and say I am sorely tormented in this flame And seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his Bosom When the damned are in this pitiful state surrounded with fears with terrors with torment and vengeance one thing they shall have which is this they shall see the happy and blessed state of God's Children he seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his Bosom which as I said before is the happy state of the Saints when this life is ended This now shall be so far from being an ease unto them that it shall most wonderfully aggravate or heighten their torment as I said before There shall be weeping or cause of lamentation when they shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven and themselves thrust out 2. Observe those that die in their sins are far from going to Heaven He seeth Abraham a far off and Lazarus in his Bosom And indeed it is just with God to deal with them that die in their sins according to what they have done and to make them who are far from Righteousness now to stand far from Heaven to all Eternity Harken to this ye stouthearted that are far from Righteousness and that are resolved to go on in your sins when you die you will be far from Heaven you will see Lazarus but it will be afar off Again he seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his Bosom These are some of the things that the damned do behold so soon as they come into torment Mark And he seeth Lazarus in Abraham's Bosom Lazarus Who was he Why even he that was so slighted so disregarded so undervalved by this ungodly one while he was in the World he seeth Lazarus in his Bosom From whence observe That those who live and die the enemies of the Saints of God let them be never so great or stout let them bear never so much sway while they are in the World let them ●rag and boast never so much while they are here they shall in spite of their teeth see the Saints yea the poor Saints even the Lazarus' or the ragged ones that belong to Jesus to be in a better condition than themselves O who do you think was in the best condition or who do you think saw themselves in the best condition he that was in Hell or he that was in Heaven He that was in darkness or he that was in light He that was in everlasting joy or he that was in everlasting torments The one with God Christ Saints Angels the other in tormenting flames under the curse of God's eternal hatred with the Devils and their Angels together with an innumerable company of howling roaring cursing ever burning Reprobates Certainly this observation will be easily proved to be true here in this World by him that looks upon it with an understanding heart and will clear itself to be true in the World to come by such as shall go either to Heaven or to Hell 2. The second Observation from these words And seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his Bosom is this They that are the persecutors of the Saints of the Lord now in this World shall see the Lords persecuted ones to be they that are so highly esteemed by the Lord as to sit or to be in Abraham's bosom in everlasting glory though the enemies to the Children of God did so lightly esteem them that they scorn to let them gather up the Dog's meat that falls under their Table this is also verified and held forth plainly by this Parable And therefore be not grieved O you that are the tempted persecuted afflicted sighing praying Saints of the Lord though your adversaries look upon you now with a disdainful surly rugged proud and haughty countenance yet the time shall come when they shall spy you in Abraham's Bosom I might enlarge upon these things but shall leave them to the Spirit of the Lord which can better by ten thousand degrees enlarge them on thy heart and conscience than I can upon a piece of paper Therefore leaving these to the blessing of the Lord I shall come to the next Verse and shall be brief in speaking to that also and so pass to the rest Verse 24. And he cried and said Father Abraham have mercy upon me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water to cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame YOu know I told you the 22th Verse is a discovery of the departure of the godly and the ungodly out of this life where he saith The beggar died and the rich man also died The 23. Verse is a discovery of the proper places both of the godly and the ungodly after death one being in Abraham's Bosom or in glory the other in Hell Now this 24 Verse is a discovery of part of the too late repentance of the ungodly when they are dropped down into Hell And he cried and said Father Abraham have mercy upon me From these words And he cried we may observe first What a change the ungodly will have when they come into Hell He cried it is like he was laughing jesting jeering drinking mocking swearing cursing prating persecuting of the godly in his prosperity among his filthy companions but now the case is otherwise now he is in another frame now his proud flout currish carriage is come down And he cried The laughter of the ungodly will not last always but will be sure to end in a cry The triumphing of the wicked is short Job 20 5. Consider you must have a change either here or in Hell If you be not new creatures regenerate persons newborn Babes in this World before you go hence your note will be changed your conditions will be changed for if you come into Hell you must cry O did but the singing drunkards when they are making merry on the Alebench think on this it would make them change their note and cry What shall I do whither shall I go when I die But as I said before the Devil as he labours to get poor souls to follow their sins so he labours also to keep the thoughts of eternal damnation out of their minds and indeed these two things are so nearly linked together that the Devil cannot well get the Soul to go on in sin with delight unless he can keep the Thoughts of that terrible after-clap out of their minds But let them know that it shall not always be thus with them for if when they depart they drop down into Eternal Destruction they shall have such a sense of their sins and the punishment due to the same that it shall make them to cry And he cried O what an alteration will there be among the ungodly when they go out of this World it may be a Fortnight or a Month before their departure they were light stour surly drinking themselves drunk slighting God's People mocking at goodness and delighting in sin following the World seeking after Riches faring deliciously keeping company with the bravest but now they are dropped down into Hell they cry A little while ago they were painting their Faces feeding their Lusts following their Whores robbing their Neighbours telling of Lies following of Plays and Sports to pass away the time but now they are in Hell they do cry It may be last Year they heard some good Sermons was invited to receive Heaven was told their sins should be pardoned if they closed in with Jesus but refusing his proffers and slighting the Grace that was once tendered they are now in Hell and do cry Before they had so much time they thought that they could not tell how to spend it unless it were in Hunting and Whoring in dancing and playing and spending whole hours yea days nay weeks in the Lusts of the Flesh but when they depart into another place and begin to lift up their Eyes in Hell and consider their miserable and irrecoverable condition they will cry O what a condition wilt thou fall into when thou dost depart this World if thou depart unconverted and not born again thou hadst better have been smothered the first hour thou wast born thou hadst better have been plucked one Limb from another thou hadst better have been made a Dog a To●d a Serpent nay any other Creature in the visible World than to die unconverted and this thou wilt find to be true when in Hell thou dost life up thine Eyes and dost cry Here then before we go any further you may see that it is not without good ground that these words are here spoken by our Lord That when any of the ungodly do depart into Hell they will cry Cry why so 1. They will cry to think that they should be cut off from the Land of the Living never more to have any footing therein 2. They will cry to think that the Gospel of Christ should be so often proffered them and yet they are not profited by it 3. They will cry to think that now though they would never so willingly repent and be saved yet they are passed all Recovery 4. They will cry to think that they should be so foolish as to follow their pleasures when others were following of Christ Luke 13. 28. 5. They will cry to think that they must be separated from God Christ and the Kingdom of Heaven and that for ever 6. To think that their crying will now do them no good 7. To think that at the Day of Judgement they must stand at the left hand of Christ among an innumerable Company of the Damned Ones 8. They will cry to think that Lazarus whom once they slighted must be of them that must sit with Christ to judge or together with Christ to pass a Sentence of Condemnation on their Souls for ever and ever 1 Cor. 6. 2 3. 9 Cry to think that when the Judgement is over and others are taken into the everlasting Kingdom of Glory than thou must depart back again into that Dungeon of Darkness from whence thou camest out ●o appear before that terrible Tribunal where thou shalt be tormented so long as Eternity lasts without the least intermission or ease How sayest thou O thou wanton proud swearing lying ungodly Wretch whether this be to be slighted and made a mock at And again tell me now if it be not better to leave sin and to close in with Christ Jesus notwithstanding that Reproach thou shalt meet with for so doing than to live a little while in this World in pleasures and feeding thy Lu●●s in neglecting the welfare of thy Soul and refusing to be justified by Jesus and in a moment to drop down to Hell and to cry O consider I say consider bet●●es and put not off the Tenders of the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ lest you lift up your Eyes in Hell and cry for anguish of Spirit And he cried and said Father Abraham have mercy upon me and send Lazarus etc. These words do not o●●●●●old forth the lamentable Condition of the Damned and their lamentable howling and crying one under their anguish of spirit but also they do signify to us as I said before their too late Repentance and also that they would very willingly if they might be set at liberty from that everlasting ●●●ery that by their sins they have plunged themselves into I say these words do hold forth a desire that the Damned have to be delivered from those Torments that they now are in O Father Abraham saith he have mercy upon me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my Tongue for I am tor●●●ted in this flame These words Father Abraham may have some difficulty in them It is possible that some may think them to be meant of Abraham and those or him that ctieth out here to be the Jews Or it may be some may understand it to be GOD or Jesus Christ his Son which I rather suppose it may be that is here cried out unto because you find the same Cry to him as it were uttered by the ungodly in other places of the Scripture as in Luke 13. vers. 25 26. Then shall they say Lord Lord we have eat and drunk in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streets Nay more In thy Name have we cast out Devils and in thy Name done many wonderful Works This was just at their rejection And again in Matth. 25. 11. They cry again to him even to Jesus Lord Lord open to us And he there again gives them a Repulse as also in this Parable But however or whosoever Abraham is yet these Truths may be observed from the words 1. That the Damned when in an irrecoverable estate will seek for or desire deliverance from the Wrath that they are and shall be in for Eternity Surely in the Flood of great Waters they shall not come nigh unto him 2. That they will pray if I may so call it earnestly for deliverance from their miserable estate These two Things are clear from the words For mark He not only said Father Abraham have mercy upon me But he cried and said Father Abraham have mercy on me From whence take a third observation and that is There is a time coming wherein though men shall both cry and pray yet they are like to have no mercy at the Hands of God for so was this man served as I shall further show by and by when I come to it Some People are so deluded by the Devil as to think that God is so merciful as to own or regard any thing for prayer They think any thing will go for currant and good satisfaction while they are here in this World through ignorance of the true nature of the Mercy of GOD and the knowledge in what way God is satisfied for Sinners Now I say through ignorance they think that if they do but mutter over some form of prayers though they know not what they say not what they request yet God is satisfied yea very well satisfied with their doings when alas there is nothing less O Friends I beseech you to look about you and seek in good earnest for the Spirit of Christ so to help you now ●o strive and pray and to enable you to lay hold of Christ that your Souls may be saved lest the time come that though you cry and p●ay and wish also that you ●ad ●●●d hold on the Lord Jesus yet you must and shall be damned Then 〈…〉 th●● though God be willing to save Sinners at some time yet this time do●h not always l●st No he that can find in his to turn hi● back upon Jesus Christ now the upon him hereafter when he may cry and pray for mercy and yet go without it God will have a time to meet with them that now do not seek after him They shall have a time yea time enough hereafter to repent their Folly and to befool themselves for turning their backs upon the Lord Jesus Christ I will laugh at their Calamities saith he and mock when their fear cometh Prov. 1. 26 27. Again this should admonish us to take time while it is proffered le●t we repent us of our unbelief and Rebellion when we are deprived of it Ah Friends Time is precious an hours time to hear a Sermon is precious I have sometimes thought thus with myself Set the case the Lord should send two or three of his Servants the Ministers of the Gospel to Hell among the Damned with this Commission Go ye to Hell and preach my Grace to those that are there Let your Sermon be an hour long and hold forth the Merits of my Son's Birth Righteousness Death Resurrection Ascension and Intercession with all my Love in him and proffer it to them telling them that now once more and but once do I proffer the means of Reconciliation to them They who are now roaring being past hope would then leap at the least proffer of Mercy Oh they that could spend whole Days Weeks nay Years in rejecting the Son of God would now be glad of one Tender of that Mercy Father saith he have mercy on me Again from these words you may observe that Mercy will be welcome when Souls are under Judgement Now his Soul is in the fire now he is under the Wrath of God now he is in Hell there to be tormented now he is with the Devils and damned Spirits now he feels the Vengeance of God Now oh now have mercy on me Here you may see that Mercy is prized by them that are in Hell they would be glad if they could have it Father have Mercy on me For my poor Souls sake send me a little Mercy And send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my Tongue These words do not only hold forth that the ungodly have a desire of Mercy but what those Mercies are that these poor Creatures would be glad of As first To have the company of a Lazarus granted to them Father Abraham have mercy upon me and send Lazarus Now Lazarus was he that was beloved of God and also he that was hated of them Therefore 2. Observe That those Saints that the World in their Life-time could not in●ure now they are departed they would be glad to have society with them O now send Lazarus though the time was when I cared not for him yet now let me have some Society with him Though the world disregard the society of God's children now yet there is a time coming in which they would be glad to have the least company with them Nay do but observe those of the Saints that are now most rejected by them even from them shall they be glad of comfort if it might be Send Lazarus he that I slighted more than my dogs he that I could not endure should come into my house but must lie at my gate send him Now Lazarus shall be welcome to me now do I desire some comfort from him but he shall go without it From whence again observe That there is a time coming O ye surly dogged persecutors of the Saints that they shall slight you as much as ever you slighted them You have given them many an hard word told many a lie of them given them many a blow And now in your greatest need and extremity they shall not pity you The Righteous shall rather rejoice when he seeth the vengeance of God upon thee Psal. 58. 10. Again Send Lazarus From whence observe That any of the Saints shall then be owned by you to be Saints Now ye look upon them to be of the Sect with Hymeneus and Philetus but than you shall see them to be the Lazarus's of God even Gods dear Children Though now the Saints of the Lord will not be owned by you because they are beggarly poor low contemptible among you yet the day is coming that you shall own them desire their company and wish for the least courtesy from them Send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame Thus shall the souls that abide in their sins cry out in the bitterness of their spirits with wonderful anguish and torment of conscience without intermission that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue That he namely the man who before I scorned should eat with the dogs of my flock that before I slighted and had no regard of that I shut out of door send him that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue Now these words that he may dip the tip of his finger in water etc. do hold forth the least friendship or favour As if he should have said Now I would be glad of the least mercy now I would be glad of the least comfort though it be but one drop of cold water on the tip of his finger One would have thought that this had been a small request a small courtesy one drop of water what is that Take a pail full of it if that will do thee any good But mark he is not permitted to have so much as one drop not so much as a man may hold upon the tip of his finger This signifies That they that fall short of Christ shall be tormented even as long as eternity lasteth and shall not have so much as the least ease no not so long as while a man may turn himself round not so much leave as to swallow his spittle not a drop of cold water O that these things did take place in your hearts how would it make you to seek after rest for your souls before it be too late before the Sun of the Gospel be set upon you Consider I say the misery of the ungodly that they shall be in and avoid their vices by closing in with the tenders of mercy lest you partake of the same portion with them and cry out in the bitterness of your souls One drop of cool water and cool my tongue For I am tormented in this flame Indeed the reason why the poor world do not so earnestly desire for mercy is partly because they do not so seriously consider the torment that they must certainly fall into if they die out of Christ For let me tell you did but poor souls indeed consider that wrath that doth by right fall to their shares because of their sins against God they would make more haste to God through Christ for mercy than they do Then we should have them say it is good closing with Christ to day before we fall into such distress But why is it said Let him dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue Because that as the several members in the body have heir share in sin and committing of that so the several members of the body shall at that time be punished for the same Therefore when Christ is admonishing his disciples that they should not turn aside from him and that they should rather fear and dread the power of their God than any other power he saith Fear him therefore that can cast both body and soul into hell Luke 12. 4. And again Fear him that can destroy both soul and body in hell Here is not one member only but all the body the whole body of which the hands feet eyes ears and tongue are members And I am persuaded that though this may be judged carnal by some now yet it will appear to be a truth then to the greater misery of those who shall be forced to undergo that which God in his just Judgement shall inflict upon them O than they will cry one dram of ease for my cursing swearing lying jeering tongue Some ease for my bragging braving flattering threatening dissembling tongue Now men can let their tongues run at random as we use to say now they will be apt to say Our tongues are our own who shall control them Psal. 12. 4. But then they will be in another mind Then O that I might have a little ease for my deceitful tongue Methinks sometimes to consider how some men do let their tongues run at random it makes me marvel Surely they do not think they shall be made to give an account for their offending with their tongue Did they but think they shall be made to give an account to him who is ready to judge the quick and the dead surely they would be more wary of and have more regard unto their tongue The tongue saith James is an unruly member full of deadly poison it setteth on fire the whole frame of nature and is set on fire of hell Jam. 2. The tongue how much mischief will it stir up a very little time How many blows and wounds doth it cause How many times doth it as James saith curse man How oft is the tongue made the conveyer of that hellish poison that is in the heart both to the dishonour of God the hurt of its neighbours and the utter ruin of its own soul And do you think the Lord will sit still as I may say and let thy Tongue run as it lists and yet never bring you to an account for the same No stay The Lord will not always keep silence but will reprove thee and set thy sins in order before thine eyes O sinner Yea and thy Tongue together with the rest of thy members shall be tormented for sinning And I say I am very confident that though this be made light of now yet the time is coming when many poor souls will rue the day that ever they did speak with a tongue O will one say that I should so disregard my tongue O that I when I said so and so had before bitten off my tongue that I had been born without a tongue my tongue my tongue a little water to cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame even that flame that my tongue together with the rest of my members by sinning have brought me to Poor Souls now will let their tongues say any thing for a little profit for two pence or three pence gain But O what a grief will this be at that day when they together with their tongue must smart for that which they by their tongues have done while they were in this world Then you that love your souls look to your tongues lest you bind yourselves down so fast to hell with the sins of your tongues that you will never be able to get loose again to all eternity For by thy words thou shalt be condemned if thou have not a care of thy tongue For I say unto you that for every idle word that men shall speak he shall give an account thereof in the day of judgement Matth. 1● 36. Verse 25. But Abraham said Son remember that thou in thy life-time hadst thy good things and likewise Lazarus evil things now he is comforted and thou art tormented THese words are the answer to the request of the damned The Verse before as I told you is a discovery of the desires they have after they depart this world Here is the answer Son Remember etc. The answer signifies thus much That instead of having any relief or ease they are hereby the more tormented and that by fresh recollections or by bringing afresh their former ill-spent life while in the world into their remembrance Son Remember thou hadst good things in thy life-time As much as if he had said Thou art now sensible what it is to lose thy Soul thou art now sensible what it is to put off repentance thou art now sensible that thou hast befooled thyself in that thou didst spend that time in seeking after outward momentary earthly things which thou shouldest have spent in seeking to make Jesus Christ sure to thy soul and now through thy anguish of spirit in the pains of hell thou wouldst enjoy that which in former time thou didst make light of but alas thou art here beguiled and altogether disappointed thy crying will now avail thee nothing at all This is not the acceptable time 2 Cor. 6. 2. This is not a time to answer the desires of damned Reprobates If thou hadst cried out in good earnest while grace was offered much might have been but then thou wert careless and didst turn the forbearance and goodness of God into wantonness wert thou not told that these who would not hear the Lord when he did call should not be heard if they turned away from him when they did call Prov. 1. 