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NATIONAL CONSERVATIVE LEACUE.

ROYAL GLOUCESTERSHIRE HUSSARS.

I ARE YOU A "STICKER"?

0 BERROW.I

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I CRICKET CHAT.

. J COLWALL v. HOLMER. )

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WEEKLY MOTOR NOTES.I

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. FAML RIGHTS EESKRVSD.] BIBLE…

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FAML RIGHTS EESKRVSD.] BIBLE STUDIES CONDUCTED BY PASTOR RUSSELL. RICH TO HELL, POOR TO HEAVEN The Lesson: Luke xvi. 19-31. The Text. WhORo stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry him- se-f, but shall not be heard."—Proverbs xxi. 13. Did Jesus mean this? Can it be true that the rich are to spend eternity in misery because of faring sumptuously every day, and wearing purple and line linen? Can it be true that to get to Heaven we must be poor beggars, covered with sores, and eating crum bs from a rich man's table? Has character nothing to do with future rewards and punishments? Again, will the rich, tormented in fire to all eternity, see the poor in blies, and the honoured poor see the rich in eternal misery? For many years this parable has dis- tressed the more saintly of God's people; both heart and head have rebelled. We re- membered that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Solomon, etc., were rich: and that God him- eelf is very rich. Then we looked up the subject in the Hebrew and the Greek, and found that Abraham did not go to Gehenna, the hopeless condition, the Second Death, but to Sheol, Hades, the state of death, where there is no fire. NOW CLEAR AND PLAIN. Now we see that our lesion is a parable. (Matt. xiii. 34.) To take it literally, as we have seen, would involve the absurdity of supposing that all beggars go to Heaven, and that all the wealthy go to Hell; for the parable says nothing about character, neither that the poor man was good nor that the rich man was bad. In a parable, the thing said is not the thing meant. Thus wheat and sheep represent children of God; tares and goats represent those con- trolled by the Adversary. In the parable under consideration, the rich man would represent one class, and Lazarus another class. The rich man was the Jewish nation, which had been given the promises, the Prophets, the Law Covenant. These symbolically were their purple, fine linen and sumptuous table. The fine linen symbolized their typical justi- fication through typical sacrifices. The purple raiment typified Royalty; for they were the typical Kingdom. The sumptuous fare represented the Divine promises, aa St. Paul's words imply.—Rom. xi. 9. In Jesxi«' day Jewish favour began to end -and they were completely cut off in A.D. 70, as all Jews will admit. During the interim of forty years the rich man, the Jewish nation, died and was buried. Nationally, they went to Hadee, to the tomb; and their losurrection has not yet heen accomplished, although Zionism is its beginning. Although nationally dead and buried, the Jews individually have had anguish of soul, a.4 they have received persecutions, some- times, alas! from those who profess the name of Jesus, but who deny him in their practices. For nineteen centuries the Jews have cried out to God, who in the parable represented as Abraham, the Father of the faithful. The only answer that they have had is that there, is a gulf of separa- tion between them and Jehovah. Thank God, the New Dispensation dawns, in which the rich man will return from Hades! Israel will be nationally rehabilitated. THE POOR MAN OF THE PARABLE. The poor man of the parable represented AC outcast clasa-publicaus and sinners, alienated from God's favour, and also Gen- tiles, to whom God's favour had never been extended. (Epb. ii. 12.) These had no fine linen of typical justification, and no purple, representing a share in God's Kingdom. None of the promises belonged to them. All that they could have would be merely such crumbs as fell from the rich man's table. The Scriptures illustrate two such crumbs given to this class by Jesus. His healing of the Roman centurion's servant, at the request of the Jews, was a crumb. Similarly, the Syro-Phoenician woman got a crumb when she entreated Jesus to heal hei daughter, who was possessed of a demon. The Master answered, "It is not proper to take the children's bread and give it unto dogs." He here used the customary phrase- ology respecting Gentiles—dogs. The Syro- Phoenician woman was not a Jewess, and had no claim on God's favour; but she replied, "Yea, Lord. yet the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from the children's table." Jesus noted her faith, and gave her the crumb which she desired. As the Jews died to their favour so the outcast publicans, sinners, and Gentiles died to their disfavour. The early Church was made up of this Lazarus class, rejected by the Pharisees. In the parable they are represented as children of Abraham-in his arms. Jesus and his followers are the spiritual seed of Abraham, received to God's bosom and favour. Thus St. Paul writes, "If ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise"—made te Abraham.—Gal. iii. 29. "A GREAT GULF FIXED." I The great gulf between Judaism and Christianity has been fixed for more than eighteen centuries. During this period no Jew has been permitted to come near to God, and no Gentile permitted to take the former position of the Jew. or in any manner to claim favour, aside from Christ. "There is none other name given under Heaven amongst men whereby we must be saved." This gulf dates from the time that Christ was rejected by Israel and crucified. Thank God. His word points us to another change of Dispensation at the Second Coming of Christ. Then the Lazarus class, now children of God by faith, will be made actually and gloriously His children beyond the veit. In association with Jesus their Lord, in the Kingdom, thev will take control over the world. The rich man then will have a resurrection from Hades. DIVES' FIVE BRETHREN. I The paraDie represents JJlveS as praying for a drop of water to cool his parched tongue. Symbolically, this would picture the Jewish people in great distress, asking God to allow Christians to give thtm some help. Have the Jews ever appealed to God for relief from persecution? Surely they have. Moreover, they bad appealed to the Lazarus clas* — representatives of Chris- tianity—desiring that release and relief should come through them. An illustration of this was afforded in the appeal of the Jews to President Roosevelt that he would use his influence with Russia for the amelioration of Jewish conditions. Mr. Roosevelt repli-d courteously that the comity of nations would not permit such a communication to a friendly nation. The parable declares that the rich man had five brethren in danger of joining him in his trouble. The Jews of Palestine in Jesus' dav represented chiefly the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, while the majority of the other ten tribes were scattered abroad in various lands. The question raised is, Did this trying experience affect merely the Jews of Palestine, or did it include also the Jews scattered abroad? The answer is given -in the parable: "They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them." This proves that Jews only were referred to: for no Gentile had Moses and the Prophets. The number five is in full accord also. Whereas two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, were re- presented by the one rich man, the other ten tribes would be represented by five brethren. Thus we are finding a depth of wisdom in Jesus' teachings. We are finding, too, that the horrible nightmare doctrine of the Dark Ages hindered us from seeing the beauty of the Lord's Word. Thank God, for the New Day and the light that it is shedding upon the Bible.

MYSTERIOUS STOMACH TROUBLESI

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MONTHLY AGRICULTURAL REPORT.…

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CRICKET FIXTURES. I

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