Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-09-26
ONLY A STEP TO HEAVEN.


Detroit Free Press.
ONLY A STEP TO HEAVEN.
AMI he said, Who art thou, Lord2 And the
Lord said, am Jesus whom thou persecutest.
Acts, tx, 5.
wide door, and introduces us to series
of thoughts which are not more start
ling than they are helpful
st. Paul was apparently man OF
strong prejudices as we'll as strong con
victions. He had a courage which ex
tended to rashness. A conservative of
fierce temper, he could tolerate no in
yasion of the old time Hebraism which
had been sanctified by the sufferings
as we'll as the victories of many gener
ations.
When this new religion of the Naza
rene began to stir the people, it had
tendency to lessen their allegiance to
the synagogue, it's doctrines and its
forms of worship. Paul, therefore,
perhaps without inquiring into its
merits, hated it with deadly haired.
breathing out threatenings and
slaughter" armed with letters from
the high priest giving him authority
over both men and women, he was on
the road to Damascus with boundless
fury in his heart and determination
to crush the spiritual rebellion by the
most heroic measures.
Just before he reached the city
light shone round him which seemed
to be supernatural. and the stiffness of
the air was broken by a Voice which
came from the lips of some invisible
parsonage A communication was
made to him which he evidently re
garded as coming from the other
world, for from that instant the whole
plan of his life was changed. His de
sire to prosecute the followers of the
Master was transformed into vow to
defend them even at the hazard of his
own life.
1t is safe to say that this incident is
as reliable as most others which have
come to us from remote times. There
is no good reason why we may hot ac
cept it as veritable history.
Moreover, it is corroborated by SINH
lar experiences which have occurred
from time to time since the days Of
Paul. There is hardly a household
which cannot relate an occurrence of a
like nature, and we are forced to the
conclusion that there are more beings
who are invisible than there are beings
visible, and that the visible and the
invisible are supplied with means of
communicating with each other
1t is useless for the Christian to de-
clare that such miracles, if they are
miracles, were confined to the limits of
given period. He must accept what
happens to day as we'll as what hap
pened centuries ago. God has not
changed His relations to men, and the
necessities of human nature are just as
urgent as ever. If angels talked with
mortals from the time of Adam to the
days succeeding the crucifixion, it il
folly to suppose that the curtain drop
ped and we have ever since been left
without the companionship of "a cloud
of witnesses" We must either throw
the Bible overheard as tissue of i'm
aginary events or believe, as every
generation has believed, that the great
falsehood of history is that there is "a
bourn from whence no traveller re-
turns"
If God is really a presence in the
world, then He must be a continuous
lv revealing presence. There is kind
of absurdity in the statement that He
has spc ken, but refuses to do so any
more. Ii He ever spoke it is certainly
true that He still speaks. He has
neither become Indifferent nor has He
retired to some distant corner of tie
universe whence His voice cannot be
heard except as dull and uncertain
echo.
The upper air is peopled by the de
parted. Death does not destroy the
whole of us; it simply separates. by
mysterious alchemy, the mortal from
the immortal, and it is only short
journey from this world to the other.
While we are saying our Good Night
to the dying they are listening to a
Good Morning from those who have
Joined the majority.
We suffer from sense of separation,
but they enjoy the pleasures of re-
union. To die is gain in very broad
sense, for it is an exchange of hamper
ing conditions for life without limit
alton. Death is merely the transpor-
tation of a peasant to palace, the en-
vironment of which gives him oppor
tunities he never dreamed of. We shed
bitter tears at a grave, but there is
more or less selfishness in our grief. If
we had full faith in the future the
muffied sound of signs would be follow
ed by solemn conviction that, while
we are somewhat the worse off by what
we call bereavement, the departed
loved one is much the better off.
That is the ideal religion, and be-
cause we have not yet attained to it
we robe ourselves III mourning, as
though some great disaster had befall
en- those who go as well as those who
remain. If we had no thought of self
we should dress in white rather than
black, for the dead have won their vic
tory and become immortal.
Still further, it is an inexpressible
loss to the religious life that we do not
realize the radiant fact that solicitous
and helpful influences are round about
us in our struggles with circumstances.
Every loved one who has gone is as
conscious of our doubts and fears as
when he was at our side. Neither his
affection nor his power to aid has been
abated. In thousand ways unknown
to us he gives us strength for the con-
fiict and peace of mind in our perplex-
ity. By unspoken words he talks with
US and our souls and his hold intimate
communion.
Were that not true, then our lives
would be heavily and darkly over
Swallowed. But it is true, and we are
compelled by many an unexplained ex
perience to believe it. 1t is doctrine
of Holy Writ, it is verified by the his
tory of every home, it is a component
part of practical religion, it is "a state
ment of fact which redeems us FROM
despair and gives us good cheer be-
cause heaven and we are not far from
each other.-N. Y. Herald.
A MODERN FABLE.-An Idea was out
for little airing and CHANGED to meet
a weary-looking man.
"Ah - inquired the Idea, "who are
you %
Pm an editor" replied the weary
man.
"Oh, no, an editor " exclaimed the
Idea, "Well, we ought to be friends.
How so ?'' inquired the editor