A Few Sighs from Hell, Exposition · Verse 23
Verſe 23. And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and ſeeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his boſome.
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 poſſibly 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 ſignifie, 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 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. For while men live in this world, and are in a naturall ſtate, they will have a good conceit of themſelves, and of their condition; they will conclude that they are Chriſtians, 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 extream 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 onelyonly 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 mens 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 flee from theſe intolerable torments, into which the damned do go. I ſhall ſhew you darkly and briefly what are the torments of hell. Firſt, by the means 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, Malachi 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 ſight 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,Pſalm 50. and in ſuch a place, for ſuch a thing, and with ſuch an one, which will be an hell unto thee.
2. Thou ſhalt have the guilt of them all lie heavy on thy ſoul, not onelyonly the guilt of one or two, but the guilt of them all together, and there they ſhall lie in thy ſoul, as if thy belly were full of pitch, and ſet on a light fire. Now 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, 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 wits end. But now when thou comeſt into hell, and haſt not onelyonly 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, all together clapt 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, then thou ſhalt have brought into thy remembrance the ſlighting of the Goſpel of Chriſt; here now 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. where 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. Now theſe are the words I aim at, where he ſaith, And it ſhall be a vexation onelyonly to hear the report. A vexation, that is, a torment, or a great part of hell onelyonly to underſtand the report, that is, to underſtand the good tidings that came into the world by Chriſts death for poor ſinners, and you will finde this to be verily the minde of the Spirit, if you compare it with Chap. 53. of Eſay verſe 1. where he ſpeaks of mens turning their backs upon the tenders of Gods 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 boſome 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 eternall 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 then 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 thy ſelf thruſt out. And this is that, that Chriſt told the Jews would befall them in Luke 13.28. There ſhall be weeping, &c. when you ſhall ſee Abraham (your father) and Iſaac, and Jacob, (together with your brethren) the Prophets in the kingdom of heaven, and your ſelves thruſt out. Nay, ſaith he, There ſhall come from the Eaſt, and from the Weſt, that is, thoſe 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 diſobediencc ſhalt be ſhut, nay, thruſt out. O wonderfull torment!
5. Again, thou ſhalt have none but a company of damned ſouls, with an innumerable company of huge 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 onelyonly the ſuppoſition of the devils appearing, but the reall ſociety of all the devils in hell to be with thee howling and roaring, ſcreeching and yelling in ſuch a hideous manner, that thou wilt be even at thy wits end, and be ready to run ſtark madde again for anguiſh and torment.
6. Again, that thou mighteſt be tormente… 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, no, but by whole ſhowres 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 gooodneſs 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 alwayes every hour, day and night: for their worm never dies, but alwayes 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, if then it might have an 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 haſt been in hell ſo many thouſand years as there are ſtars in the firmament, or drops in the ſea, or ſands on the ſea ſhore, yet thou haſt to lie there for ever. O this one word, ever, how will it torment thy ſoul. O friends, I have onelyonly given a very ſhort touch of the torments of hell. O! I am ſet, I am ſet, and am not able to utter what my minde conceives of the torments of hell. Yet this let me ſay to thee, accept of Gods mercy, through our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, leſt thou feel that with thy conſcience, which I cannot expreſſe with my tongue, and ſay, I am ſorely tormented in this flame.
And ſeeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his boſome.]
When the damned are in this pittiful 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 Gods children: he ſeeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his boſome, 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 afar off, and Lazarus in his boſome. 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. Hearken to this ye ſtout hearted, 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 boſome. Theſe are ſome of the things that the damned do behold, ſo ſoon as they come into torment. Mark, And he ſeeth Lazarus in Abrahams boſome. Lazarus, who was he? Why, even he that was ſo flighted, ſo diſregaded, ſo undervalued by this ungodly one while he was in the world; he ſeeth Lazarus in his boſome.
From whence obſerve, That thoſe who live and the die 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 brag and boaſt never ſo much while they are here, they ſhall in ſpight of their teeths ſee the Saints, yea, the poor Saints, even the Lazarus's, or the ragged ones that belong to Jeſus, to be in a better condition then 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 Gods 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 it ſelf 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 boſome, is this, They that are the perſecutours 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 Abrahams boſome (in everlaſting glory) though they, the enemies to the children of God, and the practice of the Saints did ſo lightly eſteem them, that they ſcorn to let them gather up the dogs 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 ſpie you in Abrahams boſome.
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; then 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.