Class. Book. COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. Am I Immortal? Copyright 1910 By James K. Anderson Copyright. Canada. 1910 By James K. Anderson ffl — g AM I IMMORTAL SOME FACTS FOR. BUSY MEN BY A BUSINESS MAN James Kennedy Anderson o". THE CARGILL COMPANY GR.AND RAPIDS AND CHICAGO MCMX >CU271116 Am I Immortal ? INTRODUCTORY. This little book is written for busy men, many of whom are not aware of the possibility of im- mortal life for themselves in an actual body. It is such a book as the writer wishes he might have had to read long ago, setting forth briefly the simple facts of revelation as they are written in the book of nature, and The Book of books. In this busy world of today there are many who have given very little thought to a possible life beyond the life of this world, which is brought to an end by death. There are those who have thought so little about it as hardly to believe in a God at all. There are others whose time has been so occupied with other pursuits as to have very little to spare for graver subjects, but who really mean, sometime, to take up this matter of a possible immortality and look into it for themselves. There are others who think in a hazy way that all men are immortal and that, if so, they are willing to take their chances in the hands of a good God. To all such this lit- tle volume commends itself. The views here given are as old as the Chris- tian Religion, and are not offered as anything new. The subject is one of the most important which can occupy the human mind. Concerning a life beyond this, the Bible is the only author- ity which is universally quoted, and so a care- ful examination of what it teaches is due from Introductory every man. For that reason in this examination of the subject, the Bible has been left so largely to speak for itself. We read a great deal in the newspapers and magazines of what men do not believe, but it is only what we do believe that is of any ac- count, or that any busy man wants to listen to. It is confidently stated that the number of un- believers in this country who could give a reason for their unbelief which would bear a critical examination is so small as hardly to be worth considering. Unbelief is really a want of thought. As man rises in the scale of intelligence, his thoughts go upward to a Creator in seeking to understand His purpose in this world. This is a time for intelligent, thoughtful men to put aside the confused and confusing state- ments of the noisy few who do not believe in God, or creation, or the Bible; and to carefully ascertain for themselves what the Bible really reveals. The writer is not a trained theologian, but simply a student for himself of the English Bible, such as every intelligent man in this country ought to be. A short time thoughtfully spent will complete the perusal of this little vol- ume. May it serve the good purpose for which it is written. Forgive it where it fails in truth ; And in Thy wisdom make me wise. James Kennedy Anderson, Chicago, 1910 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS. Is THERE a God? • 9 Creation 15 Revelation — The Bible. 32 What the Bible Teaches. . 40 Sacbifice 44 The Advent 48 Matthew's Account 51 Luke's Account 55 The Son of Man 60 The Son of God. . 65 What Christ Said of Himself. ...... 72 Christ's Teachings 76 Christ's Miracles 80 An Evening Prayer 83 The Crucifixion 85 The Resurrection of Christ 89 Matthew's Account . . .91 Mark's Account .93 Luke's Account 96 John's Account 101 Paul's Account. . 108 Sin 110 Death the punishment for Sin. 112 Eternal Life through Christ. 119 Asleep in the Grave 123 "He giveth His beloved Sleep." 131 7 Table of Contents "The Singing in God's Acre." 139 Resurrection from the Grave 134 The Law of the Kingdom 145 The Gospel of the Resurrection 148 The Klngdom of Heaven 156 About Heaven. 162 How to obtain Immortal Life 167 A Neglected Book. 176 Creeds 182 The Lord's Supper a Passover Feast. . . . 187 The Holy Communion 189 A Communion Hymn 193 Prophecy Now Being Fulfilled 194 When will He come Again? 198 The Resurrection Day 205 The Judgment Day 211 The End 220 Appendix — Modern Superstitions 225 Am I Immortal? IS THERE A GOD? Compared with this, all other questions sink into insignificance. We are in a world in which man is at the head of existing creatures, and in which everything seems to have been provided for his happiness and welfare. Whence did it all come? Whither are we going? Is there a God? These questions appeal to every thought- ful mind, and demand an answer. It seems hardly possible that any thoughtful mind could come to the conclusion that there has not been a Maker of the universe. A thought- less man, mindless of the evidence around him of a Creator and Governor of all things, may say, I do not believe in a God because I do not know who made Him. It is true that we cannot understand the nature of God either by extend- ing the personal, as we know it, into infinity ; or by compressing the infinite into the compass of our knowledge. There is a natural difficulty here due to the limitations of our faculties. A God who could be fully comprehended by man could not be the God of a limitless uni- verse. But to refuse to believe in a Creator of infinite power and wisdom, limits us as our only Am I Immortal ? Is There other alternative to believe that this world so a God. fjji £ design an( j adaptation, must either have formed itself out of nothing, or just happened so by chance. That the moon, for example, a sphere of dead matter without a trace of life, instead of having been swung into space by Almighty Power to give light upon the earth at night by reflecting the light of the sun, just happened there by chance; that the wonderful adaptation of the bird to the air, the fish to the water, and of all plants and animals to their surroundings is not a marvelous evidence of the wisdom and power of a Creator, but only happened so without in- telligent direction. Why should any one with all the evidence of creative wisdom in the world around us and in ourselves — a created being himself, who cannot understand the mystery of his own created nature — refuse to believe in the existence of a Creator because he cannot understand the mys- tery of the uncreated Godhead? As well might a Negro in interior Africa, who had dimly heard of a white man, far superior to his own race in wisdom and attainments, and coming to the va- cant tent of a white man, and finding a clock in it, reason thus with himself: This machine with 10 Am I Immortal ? its wheels fitting into each other in such an or- Is There derly way and with parts of it in constant mo- a God? tion; with material in front to keep out dust and dirt, but which can be seen through; may have been thought out and made by a white man, but I will not believe it because I do not know the origin of the white man. The native Negro in all the millenniums of his race on earth never invented a wheel of any kind, and never made or saw transparent glass; and yet a rational Negro seeing a clock for the first time would know that a man had made it, because it bore the evidence of an intelligent and creative mind; and that is the first step in the knowledge of a Creator as we study the in- telligent, orderly, creative work of Someone in the universe around us. It would be a very ignorant savage who could believe that the clock made itself, and what shall we say of a man who could believe that the universe made itself; that the worlds swinging in space in regular orbits, with satel- lites like our moon, with suns for their center, self luminous and giving light to the worlds bound by invisible power to each sun and revolv- ing around it, had all happened so by them- selves ; that the laws governing all creation did 11 Am I Immortal ? Is There not come from a Maker and Lawgiver, but just a God? happened so by chance ! To bring into existence and swing into their right orbits in space this earth and its moon, and the solar system of which it forms a part, reveals a power so stupendously great, that the creation of all worlds and all solar systems in the illimitable universe is only an extension of it. Well did King David, as he stood at night on the battlements of his palace at Jerusalem, and looked up at the stars in that clear Syrian sky, exclaim: "When I consider the heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars which Thou hast ordained, what is man, that Thou art mindful of him, or the son of man that Thou visitest him ,, (Psalms 8:3). Even in his own limited world of existence man knows that there cannot be laws without a lawgiver, and that the adaptation of parts to each other in any mechanism is the absolute evi- dence of an intelligent maker. Intelligent de- sign, purpose and will run through all creation. There is a unity of plan, as well as of purpose. And so the intelligent, thoughtful human mind in all ages has reached the conviction that there is an infinitely intelligent Maker of all things; and that is the first step in the knowledge of God as the Creator. 12 Am I Immortal ? The study of a single feather in a bird's wing, Is There is enough to convince a thoughtful mind of the a God? wonderful wisdom of its Maker. Yes, there must be a God. A meditative mind cannot get away from that fundamental conviction. The nebular theory of the universe, or the hypothesis of evolution equally require a great First Cause. As men studied the nature of their own being they recognized faculties and qualities of mind and heart which raised them far above all other living creatures in this world, and they realized that these faculties and qualities must exist in their Maker in a still higher degree. And as men thought of this world swinging unswerv- ingly in its orbit through space; of the wonder- ful adaptation of all plants and animals to their environment ; of the colors and odors of flowers ; of the colors, fragrance and palatable taste of fruits; of the beauty of precious stones, which could not have been brought about by "natural selection, environment and survival of the fit- test ;" of the beauty of the landscape and of the heavens; of the beauty of the human face; they understood that the Creator had been thinking of them in making this world, and that He only is the Maker of all things near and far ; He paints the wayside flower ; He lights the evening star; 13 Am I Immortal ? Is There The winds and waves obey Him ; by Him the birds a God? are fed; Much more to us His children, He gives our daily bread. All good gifts around us are sent from God above, Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord, for all His love. And so when we consider the immensities of space and of time ; the creation of all worlds ; of all organized structures of being ; of all life ; we realize the necessity of a greater revelation than that of nature to man, if we are to know any- thing of our true relation to Almighty God, in- finite in everything, and so beyond our finite comprehension. 14 Am I Immortal ? CREATION. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was waste, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters" (Gen. 1:1).* In these words the record of the Bible begins. Here is a begin- ning immeasurable and limitless as to time, but comprehensible to the human mind. Recorded thousands of years before there was any science of geology, the order of creation is given in the book of Genesis just as man has found the fossil remains of successive orders of creatures imbed- ded in the rocks of the earth's crust. We do not know how this was revealed to the writer of Genesis. It may have been in visions of the night — "and the evening was and the morning was." We know that everything on earth has its exact cycle of time, and this was doubtless true of creation. We know by the evi- dence of the rocks that new species of animals appeared suddenly, without any intermediate forms leading to them from a lower species. It was not a more perfect creature succeeding a less perfect one, for each species was perfectly adapted to its limitations of life and of environ- ment. * The Revised version of the Bible is quoted from throughout. 15 Am I Immortal ? Creation As to periods of time, it is all the merest guess work. We know little or nothing of the time re- quired to form the various stratums of rock. The only measure we have to guess by is the time it takes silt to form into rock in this late period of the earth's existence, or the rate at which alluvial matter is deposited at the mouths of rivers. There may have been a hastening of creation toward man of inconceivable rapidity, as com- pared with what we know of conditions of exist- ence now. But whether the creation was car- ried out instantaneously, or in days, or ages, that was merely a matter of the good pleasure of the Creator. There is a nebular theory of the universe, and advocates of that point to the record in Gene- sis as confirmatory of it, because light is said to have existed before it came from the sun. There is an hypothesis of evolution set forth by Darwin and others, and since run wild; and if that were the order of creation, it is only what must have existed potentially and com- pletely in the original forms out of which it has all been unfolded, and this would not lessen the miracle of Creative power. How little is really known of the possibility of such evolution, and the omniscient way in 16 Am I Immortal ? which modern claims are made for it, is well Creation illustrated in the record of the last meeting of the British Association for Advancement of Science at Winnipeg (1909). Several eminent scientists have claimed quite seriously that the line of evolution to men came through a mol- lusk, while others equally learned claimed just as gravely that it had come through a worm. Concerning the mollusks, Professor Dawson has said: "I have for many years occupied a little of my leisure in collecting the numerous species of mollusca and other marine animals ex- isting in a sub-fossil state in the Post-pliocene clays of Canada, and comparing them with their modern successors. I do not know how long these animals have lived. Some of them cer- tainly go far back into the Tertiary; and recent computations would place even the Glacial age * at a distance from us of more than a thousand centuries. Yet after carefully studying about two hundred species, and, of some of these, many hundreds of specimens, I have arrived at the conclusion that they are absolutely unchanged," * * * * To what does this point? Evi- dently to the conclusion that all these species show no indication of derivation, or tendency to improve, but move back in parallel lines to some unknown creative origin.' 3 17 Am I Immortal ? Creation Men of science have traced the various forms of life from the lowest form of a single cell to the most complicated organism; from proto- plasm to man; but they find a missing link every- where between the various orders of creatures; (and not simply a missing link between the high- est order of monkeys and man, according to a popular misconception) and a well known man of science, with full knowledge of all that has been discovered, has said: "For aught science can say to the contrary, there may not have been a single link in the whole chain of biolog- ical progression which may not have required special Divine intervention to make it pre- cisely what it Is/ 9 * In the long ages during which this world has existed, the rocks show no fossil remains of transitional forms of life from one species to another, which must have abounded if the different species were evolved in that way. In- deed, if evolution were true, such transitional forms would abound among living creatures now; and their entire absence strongly negatives the whole theory; for such a law, if it ever existed, would be existing now. Besides, the existing laws of nature forbid it. The male of one species cannot fertilize the female of a * Prof. Richard A. Proctor. 