Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-05-17

CONDUCTED BY
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
tOriginal.l
HEAVENLY RECOGNITION.

bers of the human family, are often very close
and intimate. Still, every earthly relation
ship is liable to be dissolved at any moment
Some time or other, the tie which binds every
member of the human family to any other
member of the race, will be broken. Death
sewers the bond which unites husband and wife,
parent and child, brother and sister, and
every other bond. The question springs up
in the mind, will all these earthly relations
cease forever to exist at death, or will they
be revived at the resurrection and continue to
exist throughout an endless eternity? In
other words will those who are friends in this
world, recognize each other in heaveni Near
ly all that has been said or written on this
subject may, with great propriety, be put
down under the head of vague speculation.
1t is not, however, sinful to think and talk
about this subject On the contrary, it may
be so improved as to result in great good.
In our reflections on Heavenly Recogni-
tion," we should remember that by far the
greater number of relationships which exist
between members of the human family, cease
to exist at DEATH In the next world there
will be no husbands, no wives, no fathers, no
mothers, no sons, no daughters. This state
ment may startle some; but we think it is
Scriptural Under the Jewish economy, it
was regulation that when man died with
out children, his brother was required to
marry his widow and raise up seed to his de-
ceased brother. For the regulation on this
subject, see Deut. xxv:5.
During the time that our Saviour was upon
earth, there was religious sect among the
Jews called Sadducees They denied the
resurrection. Some of them-no doubt their
leaders-came to Jesus and stated this case {:
There were seven brothers in certain COM
muuity. The oldest married and died, leav-
ing his wife widow. She, according to the
regulation referred to above, became the wife
of the second brother. The second brother
died and the woman became the wife of the
third brother. Thus the thing continued
until all seven of the brothers married her
and died. Finally, the woman died. The
Sadducees, for the purpose of entrapping the
Saviour, asked him whose wife the woman
would be regarded in the resurrection? Let
it be remembered, that the only object the
Sadducees had in view was to make the doc
trine of the resurrection, which the Saviour
taught, appear, as they supposed, absurd.
Our Saviour answered the question of these
Sadducees, by telling them that they did not
understand the Scriptures. That is, they did
not understand what the Bible taught con-
cerning the resurrection. One of their errors
was in supposing that in the resurrection,
there would be either husbands or wives. In
the resurrection, each of the seven brothers
would be raised up, not as husband, but as
a man. The woman who had been the wife
of seven husbands, and these all brothers,
and at last died being widow, would be
raised up neither as wife nor as widow,
but as q woman. See Matthew, xii 23-31.
We think it is scarcely possible that we are
mistaken in our Interpretation of this pas
sage of Scripture, and if not, we may conclude
that in the next world there will be no hus-
bands, no wives, no parents and no children:
We do not mean, as any one will see, that the
persons who were husbands, wives, parents or
children, will cease to exist at death but that
the relationships which are denoted by the
words husband, wife, parents, children, will
| cease forever at death.
The marriage law, as laid down and ex-
planned by our Saviour, confirms the view
taken above. Under Old Testament dispen-
satioD, both polygamy and divorce we're per-
mitted. In his wisdom, God permitted both
these sinful practices to remain among the
children of Israel, although he never ap-
proved of either; and both we're the source
of much evil. Under the New Testament
dispensatiop, neither are permitted; but both
are forbidden. See Matthew v:32; and
Mark x:4-13 Fornication, adultery and
polygamy, are all forbidden by the Saviour.
Now Paul, in 1st Corinthians, vii 80, says :
"The wife is bound by the law as long as her
husband liveth; but if her husband be dead,
she is at liberty to be married to whom she
will only in the Lord" The same is true
respecting the husband. When his wife dies,
he is at liberty to be married to whom he
will only in the Lord. This being the case,
it follows that when a woman's husband dies,
she is no longer married woman, but a wild
ow; and when mans wife dies, he is no Ion
ger married man, but widower. In other
words, death breaks up the marriage relation.
Were this not the case, then it would be i'm
possible to reconcile the passages of Scripture
referred to. Every widower who marries
again would be the husband of two wives
one living the other dead.
1t will be admitted by all civilized people,
that there is no relationship amongst members
of the human family so intimate and so i'm
portant, as that which is denoted by the
words, husband and wife. 1t is the founda-
ton upon which is laid all civil government
and social relationships. Destroy the mar
riage relation, and the words father and moth
er, brother and sister, cease to have any mean.
ing. The human family are degraded to a
level with the beasts of the 6eld-without a
home and without a country. We conclude
that if the marriage relationship ceases to ex-
ist at death, every other earthly relationship
also ceases If, in the resurrection, they neith'
er marry nor are given in marriage, then all
those relationships which are confessedly Of
less Importance and less intimate, will not
exist.
Heavenly recnpnition then. in the sense