Exposition of the Laws of Moses, Treatise 2
Of the miſeries of the Children of GOD in this life, and their happie eſtate in the life to come.
LVK. 6.19 Then there was a certaine rich man which was cloathed in purple and fine linnen, and fared ſumptuouſly every day, and there was a certaine begger named Lazarus which was laid at his gate full of ſores, &c.
IN this Parable are brought in to us the condition of a rich Glutton and a poore begger, they are deſcribed by their life, and by their death; in their life, the rich man is deſcribed by his great wealth, by his daily fare, and by his apparell; the begger by his povertie, and by his diſeaſe; by his povertie, that he lay at the rich mans gate, and begged but the crummes which fell from his Table, and yet could not get them, and thirdly by his companions, the dogges who licked his ſores; then they are deſcribed by their death, he was carried to heaven by the Angels to Abrahams boſome, and the rich man to hell by the Devils, and the Parable ſetteth down to us the petition of him who was in hell, and the occaſion of it, becauſe he ſaw Lazarus a far off in Abrahams boſome; his petition was, that Abraham would ſend Lazarus with one drop of water to coole his tongue, that is refuſed to him, and the reaſon ſet downe; then he putteth up a ſecond petition, that Abraham would ſend Lazarus to his brethren to teſtifie unto them of the paines & torment which he endured, but this is alſo denied, and the reaſon is ſubjoyned.
How to know a Parable from a Hiſtory.It may be asked firſt here, whether this be an Hiſtory or a Parable? It may ſeeme to be an Hiſtorie and not a Parable; for the Fathers make this difference betwixt an Hiſtorie and a Parable, they ſay, that is an Hiſtorie when the proper names of men are ſet downe, as they ſay, Iob is not a Parable but a Hiſtory, becauſe proper names are ſet downe in it; ſo Lazarus proper name is ſet downe here, then it may ſeeme not to be a Parable but an Hiſtory. But we are to anſwere, that Lazarus is not a proper name here, but an appellatiue common to all miſerable, wretched, and poore creatures; for in the Syrian Language which Chriſt ſpake,foreign Vir cui ferri oportet adjumentum. Lagnazar, eſt is qui auxilio deſtitutus eſt, he that wanteth all helpe; it is not rightly tranſlated Eleazer; as if it were a proper name, but an appellatiue Lagnazar, that hath no helpe, therefore that collection of ſome who thinke, that the rich mans name is omitted here for diſgrace, is not ſo materiall, it being a Parable and not an Hiſtory.
He was a rich man, and he is deſcribed by his cloathing, he was cloathed in purple and fine Linnen. He was cloathed in purple, this purple was the dye that was gotten from a ſhel-fiſh,Purple a coſtly dye. and it is not knowne now in thoſe parts of the world.
Man ſhould not glorie in his apparell.Man hath little cauſe to glory in his apparell, he borroweth it from the fiſh and from the Worme; the Iewes when they deſcribe a man, they ſay, that man is a worm, cloathed with the excrements of the worme, the expectation of the wormes, and to be conſumed, with the wormes; the firſt clothing that ever God made to man, was of the skins of beaſts, and that man ſhould not be proud of his apparell, ſee what Chriſt ſaith, Mat. 6.29. I ſay unto you, that even Salomon in all his glorie was not arayed like one of the Lillies: this might ſeeme ſtrange at the firſt, but if we will conſider it rightly, we ſhall finde it to be moſt true;
Firſt, Salomon in all his glorie,How the Lillie exceeded Salomon in his glorie. his ornaments were but artificiall, but the cloathing of the Lillies are naturall; and looke how farre nature exceedeth art, (for art is but an imitatrix of nature, and her perfection is to imitate nature) therefore the Lillie exceeded Salomon in all his glorie.