24. to 28. But chose he would lough at their calamity and mock when their fear did come Now therefore instead of expecting the least drop of mercy and favour call into thy mind how thou didst spend those days which God did permit thee to live I say remember that in thy life-time thou didst behave thyself rebelliously against the Lord in that thou wert careless of his Word and Ordinances yea and of the welfare of thine own soul also therefore now I say instead of expecting or hoping for any relief thou must be forced to call to remembrance thy filthy ways and feed upon them to thine everlasting astonishment and confusion From these words therefore which say Remember that thou in thy life time hadst thy good things There are these things to be taken notice of 1. They that by putting off repentance and living in their sins lose their souls shall instead of having the least measure of comfort when they come into hell have their ill-spent life always very fresh in their remembrance While they live here they can sin and forget it but when they depart they shall have it before them they shall have a remembrance or their memory notably enlightened and a clearer and a continual sight of all their wicked practices that they wrought and did while they were in the World Son remember saith he than you will be made to remember 1. How you were born in sin and brought up in the same 2. Remember how thou hadst many a time the Gospel preached to thee for taking away of the same by him whom the Gospel doth hold forth 3. Remember that out of love to thy sins and lusts thou didst turn thy back on the tenders of the same Gospel of good tidings and peace 4. Remember that the reason why thou didst lose thy Soul was because thou didst not close in with free grace and the tenders of a loving and freehearted Jesus Christ 5. Remember how near thou wast to turning at such and such a time only thou wast willing to give way to thy lusts when they wrought to drunkards when they called to pleasures when they proffered themselves to the cares and encumbrances of the world which like so many thorns did choke that or those convictions that were set on thy heart 6. Remember how willing thou wast to satisfy thyself with an Hypocrites hope and with a notion of the things of God without the real power and life of the same 7. Remember how thou when thou wert admonished to turn didst put off turning and repe●●ng till another time 8. Remember how thou didst dissemble at such ● time ●●e at such a time cheat thy neighbour at such a time mock slout scoff taunt hate persecute the people of God at such a time in such a place among such company 9 Remember that while others were met together in the fear of the Lord to seek him thou wast met with a company of vain companions to sin against him while the Saints were a praying thou were a cursing while they were speaking good of the name of God thou wert speaking evil of the Saints of God O then thou shalt have a scalding hot remembrance of all thy sinful thoughts words and actions from the very first to the last of them that ever thou didst commit in all thy life time Then thou wilt find that Scripture to be a truth Deut. 28. 65 66 67. The Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart and failing of eyes and sorrow of mind And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee and thou shalt fear day and night and shalt have none assurance of thy life In the morning thou shalt say would God it were even and at even thou shalt say would God it were morning for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see Nay thou wilt find worse things to thy woe then this Scripture doth manifest For indeed there is no tongue able to express the horror terror torment and eternal misery that those poor souls shall undergo without the least mitigation or ease and a very great part of it shall come from that quick full and continual remembrance of their sins that they shall have And therefore there is much weight in these words Son remember that thou in thy life time hadst thy good things From these words you see this is to be observed that the ungodly shall remember or have in remembrance the mispending their lives Remember that in thy life time thou hadst thy good things You may take these words good things either simply for the things of this world which in themselves are called and may be called good things or else with these words namely the things of this life all the pleasures delights profits and vanities which the ignorant people of the world do count their good things and do very much cheer themselves therewith Soul soul eat drink and be merry for thou hast much goods laid up for many years Luke 12. 20. Now I say God according to his glorious Power and Wisdom will make poor Creatures have always in their minds a fresh and clear remembrance of their ill-spent life he will say unto them Remember remember that in thy life-time it was thus and thus with thee and in thy life-time thy carriage was so and so If Sinners might have their choice they would not have their sins and transgressions so much in remembrance as is evident by their carriages here in this Would for they will not endure to entertain a serious thought of their filthy life they put far away the evil day Amos 6. 3. Ezek. 12. 27. but will labour by all means to put the thought of it out of their mind but there they shall be made to remember to purpose and to think continually of their ungodly deeds And therefore it is said that when our Lord Jesus comes to Judgement it will be to convince the ungodly world of their wickel and ungodly deeds Mark To convince them Judas 14 15. They will not willingly take notice of them now But then they shall hereafter in spite of their teeth And also between this and then these that die out of Christ shall be made to see acknowledge and confess do what they can when they lift up their eyes in hell and remember their transgressions God will be a swift witness against them Mal. 3. 5. and will say Remember what thou didst in thy life-time how thou didst live in thy life time Ha Friend If thou dost not in these days of light remember the days of darkness Eccles. 11. 8. the days of Death Hell and Judgement thou shalt be made in the days of Darkness Death Hell and at the Judgement too to remember the days of the Gospel and how thou didst disregard them too to thy own destruction and everlasting misery This is intimated in that 25. of Matthew Remember that in thy life-time thou hadst thy good things The great God instead of giving the ungodly any ease will even aggravate their Torments first by slighting their perplexities and by telling of them what they must be thinking of Remember saith he O ye lost Souls that you had your joy in your life-time your peace in your life-time your comforts delights ease wealth health your Heaven your Happiness and your Portion in your life-time O miserable state Thou wilt then be in a sad condition indeed when thou shalt see that thou hast had thy good Things thy best Things thy pleasant Things for that is clearly signified by these words Remember that thou in thy life-time hadst thy good things or all the good things thou art like to have From whence take notice of another Truth though it be a dreadful one which is this There are many poor Creatures who have all their good sweet and comfortable Things in this Life or while they are alive in this World Remember saith h●● that in thy life-time thou hadst thy good things Psal. 17. 14. The Wickeds good Things will shortly have an end They will last no longer with them than this Life or their Life-●●ne That Scripture was not written in vain It is like the crackling of Thorns under a Pot make a little blaze for a sudden a little heat for a while but come and consider them by and by and instead of a comfortable heat you will find nothing but a few dead Ashes and instead of a flaming fire nothing but a smell of smoke There is a time coming that the ungodly would be glad of a better portion when they shall see the vanity of this that is when they shall see what a poor thing it is for a man to have his portion in this World 'T is true while they are here on this side Hell they think there is nothing to be compared with Riches Honours and Pleasures in this World which makes them cry out Who will show us any good Psal. 4. 6. that is comparable to the pleasures profits and glory of this World But then they will see there is another thing that is better and of more value than Ten Thousand Worlds And seriously Friends will it not grieve you trouble perplex and torment you when you shall see that you lost Heaven for a little pleasure and profits in your Life-time certainly it will grieve you and perplex you exceedingly to see what a blessed Heaven you left for a Dunghill World Oh! that you did but believe this that you did but consider this and say within yourselves What shall I be contented with my portion in this World What shall I lose Heaven for this World I say consider it while you have Daylight and Gospel-light while the Son of God doth hold out Terms of Reconciliation to you lest you be made to hear such a voice as this is Son remember that in thy life-time thou hadst thy good things Thy comforts thy joys thy ease thy peace and all the Heaven thou art like to have O poor Heaven O short pleasures what a pitiful thing it is to be left in such a case Soul consider is it not miserable to lose Heaven for 20 30 or 40 Years sinning against God When thy Life is done thy Heaven is also done when Death comes to separate thy Soul and Body in that day also thou must have thy Heaven and Happiness separated from Thee and Thou from That Consider these Things betimes lest Thou have thy portion in thy Life-time For if in this life only we have our portion we are of all people the most miserable ● Cor. 15. 19 Again consider that when other men the Saints are to receive their good things than thou hast had thine When others are to enter into joy than thou art to leave and depart from thy joy When others are to go to God thou must go to the Devil Oh miserable thou hadst better thou hadst never been born than to be an Heir of such a portion Therefore I say have a care it be not thy condition Remember that thou hadst thy good things and Lazarus evil things These words do not only hold forth the misery of the Wicked in this Life but also great consolation to the Saints where he saith And Lazarus evil things That is Lazarus had his Evil Things in his Life-time or when he was in the World From whence observe 1. That the Life of the Saints so long as they are in this World is attended with many Evils or Afflictions which may be discovered to be of divers Natures as saith the Scripture Many are the troubles of the Righteous but the Lord delivereth him out of all 2. Take notice that the Afflictions or Evils that accompany the Saints may continue with them their Life-time so long as they live in this Vale of Tears Yea and they may be divers that is of several sorts some outward some inward and that as long as they shall continue here below as hath been the Experience of all Saints in all Ages and this might be proved at large but I only hint in these Things although I might enlarge much upon them 3. The Evils that do accompany the Saints will continue with them no longer than their Life-time and here indeed lies the comfort of Believers the Lazarus' the Saints they must have all their bitter Cup wrung out to them in their Life-time Here must be all their Trouble here must be all their Grief Behold saith Christ the World shall rejoice but you shall lament but your mourning shall mark it shall be turned into joy Joh. 16. 2. You shall lament you shall be sorrowful you shall weep in your Life-time but your sorrow shall be turned into joy and your joy no man let him be what he will no man shall take away from you Now if you think when I say the Saints have all their Evil Things in their Life-time that I mean they have nothing else but Trouble in this their Life-time this is your mistake For let me test you That though the Saints have all their Evil Things in their Life-time yet even in their Life-time they have also joy unspeakable and full of glory while they look not at the things that are seen but at the things which are not seen The joy that the Saints have sometimes in their hearts by a believing consideration of the good Things to come when this Life is ended doth fill them fuller of joy than all the Crosses Troubles Temptations and Evils that accompany them in this Life can fill them with grief 2 Cor. 4. But some Saint may say My troubles are such as are ready to overcome me Answ. Yet be of good comfort they shall last no longer than thy Life-time But my Trouble is I am perplexed with an heart full of corruption and sin so that I am much hindered in walking with God Answ. 'T is like so but thou shalt have these Troubles no longer than thy Life-time But I have a cross Husband and that 's a great grief to me Well but thou shalt be troubled with him no longer than thy Life-time and therefore be not dismayed be not discomforted thou shalt have no Trouble longer than this Life-time Art thou troubled with cross Children cross Relations cross Neighbours They shall trouble thee no longer than this Life-time Art thou troubled with a cunning Devil with unbelief yea let it be what it will thou shalt take thy farewell of them all if thou be a Believer after thy Life-time is ended O excellent Then God shall wipe away all Tears from your Eyes There shall be no more Death nor Sorrow nor crying nor any more pain for the former Things are passed away But now on the contrary if thou be not a right and sound Believer Then though thou shouldst live a Thousand Years in this World and meet with sore Afflictions every day Yet these Afflictions be they never so great and grievous they are nothing to that Torment that will come upon thee both in Soul and in Body after this Life is ended I say be what thou wilt if thou be found in unbelief or under the first Covenant thou art sure to smart for it at the time when thou dost depart this World But the Thing to be lamented is For all this is so sad a condition to be fallen into yet poor Souls are for the most part senseless of it yea so senseless at sometimes as though there was no such misery to come hereafter Because the Lord doth no immediately strike with his Sword but doth bear long with his Creature waiting that he might be gracious Therefore I say the Hearts of some of the Sons of Men are wholly set upon it to do mischief Eccles. 8. 11. And that forbearance and goodness of God that one would think should lead them to Repentance the Devil hardening of them by their continuing in sin and by blinding their Eyes as to the end of God's forbearance toward them they are led away with a very hardened and senseless heart even until they drop into Eternal Destruction But poor hearts they must have a time in which they must be made sensible of their former Behaviours when the just Judgements of the Lord shall flame about their Ears insomuch that they shall be made to cry out again with anguish I am sorely tormented in this flame But now he is comforted and thou art tormented As if he should say Now hath God recompensed both Lazarus and you according to what you sought after while you were in this World As for your part you did neglect the precious Mercy and goodness of God you did turn your Back on the Son of God that came into the World to save sinners You made a Mock of preaching the Gospel You was admonished over and over to close in with the loving kindness of the Lord in his Son Jesus Christ The Lord let you live 20 30 40 50 60 Years all which time you instead of spending it to make your Calling and Election sure Job 21. 29 30. did spend it in making of Eternal Damnation sure to thy Soul And also Lazarus he in his Life-time did make it his business to accept of my Grace and Salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ When thou wast in the Alehouse he frequented the Word preached when thou wert jeering at goodness he was sighing for the sins of the times Eccles. 9 4. While thou wert swearing he was praying In a word while thou wert making sure of Eternal Ruin he by Faith in the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ was making sure of Eternal Salvation Therefore Now he is comforted and thou art tormented Here than you may see that as the Righteous shall not be always void of comfort and blessedness so neither shall the ungodly go always without their punishment As sure as God is in Heaven it will be thus They must have their several portions And therefore you that are the Saints of the Lord follow on be not dismayed For as much as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord 1 Cor. 15. last Verse Your portion is Eternal Glory And you that are so loath now to close in with Jesus Christ and to leave your sins to follow him Your day is coming Psal. 37. 13. in which you shall know that your sweet morsels of sin that you do so easily take down Job 20. 12 13 14. and it scarce troubles you will have a time so to work within you to your Eternal Ruin that you will be in a worse condition than if you had ten thousand Devils tormenting of you Nay you had better have been plucked Limb from Limb a thousand times if it could be than to be partakers of this Torment that will assuredly without Mercy lie upon you Vers. 26. And besides all this between us and you there is a great Gulf fixed so that they which would go from hence to you cannot neither can they come to us that would come from thence THese words are still part of that Answer that the Souls in Hell shall have for all their Sobbing Sighing ●grievous Cries Tears and Desires that they have to be released out of those intolerable pains they feel and are perplexed with And O methinks the words at the first view if rightly considered are enough to make any hard-hearted sinner in the World to fall down dead The verse I last spoke to was and is a very terrible one and aggravates the Torments of poor sinners wonderfully Where he saith Remember that thou in thy life time hadst thy good things and Lazarus his Evil things etc. I say these words are very terrible to those poor Souls that die out of Christ But these latter words do much more hold out their sorrow They were spoken as to the present condition then upon the sinner These do not only back the former but do yet further aggravate their misery holding forth that which will be more intolerable The former Verse is enough to smite any sinner into a swoon but this to make him fall down dead Where he saith And besides all this There is still something to aggravate thy misery yet far more abundantly I shall briefly speak to the words as they have relation to the Terror spoken of in the verses before As if he had said Thou thinkest thy present state unsupportable it makes thee sob and sigh it makes thee to rue the time that ever thou wert born Now thou findest the want of Mercy now thou wouldst leap at the least dram of it now thou feelest what it is to slight the Tenders of the Grace of God now it makes thee to sob sigh and roar exceedingly for the anguish that thou art in But besides all this I have other Things to tell thee of that will break thine heart indeed Thou art now deprived of a Being in the World Thou art deprived of hearing the Gospel the Devil hath been too hard for thee and hath made thee miss of Heaven Thou art now in Hell among an innumerable Company of Devils and all thy sins beset thee round Thou art all over wrapped in flames and canst not have one drop of water to give thee any ease Thou criest in vain for nothing will be granted Thou seest the Saints in Heaven which is no small trouble to thy Damned Soul Thou seest that neither God nor Christ takes any care to ease thee or to speak any comfort unto thee But besides all this There thou art and there thou art like to lie never think of any ease never look for any comfort Repentance now will do thee no good the Time is past and can never be called again look what thou hast now thou must have for ever 'T is true I speak enough before to break thine heart asunder But besides all this there lie and swim in flame for ever these words Besides all this are terrible words indeed I will give you the scope of them in a similitude Set case you should take a man and tie him to a stake and with red hot pincers pinch off his flesh by little pieces for two or three years together and at last when the poor man cries out for ease and help the tormentor's answer Nay but besides all this you must be handled worse We will serve you thus these 20. years together and after that we will fill your mangled body full of scalding lead or run you through with a red hot spit would not this be lamentable yet this is but a flea-biting to the sorrows of these that go to hell for if a man were served so there would ere it were long be an end of him But he that goes to Hell shall suffer ten thousand times worse torments than these and yet shall never be quite dead under them There they shall be ever whining pining weeping mourning ever tormented without ease and yet never dissolved into nothing if the biggest devil in hell might pull thee all to pieces and rend thee small as dust and dissolve thee into nothing thou wouldst count this a mercy But here thou mayest lie and fry scorch and broil and burn for ever For ever that is a long while and yet it must be so long Depart from me saith Christ into everlasting fire into the fire that burns for ever prepared for the devils and his Angels Mat. 25. 41. Oh thou that wert loath to foul thy foot if it were but dirty or did but rain thou that wert loath to come out of the Chimney corner if the wind 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 edify thy Soul thou shalt have fire enough thou shalt have night enough and evil company enough thy belly full if thou miss of Jesus Christ and besides all this thou shalt have them for ever and for ever O thou that dost spend whole nights in carding and dicing in rioting and wantonness thou that countest it a brave thing to swear as fast as the bravest to spend with the greatest spendthrift in the Country thou that lovest to sin in a corner when no body sees thee O thou that for byends dost carry on an hypocrites profession because thou wouldst be counted some body among the children of God but art an enemy to the things of Christ in thine heart thou that dost satisfy thyself either with sins or a bare profession of godliness thy soul will fall into extreme torment and anguish so soon as ever thou dost depart this world and there thou shalt be weeping and gnawing thy teeth Matth. 8. 11 12. And besides all this thou art like never to have any ease or remedy never look for any deliverance thou shal● die in thy sins and be tormented as many years as there are stars in the firmament or sands on the seashore and besides all this thou must abide it for ever And besides all this Between us and you there is a great gulf fixed so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot neither can they c●me to us that would come from thence There is a great gulf fixed You will say what is that Answ. It is a nice question therefore first seek thou rather to enter in at the strait gate than curiously to inquire what this gulf is But 2dly If thou wouldst needs know if thou do fall short of heaven thou wilt find it this namely The everlasting Decree of God that is There is a Decree gone forth from God That those who fall short of heaven in this world God is resolved they shall never enjoy it in the world to come And thou wilt find this gulf so deep that thou shalt never be able to wade through it as long as eternity lasts As Christ saith Agree with thine adversary quickly while thou art in the way with him lest he hale thee to the Judge and the Judge deliver thee to the Officer and thou be cast into Prison I tell thee thou shalt in no wise come out thence there is the gulf the Decree thou shalt not depart thence till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing or very last mite Luke 12. 58 59 These words therefore there is a great gulf fixed I do understand to be the everlasting Decree of God God hath Decreed That those who go to Heaven shall never go from thence again into a worse place and also those that go to hell and would come out they shall not come out thence again And friend this is such a gulf so fixed by him that cannot lie that thou wilt find it so which way soever thou goest whether it be to Heaven or Hell Here therefore thou seest how secure God will make those who die in the Faith God will keep them in Heaven but those that die in their sins God will throw them to Hell and keep them there so that they that would go from Heaven to Hell cannot neither can they come from Hell that would go to Heaven Mark he doth not say they would not for oh how fain would these who have lost their souls for a lust for two pence for a jug of Ale for a Strumpet for this World come out of that hot scolding fiery Furnace of God's eternal vengeance if they might but here is their misery they that would come from you to us that is from Hell to Heaven cannot They must not they shall not they cannot God hath Decreed it and is resolved the contrary here therefore lies the misery not so much that they are in Hell but there they must lie for ever and ever Therefore if thy heart would at any time tempt thee to fin against God cry out no for than I must go to Hell and lie there for ever If the Drunkards Swearers Liars and Hypocrites did but take this Doctrine sound down it would make them tremble when they think of sinning But poor Souls Now they will make a mock at sin Prov. 14. 9 and play with it as a child doth play with a rattle but the time is coming that these rattles that now they play with will make such a noise in their ears and Consciences that they shall find that if all the Devils in Hell were yelling at their heels the noise would not be comparable to i● Numb 32. 23. Friend Thy sins as so many Bloodhounds will first hunt thee out and then take thee and bind thee and hold thee down for ever Prov. 5. 22. They will gripe thee and gnaw thee as if thou hadst a nest of poisonous Serpents in thy bowels Job 20. 