Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-04-16
HUGH A. COOPER DISCUSSES
ETERNAL LIFE; GIVES LIFE
OF CHRIST AS AN EXAMPLE
Pastor of Presbyterian Church Prepares Ser
mon for Easter on Text of John; 1--WE Crave
Something More Than Mere Existence"
Says Clergyman.

have believed. Such a belief is not
based upon philosophy alone, nor
upon science alone, nor upon re-
ligion alone. 1t is based upon all
three of these. OF course we can
not prove by mathematical demon
stration that there is anything be-
yond the grave. 1t is matter out
slide the realms of exact science.
The assurance. however, of another
life is not less certain because not
capable of such proof.
Bryant, the poet of nature. hav-
ng observed the instinct of the
birds seeking the southland, the
land of flowers. that they might
escape the stormy winters Of the
north, wrote;
"There is a power whose care
Teaches thy way along the path
less coast
The densest and ilrmitable air,
Lone, wandering, but not lost.
"Ie who from zone to zone
Guides through the boundless sky
Thy certain flight. In the long way
That I must tread alone,
Will lead my steps Alright"
Yet, while we crave a future life
We crave something more than
mere existence. We crave more
than that of which Plato and
pagan philosophers sung. &.
The pagan idea Of the future world
90 81,
bodied spirits-and a miserable
and ioyless existence. Christ said:
81 am come that we might have
life, and that We might have it
more abundantly." To know the
meaning of all that after life as
revealed by Christ, we must look
at the life Of Christ himself.
His life partook very little of the
things which men set their hearts
upon today. Seemingly He did not
possess n single dollar. He had no
that mon struggle for today in the
world of wealth and honor and So
ciety seemed nothing to Him at all
Not that He was a recluse; not
that He hid himself from the world
OF men. He mingled freely in the
worlds society. He attended social
functions at times, and enjoyed
himself. But His life was not in
these things. As He himself said:
"Man's life CONSISTENT not in the
abundance Of things which he pos
sesseth." And while He had none
of these things" and filled His
life with none of them, yet how
full and wonderful His life was!
He was like river, pure as crys-
tai, overlooking its banks. Joyful
In It's flow, and bringing life and
fruitage in all its course. There
was no grain of selfishness in Him.
"Tn Him was life and the life was
the light Of men" Now may we
not conclude that this is the kind
Of life that Jesus Christ meant
should be ours when He said:
| "The gift of God is eternal life ?"
And Christ taught that our flu
ture life is not merely life of the
soul, but that there should be a
bodily resurrection. The Apostle
Paul said. in speaking of Christ's
resurrection: Now hath Christ
risen from the dead, and become
the first fruits of them that slept
And if Christ be not raised. then
is our faith vain. and our preach
ing is also vain" He hangs the
whole truth of the gospel upon the
resurrection of Christ from the
grave. whatever may be the mys-
teries surrounding the resurrection
of the body, there is nevertheless
such q doctrine. We know abso-
lutely that there cannot be a resur-
rection of the bodily substance, for
this body itself undergoes many
changes during life, but some kind
Of q resurrection there shall be-