The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-01-28
Address.

duuroSS VI hoN. OOpulo OlUU, dt tu0
funeral of Rev. d. p. Bum, Decatur,
ILL.,, Dec. 30, 1887. Mrs. Glib writes
I" We can find no records from which
we can gather dates of his many sue
cessful debates. 1t seems pity that
nothing can be said Of this part of his
work. The last time that he lifted his
voice in our church here, was in prayer
when three of his grandchildren joined
the church. We shall never forget the
benediction that rested upon us at that
hour"
The text was taken from Rev. XXI.
4. And God shall wipe away all tears
from their eyes; and there shall be no
more death, neither sorrow, nor crying,
neither shall there be any more pain !;
for the former things are passed away"
This, said Mrs. Glib, was favorite
text of our deceased brothers, because
SO clearly expressive of his great faith.
He believed it to point to the time
when God in his wisdom shall have
gathered all the nations, families and
kindreds of the earth unto himself.
Many times have seen his face beam
with a great gladness when quoting
this language hearing it quoted,
he never failed to respond with hearty
soulful amen. 1t does indeed express
beautiful thought, and can but be
comforting to all hearts. Tears are a
common factor in life. They have
their place and purpose; and yet it
would be sad indeed to feel that they
are never TO cease-never to be wiped
away by the hand of fatherly affection
and wisdom.
No other thought is able to comfort
and sustain human souls like that of
infinite care.
Life is an enigma at best, and finds
in these years of transient joy and
grief, of rapidly shifting scenes, and of
certain death, no solution without the
thought of wise and infinitely good
Being, holding all things, even the
universe itself, every spark of vitality
and every atom of matter, in his all
powerful hand.
Man is born with question on his
lips, for he knows nothing until he
learns it; and with all his knowledge
he must still trust. He must have
faith where he cannot have knowledge;
he must learn to believe where he can
not see.
Life is series Of interrogations, of
wonders, of hopes, of uncertainties,
and without faith, yea, faith in the
infinite Father and the unseen world,
it can be little less than an aimless
journey-a walk in the dark. MN
O, we cannot fail to see that God
means something by life, something be-
yond death, something sublime that
shall satisfy every craving, answer
every prayer, and dry every tear. How
can we fail to trust God for all we hope
or long or pray for, when with such
bountiful hand he cares for even the
lilies of the field and the fowls of the
air?
How many myriad germs are now
sleeping in the frozen bosom of the
earth, yet we do not doubt Gods pur-
pose to send the sunshine and genial
quickening influence of spring to unfold
those germs and bring them to flower
and fruit-to the fulness of their ma
ture. While winter holds all things in its
icy grasp, the condition of the seed is
one of bondage and seeming death, but
that bondage is essential to its resurrec-
ton, which is as certain as the coming
of the spring.
God has not forgotten the germ in
the earth nor the germ Of immortality
in the soul of man; but both are sub
ject to the expanding influence of His
eternal laws. And who or what shall
thwart the purpose of those laws?
He has wise design in the nature of
the seed, even though there be in it no
conscious life, but in his own good
time the inner life shall be unfolded
and will he do less for man? He has
planted the germ Of immortality in the
house of flesh and given it glimmering
consciousness of life not yet fully
revealed, taught it to long and pray and
hope for fuller knowledge; and will
he do less for this spiritual germ than
he has done for the insensate seed? Or
will he bring it finally to more intense
and exquisite realization of an eternal
existence, only that it may suffer an
endless agony of being9
Nay, verify God has not Knocked us
thus But we have full faith that he has
prepared for man home beyond the
shores of time and death, as far sur
passing earth as infinite love surpasses
our finite dreaming.
This was the full unwavering faith
of our beloved father in the church.
He believed that life and death are
alike parts of Gods great economy, and
that he watches with equal tenderness
over the cradle and the grave; that He
is always good and wise-with purposes
unchanged, and to be finally fulfilled;
therefore in divine providence there
oan ha M final aviI or aDdIaSo daatb