Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-23
THE FAULT OF DIVES.
1t Was Not That He Was Rich and
Enjoyed Worldly Pleasures.
HE NEGLECTED OPPORTUNITIES.
Why the Sufferers Brothers Were Brought
Into the Parable.
IS THERE A PARDON AFTER DEATH?
rMRITTEN For THE p1sPArcH.l

ana In nell ne Il1s up MS eyes, pelng IN
torments."
The case, you will remember was like
this: He had been a man of wealth-one of
the Jerusalem Vanderbilts. He had lived
in luxurious fashion, dwelling in pal
ace, dressed in purple and fine linen, setting
an elegant and hospitable table. People
had asked as they passed his house: "W hose
fine place is ihat?" and the answer was:
"Why, that belongs to Dives"
Dives is what we call him because we do
not know his name. Dives. I do not need
to tell you, is the word in Latin which means
''rich man." We do not know what Dives
name was. But everybody in Jerusalem
knew. We mav be sure of that
Even the little street boys were
we'll acquainted with his name.
Everybody knew what the rich mans name
was-except Christ. Our Lord either was
ignorant OF his name or He had forgotten
what it was, or He did not consider it of
consequence enough to mention it. Any
way He left it out.
KNEW LAZARUS NAME.
There was a beggar, however, in Jeru-
salem, who lay in the sun on Dives door
step. And our Lord knew him. His name
was Lazarus. I suppose that Christ was al
most the only man in that town who knew
what the beggar's name was. To everybody
else Lazarus was "that beggar," or that
tramp" But to our Lord he was Lazarus.
Our Lord, who paid so little attention to the
rich man that he did not know his name,
was acquainted with Lazarus. 1t is a hint
of the difference between Gods way OF look
ing at man, and mans wav.
At last, however, to the beggar on tie
curbstone, and to the rich man In his pal
ace, came the summons of the most i'm
portant of all messengers. They died. They
slept, and awoke again in the other world.
And here, what an amazing changel The
beggar was sin Abraham's bosom;" while,
as for the rich man, "in hell he lift up his
eyes, being in torments." This fine and
cultured gentleman against whose character
there is no indictment in the record-the
beggar from the street is better off than ne.
He is in torments To this pass has that
cosy, rich, comfortable, delightful life ar
rived. This is the end and goal of it all
in hell, in torments. Why7
WEALTH MEANS DANGER,
We look at the description of the man, and
we are told at the start that he was a rich
man. Was that it, then? Was that the
crime? Our Lord said good deal about
rich men; and what He said is not par
ticularly agreeable reading for wearers of
soft clothing, who dwell in kings houses.
It would not look we'll written up as a
frieze along the walls of banking house.
That sentence about camel getting through
the eye of needle is not often taken for the
text OF sermon in city parish. But that
is what our Lord said. Certainly a camel
would find some difficulty in getting through
the eye of a needle-eyen the smallestsized
camel and the largest-sized needle. But
that is the figure which the Master used to
express the probability of rich men getting
into heaven.
suppose the reason is that wealth means
danger. The Bible has great fears about
men who have money; just as the insurance
companies have great fears about men who
work in powder mills. The insurance COM
panies have no personal prejudice against
these men. They make no afirmations
about the certainty of their being blown to
pieces some day. But they know that
powder mill did explode the other day, and
that other powder mills have exploded be-
fore, and they simply decline to take the
risk.
WHERE A MANS TREASURE IS.
Wealth means danger. Why? Why,
because where a mans treasure is, there will
his heart be also. He whose treasure is in
material things-his heart will be there also,
unless he is particularly careful. His
thought and life will be filled with the con-
sideration OF that which can be seen, and
felt, and weighed, and measured, and
counted. And these things are lesser, per-
ishable, temporary, lower, earthly. That,
at least, is the temptation. And the more
money a man has the better he knows how
absolutely true that is.
But no man will lose his soul because he
has great deal of money The day of
judgment will not be the time for an exam
ination of bank accounts. Men are not
marked in the books of God as they are in
the records of the mercantile agencies, with
one letter for the man who is worth a mill
ion, and another for the man who is worth
half that, and another for the man who isn't
worth anything-only in reverse order, the
poorest man getting the highest mark.
There is no such record waiting till the
Judgment books are opened. 1t is foolish to
speak, as ToIstoi does, about the wIckedness
of being wealthy. Some people talk as it
prosperity ought to be punished, and as If
everybody ought to sell whateVer he pos
sesses and make it over to the poor. 1t is
true the Master did set that severe duty at
one mans door. Probably because he saw
that just that was what that young man
needed. But He preached no such doctrine
to other rich men whom He met. This rich
man did not 60. to hell because he was rich
man.