Ambrose - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .A49 1674

- ------- ~ellg ~orrou ~. --~----~--------~ and all thou hall: arc burning altogether; how would this a!l:onifh us, making both the hair to fland uptight on our_heads, 1nd the tears to gufh out of our eyes? Beho!J then, and fee the Spirit of God cri~s out,Fire,ftre; even the dreadful .fireof hell gapeth ready to devour· not thy houfc, tny corn, or thy cattel; but thy poor fuul, and that fore– vermore : 7 0 then how fhould this break your flinty hearts afunder, and make your fouls bleed again and ag•in? if you have any fpark of grace, this (nte thinks) fho~ld move you ton 1\riCt courfe of !de; tf you have any care of your fouls; thts (me thmKs) thould nukc you to walk humbly, an~ purely,carefully and confcion~bly towards God, and towards man: if not, what remains but (ire, fire? Binde (hem in bMdles to bwm tbem. · 43) Or yet, if example can perfwade us more~ ~editate on the mifcrable conditionof ,. that namddfe rich man: Suppofe you faw hun m hell-tor111ents, cumpall about Wtth furies, fires, and all thot black g~ard belo1~; his tongue fla:oing, his eyes flaring, his confci:nce biting, hts foul fuffcnng, hts body all over burnmg m that fire of hell. 0 lamentable figttt ! but to ma~e it more lamentable, hearken how he roars and cries through the extremity of pains: 0 torment, tGrment! how am I tormented in this .fire! my head, my heart, my eyes, my ears,_ my tongue, my tongtte is all on fire; what ]hall I d~ l whitherjiJall Jjlr.e forfucconr? fVttbtrt tile tJ the WOTI!Jt , l'P.Jthout me H fire, akout me ar~ de11ih, above me ts Abraham, Md what glorio11s fiar isyonder I f ee, but Lazarus, poor Lazarus inhis btfume! what, is a beggar exalted? and'"" I in torments! Why, Abrahom, father Abraham, have mercy on me: See here a man burning, frorching, frJing in beO-jlameJ; one dram cf mere!, one drop ofJV~ter to a tormented{oul; U~ I furn, 1 burr:, 1 bum wirhoutcafe wend, and u there noncto puy me! Come, Lazarus (if Abrahamwnq not hear) let me beg tfthee a beggar, t<nd howfoever I denied thee a cmmb ofbread, yet lie f os,ood, fo_charita bie, as to dip the tip of thy finger inwater, and cool my tongue.. it is a poorfutt I ash_; rtot to dwe, _bmdtp; not thy hand, but finger; not all, but the ttp of it; not in f no>v, but water;' not to quench, but to cool; not my body, but my lea(f mem~ ber, be it my tongue onely: no cafe fo ltttle, nogrant fo poor, no remedyJo[mall, ·bill hap. py wtre I ifI could obtain it, though I begged it with tedrs and prayers ofa thoufand thow– JttndyearJ contimumce : Btttfee Abraham andLazarus denjmy fuits; /burn, andnritber God, nur S11int, nor .Angel tak_ts pitty ofmr: tmdjl1111ll cryJ<r help on devils ? alas! they IJTt my tormentor£ that lajl:..me, and Cltt me 1'9ith thpir whips ofbnrning Jfeel and ironf 0 beloved r what !hall we fay to the roaring rage of this tormented wretch? Alas! :-.las! how little do men thmk on this? they can paffe away time fporting and playing, ~s ifthcy went fo prifon but for a few weeks, or dayes; ju!l: like men, who having the fentence of death pail: upon them, run fooling "nd hughing to the execution ; but whenoncehell-mouth .hath !hut her felf, then !hall they find nothing but eternity of torments: in the fear of God t~ke heed in time of this eternity, eternity, !ell: yo11 alfo co,Je imo this place of erernity, etcrnity oftorment : it is the doorn ofTares, wo to them whofocver, that arc of the number, for they, they] mull: begathered, andb~und, a•zd bHndled, and bttrned. ' We have now done ourtask, and ended' th·e harvell : if you plcafe to ea{{ back y6ur eye upon the particulars delivered,they a mount to this fumme. Wilt!t[oevet a manfowes, char]hall he reap 1 Gal. 6. 7· If the enemy fowe 'J,.rn, and Gd. 6. 1· w; nounfh t~e feed, what thmk you ts the Harvcfl? Gatherye togetherfirfl the Tims, fatth our S~wmrro the Angels : they are branded in tbeir namc,T~rcs,] fped in the time ftrft] curflm thctr doom, gathered] but worll: in the hands of their executioners, it is b~ Angels!] and yet what is aH this to the latter work in hand ?1f the ?:amweeded up mtght rot m the furrows, the punifhment were leffe · but as they are oathcred fo they muft be bo11nd.] Is that all? Nay; as they 7 are bound fo th~y mull:' be b~tndled.] ~s that all? nay, as they are bound and bundled, fo tbcy mull: be burned.] Bmde t_hem m bundles to burne them. I mull: end this Text, yet am loth to leave you where tt ends: As there is an harvefl ofTares, fo there is a better harvel[ of Wheat ' The~ thllt fi:we in teare;,jl>a/1 reap in joy; 'If we repent us ofour fins_, we !hall have a bleif. ed harvclf indeed: how? fourty grams for one? nay,(by the promtfe of our Saviour) an Pial. 12~· S. hundredfold. .A mcafi~re heaped,_andJhaken, and rhrufl together, ttndyet YltJining q~·er. Every Samt fhall ha_ve JOY and glory, foimtaines of plealure, ~nd rivers of d'elight. Lukd- 3S, where they may fwun, ~nd bathe their fouls for ever and ever: what though tar'es muft to the lire? the Wheat ts gathered into heaven. Pray you thert with me, that we may be Wheat, ~ot Tares; and.God fo ·blcffc tHe feed,that'every foul of us may·have a jOy~ ful harveft m the Kingdome of Heaven. Amen. K z Rrgh;

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