The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1873-07-08
gHisefl1anr.
HEAVEN.


Il ev. Henry Ward Eseecher's idea
| or the "Land of the Hereafter.r
The following is from a report of Mr.,
Beecher's sermon in Plymouth church
last Sunday:
Remarking, with glance through
the windows, upon the clear, delightful
brightness of the first morning of sum-
mer, that it was good time to talk
about heaven when the very tranquility
and sereneness of the scene was a SYM
Ehal Of the peace and order that we shall
Il hSEAia heaven, Mr. Beechar conf ined the
fideas OF his sermon Yesterday morning
to the one topic Of the future world, ,and
the people who live there. Taking his
text from the Revelations, he referred
to the belief popular among SO many
that there is an intermediate, probation-
ary state between existence here and
life in what is regarded as heaven, and
said that his own feeling was that after
death the soul rises Immediately into
the presence Of God, for if there was
any intermediate place we should have
some conclusive testimony of it some
where in the Bible; and. he quoted the
passage: "When the dead shall rise, all
the living at the time shall 60 with them
and be in the presence of their Father -
SO that it would plainly appear that there
| is no intermediate camping ground
where the soul can wait until it is better
prepared to inherit eternal life. That
idying is an entrance at once into heav-
en-. every person may have reasonable
presumption for believing. And this
theory of the entrance of believing souls
into heaven Immediately after death
does not forego that idea of an unfold
| ing process, which, though not proba-
tional, is yet gradual and gradational.-
On this point positiveness should be
avoided, but there is an illustration in
the 22d Of Matthew which shows the
lsoundness of the idea. This was an
ILLUSION to the proposition made to
Christ Of a woman who was seven times
married, and at last died, the question
occurring as to whose wife she should
be of the seven. Christ says: ''Ye do
err, not knowing the Scriptures or the
power Of God, for in the resurrection
Ithey neither marry nor are given in
marriage, but are as the angels of God''
which is condition, added Mr.. Beeeher,
totally different from that which prevails
on earth. The passions which continue
the race, hunger and thirst which supply
the body with food and drink, and The
eombative tendencies which earth in
spires, shall be wanting there. When
1--we leave this body we leave many burnt
Eeut passions and appetites, There is
lpo propagation of race there; there is
I1o hunger or thirst; there is no fight
ling or jealousy. Why, then, should we
possess those functions of the body
. that we have no need of?-and the
preacher cited st. Pauls declaration
that we shall not carry our earthly
bodies through into the other world
We shall have bodies that will not be
feeting, and yet which will identify us
We shall there have the affections and
the thoughts of the mind which do no'
belong to brutehood
/ Speaking of the point of goodness tc
which one must, or rather must not
necessarily arrive, Mr.. Beecher said
9l"I can conceive of men whose work
here is covered all over with faults, and
unfit, when dying, for even The better
part of society on earth, who can OBJ
tain entrance into heaven, and though
their place there shall be lowly-and
| there is an infinite distance between the
top and bottom degrees Of spiritual ad
| vapcement-yet they will rise with 6
rapidity not known on earth into pnrel
latitudes, and the rude, inchoate nature
may thus always have a starting point
in heaven; for there is room there fol
the lowest. Like the seed forty feet be
low the surface of the ground, which
never sprouts, when the well is dug ant
! the earth thrown out into the warmth
and under the showers they will catcf
the impetus of divine life, and rise to {
glorious development"