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LECTURE IV.

A CONTRAST.

There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.-LUKE xvi. 19–31.

Ir is doubtful if this be a parable or a literal history. Part is probably historical, part is figurative; but whether it be regarded in the one or in the other aspect, the whole statement is replete with lofty instruction and solemn warning for all times and persons and places. It gives us also a foreshadow-a dim sketch of the future. Let us prayerfully study it. The practical result plainly contemplated by our Lord, is a rebuke of that inordinate love of wealth and self-indulgence and ease, which has no over

flowing sympathy with the poor, no time or countenance to spare for the needy; which is far more agitated and affected by an ache in its own little finger, than by the destruction of a distant city, the starvation of a numerous people, or the bereavement of an afflicted family. Such personations of selfishness are not indigenous to any one country, or confined to any one age. They are here, and have been, and will be, to the end. "A certain rich man,' is the simple name of the party whose history is here given. He was clothed in purple and fine linen. Purple in ancient times was the most costly colour, indeed a royal one; and extravagance and pride were exhibited by him, who, not royal in rank, wore so splendid and unusual a robe. It is not, however, here alleged that there was any sin in the rich man wearing purple. If it suited his rank, it was right to do so; and if it were not inconsistent with his rank, nothing is here indicated of rebuke. Whether he did right or wrong in stepping beyond it, is a distinct question, but it would be no benefit to society that the great should live and clothe themselves like the poor. He was clothed also, it is stated, with fine linen. This was a sort of precious linen among the ancients, sold for its weight in the purest gold. It was called byssus. It is used in the Apocalypse as the expressive symbol of the righteousness of Christ, and by its dazzling whiteness it was a truly eloquent figure of that which has no spot or blemish at all. Thus, the man wore the costliest robes of his age, combined in his enjoyments the highest comfort and the greatest beauty, and gratified his vanity and pride at any expense. He fared sumptuously also every day, lived in jovial splendour, ate the best and drank the dearest, and in the language of the day, made himself in all respects most comfortable. Notwithstanding this rich indulgence of himself, however sinful, there is urged against

him in the parable no charge of positive dishonesty, persecution, plunder, or oppression of the poor. He was free from every flagrant offence, he could be charged with nothing of what James states, (v. 1-6,) "Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you." So far he passed as a creditable and respectable country gentleman. He sported and read the newspapers, and cared not to inquire whether his parish minister preached law or gospel, or neither; whether the next village was starving, or without schools; but took all things easy, enjoyed himself and cared for nobody. It is singular enough his name is not mentioned, whereas that of the indigent beggar is stated. In this world the name of the rich man was sounded by a thousand trumpets, and was the title of dignity and rank. In the heavenly world all is reversed; the name that was great and musical below is not mentioned there; the name that was scorned in time is pronounced with acclamations in eternity. In this world the names of the poor are neither known nor published; in the world to come the names of the pious poor are recorded. Greatness alone is prominent now; goodness alone will be prominent there. There is some allusion to this in the Revelation, (iii. 5,) "He that overcometh, the

same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels." Let us prefer piety to power, substantial goodness to ephemeral greatness. This obscurity, if Christian, shall one day become ennobled and distinguished: let us see all things in that light which puts the world's great things in little space. and the world's lasting things in little time.

The great offence of the rich man was founded on the spectacle presented in the following verse. A starving beggar day by day was lying at his gates unheeded, or heeded in so penurious a manner as to be insult rather than benefit. That silent spectacle accused him in the ear of God, that uncared-for sufferer, scarcely noticed by him, was watched before the Throne, and the insensibility of the rich man who had, to the poor man who had not, was recorded as a flagrant and abominable crime. Sins scarcely occurring to the rich man as possible were reaching the throne of God, and pleading against him in the ears of Him whose heritage is especially the poor. Lazarus, the name given to the poor beggar, is abridged from Eleadzar or Eleadzon, which means, "God only his help." It is evidence of the depth, the force, and reality of this grand parable, that it has penetrated with the associations it contains the language of almost every nation: so that in every tongue of Europe a lazar is now regarded as a descriptive name of the poor.

The poor man was cast at the rich man's door, probably by some relatives, who thus rid themselves of trouble, or calculated that where there was so much wealth, but very erroneously, there must be corresponding liberality. He was placed under the eye of the rich man; so that there could be no excuse on the plea that he was ignorant of the claims and the condition of the beggar. Though he had

been ignorant, that ignorance would have been his fault. Why is one wealthy, possessed of leisure, ministered to by servants, surrounded by splendid rank? It is, surely, to enable him to take a wider view, to move in a larger horizon, to become more fully acquainted with every case of suffering and injustice around him. One man is richer than another, not that he may exact more, but that he may do more. If there be poor on your estate, with whom you might have made yourself acquainted; if the ignorant, whom you might have enlightened, your sin and responsibility are as great as if either had been placed in your porch and under your eyes every day. Lazarus, no doubt, craved the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table; and of these even he received but an inadequate supply. Deprived of sympathy from man, the dumb brutes, with semihuman instincts, expressed their sympathy for the suffering beggar. Very often the faithful and affectionate dog indicates feelings far superior to the master that professes to own him. And these dogs rebuked the rich man, and are evidence that sin sinks the human heart lower than the condition of the brutes that perish. The contrast in this picture is complete: on the one side purple, on the other rags; the one fares sumptuously, the other desires to be fed with the crumbs; one has visitors of rank, his company consisting probably of peers, his retinue a large and splendid one; the other has the company of dogs. It is important, however, to distinguish the wealth of the rich man was not his crime, for Abraham, into whose bosom Lazarus was taken, was a rich man; the poverty of Lazarus, on the other hand, was neither his excellence nor his merit. The rich are often gratified by hearing of the ingratitude and worthlessness of the poor; the poor are often pleased in hearing severe attacks upon the rich; the word of God looks upon wealth and poverty as merely ad