18 Am I Immortal ? different species, and even where nearly related Creation animals, like the horse and ass, for example, mingle and produce a hybrid such as the mule, we find a law in nature that such hybrids cannot propagate, and so the line ends. In order to make their theory at all plausible in the face of these facts, evolutionists predicate such incredible periods of time necessary for such changes, as remove the possibility of evo- lution from the region of fact altogether. Sir Alfred R. Wallace, one of the greatest living scientists, has recently stated in one of his published lectures: "All the evidence at our command goes to prove that existing species re- main unchanged for long periods; certainly for many thousands of years. Some few no doubt have become extinct; but that has always been due to human agency. Since the last Glacial Epoch, a period of time for Europe of not more than eighty thousand years, and in many dis- tricts much less, the remains we find of plants and animals are all of species still living, though their distribution has become somewhat different from what it formerly was." Scientific evolution, however, really relates properly only to the development and varia- tion of living creatures "through environment, 19 Am I Immortal ? Creation natural selection and survival of the fittest/' There is nothing in the Darwinian theory, prop- erly understood, to negative the creation of the original species, and the contrary view meets with seemingly insurmountable objections. While God might have evolved the myriad forms of life from one original germ, they can- not be accounted for by a Godless evolution. How, for example, could an eye have formed itself? It is a complicated instrument, and one of no value whatever unless complete. From a sightless organism to one with eyes denotes a creative act. Consider the complicated mechan- ism of the human eye. The Miracle of Unbelief. Frank Ballard, M. A., F. jR. M . & etc. — Not only must the optic nerve be duly attached and proceed to the brain, but each eye must be provided with two delicate and exactly corre- lated lenses, two distinct kinds of intervening trans- parent media, six muscles (including a pulley through a socket to reverse the direction of the pull of two of them), ten distinct nerve layers co-ordinating with delicate fibrillae of the optic nerve to receive and appreciate and transfer multitudinous infinitesimal impressions from the ether, together with an automatic curtain for regulating the amount of light permitted to enter (which modern optical instruments have roughly copied), and the whole enclosed in a stout protecting membrane. All this apparatus, however, goes but a little way in explaining the mystery of sight. Is it conceivable that such an intricate in- strument could have formed itself? But won- 20 Am I Immortal ? derful as is the human eye in itself, how much Creation more wonderful is the mystery whereby the vis- ual image is brought into contact with the spirit of the man. Is not this a miracle of creation? And of what possible value could an ear be in process of evolution before being completed? In order to hear a sound, the vibration when started reaches the ear, is collected by the outer ear, where it sets in motion the hammer and the anvil and the stirrup, thence into the inner ear, where it vibrates through a liquid, affects the thousand or more organs of Corti, is sent around the semicircular canals into the cochlea, and on through the auditory nerve into the brain. Is it conceivable that the ear could have formed itself without a Designer and Creator? Then, too, the living out of the lifeless re- quires creative power. How can any one ac- count for the origin of life without the interven- tion of God? And how could the sexes have been evolved? "Male and female created He them" (Gen. 1:27). Evolution is believed in by many who de- sire to do away with a Creator and Redeemer and of moral responsibility to Him, as account- ing for the existence of living creatures, as if they had developed from nothingness of them- 21 Am I Immortal ? Creation selves; and without any investigation of the subject, because so much has been claimed for it in the name of science, it has had a wide ac- ceptance. The causes given for it are utterly inadequate to produce the results claimed for them, and, besides, there are well known and universal laws in nature which absolutely pro- hibit it. Darwin claimed that it may be so, and his followers enlarge upon the theory as if it were proven. If evolution were a law of nature it must be existing now. If the different species of ani- mals had been brought about by "natural selec- tion, environment and survival of the fittest/ ' then, as Darwin acknowledged, "there must have been innumerable, intermediate, transi- tional forms" between the different orders of creatures. The testimony of the rocks is over- whelmingly against such a theory, for there are no fossil remains of such transitional forms of life. If evolution were a law of nature, there would be innumerable transitional forms of life between the different species existing now, but none such are in existence today. In the ani- mal world today like produces like. There is no variation from this law, as to species. 22 Am I Immortal ? Darwin made much of the great variety of Creation pigeons brought about through breeding for hundreds of years from the original wild pig- eons, but these variations were brought about not by the pigeons themselves. The changes were wrought by the intelligence and control of man, and even then they were only pigeons at the end, after all. Darwin found a law in nature which he called Reversion to Type, and according to this law pigeons which had been changed into different varieties by many years of inter-breeding and domestication, when they escape from domesti- cation and begin breeding again in a wild state, speedily revert back to the original type of blue wild pigeons. If men by many years of inter-breeding and domestication could change pigeons into ani- mals with hair and teeth, that might be used as an argument in favor of evolution, but the law of nature forbids it. According to the law of nature that like pro- duces like invariably as to species, no such change could take place in the embryo; and it would be as impossible for it to take place after birth as it would be for a man by thinking of it to grow an extra finger on his hand, or to "add a Am I Immortal ? Creation cubit to his stature." If man, with his much higher intelligence, and his reason, cannot do anything as simple as that, what chance would there be for lower orders of creatures to make greater changes in their structure? To say nothing of the lower animals, con- sider the impossibility of such a change from a chimpanzee to a man. A monkey has a dif- ferent skull, a different brain, different teeth, a greater number of ribs, different bones in legs and feet; several muscles instead of one to con- trol the toes, and a hairy body like other ani- mals. It could not change in the embryo, and how would it be possible by "transmutation' ' for it to make these changes afterward? Prof. Huxley, an evolutionist, said concerning the dif- ferences between man and the highest order of monkeys: "Let me take this opportunity, then, of distinctly asserting on the contrary, that they are great and significant; that every bone of a gorilla bears marks by which it may be distin- guished from a similar bone in man; and that, in the present creation at least, no intermediate link bridges over the gap between Homo and Troglodytes" An imaginary statement having wide circu- lation has had much to do with extending a be- 24 Am I Immortal f lief in evolution, viz: that the human embryo Creation passes through all stages of fish, reptile and ani- mal up to its perfected state before birth. This is wholly imaginary and untrue. It is human and nothing else in all its stages. The spinal cord at first is extended and develops faster than the upper structure, and its segmented ap- pearance is merely a series of constrictions to mark the nerve centers corresponding to the vertebrae. This extension of the spinal cord evolutionists call a tail. Later it is built into the structure and disappears from sight. In front of the bulb marking the cerebellum there gradually appears a series of five arches. When the embryo is fully developed the upper of these arches forms the upper jaw, the second the lower jaw, and the other three form the neck over the tongue and larynx. These arches have been called branchial arches from their fancied resemblance to the arches in the fish which sup- port the gills, but in man they have nothing whatever to do with the respiratory organs, as the branchial arches do in fish. It is claimed by evolutionists that there are about seventy ex- amples in man's anatomy of vestiges of former animals in the line of his descent, but they are all, with one exception, as imaginary as those 25 Am I Immortal ? Creation already referred to. That exception is the ver- miform appendix which may have some present purpose not understood, or may have come down from the time when man subsisted wholly upon vegetables and fruits. What is Man? Judson D. Burns, M. D. — Because the vital elements of any species when fused will pro- duce only the vital principle of the same, and only the same as that of the species from which the vital ele- ments came, it is impossible that the progenitor of man could have been one of the lower animals. It is not only an improbability, but an impossibility. Yes, I can say, this being absolutely the case, there never was an intermediate form of life on this earth ; and that change of what we call genera by natural descent is also an impossibility. Then there never was a Pythe- canthropus erectus on this earth, save only as it existed in Dr. Haeckel's brain. Therefore, it is plain that the progenitor of man could not have been an animal in the personality of the chimpanzee, or gorilla, one of which is the hypothecated progenitor of the hypothe- cated "Pythecanthropus erectus ," the missing link. Now what seems to have been the order of creation according to the Bible? As the earth was developed by Divine wisdom and power, new conditions of life were created, and new forms of life were created to correspond. First the lower forms and then fishes in the water; then reptiles in the slime; then progressively birds and great mammals in the rich tropical vegetation; then the domestic animals; and finally, man. God loves to create life, and peo- Am I Immortal ? pies a drop of water, or even the very dust, with Creation living forms. God gives life and He takes it away. He has created and given life progress- ively to all creatures from the lowest up to man. May not the next step be from man mortal to man immortal? The theory of evolution is very interesting when confined to its proper limitations, but when presented as a substitute for Creative wis- dom and power, without the intervention of God, it utterly fails to meet the necessary re- quirements and is merely a modern superstition. Looking away from all animate creation about which such questions have arisen, consider the mighty worlds in space being swung unerringly in their vast orbits, and how irrational it would be to try to account for their existence by "na- tural selection, environment and survival of the fittest." How much more reasonable it is to believe that, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." There cannot be thought without a thinker, and the whole universe abounds with evidences of thought. A thinker is a person, and the hu- man mind reaches the conviction that the Thinker who has established a reign of law throughout the universe must be a Person. 27 Am I Immortal ? Creation The agnostic says, we cannot know God. But even he in the study of the universe is obliged to admit the necessity of a great First Cause, and that this Power is omnipotent, omnipresent and has always existed. Many believers in evolution say, all things must have evolved from a single cell; all organ- isms consist of cells; these cells take on new forms to perform new functions, and so the dif- ferent organs of creatures and the different forms of creatures have been built up. But even so, what about the Power causing these cells to carry on such work directed to an intel- ligent end? Even Darwin himself said: "I am inclined to look upon everything as resulting from designed laws." That God may have implanted a higher or- der upon a lower by creative act in all the stages of creation from organisms of a single cell up to man, seems very reasonable, if not probable. And so even a Christian may believe in an evo- lutionary order of development, in that sense, and may say, I am existing today, and a little while ago I did not exist. I am an organism and the Organizer existed before I was or- ganized. That Organizer will exist after I am disorganized by death, to reorganize me into a 28 Am I Immortal ? higher and immortal form of life> if it shall Creation please Him to do so. The World of Life. Alfred Russell Wallace, L.L. D., D. C. L. 9 F, R. S. — Neither Darwinism nor any- other theory in science or philosophy can give more than a secondary explanation of the phenomena of life. Some deeper power or cause has always to be postulated. The mysterious power we term life will surely never be explained as many suppose it will be, in terms of mere matter and motion. ****** But beyond even these marvels is the greater marvel of that ever-present organizing and guiding Power, which, to take a single example, generation after generation, and even year after year in the life of the individual, builds up anew that most wonderful congeries of organs, the bird's covering of feathers. Not only is a feather a miracle of complex structure, in every minutest part adapted for most important and even vital ends, but it may be safely stated that no two feathers on any bird are absolutely identical, varying in contour, in curva- ture, in rigidity, in size, by almost imperceptible gra- dations, so that each fulfills its special purpose ; and beyond this, in a great majority of cases, these feath- ers are adorned with colors which are infinitely varied and which we can so often perceive to be of use to the individual, the sex, or the species, that we conceive all to be so. But to produce the results of well denned and very constant colors, shades and patterns on the outer surface of the bird, each feather has to be colored on that portion of its surface which is not overlapped by the adjoining feathers at the time when the color is needed, and this is invariably the case. Every attempt to explain these phenomena — even Darwin's highly complex and difficult theory of Pangenesis— utterly breaks down ; so that now even the extreme monists like Haeckel, are driven to the supposition that every ulti- 29 Am I Immortal f Creation mate cell is a conscious, intelligent individual, that knows where to go, and what to do, goes there and does it ! These unavailing efforts to explain the inex- plicable, whether in the details of any one living thing, or in the origin of life itself, seem to me to lead us to the irresistible conclusion that beyond and above all terrestrial agencies, there is some great source of energy and guidance which in unknown ways pervades every form of organized life, and of which we ourselves are the ultimate and foreordained outcome. Sir J. W. Dawson, L. L. D., F. R. S., F. G. S.— The only rational hypothesis of human origin in the present state of our knowledge of this subject is, that man must have been produced under some circum- stances in which animal food was not necessary to him, in which he was exempt from the attacks of the more formidable animals and in less need of protection from the inclemency of the weather than is the case with any modern apes ; and that his life as a hunter and warrior began after he had by his knowledge and skill secured to himself the means of subduing nature by force and cunning. This implies that man at first was a rational being, capable of understanding nature, and it accords much more nearly with the old story of Eden in the book of Genesis than with any modern theories of evolution. * * * * The Glacial period, with its snows and ice, had passed away, and the world rejoiced in a spring time of renewed verdure and beauty. Many great and formidable beasts of the Tertiary time had disappeared in the revolutions which had occurred, and the existing fauna of the northern hemisphere had been established on the land. Then it was that man was in- troduced by an act of creative power. "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness ; and let them rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the herbivora, and over all the land. And God blessed them and said 30 Am I Immortal ? unto them, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth Creation and subdue it. ' i And the Lord God formed the man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being. And the Lord God planted a garden, eastward in Eden, and there He placed the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. And a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and parted from thence, becoming four heads (of great rivers). The name of the first is Pison, compassing the whole land of Chavila, where there is gold, and the gold of that land is good; there is (also) pearl and agate . . . And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden, to cultivate it and to take care of it." Before leaving this most ancient and most beautiful history, we may say that it implies several things of much importance to our conceptions of primeval man. It implies a center of creation for man, and a group of companion animals and plants, and an intention to dis- pense in his case with any struggle for existence. It implies, also, that man was not to be a lazy savage, but a caretaker and utilizer, by his mind and his bodily labor, of the things given to him ; and it also implies intelligent submission on his part to his Maker, and spiritual appreciation of His plans and intentions. It further implies that man was, in process of time, from Eden, to colonize the earth, and subdue its wildness, so as to extend the conditions of Eden widely over its surface. Lastly, a portion of the record not quoted above, but necessary to the consistency of the story, implies, that in virtue of his spiritual nature, and on certain conditions, man, though in bodily frame of the earth, earthly, like the other animals, was to be ex- empted from the common law of mortality which had all along prevailed, and which continued to prevail, even among the animals of Eden. 31 Am I Immortal ? REVELATION— THE BIBLE. So far we have been considering the work of creation as it may be seen in all plants and ani- mals existing now. Is there a greater revelation of God than we find in nature? That is what the Bible purports to be. There are some things which the human mind unaided could never have solved, and these re- late to infinity. And because beyond the powers of our finite human mind, limited as it is by the transitory affairs of this life and by time, if we are to have certain knowledge of the possibility of a limitless life beyond this, it must be re- vealed to our spirits by the Infinite Spirit. We are told of what is contained in the Bible, that: "Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1 : 21). Tennyson has said: Speak to Him thou for He hears, And spirit with Spirit can meet; Closer is He than breathing, And nearer than hands or feet. Even men are able to use one of the forces God has made and communicate with each other from long distances by wireless telegraphy. If it is possible for human minds to communi- cate with each other by wireless telegraphy or even by telepathy when separated by distance, 39 Am I Immortal ? shall it be considered strange that the Divine Revelation Mind should communicate with the human mind tlle Bil)le seeking to reach upward to its Creator? The record of great numbers of the human race in all countries, aspiring to such communication, is the best answer to this. This greater revelation of God is found in the Bible, and the devout examination of it by thous- ands of the greatest minds the world has ever known, has resulted in the fullest acknowledg- ment of its claims to be the Word of God. From its account of the beginning of Crea- tion to its authentic history of Jesus Christ the Lord on earth, it fully meets the desire for a revelation to men of their relation to their Crea- tor and Redeemer. Man's conscience confirms the truth of its teachings. Men everywhere have an instinctive sense of God; of a judgment to come after death; and of a hope of life be- yond the grave. It is the oldest book in the world, far ante- dating any other history extant. It everywhere proclaims the personality and almightiness of God, the Creator of all things, and the great First Cause of the whole universe. It reveals the love of God as our Heavenly Father, and His unwillingness that any one of us should forfeit everlasting life (Ezek. 18:27); that 33 Am I Immortal ? Revelation "He is not willing that any should perish, but the Bible that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). It gives an account of the whole Creation compressed into the space of a page or two; and with all the learning of modern scientists, let any of them try to express what they think of the order of creation and put it into such limited space. The account in Genesis of the Flood, and of man's early history on earth, is confirmed by the clay tablets and monuments unearthed in comparatively recent years in Babylonia. These record traditions pointing back to the flood. These do not show, as some claim, that the Hebrews obtained their religious beliefs from the Babylonians, but that they held in common those ancient traditions. Concerning the Deluge, Prof. Dawson has said : A still more important speculation, arising from the facts recently developed as to prehistoric men, is the possible equivalency with the historical deluge of the great subsidence which closed the residence of paleocosmic men in Europe, as well as that of several of the large mammalia. Lenormant and others have shown that the wide ancient acceptance of the tradition of the Deluge among all the great branches of the human family necessitates the belief that, independently of the Biblical history, this great event must be accepted as a historical fact which very deeply impressed itself 34 Am I Immortal ? upon the minds of all the early nations. Now, if the Revelation Deluge is to be accepted as historical, and if a similar — the Bible break interrupts the geological history of man, separat- ing extinct races from those which still survive, why may we not correlate the two ? Rationalistic literary critics had long claimed that the history of the Hittite nation in the Bible was one of the Bible "myths," because no evidence of their existence had ever been discovered in any tablet or monument, until further excavations revealed abundant evidence of their former existence and high civilization. So it has been again and again. German ra- tionalistic literary critics of the Bible, who have had an ignorant and somewhat noisy following, and some of whom are going up and down the country lecturing today as if it were a matter of any importance what they do not believe, are constantly holding one another up to ridicule. Like the false witnesses against Christ, they do not agree with each other, and pull one another to pieces. As Dr. Charles H. Thwing said not long ago in an article in Harper's Magazine: "The Germans are more willing to push for- ward their hypotheses without regard to the limitation of facts." To follow the methods of these rationalistic critics of the Bible, one could show in the same 35 Am I Immortal ? Revelation way that the Declaration of Independence was —the Bible wr itten in part in several different centuries, or that Tennyson's poems were the production of many different writers, and that the man Ten- nyson, as a writer, probably did not exist at all. The intelligent literary investigation of the Scriptures is very interesting and instructive, but to be of much value, it must be conducted by believers. "Now the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2: 14). The history of the Jews shows the wonderful fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecies, which the Prophets are said to have received from God in an audible voice (1 Sam. 8), so that they al- ways announced their prophecies with, "Thus saith the Lord." Not only have these prophe- cies been fulfilled in the past, but they are being fulfilled in the history of the Jewish race at the present time; which after the dispersion were to be a separate people, but not a nation, until God shall restore them again to Palestine. "For no prophecy ever came by the will of man ; but men spake of God, being moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21). We have a record in 36 Am I Immortal? the Bible of these communications coming down Revelation for a period of thousands of years. We have the Bible in the Bible an account of mankind on the earth not from their own standpoint alone, but from that of their Creator. The Bible then, confirmed as it is by con- science, which is recognized as the voice of God in the soul; confirmed by the fossil remains in the rocks of the earth's crust; confirmed by the records of the human race on earth; confirmed by the wonderful fulfillment of its prophecies, upon which so many books have been written; and confirmed by the history and transforming power of Christianity; has been accepted by devout minds everywhere as a revelation from God, revealing Him to man as He could not be revealed in nature, and opening up the way for man to regain immortal life. It gives an account of God's creation of man; of man's fall from innocency; of his becoming mortal through sin; of his possible restoration to immortality through a Redeemer; of the ad- vent of that Redeemer on earth, paying for us the penalty of sin; of a resurrection from the grave; of a day of judgment; of immortal life to those transformed by Christ's Spirit; and of a second death to those who are finally impeni- tent and reject Him. 37 Am I Immortal ? Revelation Man's conscience responds to its teachings the Bible intuitively. We find throughout nature that all natural instincts are to be depended on, and that they relate closely to the welfare and ex- istence of the creature. Any living creature that did not follow the leadings of its instincts would soon cease to exist. The birds follow an instinct of migration and go south in winter. The larger waterfowl follow an instinctive sense in the spring in flying over continents and oceans on the way to the farther north where they may raise their young in security. There is a Power whose care Teaches thy way along that trackless coast, The desert and illimitable air, Lone wandering, but not lost ! He who from zone to zone Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight, In the long path which I must tread alone, Will lead my steps aright. William Cullen Bryant. The waterfowl are guided safely by following a God-given instinct. If they did not follow the leading of this instinct they would very soon be exterminated. And may this not be equally true of man also, if he follows not the leading of his God-given conscience? 38 Am I Immortal ? Have I knowledge ? Confounded it shrivels at Revelation wisdom laid bare. the Bible Have I forethought? How purblind, how blank to the Infinite Care. Do I task any faculty highest, to image success ? I but open my eyes, — and perfection, no more and no less, In the kind I imagined, full-fronts me, and God is seen God In the star, in the stone, in the flesh and the soul and the clod. And thus looking within and around me, I ever renew (With that stoop of the soul which in bending upraises it too) The submission of man's nothing-perfect to God's all-complete, As by each new obeisance in spirit I climb to His feet. — Robert Browning. 39 Am I Immortal ? WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES. We are told in Genesis that: "In the begin- ning God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1). We are told concerning the crea- tion of man : "And God created man in His own image; in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them" (Gen. 1:27). In our innermost being, therefore, we are patterned after God ; and that is why it was possible for God to become incarnate in Jesus Christ our Lord, and to take upon Himself our nature. We are taught in the book of Genesis that Adam and Eve were to have immortal life upon the condition of perfect obedience and perfect submission to the will of God; that they dis- obeyed and rebelled against God, and became mortal ; and that death followed because of their sin, according to the law of their creation. "And God commanded the man, saying: Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die;" or as it is in the margin, "dying thou shalt die" (Gen. 2:16). 40 Am I Immortal ? "Now the serpent was more subtle than any What beast of the field which God had made. And the Bible he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, ye shall not eat, neither shall ye touch it lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die; for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good from evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and she gave also unto her husband and he did eat" (Gen. 3:3). "And God said, Behold the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil, and now lest he put forth his hand and also take of the tree of life and eat and live forever; therefore God sent him forth from the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man ; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden, the cherubim, and the flame 41 Teaches Am I Immortal f What of a sword which turned every way, to keep the the Bible way f the tree f U f e » ( Gen S :22). It would seem as if the woman saw the ser- pent in the tree eating the forbidden fruit, and as it did not die, and as it was the wisest of all creatures, she concluded that its superior wis- dom must come from eating the fruit, and that if she ate it she would be wiser also, and so she disbelieved God and disobeyed, and then Adam took the fruit from her and disobeyed also, and according to the law of their creation, they be- came mortal because of sin, and the penalty of death followed. But however this may have been, whether an actual occurrence recorded in primitive collo- quial terms or an allegorical account of how man forfeited immortality, the teaching is per- fectly plain, that death passed upon them be- cause of their wilful disobedience, and that they were kept from eating of the tree of life lest they should live forever in sin. We are told that although Eve was deceived, Adam was not deceived, but ate knowing the penalty; perhaps rather than to be separated from Eve (1 Tim. 2: 14). After Adam and Eve had become mortal through sin, what does the Bible teach? Using 42 Am I Immortal f the figure of a serpent to represent the spirit of What evil, as is so often done in the Bible, it teaches tlle Bible that "the seed of the woman should bruise the head of the serpent" (Gen. 3: 15) — the first prophecy of the incarnation. It teaches of a coming One who would redeem man from the consequences of his sin. 43 Am I Immortal ? SACRIFICES. Sacrifices were established for sin. The sac- rifice gave the life of the animal for the life for- feited by sin; and was typical of the coming sacrifice of "the lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). They were told about the sacrifice: "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls ; for it is the blood that maketh atone- ment by reason of the life" (Levit. 17: 11). Paul said referring to Christ's sacrifice: "And without shedding of blood there is no remis- sion" (Heb. 9: 22). Or in other words, without the giving up of life in His sacrifice, there would have been no remission of sin. From the fall of man from innocency in Adam and Eve, in all his life of sin on earth up to the crucifixion of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, men offered sacrifices for sin and looked forward in faith to the coming Redeemer. So did Adam and Abel. So did Noah after leaving the ark. So did Abraham, of whom Christ said : "He rejoiced to see my day" (John 8: 56) ; and so did all succeeding believers. Thus repent- ance for sin, and faith looking forward to the coming Redeemer, typified by the sacrifice, was 44 Am I Immortal I continued through all the ages from Adam until Sacrifices the sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Even the Jews abandoned sacrifices after the crucifixion. Fifteen hundred years before the great sac- rifice on Calvary, the patriarch Job, afflicted with boils and tried by Satan, could say: "But I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the last upon the earth; and al- though after my skin this body be destroyed, yet in my flesh shall I see God ; whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not an- other" (Job 19: 25). Job was confident that al- though after death worms should destroy his body, his Redeemer would stand at the last day upon the earth and that he would see Him when resurrected and clothed in a new body. In that wonderful chapter on Faith — the eleventh chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews — and in following out the references to texts of the Bible, we find that these worthies "all died in faith, not having received the promises" — the promises of resurrection from the dead and life immortal. "And these all, having had witness borne to them through their faith, received not the promise, God having provided some better thing concerning us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect" (Heb. 11 : 40). 45 Am I Immortal ? Sacrifices We find that Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac at God's command, because he knew that Isaac would be restored to life again at the resurrection day. Moses "accounted the re- proach of Christ greater riches than the treas- ures of Egypt; for he looked to the recompense of reward" — at the resurrection. According to an ancient Jewish tradition the Lord resurrected Moses immediately after death ; and support might be given to this belief by the inability of the Israelites to find his body (Deut. 34: 6) ; by the dispute concerning it referred to in the Epistle of Jude; and by his appearance with Elijah in the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17). We are told that "women received their dead by a resurrection, and others were tortured not accepting their deliverance, that they might ob- tain a better resurrection" (Heb. 11:35). The resurrection was looked forward to in faith by all believers in redemption, from Adam onward. The prophets proclaimed it; David wrote of it in the Psalms ; and when the apostles of our Lord proclaimed it to all men they pointed the Jews to their own prophets in con- firmation of their "good tidings." "That he may send the Christ who hath been appointed for you, even Jesus: whom the heav- 46 Am I Immortal ? ens must receive until the time of the restora- Sacrifices Hon of all things whereof God spake by the mouth of his holy prophets which have been since the world began" (Acts 4: 20). "Believing all things which are according to the law, and which are written in the prophets: having hope toward God, which these also themselves look for, that there shall be a resur- rection both of the just and unjust" (Acts 24: 14). In the seventh chapter of Second Maccabees in the Apocrypha, written originally B. C. 150, giving an account of a Jewish woman and her sons being tortured to death by King Seleucus because they would not eat of that which had been sacrificed to the idol god Bacchus ; we read of one of the sons: "And when he was in the last gasp he said, Thou miscreant, dost release us out of this present life, but the King of the world shall raise up us, who have died for His laws, unto an eternal renewal of life/ 9 All who repented of their sins and looked for- ward in faith to the coming Redeemer typified for them in the sacrifice, shall doubtless be raised from the dust in new and "glorious" bodies by our Lord and Redeemer at the Resur- rection Day, according to the Scriptures. 47 Am I Immortal f THE ADVENT OF THE SON OF GOD. When thou tookest upon Thee to redeem man, Thou didst humble Thyself to be born of a virgin. "For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulders: and His name shall be called Won- derful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Is. 9:6). So it was revealed to the prophet Isaiah, and so he pro- phesied of the Lord Jesus nearly a thousand years before His advent upon the earth. Finally, "when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman" (Gal. 4:4), and Jesus Christ came into the world as a babe, and grew up and lived on earth a sinless God- man. We have fully authenticated historical ac- counts in the New Testament of His birth, life, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension. His birth was a wonderful miracle; as was also the creation of the first man. If Christ were really the Son of God who created the universe and everything on earth, we would expect super- natural evidences of His wisdom and power; and these are given abundantly by four histori- ans living on earth with Him at the time. If 48 Am I Immortal ? God's power and intention be admitted there is The Advent nothing more incredible in a miracle than in an °* the ordinary occurrence in nature, for both are alike the natural result of supernatural energy. We have been considering the miracles of na- ture, which are all about us, and which no one can explain. The whole creation shows God's power, and affirms God's intention. The incar- nation and resurrection of the Son of God are evidences of the power of God beyond our com- prehension, just as the miracles of the universe are beyond our comprehension. In the New Testament we have statements of fact about these events and not statements of opinion. The truth of a miracle depends on the evidence of a fact. If the fact exists, it must be accounted for in some way. We have the his- torical accounts of these two events in the New Testament, and they are the foundation pillars of Christianity. Without them Christianity as it is would have been impossible. The whole world has been changed by the knowledge of them. We have two historical accounts of the birth of the Son of God, independent and yet corrob- orative of each other. In Matthew's record we have the account of His birth, presumably 49 Am I Immortal ? The Advent through Joseph, in which mention is always of the m ade of "the young child and His mother." In Son of God Luke > s aC count, we have the record of His birth, presumably through Mary, telling of the an- nunciation, and giving the facts more from a woman's standpoint. All believers must think reverently of the pure young virgin of the Jew- ish race and lineage of King David (Luke 1 : 32) whom Divine wisdom chose as best -fitted in all the world to be the mother of the Son of God. In a sense it might be said, that as through woman came sin, through woman also came sal- vation by the Son of God. 50 Am I Immortal $ THE BIRTH OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. MATTHEW'S ACCOUNT. "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When His mother Mary had been be- trothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. And Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But