New-York tribune., 1879-06-02
THE PROBLEM or FUTURE LIFE.


A SERMON BY THE REV ROBERT COLLIER.
1IIE REAL TROUBLE OF THIS LFE-IIs REASON
ABLgSEss-How IT ALL ARRASGEs ITSELF.
The Rev. Robert Collyer, OF the Church of
the Unity Chicago preached Yesterday morning ana
evening at the Church the Messiah, az Parkavc ana
Thirty-iourtb-st The congregation was large HIS
text in the morning from Job, XIV, Ia; III man
die shale live again ?" and John. XIV l. your
hearts be troubled Ye believe in Goa, believe also IN
No"
1t is a real trouble TO the most OF US, SAID the
smoker 10 imagine ourselves out Of the body. but still
the same men and wOmcn severed forever from tbe
world c 1--we in yet st in home which VIII BE- home
1Lc ami welcome And think this touch OF trouble Is
entirely natural, because we are IN Dody
and belong TO the life that man is, ana
find that in proportion to the wealth Of
our human lfe is this deep loyalty to things we can
touch and see. In the poor, thin shadow left TO a
man turned ninety years, this loyalty TO the world IN
which he fingers Ike Tosted apple on tree In Janu-
ary can be no morr than memory or an instinct but
to those feel this pain ncst potently It rs clear '
teigenoo which they give good reason We love
this best and do not want TO give IL up no mater what
may be waiting IN the better life TO come
Nor do think this trouble is met again by the per
petugl xhortaton consider these conditions OF our
human life many encimbranecs tlat we orsh' To
shake off for Won can see quite easily that The who
have the hest mark have had the ahOuudine
human hfc Nctberis TINS trouble met by TIE suEecs-
tious men make out of certain despair, that we sh3.
In INTO the ufinitc life losing our identity M
inat mystery ont Of when we came. No ono thing
in this universe he Of u deeper moment
~ whole man than his own proper pe soual life Nav
the very angels weH enough, but be would not be
an angel Nor would hc he Abraham, OF Moses, or Jon'
solved tire problem OF s personal identity, Hud
wnu no; nave resolved INTO Tie grandeSt presence
that trod The earth This seems 10 b. Of ali things
far as between God and mau. Now it seems clear To
IN that this claim Is founded IN far reason We hold
this right to the account come out square on TINS
simple ground Il on 40 oiLcr
The solution OF the problem, continued the preacher.
lies has always lam. IN the Gospels and ~ our
power 20 catch their noble meaning ana make the truih
IL, Hey iiap aI.o m Mc lie could net mean believe in Me
nccalse anu Cod bat because am one of you and
Him an as deep IN ife as you can be and love
troubled. We DO not leave one room FOR another. !
shall be Myself after death as certainly rs
keep Those loye now snail love forever Those that
belong 70 Ne now VIII DgonS 10 Ne thcn. on. iy
simply pass ont Of the shadows oi The seen and tenn
What we can rest who trust these cd sin PIE Cos
n,Is and believe m Jcsus Clrist as the most humau
being the world has known, and therefore the most
thr is ioucnng us with IFS long chill shadows Bat thus
is not true believe IN great trGc brother
believe in God. We know enough TO keep the heart from
rouIr and this is iust what We need TO know because
if is Tie heart that has to bear the burden and
loves and Iikugs the things which cable Us TO the
world We live in TIE head gives way.
no, lc as II seems TO me- III meta physics as men Ike
Joseph Cook would have us imagine, evolution or the
correlation the force ca!l our iic far II can
now be traced in specific speculation, even In the
ascertaned vcTities OF philosophy. Nor does 1t lie In
the charms Oi the mystIcs and ahcAoltes VINO grow
thin and poor in their perpetual Fcrapng
| away the walls OF these tabcrnac!es ana
Their contempt Of the things God called very
good when He made them, II lies where II has always
lain n the truth ~ in Jesus CI-t. who assures
We cannot what l. worthy the loYe or the common
purpose. l. Is all stored mp for TIE eternal
life, toward which We are tending That Gns
separate personal HE We si1ke cat here
IS struck oU forever; and what makes q Of most worth
must always be OF most moment IhTfe VIZ an oi,
well at winch | used 10 drink when was boy. !
Thought there was no well like II In the wuTli-cear
brown watcI, distilled from the inOats. on@ed To
drink again at mat well through all the years yco IN
Bethlehem. went back az last ana drank deep of u,
but the water did taste quite 50 sweet
| as expected. went again and just put
old memories went again last summer. An old reas-
ant woman filling her pitcher there began toaSk
her about the life .hgt with my once, and
wealth OF things pngcd u know or NE ana Death hui-
row aud Joy shadow ana shine. touching and pathrc,
OF thcm beyond imagination; TOOK up her lltfhcr
and went nome, ana went ny way Win wei t3t ,'aiu
was ever go far the old well before brthUuEIt me
had wet my lips this time. did not care any
more for the sweet hazel-brOwn Wattr-I had
80, / suppose II VIII be when We bave done
with the earth aud time. We shall not for the
teTiai environments, DO not now for that free
flowing water. Aud 30 u viii be concluded Mr. COyer,
IN the eternal world. All have aud ali an Will pass
in uobler forms. Those love here shall love there.
The fine gold of my life will be pure from the drOss.
stands. let heart rest upon this Christ who sad,
"Iet not your hearts be troubled" The whole wealth
of what We gather here is ours aud ours forever.
"And all Is well, though ialth and form
BE sounded ia the night Of fear.
Well rOaTs the storm 60 those that hear
The deeper voice across the storm"