Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-09-14
NEW SERIES. NO. 326

God; l will sit also upon the mount of {
congregation, in the sides of the north
will ascend above the heights of the clout
| will be like the Most High. Yet th,
shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides
the pit"
l have sometimes drawn a mental Co
trast between the entrance into the unsee
world of this Nsbuchsdnezzlr king
Babylon, and the Apostle Paul. The higl
est shade of earthly exaltation had bee
reached by the one; and the greatest degrs
of human suffering was voluntarily born
by the other. When the former diet
Hell from beneath was moved to mec
him at his coming" with jeers and execrs
tons. When the latter, may we not i'm
agine that myriads arose to call hin
blessed, who had turned them "from dark
ness to light, and from the power of Sa
tan unto Godf" Oh, let me die the deatI
Of the righteous, and let my last end b,
like his
1t must be added that strong motiv,
existed for the course pursued by thu
Apostle Paul. "The love of Christ con.
straineth u.s." says he. That is, the low
Of Christ carries usaway az a stream not t.
be resisted. This "loye of Christo ma,
have two applications. Our author al
luded, doubtless to that love which
prompted our Lord Jesus Christ voluntari.
ly to subject Himself to humiliation and to
death for man. And he referred, likewise,
to that love generated in the heart OF
every one who appreciated the love oil
God in bestowing upon the world the IN.
speakable gift of His own Son to be his re.
deemer and his saviour. ave love Him
because He first loved u.s." How can such
a life az PauPs be avoided by any one IN.
der the influence of such motive?
Another thought is presented in this
passage hat deserves also our special at
tention. "The love Of Christ constrainelh
US, because we thus judge. that if one died
for all, then were all dead" The word
"for" is here equivalent to "instead Of"
The thought then will be that, our Lord
Jesus Christ died instead of all men; 10
the place Of all men. The question, from
the beginning, seems toshavs been: Shall
the human race perish by death, or shall
Gods own Son surrender himself to death
for the life of the world? Shall man, in
other words, be forbidden ID live, since
the wages of sin is death, or shall a sub
stitute for human death be found in the
voluntary death of our Lord Jesus Christ?
No man can account for human life other
wise than by means Of this and other
similar utterances of the sacred volume.
This is what is meant when we are told
that our Lord tasted death for-ihat is
instead of every man." "God was in
Christ recOneiling the world unto Himself
not imputing their trespasses unto
HEM" The free gift came upon
all men to justification of life" etc. Sur
geons sometimes resort to TRANSMISSION: that
is, they take blood from a strong and
healthy arm and force it into the veins of
8 fainting dying patient; and thus the life,
which is in the blood, is transferred from
one to another. This is the light in which
view that grand transaction in which the
life Of the Son of God was transferred to
man, and hence man lives. | would not
intimate that simple human existence il
he result Of this transaction. 1t was like
wise expiaiing. Our Lord 6ied that "Hs
night pat away sin by the sacrifice of
Himself" "He who knew no ain was
made to ain for u.s." Gle is the propi i.-
ion for our mas we'll as "for the sins
If the whole world" Upon this theme
however l cannot now dilate.
Paul tells as in this passage, further,
THAT results to man from this Divine ar
"That those who live"
by means of our Lords death
81 should not hsucefarth live
INTO themselves, but to Him who died
for them and rose again" The grand OBJ
iect, then, of permitting man to live was
to give him an opportunity to serve God,
and, ia these last days, to become dis
ciple of the Son of God. Man is thus in
Vited to return from his Wanderings; to
obtain through the name of the Son of
God the remission of his aims, and that
Divine spirit which is the Inest of our
inheritance until the redemption of the
body from the grave.
Let me ask: Is the grand object for
which life is allowed you, being met? Are
Tou making that use Of life which the d
zine Goodness requires? If not, you live
a vain. / wish it were in my power to
make this magnificent passage appear to
Tou in all its native brilliancy-A thous-
md fold greater than that in which it
hines in the very imperfect sketch of it
hat has been now submitted. But must
conclude by few words in reference to
he occasion that has called US together.
1t is not my province to speak of our
departed friend as q public man. Some
me more addicted to public affairs, ard
,etter acquainted with them than myself
must be his biographer az a patriot and
statesman. j can speak of him only as
man, whom il was my happiness for
more than forty years, to know and TO
Idmire. The illustrious dead had reached
lis three score years and ten. Some three
rears since, his lease of life had expired,
md he enjoyed the very great privilege
If passing his last days in the quiet retire.
nent of paradise-like home, and in the
BOSOM Of family that loved and sppre-
lated him, and that consider these three
Tears the happiest and most profitable OF
heir lives. Drawing upon the stores Of
lis vast attalnments, he edited them daily
,y reading and conversation upon htera.
", political and scientific subjects, and
specially upon religious topics drawn
rom the Bible-his constant compan-
on. His last days were not those
IF philosopher simply, but of
l great and good man who had done the
work of life, and had quietly Withdrawn
from its hustle and turmoil, to spend his
last hours in meditating upon things d.
vine. How great blessing does he enjoy
who has treasured up in his memory such
early impressions as he shall wish to
cherish when about to die! The immense
of Mr.. Bell was q refuge for
thought for himself, and pleasure and de.
light to his family circle, the members Of
which revealed, as he did, in the transac-
tions Of the past, impressed so wildly GA
his retentiVe memory,
Mr., Bell was a member of the First
Presbyterian Church, and was a regular
in that church. he has nov
closed his eyes upon all things earthly, and
we trust has opened them upon world OF
light and glory. May it be our happiness
to walk in the footsteps Of those who,
" thro' fidelity and patience, have inherit
ed the promises" 80 that when our earthly
life shall close, an entrance may be minis
tered unto us abundantly into the everlast-
ing kingdom Of cur Lord and SAVER Jesus
Christ r' -
The discourse being concluded, the
Rev. John II. Rice addressed prayer to
the Throne of Grace, and the Benediesion
was pronounced by Rev. Mr.. Fall.
Opposite the southern Portico on Cedar
street, the military escort of infantry and
cavalry, under command Of Gen. Lowell
aAd stat, had formed, and the magnificent
hearse drawn by sixIwhite horses stood to
receive the casket. As the bells again
commenced to peal their requiem, the
body was lifted by the pall-bearers and
borne from the chamber, and the immense
assembly retired in procession. The
funeral train composed Of the milf
tary and citizens in the order here
tofore announced by the Committee o.
ARRANGEMENTS. was found by the Msrshals