14. and this will not be for a time but as I have said for ever for ever for ever Verse 27. Then he said I pray thee therefore father that thou wouldst send him to my father's house THE Verses before I told you were spoken partly to hold forth a desire that the damned have to be freed of their endless misery Now this Verse still holds forth the Cries of those poor souls very vehement they would very fain have something granted to them but it will not be as will more clearly appear afterward Then he said I pray thee therefore Father etc. As if he should say Seeing I have brought myself into such a miserable condition that God will not regard me that my exceeding loud and bitter cries will not be heard for myself seeing I must not be admitted to have so much as one drop of cold water nor the least help from the poorest Saint And seeing besides all this here my Soul must lie to all Eternity broiling and frying Seeing I must whether I will or no undergo the hand of eternal vengeance and the rebukes of devouring fi●e seeing my state is such that I would not wish a dog in my condition Send him to my father's house It is worthy to be taken notice of again who it is he desired should be sent namely Lazaru● O friend see here how the stout hearts and stomaches of poor Creatures will be humbled as I said before they will be so brought down that those things that they disdained and made light of in this world they would be glad of in the life to come He who by this man was so slighted as that he thought it a dishonour that he should eat with the dogs of his flock What shall I regard Lazarus scrubbed beggarly Lazarus What shall I so far dishonour my fair sumptuous and gay house with such a scabbed creep-hedg as he No I scorn he should 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 pleasures now he sees his fine house his dainty dishes his rich neighbours and companions and he are parted asunder now he finds instead of pleasures torments instead of joy heaviness instead of heaven hell instead of the pleasures of ●he horror and guilt of sin O now send Lazarus Lazarus it may be might have done him some good he might have been entertained in time past might have persuaded him at least not to have gone on so grievously wicked but he slights him he will not regard him he is resolved to disown him though he lose his Soul for so doing ay but now send Lazarus if not to me yet to my father's house and let him tell them from me That if they run on in sin as I have done they must and shall receive the same wages that I have received Take notice of this you that are despisers of the least of the Lazarus's of our Lord Jesus Christ it may be now you are loath to receive these little ones of his because they are not Gentlemen because they cannot with Pontius Pilate speak Hebrew Greek and Latin Nay they must not shall not speak to them to admonish them and all because of this Though now the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ may be preached to them freely and for nothing nay they are now desired to hear and receive it Though now they will not own regard or embrace these Christian proffers of the glorious truth of Jesus because they come out of some of the basest earthen vessels 1 Cor. 1. 26. yet the time is coming when they will both sigh and cry Send him to my father's house I say remember this ye that despise the day of small things the time is coming when you would be glad if you might enjoy from God from Christ or his Saints one small drop of cold water though now you are unwilling to receive the glorious distilling drops of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Again see here the lamentable state they are in that go to hell from their Fathers Mothers Sisters Brothers etc. While they are in this World men delight to set their children ill examples and also children love to follow the wicked steps of their ungodly parents but when they depart this life and drop down into hell and find themselves in irrecoverable misery than they cry Send some body to my Father's house to my Brother's house Tell them my state is miserable tell them I am undone for ever and tell them also that if they will be walking in these ungodly steps wherein I left them they will assuredly fall into this place of torments I pray thee send him to my Father's House Ah friends and neighbours it is like you little think of this that some of your friends and relations are crying out in hell Lord send some body to my Father's House to preach the Gospel to them lest they also come into these torments Here men while they live can willingly walk together in the way of sin and when they are parted by death they that are living seldom or never consider of the sad condition that they that are dead are descended into But ye ungodly fathers how are your ungodly children roaring now in hell and you ungodly children how are your ungodly parents that lived and died ungodly now in the pains of hell also and one drunkard is singing on the Alebench and another roaring under the wrath of God saying O that I was with him how would I rebuke him and persuade him by all means to leave off these evil courses O that they did but consider what I now suffer for pride covetousness drunkenness lying swearing stealing wh●●●ng and the like Oh! did they but feel the tho●●●ndth part thereof it would make them look about them and not buy sin at so dear a rate as I have done even with the loss of my precious soul. Send him to my Father's house Not to my Father but to my Father's House It may be there 's ungodly children there 's ungodly servants wallowing in their ungodliness send him therefore to my Father's house It is like they are still the same that I left them I left them wicked and they are wicked still I left them slighters of the Gospel Saints and ways of God and they do it still send him to my Father's house it is like there is but a little between them and the place where I am send him to day before tomorrow lest they come into the same place of torment I pray thee that thou wouldst send him I beg it on my bent knee with crying and with tears in the Agony of my soul. It may be they will not consider if thou do not send him I left them so●tish enough hardened as well as I they have the same Devil to tempt them the same lusts and world to overcome them I pray thee therefore that thou wouldst send him to my father's house make no delay lest they lose their souls lest they come hither if they do they are like never to return again O! little do they think how easily they may lose their souls they are apt to think their condition to be as ●ood as the best as I once through ignorance did But send him send him without delay lest they ●●me into this place of torment O that thou wouldst give him commission do thou send him thyself the time was when I together with them slighted those that were sent of God though we could not deny but he spoke the word of God and was sent of him as our consciences told us yet we preferred the calls of men before the calls of God for though they had the one yet because they had not the other in that Antichristian way which we thought meet we could not would not either hear him ourselves nor yet give consent that others should But now a call from God is worth all Do thou therefore send him to my Father's house The time was when we did not like it except it might be preached in the Synagogue we though it a low thing to preach & pray together in houses we were too high spirited too superstitious the Gospel would not down with us unless we had it in such a place by such a man no nor then neither effectually But now Oh! that I was to live in the world again and might have that privilege to have some acquaintance with blessed Lazarus some familiarity with that holy man what attendance would I give unto his wholesome words how would I affect his Doctrine and close in with it how would I square my life thereby now therefore it is better to hear the Gospel under an hedge then to sit roaring in a Tavern it is better to welcome Gods begging Lazarus' than the wicked companions of this world It is better to receive a Saint in the name of a Saint a Disciple in the name of a Disciple Luke 10. 16. then to do as I have done Oh! it is better to receive a child of God that can by experience deliver the things of God his free love his tender grace his rich forbearance and also the misery of man if without it then to be daubed up with untempered mortar Ezek. 13. Oh! I may curse the day that ever I gave way to the flatteries and fawning of a company of carnal Clergymen but this my repentance is too late I should have looked about me sooner if I would have been saved from this woeful place Therefore send him not only to the Town I lived in and unto some of my acquaintance but to my Father's house In my life time I did not care to hear that word that cut me most and showed me mine estate aright I was vexed to hear my sins mentioned and laid to my charge I loved him best that deceived me most that said peace peace when there was no such thing Jer. 5. 30 31. But now Oh that I had been sound told of it Oh that it had pierced both mine ears and heart and had stuck so fast that nothing could have cured me saving the blood of Christ It is better to be dealt plainly with then that we should be deceived they had better see their lost condition in the World then stay while they be damned as I have done therefore send Lazarus send him to my Father's house Let him go and say I saw your son your brother in hell weeping and wailing and gnashing his teeth Let him beat them down in it and te●l them plainly it is so and that they shall see to their everlasting misery if they have not a special care Send him to my Father's house Verse 28. For I have five Brethren that he may testify unto them lest they also come into this place of torment THese words are if I may so say a reason given by those in hell why they are so restless and do cry so loud it is that their companions might be delivered from those intolerable torments which they must and shall undergo if they fall short of everlasting life by Jesus Christ Send him to my Father's house for I have five brethren etc. Though while they lived among them in the world they were not so sensible of their ruin yet now they are passed out of the world and do partake of that which before they were warned of they can I say 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 pass For I have five brethren Hear you may see that there may be and are whole households in a damnable state and condition as our Lord Jesus doth by this signify Send him to my Father's house for they are all in one state I left all my brethren in a pitiful case People while they live here cannot endure to hear that they should be all in a miserable condition but when they are under the wrath of God they see it they know it and are very sure of it for they themselves when they were in the world lived as they do but they fell short of Heaven and therefore if they go on so shall they Oh therefore send him quickly to my Father's house for all the house is in an undone condition and must be damned if they continue so The thing observable is this namely that those that are in hell do not desire that their companions should come thither nay rather saith he send him to my Father's house and let him testify to them that are therein lest they also come &c Quest. But some may say what should be the reason that the damned should desire not to have their companions come into the same condition that they are fallen into but rather that they might be kept from it and escape that dreadful state Answ. I do believe there is scarce so much love in any of the damned in hell as really to desire the salvation of any But in that there is any desire in them that are damned that their friends and relations should not come into that place of torment It appears to me to be rather for their own ease then for their neighbours good for let me tell you this I do believe that it will aggravate the grief and horror of them to see their ungodly neighbours in the like destruction with them For where the ungodly do live and die and descend into the pit together the one is rather a vexation to the other than any thing else And it must needs be so because 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 rest that are of the same mind with him they will labour to imitate and follow his steps this is commonly seen Again If there be one given to drunkenness others of the Town through his means ●un the more into that sin with him and do accustom themselves the more unto it because of his enticing them and also by setting such an ill example before them And so if there be any addicted to pride and must needs be in all the newest fashions how do their example provoke others to love and follow the same vanity spending that upon their lusts which should relieve their own and others wants Also if there be any given to jesting scoffing lying whoring backbiting junketting wantonness or any other sin they that are most expert in these things do ofttimes entangle others that peradventure would not have been so vile as now they are had they not had such an example and hence they are called corruptors Isa. 1. 4. Now these will by their doings exceedingly aggravate the condemnation of one another He that did set his Neighbour an ill example and thereby caused him to walk in sin He will be found one cause of his friend's destruction insomuch that he will have to answer for his own sins and for a great part of his Neighbours too which will still add to his destruction as that Scripture in Ezekiel showeth where speaking of the watchman that should give the people warning if he did not though the man did die in his sins yet his blood should be required at the Watchman's hand Ezek 33. So here let me tell thee that if thou shouldest be such an one as by thy conversation and practices shalt be a trap and a stumbling-block to cause thy neighbour to fall into eternal ruin though he be damned for his own sin yet God may nay he will charge thee as being guilty of his blood in that thou didst not content thyself to keep from Heaven thyself but didst also by thy filthy conversation keep away others and cause them to fall with thee O therefore will not this aggravate thy torment Yea if thou shouldest die and go to Hell before thy neighbour or companions besides the guilt of thine own sins thou wouldst be so ●oaden with the fear of the damnation of others to be laid to thy charge that thou wouldst cry cut O send one from the dead to this companion and that companion with whom I had society in my life-time for I see my cursed carriage will be one cause of his condemnation if he fall short of glory I left him living in foul and heinous offences But I was one of the first instruments to bring him to them Oh I shall be guilty both of mine own and his damnation too O that he might be kept out hence lest my torment be aggravated by his coming ●ither For where ungodly people do dwell together they being a snare and stumbling Block one to another by their practices they must needs be a Torment one to another and an aggravation of each others damnation O cursed be thy Face saith one that ever I set mine Eyes on thee It was long of thee I may thank thee It was thee that did entice me and ensnare me It was your filthy conversation that was as a stumbling-block to me It was your Covetousness it was your Pride your haunting the Alehouse your Gaming and Whoring It was long of you that I fell short of life if you had set me a good Example as you did set me an ill one it may be I might have done better than now I do But I learned of you I followed your steps I took counsel of you O that I had never seen thy face O that thou hadst never been born to do my Soul this wrong as you have done O saith the other And I may as much blame you for do not you remember how at such a time and at such a time you drew me out and drew me away and asked me if I would go with you when I was going about other business about my Calling but you called me away you sent for me you are as much in the fault as I though I were covetous you were proud and if you learned Covetousness of me I learned Pride and Drunkenness of you Though I learned you to cheat you learned me to where to lie to scoff at goodness Though I base Wretch did stumble you in some things yet you did as much stumble me in others I can blame you as you blame me and if I have to answer for some of your most you have to answer for some of mine I would you had not come hither the very looks of you doth wou●d my Soul by bringing my sins afresh into my mind the time when the manner how the place where the persons with whom It was with you you grief to my Soul since I could not shun thy company there Oh! that I had been without thy company here I say therefore for these that have sinned together to go to Hell together it will very much perplex and torment them both Therefore I judge this is one Reason why they that are in Hell do desire that their Friends or Companions do not come thither into the same place of Torment that they are in And therefore where Christ saith that these Damned Souls cry out Send to our Companions that they may be warned and commanded to look to themselves O send to my five Brethren It is because they would not have their own Torments heightened by their Company and a sense yea a continual sense of their sins which they did cause them to commit when they were in the World with them For I do believe that the very looks of those that have been beguiled by their Fellows I say their very looks will be a Torment to them For thereby will the Remembrance of their own sins be kept if possible the fresher on their Consciences which they committed with them and also they will wonderfully have the guilt of the others sins upon them in that they were partly the cause of his committing them being Instruments in the Hands of the Devil to draw them into And therefore lest this come to pass I pray thee send him to my Father's house For if they might not come hither peradventure my Torment might have some mitigation that is If they might be saved than their sins will be pardoned and not so heavily charged on my Soul But if they do fall into the same place where I am the sins that I have caused them to commit will lie so heavy not only on their Souls but also on mine that they will sink me into Eternal Misery deeper and deeper O therefore send him to my Father's house to my five Brethren and let him testify to them lest they come into this place of torment These words being thus understood What a condition doth it show them to be in then that now so much delight in being the very Ringleaders of their Companions into sins of all sorts whatsoever While men live here if they can be counted the cunningest in Cheating the boldest for Lying the archest for Whoring the subtlest for Covering and getting the World If they can but cunningly defraud undermine cross and anger their Neighbours y●a and hinder them from the means of Grace the Gospel of Christ They glory in 't take a pride in 't and think themselves pretty well at ease and their Minds are somewhat quiet being beguiled with sin But Friend when thou hast lost this life and dost begin to lift up thine Eyes in Hell and seest what thy sins have brought thee to and not only so but that thou by thy filthy sins didst cause others Devil-like to fall into the same condemnation with thee And that one of the Reasons of their Damnation was this that thou didst lead them to the Commission of those wicked practices of this World and the Lusts thereof Then Oh! that some body would stop them from coming lest they also come into this place of Torment and be damned as I am How will it torment me Balaam could not be contented to be damned himself but also he must by his wickedness cause others to stumble and fall The Scribes and Pharisees could not be content to keep out of Heaven themselves but they must labour to keep out others too Therefore theirs is the greater Damnation The Deceived cannot be content to be deceived himself but he must labour to deceive others also The Drunkard cannot be content to go to Hell for his own sins but he must labour to cause others to fall into the same Furnace with him But look to yourselves for here will be Damnation upon Damnation damned for thy own sins and damned for thy being a partaker with others in their sins and damned for being guilty of the damnation of others O how will the Drunkard cry for leading their Neighbours into drunkenness How will the covetous person howl for setting his Neighbour his Friend his Brother his Children and Relations so wicked an Example by which he hath not only wronged his own soul but also the souls of others The Liar by lying learned others to lie The Swearer learned others to swear The Whoremonger learned others to whore Now all these with others of the like sort will be guilty not only of their own damnation but also of the damnation of others I tell you that some men have so much been 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 feared at the Day of Judgement will be found to be the Author of destroying whole Nations How many Souls do you think Balaam with his deceit will have to answer for How many Mahomet How many the Pharisees That hired the Soldiers to say the Disciples stole away Jesus Mat. 28. 11 12 13 14 15. And by that means stumbled their Brethren to this day and was one means of hindering them from believing the Things of God and Jesus Christ and so the cause of the damnation of their Brethren to this very day How many poor Souls hath Bonner to answer for think you and several filthy blind Priests How many Souls have they been the means of destroying by their Ignorance and corrupt Doctrine Preaching that was no better to their Souls than Ratsbane to the Body for filthy Lucre's sake They shall see that they many of them it is to be feared will have whole Towns to answer for whole Cities to answer for Ah Friend I tell thee thou that hast taken in hand to preach to the People it may be thou hast taken in hand thou canst not tell what Will it not grieve thee to see thy whole Parish come bellowing after thee to Hell crying out This we may thank thee for this is long of thee thou did●● not teach us the Truth Thou didst l●●d us away with Fables thou wast afraid to tell us of our sin lest we should not put Meat fast enough in thy Mouth O cu●sed wretch that ever thou shouldst beguile us thus deceive us thus flatter us thus We would have gone out to hear the Word abroad but that thou didst reprove us and also tell us That that which we see now is the way of God was Heresy and a deceivable Doctrine and waste no● contented blind Guide as thou wert to f●ll into the Ditch thyself but hast also led us thither with thee I say look to thyself lest thou cry out when it is too late Send Lazarus to my people my friends my Children my Congregation to whom I Preached and beguiled through my folly Send him to the Town in which I did Preach last lest I be the cause of their damnation Send him to my friends from whence I came lest I be made to answer for their Soul and mine own too Ezek. 33. 1 2 3 4 5 6. O send him therefore and let him tell them and testify unto them lest they also come into this place of torment Consider this ye that live in the world while you are in the land of the living lest you fall into this condition Set case thou shouldest by thy carriage destroy but a soul but one poor soul by one of thy carriages or actions by thy sinful works consider it now I say lest thou be forced to cry I pray thee therefore that thou wouldst send him to my father's house for I have five brethren that he may testify unto them lest they also come into this place of torment If so than I shall not only say to the blind guides look you to yourselves and shut out others no but this doth reach in all those that do not only keep souls from heaven by preaching and the like but speaks forth the doom of those that shall any ways be instrumental to hinder others for closing in with Jesus Christ O what red lines will those be against all these rich ungodly Landlords that so keep under their poor Tenants that they dare not go out to hear the word for fear their Rent should be raised or they turned out of their houses What sayest thou Landlord will it not cut thy soul when thou shalt see that thou couldst not be content to miss of heaven thyself but thou must labour to hinder others also Will it not give thee an eternal wound in thy heart both at death and judgement to be accused of the ruin of thy neighbour's soul thy servants soul thy wife's soul together with the ruin of thy own Think on this you drunken proud rich and scornful Landlords think on this you mad-brained blasphemous Husbands that are against the godly and chaste conversation of your Wives also you that hold your Servants so hard to it that you will not spare them time to hear the word unless it be where and when your lusts will let you If you love your own souls your Tenants souls your Wife's souls your Servants souls your children's souls if you would not cry if you would not howl if you would not bear the burden of the ruin of others for ever then I beseech you to consider this doleful story and labour to avoid the soul-killing torment that this poor wretch groaneth under when he saith I pray thee therefore that thou wouldst send him to my father's house For I have five brethren that he may testify Mark that he may testify unto them lest they also come into this place of torment These words have still something more in them then I have yet observed from them there are one or two things more that I shall briefly touch upon and therefore Mark he saith That he may testify unto them etc. Mark I pray you and take notice of the word Testify He doth not say and let him go unto them or speak with or tell them such and such things No but let him testify or affirm it constantly in case any should oppose it Let him testify to them It is the same word the Scripture useth to set forth the vehemency of Christ his telling of his Disciples of him that should betray him And he testified saying One of you shall betray me And he testified that is he spoke it so as to dash or overcome any that should have said It shall not be It is a word that signifies That in case any should oppose the things spoken of yet that the party speaking should still continue constant in his saying And he commanded them to preach and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead To testify Mark that is to be constant irresistible undaunted in case it should be opposed and objected against So here let him testify to them lest they come into this place of torment From whence observe That it is not an easy matter to persuade them who are in their sins alive in this world that they must and shall be damned if they turn not and be converted to God Let him testify to them let him speak confidently though they frown upon him or dislike his way of speaking And how is this truth verified and cleared by the carriages of almost all men now in the World toward them that do Preach the Gospel and show their own miserable state plainly to them if they close not with it If a man do but indeed labour to convince sinners of their sins and lost condition by nature though they ●ust be damned if they live and die in that condition Oh how angry are they at it Look how he judges say they hark how he condemns us he tells us we must be damned if we live and die in this state we are offended at him we cannot abide to hear him or any such as he we will believe none of them all but go on in the way we are a going forbear why shouldest thou be smitten said the ungodly King to the Prophet when he told him of his sins 2 Chron. 