The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-11-02
SERMON.
yne I1ices Of the Dead.+
By IRVING A. sEARLEs.


fore paul penned these words Abel offered unto
God = sacrifice. He offered it in faith, and
God accepted il. Afterwards he is murdered
nv his own brother For untold centuries Abel
has been in his grave, and no one could now
point on. his final resting place; but Paul says
of hun. Being dead yet speaketh." What
speaking after the grave has held him for thou
sands o. wears Yes, though long dead, down
through all the centuries OF the past the voice
OF Abel sounds.
Our theme this evening, thus introduced, is
1.-THE Volces Of the Dead" shall not speak
OF the immortality that shall be ours IN the
next world but the Immortality that is ours IN
this world. The former we all admit, but the
latter is truth less frequently recognized. l
aim 70 show that so far as our existence In thi s
world is concerned, IL very great sense, we
never die.
/, we do not speak here in some way after
death. then our life. as regards Its influence
upon his world is OF but little moment. Plac-
ing the average length OF human life at thirty
three years. and deductlng one-fourth OF this
Tor sleep. leaves rs about twenty-five years to
work ont the mission that has been given us.
Shall our voice be heard in this world for only
Twenty-Five years.
There is little insect that comes into life
at the rising OF the sun. 1t can be seen only
with the microscope. Though small how
exauisitelv that creature Is formed. Its eye,
it's wing. Is faultlessly constructed. Nature
seems 10 have expended all her skill in the for
nation of that creature. But al the going
AL
marvel at this, and say why should Nature have
thus wrought TO perfect creature that is 10
live only few hours, from sunrise TO sunset :
Bnt II Man, endowed with mind, with soul,
with capabilities, that link him to the throne OF
God, is III twenty-five years to finish bis infu'
ence in this world. how much greater Is tue
marvel Ii seems necessary. in the nature OF
things. that our voice should be heard for
longer time than the twenty-five years that we
are here In person.
Then we know that 1t is truth OF science
that much in this world eau never be annlhl
lated Not particle OF matter can be annihi-
lated. hold in my hand pencil. Can you
annihlate it You put it III the fire and II ID
consumed, but is it annihilated? There are the
ashes which it has produced. You have changed
Its form but YOU have not annihilated the mat
ter OF which 1t was composed. Y on place the
pencil III = glass jar partially filled with
acid. seal that jar securely. Upon placing
the pencil IN the jar weigh the whole. Wait
until the acid has consumed the pencil and then
weigh again the jar and Its contents, and you
will find it TO be Of the same weight. Nothing
has been lost. The pencil you can no longer
see. but the matter that composed it still ex-
ists Again we say its form is changed but
it Is not annihilated.
After heavy shower the farmer going over
his lands hnds that the brook in the field is
filed to OVERLOOKING. He says, there is plenty
OF water for my stock. 4 few weeks pass and
the farmer again visits that field and hnds
where once flowed the brook, nothing but
dry, gravely bed Has the water OF that stream
been annihiated? The thirsty earth drank
some OF that water. The sun spoke to that
stream and changed the water into yapor and
thus formed the clouds. Napor is water that
has changed it's form and become air, and
clouds are made OF yapor. BY and by that
water VIII descend again III the form OF rain,
So lhat stream Was not apnlhilsted-it had
merely changed It's form.
Bring hther grain OF sand and We can defy
the hole world OF scientists to put that gram
OF sand on. OF existence. 1t canno; be done.
Iheie Is no power on earth that can annihIlate
that Tiny particle OF matter
What = Iue OF matter itself IS true Of the
forces OK nature. on bRye heard OF the law
IN SCIENCE known as the " Conservation of
Forces" Tins means that 40 force ever ceases
to exist. iele is the old oak tree. Force was
exertsd as soon as he acorn attempted TO send
its tiny rootleta into the coil. Those roots as
they grew forcing their way hitler and thither
through the hard earth. exerted immense pow
or. Force was exerted in raising the trunk
force was exerted IN the going forth OF every
limb OF every twig of every leaf. The oak
reaches maturity and dies. The storm felis il
TO the ground. The tree itself is gone, but the
force used in It's development win never cease
to exia, That force will now manifest itself in
other directions.
In this bouquet before nee are beautiful
flowers Not one Of these flowers came to
maturity but as the result Of force. The growth
OF the plant inch by inch, the putting forth of
every bud the appearance OF every leaf and
flower decays and passes away, but the force
that was thus exerted in it is not annihilated.
Ii merely seeks new channels Of operation,
neB feds Of manifestation.
Is X 10. reasonable TO suppose that among
the things of earth THAT cannot be annhated
tue human life should be numbered?
We aow suggest some OF the ways in which
the dead yet speak to us:
1. TIE dead speak in the localities made
sacred by their memory. The tourist in Eng
land must visit Westminster Abbey. Why does
he 80 ther8i Why is that scene Of interest |?
IL there a living person there whom he desires
TO see ? Not one. But there lie buried Eng
lands poets, sagessand heros, Her kings and
her queene are there Her dukes, her lords
and her noOlemen are there. There slumbers
Addison, the Duke OF Wellington. Lord Nelson,
and all who stand high on England's roll Of
honor. Westminster Abbey is OF interest to
the tourist because OF the Voices Of the Dead
WHY does the American love to pay visit 10