Sighs from hell, or, The groans of a damned soul discovering from the 16th…

Vers. 26. And besides all this, between us and you, there is a great Gulf fixed, so that they which would go from hence to you cannot, neither can they come to us, that would come from thence.

These words are still part of that Answer, that the Souls in Hell shall have for all their Sobbings, Sighing grievous Cries, Tears and Desires, that they have, to be released out of those intolerable pains they feel, and are perplexed with. And O, methinks the words at the first view, if rightly considered, are enough to make any hard-hearted sinner in the World to fall down dead. The verse I last spake to was, and is a very terrible one, and aggravates the Torments of poor sinners wonderfully. Where he saith, Remember, that thou in thy life time hadst thy good things, and Lazarus his Evil things, &c. I say, these words are very terrible to those poor Souls that die out of Christ. But these latter words do much more hold out their sorrow. They were spoken, as to the present condition then upon the sinner: These do not only back the former, but do yet further aggravate their misery, holding forth that which will be more intolerable: The former Verse is enough to smite any sinner into a swoon, but this to make him fall down dead. Where he saith, And besides all this: There is still something to aggravate thy ⟨p. 77⟩misery yet far more abundantly; I shall briefly speak to the words, as they have relation to the Terror spoken of in the verses before. As if he had said, Thou thinkest thy present state unsupportable, it makes thee sob and sigh, it makes thee to rue the time that ever thou wert born: Now thou findest the want of Mercy; now thou wouldst leap at the least dram of it; now thou feelest what it is to slight the Tenders of the Grace of God; now it makes thee to sob, sigh, and roar exceedingly, for the anguish that thou art in. But besides all this, I have other Things to tell thee of, that will break thine heart indeed. Thou art now deprived of a Being in the World; Thou art deprived of hearing the Gospel, the Devil hath been too hard for thee, and hath made thee miss of Heaven: Thou art now in Hell among an innumerable Company of Devils, and all thy sins beset thee round; Thou art all over wrapped in flames, and canst not have one drop of water to give thee any ease; Thou criest in vain, for nothing will be granted; Thou seest the Saints in Heaven, which is no small trouble to thy Damned Soul; Thou seest, that neither God nor Christ takes any care to ease thee, or to speak any comfort unto thee.