The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-07-28
0Trihufe of ResDeCt.v

Editor of the Morning News: Some
time since, l saw a heading as above,
and Immediately following are the
words. God in His infinite wisdom
has again seen fit to lay His omnipo-
tent hand upon our society and remove
from earth to heaven" etc. Also
there are other expressions like the
following, This dispensation of God, y
I'VE bow in humble submission to our
heavenly fathers will, believing that
hath pleased the Almighty Father of
the universe to cause grief and
sorrow to fall over his life and home,
etc"
AS these are the extreme outgrowth
of a falsely sympathetic sentiment
which to some extent prevails in the
writing of obituaries, feel like showing
the bearing they have upon the train
ing of the uprising mind.
/ hope not to give personal offense,
but simply to correct what seems to
me to be a most unjust insinuation
upon the government and character of
God.
Remembering that death is divinely
recorded a penalty for sin, and that
when Satan shall be bound a thous-
and years" longevity shall be the rule,
as see Is. 65:22, For as the days of
a tree are the days of my people, and
mine elect shall long enjoy the work
of their hands," also. reason teaches
that God has great use for the good
in this world that they may be the
salt of the EARTH" l cannot think He
would arbitrarily remove from earth
to heaven"
Again, l cannot look upon IL as a
"dispensation of God" to kill the good,
when in all ages He had thrown around
them that protection which is assured
in the statement that 1.-The angel of
the. Lord encampeth round about them
that fear Him and delivereth them" l
cannot "bow humbly to our Father S
WILL" in an act which reason and rev.
citation agree is no part of His doing.
And now. after noticing that this
Tribute of Respect" charges God with
bringing grief and sorrow to fall over
his life and home" ! will try to show
what long life of searching in God S
word has taught me.
First. 1t has taught me that man is
a moral agent. and that naturally the
effect OF every influencing act falls
upon him, whether by himself or by
any other agent.
Second. II teaches me that death is
the most reasonable result of every
moral, mental. or physical INSIDE
meanor.
Third. II teaches me that 1.-THE dis
pensation OF God" is to destroy death.
for The last enemy that he shall be
destroyed is death" Death being the
work of the devil For this purpose
was the Son OF God manifested that
He might destroy the works of the
devil" IL being the work OF God TO
have them that believe" this saliva
tion does not pertain alone TO the soul.
for Jesus says, "The Son OF man is not
come 10 destroy mems lives. but 20
save them" He also says: Il am the
life" but who can find where lie says,
II am the death Of the world2"
Fourth. God cannot be the author OF
grief and sorrow" 10 the good, and
they who grieve and sorrow for the
death Of the good. should not do so In
reference 10 the result upon the dead.
but only because Of their own desola-
ton
Neither should they sorrow "as those
who have no hope" land my friends
who I am criticislng DO n0O. but with
joyful Thanksgiving for the positive
comfort that their beloved one o.
safe and like DAVID. they can $50 90
her" There can be- no comfort 30
deep. inspiring, and Joyful as. that
Jesus is our real compa MON iu both the
hour Of death and VI bereavement