The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-12-19
IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL
All Men Look to q Life Beyond tn
- GrRVe.

All Men Look to a Life Beyond the
- Grave.
Extract from sermon delivered In the AS
sociate Reformed church by the pastor' rev.
J.J. Grier.s
This second letter to Timothy rom m, faul pisl
was written when the sublimest life that ms.
tory mas ever known was about 10 meet MS
end by the execution Of the sentence OF death
from the peTssS99aGlrs fseI9aly tpyiDg. % How brayely
he faced his inevitable fate! Inc iast crlai TIA
Was near at hand. He knew what tne yer
dict would be and the death ne nsa 10 aae: ins: :
The world stood on the side Of bis enemies; nies !;
many trusted friendship had forsaken MN; y;
and even those who would were deferred oy
by fear of torture and death from making
their sympathy khown y, coe MUsiSe TO- him oaicsIy
In dark cell, bound by heavy cnalns, watcn, q,
ed day and night by the bitterest OF foes, ID
an atmosphere pregnant WIN snrea.s neins o, oi
bloodshed aud slaughter, ls tnls yearuins VI
10 his impatience tor Timothy's compan-
ionship what we would look for!
He writes too sbout the conf forung power
of the promises Of the gospel What an ever
lasting proof of the consolatory character OF
the religion Of Jesus! ,.,o o.,,o ~,
the death that awaits him. He reflects then
lining himself up while through MS gloomy
= cell rings the echo of his cruel bondage he ex-
claims with such m triampa hn soee ane bsye
moved and inspired e higher life' "chris'
has not been ffs% st,nT 1ne
dominion broken by the cross OF CnrisL, IT, 1ne nna
he makes a further claim-"Life and lmmor-
talty are brought to Light sy me seS S0sped sapd not
chain his soul. 1t would still lift itself IN
anthems of praise TO God. They could wound
his flesh, but neither pivation, cold nor nun,
enough or pierce deep enough TO dlive the spir,
it Of exaltation from his inner nle. faaI
knew that he would live when the iron on
his wrists was destroyea oy rnse; h;,t ~ ana, n
the earth, when the empire whose autnorlty
had made him prisoner had perished from
among the nations Of the world and been lor,
gotten from the pages OF human history, ana
When the earth was removed and Its founda-
lions no longer laid. when all Things, were
eaten up by the devouring fires OF the last
confagration, ne himsen r,,., Wouio tve; anu inal
mortaiized in the bosom of God forever! !!
Some reasons are given for this hope OF the
cnsstap word seat apd all
. son is founded on explicit scripture declara,
uon. The fuller revelation Of the gospel
makes it a certainty. We know II. Ine
T lieving In the souls Immortality Is its origin.
We should rather expect, II the facts were not
before us, that flesh and blood perish know
Ing that the earth itself s1S Shall be destroyed.
Rnt the soul came from God-the breath of
his nostrils, and unto Him 1t shall return.
Dust TO dust, the spirit to God. me EZRA Fsther is
BY this am persuaded that shall survive as
long as God Himself shall live.
May we not argue an immortal existence
from the price paid for the soul's redemption
The price was Infinite In Its value. Can we
conceive that the Son of God should 30 hum
BILE himself and even suffer death Tor the re-
lease OF a living power whose existence Is
II heaven and hell are eternal so will be the
spirits for whose habitation they are provid-
ed. The scriptures clearly teach this much.
Shall we not argue q future llfe-and 10
prove that the soul will live atall after diso-
luton proves TO US that its life will be ever
lasting. we can see no reason for expecting
men. This is often used. What all men, ev
erywhere In every age Of the world have be-
iieved To be true, must he true. All men, ev-
erywhere. In every age OF the worid u elmi,
souls future existence. Conclusion-lt must
be true: o-,soo, ,oso. ~
the continents OF Asia, Africa and South
America? What means the millions bow
ing down to do homage TO gods that be no
gods? What means the millions that wor-
hopeful faces and joyful hearts? Surely q
looking to q life beyond this vale. Tell not
this poor world that ,Ue shall perish with the
grave. The childless mothers and motherless
prayer weeping. and the bleeding and broken
hearts that are bound up by this fond hope
would break and deluge the world with a
flood OF sorrow. should we rob them of this
anchor Of the SOUL
More than that, this life is progressive. We
are now in the germ. Time is our shell. We
will burst through It and bloom In celestial
garden and grow and develop In the sunshine
Of q never-ending noon.
The worm of today fly tomorrow, the egg
today q bird tomorrow; and we are nothing
like our past condition. Why shall not we
not be as unlike this in the future?
Further our souls have the capacities OF
pleasure, activity and pain. We expect moth
Ing to cease except where experience teaches
MS that 1t will. We have no reason to believe
that these powers will be stripped from US at
death. We have often followed the soul TO
the very gate OF death; we have seen Its pow
ers remain and even enlarge and sparkle with
more than usual brightness, giving no evil
dence Of death. but proof Of life.
Grand thought for our contemplation II we
be ready for another world!
Terrible thought II today we stand unpre.
pared 10 meet our God. We must meet Him.
We would not live here always. / would not.
Though inspired as am by the hopes and