In order to explain to his disciples that there were two worlds for
souls, Jesus once told them this story:—“There was a rich man who wore
elegant clothing and lived richly every day. There was a poor, sick
beggar, named Lazarus, lying at his gate. He wanted the crumbs which were
left from the rich man’s table. His body was full of sores, and the dogs
used to come and lick them. One day this poor man died, but God sent
his angels and carried him to heaven. Then the rich man died, and was
buried. His soul went to hell. One day, while he was in that place of
pain and torment, he looked up, and away off he saw heaven, and Lazarus
the beggar was there, with his head on Abraham’s bosom. He called to
him: ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to 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 while you were living you
had plenty of good things, while Lazarus suffered at your gate. Now he is
happy, and you are suffering. And, besides, there is a great gulf between
you and us, so that if we wanted to come to you we could not; neither can
you come here from that place.’ Then the rich man said, ‘I pray you send
him to my father’s house to tell my five brothers about this dreadful
place, so they need not come here.’ But Abraham said, ‘Why, they have the
story of that place. Moses wrote about it, and the Prophets wrote about
it; let them read it.’ But the rich man said, ‘O, Father Abraham, if one
went back to them from the dead, they would repent.’ ‘No,’ said Abraham,
‘if they will not believe God’s own word, as Moses and the Prophets wrote
it in the Bible, neither would they believe if one went to them from the
dead.’”
[Illustration: LAZARUS AT THE RICH MAN’S DOOR.—Luke xvi. 19.]