Arizona republican., 1909-02-23
OUR GLORIF|ED DEAD
 DR. DIXON'S SERMON
A Spendid One in the Baptist Church Yesterday and an Evening Service at Elks' Theater.

Yesterday and an Evening Service
 at Elks' Theater.
 A beautiful sunny afternoon and a
 holiday, combined with the popularity
 of the speaker, filled the Baptist
 church with a large audience yester-
 day afternoon. Clouds" said Dr. Dix
 on, are evanescent, but the sun is
 permanent. The sun which shines high
 in the heavens will finally conquer all
 clouds and storms. In Windsor palace,
 in England. you will find the thrones
 of the kings of England. In West
 minister Abbey are the graves of the
 kings, scientists and benefactors of
 men. Westminster, I felt to be the
 place whence England is ruled. The
 people of Brooklyn are in Greenwood.
 So We are ruled by those who have
 passed out of our sight. The orphan
 boy who had sewed bit of his moth-
 CTS calico dress on the inside of his
 ragged coat and said, when questioned
 about it, that when he looked at it, he
 felt better, was ruled more by that
 mother after her death than in her
 life. The world out of sight is the real
 world to us. We have not really lost
 those who have passed into the world
 beyond. The death of the body is a
 sleep. Our friend Lazarus sleepeth.'
 Stephen fell asleep The body sleeps
 until the resurrection. When the body
 sleeps, the spirit awakes in a higher life. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. The spir- it is not dependent upon the body for its existence, it is really independent of the body. l believe the immortality of the soul can be proved without the Bible. I have been in the Mammoth Cave and followed the River StyX un- til it disappears, broad, deep and with swift current, all at once. So have l seen men die with their minds as clear and faculties as strong and alert a moment before they passed out of sight as at any time in life. With body like that of the resurrection body of Christ, the spirit will be clothed for eternity.
 Where does the spirit go. This day shalt thou be with me in paradise said Jesus to the thief on the cross. Paradise is a word of Persian origin, meaning a garden. We know what a garden is on the farm, It is the rich est and best cultivated spot of all It reminds us of flowers and beauty Paradise is the most beautiful spot in the universe. There the spirit goes at death. Jesus said T go to prepare a place for you and in the last chapters of Revelation, He gives us a picture of that place. It is the picture of a mag nificent city 1,500 miles long, 1,500 miles wire, and 1,500 miles high It will be of the highest style of archi- lecture and composed of the most precious materials in the universe. 1 There will be room enough for us all Body and spirit, reunited at the resur- rectiOn. will there take up the perma- nent abode. The resurrected body of Jesus is called the first fruits. We shall have a body like His. I shall be just six feet two and a half inches tall in heaven. It will be a body mas tered by the spirit. It will be a spirit ual body and yet a real body l shall | not need wings in heaven, for if I | want to go anywhere, shall go by the l power of the spirit. Some one asked | me: Do you expect to meet your boy | in heaven as a boy who passed into l the glory at nine years of age?' We 1 had an ideal for our boy. We knew | what we wanted him to become We ! expect to meet our ideal in heaven and | more, because he has been under the | care and teaching of the Lord Himself. | The old negro, growing weaker and | almost at the end, said to his | physician when asked T am better to- | laW' 1 nd xr-ha ha ffref J,- +r breathe his last, said: I am almost | well; a few more breaths and I shall | be perfectly we'll It is Jesus who car ries us through death into perfect | spiritual health. If you will take Jesus ! as the settlement of the sin question, 1 death shall become your entrance into | glory. Jesus said ':In my Fathers house are many mansions We will 1 come and make our abode with you He means: While I am preparing an abode for you, let us come and have our abode in your heart now. Make i God the Father and God the Son as welcome in your heart now as you will wish to be welcomed into the mansions of God by-and-by"
 The manager of the Elks' theater that religion draws the largest crowd of all, even on a stormy night over six hundred people lis tened last night to one of Dr. Dixons most eloquent presentations of the Gospel With thrilling power, he drew the parallels between the cross and OUT flag. No one left the house until his last word was spoken. His illustra- tions were of wonderful beauty and appropriateness. Those who fail to | hear this great preacher during the lew remaining days of his stay in Phoenix will make a mistake.
 This afternoon at o'clock at the Baptist church Dr Dixon will preach 'n Heaven on Earth" At 7:30, in the Elks' theater, he will preach on the question Ought There to Be a Heaven md Hell in Gods Universe" Non are especially invited to ,e present. E-e