A FEW Sighs from Hell: OR, The Groans of a damned Soul: OR, An Expo… › Verse 24, A few sighs from hell, or, The groans of a damned soul. Or, An… (John Bunyan, 1658) | AskReformation
A few sighs from hell, or, The groans of a damned soul. Or, An…
A few sighs from hell, or, The groans of a damned soul. Or, An exposition of those words in the sixteenth of Luke, concerning the rich man and the beggar : wherein is discovered the lamentable state of the damned : their cries, their desires in their distresses, with the determination of God upon them. A good warning word to sinners, both old and young, to take into consideration betimes, and to seek by faith in Jesus Christ to avoid, lest they come into the same place of torment. Also a brief discourse touching the profitableness of the Scriptures for our instruction in the way of righteousness, according to the tendency of the said parable. / By that poor and contemptible servant of Jesus Christ, John Bunyan.A few sighs from hell, or, The groans of a damned soul. Or, An exposition of those words in the sixteenth of Luke, concerning the rich man and the beggar : wherein is discovered the lamentable state of the damned : their cries, their desires in their distresses, with the determination of God upon them. A good warning word to sinners, both old and young, to take into consideration betimes, and to seek by faith in Jesus Christ to avoid, lest they come into the same place of torment. Also a brief discourse touching the profitableness of the Scriptures for our instruction in the way of righteousness, according to the tendancy of the said parable. / By that poor and contemptible servant of Jesus Christ, John Bunyan.
John Bunyan 1628–1688London: printed by Ralph Wood for M. Wright, 1658
[48], 251, [3] p. · 60k words · Wing B5516 · ESTC R210338
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Verse 24. 1And he cried, and said, Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water to cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame.
You know I told you the 22. verse is a discovery of the departure of the godly and the ungodly out of this life; where he saith, The beggar died, and the rich man also died. The 23. verse is a discovery of the proper places, both of the godly, and the ungodly after death; one being in Abraham's bosom, or in glory, the other in hell. Now this 24. verse is a discovery of part of the too late repentance of the ungodly, when they are dropped down into hell. And he cried, and said, Father Abraham, have mercy upon me.]
YOu know I told you the 22. verse is a discovery of the departure of the godly and the ungodly out of this life; where he saith, The beggar died, and the rich man also died. The 23. verse is a discovery of the proper places, both of the godly, and the ungodly after death; one being in Abrahams bosome, or in glory, the other in hell. Now this 24. verse is a discovery of part of the too late repentance of the ungodly, when they are dropt down into hell. And he cried, and said, Father Abraham, have mercy upon me.]
From these words, and he cried, we may observe, first, what a change the ungodly will have, when they come into hell. Where he saith, he cried; it is like he was laughing, jesting, jeering, drinking, mocking, swearing, cursing, prating, persecuting of the godly in his prosperity, among his filthy companions; ⟨p. 56⟩
but now the case is otherwise; now he is in another frame; now his proud, stout, currish carriage is come down, as is clearly signified by these words, And he cried. Therefore by these words you may secondly observe, that the laughter of the ungodly will not last always, but will be sure to end in a cry. O no my friends, consider, you must have a change either here or in hell. If you be not new creatures, regenerate persons, new born babes in this world before you go hence, your note will be changed, you. conditions will be changed: for if you come into hell, you must cry. O did but the singing drunkards, when they are making merry on the Alebench think on this, that if they drop into hell they must cry, it would make them change their note, and cry, What shall I do, whither shall I go when I die? But as I said before, the devil, as he labours to get poor souls to follow their sins, so he labours also to keep the thoughts of eternal damnation out of their minds; and indeed these two things are so nearly linked together, that the devil cannot well get the soul to go on in sin with delight, unless he can keep the thoughts
⟨p. 57⟩
of that terrible after-clap out of their minds. But let them know that it shall not always be thus with them; for if when they depart, they drop down into eternal destruction, they shall have such a sense of their sins, and the punishment due to the same, that it shall make them to cry. And he cried. O what an alteration will there be among the ungodly, when they go out of this world! it may be a fortnight or a month before their departure, they were light, stout, surly, drinking themselves drunk, slighting Gods people, mocking at goodness, and delighting in sin; following the world, seeking after riches, faring deliciously, keeping company with the bravest; but now they are dropped down into hell, they cry. A little while ago they were painting their faces, feeding their lusts, following their whores, robbing their neighbours, telling of lies, following of plays, and sports to pass away the time; but now they are in hell they do cry.
