Hear him that spake by experience.h Being in hell in torments, he lifts up his eyes, &c. He looked upward, for he was low enough: he lift up his eyes, that could not lift up himself. Retrusus in locum imum, qui affectavit locum primum. He would not look down to Lazarus in his misery, he must now look up to Lazarus in his felicity. Oculos quos voluptas clausit, acerbitas aperit. Where remembering his pleasures past, considering his joys lost, sensible of pains present, and fearful of greater tortures to come: he sees Ad cumulum suae paenae. iLazarum in sinu Abrahae: Lazarus in Abraham's bosom. (Every believer is a child of Abraham, and whither should the child go but to the bosom of his Father?) Now he begs with more floods of scalding tears, than ever Esau sought the blessing, to have some comfort from Lazarus; send Lazarus, &c. His envious pride doth not yet forsake him. Non potuit ad Lazarum duci, sed Lazarum ad se deduci. He would have Lazarus come from the rest of heaven, to the terrors of hell. And what craves he? not an Ocean, not a river, not a pond or some small fountain, not a bucket or spoonful; but a drop. And what if all the rivers in the South had been granted him, his tongue would still have withered, and he never have cried in the language of hell; It is enough. Or had his tongue been eased, the rest of his parts would still have fried. Water might be by him, but Vinctae sunt manus, he hath no hand to reach it. O bitter day! when not the least finger (I say not, of God, but) of the meanest Saint in heaven, shall bring the least drop (I say not, of the waters of life, but) of the waters of the brook to give him comfort. He fared as delicately as the Sodomites, in the fullness of all rare viands: he went not in sack-cloth, or common garments, nor with a diseased body as Lazarus: but in purple and fine linen, not on the best day of the seven, or when he went to the Court, where it is somewhat tolerable; but every day. But now, like the Sodomites, he is snatched from his libertine surfeit to famine, from a table of viands to a Table of vengeance, from bowls of the lustiest wines to drink sulphur, from beds of down to beds of flames, from bravery to misery, O here is the emblem of wretchedness! He would have one sent to his brethren, let this calamity give warning to us all. Flame torments him, not a moderate fire.
Heare him that spake by experience.h Being in hell in torments, hee lifts up his eyes, &c. He looked upward, for he was low enough: he lift up his eyes, that could not lift up himselfe. Retrusus in locum imum, qui affectavit locum primum. He would not look down to Lazarus in his miserie, he must now look up to Lazarus in his felicity. Oculos quos voluptas clausit, acerbitas aperit. Where remembring his pleasures past, considering his joyes lost, sensible of paines present, and fearefull of greater tortures to come: he sees Ad cumulum suae paenae. iLazarum in sinu Abrahae: Lazarus in Abrahams bosome. (Every beleever is a child of Abraham, and whither should the child goe but to the bosome of his Father?) Now he begges with more flouds of scalding teares, than ever Esau sought the blessing, to have some comfort from Lazarus; send Lazarus, &c. His envious pride doth not yet forsake him. Non potuit ad Lazarum duci, sed Lazarum ad se deduci. He would have Lazarus come from the rest of heaven, to the terrors of hell. And what craves he? not an Ocean, not a river, not a pond or some small fountaine, not a bucket or spoonfull; but a drop. And what if all the rivers in the South had beene granted him, his tongue would still have withered, and he never have cryed in the language of hell; It is enough. Or had his tongue beene eased, the rest of his parts would still have fryed. Water might be by him, but Vinctae sunt manus, he hath no hand to reach it. O bitter day! when not the least finger (I say not, of God, but) of the meanest Saint in heaven, shall bring the least drop (I say not, of the waters of life, but) of the waters of the brooke to give him comfort. He fared as delicately as the Sodomites, in the fulnesse of all rare viands: he went not in sacke-cloth, or common garments, nor with a diseased body as Lazarus: but in purple and fine linen, not on the best day of the seven, or when he went to the Court, where it is somewhat tolerable; but every day. But now, like the Sodomites, he is snatched from his libertine surfet to famine, from a table of viands to a Table of vengeance, from boules of the lustiest wines to drinke sulphur, from beds of downes to beds of flames, from bravery to misery, O here is the embleme of wretchednesse! He would have one sent to his brethren, let this calamitie give warning to us all. Flame torments him, not a moderate fire.
- hLuk. 16.23.
- iGreg.
