The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-04-12

ambitions is laid away, and, like
newly risen soul, the new man rises
into moral integrity, spiritual de-
sires and absolute faith and faithful
ness unto God. 1t is this that makes
OF the eaStertide a most valuable
and practical season in the year. 1t
is this which gives to its truth some
thing more than commemorative
value, or prospective importance. 1t
becomes with this Reorganization a
vital and practical force in the
shaping of life and the building of
righteous uses We rise to a better
conception of life as we recognize
fully our Immortality, and this, with
the thought Job gives us may be sta
ted in these words. The end of life
is fruition. not destruction, and its
future is the fulfllment of Gods pur-
poses for it in His presence. Just
as all natural life bears it's blossoms,
comes TO fruition, and fUlfills its
being thereby; so The soul has its
being, its purpose and its fulfillment
IN spiritual character after the plan
and purpose of its Creator and
Father. This is to me one of the
noblest thoughts begotten in us by
the truth of the eaStertide. The res
I
thought nobler incentive for doing
and being right before God and our
fellows 1t is the plain message the
poets have sung for so long in
other words. Bryant phrases It for
Us in ThanatopSis, and Browning in
even stronger form puts forth this
thought as incentive for noblest,
highest endeavor. To him the high
est religious attitude is not that of
dogmatic certainty, it is hope and
trust in that which is beyond demon
stration-it is the development OF the
soul in righteousness until it shall
find its truest happiness in God Ike
ness realized in itself. 1t is because
we believe so heartily and absolute
| ~ in the fulness of God. the COM
pleteneSS of His love for US that we
| expect this fruition of life. and want
the glory of going on and to be-"
To think of the lives which like
Jobs have been shorn of all that
gave them happiness. that have had
no chance ever in this life for other
than the miserable existence into
which they were born, that have been
failed and bruised by the scourges
of wrongs done them by their own
kind, abused, misunderstood. con-
demned and blackened by sossip's
hellish tongue until they have been
sCorued by the very hearts that
should have been stirred with ten
derest sympathy for them, and thrust
down by the very hands that should
have been outstretched 10 uplift them
and to feel that these lives and de-
MED their natural fruition here. and
their spiritual fruition in the life
with God is not possible to us when
We realize in our own beings the
operation of this law of the resuT-
rection that it is through the death
of the lower that the higher life is
possible to us. and in the rising
upon stepping stones of our dead
selves" to higher life We come final
~ into the life with God where the
soul finds not alone the vindioation
it seeks, but the complete frUition
which God gives us all in the work
ing out of His purposes.
There are few lives OF which we
can say, dare to say, they have full
filled the purpose of their being. and
as those we love pass from us we
/ cherish the faith, thank God that we
do, that their lives have, but gone TO
greater happiness, greater usefulness
and the fulfllment of Gods purposes
for them
With these reflections how much
that is practical and soul uplifting
our Easter day should bring us, and
what JOY should crown the day with
its glorious message for the Souls of
men.