A Few Sighs from Hell, Exposition
A FEW Sighs from Hell: OR, The Groans of a damned Soul: OR, An Expoſition of thoſe words in the 19th. of Luke, ver. 19. &c.
19 THere was a certain rich man, which was cloathed in purple, and fine linnen, and fared ſumptuouſly every day.
20 And there was a certain beggar, named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate full of fores;
21 And deſiring to be fed with the the crumbs, which f…ll from the rich mans tabl…: moreover the dogs came and licked his ſores.
22 And it came to paſs, that the beggar died, and was carried by the Angels into Abrahams boſome: the rich man alſo dyed, and was buried.
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and ſeeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his boſome:
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.
25 But Abraham ſaid, Son, remember that thou in thy life time receivedſt thy good things, and likewiſe Lazarus evill things, but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
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.
27 Then he ſaid, I pray thee therefore father, that thou wouldeſt ſend him to my fathers houſe.
28 For I have five Brethren, that he may testifie unto them, leſt they alſo come into this place of torment.
29 Abraham ſaith unto him, They have Moſes and the Prophets, let them hear them.
30 And he ſaid, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31 And he ſaid unto him, If they hear not Moſes and the Propets, neither will …hey be perſwaded, though one roſe from the dead.
THis Scripture was not ſpoken by our Lord Jeſus Chriſt,Verſe 19. to ſhew you the ſtate of two ſingle perſons onelyonly, (as ſome through their ignorance of the drift of Chriſt in his Parables do dream) but to ſhew you the ſtate of the godly and ungodly to the worlds end; as is clear to him that is of an underſtanding heart. For he ſpake 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 verſes alſo, I ſhall not ſpend much time upon, onelyonly 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 21, verſes run thus, There was a certain rich man, which was cloathed in purple and fine linnen, and fared deliciouſly or ſumptuouſly every day. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate full of ſores, &c.
1. If theſe verſes had been ſpoken by Jeſus Chriſt, and no more, all the world would have gone near to have caſt a wrong interpretation on them. I ſay, if Jeſus had ſaid onelyonly 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 finde, that there is no man in a worſe condition then he, as I ſhall clearly hold forth afterward.
2. Again, if a man would judge of men according to outward appearance, he ſhall oft-times take his mark amiſs. Here is a man to outward appearance, appears the onelyonly bleſſed man; better by half then the beggar, in as much as he is rich, the beggar poor; he is well cloathed, but peradventure the beggar is naked; he hath good food, but the beggar would be glad of dogs meat; (And he deſired to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich mans table) the rich man fares well every day, but the beggar muſt be glad of a bit when he can g…t it. Oh! who would not be in the rich mans ſtate? A wealthy man, ſorts of new ſuits, and dainty diſhes every day: enough to make one, who mindes nothing but his belly, and his back, & his luſts, to ſay, Oh, that I were in that mans 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 chear, eat, drink and be merry, thou haſt every thing plenty, and art in moſt bleſſed condition.
I ſay this might be, I, and is the concluſion with them that judg… according to outward app…arance. But if the whole Parable be well conſidered, you will ſee, that that which is had in high eſtimation with men, is an abomination in the ſight of God. And again, that condition that is the ſaddeſt condition, according to outward appearance, is oft times t…e moſt excellent; for the beggar had t…n thouſand degrees the beſt of it, though to outward appearance his ſtate was the ſaddeſt; from we ſhall obſerve thus much.
1 That thoſe who judge according to outward appearance, do for the moſt part judge amiſs.
2. That they who look upon their outward enjoyments to be tokens of Gods ſpecial grace unto them, are alſo deceived; for as it is here in the Parable, a man of wealth, and a childe of the devil may make but one perſon; or thus, a man may have abundance of outward enjoyments, and yet be carried by the devils into eternal burnings. But this is the trap, in which the devil hath caught many thouſands of poor ſouls, namely, by getting them to judge according to outward appearance.
Do but ask a poor carnal covetous wretch, how we ſhould know a man to be in a happy eſtate, and he will anſwer, Thoſe that God bleſſeth, and giveth abundance of this world unto; when for the moſt part they are they that are the the curſed men. Alas poor men, they are ſo ignorant, as to think, that becauſe a man is increaſed in outward things, and that by a ſmall ſtock, therefore God doth love that man with a ſpecial love, or elſe he would never do ſo much for him, never bleſs him ſo, and proſper the work of his hands. Ah! poor ſoul, it is the rich man that goes to hell. And the rich man died, and in hell, mark, in hell he lift up his eyes, &c.
