The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-06-24

idea Of a resurrection. know there are
a great many people who do not accept
this because they cannot understand it:
but, my friends, there are two stout pas
sages-I could bring hundred, but two
swarthy passages are enough-and one
David will strike down the largest Co
Hath. Marvel not at this, for the hour
is coming when all who are in their
graves shall come forth" The other
swarthy passage is this: "The Lord shall
descend from heaven with shout, and
the voice of the archangel, and the trump
of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise
first" Oh, there will be such a thing as
a resurrection.
You ask me great many questions l
cannot answer about this resurrection.
You say, for instance, eff mans body
is constantly changing, and every sew
enth year he has an entirely new body,
and he lives on to 70 years of age and
80 has had 10 different bodies, and at the
hour of his death there is not particle
of flesh on him that was there in the
days Of his childhood, in the resurrec-
ton which of the 10 bodies will come
up or will they all rise?'
You say, Suppose man dies, and his
body is scattered in the dust, and cut of
that dust vegetables grow, and men eat
the vegetables, and cannibals slay these
men and eat them, and cannibals fight
with cannib&ls until at last there shall
be hundred men who shall have within
them some particles that started from
the dead body first named, coming up
through the vegetable, through the first
man who ate it and through the canni-
balls who afberward ate him, and there
be more than hundred men who have
rights in the particles of that body-in
the resurrection how can they be assert
ed when these particles belong to them
allY'
You say, "There is a missionary buried
in Greenwood, and when he was in China
he had his arm amputated- the resur-
rection will that fragment Of the body
fly $4,000 miles to join the rest of the
body?"
You say, "Will it not be very diff
cult thing for spirit coming back in
that day TO find the myriad particles of
its own body, when they may have been
scattered by the winds or OVERLAND by
whole generations of the dead, looking
for the myriad particles of its own body,
| while there are a thousand million other
| spirits doing the same thing, and all the
assortment to be made within one day."
You say, "If $50 men go into place
of evening entertainment and leave
their hats and overcoats in the hall,
when they come back it is almost impos-
sible for them to get bhe right ones, or to
get them without a great deal Of per-
plexity, and yet you tell me that myr-
lads of spirits in the last day will come
and find myriads of bodies"
Have you any more questions to ask?
Any more difficulties to suggest? Any
more mysteries? Bring them on! Against
whole regiment of skepticism I will
march these two champions: Marvel
not at this, for the hour is coming when
al who are in their graves shall come
forth" ''The Lord shall descend from
heaven with shout, and the voice of the
archangel, and the trump of God, and
| the dead in Christ shall rise first" You
see I stick to these two passages. Who
art thou, O fool, that thou repliest
against Godp Hath he promised, and
shall he not doit? Hath he commanded,
| and shall he not bring it to pass? Have
you not confidence in his omnipotence?
If he could in tho first place build my
body, after it is torn down can he not
build it again?
"Oh," you say, 81 would believe that
If you would explain it am not dis
posed to be skeptical, hut explain how
it can be dDne." My brother, you be-
lieve a great many things you cannot
explain. You believe your mind acts on
your body. Explain the process. This
seed planted comes up a blue flower. An
other seed planted comes up yellow
flower. Another seed planted comes up
While flower. Why? Why that wart
on your finger? Tell me why some COWS
have horns and other COWS have no
horns. Why, when two obstacles strike
each other in the air, do you hear the
percussion? What is the subtle energy
that dissolves a solid in crucible?
What makes the notehes on an oak leaf
different from any other kind of leaf?
What makes the orange blossom differ
| emit from that of the rose? How can the
almightiness which rides on the circle of
the heaven find room to turn its chariot
on heliotrope? Explain these. Can
you not do it? Then [ will not explain
the resurrection. You explain one-half
of the common mysteries Of everyday
life, and will explain all the mysteries
of the resurrection. You cannot answer
me very plain questions in regard to or
| binary affairs. Iem,not ashamed to say
that cannot explain God, and the judg-
| ment, and the resurrection. siKnplyac-
cept them as facts, tremendous and inf
| bite.
NEAR UNTO HEAVENS GATES.
Before the resurrection takes place
everything viii be silent. The mauso-
leums and the labyrinths silent. The
graveyards silent, the cemetery silent,
save from the clasling of hoofs and the
grinding Of wheels as the last funeral