The Penn's Grove record., 1915-10-01
The FEAR OF DEATH
Its lgnobIeness Is Thing That
Haunts All Who Are Sub
iect to 1t.


Paul boldly predicted that the New
Testament gospel was without value
unless it's testimony sustained the
claim that Jesus o s. from the dead.
The challenge has been accepted
by the world and in fairness to con-
ficting opinions as to the truth of the
affirmation it must be stated that a
very large portion OF humanity, some
of it being as devoted disciples of the
NaZarene teacher as those who accept
the Pauline statement, still reject that
conclusion otherwise than as it ap-
plies to the continuity of life beyond
the grave of every human being.
Paul's teaching and life %abundantly
support the sincerity of his belief.
Likewise, the teaching and practice
of those who dissent from Pauls IN
clusion afford incontestible proof of
their discipleship in %proclaiming and
establishing in the hearts of men the
truths which the Nazarene asserted
as being fundamental to the cure OF
those evils with which the social or
ganism is afflicted in so far as human
action a influence the making of a
righteous civilization.
Both schools of religious thought
it matters not what creed gives inspi-
ration to their effort-are intensely
sincere and earnest in attaining a
common purpose, only their methods
are different.
An Exalted Type.
Humanity as a whole-Christian
and pagan alike-accepts Jesus of
Nazareth as an exalted type of char
acter, worthy of emulation by every
man who seeks to serve his kind in
his own essential teachings and the
conformity of his life thereto.
Jesus gave to the world a sound
and simple philosophy for its univer-
cability that of the combined wisdom
of all other teachers.
And, to enforce the value of his
teachings, he gave to the world the
sublime example of who not I'M
willingly yielded up his own life
rather than desist therefrom or re-
unc any portion of it.
The poet tells US that
The fear o. hells a hangman's whip
To baud the wretch in order,
But where We feel your honour grip,
Let that aye be your border.
Well, thanks to the teaching of the
last two lines, and to good sound rea-
soning besides, hell has ceased to ap-
peal to intelligent thought as the in
~spiration to right living.
Rather, as Paul says, has the ex-
ample and teaching of Christ "deliv-
cred them who through fear of death
were all their lifetime subject to
bondage"
Ought we to dwell upon this
thought by carrying it to its legiti-
mate conclusion? We guess not. We
might be appraised u%nneutral in both
religion and politics. But we do ask,
if we may be so bold, that our read
ers do a little thinking for themselves
along this line.
Jesus Set Example.
Jesus of Nazareth set the example
for Independent thought, which IN It's
possibilities means the breaking of
all bondage.
War, with all of its horrors, at least
contributes to breaking the bondage
of the fear of death, and, to that ex-
tent, hastens the movement that Je-
sus launched to free mankind from
injustice and bring it into a knowl-
edge of it's relationship to the Father
of all creation.
The spirit will still be in a measure
the slave of the body while we are
capable Of fear. The dream in u
hearts is somehow to break through
the last barrier of fear-to come out,
as someone has said, on the other side
of fear. The uselessness of the fear
of death is as apparent to US as the
sun in the sky. It's ignobleness is a
thing that haunts all who are subject
to it. Christian, pagan and atheist
are one in this. They feel that the
life of the body itself can be fully en-
joyed only when the fear of those that
kill the body has been utterly over
come.
Yes, the world is coming to know