Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1884-04-18

In his glory, but he chose rather the par,
Of 20 man of sorrows" that by HIS OWE
humiliation and suffering He might lift nr
and lead the lowly to higher sphere ol
existence. Instead Of crown and pal
ace He chose rather homeless life In
which He 'shad not where to lay Ills
head" OF HIM it was truly said "He
went about dong good,' and when suf'
fering the untold, expiring agonies OF
death upon the cross, surrounded by q
jeering, blaspi4rrnous mob, His great soul
Of feeling toward and for his prosecutors
was expressed in the words, Father tor
give them, for they know not what they
do" Such were some Of the principal
traits in the character Of. Him whose resur-
rection will be commemorated by the
christian world to-day, and all others
were in harmony with them.
The thought intimately connected with
commcmoration of this day is one which
all grapple with more or less, that of the
resurrection, of which Christ was the
''tirst fruits We are ever asking the
question Of Job, 'If man die. shall he
live again!" but no answering voice
comes back from the echoless shore in
the Beyond. The only source of light on
the subject is III revelation and hope
grasps 1t with an instructive longing that
wells up in the huc:an heart from an in
delinablc sense of existence of some kind
or nature that will be perpetuated beyond
the grave. 1t cannot be that all the af-
fectlons of the heart and noble aspira-
tions Of the soul are to terminate in death.
Life would be cruel mockery under such
circumstances which no one would ac-
cept from choice. Near related to this
is the often asked, and likewise nnanswer-
ed question, ''Shall we know each other
there!" Upon the answer to this depends
all the interest in the former. Upon it
hangs all the ties of kindred and affec-
ton in this life and all the hopes of the
world to come. If identity is so far lost
in the grave that reco gnition Of those
dear to us i'll life would not be possible,
would it be possible for one to recognize
himself? II person there could not re-
cognize himself he would be UNCONSCIOUS
Of any previous existence. The hope and
faith Of the christian aud the rayless
gloom and hight OF the inddel would
come together in one practical result II
conscious identity and individual recog-
nition are lost in the grave it is of no
more CONSEQUENCE 20 the world of man.
kind whether there is an unconscious
continuation OF the present existence be-
yond the grave than it Is whether we had
an existence previous to the present.
There is an invisible chord of affection
which stretches forth from every family
circle to the silent abodes of the dead
which revolts against either the annihila-
ton of existence in the grave or the an
inhalation of identity and individuality
in an unconscious, unrecogniZable exist
ence in the undiscovered Beyond. That
native, God-lmplanted fountain and we'll
spring of eternal hope which exists down
deep IN the soul Of even those who are
unenlightened by revelation finds an an
chor sure and steadfast in the doctrine OF
the resurrection as given in the teachings
Of the Savior and typically exemphfied in
His own death ana resurrection. 1t is
the hope of life and solace Of death; "the
hope of earth and joy of heaven" the
final consummatlon when and where
"faith is lost IN sight and hope ends in
fruitiOn.''