The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-03-02

RoNnGk R@~ oa& O.
well read New Testament, there would
have been one less suicide. o nervous
and feverish people of the world, tryI
this almighty sedative- You will live
25 years longer under its soothingl
power. 1t is not choral that you want
or morphine that you want 1t is the
gospel of Jesus Christ. With long life
will I satisfy him"
REMOVES CORRODING CARE.
Again. practical religion is a friend
of longevity in the fact that 1t removes
all %corroding care about a future exis-
tence. Every man wants TO know what
is to become of him II you get onI
board a rail train, you want to know
at what depot it is going to stop. If you
get on board a ship. you want to know
into what harbor IL is going to run,
and If you should tell me o have mol
interest in what is to be your futureI
destiny I would in as polite a way as
/ know how tell o / did not believeI
you. Before I had this matter settled
with reference to my future eXistenceI
the question almost worried me into
ruined health. The anxieties men hayeI
upon this subject put together would
! make a martyrdom. This is a state of
awful unhealthiness. There are people,
who fret themselves to death for fear
of dying
I want to axe the strain off your
nerves and the depression off your
soul and 1 make two or three expert
ments. Experiment the first: Wher
you go out of his world, it does not
make any difference whether you have
been good or bad. or whether you be-
lieved truth or error, you will go
straight to glory. Impossible" you
say. My common sense as we'll as my
religion teaches that the bad and the
good cannot live together forever. You
| ait-a ~ no nnrpfnrf IN that avDar;-
ment." Experiment the second: Wher
you leave this world you will go into
an intermediate state where you "a
get converted and prepared for heaven.
Impossible" you say. las the tree
falleth, so it must lie. and I cannot
postpone to an intermediate state tina
reformation which ought to have been
effected in this state" Experiment the
third: There is no future world. When
a man dies, that is the last of him. Do
not worry about what you are to do in.
another state of being; you will not dc
anything. Impossible" you say.
There is something 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 il
only get started and that 1 shall go on
forever. My power to think says for
ever, my affections say forever, my
capacity to enjoy or suffer forever.
THE WAGES OF SIN.
Well o defeat me in my three ex-|
periments. I have only one more tc|
make, and if you defeat me in that !
am exhausted. A mighty one on a knoll
back of Jerusalem one day, the skies
filled with forked lightnings and the
earth filled with volcanic disturbances,
turned his pale and agoniZed face to-
ward the I'VE and said: Il take the
sins and sorrows of the ages into my
own heart. I am the expiation. Witness|
earth and heaven and hell, I 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 il
shall die!" Il will by no means clear
the 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 a 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 TO
liage and there was orange as of the
day dawn. And along the line of the
blue l saw the words: Il was bruised
for their iniquities." and along the line
of the red / saw the words, THE blood
of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin" -
And along 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 dayspring from on
high hath visited u.s."
And then | saw the storm was over
and the rainbow rose higher and high
er until it seemed re~treating to anothe1I
heaven, and planting one column of it's
colorS on one side the eternal hill andI
planting the other column of it's colorsI
on the other side the eternal hill il
rose upward and upward, and, behold,
there was a rainbow about the thrOna.l
Accept that sacrifice and quit worry-l
ing. Take the tonic, the inspiration,I
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, n they
Will tell you that a quiet conscience
and pleasant anticipations are n.y.
gienic. 1 offer you perfect peace now
and hereafter.
What do you want in the futurel
world? Tell me. and you shall have it.
Orchards? There are the trees with 12l
manner of fruits, yielding fruit every
month. 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
AhoSiS nc Il Lie OIdlOT1O Ol luSI
Creation, lied on by Adam, and the
oratorio of the Red Sea-" led on by
Moses, and the oratorio of the Mes
siah," led on by ST. Paul, while the,
~archangel. with swinging baton, con-
trolls the 144. 600 who make up the orr
chestra. |
Do you want reunion? There are your
dead children waiting to kiss you,
waiting to embrace you, waiting tol
twist garlands in your hair. You haveI
been accustomed to open the door on
this side the sepulcher; 1 open the door
on the other side the sepulcher. You
lave 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
let down your dead let them clear
through into eaven Glory be to God
for this robust. healthy, religion! 1t
will have a tendency to live long in
this world, n in the world to come
you will have eternal life. With longl
life I will satisfy him."
ADDD0--0 I