The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1879-07-22

and within shree minutes more the
spirit Of George kappeen Smith was
''lif,ei up" high rs Heaven!
Thus he died in peace ut the close
IT his three score aud fifteenth year,
leaving his family the priceless legacy
of good name, to the church the
influence Of a christian character, and
to the poor the sweet memory Of q
kind benefactOr.
i wish now to come to my text.
Some men preach from the text, but
| desire to preach to mine to-day.
What il to be understood by the
exp' ession, Dead ? Dues it mean .
ceasing to he or going into nonen-
tity !? The old Greeks were very
good Mt giving names. They saw
when person died there was not that
sparkle Of the eye nor the glow Of the
cheek (; weigh the b~ly and it
weighed rs much rs it ever did, and
still u change had taken place the
>piri: was gone. As Tennyscn says:
Life and thought hal gone away.
SHE by s',te,
Leaving door and winsiow wide,
Careless tenants they.
The Greeks called the abode of the
spirit Hades or the unseen world.
Their idea Of death was that it was
u separation of the spirit from the
i.dy Separation is the fundamental
idea Of death in all the vast domain Of
nature. The dead plant. Is one whose
chemical parts have been resolved
hack into their original elements aud
it il in no sense . going into nonen-
tity. and there j. just rs much in the
universe after the plant died as there
was before. In death, therefore, the
spirit g"es to God who gave it and
the bUly is resolved back into its
original elements to earth,
ashes tn ashes and dust to dust.
Death is the enemy Of all men /; it
is said to be the king OF terrors and
certainly it is the terror Of kings ; it
is the last enemy to be destroyed. II
q man die shall he live again ? is a
question that finds q response in
every human breast this has been
the question "f the centuries AMI some
have answered in one way AMI some in
,n"ther. The Jew. while he had some
i.lca If the Immortality Of the soul,
never could answer this question
intelligently. for it was brought I"
light through the gsspel.
Socrates the great Greek philosopher
believed in the Immortality If the
soul. for when condemned to die he
treated it as something altogether
Indifferent. rs "death" he says ''is
only q change Of place fr"M this
w"rll into another :" and yet he was
not entirely persuaded Of the truth Of
this. for he saws '.leath il only q
change "f place j the things we kaue
hNarf are true
M inti.lel can answer this question
satisfactorily tn himself. Pardon an
incident give just here in connocti"n
with Robt. Owen. the great Scntch
infidel and father Of Robert Dale
Owen Of Katy King npeoriety. He
came to New Orleans a4 challenged
tho entire clergy 81 that city for q dis
cussion Of the evidences Of christianity,
hut none Of them accepted his chal-
lenge. Hec ,me to Cincinnati and made
the same challenge, and president a.
Campbell, Of Bethany College. Vii.
ginia, consented to meet this gifted
man in . discussion Of the evidences
Of christianity. Mr.. Owen went 70
Bethany to arrange for the discussion
and while there he and Mr.. Campbell
were walking one dav in the family
l'urying grouds. While reading the
epitaphs ON the marble slabs Mr..
Owen remarked to Mr.. Campball
that I'VE infislels are not like you
christians We have no fear in death"
Mr.. T.. paused for . moment then
replie.l: "YOu say you have no tear
in death; now tell me have you any
hope in death?" Mr.. Owen cast hm
eyes tn the ground and stood for .
moment then answered. "No!" "then."
said Mr.. Campbell. printing his long
bony hand in q whitening sarcastic
way: "YOu are Just like that OF
which has grazed upon the green
sws~l and has slaked his Thirst ut
the little brook that ripples BY and
is nov resting beneath the cool shade
Of that great tree. He has neither fear
nor hope in death" God forbid that
any in this large audience to-day
should 80 answer this question.
Hear again the language Of Mr..
Ingersoll as he stO0d over his brother,
when he lay hushed in his dreamless
sleep: I'VE strive in vain to look
beyond the heights. We cry aloud and
the Orly answer is the echo If our
wailing cry" Contrast this with the
language OF Christ. Il am the resurec-
ton and the life he that believeth in
me though he were dead yet shall he
live again and he that livieth and
believeth i'm me shall never die. Death
is . blessing because it brings tn the
weary holy. troubled heat, and tired
brain, q season Of rest.
When the eye has grown dim apd
the heart has grown weary With
waiting and We stand trembling On the
verge Of the tomb. then it is We
anxiOusly desire that bourne where
the wicked cease from troubling and
the weary are at rest. A., Iin our
gosxl works do not die with us. and
in these We may live on. ''ouly re-
membercd by what we have done.
Death is a blessing because il - the
only way to the inheritance Of the
measures laid up FIR Us in Heaven,
aud God is continually laying up
treasures for " there. In taking
these loved ones he is swaying our
snuls heavenwanl. In the death Of
Gen Smith Heaven has a new at