The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-04-20
KNIGHTS TEMPLAR ATTEND.
Hear Sermon on Immortality at the
First Congregational Church.

At the First Congregational church.
where the Knights Templar attended in
body. as is their custom. the audi
forum was crowded to the doors. and
many remained standing throughout the
entire service. The doors were opened at
10 o'clock and shortly after that hour
every available seat was taken in the
body of the house. while long before the
hour for service the adjacent Sunday
school rooms were filled to the last seat.
Two anthems and solo by Fred Rog-
erS, why Seek He the Living?" were
given, besides the regular hymns by the
congregation. The sermon by the pas
tor, Rev. Elmer ]. Goshen. followed, the
text being: IF the earthly house shall
built by man. eternal in the heavens"
The theme was the never-ending spring.
time one of Immortality.
The speaker began by stating that such
a thing as scientific demonstration of
a hereafter is impossible. He showed
that the 81 eatest and best things in this
world. the truest things, come, not in
the realm of proof. but of faith. The
continued love of a parent for a child,
the truth of friendship, and kindred facts.
were shown to be not capable OF proof,
but only appealing TO the reason by
mans faith in their truth. This faith
in a future life, the speaker held. was
implanted in the heart of humanity, and
after folio wing its course through many
PHILOSOPHERS and creeds, tracing its out
growth through the tongues of many OF
the greatest thinkers, he said IT was not
for the tutored alone, but had been found
existing among the most savage of human
beings.
Reasoning that for every i'll of man
God has made a panacea. for every de
sire a something which shall crafty that
desire the speaker reasoned that this
very belief implanted in the heart of
man argues a future state which should
supply the condition of immortality. lie
held that the theory of evolution is to-
day the greatest argument Tor a tuture
life Following the growth and develop
ment of the race up from the days OF
mollusk and protoplasm- he showed how
man has been always the special pro-
duct. the cherished result, in all the
workings; and be argued that that alone
would prove that God would not nave
striven so to bring the individual to the
highest point attanable by mortal only
TO dash that individual to destruction.
The ever-present proof of life after
death as seen in the seasons. in Ma
lures own self. the fact that Christ made
no attempt to argue the matter. but
simply stated the fact of life after death
all these. the speaker said. made the
belief in a future life the only belief
possible to thinking man. And, though
men had built creeds and PHILOSOPHERS,
there could be but one faith-the faith
that Christ held in everlasting life.
Turning at the last 10 the knights, who
filled the central part of the church, Mr..
Goshen said:
And We who have borne the signet
and the cross, can you bear any other
faith? In these days passing so swiftly
by when comrades and friends are laid
away do you not love them and need
this faith? Whence comes this nope?
Not from the mind of man, but from
the eternal fountain of Gods spirit. Go
forth to live in accordance with your
faith. % hope, to trust, to die. and to
live again.