The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-01-31
MEMORIAL SERVICE IN
CHURCH HILL ED|F|cE
Dr. w. f. Gibson On 'SoTnc Comfort
ing Thoughts Regarding Our
Departed Loved Ones"
NINE PASS AWAY IN YEAR
Pastor Says Our Estate. When Christ's
Redemptive Work Is Completed. Is
to BE Better Than That of Angels.

Having for his theme Some Com
forting Thoughts Regarding Our De-
parted Loved Ones" Rev. w. E. Glib
son, d. D., pastor of Broadus Me-
mortal Baptist Church, yesterday
morning preached his annual me-
+ mortal sermon. He said in part:
Those who have finished service
here and entered into rest during the
last twelvemonth are: Mrs. j. r. Land,
Mrs. Mile Wright, Mr.. W. =. Turner,
! Mrs. Annie Stewart Mrs. A n. Walk
, up, Miss Jennie Godsey. Mrs. NJ. j.
Johns, Mrs. Sallie Snellings and Mrs
! Joseph q. Dickerson. They were all
( dear to us and their vacant places
can never be filled. Others may come
| INTO our membership, and find their
own places in the affections OF the
. church and in the service of the Lord;
but these whom the Lord has taken
had their own large place in the life
and the work of the church and they
! will be missed as long as there are
those here who knew them and loved
them.
Il think 1t appropriate to have In
I their honor memorial service in
the teachings of Gods word. 1t is
not my purpose to pronounce any
/ euIogies. but simply to bring to YOU
7 some comforting thoughts regarding
them.
The first comforting thought is
this: These loved ones of ours, who
were the Lords own, were not taken
from us until II was Gods good time
for them to go. He who notes spar
rows fall Is certainly not LnuIndfu1
OF saints death, and assurance is
| given that all things work together
for good to them that love God. The
steps of good man are ordered by
Lord, surely the last momentous step
Is of His ordering. There is a time
for every purpose under heaven,
J tlme to be born and time to die
Those who live in fellowship with
Christ, who live worthIly, who seek
ever His guidance, protection and
, blessing, who use all care and wisdom
for their own safety and preservation.
= and who commit themselves and their
, ways unto the Lord WI surely be
watched over by Him and kept safely
; and preserved until all Gods pur
poses for them in this life are real
, lied.
Has Plan of life
Our sovereign Lord has II plan of
life for each OF His rvants In con-
versation with the Apostles Peter and
: John at the Sea of Gailee, when He
appeared to them in His resurrection
body, He shows very clearly that
their careers were under His super
vision; the Apostle Peter should suf-
fer imprisonment and martyrdom; the
Apostle John, If the Lord should so
will it. might remain until His second
coming.
I'VE are in Gods hands and neither
u IL.
purposes. Neither Goliath. nor Saul.
nor any other of David's enemies
. can bring about his death until God 9
own good time. Neither can earthly
: kings decree, nor ferocious lions san
. Stay Daniel until Gods purposes in
his career are finished. Paul may
be stoned and left for dead, he may
: be shipwrecked numberles times; he
( may be bitten by a most poisonous
$ reptile but his hour of departure
shall not come until he has fought
the good fight and finished his course.
e We may comfort ourselves with the
9 thought that our dear ones were not
a taken until Gods own purpose III their
lives was fulfilled, not until all their
e work was done, and God Himself was
o ready for them to enter into rest.
o Another comforting thought: These
= loved ones Of ours are not dead at
i all, they have entered into sweeter,
richer more blessed life Said Jesus
e to a dying believer. Verify I say unto
I YOU. today shalt thor be with me in
paradise Gods cord tells as that for
his saints TO be absent from the body
means to be present with the Lord.
That great servant of God, who on
one occasion was caught up into the
third heavens. into paradise. and saw
and heard unspeakable things which
It was not lawful for him to make
known, says as he contemplates his
- own departure. to die is gain and i
u have a longing desire to depart and be
with Christ which is far better Our
departed loved ones are with Jesus.
- consciously living with aim, happier
q than they could ever be here. the re-
deemed Of the Lord, having entered
"a into sweeter richer tovs. into more
s. blessed, more glorious life.
a The doctrine Of purgatory. the in
i vention OF the Church of Rome, is
n most abhorrent The idea of God 8
people going first to an ABYSS Of dark
a ness and suffering, 10 be prayed out
n therefrom by a priest is rot only most
: repulsive. but absolutely unscrlptural,
n and dishonoring to our Lord. There
q liz nothing whatever in the Scriptures
about II, and as a doctrine. II reflects
"a on the sufficiency of Chsists redemp
tive work, It is to say his blood is
sin, that his sacrifice was not sufficient
for our atonement, that his grace Is
a not great enough for our salvation.
q There is nothing clearer than this in
the Scriptures that the servant of the
. Lord Jesus at his departure from this
life enters at once into the presence
: of the Saviour, and into the fellowship
o Of the departed saints. Moses and
Elijah are there. Abraham, Isaac and
= Jacob are there among the living, Paul
: Is there, and the other apostles, and
I great multitude of others, and our
: loved ones are with them and with
/ Jesus
Another Comforting Thought.
Another comforting thought: These
departed loved ones at the coming of
the Lord are to have their glorious
resurrection bodies. The yare not
y angels We are never tc be angels.
Angels are creates heavenly beings,
spirits, Thy have never known what
n It Is TO have body. WE have had
} bodies here, we are to have redeemed