The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-05-07
1T DOES NOT TEACH ANYTHING
ABOUT THE HAPPINESS OF
THE SAVED OR THE MISE.
BY OF THE LOST. i
The Jews Believed q Mans Standing
in this World Indicated the De.
gree Of his Favor with God.
70 Correct tins Erroneous Opinion Ia
the True Reason why our Say
Jour Spake the Parable.
Both the Rich Man and Lazarus
were in Hades, but Lazarus
Got the Best Place.
This Christian Truth in Jewish Raj
ment, Knocks the Birthstone out Of
Some Of tho Sermons with which
we have been Recently Favored.
(RdpkfSt Courfer.1

(Bdphst Courfer.l
My purpose is to show what I believe to be
the true meaning OF the parable Of the rich
man and Lazarus. In discriminating It the
unchristian parable, IL is not my aim to inti-
mate that 1t Is unworthy Of Christ, but that
our LORD In seeking to impart q valuable
truth to the Pharisees occupied for the while,
Jewish ground as distinct from Christian and
50 clothed a Christian truth with Jewish raj
ment as to render 1t necessary for us to be
careful, In interpreting tho parable, to mud
the point OF the story without e~mbodying as
a part Of the moral some OF those Jewish iig-
1 nm aware that In what followsI shah be
likely to present views ut variance with those
OF q goodly number OF brethren, and doubt
Les q as Is commonly n the case, shall De assaii,
generate o discussion. 1only ask O candid
study on the part OF all-a study unImpeded
by the weight Of preconceIved notions.
There are solne things commonly derived
not teach. Among them are tine following:
l. It does not teach anything about the
happiness Of the saved In heaven or the pun
ishment Of the lost in hell; for the rich mar
hell, (gehenna(, nor Is Lazarus represented as
being In heaven, but on Abraham'S bosom.
Both Of them were In Hades. which was the
same % Jewish Sheol, the common rcccpta-
2. IT does not teach that a wealthy man Is
necessarily wicked, or a poor man necessari-
ly righteous. ~
3. We can gather nothing from It az to
what becomes Of tho spirit Immediately after
death. These persons are describable as be-
Ing In Hades without the trial OF o judgment.
4. 1t does not teach that the righteous dead
are carried from earth by angels.
s.: It does not assign any reason for the loss
OF the rich man or the happy condition Of the
poor man. ....
q. 1t does not teach-nor was Intended to
t~each-that the dead. both saved and lost. are
80. at.~HS ~ aant hnsf IL, ktzs ,y,@HI ~ 4.
Whatthen does 1t teach : DeWittc and
Strauss. OF whom 1t might have gcen expect
ed, assume the extreme position that our
Lord Intended to reprobate riches and extol
poverty. Theynrgue this on the ground that
he did not assign any cause for the suffering
OF the rich man, or the happiness OF Lazarus,
except that one was rich and the other. DR..
Var Oosterzee, in Lange's series, explains the
matter by attempting to prove from the para.
bic that the rich man was extremely wicked.
One argument he adduces Is, that even III
Hides he felt the superiority and commanded
Lazarus, his inferior, to bring him water 10
drink; The early sopyists Of the New Tesla.
sought TO remove It by adding after the words
desiring to be fed. ....".....w which fell from the
rich man'stable." the gloss kai oudeis cdidon
the parable now stands, the whole evidence
goes to show that Lazarus did get the crumbs
he desired, or he would not have been cnrri-
ed to the same place daily; o,u >,
say why the rich man was lost, but simply to
state the fact.
We have asked, What does the parable
teachf olshansen's answer IL, that 1t has
nothing to do with everlasting salvation and
condemnation but says he, the prominent
points arc these:
l. Departed souls assemble together In one
place:
fundamental characters. unto good and evil.
and are conscious Of the presence OF each
other.
bad to the good. and the reverse. Is fmpossi'
BILE. .
From each Of these views the writcr must
dissent, with the exception OF the last one;
which, however. is merely an incidental NOR.
| ri and does not constitute u part or the main
teaching OF the parable.
Let tho following facts he taken hold of. and
We can then proceed i~ntelllgently. The Jews
believed that q mars standing In this world
indicated his standing with God. so for back
as Jobs time we find this to he their belief
! Tho argument Of Jobs friends was that he
had sinncd, and that his suferings were Il
proof Of it. Their words turned monotnnouH
iiy up0n this pivot. SO Of the afflicted mar in
! viour whctIior he had :.sinned or his parents
that hc wax thus reduced. He replied by tell.
ing them that neither the mans sin nor his
parents had brought him to that state. So,
l alfO the slcWb Dt.lltNcu ltlslI CcTltIH titIiiSuiS
wnoin PLATE Ind slain were proven by their
tragic end to have been the worst OF men
Our Lord rebutst the error by asking II they
believed the eighteen upOn whom the tower
dweIt in Jerusalem. Said he: II tell you
Nay" Yet such was the Jewish belief-a well.
TODD man stood high In Gods favor, while pow.
erty and afiiiction, they said, was q proof Of
| his d sfavor.
At this error, and with no othor thought in
mind, our Lord directed tho parable under
consideration. But In doing SO he assumed
Jewish ground. And notice his consummnte
skill:
/. lie describes two men-onc rich. the 9th.
or very poor and afflicted. The Jewish hear
ers are to bc mistaken IN the outcome OF thciI
history so he pnvcs his way by using their
notions. and avoiding any new antagoniSm
by clothing his story with familiar, though
did not expect us to receive rs true any more
than that VIC must believe he knew Of a Ger
tain woman who lost q piece OF money.
| 2. These two men diod. What must he dc
with them? Consign them tOSOme condition
ut variance with the established faith Of the
Jews. or course not, or else the minds OF his
hearers would have been drawn away from
the moral OF the story TO supposed error. Sc
he just accepts their theological creed, nnd
says one went to Hades mot heln, the othel
was carried by angels to Abrnham's bosom
and there they were In full view Of each 9TH
or, one bliss, the other tormented In flame ;
but o great gulf was fixedimpassably between
them.
Nowhere else among the teachings Of Jesus
or his Apostles are any such Views advanced
They are oil Jewish and Rabbinical.
l.. Our Lord docs not consign the rich man
In hell (Gehennul, but to Ha les, the Greek; fol
the Jewish Sheal, which was supposed to be
the common receptacle Of the dead. This
place, the Rabbins said, received both the
righteous and the unrighteous. The division
between the " was but q hands breadth, and
1t was implied that q transition from the one
state TO the other was possible.
2. lie does not conSiGn Lazarus to heaven
but to the bosom OF Abraham, the best place
In Hadcs. This wat the Jewish Idea Of su'
prcmest felicity. as Gun be shown from thciI
writings.
SO, then, we conclude that our Lord borrow
cd for the time the views OF the Jews concern
Ing Hadcs, tho angels, and Abraham's bosom,
aud used them to enforce the truth that rich
es wns not righteous, nor WAS poverty n curse
from God. Beyond this, the parable teaches
nothing, either about the dead. their punish
mcnt or their pleasure: and in the writer's
judgement he errs who seeks TO give to the
parable Il wider application. a. X. W.
WORK OF THE CAUCUS.
A Plan Of Operations Agreed Upon.
columbia Register.]
WAsHINGToN, May 3.-Ihe House Demo
cratic caucus committee met this morning
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