25. 15 16. I say tell the drunkard he must be damned if he leaves not his drunkenness the swearer liar cheater thief covetous railers or any ungodly persons they must and shall lie in Hell for it if they die in this condition they will not believe you nor credit you Again tell others that there are many in Hell that have lived and died in their conditions and so are they like to be if they convert not to Jesus Christ and be found in him or that there are others that are more civil and sober men who although we know that their civility will not save them if we do but tell them plainly of the emptiness and unprofitableness of that as to the saving of their souls and that God will not accept them nor love them notwithstanding these things and that if they intent to be saved they must be better provided than with such a righteousness as this they will either fling away and come to hear no more or else if they do come they will bring such prejudice with them in their hearts That the Word Preached shall not profit them it being mixed not with Faith but with prejudice in them that hear it Heb. 4. 1 2. Nay they will some of them be so full of anger that they will break out and call even those that speak the truth Heretics yea and kill them Luke 4. 25 26 27 28 29. And why so Because they tell them That if they live in their sins that will damn them yet if they turn and live a righteous life according to the holy and just and good Law of God that will not save them Yea because we tell them plainly that unless they leave their sins and righteousness too and close in with a naked Jesus Christ his blood and merits and what he hath done and is now doing for sinners they cannot be saved and unless they do eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood they have no life abiding in them they gravel presently and are offended at it as the Jews were with Christ for speaking of the same thing to them Joh. 6. 53 60. and fling away themselves their souls and all by quarrelling against the doctrine of the Son of God as indeed they do though they will not believe they do and therefore he that is a Preacher of the Wo●● had need not only tell them but testify to them again and again that their sins if they continue in them will damn them and damn them again And tell them again their living honestly according to the Law their paying every one their own their living quietly with their neighbours their giving to the poor their notion of the Gospel and saying they do believe in Christ will do them no good at the general day of Judgement Ha friends how many of you are there at this very day that have been told once and again of your lost undone condition because you want the right real and saving work of God upon your souls I say hath not this been told you yea testified unto you from time to time that your state is miserable that yet you are never the better but do still stand where you did some in an open ungodly life and some drowned in a self-conceited holiness of Christianity Therefore for God's sake if you love your souls consider and beg of God for Jesus Christ's sake that he would work such a work of Grace in your hearts and give you such a Faith in his Son Jesus Christ that you may not only have rest here as you think not only think your state safe while you live here but that you may be safe indeed not only here but also when you are gone lest you do cry in the anguish and perplexity of your Souls Send one to my companions that have been beguiled by Satan as I have been and so by going on come into this place of torment as I have done Again one thing more is to be observed from these words Let him testify to them lest they come into this place of torment Mark lest they come in as if he had said or else they will come into this place of torment as sure as I am here From whence observe That though some Souls for sin do fall into the bottomless pit of Hell before their fellows because they depart this World before them yet the other abiding in the same course are as sure to go to the same place as if they were there already How so Because they are all condemned together they have all fallen under the same Law and have all offended the same Justice and must for certain if they die in that condition drink as deep if not deeper of the same destruction Mark I pray you what the Scriptures say He that believeth not is condemned already John 3. 18. He is condemned as well as they having broken the same Law with them if so than what hinders but they will partake of the same destruction with them only the one hath not the Law yet so executed upon them because they are here the other have had the Law executed upon them they are gone to drink that which they have been brewing and thou art brewing that in this life which thou must certainly drink The same Law I say is in force against you both only he is executed and thou art not Just as if there were a company of Prisoners at the Bar and all condemned to die what because they are not all executed in one day therefore shall they not be executed at all Yes the same Law that executed its severity upon the parties now deceased will for certain be executed on them that are alive in its appointed time Even so it is here we are all condemned by nature if we close not in with the Grace of God by Jesus Christ we must and shall be destroyed with the same destruction and therefore send him saith he lest Mark lest they come into this place of torment Again Send him to my Father's house and let him testify to them lest they come into this place of torment As if he had said I● may be he may prevail with them It may be he may win upon them and so they may be kept from hence from coming into this grievous place of torment Observe again That there is a possibility of obtaining mercy if now I say now in this day of Grace we turn from our sins to Jesus Christ yea it is more than possible And therefore for thy encouragement do thou know for certain that if thou shalt in this thy day accept of mercy upon Gods own Terms and close with him effectually God hath promised yea made many Promises that thy Soul shall be conducted safe to glory and shall for certain escape all the evils that I have told thee of I and many more than I can imagine Do but search the Scriptures and see how full of consolation they are to a poor Soul that is minded to close in with Jesus Christ He that cometh to me saith Christ I will in no wise cast out Though he be an old sinner I will in no wise cast him out Mark in no wise though he be a great sinner I will in no wise cast him out if he come to me Though he have slighted me never so many times and not regarded the welfare of his own Soul yet let him now come to me and notwithstanding this I will in no wise cast him out nor throw away his Soul John 6. 37. Again saith the Apostle Now Mark now is the accepted time now is the day of Salvation Now here is mercy good store now God's heart is open to sinners now he will make you welcome now he will receive any body if they do but come to Christ He that comes to me saith Christ I will in no wise cast out And why Because now is the accepted time now is the day of Salvation 2 Cor. 6. 2 3. As if the Apostle had said If you will have mercy have it now receive it now close in with it now God hath a certain day to hold out his grace to sinners Now is the time now is the day 'T is true there is a day of damnation but this is a day of Salvation There is a day coming wherein sinners must cry to the Mountains to fall on them to the Hills to cover them from the wrath of God but now now is the day in which he doth hold out his grace There is a day a coming in which you will not be admitted to have the privilege of one drop of water to cool your tongue if now I say if now you slight his grace and goodness which he holds out to you Ah friends consider there is now hopes of mercy but then there will not now Christ holds forth mercy unto you but then he will not Mat. 7. 23. Now there are his Servants that do beseech you to accept of his grace but if thou lose the opportunity that is put into thine hand thou thyself mayst beseech hereafter and no mercy be given thee And he cried and said Father Abraham have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue And there was none given Therefore let it never be said of thee as it will be said of some Why is there a price put into the hand of a fool seeing he hath no heart to it Seeing he hath no heart to make a good use of it Prov. 17. 16. consider therefore with thyself and say It is better going to Heaven then Hell it is better to be saved than damned it is better to be with Saints than with damned souls and to go to God is better than to go to the Devil Therefore seek the Lord while he may be found and call upon him while he is near Isa. 55. 6. Lest in thy trouble he leave thee to thyself and say unto thee plainly Where I am thither ye cannot come Joh. 8. 21. O if they that are in Hell might but now again have one such invitation as this how would they leap for joy I have thought sometimes should God send but one of his Ministers to the damned in Hell and give him Commission to preach the free love of God in Christ extended to them and held out to them if now while it is proffered to them they will accept of his kindness O how welcome would they make this news and close in with it on any terms Certainly they would say we will accept of grace on any terms in the World and thank you too though it cost life and limbs to boot we will spare no cost nor charge if mercy may be had But poor souls while they live here they will not part from sin with hellbred devilish sin No they will rather lose their souls then lose their filthy sins But friend thou wilt change thy note before it be long and cry O simple wretch that I am that I should damn my soul by sin 'T is true I have had the Gospel preached to me and have been invited in I have been preached to and have been warned of this but how have I hated instruction and mine heart despised reproof I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me Prov. 5. 10 11. O therefore I say poor soul I● there hope then lay thine hand upon thy mouth and kiss the dust and close in with the Lord Jesus Christ and make much of his glorious mercy and invite also thy companions to close in with the same Lord Jesus Christ ●est one of you do go to Hell beforehand and expect with grief of heart your companions to come after And in the mean time with anguish of heart do si●h and say O send him to my companions and let him testify to them lest they also come into this place of torment Now then from what hath been said there might many things be spoken by way of Use and Application But I shall be very brief and but touch some things and so wind up And first I shall begin with the sad condition of those that die out of Christ and speak something to that Secondly to the latter end of the Parable which more evidently concerns the Scripture and speak somewhat to that 1. Therefore you see that the former part of the Parable contains a sad declaration of the state of one living and dying out of Christ how that they lose Heaven for Hell God for the Devil light for darkness joy for sorrow 2. How that they have not so much as the least comfort from God who in the time they live here below neglect coming to him for mercy not so much as one drop of cold water 3. That such souls will repent of their folly when repentance will do them no good or when they shall be past recovery 4. That all the comfort such souls are like to have they have i● in this world 5. That all their groan and sighs will not move God to mitigate in the least his heavy hand of vengeance that is upon them for the transgressions they have committed against him 6. That their sad state is irrecoverable or they must never mark never come out of that condition 7. There desires will not be heard for their ungodly neighbours From these things then I pray you consider the state of those that ●ie out of Christ Jesus yea I say consider their miserable state and think thus with thyself Well if I neglect coming to Christ I must go to the devil and he will not neglect to fetch me away into those intolerable torments Think thus with thyself What shall I lose a long Heaven for short pleasure shall I buy the pleasures of this world at so dear a rate as to lose my soul for the obtaining of that Shall I content myself with a Heaven that will last no longer than my life time What advantage will these be to me when the Lord shall separate soul and body asunder and send one to the grave the other to hell and at the Judgement-day the final Sentence of eternal ruin must be passed upon me 6. Consider that the profits pleasures and vanities of this world will not last ever but the time is coming yea just at the doors when they will give thee the slip and leave thee in the suds and in the brambles of all that thou hast done And therefore to prevent this thy dismal state think thus with thyself 't is true I do love my sins my lusts and pleasures but what good will they do me at the day of death and of judgement Will my sins do me good then will they be able to help me when I come to fetch my last breath What good will my profits do me and what good will my vanities do when death says he will have no nay What good will all my companions fellow jesters jeerers liars drunkards and all my wantoness do me will they help to ease the pains of hell will these help to turn the hand of God from inflicting his fierce anger upon me Nay will not they rather cause God to show me no mercy to give me no comfort but rather to thrust me down into the hottest place of hell where I may swim in fire and Brimstone 3. Consider thus with thyself Would I be glad to have all every one of my sins to come in against me to inflame the justice of God against me would I be glad to be bound up in them as the three Children were bound in their clothes and to be as really thrown into the fiery Furnace of the wrath of Almighty God as they were into Nebuchadnezars fiery Furnace 4. Consider thus Would I be glad to have all and every one of the Ten Commandments to discharge themselves against my soul The first saying damn him for he hath broken me The second saying damn him for he hath broken me etc. Consider how terrible this will be yea more terrible then if thou shouldest have ten of the biggest Pieces of Ordnance in England to be discharged against thy body thunder thunder one after another Nay this would not be comparable to the reports that the law for the breach thereof will give against thy soul For those can but kill the body but these will kill both body and soul and that not for an hour a day a month or a year but they will condemn thee for ever Mark it is for ever for ever It is into everlasting damnation eternal destruction eternal wrath and displeasure from God eternal gnawing of conscience eternal continuance with devils O consider it may be the thought of seeing the devil doth now make thine hair to stand right up on thy head O but this to be damned to be among all the devils and that not only for a time as I said before but for ever to all eternity This is wonderfully miserable ever miserable that no tongue of man no nor of Angels is able to express it 5. Consider much with thy self not only my sins against the law will be laid to my charge but also the sins I have committed in slighting the Gospel the glorious Gospel these also must come with a voice against me As thus Nay he is worthy to be damned for he rejected the Gospel he slighted the free grace of God tendered in the Gospel How many times wast thou damned wretch invited entreated beseeched to come to Christ to accept of mercy that thou mightest have Heaven thy sins pardoned thy soul saved and body and soul glorified and all this for nothing but the acceptance and through faith forsaking those imps of Satan which by their embracements have drawn thee downward toward the gulf of God's eternal displeasure How often didst thou read the promises yea the free promises of the common salvation How oft didst thou read the sweet counsels and admonitions of the Gospel to accept of the grace of God but thou wouldst not thou regardest it not thou didst slight all 2. As I would have thee to consider the sad and woeful state of those tha● die out of Christ and are past all recovery so would I have thee consider the many mercies and privileges thou enjoyest above some peradventure of thy companions that are departed to their proper place As first Consider thou h●st still the thread of thy life lengthened which for thy sins might seven years ago or more have been cut asunder and thou have dropped down among the flames 2. Consider the terms of reconciliation by faith in Christ is still proffered unto thee and thou invited yea entreated to accept of it 3. Consider the terms of reconciliation are but bear with me though I say but only to believe in Jesus Christ with that faith that purifies the heart and enables thy soul to feed on him effectually and be saved from this sad state 4. Consider the time of thy departure is at hand and the time is uncertain and also that for aught thou knowe●● the day of grace may be passed to thee before thou diest not lasting so long as thy uncertain life in this world And if so then know for certain that thou art as sure to be damned as if thou wert in hell already if thou convert not in the mean while 5. Consider it may be some of thy friends are giving all diligence to make their Calling and Election sure being resolved for Heaven and thou thyself endeavourest as fast to make sure of hell as if resolved to have it and together with this consider how it will grieve thee that while thou wert making sure of hell thy friends were making sure of Heaven but more of this by and by 6. Consider what a sad reflection this will have on thy soul to see thy friends in Heaven and thy self in hell thy Father in Heaven and thou in hell thy Mother in Heaven and thou in hell thy Brother thy Sister thy Children in Heaven and thou in hell As Christ said to the Jews of their relations according to the flesh so may I say to thee concerning thy friends There shall be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see your Fathers and Mothers Brethren and Sisters Husbands and Wives Children and Kinsfolk with your friends and neighbours in the Kingdom of Heaven and thou thyself thrust out Luk. 13. 27 28 29. But again because I would not only tell thee of the damnable state of those that die out of Christ but also persuade thee to take hold of Life and go to Heaven take notice of these following Things 1. Consider that whatever thou canst do as to thy acceptance with God is not worth the dirt of thy shoes but is all as menstruous Rags Isa. 64. 6. 2. Consider that all the Conditions of the New Covenant as to Salvation are and have been completely fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ and that for sinners 3. Consider That the Lord calls to thee for to receive whatsoever Christ hath done and that on free-cost Rev. 22. 17. 4. Consider That thou canst not honour God more than to close in with his proffers of Grace Mercy and Pardon of sin Rom. 4. Again That which will add to all the rest Thou shalt have the very Mercy of GOD the Blood of Christ the Preachers of the Word together with every Sermon all the Promises Invitations Exhortations and all the Counsels and threatenings of the Blessed Word of God Thou shalt have all thy Thoughts Words and Actions together with all thy Food thy Raiment thy sleep thy Goods and also all hours days weeks Months and Years together with whatsoever else God hath given thee I say thy abuse of all these shall come up in Judgement against thy Soul For God will reckon with thee for every thing whether it be good or bad Eccles. 12. 14. 5. Nay farther it is so unreasonable a thing for a sinner to refuse the Gospel that the very Devils themselves will come in against thee as well as Sodom that Damned Crew May not they I say come in against thee and say O thou simple man O vile Wretch that had not so much care of thy Soul thy precious Soul as the Beast hath of his Young or the Dog of the very Bone that lieth before him Was thy Soul worth so much and didst thou so little regard it Were the Thunderclaps of the Law so terrible and didst thou so slight them Besides was the Gospel so freely so frequently so fully tendered to thee and yet hast thou rejected all these Things Hast thou valued sin at a higher rate than thy soul than God Christ Angels Saints and Communion with them in Eternal Blessedness and Glory Wast thou not told of Hell-fire those intolerable flames Didst thou never hear of the intolerable Roar of the Damned Ones that are therein Didst thou never hear or read that doleful saying in the 16. of Luke how the sinful man cries out among the flames One drop of water to cool my tongue Thus I say may the very Devils being ready to go with thee into the Burning Furnace of Fire and Brimstone though not for sins of so high a nature as thine trembling say Oh that Christ had died for Devils as he died for Man And Oh that the Gospel had been preached to us as it hath been to thee How would we have laboured to have closed in with it But woe be to us for we might never have it proffered no nor in the least though we would have been glad of it But you you have had it proffered preached and proclaimed unto you Prov. 8. 4. Besides you have been entreated and beseeched to accept of it but you would not O simple Fools that might have escaped Wrath Vengeance Hell-fire and that to all Eternity and had no heart at all to do it 6. May not the Messengers of Jesus Christ also come in with a shrill and terrible Note against thy Soul when thou standest at the Bar of God's Justice saying Nay Thou ungodly one how often hast thou been forewarned of this day Did we not found an Alarm in thine Ears by the Trumpet of God's Word day after day How often didst thou hear us tell thee of these Things Did we not tell thee sin would damn thy Soul Did we not tell thee that without Conversion there was no Salvation Did we not tell thee that they who loved their sins should be damned at this dark and gloomy day as thou art like to be Yet did we not tell thee that God out of his love to sinners sent Christ to die for them that they might by coming to him be saved Did we not tell thee of these Things Did we not run ride labour and strive abundantly if it might have been for the good of thy Soul though now a damned Soul Did we not venture our Goods our Names our Lives Yea did we not even kill ourselves with our earnest entreatings of thee to consider of thine Estate and by Christ to escape this dreadful day O sad doom when thou shalt be forced full sore against thy will to fall under the Truth of this Judgement saying O how have I hated Instruction and how hath my heart despised Reproof for indeed I have not obeyed the voice of my Teachers nor inclined mine Ear to them that instructed me Prov 5. 11 12 13. 7. May not thy Father thy Mother thy Brother thy Sister thy Friend etc. appear with gladness against thee at the terrible day Saying Oh thou silly Wretch How rightly hath God met with thee O how righteously doth his Sentence pass upon thee Remember thou wouldst not be ruled nor persuaded in thy Life-time As thou didst not care for us and our Admonitions then so neither do we care for thy Ruin Terror and Damnation now No but we will stand on God's side in sentencing of thee to that portion which the Devils must be partakers of The Righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the Vengeance he shall wash his foot in the blood of the wicked Psal. 58. 10. O sad it is enough to make Mountains tremble and the Rocks to rend in pieces to hear this doleful sound Consider these Things and if thou wouldst be loath to be in this condition then have a care of living in sin now How loath wilt thou be to be thrust away from the Gates of Heaven and how loath wilt thou be to be deprived of the Mercy of God How willingly wilt thou set foot forward towards the Lake of Fire Never did Malefactor so unwillingly turn off the Ladder when the Halter was about his Neck as thou wilt turn from God to the Devil from Heaven to Hell when the Sentence is passed upon thy Soul Oh how wilt thou sigh and groan How willingly wouldst thou hide thyself and run away from Justice But alas as it is with them that are on the Ladder ready to be executed so it will be with thee They would fain run away but there are many Halberd-men to stay them And so the Angels of God will beset thee round I say round on every side so that thou may'st indeed look but run thou canst not Thou mayst wish thyself under some great Rock or Mountain Rev. 6. 