St. Paul daily globe., 1891-04-27
DEATH AS A UNIFIER.
Rev. William Wilkinson on the
Meaning and Purpose OF the
DeStpOver

Rev. William Wilkinson on the
Meaning and Purpose OF the
Destroyer.
At st. Andrews Episcopal church,
yesterday morning, the rector preached
on Death, the Great Unifer," as fol-
lows:
"All through life there are some
things the ordinary man does not care
TO dwell upon. Yet, God from time to
time, in mercy, though we do not look
at it for our own and the public good,
turns preacher. He calls us from low,
earth-born care, about which we worry
so constantly and upon which we so
fondly set Our hearts with such warmth
and enthusiasm, as he bids us look at
another state i'll which man was and is
destined to live. lie, III short, makes
for US earth poorer that paradise may
be richer. Not that we need to love
those of our children and friends
who are left to us less. but rather
the more, as we see that they
are not the creatures of day.
a generation or an age, but that in the
wisdom of the Almighty they are the
beings of the eternities, who will live
and sing on in deathless JOY. when all
temporal things, all things which are
or can be used in time, and which per-
lsh in the using, are forever passed
from sight and service? In the day of
disappointed hope and of selfish plan.
when man looks for joy and sorrow is
at hand; for light, and darkness comes;
when he looks for young, radiant,
joyous, happy, bounding life-life in
which his sweetest desire finds its full
est fruition, and in its place he sees
casket, men forget their religion in
own particular case, and take view
Of death, which is heather, as they eX-
claim, 'If God be with US, wherefore
hath this evil befallen uS?' instead of
res.1 .1nedly saying:
Come, disappointment! Come
Not in thy terrors clad!
Come in thy meekest, saddest guise:
Thy Christening rod but territies
The restless and the bad.
But l reciine
Beneath thy shrine
And round my brow resigned
Thy peaceful cypress twine.'
death often shows men how much
they had in those departed; but it also
is a monitor to tell US how rich we are
in those who are left to US. In our
human lives we often
Long for household voices gone,
For vanished forms we long:
But God hath led our dear ones on,
And He can do no wrong.
And so beside the silent sea
| wait the mutfled oar
No harm from him can come to me
On ocean or on shore.
To have this sweet assurance, to rest
in this exquisite faith. is to drink the
waters of perenn al re It out of the wells
OF eternal salvation. This gives us
a view of what we call death
which is unknown to the heather.
THESE tableIands OF living faith. where
the breeZes of love ever blow, are not
easy to reach. Head and heart some
times faint by the way, but once gained
they are full of every kind of holy bless
ing. The clouds disperse, the shadows
fly" Our life is changed, our spiritual
horizon IS enlarged, new worlds with
new meaning are surveyed as we behold
the happy souls departed in the glad
service of God, who wait the cOnsumma-
tion of all things. We in the days of
darkness counted them cut Off. looked
at them as parts of broken plans. said
their end was darkness and their taking
away unhappy. Now, in this clearer
view, we know that even the dark prOvi-
dences. where, full of light, are those
who have gone, still call us home.
This is the Catholic faith. which the
faithful have ever held, and it has been
an inspiration and right hand of
strength. As it sees in death a great
Unifier, as it looks above clouds, and
ashes and sees company no man can
number, of all time, every land, stand
ing in front of God, every soul of whom
rests in His love, shines in HIS light,
and will share the splendor and peace,
the purity and the Joy, of his home. In
this view the religion OF Christians has
new sanctions and greater attractiveness
The denials of self, the help of others,
the worship of God. the good Of men,
are instinct with new meaning in the
vision OF death, which is and can only
be to the holy the opening of new. full
life. To-day, are any here who listen
to these words? Let them be to you for
light, for JOY, for good cheer. l know
sorrow for the departed. | walk in the
midst of it. Jesus knew it; He wept at
the death of his friend. We are human.
but the Lord gigeth the garment of
praise for the spirit of heaviness. He
can give songs in the night. Let US be
true to Christ, to conscience, to duty, to
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