Sighs from Hell, Commentary · Verse 27
Verse 27.
Then he said, I pray thee therefore father, that thou wouldst send him to my fathers house.
THE Verses before, I told you, were spoken partly to hold forth a desire that the damned have to be freed of their endless misery. Now this Verse 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, &c.] As if he should say, Seeing I have brought my self into such a miserable condition, that God will not regard me, that my exceeding loud and bitter cryes will not be heard for my self, seeing I must not be admitted to have so much as one drop of cold water, nor the least help from the poorest Saint.
And seeing, besides all this, here my Soul must lie to all Eternity broyling and frying; Seeing I must, whether I will or no, undergo the hand of eternal vengeance, and the rebukes of devouring fi…e; seeing my state is such, that I would not wish a dog in my condition, Send him to my fathers house. It is worthy to be taken notice of, (again) who it is he desired should be sent, namely Lazaru…. O friend, see here how the stout hearts and stomachs 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 slock. What, shall I regard Lazarus? sc…ubbed, 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 horrour 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 perswaded 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. I, but now send Lazarus, if not to me, yet to my fathers 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 Latine. 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 imbrace these Christian profers 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 fathers 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, &c. 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, then they cry, Send some body to my Fathers house, to my Brothers 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 Fathers 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 Fathers 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 perswade 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 Fathers house.] Not to my Father, but to my Fathers House. It may be, there's ungodly children, there's ungodly servants, wallowing in their ungodliness, send him therefore to my Fathers 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 wayes of God, and they do it still; send him to my Fathers 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 bended 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, hardned 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 wouldest send him to my fathers 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 wouldest give him commission, do thou send him thy self; the time was, when I, together with them slighted those that were sent of God, though we could not deny but he spake 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 our selves, nor yet give consent that others should. But now a call from God is worth all. Do (thou) therefore send him to my Fathers 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 priviledge, to have some acquaintance with blessed Lazarus, some familiarity with that holy man; what attendance would I give unto his wholesom 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's, then 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 morter. 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 woful place. Therefore send him, not only to the Town I lived in, and unto some of my acquaintance, but to my Fathers house.
In my life time, I did not care to hear that word that cut me most, and shewed 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 soundly 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 Fathers 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 Fathers house.