The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1903-05-01
would be the loss q everything OF lmpc..

tlfN. MS u Al bhStstlN ~"
let me mention some atheistlc substitutes,
substitutes that leave out God altogether,
Dne OF these proposes the idea OF sb-
sorpiion into the universe. The particles
| Oi matter OF which We are composed VIII
mingle with earth and AR and sea and sky,
and live eternally amid their ever vary
ING changes and combinations. All TINS
sounds well, but think OF what 1t means.
Life is always dying out, and death alone
! persists and conQuers. according 20 this IN
/ depreciation. Materialists attempt TO dsx-
/ zle US with an Infinite panorama OF whirl.
ing suns, evolving planets and astronomical
wonders, but without the self-eonscious
soul life is nothing, a series Of sepulehers,
earth. ashes. dust. There Is nothing IN
prospect TO comfort the sorrowing heart.
Still another substitute is absorption
| into the race. Immortality o. fame. The
! grea, man. II is said, viii survive IN the
memory Of his fellows Beautiful hooks,
useful inventions aud instructive examples
these will insure the plaudits of poster
ity Napoleon Is said TO have remarked:
MY soul will pass into history and the
| death.ess memories of mankind, aid thus
| IN glory | shall be immortal The oblee.
| ton to this theory is that II makes immor-
] tahty the privilege OF the few. The Alex.
anders the Caesars, the Augustlnes, the
Washlngtons, the geniuses, are all happily
| provided for, but what of the many who
| have written no beautiful books. who have
| performed no heroic deeds, who have left
no inspiring examples. Are they 10 be
| blo.ted ont, punished Tor not having what
was never given them, for not having what
| they could not possibly get? Is immor-
| tally thus a reward only for the distln-
| guIshed the gifted jew? No, u Is 4 false
| theory Ii is pathetic and surprising that
men OF parts should have stooped 10 con.
sole and fiatter themselves IN this fashion.
| Fame alone. be Il as great as that of PERI
| I psh ,e ne n nt
| and satisfying return for the labor It's win.
Ming entails: II certainly Is not pay enough
| for mans extinction. Fame is something
| left behind anyway, and those OF us who
have no fame are like the drop of water
| that dries up after II has fallen. This sub
! stitute L. puerile. wanting IN dignity.
Another one holds that we must con-
tent ourselves with Immortality OF the race
| The individual disappears, but the race
! continues storing up within Itself all that
! is worthest Of survival We live IN others.
! They inherit all our qualities, they carry
on 10 succeeding generations the impress
! of our personality. Is not that enough
| No. it is not enough. Ii is no consolation
| 10 think that Others will live after us If
| they ere TO be annihilated, too. To claim
| that the race lives forever, but the lndivid
ual dies forever Is TO be guilty of con-
tradiction in terms. The who,e of any.
! thing Is made up of It's parts; II all the
/
extinguished. How can the race be i'm
mortal II all ITS members are mortal
The substitute proposed by the thelst,
| the materalist, the postivst. the atheist
do no. commend themselves 10 mans rea
son or sympathy. They are wanting in
| goodness in kindness and Justice They
| do not meet the conditions of mans desire
| TO live again. Only the immortality taught
and eXempli6ed by Jesus Christ finds a
| glad and welcome response IN the ahec
tions OF mankind.
II man die, shall he live again? As a
| Christian ! answer yes. Do you ask whyy
| Because he has "A right TO do so. Because
God is Just Righteous art Thou in all
| Thy way the psalmist sings. Some incline
! TO the view that as regards Gods dealings
| with man, the latter can have no right,
that man is in the position of a beggar
| glad to receive anything, but without any
| legitimate claim. He must call upon God
! not because of any virtue In HIS character
but because Ne is all powerful. lie made
US, we are His creatures; therefore, lie
may act toward us and do with us as He
| pleases. We are duty bound 10 obey Him.
| to be kindly disposed toward Him. but He
| ~ under no sort of obligation to deal gen.
erously or Justly toward us. All such the.
| orles and interpretations are mlsrepresen.
tations of the divine character, actual
| ISLANDERS upon Gods goodness. God is q
| father. and no father is at liberty to neg
| lect, i'll treat. degrade a child simply be
cause he is his own. Indeed, this very
fact is the strongest sort OF reason that
| he will do Just the reverse. We all recog
nize and respect the obligations of parent
| blood. To care for the child's body TO
| train its mind, to instill moral principle
into its nature is incumbent upon every
parent. Some deny themselves the high
| privilege for fear of an inheritance OF
| weakness or disease, and thereby making
| In 10 nf pah' 10 hA
veriest sophistry. it is cruel misrcpresenta'
| ton, TO my mind it is unthlnkable, that
| imperfect man IL of kindller nature toward
his child than the perfect God toward His,
| that the finite is under compulslon to do
right, but the Infinite is not. On the con.
| trary. every rise in the scale of being de.
mands a corresponding rise in the scale
| OF obligation. The wiser, the greater, the
better off the parent. the happier his child
| is expected TO be. The greater his ability
| to do. the more i, ought TO do. This is
| the lesson OF the parable of the talents.
| 70 one five, TO another two, to another
| one. TO every man according to his several
abilities In proportion to the gift so
ought the return 20 be. He who has little
of him little is demanded. lie who has
much of him much is required. This is
an immutable law of universal application.
| And God is self limited at least TO the ex.
! tent OF respecting His own laws. Can and
God exacts Of man because sacredly re.
garded by Himself. II man can do and
does do so much for his offspring, 1T is
hardly possible for MS 20 conceive OF what
God can do and does do for HIS.
We are not mere obiects-stones, sticks,
shells-but animate, intelligent beings, into
whom God breathes and builds something
that identifies us with Him and His nature.
The difference between God and man is
more in degree than IN kind. The two are
of the same spiritual essence. There are
faculties the two have in common Reason,
conscience. will are specifications in point.
Man Is endowed with them and the consti
tuition and course of nature reveal their ex.
istence in the workings of God. By resem-
blance of attribute and identity OF life we
are proven Gods children. And will God
kill His own children: kill us before we
have fully realized what the life He has
given isl We long for happiness and vet
we get comparatively little OF IL here. We
cherish an ideal of perfection aud yet we
never attain II on earth. We are but be
ginning TO understand what a grand and
noble thing life NAV be when We have 20
lie down and die. We are Just on the point
Of reaching the rewards for which we have
waited and toiied when the end comes, and
IL we are ever 10 enjoy them IL must be IN
another world. Now Is God IN all this and
all the while deceiving US, When we de-
sire the bread OF everlasting life will He
give W. the stone Of everlasting DEATH AZ
ter we have prayed 20 Him, trusted IN
Him, lifted up our hearts 20 Him. tried
His works 20 do. loved Him and longed 90
be with Him during our residence on earth
will He welcome us when at last we come
TO Him with annIhllatIon! III 40 He ~
not good. II 50 lie is not God. IL 80 there
n 4 a a