15 16. but how to get under thou knowst not Oh how unwilling wilt thou be to let thy Father go to Heaven without thee thy Mother or Friends etc. go to Heaven without thee How willingly wouldst thou hang on them and not let them go O Father cannot you help me Mother cannot you do me some good O how loath am I to burn and fry in Hell while you are singing in Heaven But alas the Father Mother or Friends reject them slights them and turn their Backs upon them saying You would have none of Heaven in your life-time therefore you shall have none of it now You slighted our Counsels then and we slight your tears cries and condition now What sayest thou sinner will not this persuade thine heart nor make thee bethink thyself This is now before thou fall into that dreadful place that fiery Furnace But O consider how dreadful the place itself the Devils themselves the fire itself will be And this at the end of all here thou must lie for ever here thou must fry for ever and for ever This will be more to thee than any man with Tongue can express or with Pen can write There is none that can I say by the Ten Thousand part discover the state and condition of such a Soul I shall conclude this then with a few Considerations of Encouragement 1. Consider for I would fain have thee come in sinner that there is way made by Jesus Christ for them that are under the Curse of God to come to this comfortable and blessed state of Lazarus I was speaking of See Ephes. 2. 2. Consider what pains Christ Jesus took for the Ransoming of thy Soul from all the Curses Thunderclaps and Tempests of the Law from all the intolerable flames of Hell from that Soul-sinking appearance of thy person on the left hand before the Judgment-Seat of Christ Jesus from everlasting fellowship with innumerable Companies of yelling and Soul-amazing Devils I say consider what pains the Lord Jesus Christ took in bringing in Redemption for sinners from these Things 1. In that Though he were rich yet he became poor that thou through his poverty might be made rich 2 Cor. 8 9 He laid aside his glory Joh. 17. and became a servant Phil. 2. He left the company of Angels and encountered with the Devil Luk. 4. Mat. 4. He left Heaven's ease for a time to lie upon hard Mountains Joh. 8. In a word he became poorer than they that go with flail and rake yea than the very Birds or Foxes and all to do thee good Besides consider a little of these unspeakable and intolerable slight and rejections and the manifold abuses that came from Man upon him How he was falsely accused being a sweet harmless and undefiled Lamb. How he was undervalved so that a Murderer was counted less worthy of condemnation than he Besides how they mocked him spa● on him beat him over the head with staves had the hair plucked from his cheeks I gave my Back to the Smiters saith he and my Cheeks to them that plucked off the hair I hid not my Face from shame and spitting His Head crowned with Thorns his Hands pierced with Nails and his Side with a Spear together with how they used him scourging him and so miserably misusing him that they had even spent him in a great measure before they did crucify h●m Insomuch that there was another fain to carry his Cross. Again not only this but lay to heart a little what he received from GOD his dear Father though he were his dear and tender Son First in that he did reckon him the greatest Sinner and Rebel in the World For he laid the sins of Thousands and Ten Thousands and Thousands of Thousands of Sinners to his charge Esay 53. And caused him to drink the terrible Cup that was due to them all and not only so but did delight in so doing For it pleased the Lord to bruise him God dealt indeed with his Son as Abraham would have dealt with Isaac I and more terribly by Ten Thousand parts For he did not only tear his Body like a Lion but made his Soul an Offering for Sin And this was not done feignedly but really for Justice called for it he standing in the room of Sinners witness that horrible and unspeakable Agony that fell on him suddenly in the Garden as if all the Vials of God's unspeakable scalding Vengeance had been cast upon him all at once and all the Devils in Hell had been broken loose from thence at once to destroy him and that for ever insomuch that the very pangs of Death seized upon him in the same hour For saith he My Soul is exceeding sorrowful and amazed even unto death Mark 14. 33 34. Witness also that strange kind of sweat that trickled down his most blessed F●ce where it is said And he sweat as it were great drops or clodders of blood trickling down to the ground O Lord Jesus what a Load didst thou carry What a Burden didst thou bear of the sins of the World and the Wrath of God O thou didst not only bleed at Nose and Mouth with the pressure that lay upon thee but thou wast so pressed so loaden that the pure blood gushed through the flesh and skin and so ran trickling down to the ground And his sweat was as it were great drops of blood trickling or falling down to the ground Luk. 22. 44. Canst thou read this O thou wicked sinner and yet go in sin Canst thou think of this and defer Repentance one hour longer O heart of flint yea harder O miserable Wretch what place in Hell will be hot enough for thee to have thy Soul put into if thou shalt persist or go on still to add Iniquity to Iniquity Besides his Soul went down to Hell Psal●6 ●6 10. Act. 2. 31. and his Body to the bars of the Grave And ●ad D●●th o● the Grave been strong enough ●o hol● him than he had suffered the Vengeance of Eternal Fire to all Eternity But O blessed Jesus how didst thou discover thy Love to Man in thy thus suffering And O God the Father how didst thou also declare thy purity and exactness of thy Justice in that though it was thine only holy innocent harmless and undefiled Son Jesus that did take on him our Nature and represent our persons answering for our sins instead of ourselves Thou didst so wonderfully pour out thy Wrath upon him to the making of him cry out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me And O Lord Jesus what a glorious Conquest hast thou made over the Enemies of our Souls even Wrath Sin Death Hell and Devils in that thou didst wring thyself from under the power of them all And not only so but hast led them Captive which would have led us Captive and also hast received for us that glorious and unspeakable Inheritance That Eye hath not seen n●r Ear heard neither hath it entered into the heart of Man to conceive And also hast given thine some discovery thereof through thy Spirit And now Sinner together with this consider Fourthly That though Jesus Christ hath done all these Things for Sinners yet the Devils make it their whole work and continual study how they may keep thee and others from enjoying of these blessed Privileges that have been thus obtained for Sinners by this sweet Jesus He labours I say First To keep thee ignorant of thy state by Nature Secondly To harden thy Heart against the ways of God Thirdly To inflame thy Heart with love to sin and the ways of darkness And fourthly To get thee to continue herein For that is the way he knows to get thee to be a partaker with him of the flaming Hell-fire even the same that he himself is fallen into together with the rest of the wicked World by reason of sin Look to it therefore But now in the next place a word of encouragement to you that are the Saints of the Lord 1. Consider what an happy state thou art in that hast gotten the Faith of the Lord Jesus into thy Soul But be sure thou have it I say how safe how sure how happy art thou For when others go to Hell thou must go to Heaven when others go to the Devil thou must go to God when as others go to Prison thou must be set at Liberty at Ease and at Freedom when others must roar for sorrow of heart than thou shalt also sing for the joy of heart Secondly consider thou must have all thy well spent Life to follow thee instead of all thy sins and the glorious blessings of the Gospel instead of the dreadful Curses and Condemnations of the Law The blessing of the Father instead of a fiery Sentence from the Judge Thirdly Let dissolution come when it will it can do thee no harm for it will be but only a passage out of a Prison into a Palace out of a Sea of Troubles into an Haven of Rest out of a Crowd of Enemies to an innumerable Company of true loving and faithful Friends out of shame Reproach and Contempt into exceeding great and Eternal Glory For Death shall not hurt thee with his sting nor bite thee with his Soul-murmuring Teeth but shall be a welcome Guest to thee even to thy Soul in that it is sent to free thee from thy Troubles which thou art in while here in this World dwelling in the Tabernacle of Clay Fourthly consider however it goes with Friends and Relations yet it will go well with thee Eccl. 8. 12. However it goes with the Wicked yet I know Mark yet I know saith he that it shall go well with them that fear the Lord that fear before him And therefore let this in the first place cause thee cheerfully to exercise thy patience under all the Calamities Crosses Troubles and Afflictions that may come upon thee and by patient continuance in well-doing to commit both thyself and thine Affairs and Actions into the Hands of God through Jesus Christ as to a faithful Creator who is true in his Word and loveth to give unto thee whatsoever he hath promised to thee And therefore to encourage thee while thou art here with comfort to hold on for all thy Crosses in this thy Journey be much in considering the place that thou must go into so soon as dissolution comes It must be into Heaven to God the Judge of all to an innumerable Company of Angels to the Spirits of just men made perfect to the General Assembly and Church of the firstborn whose Names are written in Heaven and to Jesus too the Redeemer who is the Mediator of the New Covenant and to the Blood of sprinkling that speaks better Things for thee than Abel's did for Cain Heb. 12 22 23 24. 3. Consider That when the time of the dead that they shall be raised is come then shall thy body be raised out of the grave and be glorified and be made like to Jesus Christ Phil. 3. 21. O excellent condition 4. When Jesus Christ shall sit on the throne of his glory you also shall sit with him even when he shall sit on the throne of his glory O will not this be glorious that when thousands and thousands of thousands shall be arraigned before the Judgment-seat of Christ then for them to sit with him upon the throne together with him to pass the sentence upon the ungodly 1 Cor. 6. 2. 3. Will it not be glorious to enjoy those things that eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither hath entered into the heart of man to conceive Will it not be glorious to have this sentence Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you before the Foundation of the World Will it not be glorious to enter then with the Angels and Saints into that glorious 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 sea thou hast not lost that glory to think that the devil hath not got thy soul that thy soul should be saved and that not from a little but from an exceeding danger not with a little but a great salvation O therefore let the Saints be joyful in glory let them triumph over all their enemies Let them begin to sing heaven upon earth triumph before they come to glory salvation even when they are in the midst of their Enemies For this honour shall all his Saints have Psal. 149. 6 7 8 9 Ver. 29. Abraham said unto him they have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them IN the Verses foregoing you see there is a discovery of the lamentable state of the poor soul that dies out of Christ and the special favour of God And also how little the glorious God of Heaven doth regard and take notice of their most miserable condition Now in this verse he doth magnify the word which was spoken to the People by the Prophets and Apostles They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them As if he should say thou askest me that I should send Lazarus back again into the World to Preach to them that live there that they might escape that doleful place that thou art in what needs that have they not Moses and the Prophets have they not had my Ministers and Servants sent unto them and coming as from me I sent Enoch and Noah Moses and Samuel I sent David Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel Daniel Hosea and the rest of the Prophets together with Peter Paul John Matthew James Judas with the rest Let them hear them What they have spoken by Divine inspiration I will own whether it be for the damnation of those that reject or the saving of them that receive their Doctrine And therefore what need have they that one should be sent unto them in another way They have Moses and the Prophets Let them hear them let them receive their word close in with the Doctrine declared by them I shall not at this time speak any thing to that word Abraham having touched upon it already but shall tell you what is to be understood by these words They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them The things that I shall observe from hence are these 1. That the Scriptures spoken by the Holy Men of God are a sufficient rule to instruct to Salvation them that do assuredly believe and close in with what they hold forth They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them That is if they would escape that doleful place and be saved indeed from the intolerable pains of Hell fire as they desire they have that which is sufficient to counsel them They have Moses and the Prophets let them be instructed by them Let them hear them 2 Tim. 3. 16 17. For all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in Righteousness why that the man of God may be perfect throughly furnished to every good work Do but mark the words All Scripture is profitable All take it where you will and in what place you will All is profitable for what That the man of God or he that is bound for Heaven and would instruct others in their progress thither It is profitable to instruct him in case he be ignorant to reprove him in case he transgress to correct him if he hath need of it to confirm him if he be wavering It is profitable for doctrine and all this in a very righteous way that the poor soul may not only be helped but throughly furnished nor only to some but to all good works And when Paul would counsel Timothy to stick close to the things that are sound and sure presently he puts him upon the Scriptures saving Thou hast from a Child known the Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto Salvation through Faith which is in Christ Jesus The Scripture holds forth God's mind and will of his love and mercy towards man and also the creatures carriage towards him from first to last so if thou wouldst know the love of God in Christ to sinners Then search the Scriptures for they are they that testify of him Wouldst thou know what thou art and what is in thy heart then search the Scriptures and see what 's written in them Rom. 3. from 9 10 18. Rom. 1. 19 30 31 32. Jer. 17. 9 Gen. 6. 5. chap. 8. 21. Eph 4. 18. with many others The Scriptures I say they are able to give a man perfect instruction into any of the things of God necessary to Faith and Godliness if he have but an honest heart seriously to weigh and ponder the several things contained in them As to instance in things more particular for the further clearing up of this And first if we come to the Creation of the World wouldst thou know somewhat concerning that then read Gen. 1 and 2. chapters and compare them with Psal. 33. at the 6. Also Isaiah 66. 2. Prov. 8. towards the end wouldst thou know whether he made them of something or nothing read Heb. 11. 3. wouldst thou know whether he put forth any labour in making them as we do in making things read Psal. 33. 9 If thou wouldst know whether man was made by God corrupt or upright read Eccles. 7. 26. Gen. 1. 10 18 25 31. wouldst thou know where God did place man after he had made him read Gen. 2. 15. wouldst thou know whether that man did live there all his time or not then read Gen. 3. 23 24. If thou wouldst know whether man be still in that state by nature that God did place him in then read Eccl. 7. 26. and compare it with Rom. 5. 16. and Eph. 2. 1 2 3. God made man upright but he hath sought out many inventions If thou wouldst know whether the man were first beguiled or the woman that God made an help meet for him read Gen. 3. 6. and compare it with 1 Tim. 2. 14. wouldst thou know whether God looked upon Adam's eating of the forbidden Tree to be sin or no read Rom. 5. 12 13 14 15. and compare it with Gen. 3. 17. wouldst thou know whether it were the Devil who beguiled them or whether it was a natural Serpent such as do haunt the desolate places read Gen. 3. 12. with Rev. 20. 1 2 3. wouldst thou know whether that sin be imputed to us read Rom. 5. 12 13 14 15. and compare it with Eph. 2. 2. wouldst thou know whether man was cursed for his sin read Gal. 3. 10. Rom. 5. 15. wouldst thou know whether the curse did fall on man or on the whole creation with him compare Gen. 3. 17. with Rom. 8. 20 21 22. wouldst thou know whether man be defiled in every part of him by the sin he hath committed then read Isa. 1. 6. wouldst thou know man's inclination so soon as he is born read Psal. 58. 3. The wicked are estranged from the Womb they go astray so soon as they be born Wouldst thou know whether man once fallen from God by transgression can recover himself by all he can do then read Rom. 3. 20 23. wouldst thou know whether it be the desire of the heart of man by nature to follow God in his own way or no●-compare Gen. 6. 5. and Gen. 8. 21 with Host 11. 7. wouldst thou know how God's heart stood affected towards man before the World began compare Eph. 1. 4. with 2 Tim. 1. 9 wouldst thou know whether sin were sufficient to draw God's love from his Creatures compare Jer●m 3. 7. and Micah 7. 18. with Rom. 5. 6 7 8. wouldst thou know whether God's love did still abide towards his Creatures for any thing they could do to make him amends then read Deut. 11. 5 6 7 8. wouldst thou know how God could still love his Creature and do his Justice no wrong read Rom. 3. 24 25 26. Being justified freely by his Grace through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation for sin through Faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God To declare I say at this tim● his righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus That is God having his Justice satisfied in the blood and righteousness and death of his own Son Jesus Christ for the sins of poor sinners he can now save them that come to him though never so great sinners and do his Justice no wrong because it hath had a full and complete satisfaction given it by that blood 1 Joh. 1. 7 8. wouldst thou know who he was and what he was that did out of his love die for sinners then compare Joh. 3. 16 17. Rom. 5. 8. with Isa. 9 6. wouldst thou know whether this Saviour had a body of flesh and bones before the World was or took it from the Virgin Mary then read Gal. 4. 4. wouldst thou know whether he did in that body bear all our sins and where then read 1 Pet. 2. 24. Who bore our sins in his own body on the tree wouldst thou know whether he did rise again after he was crucified with the very same body then read Luke 24. at ver 38 39 40 41. wouldst thou know whether he did eat or drink with his Disciples after he arose out of the Grave then read Luke 24. 42. and Acts 10. 41. If thou wouldst be persuaded of the truth of this that that very body is now above the Clouds and Stars read Acts 1. 9 10 11 and Luke 24. toward the end If thou wouldst know that the Quakers hold an error that say the body of Christ is within them consider the same Scripture wouldst thou know what that Christ that died for sinners is doing in that place whether he is gone then read Heb. 7. 24. wouldst thou know who shall have life by him read 1 Tim. 1. 14. 15. and Rom. 5. 6 7 8. which say Christ died for sinners for the ungodly wouldst thou know whether they that live and die in their sins shall go to Heaven or not then read 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. Rev. 21. 8 27. which saith They shall have their part in the like that burns with fire and Brimstone wouldst thou know whether man's obedience will obtain that Christ should die for them or save them then read Mark 2. 17. Rom. 5. 7. Wouldst thou know whether Righteousness Justification and Sanctification doth come through the virtue of Christ's blood compare Rom. 5. 9 with Heb. 12. 12. wouldst thou know whether natural man can abstain from the outward act of sin against the Law merely by a principal of nature then compare well Rom. 2. 14. with Phil. 3. 6. wouldst thou know whether a man by nature may know something of the invisible things of God compare seriously Rom. 1. 20. 21. with Rom. 2. 14. 5. wouldst thou know how far a man may go on in a profession of the Gospel and yet fall away then read Heb. 6. 4 5 6. They may taste the good word of God and the powers of the world to come They may taste the Heavenly gift and be partakers of the Holy Ghost and yet so fall as never to be recovered or renewed again unto repentance see also Luke 13. wouldst thou know how hard it is to go to Heaven read Mat. 7. 13 14. Luke 13. 24. wouldst thou know whether a man by nature be a friend to God or an enemy then read Rom. 5. 11. Col. 1. 21. wouldst thou know what or who they are that shall go to Heaven then read John 3. 3. 5. 7. and 2 Cor. 5. 17. Also wouldst thou know what a sad thing it is for any to turn their backs upon the Gospel of Jesus Christ then read Heb. 10. 28 29. and Mark 16 16. wouldst thou know what is the wages of sin then read Rom. 6. 23. wouldst thou know whither those do go that die unconverted to the faith of Christ then read Psal. 9 17. and Isa. 14. 9 Reader here might I spend many sheets of paper yea I might upon this subject write a very great Book but I shall now forhear desiring thee to be very conversant in the Scriptures for they are they that will testify of Jesus Christ Joh. 5. 39 The Bereans were counted noble upon this account These were more noble than those of Thessalonica in that they received the word with all readiness of mind and searched the Scriptures daily etc. Acts 17. 11. But here let me give thee one caution that is have a care that thou do not satisfy thyself with a bare search of them without a real application of him whom they testify of to thy soul lest instead of faring the better for thy doing this work thou dost far a great deal the worse & thy condemnation be very much heightened in that though thou didst read so often the sad state of those that die in sin and the glorious estate of them that close in with Christ yet thou thyself shouldst be such a fool as to lose Jesus Christ notwithstanding thy hearing and reading so plentifully of him They have Moses and the Prophets let them them As if he should say What need have they that one should be sent to them from the dead Have they not Moses and the Prophets hath not Moses told them the danger of living in sin Deut. 27. from ver 15. to ver 26. And chap. 28. 15. 16 17 18 19 20. etc. to the end of the Chapter also chap. 29. 18 19 20 21. hath he not there told them what a sad state these persons are in that deceive themselves with the deceit of their hearts saying They shall have peace though they follow their sins in these words And when he heareth the words of this curse he bless himself in his heart saying I shall have peace though I go on or walk in the imagination of my heart to add drunkenness to thirst The Lord will not spare that man but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousy shall smoak against him and all the curses that are written in this Book shall lie upon him and the Lord shall blot out his name from under Heaven Again did not Moses write of the Saviour that was to come afterwards into the World Deut. 18. 18. Nay have not all the Prophets from Samuel with all those that follow after prophesied and foretold these things therefore what need have they that I should work such a miracle as to send one from the dead unto them They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them From whence observe again That God doth honour the writings of Moses and the Prophets as much nay more than if one should rise from the dead Should not a People seek unto their God what seek for the living among the dead To the Law and to the Testimonies saith God if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them Isa. 8. 19 20. And let me tell you plainly I do believe that the Devil knows this full well which makes him labour to beget in the hearts of his Disciples and followers light thoughts of them and doth persuade them that even a motion from their own beguiled conscience or from his own wicked Spirit is to be observed and obeyed before them when the very Apostle of Jesus Christ though he heard a voice from the excellent glory saying This is my beloved Son etc. Yet writing to the Churches he commends the writings of the Prophets before it saying We have also a more sure word of the Prophets unto which ye do well to take heed etc. 2 Pet. 1. 17 18 19 Now if thou doubtest whether that place be meant the Scriptures the words of the Prophets or no read but the next Verse where he addeth for a certain confirmation there of these words Knowing this first that there is no Prophecy of the Scriptures of any private interpretation for Prophecy came not in old timely the will of man but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost And therefore what a sad thing is it with those that go about to disown the Scriptures I tell you however they may slight them n●w yet when they come into h●ll they will see their folly They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them Further who are they that are so tossed to and fro with the several winds of doctrine that have been broached in these days but such for the most part as have had a light esteem of the Scriptures for the ground of error as Christ saith is because they know not them Mark 12. 