A77813:34
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.
London: printed by Ralph Wood for M. Wright, 1658
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
Friend, because it is a dangerous thing to be walking towards the place of darkness and anguish: and again, because it is (notwithstanding) the journey that most of the poor souls in the world are taking, and that with delight and gladness, as if there was the only happiness to be found; I have therefore thought it my duty (being made sensible of the danger that will befall those that walk therein) for the preventing of thee, (O thou poor man or woman) to tell thee, by opening this Parable, what sad success those souls have had, and are also like to have, that have been or shall be found persevering therein.
FRiend, because it is a dangerous thing to be walking towards the place of darkness and anguish: and again, because it is (notwithstanding) the journey that most of the poor souls in the world are taking, and that with delight and gladness, as if there was the onely happiness to be found; I have therefore thought it my duty (being made sensible of the danger that will befall those that walk therein) for the preventing of thee, (O thou poor man or woman) to tell thee, by opening this Parable, what sad success those souls have had, and are also like to have, that have been or shall be found persevering therein.
We use to count him a friend that ⟨image 22⟩will forewarn his neighbour of the danger, when he knoweth thereof, and doth also see, that the way that his his neighbour is walking in, doth lead right thereto; especially when we think that our neighbour may be either ignorant, or careless of his way. Why Friend it may be, nay twenty to one but thou hast been ever since thou didst come into the world, with thy back towards heaven, and thy face towards hell; and thou (it may be) either through ignorance, or carelessness (which is as bad, if not worse) hast been running full hastily that way ever since. Why Friend? I beseech thee put a little s•op to thy earnest race, and t•ke a view of what entertainment thou art like to have, if thou do indeed and in truth persist in this thy course. Friend, hy way leads down to death, and thy steps take hold on hell.