Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1908-09-10

itDoit tiuu tAe GNU DctoW Anu WHO
will measure the consolation that has
/ been brought to troubled hearts by the
hour of prayer?
Proof of Immortality.
And immortality, Who viii estimate
i the peace which a belief in a future
| life has brought to the sorrowing? You
| may talx to the young about death end
ing all, for life is full. and hope is
| strong, but preach not this doctrine to
the mother who stands by the death
bed of her babe or to one who is within
the shadow of great affiiction.
Christ gave US proof of Immortality,
i and yet it would hardly seem necessary
that one should rise from the dead to
convince US that the grave is not the
end. To every created thing God has
given tongue that procIaims a resuF-
rection
II the Father deigns to touch with di
vine power the cold and pulseless heart
of the buried acorn and to make it
burst forth from its prison walls, will
he leave neglected in the earth the soul
of man, made in the image of his Gre
ator? Ii he stoops to give to the rose
bush whose withered blossoms float
upon the autumn breeze the sweet as
surance of another springtime will he
refuse the words of hope to the sons of
men when the frosts of winter come?
Ii matter mute and inanimate, though
changed by the forces of nattlre into 4
multitude of forms. can never die. will
the spirit of man suffer humiliation
when it has paid brief visit like a
royal guest to this tenement of clay?
No; am as sure that there is another
life as am that live today
In Cairo l secured few grains of
wheat that had slumbered for more
than three thousand years In I'm Egyp-
tan tomb. As ! looked 1t them this
thought came into my mind ii one u
those grains had been planted on the
banks Of the Nile the year after it
| grew and all its lineal DESCENDANTS
planted and replanted from that tiuie
until now, its progeny would today be
sufficiently numerous to feed the tenn
ing millions of the world. If this in
! visible germ of life in the grain of
wheat can thus pass unfmpaired
through three thousand resurrections.
shall not doubt that my soul has
power to clothe itself with a body
suited to its new existence when this
earthly frame has crumbled into dust.
A belief in Immortality not only con
soles the individual. but it exerts a
powerful influence in bringing peace
between individuals. If one really
thinks chat man dies as the brute dies.
he may yield to the temptation to do
injustice to bis heighbor when the cir
cumstances are such as to promise Sc
curity from detection But If one real
ly expects to meet again afId live eter-
nally with those whom he knows to-
day he is restrained from evil deeds
by the fear of endless renlorse.
Again. Christ deserves to be called
the Prince of Peace because he has
given US a measure of greatness which
promotes peace. When his disciples
disputed among themselves as to
which should be greatest in the
kingdom of heaven. he rebuked them
and said. let him who would be
chiefest among you be the servant of
ALL" Service is the measure of great
ness. 1t always has been true. II is
true today and it always will be true
that he is greatest who does the most
of good And vet what revolution it
will work in this old world when this
standard becomes the standard of life.
Nearly all of our controversies and
combats arise from the fact that we
are trying to get something from each
other. There will be peace when our
aim is to do something for each other
Our enmities and anim0sfties arise
from our efforts to get as much as
possible out of the world. There will
be peace when our endeavor is to put
as much as possible into the world
Society viii take an Unreasonable step
toward peace when it estimates citi-
zen by his output rather than by his
income and gives the crown of its APP
prevail to the one who makes the lar
gest contribution to the welfare of all
Christ has also led the way to peace
by giving US formula for the propa-
CATION of good. Not all of those who
have really desired TO do good have
employed the Christian method-not
all Christians even. In all the history
of the human race but two methods
have been employed
The first is the forcible method
The other is the Bible plan-be not
overcome of evil, but overcome evi.
with good And there is no other way
of overcoming evil. am not much of
farmer. get more credit for my
farming than / deserve: and my little
farm receives more advertising than Il
is entitled to. But am farmer enough
to know that if cut down weeds they
will spring up again, and ! know that
If plant something there which has
more vitality than the weeds | shall
not oplv r-i1 of fffa constant 0f1t-