535. LUK 16:23-31. RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. (2ND SKETCH.)

Luk_16:23-31. Rich Man and Lazarus. (2nd Sketch.)

"And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus are his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his ringer in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame," &c.’97Luk_16:23-31.

Our attention has been directed to the rich man and Lazarus in their opposite circumstances of life, and in their decease; and in those particulars were found much weighty matter for serious reflection. Life is important in itself, but how much more in its vast responsibility in connection with eternity. What I am now, may concern both myself and others,’97but the all-momentous question is, What shall I be in eternity? What shall be my future condition,’97what my endless portion? Poverty or affliction is endurable with the prospect of eternal blessedness, and surely riches and sensual pleasures can have no attraction if they are linked inseparably with endless woes. We have now to follow the rich man and Lazarus into the eternal world. The Saviour has drawn aside the curtain, and we are permitted to behold them in their fixed estates as the inhabitants of eternal things. Notice,

I. We see Lazarus in the abodes of the blessed. Angels had conveyed him into "Abraham’s bosom." This is a description of heaven having peculiar charms for the Jewish hearer. To be with the father of the faithful, their nation’s sire. And in his bosom amid the festivities of the heavenly banquet. As John was in the bosom of Jesus at the eucharistic supper. His condition in Abraham’s bosom was one,

(1.) Of repose after the toils of life.

(2.) Of dignity after the humiliating scenes of his earthly adversity.

(3.) Of abundance after want.

(4.) Of bliss after many griefs and sorrows. And this heavenly estate was permanent and eternal.

II. We are referred to Dives as consigned to the regions of the lost. "And in hell," &c., Luk_16:23.

It is not said how he came there. Whether any spirits, the administrators of God’s vengeance, were employed to drag him thither. One of our sacred poets thus inquires,

"Will angel hands convey

Their brother to the bar,

Or devils drag my soul away,

To meet its sentence there?"

He then truly adds,

"I must from God be driven,

Or with my Saviour dwell;

Must come at his command to heaven,

Or else’97depart to hell."

His condition is described as one of extreme suffering. "Being in torments," Luk_16:23.

(1.) Torments arising from the awful change he had experienced when death removed him from his wealth and luxuries on earth.

(2.) Torments from unallayed desires. He seeks now even for one drop of water, but in vain. He doubtless has all his innate feelings and established habits, and loves banqueting and ease; but the power of gratification is forever gone.

(3.) Torments from the bitter and despairing anguish of his doomed spirit.

(4.) Torments of keen self-reproach.

(5.) Torments from the direct infliction of the righteous wrath of God.

(6.) Torments from having the world of joy and glory within the range of his distracted vision.

III. We are reminded of his unavailing prayers.

1. For the alleviation of his own agonies. "Send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger," Luk_16:24. But to this Abraham replies, that he had all his enjoyments in his lifetime. That he had chosen earth and earthly things for his God and portion, and that now an eternal lease of evil is his inevitable inheritance. He shows, too, how Lazarus now has an inheritance of comfort and blessedness. He also reminds him that there is now no intercommunion between the good and the bad, the saved and the lost. The two worlds are separated with an impassable gulf, Luk_16:26.

2. For additional means to save his brethren. He desires Lazarus to be commanded to go to his father’s house to "testify unto them," Luk_16:28. Whether from compassion or from dread of his own misery being increased by their presence he presented this prayer, we know not. But this also was in vain, and though he repeated his request it was peremptorily rejected. "They have Moses and the prophets," being deemed a sufficient reason for the refusal of the request. And the solemn declaration, "If they hear not Moses and the prophets," &c., Luk_16:31.

Learn,

1. How awful it is to die in a carnal, unregenerate state.

2. How connected are the concerns of time with the realities of eternity. "Whatsoever a man sows that shall he also reap."

3. How all-important is real personal piety. A new heart, the enjoyment of God’s favors, and a title and meetness for eternal glory.

4. The sufficiency of the means appointed for man’s salvation. Moses and the prophets, and Christ, and the apostles. The sacrifice of Christ, the word, and the Spirit. All things needful are ready and offered.

Autor: JABEZ BURNS