He is an uncharitable man, who being rich, and hearing of the miferies of others, does not take them into confideration: But what we fee with our eyes is much more apt to affect us. So that this was an argument of a very cruel difpofition in the rich man, that having fo many occafions of seeing Lazarus, he should never be moved to commiferate him.

2dly, Here was fuch an object prefented to him, as would move any one's pity, a man reduced to extreme mifery and neceffity. Here was no common object of charity, a man,. not only in extreme want, but in great pain and anguifh, and fo helplefs, that he was unable to keep off the dogs from being troublesome to him: and yet this did not move him.

3dly, A very little relief would have contented this poor man, and have been a great kindness to him; that which the rich man might have fpared without the leaft prejudice to himself. He would have been glad to have been fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table; and yet the parable intimates, that the rich man was fo hard-hearted as not to afford him these.

Ver. 22. And it came to pass that the beggar died, and was carried by the Angels into Abraham's bofom. Here was a great and fudden change! He who, when he was alive, was neglected by men, and contumeliously expofed like a dead carcafe to the dogs, when he dies, is attended on by the angels, and by them fafely conveyed into a ftate of unfpeakable happinefs. He who lay at the rich man's gate, and could find no entrance there, is admitted into heaven. The beggar died, and was carried into Abraham's bofom.

It is very obfervable, that our Saviour in this parable reprefents men as paffing immediately out of this life into a state of happiness or torment. And as in no other place of fcripture, fo neither in this, where it had been fo proper, does our Saviour give the leaft intimation of the state of purgatory, which the church of Rome hach devifed, and makes fo much profit and advantage of; which because it is

fo

fo vifible and apparent, we may without uncharitablenefs fuppofe to be the reason why they keep fuch a

ftir about it.

And was carried by the Angels into Abraham's bofom. It was an ancient tradition among the Jews, that the Angels did attend good men at their death, and carry their fouls into paradife, which is here called Abraham's bofom. And this was a proper place for Lazarus, who had been neglected by the rich man, to be conveyed into Abraham's bofom, who was of a quite contrary temper, and loved to entertain and relieve strangers.

And paradife is fitly called Abraham's bofom, becaufe the Jews had fo great a veneration for Abraham, and that defervedly, for his eminent faith and obedience, that they gave him the firft place among the bleffed. Hence is the expreffion, Mat. viii. 11. of fitting down with Abraham, and Ifaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of God. Now this expreffion of being in Abraham's bofom, is an allufion to the cuftom of feafts among the Jews, where the most esteemed and beloved gueft fat next him that was chief at the feaft, and leaned on his bofom. Hence St. John is called the Difciple whom Jefus loved, becaufe when he fat at meat, he leaned on his bofom, John xiii. 23. Hence likewife is the expreffion of our Saviour's being in the bofom of his Father, to fignify his dearness to him, John i. 18. No man hath feen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bofom of the Father, he hath declared him.

I proceed. The rich man alfo died, and was buried. The rich man alfo died; this is very elegant and emphatical, infinuating to us, what the fcripture fo often takes notice of; that riches, for all mens confidence in them, will not deliver from death. This rich man indeed was out of danger of being ftarved and famifhed, as poor Lazarus was: But death had other ways to come at him. It is probable enough, that he might be furfeited by faring fumptuously every day. The rich man alfo died.

And was buried. And here again we may obferve the ftrict decorum which our Saviour ufes in this pa

rable

rable. 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 fome pit or other: But of the rich man it is faid, he was buried. And this is all the advantage which a rich man hath by a great estate after he is dead, to have a pompous and folemn funeral; which yet fignifies nothing to him after death, because he is infenfible of it."

Ver. 23. And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and feeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bofom. As corporal acts are attributed to God in fcripture, fo likewife to feparated fouls.

In hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments; intimating to us, that this fenfual and voluptuous man had ftupidly paft away his life, without any ferious 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 finners! who run on blindly in their course, and never open their eyes till they are fallen into the pit; who cannot be brought to confider, till confideration will do them no good; till it ferve to no other purpose, but to enrage their confciences, and to multiply the ftings of them!

