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But letting such persons have this parable all their own way, on their own principles, it does not prove endless misery. All that they can possibly draw from it is, that Hades is an intermediate place of punishment between death and the resurrection; and that then, according to their own account, this place is to be destroyed. Supposing then that I should grant all they desire, they must allow, that this parable does not say a word about a place of endless misery. I might here close my remarks on this parable, as it has no bearing on the subject of our investigation. But I proceed to observe,

2nd, That whatever place Hades is, in which the rich man is here represented as in torment, it is very evi dent that Abraham and Lazarus were also in Hades. Though spoken of as at some distance from each other, yet they were within sight and hearing, and could converse together. The one is not represented as in heaven and the other in hell. No; they are represented as in the same place and on a level with each other. Every one knows, how very different this representation is from the common ideas entertained about the place of punishment, and the place of happiness in our day. Do you ever hear Christians speak as if both righteous and wicked were in the same place after death? The very reverse of this is the case. But,

3d, If people will interpret a part of this parable literally, to suit their own religious opinions, we insist, that they go through with a literal interpretation of the whole of it. If it is maintained, that Hades was to this man a place of torment, they must allow, that literal fire was the cause of it. This we believe some are consistent enough to maintain. They must also admit, that his body was tormented in Hades, and, that he believed a drop of water would give some ease to his torment. It must also be

granted, that, while tormented in the flames of Hades, he could see, and hear, and hold conversation with Abraham, &c. But in these, and other things, the literal sense is abandoned, and the part only which speaks of his torment, is literally interpreted. But we have a right to ask why this is done? Who gave any man the privilege to cull out a circumstance from this parable, and con- · sider it a literal fact, and view all the other parts as mere fiction, to fill up the body of the parable? Let us be informed, upon scriptural and rational principles, why this man was not tormented in his body in Hades, and why all that is said is not to be as literally understood as this one circumstance? Why fix upon it rather than the other things in the parable, and give it a literal interpretation? The reason of this I think is obvious. This part of the parable so interpreted, does very well to support the popular idea, that the wicked go to hell at death, and are tormented in this place. But every candid man must allow that this is a very strange and arbitrary mode of interpreting parables; yea, any part of the bible. Give me leave thus to interpret the bible, and I pledge myself to prove almost any thing from it.

Until rational and scriptural rules of interpretation are adopted, it is in vain we attempt correctly to understand it, or that ever people shall be agreed about what it reveals. If men only exercised the same rationality and common sense in interpreting the bible, that they do in understanding human writings, the diversity of opinion in religion would decrease greatly.

4th, Interpreting this parable literally, we cannot blame the Roman Catholics to claim it as a proof of the doctrine of purgatory. It might be urged, that in this place the rich man was brought to repentance, felt sorry for his past sins, and was deeply concerned for the welfare

of his brethren he had left in the world. This he showed by his requesting one to be sent from the dead, to warn them lest they should come into this place of torment. But we have always understood, that there is no compassion among the damned in hell, nor any desire that others should avoid the same misery. But here the rich man is represented as very solicitous that his five brethren should escape this place of torment. We are aware that it has been said that his solicitude arose, not from any desire he had for their good, but that his own misery might not be increased, by their persisting in the wicked courses, of which, he, while in this world, had set them the example. But this is a mere gratuitous assumption, for the parable affords no evidence of this. His brethren's personal good, is the only motive assigned in the parable, as inducing him to such solicitude.

5th, All know, or at least ought to know, that the imagery, or the language of parables, was never intended to be interpreted literally. This every sensible commentator allows to be correct in interpreting other parables. Why then interpret the language of the one before us literally? A parable, like a fable, is designed to impress on the mind, in a pleasing manner, some important truth. What man in his senses ever supposed that the language of a fable was intended to be interpreted literally? It is the moral lesson to be taught, which is of any importance, and the fable is only a pleasing mode of inculcating the moral.

Great care, we think, is necessary in interpreting parbles; and the utmost caution should be observed, in reasoning from them, to establish any particular doctrine of Christianity. The occasion of them ought to be strictly attended to, and the object the writer had in view by them. Without this, parables may be made to teach any

thing, and every thing, as fancy may dictate. A man's reason must have run mad, who is determined to find a spiritual meaning for every expression found in the parables of our Lord.

Perhaps it may be asked,-" what then is the important truth our Lord intended to teach by this parable? This I think may be learned from verse 31st." If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither would they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead." The parable was spoken to the unbelieving Jews, who enjoyed the writings of Moses and the prophets. They, as a people, owned such persons to be sent of God. If their writings did not persuade that wicked generation to believe, and turn from their evil ways, one sent from the dead would not effect these things in them. Such a person could come with no greater authority, nor give them any more assurance of the truth of God, than they had from Moses and the prophets. Jesus, who spoke this parable, did rise from the dead, and abundant evidence of this was given them; but as a nation, the Jews still remained in unbelief, and were as little persuaded by this, as they were by Moses and the prophets. Is there any thing then surprising, that in this parable our Lord should introduce the popular idea, which the Jews had imbibed about punishment in Hades, when by it he was teaching them, that, if they did not believe Moses and the prophets, neither would they believe though one rose from the dead? It was only availing himself of their popular belief, to show them the obstinacy of their unbelief. It was taking them on their own received principles, to give the more effect to the parable spoken to them. This mode of teaching and reasoning has been adopted in all ages, and was used by our Lord on various occasions.

6th, If the language of this parable must be interpret ed literally, we urge that the following, among other texts which speak about Sheol, be also interpreted literally. See Ezek. xxxii. and xxxi. 15-18. Isai. xiv. 3-24. Sheol and Hades are only the Greek and Hebrew names for the same place. This, we have seen, is allowed on all hands, by critics and commentators. We ask then, why the parable before us must be literally interpreted, and not these passages also. Certainly they have as righteous a claim, as it, to a literal interpretation. The difficulties to be encountered here, are neither small nor few; but they must be surmounted, before we can admit, that this parable was designed to teach a state of torment in Hades. I shall simply hint at a few of those difficulties, stated in these texts.

Persons are mentioned as speaking out of the midst of Sheol or hell. The graves of persons are there represented as about them, and that they lie there uncircumcised, slain by the sword. They have gone down to hell with their weapons of war, and laid their swords under their heads. Hell from beneath, is also represented as moved to meet the king of Babylon at his coming. All the dead are stirred up for him, and all the kings of the nations, are raised up from their thrones, in hell, at his arrival. They address him, saying, "art thou also become weak as we? Art thou become like unto us?" The worms there are said to cover him. When it can be proved that all these things take place in hell, or a place of future misery, we shall admit this parable to be a literal account of torment in Hades. Until this is done, such passages must prove an insurmountable difficulty in the way of establishing the doctrine of future misery from it. Certainly these passages have much more the appearance of a narrative of facts, than the parable we are now considering.

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