when lie thought on these things, behold an angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she shall bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus; for it is He that shall save His people from their sins. "Now all this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Behold the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (Is. 7: 14), which is, being interpreted, God with us. And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took unto him his wife; and knew her not until she had brought 51 and Saviour Jesus Christ Am I Immortal ? The Birth of forth a son; and he called his name Jesus Our Lord ( Matt . i : i 8 -25). "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the King, behold wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, say- ing, Where is he that is born king of the Jews? for we saw his star in the East, and are come to worship him. "And when Herod the King heard it, he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him. And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he enquired of them where the Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea ; for thus it is writ- ten through the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, land of Judah, art in no wise least among the princes of Judah: for out of thee shall come forth a governor, who shall be shepherd of my people Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting" (Mic. 5:2). "Then Herod privily called the wise men, and learned of them exactly at what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search out exactly concerning the young child ; and when ye have found him, bring me word, that I may also come and worship him. 52 Am I Immortal ? "And they having heard the king, went their The Birth of way; and lo, the star which they saw in the Our Lord . i i and Saviour east, went before them, till it came and stood T n ,. . J6SUS 1/UriST over where the young child was. And when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And they came into the house and saw the young child with Mary his mother; and they fell down and worshipped him; and open- ing their treasures they offered unto him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh, and being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod they departed unto their own country another way. "Now, when they were departed, behold an angel of the Lord appeareth unto Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise and take the young child and His mother and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I tell thee; for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. And he arose and took the young child and His mother by night, and departed into Egypt; and was there until the death of Herod; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: Out of Egypt have I called my son (Hos. 11: 1). "Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, 53 Am I Immortal ? The Birth of and sent forth, and slew all the male children Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Our Lord that were in Bethlehem, and in all the borders thereof, from two years old and under, accord- ing to the time which he had carefully learned of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet, say- ing, A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her chil- dren; and she would not be comforted, because they are not (Jer. 31 : 15). "But when Herod was dead, behold an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, Arise and take the young child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for they are dead that sought the young child's life. And he arose and took the young child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. "But when he learned that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither; and being warned of God in a dream, he withdrew into the parts of Galilee, and came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets, that He should be called a Nazarene" (Matt. 1: 18 to 25; 1 to 23). 54. Am I Immortal ? THE BIRTH OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. LUKE'S ACCOUNT. "Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And he came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee. But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this might be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not Mary, for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David; and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end. "And Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing that I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee ; wherefore also the holy thing which is begotten shall be 55 Am I Immortal ? The Birth of called the Son of God. And behold Elizabeth, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Our Lord thy kinswoman, she also hath conceived a son in her old age ; and this is the sixth month with her that was called barren. For no word of God shall be void of power. "And Mary said : Behold the handmaid of the Lord ; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. "And Mary arose in these days and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah ; and entered into the house of Zacharias and saluted Elizabeth. And it came to pass, when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit; and she lifted up her voice with a loud cry, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come unto me? For behold, when the voice of thy salutation came into my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed; for there shall be a fulfillment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord. "And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. He hath looked upon the low estate of 56 Am I Immortal ? His handmaid: for behold, from henceforth all The Birth of generations shall call me blessed. For He that is ^ ur ^ or ^ mighty hath done to me great things ; and holy 7* . u * A _ Jesus Christ is His name. And His mercy is unto genera- tions and generations of them that fear Him. He hath showed strength with His arm; He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their heart; He hath put down princes from their thrones, and hath exalted them of low de- gree. The hungry He hath filled with good things; and the rich He hath sent empty away. He hath given help to Israel his servant, that He might remember mercy (as He spake unto our fathers) toward Abraham and his seed for- ever. And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned unto her house. (Luke 1:26 to 56). "Now it came to pass in those days, there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to enroll themselves, everyone in his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Naza- reth, into Judea, the city of David, to enroll himself with Mary who was betrothed to him, being great with child. And it came to pass, 57 Am I Immortal ? The Birth of while they were there, the days were fulfilled Our Lord tf\&t she should be delivered. And she brought ^ • j. forth her first-born son ; and she wrapped him in Jesus Chnst # rir swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, be- cause there was no room for them in the inn. "And there were shepherds in the same coun- try abiding in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock. And an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Be not afraid; for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people; for there is born to you this day in the city of David, a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. And this is the sign unto you. Ye shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men in whom He is well pleased. "And it came to pass, when the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethle- hem, and see this thing that is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And 58 and Saviour Jesus Christ Am I Immortal ? they came with haste, and found both Mary and The Birth of Joseph, and the babe lying in the manger. And Our Lord when they saw it, they made known concerning the saying which was spoken to them about this child. And all that heard it wondered at the things which were spoken unto them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, even as it was spoken unto them" (Luke 2: 1 to 20). 5.9 Am I Immortal ? THE SON OF MAN. Thou seemest human and Divine , The highest, holiest manhood Thou. The Son of Man was a favorite name of the Lord Jesus Christ for Himself ; as if in realizing His supernatural power we might be in danger of overlooking His glorious manhood. The wisdom and power of God are exhibited in nature in the sublimity of the mountains, in the beauty of landscapes and trees and flowers, and in the wonderful structures of animate life; but none of these reveal His moral qualities — His love, and patience, and compassion, and for- giveness. These were revealed in Jesus Christ our Lord. In manhood, in character, and in intellect, He was the greatest Personage who has ever ap- peared on earth. Napoleon, as a prisoner in the quiet of the island of St. Helena had time and opportunity to carefully study His life on earth as it is recorded in the New Testament, and arose from it saying: "I know men, but Jesus Christ was more than a man." Charles Lamb was discussing with some of the great literary lights of his day the intellectual grandeur of Shakespeare, when one of them 60 Am I Immortal ? said, "If Shakespeare were to come in here now The Son we would all take off our hats to him." "Yes," of Man said Lamb, "but if Jesus Christ were to come in here now, we would all kneel down before Him." Millions of lives have been completely changed by reading the record of His life as given by the four historians in the Gospels ; for in these every man may discover Jesus Christ for himself, and, O what it means for any one so to discover Him ! The elevation and purity of character, the matchless intellect, the love of humanity, the absolute unselfishness of life reached in Him their highest possibility. And in studying that matchless and adorable manhood, we may look up through it into the face of the Son of God. "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head" (Matt. 8: 20). "But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins" (Matt. 9:6). "The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold, a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners" (Matt. 11:19). "For the Son of man is lord of the sabbath" (Matt. 12: 8). 61 Am I Immortal ? The Son "So shall the Son of man be three days and of Man t h r ee nights in the heart of the earth" (Matt. 12:40). "Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?" (Matt. 16: 13). "Until the Son of man be risen from the dead" (Matt. 17:9). "Even so shall the Son of man also suffer of them" (Matt. 17: 12). "The Son of man shall be delivered up into the hands of men; and they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised up" (Matt. 17: 22). "Even as the Son of man came not to be min- istered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Matt. 20: 28). "And they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" (Matt. 24:30). "The Son of man also shall be ashamed of him when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels" (Mark 8:38). "Behold the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners" (Mark 14:41). "Howbeit, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth ?" (Luke 18:8). "But Jesus said unto him, Judas betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?" (Luke 22:48). Am I Immortal ? "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wil- The Son derness, even so the Son of man must be lifted of Man up, that whosoever believeth, may in him have eternal life" (John 3: 14). "For as the Father hath life in Himself, even so gave he also to the Son to have life in him- self; and he gave him authority to execute judg- ment, because he is the Son of man" (John 5:26). "Work not for the meat which perisheth, but for the meat which abideth unto eternal life, which the Son of man shall give unto you; for him the Father, even God, hath sealed" (John 6:27). "What then if ye should behold the Son of man ascending where he was before?" (John 6:62). "Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him" (John 13:31). "But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God" (Acts 7:56). "And without controversy great is the mys- tery of godliness ; He who was manifested in the 63 Am I Immortal? The Son flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of angels, of Man preached among the nations, believed on in the world, received up in glory" (l Tim. 3: 16). Would I suffer for him that I love ? So wouldst Thou — so wilt Thou ! So shall crown Thee the topmost, ineffiablest, utter- most crown — And thy love fills infinitude wholly, nor leave up nor down One spot for the creature to stand in ! It is by no breath, Turn of eye, wave of hand, that salvation joins issue with death! As thy love is discovered almighty, almighty be proved Thy power, that exists with and for it, of being be- loved ! He who did most, shall bear most ; the strongest shall stand the most weak. 'Tis the weakness in strength that I cry for ! my flesh that I seek In the Godhead ! I seek and I find it. O Saul it shall be A Face like my face that receives thee ; a Man like to me Thou shalt love and be loved by forever : a hand like this hand Shall throw open the gates of new life to thee ! See the Christ stand ! David to Saul— Robert Browning. 64 Am I Immortal ? THE SON OF GOD. The New Testament is a hand-book of the Christian Religion. Its teachings are plain, and authoritative, and final. Anything different from its teachings, whatever else it may be, is cer- tainly not the Christian religion. What follows is its unqualified teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God: "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3: 17). "Of a truth thou art the Son of God" (Matt. 14:33). "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matt. 16:16). "The gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (Mark 1:1). "Thou art my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased" (Mark 1: 11). "Thou art the Christ, the Son of God" (Luke 4:41). "Jesus, thou Son of the most High God" (Luke 8:28). "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld His glory, glory as the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth" (John 1: 14). 65 Am I Immortal ? The Son "And I have seen and have borne witness that of God t his is the Son of God" (John 1 : 34). "Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel" (John 1 : 49). "He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life" (John 3: 36). "For as the Father raiseth the dead and quick- eneth them — (bringeth them to life again) — even so the Son quickeneth whom He will" (John 5:21). "But when Jesus heard it. He said, this sick- ness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby" (John 11:4). "But these are written that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing, ye may have life in His name" (John 20: 31). "And straightway in the synagogue he pro- claimed Jesus, that he is the Son of God" (Acts 9:20). "God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh" (Rom. 8:3). "God is faithful, through whom ye were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Cor. 1:9). "For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us" (2 Cor. 1:19). 66 Am I Immortal ? "Till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, The Son and of the knowledge of the Son of God" (Eph. of <*>* 4:13). "God having of old time spoken unto the fath- ers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners, hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in His Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds" (Heb. 1:1). "Having then a great High Priest who hath passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession" (Heb. 4: 14). "Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to them who have obtained a like precious faith with us in the righteousness of our God and Saviour, Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 1:1). "This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour" (1 Tim. 2:3). "And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:3). "And the blood of Jesus Christ his Son, clean- seth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). "Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father" (1 John 2:23). "God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him" (John 4:9). 67 Am I Immortal ? The Son "Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the of God Son of God, God abideth in Him, and he in God" (1 John 4: 15). "And who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God" (1 John 5:5). "And the witness is this that God gave us eternal life and this life is in his Son" (1 John 5: 11). "No man hath seen God at any time ; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared Him" (John 1 : 18). "Grace, mercy, peace shall be with us, from God the Father, and from Jesus Christ the Son of the Father, in truth and love" (2 John 1:3). "That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we beheld, and our hands handled, concerning the Word of life (and the life was manifested and we have seen and bear witness and declare unto you the life, the eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested unto us) ; that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you also, that ye also may have fellowship with us; yea, and our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ; and these things we write that your joy may be fulfilled" (1 John 1: 1). 