24. And indeed it is just with God to give them over to follow their own dark blinded consciences to be led into errors that they might be damned into hell who did not believe that the things contained in the Scripture were the truth that they might be saved and go to Heaven It cannot well tell how to have done speaking for and on the Scriptures side only this I consider A word is enough to the wise and therefore I shall commit these things into the hands of them that are of God and as for the rest I shall say to them rather than God will save them from h●ll with the breach of his holy word if they had a thousand souls a piece God would destroy them all for the Scriptures cannot be broken John 10 35. Verse 30. And he said nay Father Abraham but if one went unto them from the dead they would repent THe Verse before you know as I told you it was part of an answer to such as lose their souls so it is a vindication of the Scriptures of Moses and the Prophets They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them Now this Verse is an answer to what was said in the former and such an one as hath in it a rejection of the former answer Nay Father Abraham Nay saith he do not say so do not put them off with this send one from the dead and then there will be some hopes 'T is true thou speakest of the Scriptures of Moses and the Prophets and sayest let them hear them but these things are not so well as I could wish I had rather thou woulest send one from the dead In these words therefore Nay Father Abraham there is a repulse given Nay let it not be so Nay I do not like of that answer Hear Moses and the Prophets nay The same expression is used by Christ Luke 13. 2 3. Think you that they upon whom the ●●ower of Siloe fell were sinners above others I tell you nay for except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish So here Nay Father Abraham etc. By this word Nay therefore is signified a rejecting the first answer Now observe I pray you the reason why he says nay is because God doth put over all those that will be saved to observe and receive the truth contained in Scripture and believe that To have a high esteem of them and to love and search them as Christ saith Search the Scriptures for they are they which testify of me Joh. 5. 39 But the damned say Nay as if he had said This is the thing to be short my brethren are unbelievers and do not regard the Word of God I know it by myself for when I was in the World it was so with me Many a good Sermon did I hear many a time was I admonished desired entreated beseeched threatened forewarned of what I now suffer But alas I was ignorant self-conceited surly obstinate and rebellious Many a time the Preacher told me hell would be my portion the devil would wreck his malice on me God would pour on me his sore displeasure but he had as good have preached to the stock to the post to the stones I trod on his words rang in mine ears but I kept them from my heart I remember he alleged many a Scripture but those I valued not the Scriptures thought I what are they a de●d letter a little Ink and Paper of three or four shillings price Alas what is the Scripture give me a Ballad a News-book George on Horseback or Bevis of Southamp●on give me some book that teaches curious Arts that tells of old Fables but for the Holy Scriptures I cared not And as it was with me then so it is with my brethren now we were all of one spirit loved all the same sins slighted all the same counsels promises encouragements and threatenings of the Scriptures and they are still as I left them still in unbelief still provoking God and rejecting good counsel so hardened in their ways so bend to follow sin that let the Scriptures be showed to them daily let the Messengers of Christ preach till their hearts ache till they fall down dead with preaching they will rather trample it underfoot and swinelike rend them than close in with those gentle and blessed proffers of the Gospel Nay Father Abraham but if one should rise from the dead they would repent Though they have Moses and the Prophets the Scriptures they will not repent and close in with Jesus Christ though the Scriptures do witness against them If therefore there be any good done to them they must have it another way I think saith he it would work much on them if one should rise from the dead And this truth indeed is so evident that ungodly ones have a light esteem of the Scriptures that it needs not many strong Arguments to prove it being so evidently manifested by their every day's practice both in words and actions almost in all things they say and do Yet for the satisfaction to he Reader I shall show you by a Scripture o● two though I might show many that this was and is true with the generality of the world See the words of Nehemiah in his 9th Chapter concerning the Children of Israel who though the Lord afforded them mercy upon mercy as it is from ver 19 to ver. 25. yet ver. 26. saith he Nevertheless they were disobedient for all thy goodness towards them and rebelled against thee but how and cast thy Law behind their back Slew the Prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee and they wrought great provocations Observe 1. They sinned against mercy And then 2. They slighted the Law or Word of God 3. They slew the Prophets that declared it unto them 4. The Lord count's it a great provocation See Heb. 3. from ver 10. ver 19 And see Zach. 7. 11 12. But they refused to hearken saith he there of the Wicked and pulled away the shoulder and stopped their ears that they should not hear the Law Yea they made their hearts hard as an adamant stone lest they should hear the Law and the words which the Lord of Hosts sent unto them by his Spirit in the former Prophets etc. Mark I pray you her is also First a refusing to hearken to the word of the Prophets 2. That they might so do they stopped their ears 3. If any thing was to be done they pulled away their shoulder 4. To effect this they labour to make their hearts hard as an Adamant stone 5. And all this lest they should hear and close in with Jesus and live and be delivered from the wrath to come all which things do hold out an unwillingness to submit to and embrace the words of God and so Jesus Christ which is restified of by them Many other Scripture I might bring in for confirmation of the thing as that in Amos 7. 12 13. also 2 Sam. 2. 24 25 2 Chron. 25. 15 16. Jer. 7. 23 24 25 26 27. and that 16. 12. Read also seriously that saying in 2 Chron. 36. 15. where he saith And the Lord God of their Fathers sent unto them by his Messengersrising up betimes because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place And did they make them welcome No But mocked the Messengers of God and despised his words And was that all No they misused his Prophets How long until the wrath of the Lord arose against them Till there was no remedy See also Jer. 29. 19 chap. 25. 3 4 5 6 7. Luke 11. 49. And besides the Conversation of almost all men doth bear witness to the same both Religious and profane persons in that they daily neglect reject and turn their backs upon the plain testimony of the Scriptures As 1. Take the threatenings laid down in holy Writ and how are they disregarded there are but a few places in the Bible but there are threatenings against one sinner or other against drunkards swearers liars proud persons strumpets whoremongers covetous railers extortioners thiefs lazy persons In a word all manner of sins are reproved and without Faith in the Lord Jesus there is a ●ore punishment to be executed on the committers of them and all this made mention of in the Scriptures But for all this how thick and by heaps do these wretches walk up and down our streets Do but go into the Alehouses and you shall see almost every room besprinkled with them so foaming out their own shame that it is enough to make the heart of a Saint to tremble insomuch that they would not be bound to have society with them any long while for all the world For as the ways of the godly are not liked of by the wicked even so the ways of the wicked are an abomination to the just Prov. 29. 27. Psal. 120. 5 6. The Scriptures say Cursed is the man that trusteth in man that maketh flesh his arm and whose heart departeth from the Lord Jer. 17. 5. And yet how many poor souls are there in the world that stand in so much awe and dread of men and do so highly esteem their favour that they will rather venture their souls in the hands of the devil with their favour than they will ●●y to Jesus Christ for the salvation of their soul. Nay though they be convinced in their souls that the way is the way of God yet how do they labour to stifle convictions and turn their ears away from the truth and all because they will not lose the favour of an opposite neighbour Oh! I dare not for my Master my Brother my Landlord I shall lose his favour his house of work and so decay my calling O saith another I would willingly go in this way but for my Father he chides and tells me he will not stand my friend when I come to want I shall never enjoy a pennyworth of his goods he will disinherit me And I dare not saith another for my Husband for he will be a railing and tells me he will turn me out of doors he will beat me and cut off my legs But I tell you if any of these or any other things be ●o prevalent with thee now as to keep thee from seeking after Christ in his ways they will also be so prevalent with God against thee as to make him cast off thy soul because thou didst rather trust man than God and delight in the embracing of man rather than in the favour of the Lord 2. Again the Scripture saith He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy Prov. 29. 1. Yet many are so far from turning though they have been convinced of their wretched state an hundred times that when convictions or trouble for sin comes on their Consciences they go on still in the same manner resisting and choking the same though remediless destruction be hard at their heels 3. Again thou hast heard say Unless a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Joh. 3. 3 5 7. And yet thou goest on in a natural state an unregenerate condition nay thou dost resolve never to turn not be changed though hell be appointed on purpose to swallow up such Isa. 14. 9 Psal. 9 17. The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the Nations that forget God 4. Again the Scripture saith plainly That he that loveth and maketh a lie shall have his part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone Rev. 21. 8 27. And yet thou art so far from dreading it that it is thy delight to jest and jeer and lie for a penny or two pence or ●ix pence gain And also if thou canst make the rest of thy companions merry by telling things that are false of them that are better than thyself thou dost not care a straw Or if thou hearest a lie from or of another thou wilt tell it and swear to the truth of it O miserable 5. Thou hast heard and read That he that believes not shall be damned Mark 16. 16. And that all men have not Faith 2 Thess. 3. 2. and yet thou dost so much disregard these things that it is like thou didst scarce ever so much as examine seriously whether thou wert in the faith or no but dost content thyself with the Hypocrites hope which at the last God will cut off and count it no better than the spider's web Job 8. 13 14. or the house that is builded on the sands Luke 6. 49. Nay thou peradventure dost flatter thyself and thinkest that thy Faith is as good as the best of them all when alas poor soul thou mayest have no saving faith at all which thou hast not if thou be not born again and made a new Creature 2. Cor. 2 17. 6. Thou hast heard That he that neglects God's great salvation shall never escape his great damnation Heb. 2. 3. compared with Luke 14. 24. and Rev. 14. 19 20. And yet when thou art invited entreated and beseeched to come in Luke 14. 17 18. 2 Cor. 5. 19 20. Rom. 12. 1. thou wilt make any excuse to serve the turn Nay thou wilt be so wicked as to put off Christ time after time notwithstanding he is so freely proffered to thee a little ground a few Oxen a Farm a Wife a two penny matter a Play nay the fear of a mock a scoff or a jeer is of greater weight to draw thee back than the Salvation of thy Soul to draw thee forward 7. And thou hast heard that Whosoever will be a friend of the World is the enemy of God Jam. 4. 4. But thou regardest not these things but chose rather than thou wilt be out of the friendship and favour of this world thou wilt sin against thine own Conscience and get thyself in●o favour by fawning and flattering of the world Yea rather than thou wilt go without it thou wilt dissemble lie backbite thy Neighbour and an hundred other tricks thou wilt have 8. You have heard that the day of Judgement is near in which you and I all of us must appear before the Tribunal of Jesus Christ and there be made to give an account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead even of all that ever we did yea of all our sins in thought word and deed and shall certainly be damned for them too if we close not in with our Lord Jesus Christ and what he hath done and suffered for eternal life and that not notionally or traditionally but really and savingly in the power and by the operation of the spirit through faith Eccles. 11. 9 12. 14. Heb. 9 27. Acts 10. 42 Acts 17. 30 31. 2 Cor. 5. 10. Rev. 20. 12. And I saw the dead small and great stand before God and the Books were opened and another Book was opened which is the Book of Life and the dead were judged out of those things that were written in the Books There is the Book of the Creatures the Book of Conscience the Book of the Lords Remembrance the Book of the Law the Book of the Gospel Rom. 1. 20. compared with Rom. 2. 12. 15. Rev. 6. ver 19 Joh. 12. 48. Then shall he separate them one from another as a Shepherd divideth his Sheep on his right hand and the Goats on his left Mat. 25. 30 31 32. And shall say to them on his right hand Come ye blessed vers. 34. But to the other go or depart ye cursed ver 41. Yet notwithstanding the Scriptures do so plainly & plentifully speak of these things alas who is there that is weaned from the world and from their si●s and pleasures to fly from the wrath to come Mat. 3. 7. notwithstanding the Scripture saith also That Heaven and Earth shall pass away rather than one jot or one tittle of the word shall shall fail till all be fulfilled they are so certain Luke 21. 37. But leaving the threatenings let us come to the promises and speak somewhat of them and you may see how light men make of them and how little they set by them notwithstanding the mouth of the Lord hath spoken them As first Turn ye fools ye scorners ye simple ones at my reproof and beh●ld I will pour out my spirit unto you Prov. 1. 24. And yet persons had rather be in their foolishness and scorning still and had rather embrace some filthy lust than the holy undesiled and blessed Spirit of Christ thorough the promise though by it as many as receive it are sealed unto the day of redemption Eph. 4. 30. And although he that lives and dies without it is none of Christ's Rom. 8. 9 2. God hath said If thou do but come to him in Christ though your sins be as red as Scarlet they shall be as white as Snow and he will by no means cast thee away compare Isa. 1. 18. with Joh. 6. ●7 yet poor souls will not come to Christ that they might have life Joh. 5. 41. but rather after their hardness and impenitent heart treasure up unto themselves wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God Rom. 2. 4 5 6. 3. Christ Jesus hath said in the word of truth That if any man will serve and follow him Where he is there shall also his servant be Joh. 12. 26. but yet poor souls choose rather to follow sin Satan and the world though their companions be the devils and damned souls for ever Mat. 25. 41. 4. He hath also said Seek first the Kingdom of God and all other things shall be added But let who so will seek after the Kingdom of Heaven first for them For they will take the first time while time serves to get the things of this life And if it be so that they must needs seek after Heaven or else be damned they will stay till they have more leisure or till they can better attend to it or till they have other things handsome about them or till they are older when they have little else to do or when they come to be sick and to die Then Lord have mercy upon them though it be ten thousand to one but they perish for ever For commonly the Lord hath this way to deal with such sinners who put him off when he is stri●●●● with them either to laugh at their calamity and m●●k when their fear cometh Prov. 1. 26. 28. send them to the gods they have served which are the devils Judg. 10. 13. 14. Go to the gods you have served and let them deliver you saith he compare this with Joh. 8. 44. 5. He hath said There is no man that forsaketh Father or Mother Wife or Children or Lands for his sake and the Gospels but shall have an hundred f●l● in this world with persecution and in the world to come life everlasting Mark 10. 29 30. But men for the most part are so far off from believing the certainty of this that they will scarce lose the earning of a penny to hear the word of God the Gospel of salvation Nay they will neither go themselves nor suffer others to go if they can help it without threatening to do them a mischief if it lie in their way Nay further many are so far from parting from any worldly gun for Christ's sake and the Gospels that they are still striving by hook and by crook as we say by swearing lying cozening stealing covetousness extortion oppression forgery bribery fl●ttery or any other way to get more though they get together with these death wrath damnation hell the devil and all the plagues that God can pour upon them And if any do not run with them to the same excess of riot but rather for all their threats will be so bold and careless as they call it as to follow the ways of God if they can do no more yet they will whet their tongues like a Sword to wound them and do them the greatest mischief they can both in speaking against them to neighbours to Wives to Husbands to Landlords and raising false Reports of them But let such take heed lost they be in such a state and woeful condition as he was in who said in vexation and anguish of soul One drop of cold water to cool my tongue Thus might I add many things out of the holy W●it both threatening and promises besides those heavenly Counsels loving Reproofs free invitations to all sorts of sinners both old and young rich and poor bond and free wise and unwise All which have been now are and it is to be feared as long as this World lasts will be trampled under the feet of those Swine I call them not men who will continue in the same But take a review of some of them 1. Counsel What heavenly counsel is that where Christ saith Buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayst be rich and white raiment that thou mayst b● clothed that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear Rev. 3. 17 18. Also that Ho every one that thirsteth come to the waters Yea come buy wine and mi●● without money and without price Isa. 55. 1. Hear and your souls shall live Ve●se 3. Lay hold of strength that you may make peace with me and y●● shall make peace with me Isa. 27. 5. 2. Instruction What Instruction is here Hear instruction and be wise and refuse it n●t Blessed is the man that heareth me saith Christ watching daily at my gates waiting at the posts of my doors For who so findeth me finds life and shall obtain favour of the lord Prov. 8. 32 33 34 35. Take heed that no man deceive you by any means Labour not for the meat that perisheth but for that which endureth unto everlasting life Jo● 6. 27. Strive to enter in at the straight gate Luke 13. 24. Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved Act. 16. 31. Believe not every spirit but try the spirits Quench not the spirit Lay hold on eternal life Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven Mat. 5. 16. Take heed and beware of hypocrisy watch and be sober Learn of me saith Christ Come unto me 3. Forewarning What forewarning is here Because there is wrath beware lest he take thee away with his stroke than a great ransom cannot deliver thee Job 36. 18. Be ye not mockers lest your bands be made strong for I have heard from the Lord God of Hosts a Consumption even determined on the whole Earth Isa. 28. 22. Beware therefore lest that come upon you that is written Behold ye despisers and wonder and perish For behold I work a work in your days which ye shall in no wise believe though a man declare it unto you Act. 13. 40. 41. Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall 1 Cor. 10. 12. Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation Luke 22. 40. Let us fear therefore lest a promise being made or left us of entering into his rest any of you should seem to come short of it Heb. 4. 1. I will therefore put you in remembrance though you once knew this how that the Lord having saved the people out of Egypt afterward destroyed them that believed not Judas 5. Hold fast that thou hast let no man take thy Crown Rev. 3. 11. 4. Comfort What comfort is here He that cometh unto me I will in no wise east out Joh. 6. Vers. 37. Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Mat. 11. 28. Be of good cheer thy sins are forgiven thee I will never leave thee nor forsake thee for I have loved thee with an everlasting love Jer. 31. 3. I lay down my life for my sheep I lay down my life that they might have life I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly I have heard thee in a time accepted and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee 2 Cor. 6. 2. Though their sins be as Scarlet they shall be as white as Snow though they be as Crimson they shall be as Wool For I have blotted out as a thick Cloud thy transgressions and as a Cloud thy sins return unto me for I have redeemed thee Isa. 44. 22. 5. Grief to those that fall short O sad grief How have I hated instruction and mine heart despised reproof and have not obeyed the voice of my teachers nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me Prov. 7. 11 12 13. They shall curse their King and their God and look upwards And they shall look to the Earth and behold trouble and darkness and dimness of anguish and they shall be driven into darkness Isa. 8. vers. 21 22. He hath dispersed abroad he hath given to the poor his Righteousness endureth for ever The wicked shall see it and be grieved he shall gnash with his teeth and m●●t away the desire of the wicked shall perish Psal. 112. 9 10. There shall be weeping when ye shall see Abraham Isaac and Jacob and all the Prophets in the Kingdom of Heaven and yourselves thrust out Luke 13. 26 27 28. all which things are slighted by the world Thus much in short touching this that ungodly men undervalue the Scriptures and give no credit to them when the truth that is contained in them is held forth in simplicity unto them but rather cry out nay but if one should rise from the dead than they think something might be done when alas though signs and wonders were wrought by the hands of those that preach the Gospel these poor creatures would never the sooner convert though they suppose they should as is evident by the carriages of their forerunners who albeit the Lord Jesus Christ himself did confirm his Doctrine by miracles as opening blind eyes casting out of Devils and raising the dead they were so far from receiving either him or his Doctrine that they put him to death for his pains though he had done so many Miracles among them yet they believed not in him John 12. 37. But to pass this I shall lay down some of the grounds of their rejecting and undervaluing the Scriptures and so pass on 1. Because they do not believe that they are the Word of God but rather suppose them to be the inventions of men written by some Politicians on purpose to make poor ignorant people to submit to some Religion and Government Though they do not say this yet their practices testify the same as he that when he hears the words of the curse yet blesseth himself in his heart and saith he shall have peace though God saith he shall have none Deut. 29. 18 19 20. And this must needs be for did but men believe this that it is the Word of God than they must believe that he that spoke it is true therefore shall every word and tittle be fulfilled And if they come once to this unless they be stark mad they will have a care how they do throw themselves under the lash of eternal vengeance For the Reason why the Thessalonians received the word was because they believed it was the Word of God and not the word of man which did effectually work in them by their thus believing 1 Thes. 2 13 14. When ye received the word which ye heard of us saith he 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 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 But the Word preached doth not profit not being mixed with faith in them that hear it Heb. 4. 1 2. 