Tormented

Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?
— 1 Samuel 28:16

They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
— John 8:33-39

Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
John 4:10

And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
— Zechariah 14:12

And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
— Isaiah 66:24

For I am Tormented in This Flame, a Sermon on Luke 16:24, by John Bunyan. The following contains from his work, “A Few Sighs From Hell.”

And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
— Luke 16:24

Verse 24.’And he cried, and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame!’

Verse 22 is a revealing of the departure of the godly and the ungodly out of this life; where he says the beggar died, and the rich man also died.

The 23d verse is a revealing of the proper places, both of the godly and the ungodly after death; one being in Abraham’s bosom, or in glory, the other in Hell. Now this 24th verse is a revealing of part of the too late repentance of the ungodly, when they are dropped down into Hell; ‘And he cried, and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me.’

From these words,’And he cried,’ we may observe,

FIRST. What a change the ungodly will have — when they come into Hell. ‘He cried.’ It is likely that he was laughing, jesting, jeering, drinking, mocking, swearing, cursing, prating, in his prosperity, among his filthy companions. But now the case is changed! Now he is in another frame — now his proud, stout, currish behavior, has been humbled! ‘And he cried.’ The laughter of the ungodly will not last always — but will be sure to end in a cry! ‘The triumphing of the wicked is short!’ Job 20:5.

Consider, you must have a change either here — or in Hell. If you are not new creatures, regenerate people in this world — your note will soon be changed, your conditions will soon be changed; for if you come into Hell, you must cry. O did but the singing drunkards, when they are making merry on the ale bench, think on this — it would make them change their note, and cry, What shall I do? Where shall I go when I die?

But, as I said before — the devil, as he labors to get poor souls to follow their sins — so he labors also to keep the thoughts of eternal damnation out of their minds. But let them know that it shall not always be thus with them; for if, when they depart, they drop down into eternal destruction, they shall have such a sense of their sins, and the punishment due to the same, that it shall make them cry!

‘And he cried!’ O what an alteration there will be among the ungodly when they go out of this world? It may be, that shortly before their death — they were light, stout, surly, drinking themselves drunk, slighting God’s people, mocking at godliness, delighting in sin, following the world, seeking after riches, feasting sumptuously, keeping company with the most vain; but now, they are dropped down into Hell — and they cry! A little while ago they were painting their faces, feeding their lusts, following their whores, playing their games and sports to pass away the time; but now they are in Hell — and they cry!

It may be, that last year they heard some good sermons, were invited to receive Heaven, were told their sins should be pardoned if they closed in with Jesus. But, refusing His offers, and slighting the grace that was once offered — they are now in Hell, and they cry.

Before, they had so much time, they thought that they could not tell how to spend it, unless it were in gaming, and whoring, in dancing, and playing, and spending whole hours, yes, days, nay, weeks, in the lusts of the flesh! But when they die, and begin to lift up their eyes in Hell, and consider their miserable and irrecoverable condition — they will cry! O what a dreadful condition will you fall into, if you depart from this world unconverted! It would have been better for you to have been smothered the first hour you were born! It would have been better for you to have been made a dog, a toad, a serpent, nay, any other creature in the world — than to die unconverted! And this you will find to be true, when in Hell you lift up your eyes, and cry!

Here then, before we go any further, you may see that it is not without good ground that these words are here spoken by our Lord — that when any of the ungodly depart into Hell — they will cry. CRY — why so?

1. They will cry to think that they should be cut off from the land of the living, never more to have any footing therein.

2. They will cry to think that the gospel of Christ should be so often offered them — and yet they are not profited by it.

3. They will cry to think that now, though they would so willingly repent and be saved — yet they are past all recovery.

4. They will cry to think that they should be so foolish as to follow their pleasures, when others were following of Christ.

5. They will cry to think that they must be separated from God, Christ, and the kingdom of Heaven — and that forever.

6. They will cry to think that their crying will now do them no good.

7. They will cry to think that, at the day of judgment, they must stand at the left hand of Christ, among an innumerable company of the damned ones.

8. They will cry to think that Lazarus, whom once they slighted, must be of those who must sit down with Christ to judge — to pass a sentence of condemnation on their souls forever and ever 1 Cor 6:2,3.

9. They will cry to think that they shall be tormented as long as eternity lasts — without the least intermission or ease!

Tell me now, if it is not better to leave sin, and to close in with Christ Jesus — than to live a little while in this world in pleasures and feeding your lusts, in neglecting the welfare of your soul, and refusing to be justified by Jesus; and in a moment to drop down to Hell, and to cry forever?

O! consider, I say, and do not put off the offers of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ — lest the same be said of you,”And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame!”

‘And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus,’ etc.

SECOND. These words do not only hold forth the lamentable condition of the damned, and their lamentable howling and crying out under their anguish of spirit — but also they signify to us, as I said before, their too late repentance; and also that they would very willingly, if they might, be set at liberty from that everlasting misery that by their sins they have plunged themselves into! I say, these words hold forth a desire that the damned have — to be delivered from those torments that they now are in! ‘O Father Abraham,’ says he,’have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame!’