Secondly, Salomon when he was ſo gloriouſly decked, he was beholden to many creatures, he was beholden to Egypt for his linnen, to the earth for his gold, to the ſilk-worme for his ſilke, to the ſhel-fiſh for his purple, and had nothing of his owne; ſo that if every one of thoſe ſhould hauehave claimed their own, he ſhould hauehave ſtood up like Aeſops Crow ſtript of all, when every one of the foules craved their own feathers which they had lent her; but looke to the Lillie which is beholden to no other for its beautie, doth not the Lillie then exceed Salomon in all his glorie?
Thirdly, when Salomon was cloathed thus,Mans cloaths a note of his ſhame. it was but a remembrance to him of his fall, and he had as little cauſe to glory in theſe ornaments, as a theefe hath to glory in a ſilken rope in which he is to be hanged, or if a man ſhould glorie in the plaiſter that covereth his wound; but the beautie of the Lillie is naturall, it covereth not the ſhame of it, therefore the Lillie exceeded Salomon in all his glorie.
Fourthly, Salomon in all his glorie was but one, and how much adoe was there to get one Salomon ſo decked and cloathed? But all the Lillies of the field are ſo clothed, therefore the Lillie exceeded Salomon in all his glorie; this ſhould teach us to make but little reckoning of our apparell, becauſe when we hauehave done our beſt, and ſpent all that we hauehave gotten upon apparell, yet the ſillie Gilly-floure or a Daſie, ſhall exceed us in all our glorie; make but ſmall reckoning then of this cloathing; labour to put on the Lord Ieſus Chriſt, that clothing of ne…dle-worke, with which the Church is decked, Pſal. 4.5. put on Chriſts righteouſneſſe, and then thou wilt exceede all the Lillies of the field in glorie.
And fared ſumptuouſly every day.
Why this rich man is called a Glutton.Becauſe he fared ſo ſumptuouſly every day, therefore he is commonly called the rich Glutton, Deut. 20.21. the diſobedient ſonne is called a drunkard and glutton; what man is to be eſteemed a glutton? the Hebrewes upon this place ſay, that he who eateth, tartemar carnis, a pound of fleſh is a glutton, and he who drinketh logum vini, an Engliſh quart of wine is a drunkard; but we muſt not reſtraine it ſo here, for Iudea being a hot Countrey, a little fleſh ſerved them, but in thoſe cold Countries, where the cold driveth in the heat, mens ſtomackes digeſt the meat better, and therefore a man cannot be accounted a glutton, although he exceed this meaſure; but he is called a glutton, who delighteth in nothing but in eating and drinking. Seneca ſaith, turpe eſt menſuram ſtomachi ſui non noſſe.
The Glutton made a god of his backe and his bellie.He fared ſumptuouſly every day.] He ſacrificed to his backe and his belly, to make a god of the belly, what a baſe god is that? the belly of the beaſt was not ſacrificed but caſt out: Some make a god of their braine and ſacrifice to their owne net or yarne, as Habakuk ſaith, cap. 1.16. as Ahitophel: Some make a god of their armes and ſtrength, as Goliah; and ſome of their feete, as Haſael truſted in his feet; but the moſt baſe and filthy god of all is to make a god of their panch; the Lord calleth Idols Deos ſtercoreos, The bellie a baſe god.gods of dung; to make a god of the bel…y, is Deus ſtercoreus, a god of dung: if the Lord ſhould bring in man, and let him ſee the Idolatry of his heart, as he let Ezechiel ſee what vile Idolatry the Iewes were committing in the Temple, Ezech. 8. he ſhould ſee more vile abhomination and Idolatry in his heart, than ever Ezechiel ſaw; ſome ſacrificing to this beaſtly luſt or that, ſome making a god of their wealth, and ſome making a god of their belly, but God will deſtroy both the meat and the belly, 1 Cor. 6.13. Let us be content then with ſober fare, all a mans travaile is for his mouth, Eccleſ. 6.7. the mouth is but a little hole, & it ſhould teach us to be contented with little;Man ſhould learne to be content with little. but the gluttons appetite is ſuch, that he thinketh he could ſwallow up Iordan; nature is content with little, but grace will be content with leſſe. The Iſraelites when they gaue way unto their appetite, they cryed for fleſh, for Garlicke, Onyons, and for Pepons, nothing would content them.
