The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1903-05-01
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT AND CONVINCING DIS.
COURSE ENTITLED IMMORTALITY"
The Rev. st. Clair Hester Delivers . Gem
forting Message IN Those Who Are
wav~r,ng In the Belief In Regard -
n Life EverlAsting.

rector the Rev. 81. Clair Hester, prtScnec
on 'Immortality-Th Longing for 1t, Pro.
The text was from job xiv: IA; II a man
die shall he live again. Mr.. Hester said
The irrepressible. ubiquitous question.
repeated again and aga'n, world without
end. Men like job were asking !. eentar-
les before Christ, and men like job are
asking II centuries after Christ. Ii u IN,
vested with perpetual youth and the world
never tires OF hearing answers TO II
A father afflicted by the loss OF has only
son IN the morning OF a beautiful youth
writes book entitled Life Beyond
Death His dedication is letter 10 his
boy, beginning, My Dear Phil and COS
ing with these words: God bless you my
again and looking into mine. Lovingly,
father" This rs the answer OF one m
grief. Under similar circumstances could
you, would you, want 10 give any different
answer A wife bewais the sudden de-
cease of her husband She finds great com.
fort in reading through has sermons aud
gathering from them and publishing every
sentence that bears on the subject OF
meeting again IN the world 10 come. Her
heart is constantly singing
"Soul of my soul, we shall meet again,
And with God be the rest"
Hers is the answer OF one IN Loneliness
buoyed up by confident anticipation. Who
in such position could or would want to
give any different answer
The thoughts of men on the subject re-
peated, reiterated, reatfirmed throurn thou
sands Of years of human history, form an
accumulation of evidence from which II Is
difficult to escape, evidence nat gains en-
phasis by ITS repetition, evidence that
arouses deepest feeling by the very earnest
ness os its utterance. The answer OF Jesus
Christ is the only answer that entirely
satisfies the human mind and heart. it
was proclaimed amid rejoicing. melody and
song on Sunday last IN all the churches.
The echoes of Easter have not yet died
out. Their soul has gone into all the world
and their words unto the ends OF the earth.
The echoes that come from the rock hewn
tomb within the Garden of Joseph Of Arr
mathea are not like those we shout among
cliffs and canyon walls that gradually soft
en- and die away They are within the
realm OF the spiritual world and they IN
crease rather than diminish. They grow
from soul 10 soul from the soul Of the risen
Christ TO the souls that believe IN Him,
and so they grow forever and forever.
II Christ alone of all who live or have
lived upon the earth is TO live again after
death, the resurrection of the first Easter
day is nothing more than an amazing exhi-
bltlon of Almighty power which while IL
)mprcsses us 1t corresponding depresses
us because 1t emphasizes the difference be
tween us and Him and makes US despair OF
ever attaining unto such oNaltation. III
this Re your feeling His rising was 10 no
purpose, our preaching rs vain, Christian
ity Is cruel system of deception and we
are OF all men most miserable. But the
truth is His rising was promise and
pledge TO US of ours. He was the first fruit
of them that sleep
First of all let me ask is II a fact that
men desire to live again? Emerson tells
the story of two members of the u. :. SEN
ate who were fond OF discussing specula-
tive questions. Whenever possible they
would meet and find relaxation In convers-
ing on subjects other than shop. Their ia
vorite topic was the Immortality OF the
soul, but they could never find any salts
factory reason for believing 1t. They sep
arated and one retired TO a distant State.
After twenty-five years they met at a
crowded reception IN the White House.
They shook hands cordially, and standing
asked, Amy light, Albert?'' None" was
the reply; After pause the other asked,
ANY light, Lewis" The answer again
was None" They shook hands again,
looked one another in the eye ir silence
and parted, never to see each other again.
Emerson's remark upon the Incident Is
that the impulse that prompted these men
TO try to find proofs OF immortality was 1t
self the strongest OF all proof. In my opin-
ion Emerson was right.
Yes, men do desire to live again. They
are not afraid TO die, to have the body de
stroyed, many OF them, but thev shudder
at the idea OF annihilatICn, of becoming
nothing more than a breath of air or a
pinch of dust. Even the barbarian and
the savage beliere in a future life, that
somehow the thinking soul may escape the
wreck of the unthinking body. In all prob
ability 1t Is an idea that grew out OF the
phenomena of dreams. While man sleeps
nth hnT col m. .gra k1gnH nd
something like this my happen, he rea-
soned, when death, the long sleep comes
to him. In after and higher stages OF cul-
ture the conception OF Immortality was at
first a sad and depressing one. The Sheol
OF the Jews, the Hades OF the Greeks the
Orcus of the Roman, were abodes OF
shades, shadows, ghosts-and such a future
could only be regarded with fear and dis
like. But in time man began TO surmise
that perhaps the next life might be an inn
provement upon this one. The analoges in
nature around him gave a strong suggestion
to this effect The snake casts It's skin and
ghdes forth IN a new and better one. The
beetle breaks away from its filthy sepul.
cher and enters on new career and man
notices 1t and begins to hang golden scara-
baei IN his temples as symbols OF his hope.
Winter retires and there comes "A resurrec-
tlon oi flower, foliage and fruits He sees
the sllkworm weave its cocoon and die
In brighter coloTs and able 10 spurn the
earth on which II formerly crawied and fly
away and then he begins to carve butter
flies on tombstones and ventures TO hope
that he may likewise be freed from the en-
tangements and deh!ements of earth and
flesh and range In a freer and happier state
the universe at will. All such similitudes,
and there are hundreds OF them in nature
help TO strengthen mans conviction that
he will live again, make more roseate the
hope that he will survive the wreck Of the
universe.
The desire for immortality is too applr.
ent to be open TO dispute. The savage and
the civilized, the illiterate peasant and the
profoundest thinker alike want IL to be So
Even when some have lost hope they desire
1t fondly as ever. Even when a man has
lost hope OF living again he cannot rid
himself of desire for IT,. That ~ ineradica-
bic Now here is the sound and legitimate
conclusion. n desire so universal and per
sistent is the painting of the creative power
responsible for our existence. IL is a man
ifest prophecy OF what shall be The ex-
istencc Of an organ implies the existence OF
a fie,a for it, operation-this - an axiom
Of science. There would be no fms " there
were no water TO swim in, no wings II
there were no air to fy in, no feet If there
were no earth 10 walk on. Now here s
another sound and legitimate conclusion
what God promises He performs. His char.
actor is perfect To hold any other
idea of Him would be b.asphemous or pre-
sumptuous. To impant this desire and
provide no means for Its gratihcatio1 would
be cruel deception. To make this prom.
Zee and not carry u ont would be breach
OF trust as base a. the squandering on sci.
fish pleasure Of the property the widow or
the orphan conhdcs to an attorneys man
agcmcut God has not dealt 30 in any