The semi-weekly messenger., 1902-04-01

raise the dead?'
Where did all this silk come from
the silk that adorns your persons and
your homes? In the hollow OF i staff
OF Greek missionary brought from Chi
ma to Europe the progenitors of those
worms that now supply the silk mar
kets OF many nations. The pageantry
or hammered host and the luxurious
articles of commercial emporium blaz-
ing out from the silkwOrms. And who
shall be surprised if out of this insig-
nificant earthly body, this Insignificant
earthly life, our bodies unfold into
something worthy Of the coming eter-
mites? Put silver into diluted inter
and it dissolves. Is the silver gone
forever? No. Put in some pieces of
copper. and the silver reappears. If
one force dissolves, another force or
ganiZes.
Why should it be thought a thing
incredible with you that God should
raise the deadT' The insects few and
the worms crawled last autumn fee
bier and feebler and then stopped.
They have taken no food. They want
none. They lie dormant and insensi-
BILE, but soon the south wind will blow
the resurrection trumpet, and the air
and the earth will be full Of them. Do
you not think that God can do as much
for our bodies as he does for the wasps
and the spiders and the snails? This
morning at half past 4 o'clock there
was resurrection. Out of the night
the day. In few weeks there will be
resurrection in all our gardens. Why
not some day a resurrection amid the
graves?
Ever and anon there are instances Of
men and women entranced. A trance
is death followed by resurrection after
a few days; total suspension of mental
power and voluntary action. Rev. Will
liam Tennent, great evangelist Of the
last generation, Of whom DR.. Archi-
bald Alexander, a man far from being
sentimental, wrote in most eulogistic
terms-Rev. William Tennent seemed
to die. His spirit apparently left the
body. People came in day after day
and said, HE is dead, he is dead"
But the soul that fed returned, and
w III llfeu 10 WHAT Ne
had seen while his soul was gone.
Excursions Into the Unknown.
1t may be found some time that what
is called suspended animation or coma
toSe state is brief death, giving the soul
an excursion into the next world, from
which it comes back, a furlough of
few hours granted from the conflict Of
;al1 =
this waking up Of men from trance and
this waking up Of insects 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 arch
angelic reveille? Psychologists tell us
that while the most of our bodies are
built with such wonderful economy
that we can spare nothing, and the loss
Of a finger is hinderment, and the in
jury Of toe joint makes us lame, still
that we have two or three useless phys
ical apparatuses, and no anatomist or
Psychologist has ever been able to tell
what they are good for. They may be
the foundation of the resurrection body,
worth nothing to Us in this state to be
indispensably valuable In the next
state. The Jewish rabbis and the sci
entists Of our day have found out that
there are two or three superfiuities of
body that are something gloriously sug-
gestive Of another state.
l called at my friends house one
summer day. | found the yard all pill
ed up with the rubbish of carpenters
and mason's work. The door was off.
The plumbers had torn up the floor.
The roof was being lifted in cupola.
All the pictures were gone, and the
paper hangers were doing their work.
All the modern improvements were be-
ing introduced into that dwelling.
There was not a room in the house fit
to live in at that time, although q
month before when visited that house
everything was SO beautiful I 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 enlarged and i'm
proved and glorified. That is your
body. 1t looks well now-all the rooms
filed with health, and we could hard
ly make 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 re-
constructed from cellar to attic, and
every nerve, muscle and bone and It's
sue and artery must be hauled over,
and the old structure will be FURNISHED
and adorned and raised and cupolaed
and enlarged, and all the improve
ments Of heaven introduced, and you
will move into it on resurrection day.
For we know that if our earthly house
Of this tabernacle were dissolved we
have a building Of God, a house not
made with hands. eternal In the heav
ems" Oh, what a day when body and
soul meet again! They are very fond