bosom."

The rich man also died and was buried. He is afterwards represented as being in hades. What is the meaning of this word? You know that in classical greek it denotes the subterranean receptacle, whither all the dead who had been regularly buried passed, into a state of either happiness or misery. Elyssium the abode of the beatified spirits, and Tartarus the place of punishment, were both considered compartments of hades. The translators of the Septuagint render the hebrew word sheol by this term hades. The word sheol does not mean simply the grave in the Old Testament, for you find instances in which the inhabitants are represented as alive and conversing. In these places it is considered as a scene of life after death. I suppose that no one acquainted with the subject will deny that hades frequently means a state of conscious existence into which men pass after death. The Jews, as appears from their own writers, regarded hades as a vast subterranean receptacle for souls, which contained in its upper part, paradise; and in its lower gehenna. In this hades the rich man goes. He is in torment. And here is introduced a circumstance, tending forcibly in unison with the main design of the parable, to show the worthlessness of riches. He is represented as calling to the poor beggar for assistance. His riches avail him nothchange places with Laza

parable, and the When alive you

ing, and he would rejoice to rus. But this is not permitted. And here Abraham is introduced to apply the moral of the amount of his preaching is simply this. possessed what you considered the greatest good, which from its very nature you could not bring with you into the next existence. Lazarus indeed suffered severely · while on earth, but his sufferings were of such a nature that death terminated them. Now you are necessarily miserable, because you have lost the wealth in which

you trusted. He is happy because he has escaped from those bodily sufferings which belong to earth. The rich man is then made to express a tender concern for his brothers who were following his example; and he wishes to have Lazarus sent to warn them of their folly and wickedness. He is answered, that if they will not keep the moral law of the Old Testament, it would hardly profit them to hear a messenger from the dead. How simple, how clear, how beautiful the instruction of our Savior.

I could state many reasons why this exposition gives the true intent and meaning of the parable. But the case is really so plain that I am ashamed to use words in such a cause. To suppose that our Savior figured forth the jewish and christian dispensations in this parable is to substitute imagination for truth, and theory for fact. I must therefore believe our 'divine master meant to teach a retribution after death for the character here formed. And I believe this, first, because the phrase, Abraham's bosom, is used; second, because the word hades is used; third, because the words die and bury are used; fourth, because the rich man is represented as having lost his riches; fifth, because the phrase in thy life time is used; sixth, because the rich man is separated from his five brethren, who must have been in the same situation as himself, if the rich man meant the high priest or jewish nation; seventh, because my exposition naturally arises from the connexion and is pertinent to the occasion. Many more particulars might be mentioned, but these are sufficient for my present purpose. Until this explanation can be fairly disproved I must regard this parable as designed to inculcate the doctrine of future rewards and punishments.

Thus have I given what appears to me to be the true meaning of our Savior. Can any candid mind arrive at

a different conclusion from an examination of the scriptures themselves? I know of no serious objections which can be presented to this exposition. You may indeed say that it is a parable, and that we ought not to derive any doctrine from a fictitious narration. So you might affirm that the prodigal son and the good Samaritan are parables, and consequently we ought not to appeal to them in proof of the paternal character of God, or the duty of universal benevolence. All this avails nothing. Many of our Savior's most important lessons were conveyed in fictitious narrations. You may also say that hades is used and not gehenna. It is not my business to show that future punishment will be received in any particular place. If we have evidence that men are happy or miserable after death on account of their conduct in this world, the question is settled. I could indeed enter into this controversy about words, and probably make as great a display of learning as some other men, but I do not deem this in the least essential to my position. You may likewise contend that nothing is said concerning the moral character of either of the parties. In this I think you are greatly mistaken. Does not our Savior aim directly to show the want of hospitality and christian love in the rich man? Words cannot be more decisive. And is not the supposition perfectly natural that the beggar was righteous? To be sure all the particulars in either case are not mentioned, but enough is said to show us distinctly that riches can confer no permanent felicity, that benevolence is a christian duty; that selfishness, covetousness and hardheartedness must lead to more or less future misery. Other parables which plainly imply a future retribution must be omitted. See Mat. 13. 24; 18. 23; 22. 2. Luke 14. 16; 16. 1-19; 19. 11

X. In the tenth place, I will notice those passages

which teach future rewards and punishments after the resurrection. It is first necessary to show that the righteous and wicked will survive the dissolution of the body, or be raised to an immortal and incorruptible existence. This is clearly and indisputably proved by the following sentence from Paul: "There shall be a resurrection, both of the just and the unjust." Here then you learn the most important fact, that all of whatever character shall live again after their temporal death. Will raising the unjust make them just and happy? In reply to this question I give you the clear and decisive answer of our Savior. These are his solemn words. "The hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth, they that have done good unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the résurrection of damnation. One would suppose this passage, so plain, so striking, so conclusive, must settle the controversy concerning future retribution forever. But some of your writers have attempted to explain away its obvious meaning and substitute a figurative one. Here then we enter upon disputed ground. Let me state the opinions which I reject and the one I receive. Acts 24. 15. John 5. 28, 29.

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I. You contend that our Savior meant a moral resurrection. I will give the exposition of two of your prominent divines in their own words. Take the following from your oldest preacher. "The true meaning of the words of Jesus appears to be, that those Jews who listened to the mild precepts of the gospel, proclaimed by Christ and his apostles, came forth from spiritual death to the life of faith in the new covenant; but those Jews who rejected the doctrine of salvation, crucified the Savior, and persecuted his apostles, were those who had done evil, and they were roused from

the dormant state in which they lay, as in a covenant of death and in a refuge of lies, by the voice of judgment, and came forth to the resurrection of that damnation, which is so particularly pointed out in the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth chapters of Matthew." Take the following statement from your next oldest minister. "It is evident that the time of the resurrection of the dead, is not meant, but the hour or time of the destruction of Jerusalem. The jewish nation whom our Lord addressed, had long been in a state of moral and political death. They were not only dead, but buried in their lusts, or in the language of the prophet, were in the graves. A few of them under our Lord's ministry had heard his voice, and were raised to moral or spiritual life, during the time expressed in the phrase, "now is," verse 25. But he says in the 28th, "The hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth." Come forth from what? They shall come forth from the state of inactivity to action, from this moral and political death. But this coming forth shall be very different in some from others; for, 1st. They that have done good shall come forth unto the resurrection of life. To enter into life and into the kingdom of God mean the same thing, and both these refer to entering into our Lord's kingdom in this world, which at the end of the jewish dispensation was to come with power. 2d. And they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation. This must be the damnation of punishment inflicted on men at the end of the jewish dispensation, and especially on that nation who were so highly favored with our Lord's ministry. They came forth to the resurrection of damnation or punishment at this period." Now the simple comparison of these expositions with the passage itself is enough to prove their incorrectness. I will however briefly state