Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1905-04-07
SATURDAY NIGHT TALKS
Life Overcoming Death.
By F. e. DAWSON.
April 8. '05-(John 11:32-45.)

the earth, are populous with living
scaled, horned or hoofed. From the
drop of water in which millions of
by the plowshare, through which the
earthworms wriggle, on and up to
man the browning work of God, all
creation throbs and palpitates with
life There is not an atom of water,
there is not an inch of soil there Is
not a breath of air that is not inhab-
ted. occupied, possessed by living
forms of some sort.
And yet this is a world of death.
In one sense it is a cradle, in anoth
er it is a hearse. Uncounted millions
of living creatures run the whole
course of their existence from birth
to death within the circle of a day.
OF all the multitudinous inhabitants of
this earth only a small fraction are
living. There are great cities on this
globe, teeming with life, but the great
cities of the earth are underground.
General Death is the greatest COM
manner of all ages.
And he has a mortgage on the life
Of every mortal now living He Dor
rows no trouble for he knows that
| however great, however wise, how
ever gifted, however defended, the
hair will frost and the eye will fade,
and the back will bend, and the
! hands will tremble, and the limbs
will totter, and the breath will cease
and the heart will stop.
Death reioices in his victory. He
loves to tear down the finest physi-
cal structure. He delights in every
new invention and discovery that will
assist in the deterioration of the race.
The groans of the dying are music to
his ear. a battlefield is a carnival OF
iov: If he could have his way he
would sweep the earth Of every YES
tage of life with one move Of his
| destructive wand.
There is but one being in the uni
verse Of whom Death is afraid, and
He is the life-giver Of Galilee. The
Bozrah Conqueror Is the only one who
has ever worsted death in hand to
hand conflict. But IIe has done 1t,
and is the acknowledged victor. He
stood one day in Bethany cemetery
amid a group of broken-hearted people
at the tomb Of young man stricken
down by the hand Of the tyrant, and
he shouted into the depths OF that
sepulchre with the voice Of command,
and Lazarus. though he had been four
DAYS dead. leaped out into the light
of day at that voice of authority, a
rescued captive from the realm OF
spirits.
And wrestling the keys OF every
grave on this planet from the old
enemy Of man, He hung them to his
girdle and the time is coming when
He will liberate every imprisoned cap
tive that the earth contains, for "All
that are in their graves shall hear
His voice. and shall come forth"
Fortunately, the grave-breaker named
the one he wanted on that day. or
there may have been, at that time, a
geenral resurrection.
Not only is that true but everything
that savors of death is distasteful to
Him Dead nations, dead customs
dead laws, dead experiences, dead
churches, dead societies-He wants
nothing to do with them. 81 am come
that they might have life" He says
land that they might have it more
abundantly" Why have the nations
of the past risen, became mighty, and
then fallen into dust? History is a
graveyard in which lies buried Egypt
Assyria, Babylona. Persia. Greece
and Rome.
Why did they perish? To make
way for the abundant life for which
the world was created, They were
but the embryo of the perfect devel
opment that was to come. and they
were cast aside when they had com
pl0ted the mission. The God o
histol-, coJld not be satisfied Will
Their attainments. They went as higl
as they could, each wave of national
ity swept little farther up the beaci
of time, but it was impossible for thu
race to reach the food-tide of thi
age in those old days Doubtless th
world has not reached its ultimate
yet, but the lfe-giver is at work a
never before, and is getting better re
suits.
The cry which is sounding out Il
all the world today is that Old-time
commanding shout in the Bethan
graveyard, Come forth" That I
what Perry's gunboat Numbered 4
the harbor of Japan, and the Sunris
Kingdom heard it, and sprang up on
of the dungeon of centuries. That I
what Henry M. Stanley cried as h
hlaZed his way from ocean to ocea
through the dark continent. and Afr
ca is shaking off the letters of age
of srDerstition and moving out int
the light.
That is the meaning Of the guns c
Vicksburg and Gettysburg and Al
DOmatOX. II is the reVerberatin