nunciations contained in our passages. And there is no criticism that can evade the fact, that this word was used and understood in our Saviour's time, to signify a state of punishment beyond this life. That Jesus used it in that sense in the above scriptures; and did teach plainly, and as plainly as he had language to teach, the existence of fature punishment. And the doctrine is truth, or else the Bible is not a divine revelation, and Jesus Christ was mistaken, as well as the principal part of mankind in all ages of the world.

SECTION VIII.

The Rich Man and Lazarus, considered.

"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 life time, 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 that 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.

Thus reads the "parable of the rich man," so denominated among universalists. This has been supposed, in all ages of the church, to refer to the two states of men in a future world, as its language plainly imports, till within a few years, it has been touched with the magick wand of universalism, and turned into something else! The author once published a discourse on the text, and was about as successful as any of them in making it mean something else. A great variety of meanings are given to such hard passages in the order: but it seems to be a rule among them; that it is unimportant what they make them to mean, provided they make them mean something else, be+ sides what they possitively affirm; and sustain that something with some appearance of plausibility.

They say it is a parable! Well, that circumstance then gives them an unbounded license to invent any sense to it; no matter if it be so far off, that it took eighteen hundred years to produce a single individual capable of guessing at it. But unless it mean something else entirely foreign to any thing which the description naturally implies, it would upset universalism: therefore, it must mean something else! And if there be nothing else within the reach of ordinary minds-nothing that could be thought of for eighteen hundred years in all christendom, New England, famous for curious inventions, might be expected to invent the curious thing. Well. What do they make the rich man? Why the high priest of Israel-and yet not exactly the high priest: for no one could tell which of the high priests; but rather the office or its incumbents in succes-, sion; representing the Jewish nation. The beggar is the Gentile world. The desire to be fed with crumbs, was the desire of the Gentiles to obtain the knowledge of the legal economy, (which desire, however, did not exist) the dogs that licked his sores, were Plató, Socrates, and other philosophers that attempted to enlighten the Gentiles. The poor man's death was the conversion of the Gentiles to

Christ. The rich man's death was the end of the Jewish priesthood. His being in hades lifting up his eyes in torments, denotes the degraded condition of the Jewish nation since the destruction of their city. (It should mean the degraded condition of the high priest; but as all the high priests, by the theory, were to be in heaven, the meaning now must be the nation.) His seeing Abraham afar off, &c. means that the dispersed people of Israel see the Gentiles in the faith of Abraham, (but the Jews have not, in their degraded state, seen the christian Gentiles in the faith of Abraham. Neither have they discovered themselves in errour, felt any torment, nor asked for the water of gospel life to mitigate their sufferings-they have not deplored their want of the gospel at all!)

"But Abraham said, son, remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things," &c. This signifies that the Jews received their season of spiritual prosperity while the Gentiles were in unbelief; and now the Gentiles receive their season of spiritual enjoyment, while the Jews are in unbelief. And this decree of unbelief against the Jews, in favour of the Gentiles is the "great gulf."

"Then he said, I pray thee, therefore, father, that thou wouldst send him to my father's house. For I have five brethren," &c. What this means universalists have never been able to agree. Some thinking it most plausible to call it one thing and some another. It has been a point about which all their inventive powers have been employed. "They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them." The Jews now have Moses and the prophets : let them learn of Christ out of them, instead of having the Gentiles, who have risen from a dead state of unbelief and sin, come and preach to them!

This is a substantially correct outline of the exposition universalist writers give the parable; and though they may dress it up in a more becoming aspect, they cannot, or have not given a better one without spoiling their system. But

it would admit of as many equally plausible and imaginary expositions as there are men to invent them. They seem to think, by calling it a parable, they obviate every difficulty, and have a right then to make it mean any thing they please. Hence, instead of a parable, they make it a riddle ; and one of the hardest kind to guess, To show them that they have not guessed the only interpretation that it admits of, on the ground that it is a riddle, as they seem to suppose, we will help them to another: for although we reject their system, we are disposed to give them every accommodation. So when they get sick of the old one, they can have a new one, and can have the advantage of variety. And certainly they stand a better chance to be right with two meanings than with only one. And then if any weak spots are found in either interpretation, they can patch them up by taking something out of the other. The prophetick parable (or riddle) then, shall relate to the glorious American revolution! And we will explain each verse in the true style of universalian criticism.

Ver. 19. There was a certain rich man, &c. This is no less a personage than the king of England; and not any of the kings or incumbents of the English throne, but it is George III. who was rich, and fared sumptuously every day, and in several particulars, he represents the British nation.

Verse 20. And there was a certain beggar.-The beggar represents his majesty's colonies in America, Those people were poor; harrassed and distressed by the cruel savages. They went to the gate of the royal palace for all their higher officers; for their arts and sciences, manufactures, etc. etc..

Verse 21. And desiring to be fed with the crumbs.—In the poverty and weakness of the colonies, they desired every thing from the mother country. They reverently looked up to Parliament for the very crumbs of law which they enjoyed, and which often lay long upon the "table” of that house, before they came over to the colonies. And as the

rich and opulent often throw by many crumbs from their tables, which they will not eat, and cast them out to the poor, so many of the officers and laws sent over to America, were such as would not be submitted to in England. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. The dogs are Franklin and other American sages, who used to pity the sufferings of the people, and with their tongues teach them industry, economy, and other means of improving their condition.

Verse 22. And it came to pass that the beggar died.The colonies died a political death-died to all allegiance to the king-died to all subordination-died to all submission and affection. And they were carried by angels, or messengers or delegates, (as the word might be rendered; which means the brave compatriots, who signed the Decclaration,) into Abraham's bosom, that is, Independence.— The word Abraham signifies a Father or Patriarch, and here refers to Washington the father of his country, under whose fatherly care the Americans found peace and safety.

The rich man also died and was buried. The King, Parliament, and all, died to all affection for the colonies; to all sense of honour and justice, and to every thing that ought to have influenced them toward the American people. And were buried in avarice, injustice and infamy.

Verse 23. And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments. Loaded with a ponderous national debt, surrounded by jealous and hostile kings, torn with domestick divisions, and covered with the reproach, and stung with the shame of losing their glory in America, the British nation, at last, lifted up their eyes, being in torments, and saw the colonies afar off, free, independent, and prosperous, in the bosom, or under the paternal government of the great Washington.

Verse 24. And he cried and said. Then the British began to lament their condition; and they greatly desired a revolution, that they might enjoy such institutions and liberties, as Americans enjoyed.