The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1897-08-27
RELIGIOUS NEWS.
DR.. Morris, Sermon.

changed pulpits last Sunday. DIR.
Morris was greeted by full hOu e
and preached great sermon. Not
withstanding he is a frail looking
man, he has full, clear and pleas
ant voice that easily reaches every
part of his audience. He is also a
very scholarly man and does not
trudge along the lines of common
thought. While never aiming at
the sensational, he is a bold and
vigorous thinker, and profoundly
versed in Biblical lore.
He took for his text a part of the
10th verse of the lst chapter of
Second Timothy: "Our Saviour
Jesus Christ, who hath abolished
death, and hath brought life and
immortality to light through the
Gospel"
In this short newspaper notice
only general idea can be given Of
that great sermon. His beautiful
word painting, his tender pathOs
and profound logic cannot be sup
piled here.
The speaker said that if the reader
simply took these words and under
took to study the meaning in a mere
dictionary and grammar style, that
he would miss the profound mean
ing of the divine writer, To abOl-
ish death, in the ordinary accepta-
ton of that term. would mean to do
away with death, which experience
daily taught us had not been done,
for people had been dying ever since
the days of st. Paul. We must look
for deeper meaning than this. In
order to get at the meaning we must
look to the surroundings of the
writer. Paul was a prisoner in the
common Jail at Rome. Every time
he heard foot fall or a key turn
he looked for his eXecutioner, and
yet, under these gloomy and Ordi-
narily unhappy surroundings, we
look into his inner life for an eX-
PLANTATION. We hear the prisoner
uttering such sentiments as: For
| am now ready to be offered, and
the time of my departure is at hand.
| have fought a good fight, | have
finished my course, | have kept the
faith; henceforth there is laid up for
me a crown of Righteousness, which
the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall
give me at that day; and not to me
only, but to all them that have his
appearing" death is swallowed
up in victory. o death, where is
thy sting? o grave, where is thy
victory" But thanks be to God,
which giveth us the victory through
our Lord Jesus Christ"
From these, and other similar eX-
pressiOns, it is evident that the
apostle meant that Christ had taken
away the sting of death-had taken
away its gloom and horrors; and in
this way death was virtually abol-
ished.
The speaker dwelt at length upon
the question of death and the future
state under the second division OF
his subject. He said, in substance
that the ancient Egyptians and al
the ancients believed in the immor-
tally of the soul. Socrates believed
it; Cicero believed it; but it was q
dark, unhappy, homeless, wander
ing state. The five books Of Moses
were studiously silent on the future
state. There was not single refer
ence in all his writing to the sub
ject. In fact the teachings of the
entire old dispensation on this sub
iect were dark, gloomy and un
happy. When Joshua, one of the
few perfect men in the old tesla
ment writing, came to die, there was
no bright prospect before him. HI
only walled out, II go the way o
all the earth" Job expressed 6
very imperfect idea on the subject
and David, who sang songs tina
shall reach down all the ages, anC
who touched his harp with sucl
sweetness that he could charm anC
quiet the distracted king, when he
came to die, like Joshua, the tenoI
of his thoughts was, "For we ar,
strangers before the, and sOjOurn
ers, as all our fathers were our days
on the earth are as a shadow"
But how different were the teach
ings of the New Dispensation unde
Christ. To the believer, under tn,
old dispensation, death was a darf
and gloomy ending of life. 1t was {
return to dust and ashes, with bu
an imperfect understanding of tn,
future state of the soul. But Chris
had brought life and immortality t.
light through the Gospel. Since tn,
day that the aged Simeon held thu
babe of Bethlehem in his loving
arms, the aged leave earth with
different song in their mouths. The
tenor of his song is not gloomy ant
sad, but joyous, as he says: Lord
now lettest thou thy servant depar
in peace, according to thy word
for mine eyes have seen thy saliva
ton, a light 10 tighten the Gentle
and the glory of thy people Israel.
Since Jesus had taken the dea
maiden by the hand and said, "she
not dead, but sleepeth," death is n
longer gloomy and awful, but Onl
a sleep only asleep from which tn
: dead awake to joyful and gloriou
resurrection.
The New Testament scripture
were full of the glorious doctrine O
the immortality of the soul and tn
resurrection of the body. At tn
conclusion, when the learned divin
said it was then that the sting c
death was abolished, and told G
many cases where he had witnesse
the death of christians, who died /
the triumph of the christian faitt
there were but few dry eyes in tn
congregation.