The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1907-04-05

Of further development All the rea
s0ning in the world could not con
vince you that the imperfect hot-hous'
lemon, orange OF banana We are IA
miller with Is the perfected fruit anC
was intended by God to stop growing
as we have il. II is so with man, ne
Just cannot be convinced that in this
world God Intended him to realize the
full maturity and the splendid posi-
bilities Of his mental and spiritual de.
velopment. He is but transplant
ere. destined TO bloom IN the perfect
beauty Of holiness in soil beyond the
skies.
Or again. if you have ever stood on
the wharf and watched a great ocean
liner prepare for sea. with its mighty
engines throbbing, with its vast and
complete machinery for heat, light and
the feeding of a multitude, with tons
upon tons of coal stored for fuel and
thousands upon thousands of gallons
of fresh water in it's reservoirs-with
its numerous crew. all disciplined, Of
ficered and trained, you would not say.
no reasonable man could imagine that
that mighty vessel was thus equipped
for voyage across a narrow insig
nificant stream. And what a piece
of work is man. How noble in reason,
how infinite in faculty. in form and
moving how express and admirable, in
action how like an angle, in compre-
hension how like a god certainly he
seems equipped, mentally, morally
and spiritually for a longer voyage
than the span of this life affords or
suggests. Let us then set aside the
possibility of Immortality and we
but plunge into the darkness. Let US
refuse to believe in the resurrection
of the dead as brought to light in the
resurrection of Jesus Christ, and we
can not escape this remarkable and In
explicable paradox, that all the best
people in all ages have been deceived
in their hopes and anticipations, while
the worst have been the prophets.
This surely, is too great a demand on
our credulity
Upon one occasion Mr.. Beech
er made powerful appeal
for belief in immortality upon
the simple witness Love bears to that !
mighty faith. He said: "All the fac
llties of the soul might be called up
In order and consigned to the sleep
hat all shall find if there be no life
hereafter But no man ever loved his
mother and consigned her with any
tolerance to everlasting sleep-no man
aver loved his wife and buried her,
laying with composure, there is no
for her" No man ever
'ore his child to the grave, though 1T
we're one he might carry in the palm
# his hand, that everything in nature
Id not rise up and say: "let me find
/ again" No man ever loved heroic
ather and consented that that father
hould go to extinction. The flame of I
I'VE once shining, and no one will en- I
ure to believe 1t will ever go out. c
owe, therefore, teaches the soul to I
ing for and to believe for better J
md" It
We have read Of the man who took a
Is son to Sir Joshua Reynolds, to Il
ave him learn the art of painting. He t
lid he hoped the boy might be of C
,me assistance to the painter, by
least painting his backgrounds for h
m. The great painter replied: ANY q
lie who can paint my backgrounds t.
r me needs no instruction from me, b,
r the background is the foundation IA
the whole picture. And just so b,
Is the background upon al
1ich everything beautiful and right O,
painted; 1t is that which gives power
d point to the picture, and he who In
ints that background needs no In tn
'uction from the masters of science il
the pagan philosopher of life, for L,
) details of the picture as purpose" Pr
d promise he can fill in for him. III
(, as no unbelieving artist could, to
wever skilled and great Let us tir
N not sorrow as men without hope, tn
our dead, let, us not live as men +,
hout purpose and without the In. ~,
ration and support of vital faith, N.
since Jesus Christ hath brought 90,
and immortality to light" we know oo
our dead but rest from their la. N,
s, while we are heirs of His glor ion
) promise: Because live, we shall ma,
also"