Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1902-04-04

their bodles. .
If the world lasts as much longer as 1t
has thus far, there perhaps may be no
room for the large acreage set apart ZOE
resting places, but there is plenty OF room
yet, and the race need not pass that Dridge
Of fire until it comes to it. The most Of
us prefer the old way. But whether out OF
natural disintegration or cremation we
shall get that luminous, buoyant, gladstone,
transcendent magnificent, lnexplica6!e
structure called the resurrection body.
You will have it; will have it.
Ever and anon there are instances OF men
and women entranced A trance is death
followed by resurrection after few days;
total suspension of mental power and voi-
untary action. Rev. William Tennent, a
great evangelist of the last generation, OF
whom DR.. Archibald Alexander, a man
far from being sentimental, wrote in most
eulogistic terms-Rev. William Tennent
seemed to die. His spirit apparently left
and said, "He is dead, he is dead" But
the soul that fled returned, and Will Ten
nent lived to write what he had seen while
his soul was gone.
1t may be found some time that what is
called suspended animation or comatose
state is brief death, giving the soul an ex-
it comes back, a furlough of few hours
granted from the conflict of life to which
it must return Do not this waking up of
men from trance and this waking up of in
sects from winter lifelessness, and this
waking up of grains buried 5000 years ago
make it easier for you to believe that your
body and mine after the vacation of the
grave shall rouse and rally, though there
be 5000 years between our last breath and
the sounding of the archangelic reveiley
Psychologists tell us that while the most
of our bodies are built with such wonder
full economy that we can spare nothing,
and the loss of finger is Underwent,
and the injury of toe joint makes us lame,
still that we have two or three useless
physical apparatuses, and no anatomist OF
Psychologist has ever been able to tell what
they are good for. They may be the
nothing to us in this state to be indispen-
SADLY valuable in the next state. The
Jewish rabbis and the scientists of our
day have found out that there are two OF
three superfuities of body that are some
thing gloriously suggestive of another state.
I called at my friends house one sum-
mer day. l found the yard all piled up
with the rubbish of carpenters and ma.
sons work. The door was off. The
plumbers mad torn up the floor. The roof
was being lifted in cupola. All the pic
lures were gone, and the paper hangers
were doing their work. All the modern
improvements were being introduced into
that dwelling. There was not room IN
the house fit to live in at that time, a..
though month before when l visited
that house everything was SO beautiful L
could not have suggested an Improvement.
My friend had gone with his family to the
Holy Land, expecting to come back at the
end of six months, when the building was
to be done. And, oh, what was his JOY
when at the end of six months he returned
and found the old house had been en-
larged and improved and sloritied. That
is your body. 1t looks well now-all the
rooms filed with health, and we could
hardly make a suggestion. But after
awhile your soul will go to the Holy Land,
and while you are gone the old house of
your tabernacle will be entirely recon-
structed from cellar to attic, and every
nerve, muscle and bone and tissue and AZ
terry must be hauled over, and the cd
structure will be FURNISHED and adorned
and raised and cupolaed and enlarged, and
all the improvements of heaven intro
duoed, and you will move into it on resur-
rection day. For we know that if our
earthly house of this tabernacle were dis
solved we have building of God, house
not made with hands, eternal in the heav-
ems"
Oh, what day when body and soul meet
again! They are very fond of each other.
Did your body ever have pain and your
soul not pity it, or your body have a JOY
and your soul not re-echo it, or, changing
the question, did your soul ever have
any trouble and your body not sympa.
thize with it, growing wan and weak I'M
soul ever have a gladness but your body
celebrated it with kindled eye and cheek
and elastic step? Surely God never intend.
ed two such good friends to be very long
separated.
And SO when the worlds last Easter
morning shall come the soul will descend,
crying, where is my body?" And the
body will ascend, saying, where is my
soul?" And the Lord of the resurrection
will bring them together, and it will be
perfect soul in a perfect body, introduced
by perfect Christ into perfect heaven.
Victory!
Do you wonder that on Easter day we
swathe our churches with garlandsy Do
you wonder we celebrate it with the most
consecrated voice of song that We can in
vite, with the deftest fingers on organ and
cornet and with doxo,ogies that beat these
arches with the pillows of sound as the
sea smites the basalt at Giants Causeway?
Only the bad disapprove of the resurrec-
ton.
A cruel heather warrior heard Mr.. Moi
fatt, the missionary, preach about the
resurrection, and he said to the mission
any, "Will my father rise in the last
day." yes" said the missionary. "Will
all the dead in battle RISE" said the cruel
chieftain. yes" said the missionary.
Then said the warrior: LET me hear no
more about the resurrection. There can
be no resurrection; there shall be no res
direction. | have slain thousands in bat
tie. Will they RISE" All, there will be
more to rise on that day than those whose
crimes have never been repented of will
want to see! But for all others who al
lowed Christ to be their pardon and their
life and their resurrection it will be day
of victory.
The thunders of the last day will be the
salvo that greets you into harbor. The
will be only the torches of tri.
umphal procession marching down to es-
cort you home. The burning worlds flash.
ing through immensely will be the rockets
celebrating your coronation on thrones
where you will reign forever and forever
and forever. Where is death? What have
we to do with death? As your reunited
body and soul swing off from this planet
on that last day you will see deep gashes
all up and down the hills, deep gashes all
through the valleys, and they will be
the emptied graves, they will be the aban-
doned sepulchers, with rough ground
tossed on each side of them, and slabs will
lie uneven on the rent hillocks, and there
will be fallen monuments and cenotapas,
and then for the first time you will apprc.
ciate the full exhiaration of the text.
Death is swallowed up in victory"
copyright, 1902. L. Klopsch.l
Nautical Heir Apparent.