A Few Sighs from Hell, Exposition · Verse 23
Verſe 23. And in hell he lift up his …es being in torment, and ſeeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his boſome.
THe former verſe ſpeaks onelyonly of the departure of the ungodly out of this life, together with the glorious conduct that the godly have into the kingdome of their Father. Now our Lord doth ſhew in this verſe, 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, &c.
2. 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 ſet the glorious condition of the children of God, as the ſouls of the damned do. In hell he lift up his eyes.
3. It cannot be the grave, for then 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 finde 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 doeſt make but a mock at the ſervants of the Lord, when they tell thee of the torments of hell, thou wilt finde, 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. where it is ſaid, Hell from beneath it moved for thee, to meet thee at thy comming: 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 ruine that fall in thither; it hath ſtirred me up rather to ſeek to the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, to deliver me from thence, then 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, whether it be to heaven or hell. 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, To morrow 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 gripings of death to the everlaſting torments of hell. And in hell he lift up his eyes. Ah Friends! if you were but your ſelves, 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; thou hadſt better part with all thy ſins and pleaſures, and companions, or whatſoever thou delighteſt in, then 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. Conſider, would it not wound thee to thine heart, to come upon thy death-bed, 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 an ill-ſpent life, thy ſins flying in thy face, thy conſcience uttering it ſelf 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 her ſelf, and ready to ſwallow thee 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 wert thou but ſenſible of, it would make thee tremble. I pray conſider that Scripture. Rev. 6.8. And I looked, and beheld a pale ho…ſe, and his name that ſa… on him was Death, and hell followed with him. Mark, death doth not come alone to the ungodly; no, but hell goeth with …im. 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 ceaſed when this comes to paſs; lo, it will come. Bleſſed are all thoſe, that through Chriſt Jeſus his merits, by faith, 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, untill they come into hell. And that you know I told you I gather by theſe words. In hell he lift 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 ſwoun; you know if a man do fall down in a ſwoun 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 ſeared in their conſcience, that they are very ignorant of their ſtate; and when death comes, it ſtrikes them, as it were, into a ſwoun, (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.
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 dayes 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 woful and daily experience, ſometimes when we go to viſit them that are ſick in the towns and places where we live, Oh how ſenceleſs, how ſeared in their conſciences are they? they are neither ſenſible of heaven, nor of hell; of ſin, nor a Saviour: ſpeak to them of their condition, and the ſtate of their ſouls, and you ſhall finde 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, 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 ſayes, 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 roar like a lion at their firſt entrance into hell.
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 well tell how. 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, go unto 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, Men and brethren, what ſhall we do to be ſaved? And not onelyonly ſo, but thou wouldeſt not be comforted, until thou didſt finde a reſt for thy ſoul in the Lord Jeſus Chriſt.