From these words, and he cried, we may observe, first, what a change the ungodly will have, when they come into hell. Where he saith, he cried; it is like he was laughing, jesting, jearing, drinking, mocking, swearing, cursing, prating, persecuting of the godly in his prosperity, among his filthy companions; ⟨p. 56⟩but now the case is otherwise; now he is inanother frame; now his proud, stout, currish carriage is come down, as is clearly signified by these words, And he cried. Therefore by these words you may secondy observe, that the laughter of the ungodly will not last alwayes, but will be sure to end in a cry. O no my friends, consider, you must have a change either here or in hell. If you be not new creatures, regenerate persons, new born babes in this world before you go hence, your note will be changed, you. conditions will be changed: for if you come into hell, you must cry. O did but the singing drunkards, when they are making merry on the Alebench think on this, that if they drop into hell they must cry, it would make them change their note, and cry, What shall I do, whither shal I go when I die? But as I said before, the devil, as he labors to get poor souls to follow their sins, so he labors also to keep the thoughts of eternal damnation out of their mindes; and indeed these two things are so nearly linked together, that the devil cannot well get the soul to go on in sin with delight, unless he can keep the thougths ⟨p. 57⟩of that terrible after-clap out of their mindes. But let them know that it shall not alwayes be thus with them; for if when they depart, they drop down into eternal destruction, they shall have such a sence of their sins, and the punishment due to the same, that it shall make them to cry. And he cried. O what an alteration will there be among the ungodly, when they go out of this world! it may be a fortnight or a moneth before their departure, they were light, stout, surly, drinking themselves drunk, slighting Gods people, mocking at goodness, and delighting in sin; following the world, seeking after riches, faring deliciously, keeping company with the bravest; but now they are dropt down into hell, they cry. A little while ago they were painting their faces, feeding their lusts, following their whores, robbing their neighbours, telling of lies, following of playes, and sports to pass away the time; but now they are in hell they do cry.
It may be last year they heard some good sermons, was invited to receive heaven, was told their sins should be pardoned, if they closed in with Jesus; but refusing his ⟨p. 58⟩proffers, and slighting the grace that was once tendered, they are now in hell, and do cry.
It may be last year they heard some good sermons, was invited to receive heaven, was told their sins should be pardoned, if they closed in with Jesus; but refusing his ⟨p. 58⟩profers, and slighting the grace that was once tendered, they are now in hell, and do cry.
Before they had so much time (they thought) that they could not tell how to spend it, unless it were in hunting, and whoring, in dancing and playing, and spending whole hours; yea, days, nay weeks in the lusts of the flesh, but when they depart into another place, and begin to lift up their eyes in hell, and consider their miserable, and irrecoverable condition they will cry.
Before they had so much time (they thought) that they could not tell how to spend it, unless it were in hunting, and whoring, in dancing and playing, and spending whole hours; yea, dayes, nay weeks in the lusts of the flesh, but when they depart into another place, and begin to lift up their eyes in hell, and consider their miserable, and irrecoverable condition they will cry.
O what a condition wilt thou fall into, when thou dost depart this world, if thou depart unconverted, and not born again, thou hadst better have been smothered the first hour thou wast born; thou hadst better have been plucked one limb from another; thou hadst better have been made a dog, a toad, a serpent; nay, any other creature in the visible world, then to die unconverted, and this thou wilt find to be true, when in hell thou dost lif• up thine eyes, and dost cry.
O what a condition wilt thou fall into, when thou dost depart this world, if thou depart unconverted, and not born again, thou hadst better have been smothered the first hour thou wast born; thou hadst better have been plucked one limb from another; thou hadst better have been made a dog, a toad, a serpent; nay, any other creature in the visible world, then to die unconverted, and this thou wilt finde to be true, when in hell thou dost lif• up thine eyes, and dost cry.
Here then before we go any further you may see, that it is not without good ground that these words are here spoken ⟨p. 59⟩by our Lord, That when any of the ungodly do depart into hell, they will will cry. Cry, why so?
8. They will cry to think, that Lazarus, whom once they slighted, must be of them that must sit with Christ to judge, or together with Christ, to pass a sentence of condemnation on their souls for ever and ever, 1 Corinthians 6.2, 3.
9. Cry to think, that when the judgement is over, and others are taken into the everlasting kingdom of glory, then thou must depart back again into that dungeon of darkness, from whence thou camest our, (to appear before that terrible tribunal) where thou shalt be tormented so long as eternity lasts, without the least intermission or ease. How sayest thou, O thou wanton, proud, swearing, lying ungodly wretch, whether this be to be slighted, and made a mock at. And again, tell me now, if it be not better to leave sin, and to close in with Christ Jesus, notwithstanding that reproach thou shalt meet with for so doing; then to live a little while in this world in pleasures, and feeding thy lusts, in neglecting the welfare of thy soul, and refusing to be justified by Jesus, and in a moment to drop down to hell, and to cry? O consider, I say ⟨p. 61⟩consider betimes, and put not off the the tenders of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, lest you lift up your eyes in hell, and cry for anguish of spirit.
