The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1901-04-26

5 Christian church Wednesday even
: ing IN anticipation OF fine sermon
Z from Elder w. H. Shelter, one o
the former popular preachers il
this city. To say they were pleased
would not adequately serve to de
: note the interest taken in his splen
did discourse.
The latter portion of his text
read: "By it being dead ye'
speaketh, and following are few
OF the thoughts presented;
Beginning with the statement
that there is in all nature an un'
conquerable desire to live, man has
expressed it in many ways. He has
laid the forest low, erected homes,
ouilded cities. and wrecked his
brain for inventions to beautify
charming estates and palaces, de-
nanding an edict of life. not with
standing earthly existence is linn
tied, then looking at the grave he
turns and says, is it thus we pass
away. Man conscious that life is
brief, inwardly turns and asks if
| this life cannot endure beyond the
grave, and begins to search for
proof of a future.
There is desire not only to live
in the future, but not 10 be forgot
ten. They have written names high
upon stones, but time wears them
away. Not so in eternity. If our
names are recorded upon the book
of life we may live forever, not on
ly may but must live forever. No
more can man die than God can
die. But man, in spite of earth,
hell and the grave will mount on
some great pinnacle and forever
must be.
Death would simply be comma
if this was all OF existence. Be.
cause forsooth my eyes are dimn /
can not see; because my thoughts
are moi His thoughts-because of
this it is no proof that lite is not
eternal Insects cannot see the
beauties of the world, yeA the world
exists. Faith and hope and love
are all eternal as God himself.
There are no divine blunders.
We are the blunderers and not God.
God does not waste force, time nor
power, but has wrought for hui
manity with his unerring divinity.
Revealing himself at last he gave
his euly son that man might live
forever. Think God would have
given all for the being OF day. If
God is God then man is man, and
man is immortal. Gods soul is
bigger than the world There is
no satisfaction for the soul in world
ly possessions. That gold, bonds
and the securities of the world
bring coutentment and happiness
can never he.
Man not only lives beyond the
grave is one Immortality, but he
lives forever through all existence
is another. The two immortali-
ties began with Abel and Cain.
The message of Abel has lived
through 5000 years of the rise and
fall Of nations and thrones, and is
alive to-day. Nothing can be ulti-
nately and permanently destroyed.
The preacher traced the ram
drop in it its course to the conti-
nents and return to it's primitive |
state. | know that raindrop exists
to-day, You can forget the thought, |
but you cannot lose the impress;
you may forget the singer, but not |
the song; you may even forget the
song, but you can not forget its in
fluence.
Every lite has its composite in
everything that it touches. This
is what you are, and these make |
your destiny. If | have to leave
impressions on lives God help me
to so live that shall by the living
lift each lite to God.
How shall we make the two inn
mortalities tell most for God and +
humanity. Man thinks himself
beast and he is a beast; thinks HIM
self like unto God and he is man.
Why one life sends out an evil and
the other good influence. Abel
offered a more acceptable sacrifice
than Cain. A faith as high as the
mountains sees God in his stipend
Gus love, sees footprints of God
through all the acts Of life. He
sees not only humanity, but sees it
as God sees il: secs God in divine
music and poetry. It is only the
soul that Is taught the meaning Of
faith. That's the life that lives