fure his own too. I fhould think it the lefs frange, that Men in Hell fhould have a natural kindness for their Kindred and old Companions, even on this account, that fuch an Affection is fure to torment them; and the more of their old Friends come to be tormented, the more still are their own Torments exafperated; and all this is very just and equal, and how much foever their Torments grow upon them, they amount to no more at laft, than what they took much pains whilft they lived to provide for themselves.

Call it then what you please in the Rich Man now in Hell, that he prayeth unto Abraham in behalf of his five furviving Brethren; I am fure 'tis that which ought to make all wicked Men now living, who follow his way of Life, to blush and hang down their Heads for fhame. What a Reproach is this to our Debauchees and Debauchers, whofe great Pride and Glory it is to corrupt others, and to be corrupted by them; That a wretched Soul in the Torments of Hell, fhould have either more good nature, or more Senfe of his own good, than they can be perfuaded to have? Upon what Confideration foever it was, the Rich Man in Torments is here reprefented, as one defirous that his Brethren might fare better in the end, than be did. How many Thousands are there now living, that have no fuch regard to the Welfare of their Brethren? This looks, as tho' one might learn of the Devils in Hell, to be a better Chriftian, at leaft, to have more Humanity and good nature; than they can learn by all the means of Learning, which are now in much mercy afforded them in their Life-time. He would fain have his Brethren to be fav'd, yea, to repent, and change their prelent courfe of Life, that they might be fav'd.

How many now amongst us delight in nothing more, than to fee their Brethren (in, and to perfuade them to fin, that they may be damned? Rather than they fhall be faved; and kept out of that place of Torments, which we endeavour by all means to make sure to our selves; we will not stick to take the Devil's Office, and Work out of his Hand, and go about daily tempting them to. do evil. We are refolved to haunt them like evil Spirits, where-ever they go; and to make them weary of their Lives, if they will not accompany us in our Excefs of Riot, and murder themselves, Souls and Bodies to comply with our Humours. Rather than they fhall repent, and be saved, we will jeer them out of the Thoughts of them, and laugh them into perfect madness if it be poffible; rather than they should get into the way to Heaven; wee'll fet all our Wits on work, and use all the Arts that the Devil hath taught us, either to draw or drive them into the broad way to destruction. So we may but have their Company to Hell, wee'll pay the Reckoning for them all the way, and all we can there too. O fend, good Father Abraham, send away Lazarus to my poor Brethren, to keep them out of this Place. So the Rich Man in Hell. If there be no Remedy, but I muft lie here in Torments, defpairing of cafe; O, let not those poor Men come and lie here too. If there be no mercy behind for me, yet there may be for them, who are yet alive, and may be fome. way or other brought to Faith and Repentance. But what fay we? What pitty and compassion have we (good and loving Neighbours as we call our felves) for one another? We fend, and if that will not do, we go; and with all poffible Earneftnefs, impatient of any denial or Excufe, we call

out

out and invite, and use what Arts we can, even to force our kind and loving Neighbours to go the very fame way, that the Rich Man went to Hell. O what courting, what earnest entreating, how many Arguments craftily contrived, how many fair and wheedling Words ufed, to no better end, but to entice our Kindred and Relations, our Neighbours and Friends to go along with us, to make themselves fick, to waste their precious time, to make Beasts of themfelves, and Beggars of their Families, to spend their Money and their Credit, of either whereof they have too little to be prodigal of; and finally, to ruin themselves eternally by thus lofing themselves in Frolick and Vanity, till they know not where to find themselves again. What's all this for, but to prevent all Thoughts of Repentance, or of the danger of falling into Hell; that if it be poffible, they may never either fear it, or so much as think of it till they feel it? Yea, how angry are we to be denied this piece of Neighbourly Love, Civility and Kindness? What Sport are we wont to make our Selves, and our Company, when we are met to undo our Selves, with any one that was afraid to be as mad as we, and denied to go to Hell with us to please and humour us?

3. The means which this tormented Sinner defires may be made ufe of to keep his five Brethren from being tormented in Hell, is this, That Lazarus may be fent to testify unto them. No way could he think on, which was more likely to work upon them as he defired, than this. And that he had a very great Opinion of this contrivance of his, appears fufficiently from the fol lowing Difcourfe. He is made here to speak, as one who is very confident, that this, rather than M 2

any

any other way of dealing with them, would prove effectual. It is now here to be fuppofed, That this rich Gentleman is reprefented as one, that now confidered of what mind himself had always been, and of the fame he thought his Brethren yet were. He knew that the main thing, which had fo long kept both himself and them from Repentance, was their infidelity, their want of Abraham's faith, and their not giving credit to the Word of God; and that they had been fo fond of their finful pleasures, that they could not for them, get time and freedom of mind enough, to think of what Concernment the things commended to their faith were, or what reason they had to believe them. O, therefore (faith he) fend Lazarus that he may teftify unto them; to be a Witness unto them of the truth of thofe Scriptures they have fo often heard read; to affure them by the experience which himself now hath, and by what he hath feen here, and I fadly feel, that the things which they have been told concerning a two-fold future ftate of Souls after death are all true. Lazarus, whom they once knew alive, and whom they know to be fince dead, appearing unto them after death, will startle and awake them to confider the things, which they have hitherto flighted as fables; good Father fend bim to this purpose unto them, and let them not perish for want of fo convincing a teftimony, as he is able now to give them of these things. Obferve here

First, That want of Faith, not believing the Word of God which he hath given us on purpofe to inform and direct us, both what to do now, and what to bope for or expect hereafter, is one great caufe, (and indeed the moft general)

why

why Men hold on fo boldly in their wicked ways, and run fo merrily towards Hell. God hath not in any Age of the World been wanting to us, in this Matter, but hath always, one way or other, given us both Inftruction enough in our Duty, and Encouragement enough to do it. He hath afforded us means, fuch as he knows fufficient for the Conviction and Perfuafion of Rational Creatures, fuch as he hath made us, and he expects from us, that we fhould not neglect those means, nor fuffer our Affections and Humours to get fo much the Dominion over our Reafon, as to render it useless to us in the great concerns of our Souls. He that made. us, as He alone can tell what he made us for, and will do with us; fo He expects to be hearken'd to, and to be believ'd, when or how foever he is pleaf-. ed to acquaint us with thefe things; and that believing him, we fhould wholly apply our felves to the practice of thofe Duties, whereby he is pleafed to be honoured, and to bring us to the bleedness which in his goodness he hath prepared for us. And did we indeed believe Him in all thofe things whereof he hath moft graciously inform'd us, it feems hardly imaginable, that if nothing else would do it, yet Self love, and care of our felves. fhould not even force us with all Thankfulness to accept of, and with all cheerful Industry to observe the Rules of Life which he hath given us. And yet, alafs, fo it is; that either our Worldly Buf zefs, and continual Drudgeries, about Earthly and Temporal Concerns; our carnal Lufts and Pleafures hold us fo continually employ'd in the Sla very of the Flesh; that we hardly once in all our days (fome of us) think of what God hath told us; we will hardly give our felves leave to read or hear them, and much lefs are we willing to M 3 trouble