Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-11-29

save the ocean and sky, and in the sign
OF freedom lifts up the standard calling
on all the ends Of the earth to look up to
Il. The fourth open door is that OF re-
ligiJn. OF all things our relation with
the infinite must be the least susceptible
of Enclosure, prescription, and dOgmat-
ism. And yet, by a singular trayesty
aud perversion, no line OF thought in
cludes 80 much despotic authenticity on
one side, and such weak and AFFECT
mental action on the other. This should
be no longer allowed. There Is a
tendency in man to assume monopoly
of the knowledge OF the divine truth
and favor, and handing everybody else
over to Satanic supervision. Many one
virtually says: Believe as I believe, or
you are blasphemers, acting against
God, and doomed TO perdition.' Each
political party claims to monOpolize all
the patriotism and wisdom, and there
are parties in religion who assume that
all everlasting safety is found in their
CLIQUE, while the other sects are heretics,
sure to be damned. The great Roman
church declares itself the sole depository
OF everything holy in the dogmas ritual
of the church, orthodox and heterodOx,
christian and pagan. The teachings Of
God are the power from God 10 forgive
and renew man. None have a mOnOpO-
ly Of the most essential boons Of the
Great Father; that which is common to
all is essential; that which is character
istic of few is unessential. Their agree
ments are divine, their dissensiOns dia-
bolic. There is no possible valid mOnOp-
oily in any sect or party Of the true sub
stance of morality, and the fellowship
Of divinity, or the passport to heaven.
There is yet set before us the open door
of death. A perverse theology has tried
to make US look on death Is horrid
calamity-as the penalty Of sin; but
clearly it was part Of nature from the
first, long before man appeared to COM
NIT sin. All the races that existed be-
fore man died, therefore the sin Of
Adam was not the cause Of death. Death
is no evil. Since God is an infinitely
benignant spirit, death, which makes us
free spirits, brings us 80 much nearer to
his likeness. Death, truly considered,
is Observation-Disclosures from the
loads and storms; rest-rest from the
tolls and contests; release-release from
rigoTs and anxious forebodings. God be
thanked for that blessed door and open
way of death. When misfortune, dis
ease, agony and old age have done their
sad work on us, how gladly we 90
through this open door into the myste-
rious hereafter. Lacordaire, the most
eloquent man that christendOm has seen
for five hundred years, when dying, as
he lifted his cruciix from his pallet, his
great soul burdened with the trials of
earth, expressed this desire in his part
ing words: open to me; open to me-
To die, then, in the proper time is no
curse, but g blessed privilege, and we
ought to be grateful that it is out of the
power of any man to shut this open
door OF our deliversnce. One more open
door which God has set before US is the
door of heaven. OF many earthly goods
and privileges man may make close
corporations, but beyond the con-
fines Of the earthly he cannot
grasp and hold. In the mother uni
verse all is free. In my fathers
house are many mansions and all the
doors are open. Spirit is indestructible;
no technical belief or gift can shut the
open door of an immortality which the
impartial hand of God has set before his
children; a constant stream of the re-
ieved ones is passing, ever passing
through this pathway to the peace, bles-
sedness, and ease of their PaTadisal
uolnes OOu D6 tuAuhSu lOI liliS ldSL anu
best door, and let us live and prove wOr-
thy Of the high privilege, drawing in
SEPARATION when we are weary, comfort
when we mourn and are sad. Nature,
man, society, religion, death and heaven
are the avenues which never can be
closed to the realms Of joy and pleasure,
where no monopoly can rob US Of one
iota Of our own-where the Creator, God,
lives with open doors, in unbounded
hberality and 'unexampled prOfusiOn of
grace. He can well support such gener-
GUS gifts, since the limits Of his house
being commensurate with the confines
Of the universe, nothing can be lost
from it. Let Us thank God the Father
that the doors of his cosmic house are
always open, not only to the elect but
70 the prodigal also. Some enter
through one, some through another, but
all Leading 10 that boauing region WneTe
the transient CLEANS of truth and glory
we have known here shall be seen in all
their 0loryu