The age-herald., 1900-12-03

and beauty and quiet which rested upon it, serene and light as summer cloud, with the confusion and tumult and destruc- tion of that dark. heaven-bereft day, in which 1t would be stormed from turret top to foundation plummet. He beheld the city of His fathers and wept over it, no less than did he weep on another occasion when standing beside the sepulchre of a friend.
 And so the desire of the Apostle that we shall not be ignorant concerning those which are asleep does not signify that with the accession of knowledge will come immunity from sorrow, but that, acting naturally, in accordance with conditions, both of constitution and environment and indulging our sorrow, we shall nevertheless have hope. And this more especially be cause if we believe that Jesus died and arose again, then we must also believe that even them also which sleep in Jesus win God bring with Him." And imperatively is all this for our comfort and hope, because, in emphasis of 1t, the Apostle declares that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep
 "A matter of perplexity and uneasiness to the Thessaloians was the future of those who had fallen asleep. Not so should it be to us. We haev the written assurance sent to quiet these fears in the Thessalo nians, as well as all other Scripture written since And the declaration of every writ ing Is that they who sleep are more favored than are those who are awake. According to the assurances of the apostles in these very words of comfort is this true. For the meaning of the elIression, we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, is rather indicative of being neglect ed than favored. A literal translation of this passage would be, they which are left over in the sense of being rejected; they shall not be allowed to stand in the way of those which have been taken aand are asleep, the latter took precedence of the former in the common journey of all to- ward God and home. And that, because the dead in Christ shall rise first to meet Him in the air. The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trum of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise frst Then we which are alive aand remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.'
 How common is the expression that all men must diel And how truly Is that ex- precision the exponent of a belief that is as common as Is the possession of mind to entertain such belief universal. And yet, that all men must die the death that is so familiar because of it's present daily occur renee is not fact of scripture. On the other hand, the fact is the opposite. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in moment, in the twinkling Of an eye, at the last trump; for the trump shall sound, and the dead shall be raised ircorruptble, and we shall be changed And so it is, I say, that they who are asleep are, by that act of falling asleep, nearer God and home today than are we who re- main. For that act constitutes those who perform it the first to whom the Lord will come.
 How improbable to most of us here seems this second coming of Christ! The Thessalonians looked for Him every day No day do we seem to expect Him. And yet, if here He has ever been, here He Is coming again. We must believe this or deny all. He may not come while we are yet awake, but if not, when He does come He will not fail to arouse us from our death sleep
 Ut is ours, then, to find comfort con- corning those who are now asleep in the words that have occupied our attention this hour. Shall it not also be ours to so receive these words and obey the admo- milton of God contained therein as to lay up comfort for others in the future? As to hallow with hope the sorrow of those who, being awake and loving us after we have fallen asleep, will want the same comfort concerning us then that is ours now con- corning the loved ones asleep in Jesus, awaiting the call to complete restoration and eternal life? I believe we have the heart to so receive and obey. God will give us the power. And then it will matter not whether we be awake or asleep when He come. If asleep, we shall rise first. If awake, We shall meet those who sleep as they rise "rhey shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord'-the goal finally reached-the problem of life solved-the ul- timatum of the purpose of God, through the medium of separation and sorrow, real ized and accomplished
 "Comfort one another with these words!' Surely we will To us they are Gods words. They bring Him near to us: they draw us near to Him. They bring us into the forgiving and forgiven presence of