The western sentinel., 1895-09-12

From the New York Herald.
And they shall never perish, neither shall
anv man pluck them out of my hand
John, x, %.
The effect produced on a mans
current life by firm belief in the
future is something to be wondered
at and admired.
If a man had the KOhinOOr in his
pocket, and was not afraid of being
robbed, it wonld add "a cubit to his
stature" and fill his heart brim:ul of
good nature.
And, on the other hand, when O.
man has no faith in the future, not
positively denying it, but looking to
the sky with a very faint hope, he
may be successful in business and
envied Of his neighbours; he may be a
right honest creature, living in the
sunshine wher ever he can find it; but
in his heart there dwells tenant,
grim and u1welcOmP, who holds
life lease OF his residence He may
make the best of himself which cir
cumstance allows, but down in the
depths of that man Ma ture, covered
up by a careless laugh or otherwise
| concealed, is an inter mittent desprr-
II
outlook. However rich he NAV be,
he is "poor indeed - There is a
| kind OF satisfaction which he can
never enjoy, a domain of peace ard
happiness whose green grass his feet
| never press, whose flowers ln never
| looks upon, whose crops :i:e never
| gathered into his barns.
| The religion which cir..I $ ab mt
1 fnit f,t,
circle about the sun IL tie most
practical thing in the world l. IS i
I heat giving idea as l,.,e-s,jry for the
fructifying processes as sunshine is
to a wheat field. A we'll hop for
orange blossoms III II damp cave
| where ice water oozes through the
rock and eternal night prevails as to
make a soul happy ana contented
or in it's highest sense productive
| without the radiance which comes
from a belief in immortality.
Give man one glimpse of the
Celestial City, let him hear the voices
of an els, and know that they are
angels, and you work a miracle in
that mans whole being. AS the
clouds at sunset are fairly drenched
in beautiful colors-colors so en-
trancing that the human race ceases
from it's labor to gaze upon the
spectacle-so the clouds of sorrow
which overhang our spiritual land
scape are rainbow hued to him who
can see the face of the Father and
feel the touch of His hand. After
such an experience, literally a new
birth, the inevitable tomorrow ceases
to be dreaded, and we gladly con-
template the slowly loosening bonds
of mortality, because death is free
dom, the Lords messenger to sum-
mon us to a higher, a broader, a
nObler stage of existence.
1t is the greatest of all pities that
this kind of faith so narrowly pre-
walls. We pretend to be Christians,
but the grandest doctrine of our
Christianity is either rejected or in
operative. We hope, but we also
fear. There are moments when we
feel sure, and at such times we are
inexpressibly happy; there are other
moments when we doubt, and we are
unspeakably miserable.
How can a man fail to see that a
belief in Immortality is prime
spiritual necessity? A denial of it
; thwarts every heroic endeavor and
cOrrupts the motives which urge us
toward a higher life. If we are to
die like the beasts of the field, then
why should we not live like them
If we are SO made that we can't help
longing for a continued existence,
! but are not to enjoy it, we are like
some poor traveller who sees the
green fields beyond the chasm and
approaching them with hurrying
steps and fond anticipatiOns, sud
, denly falls over the precipice and is
broken by the Jagged rocks. Unless
there is another life this life is not a
boon, but curse, and man is sc
curiously and cruelty constructed
that the one only thing which will
make him little lower than the
, angels is the one only thing which ht
, cannot have.
But it is useless to linger on this
hot and waterless plain lest we die o
thirst. We believe-some of us ever
go so far as to say we known of oul
personal knowledge-that death Ii
simply eviction from the body anC
V removal from poverty to riches
That belief ought not to be vague
e however; it should be vivid, thrilling
| pIoniucHU dHo pei LldlIchCJ "o'ciiHS
D no more than the rock headlands OF
the coast amid the angry storms
J. Think of the matter when you sit by
the side of your own soul with nc
one else near by. That kind o
thinking will make your doubt,
stink away like thief in the hight
You have a right to Immortality
and God offers 1T for your accept
ance, but you are blinded, and you
!, hand gropes in the air and fails tC
reach it. You have another life, ano
it is serious misfortune if you dt
not realize the fact, forit is the onl'
corner stone on which you can build
If SORROWS come and burdens ar
to be borne, there is rest in tn
future and peace that passetl
understanding. Look up, for skie
D are still blue and stars still shine
The sod covers nothing but bodies
i for souls are too noble for the com
panionship of the earthly. Th
loved one whose cold hand gives yo1
}, no responsive pressure, whose eye
look no longer into yours, is not il
q the churchyard, but in heaven; no
beneath the flowers which you hav
q wet with your tears, but in tina
home not made with hands, whenc
she comes to you, ever and anon, al
invisible but benefcent presence
And after a little, your days worl
done, you will enter the cloud.
region and emerge on the furthe
IoL 1,o ho