Lazarus could not get the crummes that fell from his Table; a man hath a double uſe of his riches,A double uſe of a mans goods. a naturall uſe and a ſpirituall uſe, there is a ſowing to the fleſh, and a ſowing to the ſpirit, Gal. 6.8. the naturall uſe is to maintaine our ſelues and our families, the ſpirituall uſe is, to giuegive to the poore; Nabal knew not this uſe, 1 Sam. 25.11. Shall I take my bread, and my water, and my fleſh, which I hauehave killed for my ſhearers, and giuegive it to men whom I know not whence they be? Here he knew the naturall uſe how to provide for himſelfe and his familie, his ſhearers, but he knew not the ſpirituall uſe, to giuegive to David and his men in their necceſſitie. So the rich glutton here knew nor the ſpirituall uſe of his riches, to feede poore Lazarus with them, it is this which the Lord will lay to the charge of the wicked at the laſt day, I was an hungred, and yee gaue me no meat, Mat. 25.42.The poore in neceſſitie are Lords of the rich mens goods. The poore in their neceſſitie are Lords of the rich mens goods, Prov. 3.27. and the rich men are but Stewards and diſpenſators to them in that caſe; the Fathers call the money given to the poore, Trajectitiam pecuniam, for as he that goeth a farre journey, taketh a bill of exchange with him, and carrieth not his money along with him, for feare of robbing; ſo the children of God, they lay out their money to the poore, they take Gods bill of exchange for it, and then it meeteth them in the world to come; and ſo their money receiveth them into eternall tabernacles, that is, it teſtifieth that they are to be received into eternall tabernacles.
The miſeries of Lazarus.Let us conſider Lazarus his miſeries; firſt, hee was poore, then he was ſore, he had none in the ſame caſe with him, he ſeeth the rich glutton that Epicure to proſper, and himſelfe in ſuch a hard caſe: hee might hauehave beene here overtaken with Davids temptation, Pſal: 73.13. Verily I hauehave cleanſed my heart in vaine, and waſhed mine hands in innocencie, for all the day I am plagued, and chaſtened every morning.
A compariſon betwixt Iob and Lazarus.Let us compare Iob and Lazarus together; Lazarus lay at the gate, Iob on the dunghill; Lazarus had no friends but the dogges, but Iob was in a worſe caſe, for his friends vexed him, and were miſerable comforters to him, Iob 16.2. Iob was once rich, and then poore, Lazarus was ever poore, ſolatium aliquando nunquam fuiſse foelicem.
A compariſon betwixt the rich glutton and Lazarus.Compare the rich glutton with poore Lazarus; Lazarus full of ſores, the glutton ſound and whole; Lazarus was hungry, he was full and fared ſumptuouſly every day; Lazarus was cloathed in ragges, the glutton in purple and fine linnen; Lazarus lay at the gate, but he ſate in his Palace; Lazarus could not get the crums that fell from his table, but he had good ſtore of dainties: Lazarus had no others to attend him, but the dogs onelyonly, but hee had many gallant men to wait upon him.
Moreover the dogs came and licked his ſores, The creatures are in league with the children of God.all the creatures are in league with the children of God, but they are enemies to the wicked: The Ravens that fed Eliah, pull out the eyes of thoſe that are diſobedient to their parents, Prov 30.17. The Serpents ſtung the rebellious Iſraelites in the wilderneſſe, yet the Viper upon Pauls hand hurt him not, Act. 28.5. The Lyons that touched not Daniel, devoured his accuſers, Dan. 6.24. And the dogges that licked Lazarus ſores, eate the fleſh of Iezabel; And the reaſon of this is, the dominion which the Lord gaue to man over the creatures at the beginning, and the image of God in man maketh them to acknowledge him as their Lord.
