Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1900-03-30

studtiNe, lou Will I'VE 20 years longer
under its soothing power. L. is not
cheral that you want or morphine that
you want. IL is the Gospel OF Jesus
Christ, with long life will satisfy
him."
Again, practical religion is a friend
of longevity in the fact that ii removes
all corroding care about a future ex-
istence. Every man wants to know
what is to become Of him. lfyou get on
board a rail train, you want to know
at what depot it is going to stop, If
you get on board ship, you want to
know into what harbor it is gcng to
run, and if you should tell me yo1 have
no interest in what is to be your future
destiny l would in as polite way as l
know tell you l did not believe you.
Before | had this matter settled with
reference to my future existence the
question almost worried me into ruined
health. The anxieties men have upon
this subject put together would make
martyrdom. This is a state of awful
unhealthiness. There are people who
fret themselves to death for fear of
dying.
| want to take the strain off your
nerves and the depression off your soul,
and | make two or three experiments.
Experiment the first: When you go out
of this world. it does not make any DIFF
ference whether you have been good or
Iath
error, you viii go straight to glory.
impossible" you say. my common
sensea as well as my religion teaches that
the bad and the good cannot live to-
gether forever. You give me no com
fort in that experiment. Experiment
the second: When you leave this world,
you will go into an intermediate state
where you can get converted and pre-
pared for Heaven. impossible" you
say; "as the tree falleth, so it must lie
and / cannot postpone to an intermedi-
ate state that reformation which ought
TO have been effected in this state"
Experiment the third: There is no f1-
ture world. When a man dies, that is
the last of him. Do not worry about
what you are to do in future state Of
being; you will not do anything. sim.
possible" you say. "There is some.
thing that tells me that death is not the
appendix, but the preface; there is
something that tells me that on this
side of the grave only get started and
that l shall go on forever. Ny power
to think says forever, my affections say
forever, my capacity 10 enjoy or suffer
forever"
Well, you defeat me in my three ex-
periments. / have only one more &c
make, and II you defeat me in that am
exhausted. A mighty one on knoll
back of Jerusalem one day, the skies
filled with forked lightnings and the
earth filed with volcanic disturbances,
turned His pale and agonized face to-
ward the Heavens and said: ~ take
the sins and sorrows of the ages into my
own heart. / am the eXpiation. Wit
ness earth and Heaven and hell l am
the eXpiation." And the hammer
struck Him and the spears punctured
him, and Heaven Numbered, 1.-The
wages of sin is DEATH" "The soul that
sinneth it shall diet" 81 will by no
means clear .he guilty." Then there
was silence for half an hour, and the
lightnings were drawn back into the
scabbard of the sky and the earth
ceased to culver and all the colors of the
sky began TO shift themselves into
rainbow woven out of the falling tears
of Jesus, and there was red as of the
bloodshedding and there was blue as Of
the bruising and there was green as of
the Heavenly foliage and there was or
ange as of the day dawn. And along
the line of the blue | saw the words,
II was bruised for their iniquities."
And along the line Of the red / saw the
words, 1.-The blood of Jesus Christ
cleanSeth from all sim" And slong the
line of the green saw the words, "The
leaves of the tree OF life for the healing
of the nations" And along the line OF
the orange I saw the words, The day
spring from on high hath visited us"
And then saw the storm was over,
and the rainbow rose higher and higher
until it seemed retreating to another
Heaven, and planting one column of its
colors on one side the eternal hill and
planting the other column of its colors
| on the other side the eternal hill ii rose
upward and upward, and, behold, there
was rainbow about the throne.
Accept that sacrifice and quit worry
ing. Take the tonic, the inspiration,
the longevity, of this truth. Religion
is sunshine; that is health. Religion is
fresh air and pure water; they are
healthy. Religion is warmth; that is
healthy. Ask all the doctors, and they
will tell you that quiet conscience
and pleasant anticipations are hygienic.
| offer you perfect peace now and here
after.
What do you want in the future
world? Tell me, and you shall have it.
Orchards? There are the trees with 12
| manner of fruits, yielding fruit every
mouth. Water scenery? There is the
river OF life, from under the throne Of
God, clear as crystal, and the sea of
| glass mingled with fire. Do you want
music? There are the oratorio of the
Creation" led on by Adam, and the
oratorio of the RED Sea-" led on by
Moses, and the oratorio of the Messiah"
led on by st. Paul, while the archangel,
with swinging baton, controls the 144,-
900 who make up the orchestra.
Do you want reunion? There are
your dead children waiting to kiss you,
waiting to embrace you. waiting to
twist garlands in your hair. You have
been accustomed to open the door on
this side the sepulcher; open the door
on the other side of the sepulcher.
You have been accustomed to walk in
the wet grass on the top of the grave:
| show you the underside Of the grave.
The bottom has fallen out, and the
long ropes with which the pallbearers