Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-06-19

nourishment from the same humanity
Within your own soul your conscience
tells you that there is a continue
conflict between the good and evil
spiritual forces.
Beyond the grave there is also but
one world, you think. The popular
opinion is that as soon as we leave
this world, whatever our lives have
been. we enter a better land.
ION what authority beiievest thou
this? Certainly not on Christs au-
thoritv. The story of the rich man
and Lazarus. in our text. if it is read
without p~reconceived notions. will con
vince you that Christ teaches that le-
yond the grave there is not one. tut
two worlds.
Christ's Teaching
LET us endeavor bv the aid of the
holy spirit to discover what Christ
teaches about the one world here and
the two beyond.
Concerning the present world.
Christ gives His opinion by means of
i the two characters. Lazarus and the
rich man. need not tell you that we
have both of them in the world today.
"The rich man Of today lives sump-
, ~tuously. He sleeps over-much. He
almost explodes his stomach with
sweets. Saturday and Sunday he
spends in his car out in the open;
that is. of course. if il be summer.
If it be winter he has his cards. If
there is anything in the world that
strikes the rich man as narrow minded
II is n sermon like this one. \ ser
mon on the evil influence Of moonshin"
on the liver might be sensible. but
spiritual mattars-ah, they are far be-
yond any mans ken. If Lazarus
comes to the rich mans door begging
for crumbs the bulldog is soon heard
to growl.
lazarus. on the other hand. suf-
fers. He has nan wounds. both
bodily and spiritually. He is not bit
mind on the heavenly JOY which God
has promised him in Christ.
II need not tell you in this con
p~ectjon. | hope. that there is many n
poor rich man and many a rich Laza-
rus. All this is not a Matter of
money. il is a matter of sin and grace.
THE rich man died. says Christ.
and was buried. No doubt his funeral
was pompous. highly remuneraI~c to
the undertaken. Lazarus died, but
concerning his burial Christ says
nothing. Even in death Lazarus was
nothing. :,
But when the rich man opened
his eyes in the kingdom Of the dead.
10, then he found himself in agony.
We cannot imagine exactly in what
condition he found himself. We know
that he realized his condition. real
ICED that he had lived his life on
earth without blessing to anyone. and
that realization would have in it
pangs of hell. He looks upward through
endlpus spaced and behold. he sees
Abraham and Lazarus in His bosom.
He speaks, and Abraham can hear
him though the distance be far. We
need not wonder how he can now.
since radio has come into its own. The
rich man wants Lazarus to come and
cool his tongue with r. drop of water.
Whv Lazarus? But this is impossible.
There is a wide gulf between the two
worlds.
Left To His Remorse
abraham reminds the rich mar Of
the good he received in his life and of
the evil that came to Lazarus. Then. ,
giving up hope for himself, the rich
man wants Lazarus to warn the rich
five brothers, no doubt for sell
fish reasons. It would be nc increase
Of joy to have his brothers with him !
to scold and quarrel But Abraham
reminds him that they have Moses and
the prophets. II they will not hear
them they will not hear If one Of the
dead should arise. So the rich man is
left to his remorse.
But Lazarus is n-Abraham's bo-