534 - The Parable of the Vol.'. i proceed. The Rich Man alfo died, andwas buried. The Rich Man alfo died .this is very elegant and emphatical, infinuating to us, what the Scripture fo of- ten takes notice of, that Riches, for all Mens confidence in them, will not deli- ver fromDeath. This Rich Man indeed was out of Danger of being flarved and famifht, as poor Lazarus was. But Death had other ways to come at him. It is probable enough, that he might be furfeited byfaring fumptuoufí every day. The Rich Man alfo died. Andwas buried. And here again we may obferve the ffricf Decorum which our Saviour ufes in this Parable. It is not faid of Lazarus, that he was buried, but only that he died ; it is probable, that he was flung out of the way into fomePit or other But of the Rich Man it is laid, he was buried. And this is all the ad- vantage which a Rich Man hath by a greatEflate after he is dead, to have a pom- pous and folemnFuneral; which yet lignifies nothing to him after Death, becaufe he is infenffble of it. Ver. 2,3. And in Hell he lift up his Eyes being in Torments, andTeeth Abraham afar off, andLazarus in his bofom. As corporal As ale attributed to God in Scripture, fo likewife to feparated Souls. In Hell he lift up his Eyes, being in Torments ; Intimating to us, that this fen- fual and voluptuous Man had-flupidly paff away his Life without any ferions Thoughts and Confideration : but now at laft he was awakened, when it was too late, and began to confider. In Hell he lift up his Eyes, being in Torments. O the Stupidity of Sinners ! who run on blindly in their Courfe, and never open their Eyes 'till they are fallen into the Pit ; who cannot be brought to con- fider, 'till Confiderationwill do them no good ; 'till it ferve to no other purpofe, but to enrage their Confciences, and to multiply the stingsof them. Thus it was with this Rich Man, he lift up his Eyes being in Torments, and teeth Abraham afar off, andLazarus in his bofom. Our Saviour reprefents him as feeing that which would then moil probably come to his Mind. Feeling his own Mi- fery, he began to, confider the happy Condition of the poor Man whom he had fo cruelly negleâed. And indeed one great part of the Torment of Hell con- fifls in thofe Refleétions which Men (hall make upon the Happinefs which they have wilfully loll and negleéted, and the Sins whereby they have plunged them- felves into that miferable State. Ver. xq. Andhe cried, andfaid, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and fend Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his Finger in Water, and cool my Tongue ; for I am tormented in this Flame. See how the scene is changed ; now he is fain to beg Relief of the Beggar, who had fued to him in vain. SendLazarus that he may dip the tip of his Finger in Water, and cool my Tongue.' Here is another very decent Circumflance ; the Rich Man is reprefented as not having the Face to beg any great Relieffrom Lazarus, towards whom he had been fo hard-hearted. To dip the tip ofhis Finger in Water, to cool his Tongue, had been a very great Fàvour from Lazarus, to whom the Rich Man had denied even the Crumbs which fellfrom his Table. For Iam tormented in this Flame. The Scripture loves to make ufe of fenfible Reprefentations, to let forth to us the Happinefs and Mifery of the next Life ; partlyby way of Condefcenfion to our Underftandings, and partly towork more powerfully upon our Afieétions. For whilft we are in the Body, and immers'd inSenfe, we are moll apt to be moved by fuchDefcriptions of things as are fen- fible ; and therefore the Tormenta of wicked Men in Hell, are ufually in Scrip- ture . defcribed to us, by one of die quicken and fharpeft Pains that Human Na- ture is ordinarily acquainted withal, namely, by the pain ofBurning ; Fire being the molt aétive thing in Nature; and therefore capableof caufing the fharpeff Pains. But we cannot from thefe and the like Expreflions,of Scripture certainlydeter- mine.rhat this is the true and proper Pain of Hell : All that we can infer from thefe Defcriptions is this, that the Sufferings of wicked Men in the other World, Ihall be very terrible, and as great, and probably greater than can poflbly be defcribed to us by any thing that we are now acquaintedwithal ; for who knows the
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