Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1909-12-23

Gods account of death does not teach
us to regard it as the end of our exis-
tence He who sleeps still lives
There is suspension of his voluntary
activities, but no cessation of his vi
tai functions. 1t is only the body that
sleeps, the soul is ever wakeful The
body sleeps because it is weary, and
needs refreshments; the soul knows no
fatigue and demands no repose. We
say the mind flags or the spirit faints,
but we speak unphilosophically. The
material organism through which the
soul acts upon the external world, may
tire and halt, but the soul itself is not
subject to physical laws and remains
always vigorous and active Sleep,
then, is only the state of the outer
man. who can say that death is any
thing more, that it affects the think
ing conscious soul, that it produces
any change except in the mere mode
and circumstances of our beingl
Truly we do not see the unbodied
soul. What thenl There are thous-
and other things that we have never
seen, though we readily admit their
existence. Some of these are the most
pervading and the most powerful agen-
cies in nature. What about air, calor-
ic electricity? Do you doubt their ex-
istence because you do not see them
And why doubt the continued exist
ence Of the soul because, separate from
the body. it is invisibleH It is invis
ible now in connection with the body
and if you infer it's future non-exist
ence because it is then invisible, yor
should infer its present non-existenc'
because it is now invisible. The argu
ment against the future existence
bears equally against its present exis
tence. There is as much evidence o
the continued being of man, separat
from the material organism, as of
thousand other existences that are ney
er questioned. The soul of man is no
the result of wondrous organization
and must cease with the dissolution o
the body. That organized bodies ca
possess no powers which are not in
herant in the elements of which the
are composed, is an important axior
in philosophy; that the elements of th
human frame are incapable of intelli
gence, consciousness, volition, is
proposition of which no proof will b
demanded, and that mere organizatio
can never originate mental phenomin
is the obvious and inevitable conclui
, ion. This curious frame is only th
tenement of the rational soul, and ths
soul is immortal To establish tt
proposition that the soul becomes III
conscious when separated from tt
body, proof must be furnished and thi
proof clear and ample. There is I
q proof, nothing better than negatic
7 without reason "a mere blind col
! lecture We now exist and we sha
n continue to exist forever. Nature u
ters no negative to our hope. All a
alogy is in favor of our perpetual b
ing Change is constant and manifol
and annihilation is an event unknov
in nature.
The very constitution of mani
u interior consciousness, his sense of
: sponsibility, his self-upbraiding t
,f evil deeds, his apprehension of rigf
: eous retribution, his capability of i
definite improvement, ar d his natur
dread of annihilation, and his stro
, aspirations after higher destiny
give evidence of the immortality
D the soul
The soul of mau is naturally immC
~ tel. Immortality is an element of
a very constitution. The body is co
: posed of parts and these parts may