The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1921-04-07
An ADDRESS

Wien at sunset q Goa Friday the
message came that the spirit Of our
friend had Just departed, my thought
turao inyoiurtarily to that last scene
IN Pilgrims Progress where Bunyan
dreams that. after Christian had
crossed the river and was nearing tie
open gate Of heaven, all the bells u
the city rang for gladness and that he
heard a voice from within the gate,
saying, Enter into the JOY Of your
10 l."
This is a dream, yet a dream born
Of faith and reason. We fully believe
that something like il, something 40
less glad and glorious, something no
less satisfying to the human spirit, is
indeed experienced by the children Of
God when they pass beyond our ken.
We believe this because we believe
with Jesus that God is our Father, and
that since He is cur Father He is 60
ing to take care Of US always, sustain
Ing, guiding, inspiring, redeeming,
with a love and a wisdom whose rev.
elaticn, there as here, will surpass our
fondest dream.
We mourn, and we rejoice We feel
ourselves impoverished, yet enriched.
We are hushed into thCughtfuness
when the voices Of our friends cease,
when their lips frame no more words
of love and counsel, yet in the souls
silence, the ear of faith hears voices
far off, familiar voices, the old
voices we have known so long.
The day fades into night, and night
breaks into day. One sun brings
springtime to our earth, other suns
without number are bringing spring in
other realms, and ever back Of all the
seasons and back of all the suns is the
loving Will Of God, which we can
know as far as our need requires,
which we can also do, and doing il we
find the peace Of God and feel our
selves immortal.
Death is only an incident in our long
campaign; the campaign itself is Life.
Death is merely a change in the NAH
ner of the SOULS life; but the soul it.
self is untouched by death, else it were
not indeed the offspring Of the living
God Death is mysterious, but mys-
terry is not a foe to us; it is simply
the next step beyond our knowledge.
We ourselves are mysteries TO our
selves, and life is as strange as death,
and neither IS strange to God.
To feel God near;'to hear His voice
in every loving voice that meets our
ear; 10 see His thought in every beam
Of light that falls across our devious
paths; to know within the spirit, when
the pulse Of life is low, when some
great and sudden sorrow floods all the
channels Of our being, that this hour
also, even this, is not bereft Of Gods
presence, is not a barren spot whereon
no precious heavenly plant may grow,
but Is rather penetrated by His loving
presence who upholds all things-so
to know and hear and see is just to
move in harmony with God And he
who moves in this high accord shares
now and will ever share in that full .
stream Of life eternal which is Gods
very own. We need no other faith
than this concerning our departed
ones.
The cry may rise at times out Of the
deeths of the heart,
"Ah Christ, that it were possible,
For one short hour, 10 see
The souls VIC loved, that they
may tell US
What and where they be-"
and we may long for some great seer
who can
unfold
What worlds or regions vast
may hold
The immortal mind that hath
forsook
It's mansion in this feshly nook"
but these are things we do not need TO
know, questions most natural and yet
which lie far off from that great solI
emn central fact that we are in accord
with God and share His life.
And so in thought we see our
friend, now beyond "the narrow pass
Of death" before the opening gate IF
some celestial realm, and we wave 10
him our loving salutations in the
divine hope that they who share Gods
life here viii meet and share It
yonder
It seems fitting that IN this hour we
should dwell a little on the public
career Of our friend while leaving
revercntly undrawn the sacred curtain
that screens his home life
Two and fifty years AFRO. a boy 81
eighteen, with a light lrnapsack o. Rs /
shoulders and q ourarc1us heart in his