The eastern clarion. [volume] (Paulding, Miss.) 1837-1863, 1860-04-18
THE FUNERAL SERMON
SOL 8 r ADAMS.
DELIVERED BY
REV. ROBERT McLAIN, D. D.,
PAULDING, APRIL 5, 1860.

REV. ROBERT McLATN, D. D.,
PAULDNG, APRIL 5, 1860.
-The last enemy that shall be destroyed is DEATH
Cor. Is: 26.
To-day, my friends, we have been sud
lenly summoned to the house Of God to
pay tribute of respect to the lamented
dead--to pronounce and listen to dis
curse in memofy of our distinguished
friend and fellowscitisen. who lies before
is in his coffin, the Hon. SIMEON R. ADAMS.
The design Of discourse like this, Is
not to benefit the dead. The close Of
man's pilgrimage cuts off all po..,ibility Of
extending helping hand by any, howev-
r desirous to give comfort or impart cop-
ISOLATION. After the spirit Of man has
zone toGod who gave it, and the feeble,
perishing body has been consigned to its
.old and silent mansion. where sleeps the
naulderine clay till the resurrection
norm, even the best Of friends, and dear
st relatives, cannot effect the least altera-
ion in his condition.
Then bear in mind to-day, nv friends.
he solemn truth that we preach to the
living and not to the desd-the living we
nope to benefit, the dead we cannot ben
fit.
Is it true that sit is appointed unto all
men once to die?" O! is it true that
every one to-day, under the sound of my
voice, will, in less than q half century.
slumber with the pale nations of earth's
dead Is it true that so soon as the ball
Of life shall have been wound up with us
our eternal destinies will be fixed
that there are no acts of pardon past in
the cold grave to which we haste!" |
50, then still. silent, small voice from
he coffin of our departed friend and
brother, enters each bosom and whispers
II fearful accents, ''thou too must die
Thou too, however bright your prospects
lor long life, and however far in though
YOU hold the evil hour, must one day ''lir
as low as l." Yes. it IS allotted to every
one that walks the green earth, be he
high or low, rich or poor, bond or free
old or young, after having braved the liz
and misfortunes thrown across his path /;
after having passed through earth, to end
the mighty conflict by lying down and
dying.
"The last enemy to be destroyed is
death" By consulting that portion of
this chapter which Immediately precedes
our text, we discover that the object of
the Apostle in this connection was to es-
tablizh the doctrine of the resurrection of
Jesus Christ and upon this fact. estab-
lish in the minds Of those to whom he
addressed himself. the truth that they too
should rise from the dead that in conse-
guence of having renounced all other
hope but that founded upon the atoning
blood of the Messiah, they should at last
achieve a signal triumph over "ths sting Of
Reath, and the uictorg Of fhe Craze"
In the Oath and 25th verses, we are in
formed that the mediatorial kingdom of
Christ is not to end until all other king
doms, all other rule. authority and power,
shall have been put down and forgotten.
Here, the inspired man of God communi-
Gates to us the encouraging sentiment
that Jesus shall reign, and through the
agency and power of truth divine, will 90
| from conquest TO conquest until every en-
| envy shall have been silenoed and sub
dfed. All enemies. not a solitary excep.
ton, however strong and well fortified
/ they may be, however numerous and fixed
in their purposes OF opposition, shall
| be completely overthrown. The last and
most powerful Of these enemies is death
But even when death, this last enemy
| with which man has to contend. shall ap
| proach in all his potency, extreme terror
| and awful horror, then Is he to be subdued
/ by the efficacy Of Christ's mediation in be
half Of our dying race. Jesus has not on
ly signally triumphed over this enemy
himself, but has opened the way and fur
ni,hed the weapons by the use of which
| every member Of the human family ma,
acquit himself as a victor in the trying
conflict with this terrific enemy.
In the words we have selected as
foundation for this discourse, the Apostl
brings to our view death as an enemy t,
the human family. He is so viewed to-
by every member of this great family.
natural fondness for life, an instinctiv
dread Of death, pervades the bosom G
every intelligent creature whom God ha
made. may make the appeal to this a,
sembly to-day, to bear me out in this pc
sition You, my friends, do not want t
die do not want to die; the best ma
in this congregation, ah, the best man i
this world, with her one thousand mi
lions Of living beings, does not want I
die. All all ! irrespective Of rank, CLINE
or condition, cling to life with firm an
steady grasp, one that can only be sur
dered by death ITSELF
We notice first, then, in the prosect
ton Of our subject, the propriety of tn
Apostles language in which death is re,
resented as an enemy.
lst. death may very ftly be styled a
enemy, because It's he, and he alone, tbs
produces a separation between the sol
and body. The great Author of man
existence has so created, and constitute,
and placed him under such circumstal
ces, and will continue him here on sue
condition, that there is Obliged to be
most intimate and tender connection b
tween the spiritual and physical man,
between the soul and body. This come
ton is so close and intimate that the m
ment a separation takes place. man ceas
, to be living animal; he ceases to wal
4 up and down this earth, which for yea
, has been his place of hsbitation. IL
: spirit within is that which distinguish
> man as the noblest part Of his Maker
work. 'Tis this that distinguishes hi
|. from every other animal that peramb
!. lates the globe, from the fowl that I'll
the air, or the Insignificant worm tn
!. crawls beneath his feet 'Tis this tn
!. pervades his whole system; that NOV
in every organ, and sounds the tocsin
alarm when danger is nigh. 'Tis n
that makes him feel his superiority in
: Makers dominion, and lifts his count
y nance upwards, to teach him that he
t. not limited forever to 4he earth, b
& may look forward to brighter scenes of e
!. istence beyond the shores Of time.
!" Who is it. or what is it, that steps
. between these long and intimately unit
parts Of the same being, and with wit
+. ering and blighting hand hews down t
n one and lays it beneath the silent clc
while the other makes a long leap ir
/. the untried future? The answer wbi
rushes upon Us to-day from the untc
millions who have gone before, and viii
is echoed. and re-echoed, by millions n
!! living, who feel that they are under ,
n. sad necessity of soon following. tells u.
1t is Death. This is Heavens coustitut
s messenger who drives his triumphal
through every land, enters every ci
town, hamlet, neighborhood, and fam
circle, and when he enters, presents
summons to each member of that sac,
enclosure.
y I'd. The fitness of the Apostles figu
er IN which death is introduced as an enel
en- to our race, may also be seen in the &
that death closes our probation. He p