But yee will ſay, Object. may not a beaſt hurt a child of God now?
They may: and the reaſon is, Anſw. becauſe this Image of God is not fully repaired in them againe.Why the beaſts ſtand in awe of the children of God. When Adam was in his innocencie, he was like unto a Herauld that hath his coat of Armes upon him, all ſtand in feare of him, becauſe he carrieth the Kings coat of Armes, but pull this coat off him, no man reſpecteth him; ſo man when he was cloathed with this Image of God, the beaſts ſtood in awe of him. Euſebius in his Eccleſiasticall Hiſtorie recordeth, that the Perſecutors tooke the Chriſtians, and ſet them naked before the Lyons, yet the Lyons durſt not touch them, they ſtood foaming and roaring before them, but hurt them not, and therfore they were glad to put the skinnes of wild beaſts upon them, to make the Lyons runne upon them and teare them; Thou that art a wicked man, and haſt no part of this Image of God to defend thee, no marvaile if thy dogge bite thee, thy horſe braine thee, or thy oxe gore thee: Let us ſtudie then for to hauehave this Image repaired in us, if we would be in league with the beaſts of the field.
Beaſts ſurpaſſe man in many duties.The dogges came and licked his ſores; The beaſts many times out-ſtrip man in many duties: The Kine of Bethſhemeſh went ſtreight forward with the Arke and declined neither to the right hand nor to the left, but man many times declineth either to the right hand or to the left, and he keepeth not this midſt: The Oxe knoweth his owner, and the Aſse his Maſters crib, but Iſrael doth not know, my people doe not conſider. Eſay 1.3. and Ier. 8.7. Yea the ſtorke in the heaven knoweth her appointed times, and the turtle and the crane, and the ſwallow obſerue the time of their comming, but my people know not the judgement of the Lord. And the Lord ſendeth man to the Ant to learne wiſedome, Prov. 6.6. Goe to the ant thou ſluggard, conſider her wayes and be wiſe. Balaams Aſſe ſaw the Angell ſooner then Balaam himſelfe; and therefore is it that the Scripture calleth men beaſts, and ſendeth them to be taught by beaſts, which ſheweth how farre man is degenerated from his firſt eſtate, and what a low forme hee is in, when the beaſts are ſet to teach him.
Why God gaue his children a ſmall portion in this life.It may ſeeme ſtrange why the Lord diſtributeth things ſo, that he giveth ſuch plentie and abundance to the rich glutton, and ſo little to Lazarus, ſeeing the earth is the Lords and the fulneſſe thereof, Pſal. 24.1. God who doth all things in wiſdome, doth not this without good reaſon: The Lord dealeth with his children in this life,Simile. as he did with the Iſraelites when he brought them to Canaan, Numb. 13.17. When he brought them to Canaan, South a barren Countrey.he made them to goe Southward into the Mountaines, the South was a dry and barren part, Iudg. 1.15. Thou haſt given me a South-land, giuegive me alſo ſprings of water: ſo Pſal. 126.4. Turne againe our captivitie O Lord, as the ſtreames in the South, hee prayeth that the Lord would refreſh them now in the midſt of bondage as the waters refreſhed the dry and barren South. And Iarchi noteth, that the Lord did with his people here, as Merchants doe who ſhew the worſt cloath firſt,Simile. ſo dealeth the Lord with his children, hee ſheweth them the worſt firſt: and as at the wedding in Cana of Galilie, the laſt wine was the beſt, ſo is it here; the Lord ſheweth his children great afflictions and troubles, the South part as it were at firſt, but afterwards he bringeth them to the Land that floweth with milke and honey.
