Daily Republican., 1881-11-02
WE ALL MUST DIE,
sermon Preached BY rev. Adam
ste"gie ON the Death Of William
j. Primer,

ste"gie ON the Death Of william
j. Pnrner.
The memorial services of william j
Purner, promine..t member of Uniol
M. +. Church, and also prominen
member of Fairfax Lodge, |. .. o. Il.
were held III the church mentioned las
sunday, the Lodge TO which deceased
belonged aud oJhvr members of the o rdel
attending the services in body in the
regaIia OF the order. Mr.. Srengle took
his text tiom Psalms 10th chapter
II verse "Precious in the sight OF the
L)rd is tha death of his saints" and
followed it with the following remarks
We all must die. This announce,
ment would be very startling if we had
never heard it before but we have
heard 1t so often that it falls like a
meaningless sound upon our ears. And
Yet it is true, however careIessly we
may receive it. And it is also equally
true that II is mot all Of death To die. -
There is universal and immutAble
law OF nature requiring all organic mat
ter to undergo very radical changes in
the character and form Of its organiza
tion aud existence. Every material OBJ.
Jcct has Its period Of rise or ,rogress, OF
decline and uI transformation into some
other form. Even tho "everlasting
hills are not exempt from the demand,
OF this inexoraDIe law. The vegetable
and the animal are Of the DUST and re-
turn to the dust again. Especially is
II written OF man "Dust thou art and
unto dust shalt thou return"
Nothing else is 50 universally expect.
ed ana Dire sled. Not dreaded solely be-
cause of the pain OF dying, nor because
OF the severance ut ties most sacred aud
dear as lite self, but because OF the
universal expectation Of a great here
after. Nature suggests that death is
not the enJ vi existence but simply the
change OF form AID location. Tho vege-
table dies and returns to dust and
through Its tertlihng properties it lives
i'll next years plant, lhe Bible expli-
citly declare, there shall be resurrec.
ton Of me dead Hence, it is both ma
tural and right that men should feel
some concern with regard to IT,
Aud even tod does not regard the
death OF mankind wilhout emotion.
His glury and pleasure are greatly
affected Uy every death Of u h2man be-
ing.
He has "no pleasure in the death of
the wicked which means displeasure.
fhe Judge mas no pleasure in having
the criminal brought before him to be
sentenced, and often the hard-hearted
old lawyer wecps bitterly when pro-
sentence Of death. Neither is
1t any pea ure to God to have death
present the impenltent sinner before
Him To receive he sentence: depart,
Nc. God would have more pleasure il
circumstances were such that He could
say Come thou blessed, &c"
But every death is not painful to
Him. The text suggests that God is
deeply Interested in the death of His
people Let us consider
WHAT IS DEAyH?
l. Is not suffering. Frequently per-
sons endure the most eICruClating
pains and ye. recover. Indeed it is
very probable that the dying really
suffer very little, az nature seems kind
ly to render them unconscious, OF at
least in measure insensible to pain.
Beside death frequently ensues without
even premouitory pang.
Nor is 1t emaclatlon. "A person may
be reduced to mere skeleton and yet
recover while the corpulent dies.
Nor is it exhaustion. A man may be
80 weak as to be scarcely able to breathe,
and yet recover, while the strong is
overcome.
Nor is it annihilation. Indeed there
is no annihilatlon known to US in Ma
ture. The water may be apparently
consumed by the fire, yet it will exist III
the flying cloud in the sky.
" hat then is it? 1t is the separation
Of tho body and spirit, Then shall the
dust return to dust as it was, and the
spirit shall return unto God who gave
it, 1t is the moving out Of the ten
ant, the house gees down and the tenant
goes up And to the Saint death Is
gain. Then,
WHAT Is A SAINT?
! isa human being, not an Angel,
but all human beings are by no means
SAINTS. What then constitutes person
Saint? 1t does not consist in possess
,ions Of wealth, honor, etc. Neither
does dong, abstrac:ly, render man
Saint, The rich man probably did and
gave more than Lazarus and yet he
tailed to be Saint. Nor does canonlza-
ZION by the Church constitute a saint.
A Catholic would probably answer
our question by pointing to the throng
his church has canonized, yet all her
saints were dead before they were thus
Sainted. But our text supposes living
saints, in this world. Saintship Is not
to have, but something to
be. 1t is to be Godllke to have his
mind, disposition or spirit. According
to the New Testament all Christians
are Saints. The word means sacred
or sanctitied one. There are now in the
World saints as much so and as good
~ ever st. Paul and st. Peter were. A
Saint is "a Christian and a Christian Is a
follower of Christ.
HOW GOD REGARDS THE DEATH 9
SUCH A PERSON.
1t is precious, valuable. Men see
ii'phihS IISSAouo III ~ 'Ai'y A'S"tu ~ do
q loss, as a calamity. The death of a
bad man would perhaps be a gain to
the world, but not 50 with the death of
a Saint.
But in Gods sight 1t is precious
event, because it introduces the saint
to his final home. Your child at school
is az much your child as it will be when
it comes home, but you will have
pleasure in having it at home that you
can't have now. So the saint will be no
IL ore u child of God after death than
before, but he will be a child at home
And death is Gods carriage to bring
him home "But it is dreadful" That
depends on whether you view this drive
in Gods carriage, from the point of de-
parture or arrival. There are tears here
but Joy there.
1t is the saints graduation. This
world Is a college to prepare us for
higher lifs. The graduating pro cess
may be trying ordeal to the child, it
may have doubts and fears, and yet it Is
q desirable event and precious to the
hopeful parent. So'death will liberate