68 Am I Immortal ? The unbeliever may say: "I will not believe The Son that a child was born without a human father." °* God That objection has always been made. The birth of Jesus Christ from a virgin has always been an offense to rationalism, and is just as much of an offense to the rationalistic literary critics of the Bible today. The thoughtful, intelligent Christian reasons about the birth of Christ in this way: There must have been a first man. Men of science agree upon this. The human mind comes to that conviction with certainty. The first man did not have a human father. If then God created a first man, was it any greater miracle for Him to become incarnate in a virgin, as "The second Adam" (1 Cor. 15:45) who would possess in Himself all the Divine qualities of which the best of mortal men are but shadows; and that this God-man should be sinless? There is no other way in which we can ac- count for Jesus Christ our Lord; for His sinless life; for His teachings; for His miracles of Di- vine power; for His death and resurrection. When rationalists attempt to explain these away, their explanations are far harder to believe than the simple historical record of the Gospels. The believer, in studying the New Testament, can look up into heaven from which Christ shall 69 Am I Immortal ? The Son come for him at the resurrection day, and can of God j j n i n repeating the creed of the early centuries, believed in by all who have any right to call themselves Christians: "Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost; born of the Virgin Mary." Jesus Christ lived a sinless life of perfect obe- dience and of perfect submission to the Divine will, and so according to the conditions of Adam's creation, He was entitled in Himself to everlasting life, and He offered up that life voluntarily as a complete and sufficient sacri- fice for Sin. We know not how God's spirit became incar- nate in the Virgin Mary. We know not how Christ's spirit enters into men and makes them "new creatures in Christ Jesus" (2 Cor. 5: 17) and "heirs of everlasting life" (Rom. 8: 17). The New Testament teaches that whosoever believes in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Saviour of sinners; repents of his sins, and lives in obedience and righteousness according to Christ's commands, shall be given eternal life, and Christ shall raise him up out of the grave at the resurrection day (John 6:40). We are to have through Christ the everlasting life which Adam, and all who succeeded him, forfeited by sin. Millions upon millions have 70 Am I Immortal ? so believed and have had their lives transformed The Son by it; because Christianity is not a belief only, of God but a life. No one can really believe on Christ as the Son of God, without seeking to obey Him and striving to be like Him. 71 Am I Immortal ? WHAT THE LORD JESUS CHRIST SAID OF HIMSELF. "And they all said, art thou then the Son of God? And He said unto them, Ye say it be- cause I am" (Luke 22: 70). "Again the high priest asked him and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am; and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven' ' (Mark 14:61). "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God sent not the Son into the world to con- demn the world; but that the world should be saved through Him" (John 3: 16). "The woman saith unto Him, I know that Messiah cometh (He that is called Christ) ; when He is come, He will declare unto us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am He" (John 4:25). "For as the Father raiseth the dead and giveth them life, even so the Son also giveth life to whom He will" (John 5: 21). "Marvel not at this: for the hour cometh, in Am I Immortal ? which all that are in the tombs shall hear his What the voice, and shall come forth ; they that have done ^ord good to the resurrection of life; and they that j*_ - have done evil, unto the resurrection of judg- Himself ment" (John 5:28). "For if ye believed Moses, ye would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if ye believed not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?" (John 5:46). "Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent" (John 6: 29). "For this is the will of my Father, that every- one that beholdeth the Son, and belie veth on Him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:40). "And He said unto them, Ye are from be- neath ; I am from above ; ye are of this world ; I am not of this world; I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins; for except ye be- lieve that I am He, ye shall die in your sins" (John 8:23). "If God were your Father, ye would love me, for I came forth, and am come from God; for neither have I come of myself, but He sent me" (John 8:42). "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad. The Jews 73 Am I Immortal ? What the Thrreiexe jsaid unto hira, Thou are not yet fifty ^ rd years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus 'A f sa ^ un ^° them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hims elf before Abraham was born, I am" (John 8: 56). "Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and finding him, he said, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, And who is he, Lord, that I may believe on him? Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and He it is that speaketh with thee. And he said, Lord I believe. And he worshipped Him" (John 9:35). "I came out from the Father, and am come into the world; again I leave the world and go unto the Father" (John 16:28). "And now Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was" (John 17: 5). "I and the Father are one. The Jews an- swered him, For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy; and because thou being a man makest thyself God" (John 10: 30). "But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins (He saith to the sick of the palsy), I say unto thee, Arise, take up thy bed, and go into thy house. And he arose, and straightway took up the bed, and 74 Am I Immortal ? went forth before them all ; insomuch that they What the were all amazed and glorified God, saying, We ^ ord never saw it in this fashion" (Mark 4:41). z?\V - Said of "These things spake Jesus; and lifting up W | m qftl f His eyes to heaven, He said, Father the hour is come; glorify Thy Son, that the Son may glorify Thee; even as Thou gavest Him authority over all flesh, that whatsoever Thou hast given Him, to them He should give eternal life. And this is life eternal, that they should know Thee, and Him whom Thou didst send, Jesus Christ" (John 17:1). "And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to ob- serve all things whatsoever I commanded you, and lo I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world' 9 (Matt. 28: 18). "I am the first and the last, and the living one; and I was dead, and behold I am alive for- evermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades (the grave)" (Rev. 1:18). 75 Am I Immortal ? THE TEACHINGS OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. "He spake as never man spake" (John 7: 46). He revealed the Divine personality of God as our Heavenly Father; as the Father of all His creatures; who numbers the very hairs of our heads, and without whose knowledge not even a sparrow falls to the ground (Matt. 10:30). He taught of the love of God for us, even al- though we are sinners; that no one has sinned beyond a possible forgiveness; that whosoever will may be forgiven and redeemed; "For God so loved the world that He gave his only be- gotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him might not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3: 16). He abolished death and brought immortality to light through His Gospel (2 Tim. 1 : 10). If He "abolished death" for me, then I must be immortal. This "Gospel" was the "good tidings" of for- giveness of sin, resurrection from the grave, and everlasting life. "For this is the will of my Father, that every one that beholdeth the Son, and believeth on Him, shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:40). 76 Am I Immortal ? He taught that we should love God with all The our heart and mind, and our neighbor as our- Teachings self ; that we should love everyone, without re- ^ s av i 0ur gard to race, or country, or even belief ; that we Jesus Christ should do unto others as we would have them do unto us; that we must forgive or we will not be forgiven; that we must not judge others, for God will be their judge as well as ours; that we should have no needless anxiety about tomor- row; and that we should practice self-denial for the good of others as well as for our own. By the Parable of the Prodigal Son, He taught of the Father's welcome to a returning penitent sinner; by the Parable of the Good Samaritan, who is our neighbor; by the Parable of the Pharisee and Publican, that no one should consider himself righteous before God, or de- spise any other human being; by the Parable of the Sower, how His truth would be received. By the Sermon on the Mount, He taught us how we should live in relation to God and man. By the Lord's Prayer, He taught us how we should pray. When our Lord was asked if there would be many saved, He said: Enter ye in by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many 77 Am I Immortal ? The be they that enter in thereby. For narrow is the Teachings g a ^ e an( j straightened the way, that leadeth unto and Saviour ltf e > an ^ ^ ew be they that find it" (Matt. 7: 13). Jesus Christ Consider what the Roman world was into which these teachings were brought. It was in a condition of low moral degradation. Even the better classes were recklessly profligate, and the most shameful vices were indulged in openly. Sensuality and intemperance abounded. Even religious rites were shamelessly immoral. Women were regarded as slaves, were married without their consent, and could be divorced at pleasure. They were closely confined to their houses and were watched by eunuchs and slaves. Infanticide abounded by general consent. Chil- dren and old people were often abandoned to die of exposure. There were more than sixty mil- lions of slaves in the Roman Empire — and white slaves, remember— who had no political rights and could not legally marry. Prisoners and slaves, men and even women were killed by wild beasts in the amphitheaters for amusement, and gladiators fought to death by hundreds, "to make a Roman holiday." Just think of such teachings coming into such a world ! The world of today shows the trans- forming power of nineteen centuries of Chris- 78 Am I Immortal ? tian teachings and of Christian living. There is The wickedness and degradation, intemperance and Teachings immorality, atheism and anarchism in the world aaB ^^?' still, but we of today have little conception of Jesus Christ the world as it was when Christ came into it, and of the astonishing change which His Gospel has wrought. Christ before His crucifixion foretold the de- struction of Jerusalem, and that the temple so great and massive would be razed to its founda- tions, and that it would be a time of awful suf- fering for the Jews, so terrible that He wept over it. The record of this prophecy was re- corded by Matthew, Mark and John, two of whom were dead before it was fulfilled. Our Lord also foretold that the Jews would be scat- tered throughout the world and would cease to be a nation "until the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled. ,, This "time of the Gentiles" we are living in now. 79 Am I Immortal ? THE MIRACLES OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. Miracles did not constitute Christianity. The resurrection of Christ from the dead consti- tuted it. But the various miracles of His life attested the power of the Son of God over His creation. The Jews condemned Him because he performed miracles of healing on the Sab- bath day. They were compelled to acknowledge His supernatural power, but claimed that His miracles were the work of the devil (Matt. 12:24). He showed by His miracles that He had Di- vine power over the laws of nature. "All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that hath been made" (John 1:3). Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, was compelled to admit that His power was Divine. He said: "Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God, for no one can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with Him" (John 3:2). Nathaniel also, "an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile," exclaimed: "Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel" (John 1 : 49) . When John the Baptist from a prison 80 and Saviour Jesus Christ Am I Immortal ? cell sent a messenger to enquire of Him: "Art The Miracles thou He that cometh, or do we look for an- of our Lord other?" Our Lord answered: "Go and tell John the things which ye hear and see; the blind re- ceive their sight, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good tidings preached to them. And blessed is he whosoever shall find no occa- sion of stumbling in me" (Matt. 11:2). His miracles were performed before thousands of witnesses. When the Pharisees were told of the raising of Lazarus from the grave, after he had been dead for four days, they determined to kill Christ, because on account of His miracles "all men will believe on Him" (John 11 : 48). They also decided to put Lazarus to death, because so many of the Jews were believing in Jesus after seeing Lazarus (John 12:11). A multitude was with Christ when He raised Lazarus from the dead (John 12: 17). When He changed water into wine (John 2-9) ; when he restored missing parts to the bodies of those who were maimed (Matt. 15:31); and when He fed five thousand men, besides women and children with five barley loaves and two fishes (John 6: 9) I He showed His creative power. 81 Jesus Christ Am I Immortal ? The Miracles It is true, as materialists claim, that miracles of our Lord are impossible — except to God. All laws of an *vio a r crea y on an( j f existence are His. By these miracles of Divine power Christ showed that He was maker and ruler over all things, and that He was indeed the Son of God. "Many other miracles therefore did Jesus in the pres- ence of the disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God ; and that believing ye may have life (everlast- ing) in His name" (John 20: 30). Thomas Carlyle — But is not a real miracle simply a violation of the Laws of Nature ? ask several. Whom I answer by this new question: what are the Laws of Nature? To me perhaps the raising of one from the dead were no violation of these Laws, but a con- firmation; were some deeper law, now first penetrated into, and by Spiritual Force ; even as the others have all been brought to bear upon us with its Material Force. 82 i Am I Immortal ? AN EVENING PRAYER. "And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto Him all that were sick, and them that were possessed with demons. And all the city was gathered together at the door. And He healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many demons" (Mark 1 : 33). At even, ere the sun was set, The sick, O Lord, around thee lay ; O in what divers pains they met ! O with what joy they went away. Once more 'tis eventide, and we Oppressed with various ills, draw near; What if thy form we cannot see? We know and feel that thou art here. O Saviour, Christ, our woes dispel ; For some are sick and some are sad, And some have never loved thee well, And some have lost the love they had. And some have found the world in vain, Yet from the world they break not free; And some have friends who give them pain, Yet have not sought a friend in Thee. And none, O Lord, have perfect rest, For none are wholly free from sin ; And they who fain would love Thee best Are conscious most of wrong within. 83 Am I Immortal ? An Evening O Saviour Christ, Thou too art Man ; Prayer Thou hast been troubled, tempted, tried ; Thy kind but searching glance can scan The very wounds which shame would hide. Thy touch has still its ancient power ; No words from Thee can fruitless fall; Hear, in this solemn evening hour, And in Thy mercy heal us all. The Church Hymnal—ifev. Henry Twell, 84 Am I Immortal ? THE CRUCIFIXION. We may not know, we cannot tell what grief He had to bear: But we believe 'twas for our sins He hung and suffered there. The sinless One paid the penalty for sin. He died. He offered Himself as a sacrifice for sin. "There was no other good enough to pay the price of sin." "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1 : 29). "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures" (1 Cor. 15:3). "Who His own self bore our sins in His body upon the tree" (1 Pet. 2: 24). "God sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh" (Rom. 8:3). "Who through the eternal Spirit offered Him- self without blemish unto God" (Heb. Qi 14). "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone unto his own way, and the Lord hath laid upon Him the iniquity of us all" (Is. 53:6). "He emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant, being made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man He hum- 85 Am I Immortal ? The bled Himself, becoming obedient unto death, Crucifixion yea, even the death of the cross" (Phil 2:8). "Christ also, being once offered to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time, apart from sin, to them that wait for Him, unto sal- vation" (Heb. 9:28). His death was wholly voluntary. When the officers from the chief priests and Pharisees came with the soldiers to arrest Him^ He al- lowed His power to go forth a little and "they went backward and fell to the ground" (John 18:6). This the testimony of an eye witness. When Peter drew a sword to defend Him and cut off the ear of Malchus, He told Peter to put up his sword, and touching the bleeding orifice restored the ear (Luke 22: 50). Then He asked them to let the disciples go and to arrest Him (John 18:8). At His trial the chief priests failed to con- vict Him of blasphemy according to the Jewish Law, until He voluntarily testified before them that He was the Son of God (Mark 14: 61). Before Pilate He said nothing that would lead to His release, although Pilate on account of his wife's morning dream, wished to release Him (Matt. 27: 19). As Isaiah had prophesied of Him so long before: "As a lamb that is led 86 Am I Immortal ? to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her The shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth" Crucifixion (Is. 53:7). Speaking of Himself as the Good Shepherd who layeth down his life for the sheep, He had said: "Therefore doth the Father love me be- cause I lay down my life that I may take it again. No one taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This com- mandment have I received from my Father" (John 10:17). And then, after mock trials in the hands of His enemies, He was scourged — an awful pun- ishment in itself — was struck in the face by brutal soldiers ; spit upon ; crowned with thorns ; and crucified. Beyond the torturing agonies of this lingering death, it is not possible for mor- tals to enter. He bore the sins of the world. Amid all its horror, He thought only of others. Of those who crucified Him, He said: "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." Recalling the Twenty-second Psalm, prophetic of His crucifixion, He repeated: "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me." To the penitent thief crucified with Him, He said: "Thou shalt be with me in Paradise." To Mary, 87 Am I Immortal ? The His mother, committing her to the care of His Crucifixion beloved disciple John, He said: "Woman, be- hold thy son," and to John, "Behold thy Mother/' At the end: "It is finished," and "Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit." It is no wonder that "there was darkness over all the land" for three hours, and that even the Roman centurion, hardened to piteous scenes of crucifixion, should exclaim: "Truly this man was the Son of God" (Mark 15:39). When Thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death, Thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers. 88 Am I Immortal ? THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is as well authenticated as any event in history. All history is now dated B. C. or A. D. Chris- tianity was founded upon the resurrection of Christ by the testimony of those living at the time, who were with Him for years prior to His crucifixion and who were with Him after His resurrection. His followers were so crushed by His death that they did not expect Him to rise from the dead, although He had often told them that He would. Among them was one disciple, Thomas, who would not believe when others, who had seen Christ after He had risen from the dead, told him of it; saying he would not believe it unless he could see the nail-prints of crucifixion in His hands and put his fingers in the hole which the soldier's spear made in His side. This he afterward had an opportunity of doing, and exclaimed: "My Lord and my God" (John 20:24). Christ had said at the tomb of Lazarus: "I am the resurrection and the life: he that be- lieveth on me shall never die" (John 11 : 25). 