Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-04-15
TIE SY,z,rE or y.JfE DFlD.

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Tor David after he had served his own genera
ton, by the viii of God, fell on sleep, and was
laid with his fathers, and saw corruption. Acts
Iii; rs.
Among the arguments adduced to prove
a conscious state after death is this, that
such an idea is agreeable and satisfactory
to the human heart. When death has as
serted his power, and taken loved
ones away from the home and So
ciety of which they were the light
and JOY, believers in this doctrine
claim that the thought, that
they are yet cognizant Of earthly things,
and are perhaps employed as messengers
of mercy to those left on earth, is full of
comfort and furnishes positive proof to
their minds of its truth. They believe it,
they say, from their own consciousness,
from internal evidence.
This doctrine is the very cornerstone
upon which Spiritualism rests. 1t holds
that the dead are not only conscious, but
ey have keener perceptions, more active
inteIligences than they possessed in life,
that they have passed to higher grade in
the school of God. Death they hold to be,
not the King of Terrors, but
mans best friend. One of
the ablest writers of that faith thus writes
Sin all cases in which life is we'll spent,
the change which men call death is Gods
last and best gift to his creatures here"
Spiritualism teaches that without the tes-
timony of the dead mankind have no proof
of their Immortality, or of another world.
That such opinions are directly opposed
to the teachings of the Bible, spiritualsts
acknowledge, but they claim that the
Bible is not the word of God, but a book
written and interpreted by fallible men;
that ''Christ, like all other men, was liable
to error" and that the revelations made by
spirits ''are revealings of Gods purpose,
and are the sole proof men possess of an
other world and Immortality"
Christians, who accept the Bible as the
only revelation of Gods will, written by
fallible men, but written, as it declares, as
they were instructed by the Holy Spirit,
will insist that its teachings are the ulti-
matum in any religious controversy. If it
declares that there is no memory or love,
or hatred in the grave, no knowledge or
wisdom in death, there can be but one
conclusion that the dead are unconscious.
The Bible says that it was the breath of
God that made man a living soul, and
Solomon says in death the ''body returns
to the dust and spirit to
God who gave it." Is it
not evident that the spirit means the
L-eo+b Of l;fap SoIOpoon saws in anotbar
place that ''all go unto one place, all are
of the dust, and all turn to dust again"
Why should he call all things vanity, if
the dead were glorifed with God? Did
Hezekiah mean simply the body when he
said ''The grave cannot praise thee, death
cannot celebrate the?" If man possesses
q dual nature, the body and Loo
soul, all praise and worship must be the
act of the spiritual part. Why did Heze-
kiah plead so earnestly for his life, saying
"The living, the living praise the" if
death would give him access to the place
where they cease not to cry, "HolY, holy
Lord God Of hosts?"
Certainly he pleads like one whoNbe-
iaved that ''the dead know not anything"
TIE Prophet Daniel, a man greatly be-
loved of God, was told, when his faithful
work was done, not to come up into the
presence of his friend and God, but TO go
his way and rest until the end, for he
should stand in his lot at the end of the
days. Job, in his sublime confession.
says: Il know that my Redeemer Iveth,
and that he shall stand at the latter day
upon the earth; and though after my
skin worms destroy this body, yet in my
flesh shall see God" If he believed that
after death he should see God, why did he
not say so instead of saying that he should
see him after the resurrection of his bod y
Is there any thought of the conscious dead
in the fourteenth chapter of Job. "Man
Iieth down, and riseth not; till the heavens
be no more, they shall not awake, nor be
raised out of their Sleep"
In vain one searches the Old Testament
for any proof of conscious state of the
dead. Death is always spoken of as sleep,
and the dead as sleeping.
When Christ came to bring good tidingc
of great Joy for all people," he preaoed re-
pentance and forgiveness of sins; he de
cIared that those who believed OF
him should never perish, bu
should be raised up at thu
last day. He never spoke of the dead al
inhabitants of heaven or hell, never spok,
of them except as sleeping, awaiting TIT
resurrection The New Testament is the
last will and testament of Christ. In i
his wishes are made known, and the con
ditlons under which his heirs shall
cone into the inheritance, eternal life
which ne bought for them. Hear hi
words: "Let not your hearts be troubled
ye believe III God, believe also in me. II
my Fathers house are many masions; i
il we're not SO, l would have told you; e
to prepare place for you. And if e
and prepare q place for you,
will come again and receive yol
unto myself" If death opened to his dis
ciples the gates of Paradise why did no
Ch-!st comfort his disciples with tina
hope? Why did the Savior always dat
his promises after his coming and tn
reslrrectiau # the essential part of msu
{ba COR R.ut IN its reward ri death