4 I 2 'The Pu11ijhment of Loftin Hell. State tv.– by the rich man In hell his feeing LazaruJ in Abt-ah.:nn'SJ bofom? One thing is plain in this cafe, that their own - torme1_1ts will give them fuch notions of the happinefs of the faints , as' a fick man has of health, or a prifoner has– of liberty . And as they cannot fail of r efie ccion on tl1e happinefs Of thofe in heaven; mo1e than they can attain to contentment wit-h tbeir own lot~ fo every thou ght of that happinefs will aggravate their lof:t. It wou!d be a rni ghty. wrment to- a hungry man, to fee others liberally fealh r. g ,, while he is fo chained u p 2s be cannot have one crurrb tO' Hay his gnawing appetite. To br:ing mufick and Cancingt before a man labouring under extreme pains, would but in– creafe his ,anguiil1: how then wiJl the fongs of tbe bldfed,, in, theiT enjoyment of God, make the damned rore under ' their feparation from him ? 5thly, They will rememb-er that time was, when they JDiglu have been made partakers of the blelfed ftate of 'the: faints, in their er.joymeot of God; and this will aggravate' their fenfe of the lofs. All may remember, there was#once: a poffibility of it; that fometime they were in the world' in; fome c:nners of which the way of falvation was laid open tci mens view; and may wifh they had gone round the' wor ld,. till they had found it out. Defpifers of the gofpel will re– rnember with bitte roefs, that Jefus Chrifi with all his bene– fits was offered t.o them: ~ tbat they were exhorttd, intrcat-– ed, and preffed to accept , but'woold- not; and that they were warned of the mifery 1hey feel, 'and obtefled to fL:e: from the wrath to come, lJut they would not hcarkeP. The: 1ofpel offer fl ighted will make a hot hell, and the iofs of an ,()ffered heaven will be a finking weight on the fpit its of un· believer~ in tt!,e pit. Some will remembt;r th at th t re was a prob~bility of their b~ing eternally happy; that fome rime they feem'd t o ftand fa it fvr it, and wet e 11ot f ar f ro;_ the k.ingdom of God; that they had {)ore almuf!: confe r,ted to the bieff.:d bar gain, the pen wa's in tbeir hand (as it wer e ) to fign the m.uriage-contr <: Ct betw'ixt Ch ii!l an ~l their fouls, hut unhappily th e- y dropped it , and turned ha ck ft·om the Lord to t heir lufis again . And others will remember that tl1ey thou ght themftlves f~re of heaven, Inn t'>eing blinded with pride and feJf. conceit, they we re above ordinances, and beyond inflr\lClion, and WO\:l l d not examine their fbte, 'fhicb. '
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