Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1883-10-18
&eadiuq fur the Sabbath.
CONDUCTED BY
REV, ROBERT LATHAM.
[Original.J
DEATH.


One of the departments of theological
science is called eschatoloqy, or the doctrine
of last and final things. In this department
is embraced death, the resurrection, the final
Judgment and the future state. Death,
which stands frstin the order, is used in the
Scriptures in three-fold sense. 1st, 1t
means the separation of the soul and body:
2nd, 1t means the separation of mans soul
from the quickening spirit of life, and 3rd,
it means shutting man out from the favor
and friendship of God and exposing him to
the wrath and curse of Almighty God.
1t is of death, in its first sense, that it is
proposed to write. Man isa complex being,
part material and part spirit. These two
are Joined together by some kind of bond,
but no one knows what it is. At death, or
in the article of death, that bond, whatever
it may be, is dissolved. The body begins
to decay So much is discOVerable by the
senses. The body once strong and vigorous
becomes a mass of decaying matter. The
rose fades from the cheek and the lustre de-
parts from the eye. The spirit flies away
and nothing remains but a lump OF corrup-
ton. An event has taken place which no
philosophy can explain. All that can be
saidis that human being has been removed
from time to eternity. "A something mas
taken place which we call death. An lnvls-
ible but strong and tender tie has been bro
ken. A violent dissolution has occurred.
We watched the event from its beginning
to it's end, but we learned nothing. Wedld
not see the spirit when it quit the body.
Although by our senses we are unable TO
discover what death is, from the Scriptures
we learn what is the procuring cause OF
death. In other words, we learn from the
Bible why it is that men die. 1.-The wages
of SIM" we are informed, "is death" Men
die because they are sinners. The conse-
quence of sin is death. This is the plain
and positive teaching of the Bible.
Sinis a violation of law, and death is a
punishment inflicted on the ViolatOr of law.
Since all men die, we are forced to conclude
that, according to the Bible theory, all are
sinners. This Bible theory of death is in
perfect harmony with right reason. From
all that we learn of the character of God
from creation, providence and revelation,
we must conclude that perfect obedience is
attended with perfect happiness: The be-
nightly of God forbids the inf1iction of pain
only when it is demanded by the claims of
strict justice.
1t is said that the beasts Of the field suffer
pain and die This is true and there is some
thing in this fact that is very mysterious
The beasts of the field cannot do wrong
they cannot sin. They can do injury, but
they cannot violate the moral law. Still
they often undergo tortures and finally all
die. A satisfactory, if not a full and COM
plete solution of this difficulty is furnished to
the mind when it is remembered that mans
original position in this world was that of a
subaltern ruler. God gave man dominion
over everything that moved upon the earth.
Man was head of the creatures Of the lower
world. In some sense, the beasts OF the
field-every thing that moveth-was the
members, while man was the head. The
head was punished for his sin, and all the
members suffered with him. The curse of
sin in some way, and for some wise and holy
reason, which we cannot fully understand,
extended to the whole of the lower world.
The inert earth itself is resting to-day under
curse. 1t is not claimed that this is a per-
feet solution of the difficulty 1t is a prob
lem that cannot be solved.
AS an event death is certain. No circum-
stance or condition in life will enable any
one of the human family to escape. Rich
and poor die. Therighteousand the wicked
die. Apparently there issomething strange
in this Since the wages of sin is death,
there is nothing strange in the fact that the
wicked die; but since Jesus Christ conquer
ed death, we are inclined to conclude that
the righteous would be rescued from death.
Such is not the case. The fact is, Jesus
Christ did not come to save his people from
death, considered as the separation of soul
and body. Jesus Christ came into the world
to restore his people to Gods favor and
friendship. In the 23rd Psalm, the inspired
Psalmist says: "Yea, though walk through
the valley Of the shadow of death, will
fear no ILL.,"
The fact that death is certain event is
we'll calculated to keep us humble. In the
space Of a few years, we pass from infancy
to old age. We wear out and die. There is
something sad in this thought. Death isa
great leveler. All return to dust.