same subject is continued through the chapter. The state of the Jews, after the kingdom of God had been taken from them and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof, is beautifully figured in the description of the rich man's circum

stances.

By the rich man the house of Israel is represented. They are frequently spoken of under the figure of an individual in the scriptures. God said by Hosea, "When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt." Hosea xi. 1. "So the Lord alone did lead him, (the house of Israel) and there was no strange God with him. He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock." Deut. xxxii. 12, 13. These are sufficient to show that the posterity of Abraham are spoken of in the scriptures in the character of an individual.

This man was rich, "There was a certain rich man.' He was blessed with a land flowing with milk and honey. He had advantage every way, chiefly because unto him was committed the oracles of God. In Rom. ix. 4, 5, we have in detail an account of this man's riches. "Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; whose are the fathers, and of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God, blessed forever, Amen."

and

This man was clothed in "purple and fine linen." So Israel is represented in the scriptures as being clad. "I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badger's skin, and I girded thee

about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk. Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver, and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and embroidered work." Ezek. xvi. 10-13. "And of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they made clothes of service, to do service in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron; as the Lord commanded Moses. And he made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen." Fxodus xxxix. 1, 2.

He fared sumptuously every day. This was eminently true of Israel. God says, "thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil; and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom." The rich man's land flowed with milk and honey. He fed spiritually upon the knowledge of God, and upon the promises.

By Lazarus the beggar, the poor Gentiles excluded from the advantages which God's covenant people enjoyed, are represented. Paul details the poverty of the Gentiles. "At that time," says he, ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world." Eph. ii. 12. They were poor indeed. His being "full of sores," represented the moral condition of the Gentiles. By the death of the beggar is represented the Gentiles' release from their idolatrous worship; and his being carried by angels into Abraham's bosom, represented the conversion of the Gentiles to the faith of Abraham, by the messengers of God. The rich man died politically. He lost his riches, his purple and fine linen, his gov ernment, his city, and his existence as a body politic. He was buried. His going into outer darkness is justly represented by being buried. He

died to light, and went into darkness. The poor man died to darkness and came forth to light. Hence he is not said to be buried. The rich man sees Lazarus in Abraham's bosom ;1 he sees fulfilled the words of Christ, "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God." Matt. viii. 11 and Luke xiii. 28, 29.

The rich man calls upon Abraham, whom he addresses by the title of Father. This is characteristic of the Jews. Abraham was their father; and they seemed proud of their progenitor. Speaking to our Saviour, they said, "art thou greater than our father Abraham?" John told them, "think not to say within yourselves, we have Abraham to our father." Yes, they would be in favor with Abraham. They have disbelieved Jesus; they have abused their privileges; they have relied upon their national greatness, and the glory of their an

cestors.

When in distress, they turned to Abra

1 Abraham's bosom. This figure is drawn from the customs of the Jews at their feasts. When reclining on their couches at table, they sometimes placed their heads on one another's bosom, as a sign of equality and strict union among the guests. So John is said to have laid on Jesus' breast, John xiii. 25. See Bp. Pearce on Luke xvi. 22, and Horne's Intro. iii. 304. By Lazarus being in Abraham's bosom, or lying on his bosom, denotes his elevation to the same rank with the patriarch at the repast of the gospel, and the strict union between them. The whole is a figure, however, and denotes the same as when it is said, that "many shall come from the east and west, and shall lie down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven," Matt. viii. 11; they should enter into the same kingdom, of which Abraham was a member by believing the promises concerning Christ; and they should, by faith, enjoy in that Kingdom a strict equality and communion with him.

ham for mercy. But their national greatness is gone, and the glory of their ancestors can afford them no relief. Abraham is represented as recognizing the relationship. He refers the rich man to his former condition, as well as to that of the beggar, and seems to give this as a reason why the former was tormented and the latter blessed. This is according to the equality of God's ways. The Jews had possessed a knowledge of God, and been blessed for a long time, while the Gentiles had been without hope, and without God in the world. Now the scene is reversed according to the appointment of God. "It was necessary," said the apostles to them, "that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldst be for salvation unto the ends of the earth." Acts xiii. 46, 47.

The gulf which separated the rich man from Lazarus, very well represents any circumstance by which the Jews are separated from the Gentile nations. That such a separation has long existed, admits not of a doubt; and when we reflect that, although many centuries have passed away since the Jews forfeited their national character, they have never become mixed and lost among the nations, we can but recognize some manifest design of Providence in the event. By this gulf we may more particularly understand that purpose of God, in which it is determined, that the Jews shall not believe the gospel until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. This was the subject of prophecy. Isaiah says, "who hath believed our report?" And John applies this to the unbelief of the Jews

in the Messiahship of Jesus. He says, "therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart, that they should not see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them." John xii. 38-40. Matt. xiii. 14, 15. Mark iv. 11, 12. Luke viii. 10. Acts. xxviii. 26-28. Rom. xi. 8. The divine purpose in this, is consistent with God's impartial character. This blindness of the Jews is to bring about the conversion of the Gentiles, through whose mercy the Jews will at las obtain mercy. Paul, addressing one of the Gentile churches, says, "For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief; even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy." Rom. xi. 30, 31. Of the unbelief of the Jews, the prophets had prophesied. When the Gentiles saw the prophesies fulfilled in the obstinacy of the Jews, they were convinced of the divine origin of Christianity; they pressed into the kingdom of God. By the mercy of the Gentiles the Jews are at last to obtain mercy. Paul says, "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, (lest ye should be wise in your own conceits) that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so ALL ISRAEL SHALL BE SAVED; as it is written, there shall come out of Zion the deliverer,and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob." Rom, xi. 25, 26. Although the Jews are now shut out of the kingdom, we can easily perceive they are finally to be brought in. Jesus said unto them, "ye shall not see me hence forth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." Matt. xxiii. 39.

When