Newport weekly independent., 1902-05-23
SOULS MOVING DAY.
Man Goeth to His Long Home, and the Spirit Returneth to God"
Sermon by the "HiGhvay and Byyyay" % Preacher in Which ForcibIe Les- #M sons Are Drawn from Conn
 mon Experience.
(Copyright 1902, by A. N. Kellogg Newsps- M per Co)

(CCpyright, 1902, by A. N. Kellogg Newspa per Co)
 Chicago, May 1S
 Text: Man goeth to his long nome . |. and the spirit shall return unto God Who gave it." Parts of Ecclesiastes 12:5, z.
 The period around the first of May has come to be recognized as general moving time, especially so in many of the larger cities of the country, and an event which so immediately affects so many lives ought not to pass with out it's spiritual lessons being pointed out. Scarcely does the man or woman or child exist who has not at some pe- riod in his or her life known what it was to move from one home to anoth- CT, from one state to another, from one country to another. The medium through which we reach and under stand the unseen and spiritual is that of the natural world and the everyday life experiences. Drummond's "Natur- al Law in the Spiritual World" opens the mind to the thought of the way in which Gods spiritual forces operate, and human experiences have their re- semblances in the spiritual realm, and bring their message to the human heart in endeavor to point to God.
 Moving day has inseparably asso- ciated with it certain relative facts which are Immediately connected with it in our thoughts, such as leaving the old home, the new home, the furnish ing of the new home, new neigh bors and friends, the new landlord, etc.
 The Souls Moving Day. Our text at once introduces us to the certainty of this experience in every human life No argument is needed to enforce this point. Man knoweth that his life endureth but for season and like the grass of the field he soon passeth away, and yet oftentimes he puts off the thought of the souls moving day for more convenient season (which, but for the patience and grace of God would never come, if it ever does come, and goes on living during time as though he had an eternity at his com mand.
 Two beautiful thoughts flash out of our text to which we wish to refer at once, that the infinite love and care of God may overshadow our souls as we proceed. The words Home" and ''Re- turneth'' gently lead the soul into the presence of death and give the bright CT side to dark picture. The dearest experiences in life are associated with the thoughts of home. The tenderest chords of the human heart vibrate at the sound of the word "home," so that even the man who never knew home could sing 'Home, Sweet Home" To the soul willing to hear Gods voice He always speaks of "Home" as the blessed dwelling place of the re- deemed, and death is robbed of it's sting as we triumph in Christ Jesus over it. But to the soul given up to it's own de- vices, that will not hear the voice of God He speaks in thunder tones of the judgment seat and eternal darkness and death. The soul may deaden it's
 The other beautiful thought in our text is that of the soul returning to the God Who gave it. How natural that it should do so. How unnatural that man by his own wilful self-seek- ing should turn it in any other direc- tion. The carrier pigeon taken to a distant point when given it's liberty re- turneth straight as an arrow to the point from whence it came. How nat ural, how beautiful. How sadl,' pa- thetic, when, deflected from it's course, the pigeon perishes by the wayside and lifting it's ruffied body and power less wings from the ground we realize that it was not intended thus to be. but its destiny lay at the point from which it had been taken. The pigeon may not have been responsible for per ishing by the wayside, but the spirit given by God which findeth not it's way tback to Him perisheth even while God is pleading with it to turn it's will and purpose towards Him. The soul has
 Leaving the Old Home. Moving day has come and the old home is to be left behind. While there are bangs of re- gret at leaving it's familiar shelter, still the fascination of the new home to which we are going, with it's larger ac- commoda tions and better surround ings, make us forget the old in the hap py thoughts of the new. It is no hard ship to leave the old if we know that at the other end of the line a new and better home awaits our occupation.
 Two important facts confront us in connection with this leaving of the old home. First, we have taken due thought of moving day and planned &C., cordingly, and secondly, we have en- gagged another home to which to go when the old is left behind. The man who did not give due heed to these two matters we would judge guilty of the greatest folly. Yet how exactly sim liar is the position of the soul which