Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-11-05
THE LIFE TO COME
BY DEAN BREWSTER
God Not the God Of the Dead
But Of the LN.
ing.
CHANGE OF PHYSICAL DEATH.
learning to Know Something About
Present State of Departed Need
Not Go dissatisfied.

Dean Brewster preached in ST. Mark
cathedral yesterday morning on THE
Life to Come" from Matt xxi, 80;
GOD is not the God Of the dead but Of
the living" The speaker said In part.
The yearning to know something OF
the present state OF those dear ones
whom physical death has parted from
us must be in the hearts of all those
who have lived long enough to experl-
ehce such separation. And | do not
mink this longing need remain wholly
unsausiied, We do not need TO stine
the generous impulse which prompts the
question. What does the change OF
physlcal death mean for the faithful
departed?'
This question is, perhaps, not fully
answered for all OF us by tho Easter
revelation. That Easter gospel, so far
as IL bears upon the life beyond the
grave, speaks of q triumphant resur-
rection, glorifcation OF our personals
W. While We shrink from the foolish
speculation of which st. PAU speaks
now are the dead raised up, and with
what body do they come 7-yet weshare,
l nope, the confidence he expresses In
those resounding words OF our burial
lesson, 1t Is. sown In corruption, Il is
raised In interruptions II is s0wn in dis
honor II Is raised In glory; IL Is sown in
weakness, 1t Is raised In power; IL is
sown natural body, II Is ralseda spirit
ual body There Is a natural body and
there Il a body fitted to manifest indl-
Vidual life In this world where sense has
sway; and there is a body fitted to
manifest that same personal individual
NE IN the world where spirit is unfet-
tered and free.
IL Is this reverent faith, wholly free
from any dogmatism as TO the resurrec-
ton Of the earthly flesh, which the
church encourages her children to hold
When they affirm, I believe In the resur-
rection Of the body Yet, / suppose we
say this article OF the creed with an
eye toward the future, the last day,
some great final contamination.
THE WORLD TO COME.
And so the question comes back TO
US what of the present state of the
departed Is II dumb unconscious
sleepl or Is IL a painful purgatorye
or Is II continuance OF activity and a
growth In holiness? 1t may be that we
rail- to get all the comfort that Easter
may contain for us. because OF making
the last day a too literal a thing. be-
cause OF drawing too exact lines Of
division between heaven and the in
termediate state, because OF thinking OF
the whole matter too much under the
conditions of time. 1t may be that our
thoughts about the resurrection OF the
dead are too apt to tend towards some
far of divine event, and so the hope
OF that final triumph Is too much SEN
arated In our minds from assurance OF
the present life OF the spirit OF Just
men made perfect Perhaps In profess
ing our belief In the life OF the world
10 come we forget that II IL a world
to come only for US who are detained
below. but that II Is present world.
world of real life for those who have
passed on before us.
1t contributes. therefore, TO the en-
riehment of our thought upon these
things and to deeper comfort in our
religion, that we should take account
OF that other article OF the Christian
faith, the communion of saints This
subject Is suggested by the festival OF
All Saints day, observed this last week.
We may not have much revealed to us
about that undiscovered country from
whose bourne no traveller returns. Our
reverent thought must always end on
this side In longing which, however
much faith and hope II may gather,
must still be longing to know more
CONTINUOUS LIFE.
There Is something beautifully ap-
In the very order of this feast
In the Christian year,--this autumn sea-
son with its suggestion Of decay and
death and yet Of harvest too, In the
world OF nature, bringing to our minds
the communion OF saints. the teach
ing Of continuous life IN the world Of |
spirit. For this. IN truth, is our Mas
ter's revelation In regard 90 the faith |
full departed. continuous life.
but life not only implies activity: !
Il implies fellowship There IL a COM
munion OF the saints, a society OF the |
redeemed On earth here do we not |
most truly live when heart responds to !
heart and hand touches hand In some
labor Of lover And I'm Paradise there |
Is, / think. such responsiveness, how |
much more ready-how much more !
Ask you. Will there be rec |
ognltion in Paradise? VIII there be "A
continuance of bonds Of love formed |
on earth? Why should one hesitate to |
say Yes? True. as our Lord says, |
there is neither marrying nor giving in
there is no exclusive pos
session, no selfish appropriation. The |
souls free life will overpass such
bounds. But where, as we are told in |
This same passage. there is life as the |
life OF angels, there Is the life OF per-
sonal responsive love Love never
faieth. Less clouded but not less per-
sonal and definite, viii that heavenly
a. .lul.t Ia he