89 Am I Immortal ? The In the Apocalypse He said: "Fear not; I am Resurrection t ne first and the last, and the living one; and I o our or wag j ea j an( j k eno icl I am alive for evermore, and Saviour Jesus Christ an( ^ ' have the keys of death and of Hades (the grave)" (Rev. 1:18). 90 i Am I Immortal ? THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. MATTHEW'S ACCOUNT. "Now late on the Sabbath day, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And behold there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. His appearance was as lightning and his raiment white as snow: and for fear of him the watchers did quake and be- came as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye; for I know that ye seek Jesus who hath been crucified. He is not here, for He is risen even as He said: come see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples He is risen from the dead; and lo, He goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see Him; lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. And behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and took hold of His feet and worshipped Him. Then saith Jesus unto them, Fear not; go tell my brethren 91 Am I Immortal ? The that they depart into Galilee, and there shall Resurrection they see me. o our r "Now while they were going, behold some of and Saviour , , ,, Tesus Christ * ne g uar ^ came into the city, and told unto the chief priests all the things that were come to pass. And when they were assembled with the elders and had taken counsel, they gave much money to the soldiers, saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we slept. And if this come to the Governor's ears, we will persuade him and rid you of care. So they took the money and did as they were taught; and this saying was spread abroad among the Jews and continueth until this day. But the eleven disciples went into Galilee unto the moun- tain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw Him, they worshipped Him; but some doubted. "And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit ; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Matt. 28). .92 Am I Immortal ? THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. MARK'S ACCOUNT. "And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Mag- dalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome, bought spices that they might come and anoint Him. And very early on the first day of the week they came to the tomb when the sun was risen. And they were saying among them- selves, Who shall roll away the stone from the door of the tomb? And looking up they see that the stone is rolled back; for it was exceed- ing great. And entering into the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, arrayed in a white robe; and they were amazed. And he saith unto them, Be not amazed; ye seek Jesus the Nazarene, who hath been crucified: He is risen; He is not here; behold the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples, and Peter, He goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see Him as He said unto you. And they went out and fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come upon them ; and they said nothing to anyone ; for they were afraid. "Now when He was risen early on the first day of the week, He appeared first unto Mary 93 Am I Immortal ? The Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven Resurrection demons. She went and told them that had been , « . with Him. as they mourned and wept. And they and Saviour J r J Jesus Christ wnen they heard that He was alive and had been seen of her, disbelieved. And after these things He was manifested in another form unto two of them, as they walked, on their way into the country. And they went away and told it unto the rest; neither believed they them. And afterward He was manifested unto the eleven themselves, as they sat at meat; and He up- braided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart because they believed not them that had seen Him after He was risen. And He said unto them, Go ye unto all the world and preach the good tidings (of the resurrection) to the whole creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned. And these signs shall accompany them that believe; in my name shall they cast out demons ; they shall speak with new tongues ; they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall in no wise hurt them; they shall lay their hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then, the Lord Jesus, after He had spoken unto them, was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 94 Am I Immortal ? And they went forth and preached everywhere, The the Lord working with them, and confirming the Resurrection word by the signs that followed. Amen." ° ° TS * / ,-- . * e and Saviour ( Markl6 ) Jesus Christ 95 Am I Immortal ? THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. LUKE'S ACCOUNT. "But on the first day of the week at early dawn they came unto the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. And they entered in and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass while they were perplexed thereabout, behold two men stood by them in dazzling apparel, and as they were affrighted and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen; remember how He spake unto you when He was yet in Galilee, saying, that the Son of man must be delivered up into the hands of sin- ful men and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered His words, and returned from the tomb, and told all these things to the eleven, and to all the rest. Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James : and the other women with them told these things unto the apostles. And these words appeared in their sight as idle talk; and they disbelieved them. But Peter arose and ran unto the tomb; and stooping and 96 Am I Immortal f looking in he seeth the linen cloths by them- The selves; and he departed to his home, wondering Resurrection ,,.,., , of our Lord at that which was come to pass. _ _ . r and Saviour "And behold, two of them were going that j esus Christ very day to a village named Emmaus, which was threescore furlongs from Jerusalem. And they communed with each other of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass while they communed and questioned together that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them; but their eyes were holden that they should not know Him. And He said unto them, What communications are these that ye have one with another as ye walk? And they stood still, looking sad. And one of them, named Cleopas, answering, said unto Him, Dost thou alone sojourn in Jerusalem and not know the things which are come to pass there in these days? And He said unto them, What things? And they said unto Him, The things concerning Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all people; and how the chief priests and our rulers deliv- ered Him up to be condemned to death and crucified Him. But we hoped that it was He who should redeem Israel. Yea, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these 97 Am I Immortal ? The things came to pass. Moreover, certain women Resurrection f our company amazed us, having been early . at the tomb ; and when they found not His body, Tesus Christ *key came sa yi n g^ tna t they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. And certain of them that were with us went to the tomb, and found it even so as the women had said; but Him they saw not. And He said unto them, O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all the prophets have spoken! Be- hooved it not the Christ to suffer these things, and to enter into His glory? And beginning from Moses, and from all the prophets, He in- terpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. And they drew nigh unto the village whither they were going; and He made as though He would go further. And they constrained Him, saying, Abide with us for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent. And He went in to abide with them. And it came to pass when He had sat down with them to meat, He took the bread and blessed; and breaking, He gave it to them. And their eyes were opened; and they knew Him; and He vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, Was not our heart burning within us while He spake to us in the way, and while 98 Am I Immortal ? He opened to us the Scriptures? And they The rose up that very hour, and returned to Jeru- Resurrection salem, and found the eleven gathered together Savour and them that were with them, saying, The Lord j esus Christ is risen indeed and hath appeared to Simon. And they rehearsed the things that happened in the way, and how He was known of them in the breaking of the bread. And as they spake these things, He Himself stood in the midst of them, and said unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and sup- posed that they beheld a spirit. And He said unto them, Why are ye troubled, and wherefore do questionings arise in your heart? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me and see ; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye behold me having. And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, He said unto them, Have ye here anything to eat? And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and a honeycomb. And He took it and ate before them. And He said unto them, These are my words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must needs be fulfilled, which are written in the law of Moses, and the Prophets, and the Psalms 99 Am I Immortal ? The concerning me. Then opened He their mind Resurrection that they might understand the Scriptures; and _ „ . He said unto them, Thus it is written, that the and Saviour 7 Jesus Christ Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance and re- mission of sins should be preached in His name unto all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. Ye are witnesses of these things, and behold, I send forth the promise of my Father upon you; but tarry ye in the city, until ye be clothed with power from on high. "And He led them out until they were over against Bethany; and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. And it came to pass while He blessed them, He parted from them, and was carried up into heaven. And they worshipped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and were continually in the temple blessing God" (Luke 24). 100 Am I Immortal ? THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. JOHN'S ACCOUNT. "Now on the first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, while it was yet dark, to the tomb, and seeth the stone taken away from the tomb. She runneth, therefore, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we know not where they have laid Him. Peter therefore went forth, and the other disciple, and they went toward the tomb. And they ran both together; and the other disciple outran Peter, and came first to the tomb; and stooping and looking in, he seeth the linen cloths lying; yet entered he not in. Simon Peter therefore also cometh, following him and entered into the tomb; and he beholdeth the linen cloths lying, and the napkin that was upon His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but rolled up in a place by itself. Then entered in the other dis- ciple also, who came first to the tomb, and he saw and believed. For as yet they knew not the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. So the disciples went away unto their own home. "But Mary was standing without at the tomb 101 Am I Immortal ? The weeping; so as she wept, she stooped and Resurrection looked into the tomb; and she beholdeth two of our Lord an g e l s i n white, sitting, one at the head and one T Ch ' t a ^ * ne ^ ee ^ where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord and I know not where they have laid Him. When she had thus said, she turned herself back and beholdeth Jesus stand- ing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? She, supposing Him to be the gardener, saith unto Him, Sir if thou hast borne Him hence, tell me where thou hast laid Him, and I will take Him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto Him in Hebrew, Rabboni ; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended unto the Father; but go unto my brethren, and say to them I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and my God and your God. Mary Magdalene cometh and telleth the disciples, I have seen the Lord; and that He had said these things unto her. "When, therefore, it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and 102 Am I Immortal ? saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when The He had said this He showed them His hands Resurrection and His side. The disciples therefore were glad and U Saviour when they saw the Lord. Jesus therefore, said to j esus Christ them, again, Peace be unto you; as the Father hath sent me, even so I send you. And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit; whose soever sins ye forgive, they are forgiven unto them; whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. "But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe. And after eight days again His disciples were within and Thomas with them. Jesus cometh, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then said He to Thomas, reach hither thy finger and see my hands; and reach hither thy hand and put it into my side ; and be not faithless but believing. Thomas answered and saith unto Him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Because thou hast seen me, thou hast be- 103 Am I Immortal ? The lieved: Blessed are they that have not seen and Resurrection ve t have believed. Many other signs therefore . did Jesus in the presence of the disciples, which Jesus Christ are not wr ^ten in this book, but these are writ- ten, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God ; and that believing, ye may have life in His name. "After these things, Jesus manifested Himself again to His disciples at the Sea of Tiberius; and He manifested Himself on this wise. There were together Simon Peter and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathaniel of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of His dis- ciples. Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also come with thee. They went forth and entered into the boat ; and that night they took nothing. But when day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus therefore said unto them, Chil- dren, have ye aught to eat? They answered Him, No. And He said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and ye shall find. They cast, therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. That disciple, therefore, whom Jesus loveth, saith to Peter, It is the Lord. So when Simon 104 Am I Immortal f Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his The coat about him (for he was naked) and cast him- Resurrection self into the sea. But the other disciples came _ . in the little boat (for they were not far from the j esus Christ land, but about two hundred cubits off) dragging the net full of fishes. So when they got out upon the land, they see a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now taken. Simon Peter therefore went up and drew the net to land, full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three; and for all there were so many, the net was not rent. Jesus saith unto them, Come and break your fast. And none of the disciples durst enquire of Him, Who art Thou? knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus cometh and taketh the bread and giveth them, and the fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples, after He was risen from the dead. "So when they had broken their fast, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto Him, Yea, Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith unto him, a second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me ? He saith unto Him, Yea, Lord ; Thou 105 Am I Immortal ? The knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto him, Resurrection Yeed my sheep. He saith unto him the third , ™ . time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter and Saviour Jesus Christ was g r i eve ^ because He said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto Him, Lord, Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that I love Thee. Jesus said unto him, Feed my sheep. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walked whither thou wouldest; but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldst not. Now this He spake, signifying by what manner of death he should glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He saith unto him, Follow me. Peter turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved, fol- lowing ; who also leaned back on His breast at the supper, and said, Lord, and what shall this man do ? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry until I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. This saying therefore went forth among the brethren, that that disciple should not die; yet Jesus said not unto him that he should not die; but, if I will that He tarry till I come, what is that to thee? "This is the disciple that beareth witness of these things, and wrote these things; and we 106 Am I Immortal ? know that his witness is true. And there are The also many other things which Jesus did, the Resurrection which if they should be written every one, I sup- _ _ . J J ' r and Saviour pose that even the world itself would not contain y esus Christ the books that should be written" (John 20, 21). 107 Am I Immortal ? THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. PAUL'S ACCOUNT. "Now I make known unto you, brethren, the good tidings which I preached unto you, which also ye received, wherein also ye stand, by which also ye are saved, if ye hold fast the word, which I preached unto you, except ye believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which also I received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried; and that He hath been raised on the third day according to the Scriptures; and that He appeared to Cephas; then to the twelve; then He appeared to about five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain until now, but some are fallen asleep; then He appeared to James; then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to the child untimely born, He appeared to me also. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am; and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not found vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all; yet not I, but the grace of God which was 108 Am I Immortal ? with me. Whether then it be I or they, so we The preach and so ye believed" (1 Cor. 15: 1-11). Resurrection In these separate accounts of the resurrection , „ . and Saviour of the Lord Jesus Christ, by independent wit- j esus Christ nesses, gathered together afterward, there is the variation in unimportant details which is com- mon to all human testimony, and which abun- dantly confirms its reliability. 109 Am I Immortal ? SIN. Sin is one of the great facts of human existence. The laws and literature of all ages and of all countries recognize its universality. Our consciences testify that we have violated the laws of our being, and that there is a judgment to come because of this. No one, in thought, could appear before an omniscient God without confessing, I am a sinner. Ordinary rectitude of life does not do away with that conscious- ness. There was unlimited need of an infinite Redeemer. Counterfeit Christianity much in vogue nowa- days, seeks to do away with sin and the need of a Saviour, but it can never satisfy the human soul. Lady Macbeth could find no way in which to wash clean her red, right hand. The Bible is a record of sin and of its con- sequences, and of the need of Divine salvation from it. "And if the righteous is scarcely saved, where shall the ungodly and sinner appear' ' (1 Pet. 4: 18). Nearly a thousand years before Christ came into the world, the Prophet Isaiah proclaimed: "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord 110 Am I Immortal ? hath laid upon Him the iniquity of us all" (Is. Sin 53:6). Paul said: "But I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from this body of death? I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 7:23). Christ said: "Except a man be born from above he cannot see the kingdom of God" — the kingdom of immortal life (John S\S). This new birth is a sense of redemption from the guilt and penalty of sin. This redemption is not because of any merit of our own, for we are all sinners and under penalty of eternal death, but through the merit of the sinless Son of God who purchased it for us by His sacrifice on Calvary, and who bestows it upon us. This sense of redemption is a fundamental conviction of our inner consciousness. It does not come through reason alone; it is not opposed to reason ; it is higher than reason alone, being a matter of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And as the Bible states: "it is spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2: 14). Ill Am I Immortal ? DEATH THE PUNISHMENT FOR SIN. "Shall mortal man be more just than God" (Job 4: 17)? So far we have followed what the Bible teaches concerning death, as having passed upon Adam and Eve because of their sin. Everlasting punishment as to duration is not the penalty for sin, or Christ would have had to suffer forever; but He died. That should make it plain to every one what eternal punishment means. God who gives life, can take it away. There is very little in the Bible to warrant a belief in man's natural immortality, or in the immortality of evil. Its plain teaching is that the Son of God became man in order to over- come sin, and to deliver man from eternal death, the final doom of the impenitent sinner. "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures" (1 Cor. 15:3). "Who His own self bare our sins in His body on the tree" (1 Pet. 2:24). "But God commendeth His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8). "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:23). 112 Am I Immortal ? "I said unto you that ye shall die in your sins; Death the for except ye believe that / am He, ye shall die Punishment in your sins (John 8: 24). "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and death" (Rom. 8:2). "And sin when it is committed, bringeth forth death" (James 1: 15). "Therefore, as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Rom. 5: 12). "For if by the trespass of the one, death reigned through the one, much more shall they that receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, even Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5: 17). "That as sin reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 5:21). "My brethren, if any man among you err from the truth and one convert him; let him know that he that converteth a sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall cover a multitude of sins" (James 5: 19). How plain the teachings of the Bible are, if 113 Am I Immortal ? Death the we accept them just as they are written. Some Punishment one invented the phrase, "The death that never dieth," in support of eternal punishment in duration as the penalty for sin, but there is no such expression in the Scriptures. In the Epistle of Jude, Sodom and Gomorrah are spoken of as, "suffering the punishment of eter- nal fire," which evidently refers to its irrevoc- able nature and not to its duration. When John the Baptist was preaching of the coming of Christ, he said : "Whose fan is in His hand and He will thoroughly cleanse His thresh- ing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the garner, but the chaff He will burn up with unquenchable fire" (Matt. 3: 12). How quickly the chaff would be destroyed! In Christ's par- able of "The tares of the field," He explained to His disciples; "as therefore the tares are gath- ered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the world" (Matt. 13:40). "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him may have eternal life" (John 3: 14). In this prediction of His crucifixion, Christ compared it to the incident in the wilderness where the Israelites were dying in large num- 114 Am I Immortal ? bers from the bites of poisonous serpents, and Death the where Moses was commanded to put a brazen Punishment serpent on a pole and tell them that whosoever looked upon it in faith, after being bitten, would not die but be healed. How else could any one explain it? When God was preparing to release the Israelites from bondage in Egypt, He told them through Moses to sacrifice a lamb and sprinkle the blood upon the doorposts, so that the angel of death would pass over them when he came to smite the first born of the Egyptians. Ever afterward the Jews celebrated the Feast of the Passover in commemoration of this. When on the night of His betrayal, Christ celebrated this Passover with His disciples, He used the em- blems of this Feast in establishing a memorial of His coming death for men. Taking the un- leavened bread: "He blessed and brake it and gave it to His disciples, saying, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup and gave thanks, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many unto remission of sins" (Matt. 26: 26, 27). "For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup ye proclaim the Lord's death until He come 9 ' (1 Cor. 11:26). "For our passover 115 Punishment for Sin Am I Immortal ? Death the also hath been sacrificed, even Christ" (1 Cor. 5:7). This teaching is, that as the Jews escaped death in Egypt by the sacrifice of a lamb, so we shall escape death as the punishment for sin by the sacrifice of "the lamb of God' 3 for our re- demption. How else could any one explain it? John the Baptist testified concerning Him: "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1 : 29). Death as the punishment for sin, was taught by the early Fathers of the Christian Church, such as Barnabas, Clement, Hermas, Ignatius, Justin Martyr, Theophilus, Irenaes, and many others. The doctrine of everlasting punishment is not to be found in the Apostles' Creed, nor in the Nicene Creed, the two great universal creeds of the Christian Church. It is not to be found in the thirty-nine articles of the Episcopal Church, in the creed of the Reformed Church of France, or in the short statement of the Reformed Faith adopted in 1904 by the Pres- byterian Church in this country. The Bible everywhere is full of the love of God as our Heavenly Father, who is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should be brought to repentance' ' (2 Pet. 3:9). In 116 for Sin Am I Immortal ? Ezekiel 18:27, He says: "When the wicked Death the man turneth from his wickedness that he hath Punishment committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. Turn ye, turn ye, for why will ye die, O house of Israel/' In Proverbs 8:36, we are told: "He that sin- neth against me, wrongeth his own soul. Ail they that hate me love death" Christ said: "Be not afraid of them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna" (Matt. 10:28). We can understand how an earthly father with a hopelessly wicked and utterly incorrigible son, might say: "I would rather see him dead;" but we could not imagine him saying: "I would rather see him in torment forever." And can we imagine a loving Heavenly Father saying so of a hopelessly sinful creature? But it would be far better that he should suffer "the second death" than that he should go on sinning and suffering forever. And so the Lord Jesus said: "For what shall a man be profited, if he shall gain the whole world and forfeit his life? For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of His father with His angels; and then shall He ren- der to every man according to his deeds" (Matt. 16:26). 117 Am I Immortal ? Death the Rev. Lyman Abbott, D. D. — Fire in the Bible is gener- Punishment ally the emblem of destruction, not of torment. The for Sin cnan? > the fruitless tree, are not to be tortured, but to be destroyed. The hell-fire spoken of in the New Testa- ment is the fire of Gehenna, kept burning outside of the walls of Jerusalem to destroy the offal of the city. Here was the worm that dieth not, and the fire that is not quenched; emblems of destruction, not of torment. I find nothing in the New Testament to warrant the ter- rible opinion that God sustains the life of His creatures throughout eternity, only that they may con- tinue in sin and misery. That immortality is the gift of God through our Lord Jesus Christ, that man is mortal and must put on immortality, that only he can put it on who becomes through Christ a partaker of the Divine nature, and so an inheriter of him who only hath immortality; that eternal life is life eternal, and eternal death is death eternal, and everlasting destruction is destruction without remedy — that is the most natural as it is the simplest reading of the New Testament. 118 Am I Immortal ? ETERNAL LIFE THROUGH CHRIST. The Bible teaches that eternal life is the gift of God through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It is not inherent in ourselves. The Lord Jesus said unto the Jews, "Ye will not come unto me that ye might have life" (John 5:40). Mortal life they had already, but immortal life could only be obtained through Him. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved" (John 3: 16). "He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life; but he that obeyeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on Him" (John 3:36). "For as the Father raiseth the dead, and giveth them life, even so the Son also giveth life to whom He will" (John 5: 21). "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word and believeth Him that sent me, hath eternal life, and cometh not into judgment, but hath passed out of death into life" (John 5 : 24). 119 Christ Am I Immortal ? Eternal Life "He that believeth not God, hath made Him a Through \[ aT . because he hath not believed in the witness which God hath borne concerning His Son. And the witness is this, he that hath the Son hath the life, and he that hath not the Son hath not the life" (John 5: 11). "For this is the will of my Father, that every- one that beholdeth the Son and believeth on Him, shall have eternal life, and / will raise him up at the last day" (John 6: 40). "Ye search the Scriptures, because in them ye think ye have eternal life, and these are they which bear witness of me" (John 5: 39)- "I am the good Shepherd; the good Shepherd layeth down his life for the sheep. My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me, and I give unto them eternal life, that they shall never perish, and no one shall pluck them out of my hand" (John 10: 11). "To them that by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and incorruption, eternal life" (Rom. 2:7). "These things have I written unto you, that ye may know ye have eternal life, even unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God" (1 John 5: 13). "Lord, to whom shall we go, thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are 120 Am I Immortal ? sure that thou art the Christ, the Son of the Eternal Life living God" (John 6: 68). Through "But these are written that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye may have life through His name" (John 20:31). "And the witness is this, that God gave unto us eternal life and this life is in His Son" (1 John 5: 11). "And having been made perfect, He became unto all them that obey Him, the author of eter- nal salvation" (Heb. 5:9)* "That as sin reigned in death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 5:21). "Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life" (Jude 21). "For he that soweth unto his own flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth unto the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap eternal life" (Gal. 6:8). "Faithful is the saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. How be it for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me 121 Am I Immortal ? Eternal Life as chief (sinner) might Jesus Christ show forth Through a ]j jjis long suffering, for an example to them that should thereafter believe on Him unto eter- nal life' 3 (1 Tim. 1: 15). James Russell Lowell — The Saviour alone has given to man the hope of eternal life which makes life tolerable and robs death of its terrors and the grave of its gloom. m Am I Immortal ? ASLEEP IN THE GRAVE. The Bible teaches that the dead are asleep and shall rest in their graves until the resur- rection. In natural sleep we have no conscious lapse of time, and awake refreshed and strength- ened. Shakespeare speaks of natural sleep as "the death of each day's life." Those who sleep in the dust, since Adam onward, have no con- scious lapse of time. When they awake in the resurrection through Christ, it will be in new bodies which will "never grow weary." In the first deaths of Adam and others recorded in the fifth chapter of Genesis, no mention is made of any separation between body and spirit. "And Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there" (Numbers 20: 26). "And Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered unto his people" (Gen. 25: 8). "And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died and was gathered unto his people" (Gen. 35: 29). "And when Jacob made an end of charging his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people" (Gen. 49:33). "Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel ? Let me die the death 123 Am I Immortal ? Asleep in of the righteous and let my last end be like his" the Grave (Num. 23: 10). "And David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David" (1 Kings 2:10). "And the days which Jeroboam reigned were two and twenty years, and he slept with his fathers" (1 Kings 14:20). "And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the City of David" (1 Kings 14:31). "For now should I have lain down and been quiet; I should have slept; then had I been at rest" (Job 3:13). "There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest" (Job 3: 17). "It shall go down to the bars of Sheol when once there is rest in the dust" (Job 17: 16). "For in death there is no remembrance of Thee" (Psalms 6:5). "Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; lighten mine eyes ere / sleep the sleep of death" (Ps. 13:3). "I shall be satisfied when I awake in Thy like- ness" (Ps. 17: 15). "Thou takest away their breath, they die and return to dust" (Ps. 104: 29). "His breath goeth forth, he returneth to the 124 Am I Immortal ? earth ; in that very day his thoughts perish" Asleep in (Ps. 146:4). the Grave "Thy dead shall live; my dead shall arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust, for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast forth the dead" (Is. 26: 19). "Behold I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, O my people ; I will bring you into the land of Israel, and ye shall know that I am the Lord when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, O, my people" (Ezek. 37:12). "And many of them which slept in the dust of the earth shall awake; some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting con- tempt" (Dan. 12:2). "For thou shalt rest, and shalt stand in thy lot at the end of the days" (Dan. 12: 13). "And the tombs were opened and many bodies of the saints that had fallen asleep were raised and coming forth out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered into the holy city and appeared unto many" (Matt. 27: 52). "He said, Give place, for the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn" (Matt. 9:24). 