Thus it was with this rich man, he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and feeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bofom. Our Saviour reprefents him as feeing that which would then moft probably come to his mind. Feeling his own mifery, he began to confider the happy condition of the poor man whom he had fo cruelly neglected. And indeed one great part of the torment of hell confifts in those reflexions which men fhall make upon the happinefs which they have wilfully loft and neglected, and the fins whereby they have plunged themselves into that miferable ftate.

Ver. 24. And he cried, and faid, 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 fcene is changed! now he is fain to beg relief of the beggar, who had fued to him in vain.

VOL. VI.

Send

Send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue. Here is another very decent circumftance; the rich man is reprefented as not having the face to beg any great relief from Lazarus, towards whom he had been fo hard-hearted. To dip the tip of his finger in water to cool his tongue, bad been a very great favour from Lazarus, to whom the rich man had denied even the crumbs which fell from his table.

For I am tormented in this flame. The fcripture. loves to make ufe of fenfible reprefentations, to fet forth to us the happinefs and mifery of the next lifes partly by way of condefcenfion to our undeftandings, and partly to work more powerfully upon our affections. For whilft we are in the body, and immerfed in fenfe, we are most apt to be moved by fuch deferiptions of things as are fenfible; and therefore the torments of wicked men in hell, are usually in scripture described to us, by one of the quickest and fharpeft pains that human nature is ordinarily acquainted withal, namely, by the pain of burning; fire being the most active thing in nature, and therefore capable of caufing the fharpest pains.

But we cannot from thefe and the like expreffions of fcripture certainly determine that this is the true and proper pain of hell: All that we can infer from thefe defcriptions is this, that the fufferings of wicked men in the other world, fhall be very terrible, and as great, and probably greater than can poffibly be defcribed to us, by any thing that we are now acquainted withal: for who knows the power of God's anger, and the utmost of what omnipotent juftice can do to finners? For as the glory of heaven, and the joys of God's prefence are now inconceivable; fo likewife are the torments of hell, and the miferies of the damned. Eye hath not feen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, thofe dreadful things which God prepares for them that hate him. Who can imagine the utmoft fignificancy of thofe phrafes which the fcripture ufes to fet forth this to us, of God's being a confuming fire, of being tormented in flames, of God's wrath and jealousy

jealousy fmoaking against sinners, and all the curfes that are written in his book, falling upon them? Who can conceive the horror of thofe expreffions, of the worm that dies not, and the fire that is not quenched, of God's pouring out the vials of his wrath, of being delivered over to the tormentor, of being thru into utter darkness, of being caft into the lake of fire and brimstone? Thefe forms of fpeech feem to be borrowed from thofe things which among men are moft dreadful and affrighting, and to be calculated and accommodated to our capacities, and not so much intended to exprefs to us the proper and real tor-ments of hell, as to convey to us in a more fenfible and affecting manner the fenfe of what the fcripture fays in general, that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Ver. 25. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedft thy good things, and likewife Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. Abraham faid, Son remember. It is very obfervable, how our Saviour chufes to reprefent to us the difcourfe between Abraham and the rich man, though there was the greatest difference between them imaginable, the one was in heaven, and the other in hell, yet they treated one another civilly. Abraham is brought in giving the common terms of civility to this wretched wicked man, and calling him fon; fon, remember. It was indeed a very fevere thing which he said to him; he put him in mind of his former profperity, and of his fault in his unmerciful ufage of Lazarus; Remember, Jon, that thouin thy lifetime received thy good things, and Lazarus, &c. But yet whilft he speaks fuch sharp things to him, he bates bad language. A man may fay very fevere things, where a juft occafion requires it; but he muft ufe no reviling; rem ipfam dic, mitte male loqui, fay the thing, but ufe no bad language. And this, as one fays, is the true art of chiding, the proper ftile wherein we muft ufe to reprove. If we do it with malice, and anger, and contempt, it is mist acoming, even though we defpair of doing good; but if we hope for any good effect, we are like to mifs