The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1909-04-16
TWO EASTER SERMONS.
Rev. J. G. Roper, Presiding Elder
Cokesbury District, Delivered
Two Able Sermons.

Street Methodist Church, on Sunday
morning, and he also spoke at Mayer
Memorial Lutheran Church Oh Sun
day evening. The Herald and News
is glad to be able to print a brief
sketch Of these two very strong ad-
dresses.
Rev. Mr.. Roper is doing good work
on this district and the many friends
and admirers he has in Newberry are
always delighted when he can be with
them and preach for them.
The following is an outline Of the
morning sermon, the subject being
1.-THE Question of Immortality" )"
The Question Of immortality.
eff a man die, shall he live again? ~
Job. l4:14. Since the days of Job,
I'D long before, this has been the
question that has perplexed the minds
of men. Kings and peasants have
alike sought to unravel the mystery
of life and death.
l. The grave is silent as touching
the future. "There is no work, nor
device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom,
in the grave whittier thou goest. -
The door to death remains as pro-
found a mystery as the gate to life,
the secret Of birth. Man walks on
narrow penninsular called-time-
and looks out upon two mighty
oceans that stretch off into the in
finite. He bears in his hand the only
hope Of safety; it is the Pickering
torch Of faith.
2. The lamp Of science has refus-
ed to burn. Scientists can weigh the
sun and define the exact position of
star centuries to come, but they
cannot press through the veil that
screens the dead. Hence we are not
surprised to find that it is beyond
the realm Of exact science to prove
anything regarding the future. Her
puny arms recoil in humility before
the task.
3. There is some justification for
the question: eff a man die, shall
he live again?" Q) When man dies
his body returns to dust. (2) Nations
have passed into oblivion. (3) Science
cannot prove the Immortality of the
soul. a. Historically, Immortality is
a pagan notion. :
4. Aside from Revelation, there
are number Of strong presumptive
reasons for believing in the immortal,
ity of the soul. (1) The belief in a
future state is universal. The Afri-
cander, the American Indian, and the
Australian have alike believed in
an existence after death. A French
writer says: "a belief in the per-
sistence Of life after death, and the
observations Of religious practices
founded upon the belief may be dis
covered in every part of the world,
in every age, among men representing
every degree and variety of culture. ="
Another writer declares: "Belief in
soma sort Of existence continued af-
ter death is normal to the human
mind.'
(2) Belief is more than knowledge
and usually precedes it. Baltour
was right when he said that methods
Of science were not equal to belief
Belief goes before. No inventor
would be fool enough to make an
experiment did he not believe his idea
would, work. Belief led him to make
the trial, he then had the knowledge.
(3) Feeling has a place in the ar
gument. Why does a man fear to
die? Is it because he thinks death
is the end of him? Certainly not, but
he fears lest he live in another state.
Some Ole has said-"All thought is
deeper than all words, and all feeling
is deeper than all thought
Man feels that he will live again.
(4) Every capacity in nature has
its correspondence. The love for the
beautiful finds its correspondence in
the verdant landscape and gay tint
ed colors Of spring. Every appetite
finds its answer in nature. The bee
finds the flower. Shall the craving
Of Job find no answer in eternity?
(5) The fact that the idea Of i'm
mortality was pagan in origin only
strer~thpns the presumption of its
truth. If to ::::Td :2~;led reached
+l,nf h1.