The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-06-20

religious fortunes. They were the
chosen of God as to religious privi
leges but through unbelief these
privileges we're taken from them and
they are to this day separated from
the Christian kingdom and outside
of Gospel faith and privileges. This
is the great truth taught in this para
BILE. When it was uttered it was
prophecy; now it is history; then it
was what was to be; now it is what
has been and is. The Jewish people
are out of the kingdom and have
suffered untold SORROWS and are still
suffering, as Christ predicted. Such
is the great scope and idea of the
parable.
But there is another character in
the parable that probably has also
some spiritual significance. Lazarus
may be introduced merely to set off
the fortunes of the rich man and so
make the great lesson of the parable
more striking, but in all probability
he has lesson of his own to teach.
Lazarus represents the nations"
the News, the Gentiles as to
religious privileges and fortunes, and
little study of the description given
of him in the story will show how
close this representation is. In the
first place he is poor man, not
beggar,-the word in the original
does not mean that,-but man poor
as compared to the rich man. So the
Gentiles we're not religious mendi
cants, but they were poor as to religi-
GUS privileges in comparison with the
Jews. His name is Lazarus-''God-
is the Helper, "-signifying their need
of Divine help. He is diseased, SO
the Gentiles were suffering from
spiritual diseases. He is laid at the
door of the rich man, delighting to he
fed with the crumbs that fell from
the rich mans table; even so the Gen
tiles delighted even in the crumbs of
religious wisdom that fell from the
spiritual table of the Jews. Thus
closely does Lazarus represent the
religious condition of the Gentiles.
But change is to take place.
The poor man dies but is not buried
because there is nothing in the coming
fortunes of the Gentiles to be repre-
sented by his burial. He dies and is
carried by angels into Abraham's
bosom. So the Gentiles were to dieto
their present religious condition and
be carried by the messengers of the
Gospel into the faith of faithful
Abraham and "sit down with Abra-
ham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom
of Cod"
The Gentiles are now in the king
dom out of which the Jews have
been cast and Abraham proceeds to
justify the proceeding and set forth
the greatness of the separation.
Since the Jews in their day of reli-
gious privileges received the good
things of the kingdom and the Cen
tiles evil, there was nothing wrong
that now the Gentiles should receive
the good and the Jews the evil. AS
the old adage has it, "a turn about is
fair play" Then he argues that be-
tween the two there is great gulf of
unbelief and bad feeling which, for
the present, is impossible. Paul
treats the whole subject in the 18th
of Romans. He there shows that the
rejection of the Jews was for the
reception of the Gentiles, and when
the latter were received the Jews
would be restored and sail Israel be
saved"
Such is the meaning Of the parable.
1t refers to things in time, not in
eternity. Then, as we have said, it
was all prophecy; now it is all history,
made or in the making. S. G.