Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-04-15
for the Aon1e Circle.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.

IHE SUNDA L OCHUOu.
LESSON ~, SECOND QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, APRIL 26.
Text Of the Lesson. Luke xvi, 19-31-Mem-
ory Verses, rs, 28-Golden Text, Luke
xvi, 1s--Commentary by the Rev. d. NJ.
stearns.
10. "There was a certain rich man."
There Is probably something dispense
tional, something of Jew and gentle, IN
this, in the record in this lessen; but, mas
much as the two preceding chapters treat
largely of mans treatment OF the love OF
God and mans natural blindness to his
eternal welfare contrasted with Gods
abundant provision and desire for mans
welfare, we will 80 consider 1t. AS there
Is nothing in the record to Indicate that
this is parable I prefer to take IT as a
record of facts, of events which actually
transpired. This rich man makes us think
of the rich fool Of Xii, TO- the rich idolater
of xviii, 23, and the rich publican of XIX.
Q, and it would be we'll to compare these
records. The rich man of this lesson may
be called 1.-THE Rich Skeptic. I"
90. "And there was certain beggar.
As there Is nothing necessarily sinful In
being rich, for Abraham and David and
other good men were very rich, so there Is
nothing necessarily pious in being poor,
yet the words of our Lord are, "How hard
" shall they that have riches enter into
the kingdom Of God" (chapter xviii, 24).
Not many wise or mighty or noble are
called Il Cor. !, 26-29), but God hath
chosen the poor Of this world, rich in faith
and heirs of the kingdom which He hath
promised to them that love Him (Jas.
II, 81.
81. "And desiring to be fed with the
crumbs which fell from the rich mans
table" Things are often very uneyenly
divided in this life. Some have more than
they can use, while others have not the
necessaries Of life, and dogs seem more
kind than men. 1t may have seemed a
charity to allow the bcggar to lie at the
gate and receive the crumbs from the ta-
Bile, though the record does not soy that
he received them, but only that he desired
to. II the rich man had only been true
child of Abraham and as such ministered
to this poor one, what different future
he would have hadl
%. "And it came to pass that the beg
gar died. The rich man also died" 1t
Is appointed unto men once to die (Heb:
tx, 27), and while in the past Enoch and
Elijah have been EXCUSED from keeping
this appointment and at the coming Of
Christ for His saints they will all be
caught up without dying, yet up to this
time the great enemy continues his work
upon rich and poor, high and low, with
out respect of persons. Thank God for the
ministering angels (Hcb. 1, 14), who will
welcome US If called to leave the body and
bear or guide US to the presence Of the
Lord.
%. "And in hell (hades) he lift up his
eyes, being in torments." To the believer
in Christ, whether rich or poor, "To die
is gain, " "To be with Christ is far better"
(Phil. /, 81, 2S), but to the unbeliever to
die Is to be in torment, not that Of the
lake of fire which comes after the resurrec-
tion of the bodies of the wicked at the
time of the great white throne judgment
(Rev. xx, 11-15), but possibly that which
Is referred to in II Pet. IL, 4. The condi-
tion Of both believers and urbelievers be-
tween death and resurrection, while that
Of conscious happiness or misery, Is evil
IDENTIFY an intermediate state while waiting
for the body.
"a. 81 am tormented In this flame. I"
This word translated "fame" Is used
but few times, and generally in reference
to the eyes Of our Lord Jesus Christ, as in
Rev. 1, IA; ii, 18; xix, 12. May 1t not
suggest that part Of the torment of the lost
between death and resurrection consists OF
thu memories Of q wasted life, laid bare
by these searching eyes and no possibility
Of forgiveness9
25. "Son, remember" This confirms
the thought Of memory doing its awful
work in that dread interval. The rich man
could remember, and his memories were
anything but pleasant. The wasted life,
the opportunities forever gone, the vain
regrets, the unavoidable doom. We need
none of us to have this experience, but
the only way Is to remember now the low
ing kindness Of the Lord and believing
His love to US receive Him as our Saviour.
26. "Between US and you there Is a
great gulf fixed" The Scriptures no.
where teach the possibility of the salvation
of lost soul after death; but, as in this
verse, just the contrary. "Because there
Is wrath beware lest He take thee away
with His stroke, then great ransom can
not deliver thee" (Job xxxvi, 1S). Neither
their silver nor their gold shall be able
to deliver them in the day Of the Lords
wrath" (Zeph. !, 18).
81. "Send him to my fathers house. I"
I do not remember another record in
Scripture of prayer to departed saint,
and If those who pray to the dead and for
the dead would remember the teaching OF
this lesson they might perhaps see the fol-
" and sin of their conduct. If those who
pray to Mary would think Of Mary's song,
"My spirit hath rejoiced in God, my Saw
Jour-" they would see that Mary herself
needed to be saved like other sinners.
%. "Testify unto them lest they also
come into this place Of torment" II he
had never been anxious for his own souls
welfare while he lived on the earth, he
was now desirous for the welfare Of his
brethren, who were still thens. There are
evidently no skeptics after death. They
all believe the hard facts then.
80. "They have Moses and the prophets.
Let them hear them." Here we see the
cause Of this mans lost condition. He,
too, had Moses and the prophets while he
lived on the earth, but he had evidently
despised them. We have no evidence that
he had been an openly wicked man. Per-
haps he was very moral man and good
citizen, but he was an unbelievcr and in
different to God and His word, and apart
from God there Is no life.
80. If one went unto them from the
dead, they will repent" Just SO do many
talk even here. They say: mo one has
III ha