The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-08-18
LIVING TO PLEASURE is DEATH

that giveth herself to pleasure is dead
while she liveth."
Though this is said particularly Of
the women, because the author was
writing with direct reference to wo-
men, the principle is alike true of the
man who lives to pleasure. Every in
dividual, male or female, who lives to
pleasure, is dead while he thus lives.
The term death has wider application
than that which denotes the dis solution
Of the body; in Scripture every where
moral depravity is indicated by this
word. Men who are not awake to
righteousness are said to be dead.
The individual, male or female, who
forgets that the life of an intelligent
being is action in uses, is morally dead.
He who consults only his own ease and
pleasure, and lives in idleness and lux
ury, has no sense of life as a reality in
truth and goodness and is dead to all
feeling Of shame to his worthlessness
without conjunction as to the fact that
he subsists upon the service Of others
with no return of service on his part,-a
most disgraceful, shameful thing in
truth,-can know nothing of the joy
that we'll doing affords. Whoever lives
wholly for self, refuses to own the high
meaning of life, the noble purpose for
which intelligent. beings exist, turn
ing from every revelation of that mean
ing and purpose, becomes callous to
feeling, and regardless Of counsel. One
who consults only his own ease and
pleasure is simply an migrate seeing
that he can have nothing for himself,
except through the ministry Of others.
But of this he is insensible. To con-
seriousness of this he is dead. He misses
completely the lesson that his sojourn
on earth has for him, becomes uncon-
scious Of the fact that there is anything
to be learned in life, or any good end to
be served by his existence. He dies, is
dead while he thus lives. So long as
he lives he is dead. Nor will he ever
rise from the state of death in which
he is, till impelled by sense Of the
misery of this state, he turns from the
path of selfish affection, and the pur-
suit of pleasure, to the way of life
life that is life, life indeed, life with a
meaning to it-life with meaning and
a purpose worthy of intelligent beings.
To come out of this death the soul
must 60 back-must begin anew; return
to the rudiments of spiritual instruction,
learn that no man can, in fact, live
to himself, but that every one must
live to God, be devoted to service learn
that life indee d is not in ease but in
service;-that ease is death, service
life. The sphere Of pleasure and luxury
is low, a base realm of thought and
desire. This is the sphere Of the animal
nature m erely; but for an intelligent
being to rest here, or to seek rest here,
is absurd. To look for satisfaction of
soul in pleasure, is to "walk through
dry places seeking rest and finding
none" Whatever the present delight,
barrenness of soul and vexation of
spirit are the sure result.
How important this lesson, yet how
neglected. How many, especially in
youth, think of life here only as a
period in which ito have good time"
as they phrase it. Now good time,
indeed, the life here should be; but
good time indeed, is not what is meant.
What is meant, is time of pleasure,
of sensuous joy, of freedom from care,
of luxurious indulgence, Of satisfaction
for every selfish inclination, with no
thought of service, no desire to be use
full, no aim of helpfulness, through per-
sonal effort to humanity. In such
good timeas this, the individual is dead
while he lives. A good time, indeed,
is time devoted to useful aims; to the
acquisition Of knowledge; to the pur-
suit of truth, to the performance of
labor, to the importation Of wisdom, to
the establishment of justice, to the
help of others needing help in every
condition Of life; to the denial of self
for truths cake and for humanity's
sake; to the work of human betterment,
the growth of ones own soul in right
eousness. In such good time the in
dividual is alive, and not dead, while
he lives; alive to the truth, to the right,
to the imperishable good Of being.
Then, too, the true pleasure of life is
enjoyed, pleasure not sought as an end
for its own sake, but spontaneously
flowing from the application of power
to true loving ends, how painful So
ever the tolls may be, that relate to those
ends, how heavy soever the burden,
how strong soever the odium incurred
in the pursuit of those ends. Happiness
is found, not by the direct pursuit of
it, but in the pursuit of truth and right
for their own sake and for humanity's
sake. Toll is sweet when love is the
motive; he who labors to bring good
Of some kind into the life of another is
himself blest in the deed. But sad mis-
takes are often committed here. persons