These words,’Father Abraham,’ may have some difficulty in them. It is possible that some may think them to be meant of the literal Abraham — and him that cries out here, to be the Jews.

Or it may be some may understand it to be God, or Jesus Christ his Son, which I rather suppose it may be, that is here cried out unto; because you find the same cry to him as it were uttered by the ungodly in other places of the Scripture; as in Luke 13:25, 26. Then shall they say,’Lord, Lord, we have eaten and drank in your presence, and you have taught in our streets.’ Nay more,’In your name have cast out devils, and in your name done many wonderful works’ Matt 7:22. This was just at their rejection. And again, in Matthew 25:11, they cry again to him, even to Jesus,’Lord, Lord, open to us.’ And he there again gives them a repulse, as also in this parable.

But however or whoever Abraham is — yet these truths may be observed from the words:

1. That the damned, when in an irrecoverable estate, will seek for, or desire deliverance from the wrath that they are in, and shall be in for eternity.

2. That they will pray, if I may so call it, earnestly for deliverance from their miserable estate. These two things are clear from the words. For mark, he not only said,’Father Abraham, have mercy on me’; but ‘he CRIED,’ and said,’Father Abraham, have mercy on me.’

3. From whence take a third observation; and that is, there is a time coming wherein, though men shall both cry and pray — yet they shall have no mercy at the hands of God; for so was this man served, as I shall further show by and by when I come to it. Some people are so deluded by the devil, as to think that God is so merciful as to own or regard anything for prayer; they think anything will go for current and good satisfaction, while they are here in this world, through ignorance of the true nature of the mercy of God, and the knowledge in what way God is satisfied for sinners. Now I say, through ignorance they think, that if they do but mutter over some form of prayers, though they know not what they say, nor what they request — yet God is satisfied, yes, very well satisfied with their doings; when, alas! there is nothing less true. O friends, I beseech you to look about you, and seek in good earnest for the Spirit of Christ so to help you now, to strive and pray, and to enable you to lay hold of Christ, that your souls may be saved, lest the time come that though you cry and pray, and wish also that you had laid hold on the Lord Jesus — yet you must and shall be damned!

Then again, you may see that though God is willing to save sinners at some time — yet this time does not always last. No, he who can find in his heart to turn his back upon Jesus Christ now — shall have God’s back turned upon him hereafter, when he may cry and pray for mercy, and yet go without it! God will have a time to meet with them — who now do not seek after him. They shall have a time, yes time enough hereafter to repent their folly, and to befool themselves, for turning their backs upon the Lord Jesus Christ. ‘But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand, since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke, I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you — when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you. Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me!’ Proverbs 1:24-28.

Again, this should admonish us to take time while it is offered, lest we repent forever of our unbelief and rebellion, when we are deprived of it. Ah friends! Time is precious, an hour’s time to hear a sermon is precious. I have sometimes thought thus with myself: Suppose that the Lord should send two or three of his servants, the ministers of the gospel, to Hell among the damned, with this commission: Go to Hell, and preach my grace to those who are there. Let your sermon be an hour long, and hold forth the merits of my Son’s birth, righteousness, death, resurrection, ascension, and intercession, with all my love in him, and offer it to them, telling them that now once more, and but once, do I offer the means of reconciliation to them. They who are now roaring in Hell, being past hope — would then leap at the least offer of mercy! O they that could spend whole days, weeks, nay, years, in rejecting the Son of God — would now be glad of one tender of that mercy. ‘Father,’ says he,’have mercy on me.’

Again, from these words you may observe, that mercy would be welcome — when souls are under divine judgment. Now his soul is in the fire, now he is under the wrath of God, now he is in Hell, there to be tormented forever; now he is with the devils and damned spirits; now he feels the vengeance of God. ‘Now, O now, have mercy on me!’ Here you may see, that mercy is prized by them that are in Hell, they would be glad if they could have it. ‘Father, have mercy on me; for my poor soul’s sake, send me a little mercy!’ ‘And send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue.’

THIRD. These words do not only hold forth that the ungodly have a desire of mercy — but what those mercies are, what these poor creatures would be glad to have. As,

1. They would be glad to have the company of a Lazarus granted to them. Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus! Now Lazarus was he who was beloved by God — and also he who was hated by them. Therefore,

2. Observe, that those saints, that the ungodly world in their lifetime could not endure, now that they are departed, they would be glad to have society with them. ‘O now, send Lazarus! Though the time was when I cared not for him — yet now let me have some society with him.’

Though the world disregards the society of God’s children now — yet there is a time coming in which they would be glad to have the least company with them. Nay, do but observe: those saints who are now most rejected by them — even from them shall they be glad of comfort, if it might be. ‘Send Lazarus! Send he who I slighted more than my dogs, he who I could not endure should come into my house — but must lie at my gate — send him! Now Lazarus shall be welcome to me, now do I desire some comfort from him!’ But he shall go without it.