Secondly, he beſtoweth theſe outward and temporarie things but ſparingly upon his children, that hee may draw their hearts to the conſideration of better things: he giveth the wicked their portion in this life, Pſal. 17.14. Sonne remember that thou in thy life time receivedſt thy good things, Luke 16.25. but he reſerveth the good things for his owne children, that is the holy Ghoſt, the graces of the Spirit, Luk. 11.9.
It is a matter of great conſequence to diſcerne what are the gifts of Gods favour;Great skill required in diſcerning the gifts of Gods right hand. many men thinke becauſe they hauehave wealth and proſperitie, they are the gifts of Gods favour, and they ſeeme to ſtand under the Lords right hand, but they are deceived.Simile. When Ephraim and Manaſſeh were brought before Iacob, Ephraim was ſet at Iacobs left hand, and Manaſſeh at his right hand, but Iacob croſſed his hands, and laid his right hand upon Ephraims head, and his left upon the head of Manaſſeh, Gen. 48. So many men who ſeeme to ſtand at the Lords right hand, ſhall be ſet at his left hand, and many who ſeeme to ſtand at his left hand, ſhall be ſet at his right hand. Lazarus ſeemeth to ſtand now at his left hand, but ſtay till you ſee him die, and the Angels carry him to glory, and then yee ſhall ſee him ſtand at the Lords right hand.
It is a point of great wiſedome to know the Lords diſpenſing hand; David prayeth Pſal. 17.7. ſepara benignitates tuas, as if he ſhould ſay, giuegive us ſomething O Lord, that we may be diſcerned to be thy children from the wicked, for by theſe outward favours wee ſhall never be knowne to be thy children. The Lord careth not to throw a portion of this world to a wicked man, as if one ſhould throw a bone to a dogge; but he will know well to whom hee giveth this rich gift of eternall life.
Death ſeparateth the godly from the wicked.And it came to paſſe that the beggar dyed, and the rich man alſo dyed. Death maketh a full ſeparation betwixt the children of God and the wicked: the ſheepe and the goates may feed together for a while, but the ſhepheard ſeparateth them; the wheat and the chaffe may lie in one floore together, but the fanne ſeparateth them; and the good and the bad fiſh may be both in one net, untill they be drawne to the land; and the tares and the wheat may grow in one field for a while, until the time of harveſt: ſo may the godly and the wicked liue together here for a while,Simile. but death maketh a totall and full ſeparation: Moſes ſaid to the Iſraelites, ſtand ſtill and ſee the ſalvation of the Lord, which hee will ſhew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom yee hauehave ſeene to day, yee ſhall ſee them no more for ever Exod. 14.13. the red Sea made a ſeparation betwixt the Iſraelites and the Egyptians for ever. So death ſeparateth the children of God from the wicked, that they ſhall never meete againe. Betwixt us and you there is a great gulfe fixed, ſo that they which would paſſe from hence to you, cannot; neither can they paſſe to us, Gods children ſhould hauehave little medling with the world.that would come from thence, Luk. 16.26. This ſhould teach the children of God to hauehave little medling with the wicked, why? becauſe one day there ſhall be a totall and finall ſeparation, and this is a great comfort to his children, oftentimes now they are afraid of the incurſions of the wicked, and of their bloodie hands, but then they ſhall never be afraid of them: The gates of the new Ieruſalem were not ſhut at all, Revel. 21.25. to ſignifie that there ſhall be no feare of the enemie there.
And he was carried by the Angels into Abrahams boſome.] Here conſider three things, firſt, how it commeth that the Angels are miniſtring ſpirits to man; ſecondly, what they miniſter to man; thirdly, the comfort that we hauehave by their miniſterie. Firſt, the ground of their miniſtery is, becauſe we are reconciled to God in Chriſt, when man fell from God, the Angels ſtood with a flaming ſword to hold him out of Paradiſe, Gen. 3.24. When Chriſt reconciled us to God, he reconciled us alſo to the Angels:Why the Angels miniſter to us. Iacob ſaw in a viſion a Ladder reaching from the earth to the heaven, and the Angels aſcending up and downe upon it, Gen. 28.12. Chriſt is this Ladder, upon which the Angels come downe to miniſter unto us, Ioh. 1.51. Verily, verily, I ſay unto you, hereafter yee ſhall ſee heaven open, and the Angels of God aſcending and deſcending upon the ſonne of man.