Methinks to ſee how the great ones of the world will go ſtrutting up and down the ſtreets ſometimes, it makes me wonder. Surely, they look upon themſelves to be the onelyonly happy men, but it is becauſe they judge according to outward appearance; they look upon themſelves to be the onelyonly bleſſed men when the Lord knows, the generality are left out of that bleſſed condition. Not many wiſe men after the fleſh, not many mighty, not many noble are called, 1 Cor. 1.26. Ah! did they that do now ſo brag, that no body dare ſcarce look on them, but believe this, it would make th…m hang down their heads, and cry, O give me a Lazarus portion.
I might here enlarge very much, but I ſhall not▪ onelyonly 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 por…on Pſalm 17.14.
And Friend, thou that ſeekeſt after this world, and deſireſt riches, let me ask this queſtion, wouldeſt thou be content that God ſhould put thee off with a portion in this life? Wouldeſt thou be glad to be kept out of heaven with a back well cloathed, and a belly well filled with the dainties of this world? Wouldeſt thou be glad to have all thy good things in thy life time, to have thy heaven to laſt no longer then while thou doſt live in this world? Wouldeſt thou be willing to be deprived of eternal happineſs and felicity? If you ſay, no, then have a care of the world and thy ſins; have a care of deſiring to be a rich man, leſt thy table be made a ſnare unto thee; leſt the wealth in this world do bar thee out of glory. For as the Apoſtle ſaith, They that w…ll be rich do fall into temptation, and a ſnare, and into many fooliſh and hurtful luſts, which drown men in perdition and deſtruction, 1 Tim. 6.9. Thus much in general, but now more particularly.
Theſe two men here ſpoken of (as I ſaid) do hold forth to us the ſtate of the godly and ungodly: the beggar holdeth forth the godly, and the rich man the ungodly. There was a certain rich man. &c.
But …hy are the ungodly held forth under the notion of a rich man?
1. Becauſe Chriſt would no have them look too high, as I ſaid before, but that thoſe who have riches ſhould have a care, that they be not all their portion,
2. Becauſe rich men are moſt liable to the devils temptations, are moſt ready to be puft up with pride, ſtoutneſs, cares of this world, in which things they ſpend moſt of their time, in luſts, drunkenneſs, wantonneſs, idleneſs, together with the other works of the fleſh, For which things ſake the wrath of God comith upon the children of diſobedience, Col. 3.6.
3. Becauſe he would comfort the hearts of his own which are moſt commonly of the poorer ſort, But God hath choſen the poor▪ deſpiſed and baſe things of this world, 1 Cor. 1.26. Should God have ſet the …ich man in the bleſſ…d ſtate, his children would have concluded being poor, that they had no ſhare in the life to come.
And again, had not God given ſuch a diſcovery of the ſad condition of thoſe that are for the moſt part rich men; we ſhould have had men conclude abſolutely, that the rich are the bleſſed men. Nay, albeit the Lord himſelf doth ſo evidently declare, that the rich ones of the world are for the moſt part in the ſaddeſt condition, yet they through unbelief, or elſe preſumption, do harden themſelves, and ſeek for the glory of this world, as though the Lord Jeſus Chriſt did not mean as he ſaid; or elſe that he will ſay more then ſhall aſſuredly come to paſs: but let them know, that the Lord hath a time to fulfil that he had a time to declare, for the Scripture cannot be b…oken.
But again, the Lord by this word doth not mean thoſe are ungodly, who a…e rich in the world, and no other, for then muſt all thoſe that are poor, yet graceleſs and vain men be ſaved, and delivered from eternal vengeance; which w uld be contrary to the word of God, which ſaith, That together with the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, there are bond-men or ſervants, and ſlaves that cry out at the appearance of the Almighty God, and his Son Jeſus Chriſt to Judgement, Rev. 6.15.
So that though Chriſt doth ſay, There was a certain rich man, yet you muſt underſtand he meaneth all the ungodly, ri… or poor. Nay, if you will not underſtand it ſo now, you ſhall be made to underſtand it to be ſo meant, at the day of Chriſts ſecond comming, when all that are ungodly ſhall ſtand at the left hand of Chriſt with pale faces and guilty conſciences, with the vials of the Almighties wrath, ready to be powred out upon them. Thus much in brief, touching the 19. verſe. I might have obſerved other things from it, but now I forbear, having other things to ſpeak of at this time.