From whence again observe, that there is a time coming, O you surly dogged persecutors of the saints, that the godly shall slight you as much as ever you slighted them! You have given them many a hard word, told many a lie about them, given them many a blow. And now in your greatest need and extremity, they shall not pity you! The righteous shall rather ‘rejoice when he sees the vengeance’ of God upon you! Psalm 58:10

Again,’Send Lazarus.’ From whence observe, that any of the saints shall then be owned by you to be saints. Now you look upon them to be the despised of the world — but then you shall see them to be the Lazaruses of God, even God’s dear children. Though now the saints of the Lord will not be owned by you, because they are beggarly, low, poor, contemptible among you; yet the day is coming that you shall own them, desire their company, and wish for the least courtesy from them.

‘Send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame!’ Thus shall the souls that abide in their sins cry out in the bitterness of their spirits, with astonishing anguish and torment of conscience, without intermission! ‘That he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue.’ That he, namely, the man who before I scorned should eat with my dogs, who before I slighted and had no regard of, who I shut out of door; send him — ‘that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue!’

Now these words,’that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue!’ are as if he would have said,’Now I would be glad of the least mercy, now I would be glad of the least comfort, though it be but one drop of cold water on the tip of his finger!’

One would have thought that this would have been a small request, a small courtesy: ONE DROP OF WATER what is that? Take a pail full of it — if that will do you any good. But mark, he is not permitted to have so much as one drop, not so much as a man may hold upon the tip of his finger! This signifies that those who fall short of Christ, shall be tormented as long as eternity lasts, and shall not have so much as the least ease, no, not even permission as to swallow his spittle — not a drop of cold water.

O that these things did take place in your hearts, how would it make you to seek after rest for your souls before it be too late, before the sun of the gospel be set upon you! Consider, I say, the misery of the ungodly that they shall be in, and avoid their vices, by closing in with the offers of mercy; lest you partake of the same portion with them, and cry out in the bitterness of your souls: ‘Oh, for one drop of cold water to cool my tongue!’ ‘For I am tormented in this flame!’

Indeed, the reason why the poor world does not so earnestly desire for mercy, is partly because they do not so seriously consider the torment that they must certainly fall into if they die outside of Christ. For let me tell you, did but poor souls indeed consider that wrath, which does by right fall to them because of their sins against God — they would make more haste to God through Christ for mercy than they do; then we would have them say,’It is good closing with Christ today, before we fall into such distress.’ But why is it said, Let him ‘dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue?’ Because that, as the several members in the body have their share in sin, and committing of that, so the several members of the body shall at that time be punished for the same. Therefore, when Christ is admonishing his disciples, that they should not turn aside from him, and that they should rather fear and dread the power of their God than any other power, he says,’Fear him,’ therefore,’who can cast both body and soul into Hell!’ Luke 12:4. And again,’Fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell’ Matt 10:28.

Here is not one member only — but all the body, the whole body of which the hands, feet, eyes, ears, and tongue are members. And I am persuaded, that though this may be judged carnal by some now — yet it will appear to be a truth then, to the greater misery of those who shall be forced to undergo that wrath which God, in his just judgment, shall inflict upon them. O then they will cry,’One grain of ease for my cursing, swearing, lying, jeering tongue! Some ease for my bragging, braving, flattering, threatening, dissembling tongue!’

Now men can let their tongues run at random, as we say; now they will be apt to say,’Our tongues are our own, who shall control them?’ Psalm 12:4. But then they will be in another mind. Then,’O that I might have a little ease for my deceitful tongue!’

Methinks sometimes to consider how some men do let their tongues run at random, it makes me marvel. Surely they do not think they shall be made to give an account for their offending with their tongue. Did they but think they shall be made to give an account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead, surely they would be more wary of, and have more regard unto their tongue!

‘The tongue,’ says James,’is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison’; ‘it sets on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire by Hell’ James 2. The tongue — how much mischief will it stir up in a very little time! How many blows and wounds does it cause! How many times does it, as James says, curse man! How often is the tongue made the conveyor of that Hellish poison that is in the heart, both to the dishonor of God, the hurt of its neighbors, and the utter ruin of its own soul!

And do you think the Lord will sit still, and let your tongue run as it wills — and yet never bring you to an account for the same? No! The Lord will not always keep silence — but will reprove you, and set your sins in order before your eyes, O sinner! Yes, and your tongue, together with the rest of your members — shall be tormented for sinning. I am very confident, that though this is made light of now — yet the time is coming when many poor souls will rue the day that ever they did speak with a tongue! ‘O,’ will one say,’that I should so disregard my tongue! O that I, when I said such and such, had before bitten off my tongue! O that I had been born without a tongue! My tongue, my tongue, a little water to cool my tongue — for I am tormented in this flame! Even in that flame that my tongue, together with the rest of my members, by sinning, have brought me to!’ Poor souls now will let their tongues say anything for a little profit, for two-pence or three-pence gain. But, O what a grief will this be at that day when they, together with their tongue, must smart for that which they by their tongues, have done while they were in this world.

You who love your souls — look to your tongues, lest you bind yourselves down so fast to Hell with the sins of your tongues, that you will never be able to get loose again to all eternity! ‘For by your words you shall be condemned,’ if you have not a care of your tongue. For ‘I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment!’ Matt 12:36

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