Queſt. Whether doe the Angels miniſter to wicked men or not?
Anſw. For outward things they may helpe them, Whether the Angels doe miniſter to the wicked?even as the Lord makes his Sunne to riſe on the evill and on the good, Mat. 5.45. We hauehave examples of this in the Scriptures, when the Iſraelites were in the Wilderneſſe, the Angels brought downe Manna to them, therefore David ſaith, He fed them with the bread of Angels, Pſal. 74.25. It is called the bread of Angels, becauſe it was brought downe by their miniſtery; there were many wicked men amongſt the Iſraelites who did eat Manna, yet the Angels by their miniſtery brought it downe to them; another example wee hauehave, the Angels came downe at certaine times and ſtirred the Poole, Ioh. 5.4. and whoſoever ſtepped in firſt, after that the Poole was ſtirred, was healed, whether he were bad or good, the Angels then may miniſter to wicked men in outward things, but they doe not defend them from ſpirituall temptations, as they doe the children of God in reſiſting Satan.
Secondly, when they miniſter to man; they miniſter to him in his life time, in his death, in the graue, and at the reſurrection. Firſt, they miniſter to him in his life, and they keepe him that he daſh not his foote againſt a ſtone; Secondly, in his death they waite about his bed to repell Satan, and when the ſoule is out of the bodie, they carry it into Abrahams boſome; and they attend the bodies of Gods children in the graue, becauſe they are the Temples of the holy Ghoſt; and ſo at the reſurrection they ſhall gather them from the foure corners of the earth, and ſhall attend them to glorie.
Thirdly, we hauehave great comfort by their miniſtery; firſt,foreign Vigilantes. foreign Robuſtiſsimi. they are [Gnirim] vigilantes, the watchfull ones, Dan. 4.13. Secondly, they are [Habhirim] ſtrong ones, Pſal. 78.25. When Salomon went to bed he had threeſcore valiant men about it of the valiant of Iſrael to defend him, Cant 3.7. But what comfort is it to the children of God then to hauehave ſo many watchfull and ſtrong Angels attending them?
He was carried by the Angels. What ſtrange change was this, that he who was now lying amongſt the dogs is carried by Angels; lying amongſt dogs, the moſt baſe and uncleane creatures, (therefore they are called Impuri canes, obſcaeni canes,) that he ſhould now be carried by Angels the moſt excellent creatures that GOD made, and not carried by one Angell, but by many Angels, as if they were ſtriving every one to carry him? when a great man dieth all men ſtriue to be about the Coffin,Simile. one to carrie a legge, and another to carry an arme; ſo doe the Angels ſtriue here to carrie Lazarus ſoule; never man in this world rode in ſuch triumph as Lazarus ſoule did:The pompe of the Romans in their Chariots. the Romans after their Victories in their triumphs they had their Chariots drawn ſometimes with Elephants, ſometimes with nimble footed lennets, ſometimes with pyde horſes; and we reade of Amaſis King of Egypt, who had his Chariot drawn with foure Kings whom he had conquered; but what is this to Lazarus Chariot, who is carried here by the Angels of God;foreign he rode here [Bemirkebbath haſhecinah] in curru majeſtatis: What ſhall be done to the man whom the King will honour? Eſther 6.9. he ſhall not ride upon the Kings beſt horſe, but in the Kings beſt Chariot.
Into Abrahams boſome.] This is a ſpeech borrowed from the cuſtome of the Iewes, for they that lay in ones boſome were moſt deare and familiar with him, as Iohn leaned in Chriſts boſome; therefore it is ſaid that Chriſt came out of the boſome of the Father, Ioh. 1.18.
