Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1912-04-13
The soul. II is claimed. cannot die. but.

VtftkNs NUtf Ut&fNNfh Ahtr
philosophy. without word Of Scrip
ture for It's support. and with hundreds
of Scriptures 10 condemn Il!
We can see how the heather philoso-
piers might be led TO conjure up such
n theory. because OF their desire TO be
licve In a future life. and because they
had no revelation from God respecting
future life. They therefore tried
their best to convince themselves that
man really does not die--that no man
reverse OF this. namely. that man Is
not merely body. that he Is n soul. n
thinking. sentient being. Neither i he
n bodiless being. and indeed he cannot
be being at all without n body. His
body may change. as science declares
II does gradually. hour by hour. until
n complete change Is effected in seven
years.
Thus n man. soul. n sentient being
may In life OF fifty years have slough.
ed of gradually sufficient matter to
have composed seven bodies. But the
moment the sloughing OF Of this dy.
Ing matter and the substitution Of liv-
ing matter ceases. we have death: and
Ms soon MS the body dies the soul dies
that Is. the intelligent being ceases
There can be no thinking without a
brain. no breathing without lungs. no
maintenance OF life In any sense OF the
word without body
This would have been total de.
strnction OF the soul had not God spe.
cially provided. as the Prophet dc.
clares. that He would redeem mans
life tsoub from destruction. through
the redemptive work accomplished by
Jesus IN giving His soul an offering for
mans sin. and thus making possible
mans resurrection from the dead
II Is In consequence OF this Divine
provision through Christ for n resur
rection OF humanity that the Scrip.
lures speak Of death ms merely n fall
Ing asleep for time. TO walt for the
new body In the resurrection. rather
than to speak Of ny as dying as the
brute beasts. The word sleep implies
that in the Divine purpose future life
Is intended. and will eventually he
given
"eut Now 10 Christ RISEN"
ST. Paul does not leave the matter
OF Christ's resurrection undecided. lie
positively atfirms that. Christ is risen
from the dead" and that. thus risen
"He IL the First-fruits OF those that
slept" which implies that when lie was
raised the others still slept. Jesus slept
part Of those three days. from the
time He died until the Father raised
Him from the dead. from hndcs. from
sheoi. from the tomb on tho third day.
He. "a the First-fruits OF the sleeping
ones. Is an example and guarantee
of the fuifillment OF the Divine prom.
ise, that there shall be n resurrection
Of the dead. both OF the Just and of the
unjust
II behooves us to take decided
stand. either with the Grecian phlloso.
pliers and their theories. or with the
Bible. The two are In conflict and
whoever attempts TO hold both is IN
confusion II the dead are not dead,
then no human being Is dead. And II
no one Is dead. how could there he n
resurrection OF the dead?
The inconsistency of the theory held
respecting the resurrection Of the body
has invited very reasonable and inst
criticism. The skepiic asks. How
could the body he resurrected. after
II has gone TO dust and after the dust
has been scattered 10 the four Winds
They tell us Of grave that was open.
ed near an apple tree. and 1t was found
that root from the tree had entered
the coffin and practically absorbed the
corpse. from which It had produced
thousands Of apples, which In turn
had been shipped 10 various parts Of
the world. some OF the poorer grades
being fed TO hogs. whose hams We're
cured and sen; abroad and thus passed
into other human beings. TO become
parts OF still other human bodies. The
question Is n proper one. hut II Il an
unanswerahlc one from the standpoint
OF our former mishelicf and our poor
attempt to combine human philoso-
ply and Divine Revelation.
But such question brings no con.
sternation 20 the Bible student who
follows tho Scriptures alone The
Scriptures never speak OF the resurrec.
ton Of our bodies They do tell Of the
resurrection Of the soul. and that IN
the resurrection God giveth II uhc
soul body MS It plcascth Him.
How reasonable Il will be for the
world TO he awakened In practically
the condition IN which they went down
into death, And these will experience.
II willing and obedient. a gradual res
direction or raising M 10 the image
and likeness OF Father Adam IN his
perfection. But some IN the resurrec-
ton will receive spirit bodies like unto
the angels. and some like unto the
body ~ Christ In His resurrection.
which Saul Of Tarsus beheld-"shinlnc
above tho brightness Of the sun ~
MONDAY"
The class that Is promised resur
rectlon In spirit bodies Is the Church