A Few Sighs from Hell, Exposition · Verse 27
Ver. 27. Then he ſaid I pray thee therefore father,Verſe 27. 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 that I have read unto you ſtill holds forth that 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 lye 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 fire, 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 Lazarus. O friend, ſee here how the ſtout hearts and ſtomacks of poor creatures will be humbled, (as I ſaid before) they will be ſo brought down, that thoſe things that they d ſdained 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 flock. What, ſhall I r…gard Lazarus? ſcrubbed, beggarly Lazarus? what ſhall I ſo far diſhonour my fair ſumptuous and g…y houſe, with ſuch a ſcabbed creep-hedge as he; no, I ſcorne 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; in… ead of joy, heavineſs; inſtead of heaven, hell; inſtead of the pleaſures of ſin, the horrour and guilt of ſinne: O now ſend Lazarus..
Lazarus it may be, might have done him ſome good, if he might have been entertained in time paſt: It may be God might have uſed him as an inſtrument to do this ungodly wretch, ſome good, and 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 father 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, admoniſh them and all becauſe of this.
Though now a Goſpel-Sermon of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt may be preached to them in Engliſh, freely, and for nothing; nay, they are now deſired to hear and receive it, and they will do him that preacheth a courteſie. I ſay, 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: yet the time is coming when they will both ſigh and cry, ſead 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. Now, 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; O tell them my ſtate is miſerable, tell them I am undone forever; 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 ſeldome 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 it is like ſinging on the Ale-bench, and another roaring under the wrath of God, ſaying, O that I was with him now, how would I rebuke him, and perſwade him by all means to leave off theſe evil courſes. That he, or they, did but conſider what I now ſuffer for pride, covetouſneſs, drunkenneſs, lying, ſwearing, ſtealing, whoring and the like. Oh! did they but feel the thouſand 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 fath…rs houſe. It is like, they are ſtill the ſ…me that I left them; I left them wicked, and they are wicked ſtill, I left them ſlighters of …he 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 to morrow, leſt they come into the ſame place of torment. I pray thee that thou wouldſt ſend him.] I beg it on my bended knee, as it were, 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 ſottiſh 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. Oh! little do they think how eaſily they may loſe their ſouls, they are apt to think their condition to be as good as the beſt, as I once through ignorance did; But ſend him, ſend him without delay, leſt they come into this place of torment. O that thou wouldeſt give him commiſſion, do thou ſend him thy ſelf; it is true, the time was when I, together with them, ſlighted thoſe that were ſent of God, and owned thoſe that were ſent of men, ye… though we could not deny but he ſp…ke the word of God, and was ſent of him as our conſciences told us; yet we preferred the calls of men, b…fore 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, and Steeple-houſes, we thought it a low thing to preach and 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 wholeſome 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. tis better to receive a Saint in the name of a Saint, a Diſciple in the name of a Diſciple, 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. Oh! I may curſe the day that ever I gave way to the flatteries, and fawning of a company of carnal Clergy-men, but this my repentance is too late; I ſhould have looked about me ſooner if I would have been ſaved from this woful place. O therefore ſend him, not onelyonly to the town I lived in, and unto ſome of my acquaintance, but to my fathers houſe. Or elſe thus alſo may they cry; 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. But now, I ſay, 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 bear them down in it, and tell them plainly it is ſo,Verſe 28. and that they ſhall ſee to their everlaſting miſery. if they have not a ſpecial care▪ ſend him to my fathers houſe.