The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-07-24

built out OF our own fancy, and they
thay do very well as long as we have
smooth sailing in the world, butwhen
tue storms Of sorrow come upon us,
and the hurricane of death, we will
be swamped-we will be foundered.
We want a theory built out of the
solid oak of Gods eternal word.
The doctrine of future recognition
is not SO often positively stated in
the Word of God as implied, and you
know, my friends, that that is, after
nll, the strongest mode of affirmation.
Your friend travels in foreign lands.
He comes home. He does not begin
by arguing with you to prove that
there are such places as London and
Stockholm and Paris and Dresden
and Berlin, but his conversation i'm
plies it. And SO this Bible does not
so positively state this theory as, all
up and down its chapters, it takes
it for granted. What does my text
imply? 81 shall go to him." What con.
ISOLATION would it be to David to go to
his child if he would not know him.
T he Bible indicates, over and over
again, that the angels know each 9TH
er; and then the Bible says that we
are to be higher than the angels, and
if the angels have the power of rec
ognition, shall not we, who are to be
higher than they in the next realm,
have as good eyesight and as good
capacity? What did Christ mean,
in his conversation with Mary and
Martha, when he said, ''Thy broth
er shall rise again?" It was as much
as to say, "Don't cry Don't wear
yourself out with this trouble You
will see him again. Thy brother
shall rise again" The Bible de-
scrlbes heaven as a great home circle.
Well, now, that would be n very
queer home circle where the mem
bers did not know each other. The
Bible describes death as sleep. If
we know each other before we go to
sleep, shall we know each other after
we wake up? Oh, yes. We will
know each other great deal better
then than now, 'for now," says the
apostle, 1--WE sec through glass
darlly, but then face to face" It
will be my purified, enthroned, and
gloritied body gazing OH your purif-
ed, enthroned, and glorified body.
Now, L demand, if you believe the
Bible, that you take this theory of
future recognition out of the realm of
speculation and surmise into the re-
gion of positive certainty, and no
moro keep saying, Il hope it is so; 1
have an idea it is SO; [ guess it is So
Be able to say, with all the c0ncen-
trated energy of body, mind and
soul, II know it is So"
There are, in addition to these Bi-
bic arguments, other reasons why I
accept this theory. In the first
place, because the rejection Of it i'm
plies the entire obliteration of our
mem DRY. Can it bepossible that we
shall forget forever those with whose
walk, look, manner we have been so
long familiar? Will death come and
with sharp keen blade hew away
this faculty of memory? Abraham
said to Dives, "Son, remember" If
the excited and lost remember, will
not the enthroned remembers.
Again: L accept the doctrine of
future recognition because the worlds
expectancy affirms it. In all lands
and ages this theory is received.
What form of religion planted it?
No form of religion, for it is received
under all forms of religion. Then,
l argue, sentiment, feeling, an
anticipation, universally planted,
must have been God-implantcd, and
If God-implanted, it is rightfully i'm
planted. Socrates writes: "Who
would not part with great deal to
purchase a meeting with Orpheus and
Homer If it be true that this is to
be the consequence of death, I could
even be able to die often" Among
the Danes, when a master dies his
servant sometimes stabs himself that
he may serve his master in the future
world. Cicero, living before Christ's
coming, said: 80 glorious day when
l shall retire from this low and sor-
did scene, to associate with the di-
vine assemblago Of departed spirits,
and not only with the one Ihave just
now mentioned, but my dear Cato,
tho best of sons and most faithful of
mon. If l seemed to bear his death
with fortitude, it was by no means
that l did not most sensibly feel the
loss l had sustained. 1t was because
l was supported by the consoling re-
Election that we could not long be
separated" The Norwegian believes
it. The Indian believes it. The
Greenlander believes it. The Swiss
believes it. The Turk believes it. Un.
der every sky, by every river, in every
zone, the theory is adopted; and SO I
say principle universally implanted
must be God-implanted, and hence a
right belief The argument is ire
sistible.
Again: [ adopt this theory be-
cause there are features of moral.
temperament and features of the
soul that will distinguish us forever.
How do we know each other in this
world? Is it merely by the color of
the eye, or the length of the hair, or
the facial proportions? Oh, no. It
is by the disposition as we'll as by
natural affinity, using the word in the
very best sense and not in the bad
sense, and if in the dust our body
should perish and lie there forever,
and there should be no resurrcction