The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1922-07-27

$* e,s ~ chtngc the facts
%SWSaHx8& OF experience We
.%2.*$>s; may, for exam.
pie. call hunger
i IN illusion. but
sd So unless We take
%$###sA SsA :#$: some of the illu.
##$ W$X E8M H#$s2 sion called food
s. @sHEa ~ il we shall have the
illusion we are
dead : We are happy to find ,hn, The
hioie h"dS The same r"w as 10 the
rc;lilty "i Sickness as is held slon.
'anc"rSly hy common sense.
ram tells us. too. that his friend
was sick nigh INTO DEATH" recognize
lhg the reality of death as wcll as
lhat OF SicSnc:s. The apostle he
H"vcd Christ had abolished death, but
'hiS iaSt enemy is yet to be de-
S'r"Scd Paul longcd that he might
NOT h" "unclothcd," by dying, but
clothed upcE with our house which
IS from heaven" that IS. that he
might receive lis glorilicd body by
tle appearing Of Christ while lie was
slill alive U! Cor. 5:1-4).
But we are especially struck with
lhulS statement that Go! chad mcr-
cS on Epaphro1itus, the friend of
whom he is speaking, He considered
thiS mans restoration to health as a
mercy" Yet. we are told in this
same epiSte that ro depart is to he
with Christ, which is far better
q :23) How then could ii be Il
mercy for his life to be spared?
Recovery From, Sickness Mercy.
There are several answers to this
question. While death would have
brought this saint into the presence
NJ his Lord. yet rs we have seen,
death in itself IS Il dark passage. even
70 the Christian Ono. l2:1S; III Cor
5:4).
Again, when we die, the service Of
this our pilgrimage is ended Says
St. Chrysostum: Those who are de-
parted this life can no longer win
souls"
Iii this particular instance there is
another prominent aspect of the mat
ter. The philippians, to whom Paul
was writing. greatly needed Epnph-
rodiluS. Hence, he shrnnk from
dying lest ihpT he hcrr:lved of him
He considered it Il mercy" to be kept
out Of heaven itself. for Il time. that
others might be blessed
Not only did Paul feel that God
had mercy on Epuphrodil,lS, in spar
ing his life. hut that al the same time
He had had mercy on himself also,
lest he should have SORROW upon sor-
row." Just as we have seen that
sickness nd death are to he regarded
as real SO nuw we are authorized to
look upon sorrow as both real and
appropriate.
Paul was no stole nor are Chris
tinns generally hidden to be such.
lie regarded his Imprisonment as Il
sorrow" True, the things which
had happened unto him. leading to
LIS being Il prisoner at Rome had
turned out to the furthrrancr of the
gospel Il :12). Nevertheless. his
prison Was a SORROW" To him. He
did not rcpinc; his cpistlc to the Phi
lippians, sent from Rome, had as is
keynote, "Rcioico" But he would
have hcrn glad for release. and says:
81 trust in the Lord that also my
self shall come shortly" (2:2D.
Regarding the prison as Il sorrow"
he tells us that il Ei,aphrodituS had
died he would have had SORROW lipon
sorrow" OF course, he would have
reioiced over his friends entrance
into the fathers house. hut he would
nave felt the loneliness and loss of
bereavement. Only. ne would not
have sorrowcd "as others which have
no hope" Il Thess. l:13).
Not Angels but Folks.
When Father TAYLOR. the sailor
preacher of Boston, was diving, some
one sought 10 comfort linn by saying:
You will Soor be with the angels"
But he answered at once: Il don't
want angels, want folks" Paul,
with all his spirituality. would duuN,-
less haze approved this robust hu-
man sentiment. God created our hr-
mnnity and would not suppress il, hut
rather would be "lnriticd in our bodies
and in our spirits. which are His lie
would miss Ills little human praise"
Speaking OF our text, the late l.iSh-
op Moulc said: "OhScrvc the DrrIrct
natlraIncss Of raul's language. lie
abi.lrS in the peace Of God; he has
strength for all things az, 13).
But that peace is no frost, or torpor
of The heart; that strength Is not
hardness lie is released from en-
bucrmcnt and from mlrmurs. hut
every ScnSihii:y is refined by that
very fact. 1t was 50 With his Lord
before him (John | 33, 80, 3S)."
Christ does not forbid our tears