The morning news., 1892-12-26
IN THE LIFE HERRAFTER.
Rev. Charles a strons's Views ol
Death, Paradise and Heaven.

| adise - notice Of which appeared in the
MORNING NEWS some days ago, is exciting
q good deal Of interest. The author has
dealt with the subject in q manner which
can hardly fail to interest any one.
In writing of the power Of death he says:
"Men dread death from anticipation of the
pain connected with 10. There is the dread
that when the undying spirit leaves It's
familiar dwelling place the separation is
accompanied with bodily pain. as though
the body clung tenaciously to It's tenant
and would he parted only by du-
ress-a pain all the keener be-
cause, perhaps, of the weakened power 20
express it. The horror of nightmare arises
| because the tongue seems tied and cannot
speak. Let it but utter a sound and arouse
the sleeper, when at once the ugly vision
fees. Pain is, as we know, the impairment
OF function In an organ; it is therefore
thought that as disease marches on its vic
torious career organ after organ is impaired
and pain is multiplied upon pain in the con-
seriousness of dying. Brave men who have
often faced death at the cannon's mouth
shudder at the slow wasting of disease; and,
most strange OF all, the aged, in whom
many string is already cut between their
immortal spirit and its wasted tenement,
| shrink from what is in store for them. But
apart from saying that to be much con-
cerned about the physical pain OF an organ
| ization ceasing to be were an unmanly and
unchristian fear, the dread is not true in
| fact.n
death. the author holds, 'tis not the
violent wrenching apart OF body and soul,
as it Is commonly regarded, but rather is
the gentle parting Of claspei hands. By a
| loving providence, the disease which in-
creases the pain OF death by impairment of
! function, diminishes the consciousness OF il
| by the same impairment. AS the angel of
| death approaches the climax of his work
the mind becomes more unconscious of his
presence and of his deva vastetion, until at last,
when his strange work is done, the mind de-
parts leaving upon the cold features a smile
| Of benediction, as II the lifelong friends
the spirit and its tabernacle-had parted in
peace. Thus it is that we do not find in
death itself that dread of death nor that
fear Of pain which we anticipate while liv-
| ing. Few are the death-beds where pain is
| felt, and there need be none, for science has
accepted the creed that severe pain must be
alleviated, and stands ready, like the SOL
der at the cross, Offering upon his spear the
anasthesia Of relief
In dwelling upon the separation of the
body and spirit at death the author says:
"In that moment, ever solemn aud mysteri.
ous In human lives, the minds of men make
a true and important Distinction; they
separate the fate of the spirit from that OF
the body. They estimate correctly, for a
moment at least, their true relation. They
realize then that the body has been only the
instrument OF the mind; It has received
its nobility from being associated with
the immortal spirit Parted from its lordly
tenant, there is no longer consciousness or
personality connected with that llfeless
form. Precious as it has been from a thou
sand sacred associations, the body can no
longer be honored with the personal pro-
noun 'he' or 'she' the body now is it-a
precious thing, yet devoid Of personality.
Its future is clearly known-the reverens
burial. the sacred entombment in the grave.
but where is the immortal spiritl"
Before answering the question. Mr.. Strong
dwells upon the distinction between the
body and the soul. "Let US not speak" he
says, land If not speak, certainly net think
of burying our loved ones; that were inn
possible. Even Socrates, a heather. could
say: You can bury me, Critias, il you can
catch my spirit; you can bury my body,
but that is not TO bury me-"
The question, ,"What becomes of the spirit
at death Z" is thus ans wered by the author
:" At death the sririt passes into paradise" p"
He then dwells upon the article OF the creed
which is SO frequently misunderstood, HE
descended into hell.n The church, he adds,
teaches that the spirit Of man at the
moment Of death passes into paradise,
the place OF departed spirits 1t is errone-
GUS, says Mr.. Strong, TO think that the soul
of the righteous dead passes at death into
heaven. Yet how common is this error TO
suppose that the full fruition of faithful
life-man's final and complete state Of bliss
is given at the moment OF departure, is
mans at once, as soon as he passes the
trembling curtain that divides the unseen
from the seen. Popular language, of
course, is not the justification OF the
ology, nor the expression of truth
| but popular language may often
times reveal ignorance of funda-
-
| can be from the word Of God nothing more
sure and Fundamental than that heaven is
not the immediate gift OF the faithful man
! when he dies There 10 a way of speech
about our friends: HE 10 in heaven--if
ever man were in heaven, he is" aud then,
| by placing heaven millions and millions of
Jupiter orbits away. we manage to remove
our loved ones at that distance from us,
and in conditions where our hearts
cannot reach them and the nearer comforts
OF paradise are lost"
"We are TO die; then to be with Christ in
paradise; then both the living and the dead,
those who are asleep and those who re-
main, are to be judged; and then finally,
after all these experiences, the blessed dead
pass into heaven. Heaven, therefore,
will be the reward Of the faithful, not after
death. but after Judgment
| Upon the subject OF mutual recognition in
| the life hereafter Mr.. Strong dwells ia q
| thoughtful manner. "Shall We know each
other In paradisep' he asks. "Have they
in their glorified condition passed beyond us
SO that we shall fail to recognize in some
radiant spirit the loved partner Of our
earthly lifel Shall we really and certainly
know and recognize each otheri Shall the
| dear old relationships OF our homes be- con-
tinuedl Shall the mother and child,
the husband and wife, the brother
and sister. the friend and
friend, while united In the
bonds of love with all, be still more closely
related in affection with each otheri Shall
these relationships with all OF their sn eet
| Joy and sympathy and helpfulness be ours
stills How often and how eagerly
have these questions been asked, and how
our answer to them almost takes away
the bitterness Of death and colors our an
ticipatons of the home beyond the skies
| These Relationships will, indeed, be ours
ours Ia purer, holier and more lasting form
! than when We we're upon earth together.
In the fellowship of paradise there will be
perfect knowledge and recognition Of each
other"
In the final chapter Mr. Strong writes
upon heaven. "How long," he asks ''shall
paradise concinuel When shall the inter
mediate state issue in the final condition Of
| the saintss When shall the church expect
| oA,, viz