The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1860-02-01
ESSAY on THE RESURRECTION.
BY REV. F. N. ROBERTSON.
"If man die. shall he live again ?''-Jop

| "f man die. shall he live again Jon.
It is often the boast of the Rationalism of
the present day, that future life is discovera-
Bile without the aid of the Bible. This, we
think, is a mistake. While nature affords us
many hints and analogies upon the subject of
a future life, it gives US no prpof Upon this
q iestion the soul has right to ask for proof.
1t is question of life or death. There are
times, perhaps, when it does not press itself
upon us: when We are young enough to be sat
is6ed with our engagements, or when burdened
with pressing cares, or engaged in the active
pursuits of life. But there is time coming to
all of us, when this question will thrill us
through and through-it is when the most of a
mans life is gone, and the rest is fast going.
Then earthly things lose their importance, and
the question, earn going Down into the blank
of everlasting silence is there, in this thrill
ing something which call myself, life, which
shall survive the wreck of all things else, alb
serbs our attention, and asks for proof to stand
upon2" Now, let us give this question brief
and candid investigation. My proposition is,
that Bible Christianity gives the only dem-
onstration of this Question If we examine ma
ture, and bring to light all of its resources, we
shall find nothing better than hints. In these
hints, the world becomes to us riddle Of which
there is just enough explained, to show that
there may be life beyond the grave, nothing
to prove that there will be. Let US journey
along in our search for this secret. We will
go into any of the paths of nature you may des
ignate. All! do you not that we have
nothing but twilight uncertain twilight to
guide US, for yop know we have left tie Bible
out of the question-we have not that ''great
! light" here We are in s'nat,ire" While We
are searching, we find possibilities, yea pr 1ba-
bilities of future, and sometimes almost see
the proof, and just we feel ourselves about
to grasp it, our light goes ont and the dark
ness of the grave ensues. But letus elaboIat
1. Look into man's heart. We find there a
longing after-a desire for future life-and
| this is common to all men. The heather phil
osph3f uses this as a favorite argument to prove
our existence beyond the grave.
alt must be so; Plato thou reasonest well. !"
Else why this fond desire, this longing after
| immortality? Now, this sounds very well,
but is it argument? 1t is a hint. We say we
have other longings, other natural desires and
they are grati6ed. If we thirst, there are liq-
uds to quench our thirst; if we love, there are
beings upon whom to bestow oar affections; if
we desire or long to live forever, it is probable
that our desire will be gratifed Probable,
nothing mere, for it is not proof 2. We
find everywhere, among men, belief that we
! live forever. 1t is tr-e, individual men have
educated themselves against this faith but the
natural hearts of men every where upon the
EARTH, believe in future life of some kind
This belief seems to be coeval with the very
existence of man, a part of himself. Some
have called this an argument to prove future; !;
| they say we must not slight the universal voice
of mankind. OF course we must not, but still
it was universal belief among men, that the
| world was fst-stretching away, vast surface
of land, water, &c. Now, here the universal
voice of mankind was wrong. If wiring once,
| why not be wrong again? We say of man, if
he will lie once, hew we trust him the
second time? So, of this argument we cannot
trust it.
8. We see in this strange, and beautiful
world around US many things which resemble
a resurrection. Lcok at the change from win
ter to spring. When winter is upon US, all is
cold and still as the glacier solit1des of the
North. Winters icy robe has enshrouded a
dead world. But soon spring comes, and what
changel Life returns. Life, in ereening
tents, in bursting bark, in opening buds, In
singing birds, and running streams. What a
resurrection, say you Again-there is the
chrysalis. See; it is dull and apparently dead
worm, but watch it, see it is changing its form
of life. 1t comes forth beautiful butterfly,
henceforth to nourish its existence on the nee
tar of flowers. The aDcients thought this
beautiful symbol of our resurrection. But
after all, these not resurrections. They
only seem to be. The world enly appeared to
be dead. Pluck up tree, and then see if IL
will put out its leaves next day. Crush but
terAy, and then see if it will futter its wings.
So we find here no proof. These things are
worth much to our hearts, for they furnish us
Leautilul illustrations, after resurrection IS
proved, but we can not use them as demonstra-
tive arguments Shall we turn from natures
paths, tired of our search. No, let us not
shrink, though we find still darker picture.
We will look into the grave. Let US 1emem-
be-. that six thousand years of buried human
bodies lie there HuRdreds of millions of peo-
pla have gone down there. More than one
hundred and fifty generations. Now look and
listen. Do yOu see nothing? Do you hear
nothing? Listen; net voice, not whisper
cumes to tell US whether they yet live. "A h
nature--whereis thy proof? Look around--turn
away from the grave. Look upon the beauti-
full leaves OF the forest tree. See them wave
and tremble in the breeze. How beautiful!
you exclsim. Yet they fade and fall and die.
Ged gives them no resurrection. Look at that