Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-04-17
CHRISTIAN CHURCH.

The Christian church was well filed
Wednesday morning by an intelligent audi
ence to listen to the eloquen. divine, Prof
Black. The subject of his discourse was,
''The Present, the intermediate, and the
Future State of Man"
In replying to the question so often and
anxiously propounded BY bereaved friends.
''Shall We recognize our loved ones in
heaven" he was very clear and emphatic.
He said that memory was one of the most
important faculties of the immortal part Of
man. And the possession of this faculty
was absolutely essential to the performance
of those services in which the redeemed in
heaven engage. The new song, "For Thou
vast slain and hast redeemed us to God by
Thy blood out of every kindred and tongue
and people and nation, etc." could be sung
only by those who had remembrance of
the death and redemption Of Christ. In the
parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Abrs-
ham said to the former, who was suffering
from the tormenting flames, "Remember that
thou in thy life time receiyedst thy good
things" 1t follows without saying that if
we possess our memories in the future state
We shall remember those we have known in
this life. II is thought, and with much rea-
on, that the chief torment of the lost will
be the remorse they feel at the remembrance
of the many offers of salvation they had in
this life and their wilful rejection OF them.
The professor made an imaginary diagram
on the wall behind the pulpit, which enabled
the material eye to assist the eye of the
mind in comprehcnding bis idea. He drew
a line across the slcove as high rs he could
reach, and another parallel - ii three feet
parts by two perpendicular liifes. The space
on the left represented the present world,
the middle space the intermediate state, and
the space at the right, eternity. We are
transferred to the intermediate state by
death, and TO this state TO eternity AT the res
direction. He then divided these three
spaces into two each by II horizontal line
through the middle, dividing the world into |
the kingdom Of Christ and the kingdom of
the DEVIL the intermediate into paradise, the |
abode of righteous spirits and and Tartarus,
the abode of evil spirits, and dividing eter-
nifty into heaven and hell.
He inforced his views BIZ scriptural proofs
and by quotations from eminent Biblical |
scholars. He said he had recently read a
sermon by John Wesley, in which he affirm
ed that the prevalent idea that the disem-
bodied spirit went TO Heaven Immediately
after death and entered upon state of per-
feet bliss, was unsound and unscriptural.
The scriptures throw little light upon the
state of the righteous IN this intermediate
it is spoken Of as the state of rest
and enjoyment, but there is eyer an arden.
onging to be clothed upon with their spir-
tual bodies.
At the resurrection when body and soul
ire united, the righteous are transferred
rom this intermediate state into the highest
Heaven and the wicked into hell.
On conversion the sinner is translated
rom the kingdom of the devil into the
iingdom of Christ, and occasionally one
night fall back again into the kingdom of
he devil. he was very positive, however,
n the opinion that after death there WAS no
hange in the character for the better, no
translation from Tar;arus into Paradise, or
rom hell to Heaven. f,
Prot. Black spoke without notes; he has a
ne command of language, good delivery
nd impressive manner. He is clear, logi-
al reasoner, never dry, ready with apt illus ,
rations and always interesting. He kept
be fixed attention Of his audience for nearly !
n hour. ,