2. Because they do not indeed see themselves by nature heirs of that exceeding wrath and vengeance that the Scriptures testify of For did they but consider what God intends to do with those that live and die in a natural state it would either sink them into despair or make them fly for refuge to the hope that is set before them But if there be never such sins committed and never so great wrath denounced and the time of execution be never so near yet if the party that is guilty be senseless and altogether ignorant thereof he will be careless and regard it nothing at all And that man by nature is in this condition it is evident For take the same man that is senseless and ignorant of that misery he is in by nature I say take him at another time when he is a little awakened and then you shall hear him roar and cry out so long as trouble is upon him and a sense of the wrath of God hanging over his head Good sirs what must I do to be saved Though the same man at another time when his conscience is fallen asleep and grown hard will lie like the Smith's Dog at the foot of the Anvil though the fire-sparks fly in his face But as I said before when any one is a little awakened O● what work will one verse one line nay one word of holy Scriptures make in his heart he cannot eat sleep work keep company with his former companions and all because he is afraid that the damnation spoken of in Scripture will fall to his share Like Balaam who said I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord Numb 22. 18. so long as he had something of the word of the Lord with authority severity and power on his heart but at another time he could teach Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the Children of Israel Rev. 2. 14. 3. Because the carnal Priests do tickle the ears of their hearers with vain Philosophy and deceit and thereby harden their hearts against the simplicity of the Gospel and word of God which things the Apostle admonished those that have a mind to close in with Christ to avoid Col. 2. 8. saying Beware lest any man be he what h● will spoil you through Philosophy and vain deceit after the traditions of men and rudiments of the world and not after Christ And you who muzzle up your people in ignorance with Aristotle Plato and the rest of the heathenish Philosophers and preach little if any thing of Christ rightly I say unto you that you will find you have sinned against God and beguiled your hearers when God shall in the Judgement-day lay the cause of the damnation of many thousands of souls to your charge and say He will require their blood a● your hands Ezek. 33. 6. 4. Another reason why the carnal unbelieving world do so slight the Scriptures and Word of God is because the judgement spoken of in the Scripture is not presently executed on the transgressors Because sentence against an evil act is not speedily executed therefore the hearts of the sons of men are wholly set in the●● to do evil Eccles. 8. 11. Because God doth not presently strike the poor wretch as soon as he sins but waits and forbears and is patient Therefore the world judging God to be unfaithful go to it again and again and every time grow harder and harder till at last God is forced either to stretch out his mighty power to turn them or else send death with the Devil and Hell to fetch them Thou thoughtest saith God that I was altogether such an one as thyself but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thy face Now consider this ye that forget God lest I tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver Psal. 50. 20. 21. 5. Another Reason why the blind world do slight the authority of Scripture is because they give ●ar to the Devil who through his subtlety casteth false evasions and corrupt interpretations on them ●end●ing them not so point blank the mind of God and a rule for direction to poor souls persuading them that they must give ear and way to something else besides and beyond that or else he labours to render it vile and contemptible by persuading them that it is a dead letter when indeed they know not what they say nor whereof they affirm For the Scripture is not so dead but that the knowledge of it is able to make any man wise unto salvation through faith and love which is in Christ Jesus 2 Tim. 3. 15. And is profitable for instruction reproof and correction in righteousness that the man of God may be throughly furnished to all good works verse 17. And where it is said the letter killeth he meaneth the Law as it is the ministration of damnation or a Covenant of works and so indeed it doth kill and must do so because it is just forasmuch as the party that is under the same is not able to yield to it a complete and continual obedience But yet I will call Paul and Peter to witness that the Scriptures are of a very glorious concernment in as much as in them is held forth to us the way of life and also in that they do administer good ground of hope to us Rom. 15. 4. For whatsoever things were written a foretime were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scripture mig●● have hope And again Rom. 16. 25 26. Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my Gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the Revelation of the mystery which was kept hid since the World began but now is made manifest and by the Scriptures of the Prophets according to the Commandment of the everlasting God made known to all Nations for the obedience of faith And therefore whosoever they be that slight the Scriptures they slight that which is no less than the word of God and they who slight that slight him that spoke it and they that do so let them look to themselves for God will be revenged on such Much more might be said to this thing but I would not be tedious A word or two more and so I have done with this Consider the dangers of slighting the words of the Prophets or Apostles whether they be correction reproof admonition forewarning or the blessed invitations and promises contained in them 1. Such souls do provoke God to anger and to execute his vengeance on them They refused to hearken they pulled away their shoulder they stopped their ears lest they should hear the Law and they made their heart's Adamant stone that they might not hear the Law and the words that were spoken to them by his spirit in the former Prophets Therefore came a great wrath upon them Zach. 7. 11 12. 2. God will not regard in their calamity Because I called and ye refused I stretched out my hand and no man regarded but set at nought all my counsels and would have none of my reproof I also will laugh at your calamities and mock when your fear cometh When their fear cometh as desolation and their destruction like a Whirlwind Then shall they call but I will not answer they shall seek me early but they shall not find me Prov. 1. 25 26 27. 3. God doth commonly give up such men to delusions to believe lies Because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved therefore God shall send them strong delusiens that they should believe a lie That they all might be damned 2 Thes. 2. 11 12. 4. In a word they that do continue to reject and slight the word of God they are such for the most part as are ordained to be damned Old Eli his sons not harkening to the voice of their father reproving them for their sins but disobeying his voice it is sai● It was because the Lord would slay them 1 Sam. 2. 15. Again see in 2 Chron. 25. 15 16. Amaziah having sinned against the Lord he sends to him a Prophet to reprove him But Amaziah says forbear wherefore shouldst thou be smitten he ●id not hearken to the word of God Then the Prophet forbear saying I know that God hath determined to destroy thee because thou hast not harkened to my counsel Read therefore and the Lord give thee understanding For a miserable end will those have that go on in sinning against God rejecting his word Other things might have been observed from this verse which at this time I shall pass by partly because the sum of them hath been touched already and may be more clearly hinted at in the following verse and therefore I shall speak a few words to the next verse and so draw towards a conclusion Ver. 31. And he said unto him If they hear not Moses and the Prophets neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the Dead ANd he said That is and God made answer to the words spoken in the verse before And he said unto him If they hear not Moses etc. As if he had said Moses was a man of great Renown a man of worthy note a man that talked with God face to face as a man speaketh to his Friend The words that Moses spoke were such as I commanded him to speak Let who will question them I will own them credit them bless them that close in with them and curse those that reject them I myself sent the Prophets they did not run of their own heads I gave them Commission I thrust them our and told them what they should say In a word They have told the World what my mind is to do both to Sinners and to Saints They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them Therefore he that shall reject and turn his back either upon the threatenings Counsels Admonitions Invita ions Promises or whatsoever else I have commanded them to speak as to Salvation and Life and to Directions therein shall be sure to have a share in the many Curses that they have spoken and the Destruction that is pronounced by them Again If they hear not Moses and the Prophets etc. As if he had said Thou wouldst have me send one from the Dead unto them what needs that They have my Mind already I have declared unto them what I intent to stand to both for saving them that believe and damning them that do not That therefore which I have said I will make good whether they hear or forbear And as for this desire of yours you had as good desire me to make a new Bible and so to revoke my first Sayings by the Mouth of my Prophets But I am God and not Man and my Word is immutable unchangeable and shall stand as fast as my Decrees can make it Heaven and Earth shall pass away but one jot or tittle of my Word shall not pass If thou hadst Ten Thousand Brethren and every one in danger of losing his Soul if they did not close in with what is contained and recorded in the Scriptures of Truth they must even every one of them perish and be for ever damned in Hell for the Scriptures cannot be broken I did not send them so unadvisedly to recall it again by another consideration No For I speak in Righteousness and Judgement Isa. 63. 1 2 3. and in much Wisdom and Counsel It being therefore gone out of my Mouth in this manner It shall not return in vain until it hath accomplished the thing whereto I have sent it But again Thou supposest that Miracles and Wonders will work more on them which makes thee say Send one from the Dead But herein thou art mistaken for I have proved them with that once and again by more than one or two or three of my Servants How many Miracles did my Servant Moses work by Commandment from me in the Land of Egypt at the Red-Sea and in the Wilderness yet they of that Generation were never the sooner converted for that but notwithstanding rebelled and lusted and in their hearts turned back into Egypt Act. 7. How many Miracles did Samuel David Elias Elisha Daniel and the Prophets together with my Son who raised the Dead cast out Devils made them to see that were born blind gave and restored Limbs yet for all this as I said before they hated him they crucified him I raised him again from the Dead and he appeared to his Disciples who were called and chosen and faithful and he gave them Commandment and Commission to go and testify the Truth of this to the World and to confirm the same he enabled them to speak with divers Tongues and to w●●k M●●acles most plentifully yet there was great persecution raised against them insomuch that but a few of them died in their beds And therefore though thou thinkest that a Miracle will do so much with the World yet I say No For if they will not believe Moses and the Prophets neither will they be persuaded though one should rise from the Dead From these words therefore take notice of this Truth namely that those who reject and believe not Moses and the Prophets are a very hard-hearted people that will not be persuaded though one rise from the Dead They that regard not the Holy Scriptures to turn to God finding them to testify of his goodness and mercy there is but little hopes of their Salvation For they will not mark they will not be persuaded though one should rise from the Dead This Truth is confirmed by Jesus Christ himself If you read Joh. 5. where the Lord is speaking of himself that he is the very Christ he brings in four or five Witnesses to back what he said First John Baptist. 2. The Works that his Father gave him to do 3. His Father speaking from Heaven 4. The Testimony of the Scriptures when all this was done seeing yet they would not believe he lays the fault upon one of these two Things 1. Their regarding an esteem among Men. 2. Their not believing of the Prophets Writings even Moses and the rest For had ye believed Moses saith he ye would have believed me For he wrote of me But if ye believe not his Writings how can ye believe my Words Now I say he that shall slight the Scriptures and the Testimony of the Prophets in them concerning Jesus Christ must needs be in great danger of losing his Soul if he abide in this condition because he that slights the Testimony doth also slight the Thing testified of let him say the contrary never so often For as Jesus Christ hath here laid down the Reason of men's not receiving him so the Apostle in another place lays down the Reason again with an high and mighty aggravation 1 Joh. 5. 10. saying He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself he that believeth not God hath made him a Liar because he believeth not the Record Mark the Record that God gave of his S●n. The Record you will say what is that Why even the Testimony that God gave of him by the Mouth of all the Holy Prophets since the World began Act. 3. 20. That is God sending his Holy Spirit into the hearts of his Servants the Prophets and Apostles He by his Spirit in them did bear Witness or Record to the Truth of Salvation by his Son Jesus both before and after his coming And thus is that place also to be understood which saith There are three that bear Record in Earth the Spirit and the Water and the Blood That is the Spirit in the Apostles which preached him to the World as is clear if you read seriously 1 Thes. 4. 8. The Apostle speaking of Jesus Christ and obedience to God through him saith thus Now he that despiseth despiseth not us but God But it is you that speak True but it is by and through the Spirit He therefore that despiseth despiseth not Man but God who also hath given us of his Holy Spirit This is therefore a mighty confirmation of this Truth that he that slights the Record or Testimony that God by his Spirit in his Prophets and Apostles hath testified unto us slights the Testimony of the Spirit who moved them to speak these Things and if so than I would fain know how any man can be saved by Jesus Christ that slights the Testimony concerning Christ yea the Testimony of his own Spirit concerning his own Self 'T is true men may pretend to have the Testimony of the Spirit and from that Conceit set a low Esteem on the Holy Scriptures But that Spirit that dwelleth in them and reacheth them so to do it is no better than the Spirit of Satan though it calls itself by the Name of the Spirit of Christ To the Law therefore and to the Testimony Try them by that If they speak not according to this Word it is because there is no Light in them The Apostle Peter when he speaks of the glorious Voice that he had from the Excellent Majesty saying of Christ This is my beloved Son hear him saith thus to him whom he wrote unto You have also a more sure Word of Prophecy or of the Prophets for so you may read it unto which you do well that you take heed That is Though we tell you that we had his excellent Testimony from his own Mouth evidently yet you have the Prophets We tell you this and you need not doubt of the Truth of it but if you should yet you may not must not ought not to question them Search therefore unto them until the Day dawn and the Daystar arise in your hearts That is until by the same Spirit that gave forth the Scripture you find the Truth confirmed to your Souls which you have recorded in the Scriptures That this Word of Prophecy or of the Prophets is the Scriptures read on For saith he knowing this first that no Prophecy of the Scriptures is of any private interpretation etc. 2 Pet. 1. 18 19 20. But you will say What needs all this ado and why is all this time and pains spent in speaking to this that is surely believed already This is a Thing received by all that they believe the Scriptures to be the Word of God that sure Word of Prophecy and therefore you need not spend your time in proving these Things and the Truth of them seeing we grant and confess the Truth of it before you begin to speak your judgement of them Answ. The Truths of God cannot be born witness unto too often you may as well say You need not preach Jesus Christ so much seeing he hath been and is received for the True Messias already 2. Though many may suppose that they do believe the Scriptures yet if they were but well examined you would find them either by word of mouth or else by conversation to deny reject and slight the Holy Scriptures 'T is true there is a notional and historical Assent in the Head I say In the Head of many or most to the Truth contained in Scripture But try them I say and you shall 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 Many yea most men believe the Scriptures as they believe a Fable a Story a Tale of which there is no certainty but alas there are but few do in Deed and in Truth believe the Scriptures to be the very Word of God Obj. But you will say This seems strange to me Answ. And it seems as true to me and I doubt not but to make it manifest that there are but few yea very few that do effectually for that I aim at believe the Scriptures and the Truths contained in and spoken of by them But to make this appear and that to purpose if God will I shall lay you down the several Operations that the Scriptures have on them who do effectually believe the Things contained in them 1. He that doth effectually believe the Scriptures hath in the first place been killed I say killed by the Authority of the Holy Scriptures struck stark dead in a Spiritual sense by the Holy Scripture being set home by that Spirit which gave them forth upon the Soul The Letter killeth the Letter strikes men dead 2 Cor. 3. 6. and this Paul witnessed and found before he could say I believe all that the Prophets have spoken Where he saith I was alive without the Law once That is in my natural state before the Law was set on my heart with power But when the Commandment came sin revived and I died Rom. 7. 9 And that Law that was ordained to life I found to be unto death For sin taking occasion by the Commandment deceived me and thereby slew me ver 10. Now that which is called the Letter in Cor. is called the Law in Rom. 7. which by its power and operation as it is wielded by the Spirit of God doth in the first place kill and slay all those that are enabled to believe the Scriptures I kill saith God That is with my Law I pierce I wound I prick men into the very heart by showing them their sins against my Law Deut. 32. 39 Act. 2. 36 37. And he that is ignorant of this is also ignorant of and doth not really and effectually believe the Scripture But you will say How doth the Law kill and strike dead the poor Creature Answ. First The Letter or Law do kill thus It is set home upon the Soul and discovers to the Soul its Transgressions against the Law and shows the Soul also that it cannot completely satisfy the Justice of GOD for the breach of his Law therefore it is condemned Joh. 3. 19 Mark He that believes not is condemned already To wit by the Law that is the Law doth condemn him yea it hath condemned him already for his sins against it as it is written Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the Book of the Law to do them Gal. 3. 10. Now all men as they come into the World are in this condition that is condemned by the Law Yet not believing their Condemnation by the Law really they do not also believe really and effectually the Law that doth condemn them For as men have but a notion of the one that is their condemnation because of sins against the Law so they have but a notion of the condemning kill and destroying power of the Law for as the one is so in these Things always is the other There is no man that doth really believe the Law or Gospel further than they do feel the power and authority of them in their hearts Ye err not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God Now this Letter or Law is not to be taken in the largest sense but is strictly to be tied to the Ten Commandments whose proper Work is only by showing the Soul its sins against this Law to kill and there leaves him stark dead not giving him the least life or support or comfort but leaves the Soul in an helpless and hopeless condition as from itself or any other mee● Creature 'T is true the Law hath laid all men for dead as they come into the World but all men do not see themselves dead until they see that Law that struck them dead sticking in their Souls and having struck them that fatal blow As a man that is fast asleep in an house and that on fire about his Ears and he not knowing of it because he is asleep even so because poor Souls are asleep in sin though the Wrath of God the Curse of his Law and the flames of Hell have beset them round about yet they do not believe it because they are asleep in sin Now as he that is awakened and sees this seas that through this he is a dead man Even so they that do see their state by nature being such a sad condition do also see themselves by that Law to be dead men naturally But now when didst thou feel the power of this first part of the Scripture the Law so mighty as to strike thee dead If not thou dost not so much as verily believe that part of Scripture that doth contain the Law in it to be the truth of God Yet if thou shouldest have felt something I say something of the kill power of the Law of God in thine heart this is not an Argument to prove that thou believest all the Things contained in Scripture for there is Gospel as well as Law and therefore I shall speak to that also that is whether thou hast felt the power of the Gospel as well as something of the power of the Law 2. Then thou hast found the power of the Gospel and so believed it thou hast found it thus with thy soul. 1. Thou hast been showed by the word or truth of the Gospel in the light of the Spirit of Christ that by nature thou were without the true faith of the Son of God in thy soul For when He the Spirit is come he shall show men that they believe not in me saith Christ Joh. 16. 9 Mark though thou hast as I said before felt somewhat of the power of the Law Letter or ten Commandments yet if thou hast not been brought to this to see by the spirit in the Gospel that thou art without faith by nature thou hast not yet tasted much less believed any part of the Gospel For the Gospel and the Law are two distinct Covenants And they that are under the Law may be convinced by it and so believe the Law or first Covenant and yet in the mean time to be a stranger to the Covenant of promise that is the Gospel and so have no hope in them Ephes. 2. 12. There is not any promise that can be savingly believed until the soul be by the Gospel converted to Jesus Christ For though men do think never so much that they believe the things or the word of the Gospel of our salvation yet unless they have the work of grace in their souls they do no● cannot rightly believe the things contained in the Scriptures Again as the Law killeth those that believe it even so the promises contained in the Gospel do through faith administer comfort to those that believe i● a●ig●t My words saith Christ my words they are spirit and they are life Joh. 6. 63. As if he had said the words contained in the law as a Covenant of works they wound they kill they strike dead those that are under them But as for me the words that I speak unto you they are spirit and they are life That is whosoever doth receive them believingly shall find them full of operation to comfort quicken and revive their soul. For as I did not come into the world to destroy men's lives so the words that I speak as I am sent to preach the Gospel they have no such tendency unto those that believe them The promises that are in the Gospel Oh how do they comfort them such a promise and such a promise O how sweet is it how comfortable to those that believe them Alas there are many poor souls that think they believe the Scriptures to be the word of God and yet they never enjoyed any thing of the life and promises they come in upon the heart to quicken to revive thee to raise th●e from the sentence of death that is passed thee by the Law And through the faith that is wrought in thy soul by the operation of God's holy Spirit though once killed by the Law or Letter thou art made alive in the Lord Jesus Christ who is presented to thy soul in the promises 3. Dost thou indeed and in truth believe the Scriptures to be the word of God then ●he things contained in them especially the things of the Gospel are very excellent to thy soul as the birth of Christ the death resurrection intercession and second coming O! how precious and excellent are they to thy soul insomuch that thou regardest nothing in comparison of them O! it is Christ's birth death blood resurrection etc. according to the Scriptures that thou dost rejoice in exceedingly and abundantly desire after whom having not seen ye love in whom though now ye see him not yet believing the mercy with joy unspeakable and full of glory 1 Cor. 15. 1 2 3 4 5 6. compare with Phil. 3. 6 7 8. 1 Pet. 1. 8. 