The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1916-10-19
THE PEOPLES FORUM.
Destroying the Foundation.

4
forts TO destroy the foundations men,
toned N my last letter, and try TO de-
stroy one that is a comfort to the
Christian and is precious to the be-
levers, the resurrection Of the body.
Revelation says it shall be, but
philosophy, of the concord type, smiles
mptuously at the idea, nav re-
Jects It with scorn and its adherent~
feel themselves iusulted, that thew ar,
asked to accept what their vain hearts
do not want to believe. Their Wills are
not ready to accept it, and their fine
reason cannot understand. They prefer
their own wisdom to that of God They
think they can sweep the whole doctrine
aside, By simply saying it is impossible.
1t IS unreasonable and so they try to
measure the Infinite with the finite. and
the power Of God by the STANDARD of
their own minds. They can't see how
God is going to watch over the par
ticles of dust.
With God nothing is impossible. A
magnet will select iron filings from
rubbish. Can philosophy explain why
mineral will do this? 1t will not attract
lead or gold. Suppose God should give
to each soul the same power with
reference to the elements Of the former
body, as He could, we must admit. then
all difficulties would be removed. The
principle of chemical affinity ought to
silence the objection to the possibility
of the resurrection.
They think they have propounded an
unanswerable objection when they say,
if the race continues a few centuries
longer, there would not be enough
matter on the globe to reconstruct all
the bodies OF mankind, when the truth
is there is enough in the atmosphere
pressing on very small space of the u.
S. to do this.
There is about as much sense in the
objection that the world would not af-
ford standing room, when the truth is
as simple calculation will show. that
you could stand all in the state of
Ohio, allowing two persons to the
square yard, four generations to the
century, one billion to the generation
and count the world 5000 years old.
God will call them forth, we cannot tell
how.
1t is too deep for the scientific dredge:
too profound for philosophy but we be-
lleve 1t, because God tells US in His
word, that we shall rise again. 1t is
possible that the power of the AL
mighty is so feeble, that His ultimate
designs are so circumscribed that the
inventions of poor liliputian intellect,
the devices of human reason. or the
objection Of a self styled philosophy
can throw them into confusion? Blu
why should it be thought incredible
that God should raise the dead.
Philosophy and science falsely so call
ed, join hands and say impossible!
Shall our faith be shaken on that &C.
count? 1t is as great miracle to re-
generate a soul. 1t is not incredible.
A servant stood before his master. In
his hand he held a silver cup which he
let fail into aqua forties. He contends
that it cannot be restored, for YOU
know the effect would be to dissolve
the silver at once.
The master comes now upon the
scene and infuse some salt water which
precipitates the silver from solution. 1t
is gathered again and melted over and
then made into a cup, just like the
original one
There will be a change in fitting US
for the new sphere, which shall be adj
apted to It's new conditions and suited
to its new wants. But its identity will
be destroyed.
glance at nature ought to satisfy
any honest mind. The tree whose leaf
less branches will sigh in the wind,
whose trunk apparently dead will be
dashed by wintry gusts, is the same one
that was little while ago clad in green
and now in the lovely October, has put
on garments of purple or orange, or a
coat Of many colors 1t will be held in
icy bands, but these will fall off and
winters robe of white will give place to
the velvet garments of spring. 1t is
the same in all these circumstances.
When the arch angels trumpet sounds,
the sleeping myriads come forth to
newness of life with shining bodies
like unto Christs. What an anthem
will peal forth, as the mighty host falls
before the throne crying. Thou art
worthy. Yes, His redemption work is
completed. The saints victory is won
for the soul, since death has rested in
paradise with Jesus, will again be re-
united with the body that slept in the
dust of the earth, for ever more to be
with the Lord.
The resurrection of the body is one of
the fundamental doctrines of christianity.
We accept it as matter of revela-
ton. We believe it for the spring
time comes as natures EVANGELIST IL