The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1895-08-08
Can They Come to Us?


about them that fear him, and deliyereth
them.-Psalms, xxxiy., Z.
IL What way do the dear ones who
have b on summoned to the other
shore employ themselves? Love
often asks that question and love
ought 10 have an answer. Is it a
problem that cannot be solved, or
are there clews which lead us through
! the labyrinth into the clear sunlight
Of unwaveTing faith?
Ii is rather an important matter,
for if we feel that they are always or
| even sometimes within reach of US
| we can bear the separation more
bravely, while the thought that they
are in some remote region into
which no intelligence from the eartl
/ peneUrates is so depressing that our
shoulders shiver beneath the burden.
Death is a little less than death
when we are reasonably certain that
| he ather who has gone has still the
| power to watch over the child who
remains. and death is "a little more
! than death if it means the annihila
| ton of the affection which made this
| life SO precious.
r Fortunately we are we'll rid of the
| curious and fantastical ideas OF
heaven which have prevailed so ex-
tensiveiy in the past 1t has been
| pictured as II conventional place,
whose very Joys partake of a digni-
| he'd ana gloomy solemnity; where
| the natural propensties from which
| so much pleasure in the present life is
derived are Telentlessly suppressed;
! where such excessive attention is
| given to music that tie future seems
| like Bn eternaliY prolonged chorus OF
/ vOcalism and where the soul will no
longer take delight in those intellec
tual pursuits which have heretofore
| given it both it's enjoyment and its
| individuality. In a. word, it was
regarded as so undesirable a resi-
,lence that the longing for an extend
ed life here became painfully intense.
| We did not wish TO go to heaven,
| partly because it was IA region peo-
| pied by strange beings and partly be
cause it was Impossible to see how
/ We could be contented there.
| All this was demoralizing spiritual
| ly, and we elung to life, not only
with the tenacity that God implant
ed in our constitutions as 81 necessi-
ty, but with au added tenacity
| which was morbid and unnatural,
since we felt ourselves wanting in the
| capacity OF adapting ourselves to
the peculiar Kind OF happiness which
the angels are supposed to enjoy.
But these legendary notions are a
| Pigment of the past and a more
rational view has taken their place.
/ Our present faith is not based on the
| ~ D.
or knowledge OF Gods providence
and on wider view oil the souls
requirements. We now know that
eternity for us began when we were
born, that the future is only the
! present prolonged, lT:d that heaven
will sirlply furnish US with added
opportunities for spiritual and in
tellectual development. Eternity is
| nothing more than a Now indefinite
ly repeated, and the laws which
govern Us today will also govern US
tomorrow. Death is removal from
a lower sphere Of activity to d higher
| one, with 40 changes whatever to
mark it except the loss Of bodies
which have achieved their purpose
ans; can no longer be made useful.
1t becomes easy, then, under the
regime of this rev thought, to decide
in at least IL general way what are
| the relations between the two worlds.
We may make grave mistakes if we
deal too largely i'll details, which is
the tendency i'll this age of reaction
from the formal and cold and un
natural speculatiOns OF other times
but We can venture upon some
generic statements which must Ger.
taifly contain the gist Of the whole
| matter, ard these statements come
TO us like unexpected strains oil
cheering music to the weary traveller.
The soul il 50 fortified by them that
the direst bereavement has Il modi
cum OF comfort in it, and the pro
foundest sorrow, like tie cloud al
sunset, ii silver lining.
They who have gone have notgonf
lar. they have not been transport
ed to eucf, IL distance that their in.
tercsst in and love Tor us have beer
interrupted or Intercepted. Those
WHO were dear TO each other are
still dear, and will remain SO until
changes are effected by mutual con
sent. They are not asleep, await
ing q summons by the arch-an9ePs
trumpet, for the trumpet has already
sounded for them. They will not
arise from tie grave, for they never
went iutO the grave. From here &c
heaven Is OniJ 4 step, and those who
have taken the step to heaven can
also take the steplrOm heaven. Tie
soul without n freshly body can dc
hat !, soul hampered with body
cannot do. Heaven, as a literal
fact, is all round about us, and not
ii cry goes up from earthly misery
hat is not htard there, and not q
loved one has gone but finds it posi-
BILE To return and to influence II
in some degree thO5e WHO are lef,
behind. If we have the power to
think of them they certainly have al
equal power to think of us, and
though, Imprisoned in this taber
nacle of flesh, we may not visit them
they have no such impeachment, anC
not only may but do throw them
selves into our interests just as they
did when they lived in this lower
house.
1t is mistake to suppose that 6
soul becomes enfeebled simply be
cause it has crossed the river. Its
intellectual and spiritual powers are
greatly enlarged, it can love with &
deeper love and it can help us il
many ways to bear our burdens.
That kind of faith is healthy
stimulant. 1t glorifies this life anC
Il.