rable. It is not faid of Lazarus, that he was buried, but only that he died; it is probable that he was flung out of the way into fome pit or other: But of the rich man it is said, he was buried. And this is all the advantage which a rich man hath by a great estate after he is dead, to have a pompous and folemn funeral; which yet signifies nothing to him after death, because he is insensible of it."

Ver. 23. And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. As corporal acts are attributed to God in scripture, so likewise to separated fouls.

In hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments; intimating to us, that this sensual and voluptuous man had stupidly past away his life, without any ferious thoughts and confideration; but now at last he was awakened, when it was too late, and began to confider. In hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments.

O the stupidity of finners! who run on blindly in their course, and never open their eyes till they are fallen into the pit; who cannot be brought to confider, till confideration will do them no good; till it serve to no other purpose, but to enrage their consciences, and to multiply the stings of them!

Thus it was with this rich man, he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and feeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Our Saviour represents him as seeing that which would then most probably come to his mind. Feeling his own misery, he began to confider the happy condition of the poor man whom he had fo cruelly neglected. And indeed one great part of the torment of hell confifts in those reflexions which men shall make upon the happiness which they have wilfully loft and neglected, and the fins whereby they have plunged themselves into that miferable state.

Ver. 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. See how the scene is changed! now he is fain to beg relief of the beg

gar, who had fued to him in vain.

VOL. VI.

Send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue. Here is another very decent circumstance; the rich man is represented as not having the face to beg any great relief from Lazarus, towards whom he had been so hard-hearted... To dip the tip of his finger in water to cool his tongue, had been a very great favour from Lazarus, to whom the rich man had denied even the crumbs which fell from his table.

For I am tormented in this flame. The scripture loves to make use of sensible representations, to fet forth to us the happiness and misery of the next lifes partly by way of condescension to our undestandings, and partly to work more powerfully upon our affections. For whilst we are in the body, and immersed in sense, we are most apt to be moved by fuch descriptions of things as are sensible; and therefore the torments of wicked men in hell, are usually in scripture described to us, by one of the quickest and sharpest pains that human nature is ordinarily acquainted withal, namely, by the pain of burning; fire being the most active thing in nature, and therefore capable of causing the sharpest pains.

But we cannot from these and the like expressions of fcripture certainly determine that this is the true and proper pain of hell: All that we can infer from these descriptions is this, that the fufferings of wicked men in the other world, shall be very terrible, and as great, and probably greater than can poffibly be described to us, by any thing that we are now acquainted withal: for who knows the power of God's anger, and the utmost of what omnipotent justice can do to sinners? For as the glory of heaven, and the joys of God's prefence are now inconceivable; so likewise are the torments of hell, and the miseries of the damned. Eye hath not feen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, those dreadful things which God prepares for them that hate him. Who can imagine the utmost significancy of those phrases which the scripture uses to fet forth this to us, of God's being a consuming fire, of being tormented in flames, of God's wrath and jealousy

jealousy smoaking against finners, and all the curses that are written in his book, falling upon them ? Who can conceive the horror of those expressions, of the worm that dies not, and the fire that is not quenched, of God's pouring out the vials of his wrath, of being delivered over to the tormentor, of being thrust into utter darkness, of being cast into the lake of fire and brimstone? These forms of speech seem to be borrowed from those things which among men are moft dreadful and affrighting, and to be calculated and accommodated to our capacities, and not so much intended to express to us the proper and real torments of hell, as to convey to us in a more sensible and affecting manner the sense of what the scripture fays in general, that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Ver. 25. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewife Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. Abraham faid, Son remember. It is very obfervable, how our Saviour chuses to reprefent to us the discourse between Abraham and the rich man; though there was the greatest difference between them imaginable, the one was in heaven, and the other in hell, yet they treated one another civilly. Abraham is brought in giving the common terms of civility to this wretched wicked man, and calling him fon; fon, remember. It was indeed a very fevere thing which he said to him; he put him in mind of his former profperity, and of his fault in his unmerciful usage of Lazarus; Remember, Jon, that thouin thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and Lazarus, &c. But yet whilst he speaks such sharp things to him, he bates bad language. A man may fay very fevere things, where a just occafion requires it; but he must use no reviling; rem ipsam dic, mitte male loqui, say the thing, but use no bad language. And this, as one says, is the true art of chiding, the proper stile wherein we must use to reprove. If we do it with malice, and anger, and contempt, it is mist ecoming, even though we despair of doing good; but if we hope for any good effect, we are like to miss

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of it this way; for as the Apostle says excellently, The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of

God.

Some think that Abraham gives the rich man the title of Son ironically, and by way of jeer; but without all reason. For furely there is not so much bad nature in heaven, as to scoff at those who are in misery. Besides that we find our Saviour observing this decorum of good language in other of his parables; as particularly, in that of the king who invited gue sts to the marriage of his fon, Matth. xxii. 11. When the king saw there the man that came without his wedding garment, though he past a very fevere sentence upon him, yet he gives him the common terms of civility, Friend, how camest thou hi

ther?

This should teach us Christians, how we ought to demean ourselves towards those who are at the greatest distance from us, and how we ought to behave ourselves towards one another in the greatest differences of religion. None sure can be at greater distance than Abraham in paradise, and the rich man in hell; and yet our Saviour would not represent them as at terms of defiance with one another. One might have expected that Abraham should have reviled this poor wretch, and disdained to have spoken to him: But this is not the temper of heaven, nor ought it to be of good men upon earth, even towards the worst of men.

How does this condemn our rudeness and impatience with one another, in our religious differences! we think no terms bad enough to use towards one another: and yet one of the most famous disputes that we find mentioned in scripture, and that between the most opposite parties that can be imagined, was managed after another fashion; I mean that recorded by St. Jude between Michael the Arch-angel, and the Devil, ver. 9. Yet Michael the Arch-angel, when contending with the Devil, he disputed about the body of Mofes, durst not bring a railing accusation; he durst not allow himself this, no, not in the heat of dispute, when persons are most apt to fly out into paffion, becaufe cause it was indecent; and would have been difpleafing to God. This I believe is the true reason why it is faid, he durst not bring a railing accusation. And yet I may add another, which is not improper for our confideration, I am fure it hath a a good moral, the Devil would have been too hard for him at railing, he was better skilled at that weapon, and more expert at that kind of dispute.

Which confideration may be a good argument to us against reviling any man. If we revile the good, we are unjust, because they deserve it not; if we revile the bad, we are unwife, because we shall get nothing by it. I could almost envy the character which was given of one of the Romans; Nefcivit quid effet male dicere; he knew not what it was to give bad "language."

I proceed. Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things. Thy good things's those which thou didst value and esteem so highly, and didst place thy chief happiness in, as if there had been no other good to be fought after. Thy good things, and indeed so he used them, as if he had been the fole lord and proprietor of them, and they had not been committed to him, as a steward, to be difpensed for his master's use, for the cloathing of the naked, and the feeding of the hungry, and the relieving of those in diftrefs.

Ver. 27, 28. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldst send him to my father's house; for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, left they also come into this place of torment. Here the rich man, though in hell, is represented as retaining some tenderness for his relations, as folicitous left they should be involved in the same misery with himself. The last piece of that which commonly remains in men, is natural affection, which is not so much a virtue, as a natural principle, and is common to many brute beasts. When a man puts off this, we may give him up for loft to all manner of goodness. To be without natural affection, is the worst character can be given of a man. Our Saviour reprefents this rich man in hell as not fo totally degenerate as to be quite deftitute of this. I think

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