The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-05-12

the bodies are burled. "A hunuEeu tuoust.ho ~ =
spirits coming to Green"o ID, for there inc as
bodies are buried, waiting 1Or Inc reunion VI
All along the sea route from New York to
Tivernool. at every few miles where
steamer went down, departed spirits comlnc'
back, lowering over the wave. There IS Where
the City of Boston perished. Found at last.
There is where the PrGsldent PerisEeu
Steamer found at last. There is where the
Central America went down. Spirits hover
ing. hundreds of spirits lowering, waiting for
the reunion of body and soul. Out Oh the
nrairie a spirit alights. There is where a
traveller died in the snow. Crash goes West
minister Abbey, and the poets and orators
come forth Wonderfus mingling OF good
and bad. Wilberforce the good, Queen Eliza.
beth the bad. Crash go the pyramids OF
Eeypt, and the monarchS come forth.
Who can sketch the scene? I suppose that
one moment before that general rising there
will be q universal silence, save as YOU hear tue
grinding of the wheel, or the clatter OF the
boots of a procession passing into the ceme-
tery. Silence in all the caves of the earth
silence on the side of the mountain, silence
down in the valleys and far out into the
sea. Silence! But in a moment, IN Iie me
twinkling of an eye, as the archangels S
trumpet comes pealing, rolling, crashing
across the mountain and sea, the
earth will give one terrific shudder and the
graves Of the dead will heave like the waves
Of the sea, and Ostend and Sebastopol and
Chalons will stalk forth in the lurid air, and
the drowned will come up and wiring. out
their wet locks above the billow; and all
the land and all the sea become one moving
gazing in one direction and upon one throne,
the throne of resurrection. 'All who are in
their graves shall come forth"
"But," you say, IF this doctrine Of the
resurrection is true as pIehgured by TINS
Easter morning, Christ, the first fruits of
them that slept Christ rising, a promise and
a prophecy of the rising of His people, can
you tell US something about the resurrected
body?" can. There are mysteries about
in regard to the resurrected boz 1t are
beyond guessing and beyond mistac.
In the first place, I remark in regard to
your resurrected body; it will be glorious
body. The body we have now is mere
skeleton Of what it would have been If sin
had not marred and defaced it. Take the
most exquisite statue that was ever made by
an artist and chip it here and there with
chisel, and batter and bruise it here and there
and then stand it out in the storms of hun
dred years and the beauty would be gone.
Well, the human body has been Clipped and
battered and bruised and damaged with the
storms of a thousand years-the physical de-
fects of other generations coming down from
generation to generation, we inheritlng the
infelicities of past generations; but in the
morning of the resurrection the body will be
adorned and beauti6ed, according to the
original model. And there is no such differ
wretch in a lazaretto, as there will be .. diff
ference between our bodies as they are now
and our resurrected forms.
There you will see the perfectey after the
waters OF death have washed out the stains
of tears and study. There you will see the
perfect hand after the knots of toll have been
united from the knuckles. There you will
see the form erect and elastic after the bur
dens have gone off the shoulder-the very life
of God in the body.
In this world the most impressive thing,
the most expressive thing, is the human face;
but that face is yelled with the griefs of q
thousand years; butin the resurrection morn
that veil will be taken away from the face,
and the monday sun is dull and dim and
stupid compared with the outfaming glorles
of the countenances of thesaved. When those
faces of the righteous, those resurrected faces
turn toward the gate, or look up toward the
throne, it will be like the dawning Of a new
morning on the bosom of everlasting day!
o glorious resurrected body!
But remark also in regard to that body
which you are to get in the resurrection, it
will be an immortal body. These bodies are
wasting away. Somebody has said as soon
as we begin to live we begin to die. Unless
We keep putting the fuel into the furnace the
nails taking the breadstuffs to all parts of the
system. We must be reconstructed hour by
hour, day by day. Sickness and death are
all the time trying to get their pry, under
the tenement to push us off the embank-
ment of the grave; but, blessed be God, in
the resurrection we will get body
immortal. No malaria in the air. no
cough, no neuralgia twinge, no rheu-
matte pang, no futtering of the heart,
ensary, no hospital, no invalids chair, no
spectacles to improve the dim vision; but
health, immortal health. o ye who have
aches and pains indescribable this morning!
o ye who are never well! o ye who are
lacerated with physical distresses! let me tell
YOU o. the resurrected body, free from all
isease Immortal! Immortal!
Igo farther, and say in regard to that
body which you are to get in the resurrec-
now eight or ten miles and we are fatiguel;
we lift a few hundred pounds and we are
exhausted; unarmed, we meet wild beast
end we must run or fly or climb or dodge,
yecause we are incompetent to meet it; we
toll eight or ten hours vigorously and then
we are weary: but in the resurrection we
nre to have body that never gets tired. Is
il not glorious thoughts
Plenty of occupation in heaven. l suppose
Broadway, New York, in tho busiest season
of the year at monday, is not so busy as heav-
en- is all the time. Grand projects of mercy
for other worlds Victories to be celebrated.
The downfall of despotisms on earth to be an
nounced. Great songs to be learned and sung.
Great expeditions on which God shall send
forth His children. Plenty to do, but no
fatigue. If you are seated under the trees of
life it will not be to rest but to talk over
with some old comrade Of old times the battles
where you fought shoulder to shoulder
Jacob and the angel wrestled ogether. Jacob
was not tE:own because the angel favored
him. But once get your reSurrected body
and the angel could not wrestle you down.
1t ,possible to wrestle down the giants of
Cox. on high. Strong, supple, uneXhausted,
mighty, immortal. Oh is it not glorious
thought?
Sometimes in this world we feel we should
like to have such body as that There Is so
much work to be done for Christ, there are SO
many tears to be wiped away, there are SO
many burdens to lift, there is so much to be
achieved for Christ, we sometimes wish that
from the first of January to the last OF De-
cember we could toll on without stopping To
sleep, or to take any recreation, or to rest, OF
even to take food-that we could toll rig INT on
without stopping moment in our work or
commencing Christ and heaven to all the
people. But we all get tired.
It is characteristic Of the human body I'D
this condition We must get tired. Is it not
a glorious thought that after a while in the
service of God we are going to have body
that will never get weary? 0 glorious re,ur-
rection day Gladly will fling aside this
poor body Of sin and fling it into the tomb, IL