The fathers were partakers of the ſame ſalvation that we are partakers of,The fathers partakers of the ſame ſalvation that we are of. therefore Lazarus is in Abrahams boſome, they ſhall ſit downe with Abraham Iſaac and Iacob in the Kingdome of God, Mat. 8.11.Our Sacraments hauehave the ſame name with the Iewes Sacraments. And they eat the ſame ſpirituall manna with us, 1 Cor. 10.3 And our Sacraments hauehave the names of their Sacramēts, we are circumciſed with circumciſion not made with hands, Coloſ. 2.11. And Chriſt our Paſſeover is ſacrificed for us, 1 Cor. 5.7. Thoſe then who thinke that the fathers were but fatted up like hogges with the temporary promiſes of this life, are foully deceived: Paradiſe is called Abrahams boſome, becauſe the faithfull as Abrahams children are received into that ſame fellowſhip with him; what is then become of this Limbus Patrum?
The rich man alſo died and was buried;] Many were the ſolemnities which were in this funerall, but nothing of the Angels that carried his ſoule to heaven; he carried nothing of all that he had with him, but onelyonly the prickles of an evill conſcience, now he leaveth all his pomp behinde him. R. Salomon obſerveth, that David ſometimes is called David the King, and David King of Iſrael, but when the Scripture ſpeaketh of his death, he is called but David, the dayes of David drew nere that he ſhould die, 1 King. 2.1. ſo verſ. 10. David ſlept with his fathers and was buried. All externall glory and worldly pompe leaveth a man in his death.
How to make uſe of Parables. Arguments drawn from the leſſe to the more.To make uſe of Parables, we are to conſider how the ſpirit of God in a Parable draweth an argument from the leſſe to the more, as if the unjuſt Iudge becauſe of the importunitie of the widow granted her requeſt, how much more will God grant the earneſt petitions of his children? ſo the man inſtantly ſeeking bread from his neighbour: the end of theſe Parables, is to teach us perſeverance onelyonly, and no other thing to be gathered out of them.
Secondly, the unjuſt Steward is commended for providing for himſelfe, here we are to follow him in the Parable for his foreſight, and not for his deceit, ſo we commend the Serpent for his craft, but not for his poiſon.
Nothing to be gathered beſides the ſcope of the Parable.Thirdly, nothing is to be gathered in a Parable beſides the ſcope, and as we looke not to every particular colour in the picture, but to the whole picture; ſo wee ſhould not looke in a Parable to every particular circumſtance in it, but to the generall ſcope; example, the rich Glutton lift up his eyes and ſaw Lazarus in heaven, therefore the damned in hell doe ſee the glorified in heaven;Falſe Collections from this Parable. a falſe collection, and it is beſides the intention of the Parable; ſo the rich Glutton prayed to Abraham; therefore we may pray to the Saints departed; or that there is water in heaven to quench the thirſt of the damned; or that the ſoules departed hauehave fingers or eyes or tongues; or that the damned deſire that their brethren come not to thoſe torments, all falſe collections; but if they ſhould gather, that the children of God are in great joy, and the damned in great paine, that were pertinent; Secondly,What may be gathered from this Parable. that there is no redemption out of hell; thirdly, that there is no refreſhment to the wicked in hell; fourthly, that the deſires of the wicked ſhall not be granted to them; fiftly, that thoſe who will not be inſtructed by the Word here, will not beleeue although one ſhould come from the dead to them; and laſtly, that the Word of God, Moſes, and the Prophets, are the onelyonly meanes to beget faith in us here. Thus farre we may ſtretch the Parable, and then wee ſhall bring a good ſenſe out of it, but if we ſtretch it farther, then we ſhall bring a wrong ſenſe out of it, the wringing of the noſe bringeth forth bloud, Prov. 30.33.