Sighs from hell, or, The groans of a damned soul discovering from the 16th of Luke the lamentable state of the damned : and may fitly serve as a warning-word to sinners, both old and young, by faith in Jesus Christ, to avoid the same place of torment : with a discovery of the usefulness of the Scriptures as our safe conduct for avoiding the torments of hell / by John Bunyan.

Verse 20.

And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate full of sores.

THis verse doth chiefly hold forth these things. 1. That the Saints of God are a poor con∣temptible people. There was a certain beggar. If you understand the word beggar, to hold forth outward poverty, or scarcity in outward things, the Saints of the Lord, for they are for the most part, a poor, despised, contemptible people. But if you allegorize it, and interpret it thus, They are such as beg earnestly for heavenly food; this is al∣so

the spirit of the Children of God, and it may be, and is a truth in this sence, though not so na∣turally gathered from this Scripture.

2. That he was laid at his gate full of sores.] These words hold forth the distempers of belie∣vers, saying, He was full of sores; which may sig∣nify the many troubles, temptations, persecuti∣ons, and afflictions in body and spirit which they meet withal while they are in the world; but also the entertainment they find at the hands of those ungodly ones, who live upon the earth. Whereas it is said, He was laid at his gate full of sores. Mark, He was laid at his gate, not in his house, that was thought too good for him, But he was laid at his gate full of sores. From whence observe, That the ungodly world do not desire to entertain and re∣ceive the poor Saints of God into their houses. If they must needs be somewhere near unto them, yet they shall not come into their houses: shut them out of doors, if they will needs be near us, let them be at the gate. And he was laid at the gate full of sores. 2. Observe, that the world are not at all touched with the afflictions of Gods chil∣dren, for all they are full of sores; a despised, af∣flicted, tempted, persecuted people, the world doth not pitty; no, but rather labour to aggravate their trouble, by shutting them out of doors; sink, or swim, what cares the world, they are resolved to disown them, they will give them no entertain∣ment;

if the lying in the streets will do them any good; if hard usage will do them any good; if to be disowned, rejected, and shut out of doors by the World will do them any good, they shall have enough of that, but otherwise no refreshment, no comfort from the World. And he was laid at his Gate full of sores.