The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-04-23

OOOts-s.s.s-s-s-s-s.s-s-s
said. You only have | known recog-
nized) of all the families Of the earth"
amos lii, ..
st. Paul tells us that the Jews had
much advantage every way, chiefly
because that unto them were commit
ted the oracles of God" Romans lii. -.
These divine gifts, favors. blessings,
promises, are all symbolically repre-
scented in the rich mans condition.
First.-His clothing of purple sym
bolically represented royalty. That ma
ton God had organized as his king
dom, as we read, David sat on the
throne of the kingdom of the Lord
and. again, Solomon sat on the throne
of the kingdom of the Lord in the
room of his father David" Although
this kingly power was taken away
from them in the days of the king
Zedekiah, nevertheless the scepter Of
authority remained with them. THE
scepter shall not depart from Judah
$50 until Shiloh come" Messiah was
therefore to come to that nation, that
it might have the great honor of being
his kingdom, the channel Of divine
blessing to the world.
Second.-The fine linen symbolically
represented righteousness, the right
eousness which by divine arrange
ment was reckoned to that holy ma
ton "year by year continually" for
centuries, as a result of their atone
ment day sacrifices.
Third.-The SumptuouS fare repre-
scented the gracious promises of God
through the law and the prophets and
his covenants with that nation.
Lazarus. the poor beggar full OF
sores who ate of the crumbs, symbol.
lied those gentiles who were outside
of the Jewish covenant, aliens and
strangers from the commonwealth OF
Israel" They had not the health and
fine linen symbolical of justification
and harmony with God. Their sores
and rags represented their degrade
ton, sin and alienation from divine
favor and forgiveness. The eating OF
the crumbs from the rich mans table
represented that under divine arrange
ment every promise and favor really
belonged to the Jews and that every
blessing granted to the gentiles was
from Israel's fullness. Such crumbs OF
comfort were the healing of the cen
turion's daughter and the Cyro- Phoeni
clan womans daughter. When this
mother asked relief for her child Jesus
answered, 1T is not meet to take the
children's bread and to give 1t TO the
dogs" Our Lord thus used an apho.
rism of that time and country under
which the Jews spoke of all gentiles as
"heathen dogs" The woman accepted
the answer without offense, knowing
that it was the Jewish sentiment IN
general, but she replied. Yea, Lord,
yet the little dogs eat of the crumbs
which fall from the children's table,
Here she applied the word dog to her.
self and other gentiles. and the favor
which she requested she called q
crumb from the Jewish table, follow.
ing our Lords own suggestion in the
matter.
Fourth.-The dogs which licked Lag.
arus' sores represented gentiles in gen.
eral and that the class of them repre-
scented by Lazarus, anxious for share
in divine mercy and grace. were com.
panions of dogs, aliens, foreigners from
divine favor.
Begear and Rich Man Die.
The death which came to the rich
man aud to the beggar In the parable
represents decided change as respects
divine favors and treatment on the
part of both parties. The rich man.
the Jewish nation, took sick, and the
dying process began from the time of
our Lords crucifixion. AS our Lord
declared, Behold. your house is left
unto you desolate" Matthew xiii, 3S).
For thirty-seven years the rich man,
the Jewish nation, gradually died to all
Of the wonderful privileges and bless
ings which had been theirs as Gods
peculiar people. The death Of that ma
ton occurred in the year 20, when Jeru-
salem was destroyed by Titus army.
Never since have they had national
life. They have been dead and buried,
entombed in hades as a nation. Thank
God, the resurrection of Israel to ma
tional life is clearly foretold under the
new covenant at the second coming of
Messiah in the glorious reign Of the
spiritual kingdom, Behold, the days
come, saith the Lord. when l will
make new covenant with the house
Of Israel and with the house of Jul
dab" Jeremiah xxi, 81.
The Besgar In Abrahams Bosom.
Abraham is styled the father of the
faithful and from this standpoint all
faithful to God are counted as his
children-sy mbolically. This is the
figure used In this parable. Lazarus.
accepted to Abraham's bosom in the
parable, means that ali of that class
outcast from the Jewish nation, but
hungering for the crumbs of divine
favor and blessing and cleansing, were
adopted as Abraham's seed or children
Of his bosom Che IMPLYING God,. Thus
all gentiles accepting Christ are now
children of Abraham, children Of God
by faith in the blood of Christ Our
Lord Jesus is the head of the seed OF
Abraham, and all we as well as all
faithful Jews accepting him and be-
coming his disciples are counted mem
berS of his Body. AS the apostle de