The parable of the rich man and the beggar
   

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The parable of Dives, the rich man, and Lazarus the beggar, sitting at his gate, with his sores licked by dogs, longing for a crust of bread from the rich man's table - is a witty piece of counter point. At death one is taken up to Abraham's bosom, the other sent to the fires of Hades. Dives begs Father Abraham to tell Lazarus to give him a drop of water. But there is a "great gulf" which cannot be crossed. The dialoge is about suffering and heedlessness.
There was a rich man once, that was clothed in purple and lawn, and feasted sumptuously every day. And then there was a beggar, called Lazarus, who lay at his gate, covered with sores, wishing that he could be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table, but none was ready to give them to him; the very dogs came and licked his sores. Time went on; the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom; the rich man died too, and found his grave in hell. And there, in his suffering, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he said, with a loud cry, Father Abraham, take pity on me; send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in the water, and cool my tongue. I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said My son, remember that thou didst receive thy good fortune in thy lifetime, and Lazarus, no less, his ill fortune; now he is in comfort, thou in torment. And besides all this, there is a great gulf fixed between us and you, no crossing over to us from yours. Whereupon he said Then father, I pray thee send him to my own father's house; for I have five bretheren; let him give these a warning so they may not come, in their turn, into this place of suffering. Abraham said to him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them listen to these. They will not do that, father Abraham, said he; but if a messenger comes to them from the dead, they will repent. But he answered him, If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets they will be unbelieving still, though one should rise from the dead.
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