4. Dost thou believe the Scriptures to be the word of God Then thou standest in aw●of and dost much reverence them Why they are the word of God the true sayings of God they are the counsel of God they are his promises and his threatenings Poor souls are apt to think If I could hear God speak to me from Heaven with an audible voice then sure I should be serious and believe it But truly if God should speak to thee from Heaven except thou wert converted thou wouldst not regard not really believe him But if thou dost believe the Scriptures thou seest that they are the truth as really believe him But if thou dost believe the Scriptures thou seest that they are the truth as really as if God should speak to thee from Heaven through the Clouds and therefore never flatter thyself foolishly thinking that if it were so and so than thou couldst believe I tell thee saith Christ If they believe not Moses and the Prophets neither will they believe though one should rise from the dead But 5. Dost thou believe the Scripture to be the word of God Then through faith in Christ thou endeavourest to have thy life squared according to the Scriptures both in word and practice Nay this I say thou mayst have though thou do not believe them all My meaning is that if thou believe none but the ten Commandments thy life may be according to them a legal holy life and if thou do believe the Gospel too than thy life will be the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ that is either thou wilt live in the blessed and holy enjoyment of what is testified in the Scripture concerning the glorious things of the Lord Jesus Christ or else thou wilt be exceedingly panting after them For the Scriptures carry such a blessed beauty in them to that soul that hath faith in the things contained in them that they do take the heart and captivate the soul of him that believeth them into the love and liking of them believing all things that are written in the Law and the Prophets and have hope towards God that there shall be a Resurrection of the dead both of the just and unjust and herein do I exercise myself to have always a Conscience void of offence both towards God and towards man Acts 24. 14 15 16. 6. He that believes the Scriptures to be the word of God if he do but suppose that any one place of Scripture doth exclude him and shut him out of and from a share in the promises contained in them O it will trouble him grieve him perplex him yea he will not be satisfied until he be resolved and the contrary sealed to his soul for he knows that the Scriptures are the word of God all truth and therefore he knows that if any one sentence doth exclude or bar out him for want of this or the other qualification he knows also that not the word alone shuts him out but he that speaks it even God himself and wherefore he cannot will not dare not be conented until he find his soul and Scripture together with the things contained therein to embrace each other and a sweet correspondency and agreement between them For you must know that to him that believes the Scriptures aright the promises or threatenings are of more power to comfort or cast down than all the promises or threatenings of all the men in the world And this was the cause why the Marryrs of Jesus did so slight both the promises of their adversaries when they would have overcome them with pr●fering the great things of this world unto them and also their 〈…〉 them they would rack them ha●g them 〈…〉 Acts 20. 24. No●● of these things c●●l● prevail upon them or against them because they did most really believe the Scriptures and the things contained in them as is clearly found and to be seen in Heb. 11. and also in Mr. Fox's Records of their Brethren 7. He that believeth the Scriptures to be the word of God believeth that men must be born again and also be partakers of that faith which is of the operation of God according as he hath read and believes he must and shall be damned And he that believeth this aright will not be contented until according as it is written he do partake of and enjoy the n●w birth and until he do find through grace that faith that is wrought by the operation of God in his soul. For this is the cause why men do satisf●● themselves with so slender a conceited hope that their state is good when it is nothing so namely because they do not credit the Scripture for did they they would look into their own hearts and examine seriously whether that faith that hope that grace which they think they have be of that nature and wrought by that spirit and power that the Scripture speaketh of I speak this of an effectual believing without which all other is nothing unto salvation Now then because I would not be too tedious I shall at this time lay down no more discoveries of such an one as doth savingly believe the Scriptures and the things contained in them but shall speak a few words of examination containing the things already mentioned As 1. Thou sayest thou dost indeed and in truth effectually believe the Scriptures I ask therefore wast thou ever killed stark dead by the Law of works contained in the Scriptures killed by the Law or letter and made to see thy sins against it and left in an helpless condition by that Law For as I said the proper work of the Law is to slay the Soul and to leave it dead in a helpless state For it doth neither give the Soul any comfort itself when it comes nor doth it show the soul where comfort is to be had and therefore it is called the ministration of condemnation as in 2 Cor. 3. 9 the ministration of death 2 Cor. 3. 7. For though men may have a notion of the blessed Word of God as the children had yet before they be converted it may truly be said of to them Ye err not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God Mark 12. 24. 2. You say you do believe the Scriptures to be the Word of God I say again examine wast thou ever quickened from a dead state by the power of the Spirit of Christ through the other part of the Scripture That is to say by the power of God in his Son Jesus Christ through the Covenant of Promise I tell thee from the Lord If thou hast thou hast f●lt such a quickening power in the words of Christ Joh. 6. that thou hast been lifted out of that dead condition that thou before waste in and that when thou wast under the guilt of sin the curse of the Law and the power of the devil and the justice of the great God thou hast been enabled by the power of God in Christ revealed to thee by the Spirit through and by the Scripture to look sin death hell the devil and the Law and all things that are a● enmity with thee with boldness and comfort in the face through the blood death righteousness resurrection and intercession of Christ made mention of in the Scriptures And thirdly on this account O how excellent are the Scriptures to thy soul O how much virtue dost thou ●ee in such a Promise in such an invitation they are so large as to say Christ will in no wise cast me ●ut My crimson sins shall be white as Snow I ●ell thee friend there are some Promises that the Lord hath helped me to lay hold of Jesus Christ through and by that I would not have out of the Bible for as much Gold and Silver as can lie between York and London piled up to the stars because through them Christ is pleased by his Spirit to convey comfort to my soul I say when the Law curses when the devil tempe's when hellfire flames in my Conscience my sins with the guilt of them tearing of me than is Christ revealed so sweetly to my poor soul through the Promises that all is forced to fly and leave off to accuse my soul. So also when the World frowns when the Enemy's rage and threa●en to kill me than also the precious the exceeding great and precious Promises do weight down all and comfort the soul against all This is the effect of believing the Scriptures savingly for they that do so have by and through the Scriptures good comfort and also ground of hope Rom. 15. 4. believing those things to be its own which the Scriptures hold forth 4. Examine dost thou stand in awe of sinning against God because he hath in the Scriptures commanded thee to abstain from it Dost thou give diligence to make thy Calling and Election sure because God commandeth it in Scripture Dost thou examine thyself whether thou be in the Faith or no having a command in Scripture so to do Or dost thou notwithstanding what thou readest in the Scripture follow the world delight in sin neglect coming to Jesus Christ speak evil of the Saints slight and make a mock at the Ordinances of God delight in wicked company and the like Then know that it is because thou dost not indeed and in truth believe the Scriptures effectually For as I said before if a man do believe them and that savingly than he stands in ●w he looks to his steps he turns his feet from evil and endeavours to follow that which is good which God hath commanded in the Scriptures of truth yet not from a legal or natural principle that is to seek for life by doing that good thing but knowing that Salvation is already obtained for him by the blood of that man Christ Jesus on the Cross because he believes the Scriptures therefore mark I pray therefore I say he labours to walk with his God in all well pleasing and godliness because he sweet power of the loves of Christ which he feels in his soul by the Spirit according to the Scriptures constrain him so to do 2 Cor. 5. 14. 5. Examine again Dost thou labour after those qualifications that the Scriptures do describe a child of God by that is saith yea the right faith the most holy faith the faith of the operation of God And also dost thou examine whether there is a real growth of Grace in thy soul as love zeal self-denial and a seeking by all means to attain if possible to the Resurrection of the dead that is not to satisfy thyself until thou be dissolved and rid of this body of death and be transformed into that glory that the Saints shall be in after the Resurrection day and in the mean time dost labour and take all opportunities to walk as near as may be to the pitch though thou know thou canst not attain it perfectly yet I say thou dost aim at it seek after it press towards it and to hold on in thy race thou ●hunnest that which may any way hinder thee and also close in with what may any way further the same knowing that that must be or desiring that it should be thine eternal frame and therefore out of love and liking to it thou dost desire and long after it as being the thing that doth most please thy soul. Or how is it with thy soul Art thou such an one as regards not these things but rather busy thy thoughts about the things here below following those things that have no scent of divine glory upon them If so look to thyself thou art an unbeliever and so under the wrath of God and wilt for certain fall into the same place of torment that thy fellows have fallen into before thee to the grief of thy own soul and thy everlasting destruction Consider and regard these things and lay them to thy heart before it be too late to recover thyself by repen●ing of the one and desiring to close in with the other O I say regard regard for hell is hot God's hand is up the Law is resolved to discharge against thy soul the Judgement day is at hand the graves are ready to fly open the is nea● ●ounding the sentence will ●re long be p●st and then you and I cannot call ●im● again But again seeing they are so certain so sure so irre●●●●ble and firm and seeing the saving faith of the things contained therein is to reform the soul and bring i● over into the things of God really conforming to the things contained therein both to the point of Justification and also an impractical walking and giving up the soul and body to a conformity to all the commands counsels instructions and exhortations contained therein This than will learn us how to judge of those who give up themselves to walk in the imaginations of their own hearts who slight and lay aside the Scriptures counting them but empty and uncertain things and will live every day in open contradiction to what is contained commanded and forbidden therein As first this will show us that all your Drunkards Whoremasters Liars Thiefs Swearers Backbiters Slanderers Sc●ffers at goodness etc. I say we may see by this that they tha● live in such things have not the faith of these things contained in their hearts seeing they delight to practise those things that are forbidden by and in them And so they continuing living and dying in this state we may conclude without fear that these portions of holy Scripture belong unto them and shall for certain be fulfilled upon them He that believes not shall be damned Mark 16. 16. The unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God 1 Co● 6. 9 10. But the abominable the unbelieving the whoremongers and all liars shall have their part in the Lake that burneth with Fire and Brimstone Rev. 21. 8. Depart ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels Matth. 25. 41. Depart Depart from me for I will not save you Depart for my blood shall not at all wash you Depart for you shall not set one foot into the Kingdom of Heaven Depart ye cursed ye are cursed of God cursed of his Law cursed of me cursed by the Saints and cursed by the Angels cursed all over nothing but cursed and therefore depart from me and whither Into everlasting fire fire that will scald scorch burn and flame to purpose fire that never shall be quenched Mark 9 fire that will last to all eternity And must we be all alone No you shall have company store of company with you Namely all the raging roaring devils together with an innumerable company of fellow damned sinners men women and children And if the Scriptures be true as they will one day wonderfully appear to be than this must and shall be thy portion if thou live and die in this state and of all them who continue in sinning against the truths combined in Scriptures As first Dost thou delight to sin against plain commands thou art gone Secondly Dost thou slight and scorn the counsels contained in Scriptures and continue in so doing then thou art gone Thirdly Dost thou continually neglect to come to Christ and usest arguments in thine own heart to satisfy thy soul with so doing than thou art gone Luke 14. 17 18. compared with verse 24. and Hebrews 2. 3. How shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvation How shall we escape 〈…〉 there is no way to escape First because God hath said we shall not Heb. 10. 25. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh for if they escaped not who refused him that spoke on earth that was Moses much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from Heaven 2. Because he hath not only said they shall not but also hath bound it with an oath saying So I swore in my wrath they shall not enter into my rest Heb. 3. 11. To whom did he swear that they should not enter into his rest Answer To them that believed not So we see they could not enter in because of unbelief verse 18 19 Secondly this will teach us what to think and conclude of such who though they do not so openly discover their folly by open and gross sins against the Law yet will give more heed to their own spirits and the movings thereof though they be neither commanded nor commended for the same in Scripture nay though the Scripture command and commend the contrary Isaiah 8. 20. then they will to the holy and revealed will of God I say such men are in as bad a state as the other to the full being disobedient to Gods will revealed in his Word as well as they though in a different manner the one openly transgressing against the plain and well known truths revealed in it the other though more close and hidden yet secretly rejecting and slighting them giving more heed to their own spirits and the motion thereof although not warranted by the Scriptures A few words more and so I shall conclude And first take heed that you content not yourself with a bare notion of the Scriptures in your heads by which you may go far even so far as to be able to dispute for the truth to Preach the Gospel and labour to vindicate it in opposition to gainsayers and yet be found at the left hand of Christ at the Judgment-day forasmuch as thou didst content thyself with a notion or a traditional knowledge of them 2. Have a care that thou own the whole Scripture and not own one part and neglect another or slight it is th●● To own the Law and slight the Gospel or to think that thou must be saved by thy good doing and works for that is all one as if thou didst thrust Christ away from thee or else so to own the Gospel as if by it thou wert exempted from all obedience to the ten Commandments and conformity to the Law in life and conversation for in so doing thou wilt for certain make sure of eternal vengeance Thirdly have a care that thou put not wrong names on the things contained in the Scriptures as to call the Law Christ and Christ the Law For some having done so in my knowledge have so darkened to themselves the glorious truths of the Gospel that in a very little time they have been resolved to thwart and oppose them and so have made room in their own souls for the devil to inhabit and obtained a place in hell for their own souls to be tormented for ever and ever Against this danger therefore in reading and receiving the testimony of Scripture learn to distinguish between the Law and the Gospel and to keep them clear asunder as to the salvation of thy soul and that thou mayest so do In the first place beg of God that he would show thee the nature of the Gospel and set it home effectually with life and power upon thy soul by Faith Which is this That God would show thee that as thou being man hast sinned against God so Christ being God Man hath ●●ought thee again and with his most precious blood set thee free from the bondage thou wast fallen into by thy sins and that not upon condition that thou wilt do thus and thus this and the other good work but rather that thou being first justified freely by mere grace through the blood of Jesus shouldest also receive thy strength from him who hath bought thee to walk before him in all well pleasing being enabled thereto by virtue of his Spirit which hath revealed to thy soul that thou art delivered already from wrath to come by the obedience not of thee but of another man viz. Jesus Christ Secondly Then if the Law thou readest of tell thee in thy Conscience thou must do this and the other good work of the Law if ever thou wilt be saved Answer plainly that for thy part thou art resolved now not to work for life but to believe in the virtue of that blood shed upon the Cross upon Mount Calvary for the remission of sins and yet because Christ hath justified thee freely by his Grace thou wilt se●ve him in Holiness and Righteousness all the days of thy life yet not in a legal Spirit or in a Covenant of Works but mine obedience say thou I will endeavour to have it free and cheerful out of love to my Lord Jesus Thirdly Have a care thou receive not this doctrine in the notion only lest thou bring a just damnation upon thy soul by professing thyself to be freed by Christ's blood from the guilt of sin while thou remainest still a servant to the filth of sin For I must tell you that unless you have the true and saving work of the Faith and Grace of the Gospel in your hearts you will either go on in a legal Holiness according to the tenor of the Law or else through a notion of the Gospel the Devil bewitching and beguiling thy understanding will and affections thou wilt Ranter like turn the Grace of God into wantonness and bring upon thy soul double if not treble damnation in that thou couldst not be contented to be damned for thy sins against the Law but also to make ruin sure to thy soul thou wouldst dishonour the Gospel and turn the Grace of God held forth and discovered to man by that into licenticusness But that thou mightest be sure to escape these dangerous looks on the right hand and on the left see that thy faith be such as spoken of in S●●●pture and that thou be not satisfied without th●t which is a faith wrought by the mighty operation of God revealing Christ to and in thee as having wholly freed thee from thy sins by his most precious blood Which Faith if thou attain unto will so work in thy heart th●● first thou wilt see the nature of the Law and also the nature of the Gospel and delight in the glory of it and also thou wilt find an engaging of thy heart and soul to Jesus Christ even to the giving up of thy whole man unto him to be ruled and governed by him to his glory and thy comfort by the Faith of the Lord Jesus The End Books printed for Francis Smith at the Elephant and Castle without Temple-bar CHristianismus Redivivus or Baptising and Inchurching believers after faith and repentance vindicated also the writings of Mr. Bax●er Dr. ●eatley Dr. Hilins Mr. Martial Mr. Blake Mr. Cook Mr. Cotton answered with a Vindication of Ordinances till Christ's Personal coming proved in Folio The Work of Faith with Power Wherein the nature of that dead Faith is detected by which multitudes that hope for Salvation are as is to be feared deceived Published on purpose to rectify some dangerous and Damning mistakes of Men about their Faith and to Awaken all to the Work of Faith with Power In quarto Means to prevent perishing or the usefulness of the saving knowledge of God discovered Showing what blessed tendency the right knowledge of God hath to bring men to Salvation in 4to Zions' groans for her distressed Proving it the undoubted right of Christian Liberty under different persuasions in matters Spiritual to have equal protection as to their civil Peace with the Testimony of 15. Ancients humbly offered to the King's Majesty Parliament and People in 4to Faith in God's Promises the Saints best weapon or the great use and availableness of both for the support and growth of Saints in times most perilous With several considerations for the increase of Faith 4to A Contention for Truth In two Public Disputations before thousands of People between Dr. Gunning and Mr. Da●n touching the Baptism of Infants Whether Lawful or Unlawful 4to The free Grace of God to all the Sons of Adam vindicated In a plain discovery of that Truth with 20 Queries to all men concerned 4to A Plea for Toleration of Opinions and Persuasions in matters of Religion differing from the Church of England Showing the unreasonableness of prescribing to other men's Faith and the evil of persecuting differing Opinions Humbly Presented to the King's Majesty 4to The great Case of Conscience Opened in the particular unfoulding of those two difficult Texts Matth. 5. 33 34. with Jam. 5. 12. about the lawfulness or unlawfulness of Swearing 4to Godly Adversity far better than Wicked Prosperity or The Rage of the Wicked should not hinder the Race of the Godly 4to An Epistle of Information and Consolation to all such as are distinguished by names of reproach Containing also A sober Rebuke for former Slothfulness 4to The 〈…〉 causes of Gods Foreknowing of Election and Predestination and of Man's Salvation or Damnation As also Whether Christ Died for all or not for all with the Causes and Effects that may follow or not follow The fifth Edition 4●0 Mr. Hooles Latin and English Grammar fitted not only for the use of Schools but very useful for any person that is desirous to learn the Latin Tongue being a more plain and speedy help than any yet ext●nt The fourth Edition Octavo A Discovery of the Latitude of the Loss of the Earthly Paradise by Original Sin With 20 Characters of the true and false Ministry To which is added Si●ns Redemption with the manner of the Rice of the Man of Sin with a brief Description of Christ's Personal Reign upon Earth a thousand years Symptoms of Growth and Decay to Godliness In LX. Signs of A Living and Dying Christian with the cause of Decay and Remedies for Recovery Octavo Laying on of Hands Asserted under New Testament C●nsi●erations viz. 1 Upon Persons for Healing With a brief Discovery of that Ordinance of Anointing with Oil 2. Upon Persons to Office 3. Upon Believers Baptised as such A Profitable Concordance to the Bible With Doctrinal and Alphabetical Observations upon most Points material in the Holy Scriptures Oct. Saturday no Sab●●●● or 〈…〉 Sabbath proved not to be force to Believing Gentiles neither by the Law of Nature Law of Moses nor Law of Christ Octavo The truth of the Resurrection of the Bodies both of Good and Bad at the Great Day Asserted and Proved by God's Word also the manner and order of their coming forth of their Graves And a Discourse of the Last Judgement and final Conclusion of the whole World in Octavo A short Catechism very teachable as well for young Christians as Children in seven particulars in Octavo Christian Beheaviour being the fruits of true Christianity teaching Husbands Wives Parents Children Masters Servants so to walk as to please God the 3d Edition in Twelves Prayer with the Spirit and Understanding also showing what it is to pray with the Spirit and with Understanding the 2d Edition in 120. Prison Meditations directed to the heart of suffering Saints and reigning sinners in 120. Self the grand Enemy of Jesus Christ or a Treatise showing what a heart-plague self is with special Remedies for its ruin in 12● The Doctrine of Christianity teaching how to become a Christian how to lead a Christian life and what is the Government of Christ's Church with the Articles of their faith in 12● first 〈…〉 with the Rule of Three also the way to find the solid content of Board Glass Land Timber Stone Globes etc. in 12● 2d Edition One thing is needful or serious Meditations upon the Four last Things Death Judgement Heaven and Hell with a Conference between Christ and a sinner in 12● The Line of Life and the Line of Death or a Map showing the order and causes of Salvation and Damnation all cut in Brass The Poor Man's Physician or the true Art of Medicine as it 's Chimically prepared for the healing all Diseases incident to Mankind A brief Confession of Faith as it was presented to the King in the name of many thousands commonly called Anabaptists Also their Apology and Vindication against the injurious aspersions of being like some pretended Germane Anabaptists A Treatiise touching fa●ling from Grace or 13 Arguments proving that Believers may fall from the truth of Grace with the most material Objections to the contrary Answered 4●0 God's Oracle and Christ's Doctrine or the Six Principles and beginning word of ever Christian Man showing the Foundation every Convert is to lay