125 Am I Immortal? Asleep in "Our friend Lazarus is fallen asleep, but I go the Grave fa^ j mav awake him out of sleep" (John 11: 11). "And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep" (Acts 7:60). "For this cause many among you are weak and sickly and not a few sleep" (1 Cor. 11: 30). "A wife is bound for so long time as her hus- band liveth; but if the husband is fallen asleep she is free to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord" (1 Cor. 7:39). "Then He appeared to about five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part re- main now, but some are fallen asleep" (1 Cor. 15:6). "And if Christ hath not been raised, your faith is vain, ye are yet in your sins. Then they also that are fallen asleep in Christ have perished" (1 Cor. 15: 17). "But now hath Christ been raised from the dead, the first fruits of them which are asleep" (1 Cor. 15:20). "We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound 126 Am I Immortal ? and the dead in Christ shall arise, and we shall Asleep iD be changed" (1 Cor. 15 : 52). the Grave "But we would not have you ignorant, breth- ren, concerning them that fall asleep; that ye sorrow not even as the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with Him" (1 Thes. 4: 13). "Know this first, that in the last day mockers will come with mockery, walking after their own lusts and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? For from the days that the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation" (2 Pet. 3:4). "For David after he had served his own generation fell asleep" (Acts 13:36). "For David is not ascended into the heavens" (Acts 2:34). "And I heard a voice from heaven saying, Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth; yea saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; for their works fol- low with them" (Rev. 14: 13). In all these references to death there is noth- ing about the spirit going to heaven, or going then to be with Christ. They fell asleep and await the resurrection, when Christ shall come 127 Am I Immortal ? Asleep in for them. And so all sleep in the grave from the Grave Adam down ; all the old worthies ; all the re- deemed; all the saints, the Virgin Mary and all others. The ancient tombstones of the first century in the catacombs of Rome, during the time of the primitive Christian faith, bear many inscriptions such as these: "Asleep in Jesus ;" "Awaiting the Resurrection ;" "Death is but a Short Sleep ;" "She rests in Peace;" "Rest in Peace;" "God quicken thy Spirit;" "Weep not, my child, for death is not Eternal." Other longer ones, with representations of Lazarus being raised from the dead, read: "As Jesus rose from the dead, so will God raise them also that are fallen asleep in Jesus;" "Here Gordian, the courier from Gaul, strangled for the faith, with his whole family, Rest in Peace." After Lazarus was dead, our Lord told the disciples, "Our friend Lazarus is fallen asleep." They said, "If he sleep he shall do well." Then He told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead" (John 11: 14). When He came to the tomb to raise him from the dead, He did not command body and spirit to unite again, but said simply: "Lazarus come forth." When He went to restore the little maiden to 128 Am I Immortal ? life, as He passed through the room in which Asleep in the Jews were noisily lamenting her death, He * ne Grave said, "She is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed Him to scorn." Then going with her father and mother and two of His disciples into the room where the dead body lay, He said noth- ing of any present separation of body and spirit, but taking her by the hand, said simply: "Maiden, arise I" (Mark 5:38). When, accompanied by His disciples and a great multitude, they approached the city of Nain and met the funeral of the widow's only son, whom He restored to life, our Lord did not call back the spirit of the dead as if it had de- parted from the body. "Now, when He drew near to the gate of the city, behold there was carried out one that was dead, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, He had com- passion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And He came nigh and touched the bier ; and the bearers stood still. And He said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And He gave him to his mother" (Luke 7: 11). When the Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection, and were quite confident that 129 Am I Immortal ? Asleep in the dead were dead forever, came to our Lord the Grave an( j as ked Him a hypothetical question which they thought was unanswerable, about seven brethren who, according to Jewish law, had each married the same woman after a brother died leaving her childless, and wanted to know whose wife she would be at the resurrection, our Lord, after answering their question, told of how God had spoken to later generations as being the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, showing that they were yet alive, and that they did greatly err in their belief (Mark 12:27). They are asleep in the dust, "awaiting the resurrection/' "They do rest in their graves until the resurrection" The Sadducees did not ask whose wife is she now, but whose wife shall she be "at the resur- rection" How can anyone read all the fore- going passages of Scriptures, so plain and unmis- takable, without believing that the New Testa- ment teaches that the dead are asleep in the grave awaiting the resurrection? That is the universal belief of the Greek church, one of the most numerous and oldest of Christian Churches in the world. Christ said, "Whosoever liveth and believeth on me shall never die" (John 11:26). David in the Twenty-third Psalm speaks of "the valley 130 Am I Immortal ? of the shadow of death/' It is only "the shadow Asleep in of death" to the Christian. He will sleep in the the Grave dust of the earth, unconscious of the lapse of time, until his Lord shall come for him. When the Sadducees asked our Lord about the resurrection, He said: "They that are accounted worthy to attain to that world, and the resur- rection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage: For neither can they die any more; for they are equal unto the angels; and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection" (Luke 20:35). HEGIVETH HIS BELOVED SLEEP (Ps. 127:2) Of all the thoughts of God that are Borne inward unto souls afar Along the Psalmist's music deep, Now tell me if that any is For gift or grace surpassing this, "He giveth His beloved sleep?" "Sleep soft, beloved!" we sometimes say, But have no tune to charm away Sad dreams that through the eyelids creep ; But never doleful dreams again Shall break the happy slumber when "He giveth His beloved sleep." O earth, so full of dreary noise ! O men, with wailing in your voice! O delved gold, the wailers heap ! O strife, O curse, that o'er it fall ! God strikes a silence through you all, And "giveth His beloved sleep." 131 Am I Immortal ? Asleep in His dews drop mutely on the hill, the Grave His cloud above it saileth still, Though on its slope men sow and reap ; More softly than the dew is shed, Or cloud is floated overhead, "He giveth His beloved sleep." — Elizabeth Barrett Browning. THE SINGING IN GOD'S ACRE. Out yonder in the moonlight, wherein God's Acre lies, Go angels walking to and fro, singing their lullabys. Their radiant wings are folded, and their eyes are bended low, And as they sing among the beds where flowers delight to grow, "Sleep, oh Sleep!" The Shepherd guardeth His sheep. Fast passeth the night away, Soon cometh the glorious day; Sleep, weary ones, while ye may. * 'Sleep, oh sleep." The flowers within God's Acre see that fair and won- drous sight, And hear the angels singing to the sleepers through the night. And lo! throughout the hours of day those gentle flowers prolong The music of the angels in that tender slumber song, "Sleep, oh sleep." The Shepherd loveth His sheep. He that guardeth His flock the best Hath folded them to His loving breast ; So sleep ye now, and take your rest, "Sleep, oh sleep!" 132 Am I Immortal ? From angels and from flowers the years have learned Asleep in that soothing song, the Grave And with its heavenly music speed the days and nights along; So through all time, whose flight the Shepherd's vigils glorify, God's Acre slumbereth in the grace of that sweet lullaby : "Sleep, oh Sleep!" The Shepherd loveth His sheep. Fast speedeth the night away, Soon cometk the glorious day ; Sleep, weary ones, while ye may, "Sleep, oh sleep!" —Eugene Field. 133 Am I Immortal ? RESURRECTION FROM THE GRAVE. The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, the good news to be preached to every creature, was the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection from the grave, and life everlasting, as the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. The body re- turns to dust in the grave, but out of it at the resurrection, just as a stalk springs forth from the germ of a grain that perishes in the ground, a new spiritual body shall burst forth into ever- lasting life. There is nothing more wonderful in this than in the law according to which our present life springs into being from a germ. Chemists and microscopists tell us that some germs of even very low forms of life are practically indestruct- ible, and it should not be considered beyond be- lief that a germ of life to be resurrected accord- ing to "the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus," should be indestructible. The life immortal at the resurrection will be- gin very much as this present life began. A little while ago we had no conscious state of existence, and now we live. Again for a longer or shorter time in the grave we will have no consciousness of existence in that dreamless 134 Am I Immortal ? sleep, until at the resurrection through Christ Resurrection we shall be restored to life everlasting. In refer- * rom the ring to the first resurrection in the twentieth chapter of Revelation, we are plainly told: "The rest of the dead lived not until the thousand years should be finished. " It is not uncommon today for Christians to speak of a spiritual resurrection, while ignoring to a great extent a resurrection of the body. If the spirit at death went into a state of blissful life, there would be no need of a resurrection. A spiritual resurrection merely, would be no resurrection at all. There is little or no foundation in the Bible for belief in a bodiless resurrection. In the life immortal we are not to live as disembodied spirits. There is nothing in the New Testament to indicate a conscious state of existence apart from a body. At the resurrection we are to have a body "like Christ's glorious body" (Phil. 3: 21). The disciples after Christ's resurrection found an empty grave (John 20: 5). The Jews considered it necessary to circulate the false- hood that His disciples came by night and stole His body, although the tomb had been sealed and a guard of Roman soldiers put in charge of it (Matt. 28: 13). 135 Am I Immortal ? Resurrection When after His resurrection He appeared from the suddenly in their midst so that they thought He was a spirit, He said, "See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself ; handle me and see ! for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye behold me having. And while they yet disbelieved for joy, and wondered, He said unto them, Have ye here anything to eat ? And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish, and He ate before them" (Luke 24:39). Our Lord's body after His resurrection was not limited by time or space, or gravitation. He appeared suddenly in the midst of them when they were in a room and the door was locked for fear of the Jews. (John 20:26.) He van- ished from their sight in an instant after He had blessed the bread and handed it to them. (Luke 24: 31.) They knew it was the Lord and yet He must have been greatly changed. (Matt. 28:16; Luke 24:32.) His bodily appearance to Saul on the road to Damascus, struck him down with temporary blindness, but changed a persecuting unbeliever into a believer and apostle. (Acts 9:1-) In that wonderful address to the multitude of Jews who gathered together to hear Him on the shore of the sea of Galilee, after the miracle 136 Am I Immortal ? of the loaves and fishes, Christ said, "For this Resurrection is the will of my Father that every one that be- from the holdeth the Son and believeth on Him shall have eternal life; and / will raise him up at the last day" (John 6: 40). The early Christians desirous of knowing how the dead were to be raised, and what kind of a body the resurrection body would be, were told that it would not be the same kind of body that was laid in the grave. "Thou sowest not the body which shall be. It is sown in corrup- tion. It is raised in incorruption. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in glory. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body and there is also a spiritual body" (1 Cor. 15:36). "It" in every statement refers to the body. Could anything be plainer than this? We are not to be unclothed as spirits, but clothed upon with new bodies. "For we shall not be unclothed, but clothed upon that what is mortal may be swallowed up of life" (2 Cor. 5:4). "For verily in this bodily frame we groan, longing to be clothed upon with our habitation which is from heaven" (2 Cor. 5:2). "For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we (who shall 137 Am I Immortal ? Resurrection be living then) shall be changed. For this cor- from the ruptible must put on incorruption, and this mor- tal must put on immortality. But when this cor- ruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy victory? O grave, where is thy sting? The sting of death is sin; and the power of sin is the law: but thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ' 9 (1 Cor. 15:52). Here again we have the plain state- ment in the New Testament that man is mortal. Then here too we see that only the resurrection of the body could properly be called a victory over death and the grave. We are told in the Acts that the apostles went everywhere, "preaching Jesus and the resur- rection." When our Lord upbraided those who had not believed when others told them of His resurrection, He said, "Preach the good tidings to the whole creation'' (Mark 16: 15). In the Acts wherever "preached the Gosper' is men- tioned, we find in the margin (Greek) "brought the good tidings." "And every day in the tem- ple and at home they ceased not to teach and to bring the good tidings of Jesus as the Christ" (Acts 5:42). 138 Am I Immortal ? "And when they had brought the good tidings Resurrection to that city and made many disciples, they re- ^omthe turned to Lystra" (Acts 14:21). "And Paul, Grave as his custom was, went in unto them and for three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures opening and alleging that it be- hooved the Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead, and that Jesus whom I proclaim unto you is the Christ" (Acts 17: 2). "And some of them said, what would this babbler say ? Others, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods; because he brought the good tidings of Jesus and the resurrection" (Acts 17: 18). "Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour cometh and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live" (John 5:25). "Marvel not at this; for the hour cometh in which all that are in the tombs shall hear His voice and shall come forth; they that have done good to the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil to the resurrection of judgment" (John 5:28). "For our citizenship is in heaven, whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall fashion anew the body of our humilia- 139 Am I Immortal ? Resurrection tion that it may be conformed to the body of from the His glory' 9 (Phil. 3: 20). "For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection 99 (Rom. 6: 5). "But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall also quicken (bring to life again) your mortal bodies through His Spirit that dwelleth in you" (Rom. 8: 11). "And not only so but ourselves also who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves waiting for our adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body 99 (Rom. 8:23). "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive but each in his own order; Christ the first fruits; then they that are Christ's at His coming 99 (1 Cor. 15:22). "For the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed" (1 Cor. 15:52). "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so also them that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with Him 99 (1 Thes. 4: 14). "For the Lord himself shall descend from 140 Am I Immortal ? heaven with a shout, with the voice of the arch- Resurrection angel and with the trump of God ; and the dead * rom tne in Christ shall rise -first; then we that are alive * xrave that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Where- fore comfort one another with these words" (2 Thes. 4:16). "Which was given us in Christ before time eternal, but hath now been manifested by the appearance of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who abolished death, and brought life and immor- tality to light through the good tidings" (2 Tim. 1:9, 10). "And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come with singing unto Zion; and ever- lasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away" (Is. 35: 10). "Thy dead shall live; my dead body shall arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast forth the dead" (Is. 26: 19). "He hath swallowed up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces" (Is. 25: 8). "For thou hast delivered my soul from death, 141 Am I Immortal ? Resurrection mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling" from the ( Ps . n6 :8 ). "Who redeemeth thy life from destruction, and crowneth thee with loving kindness and ten- der mercies" (Ps. 103: 4). "But the loving kindness of the Lord is from everlasting unto everlasting upon them that fear Him" (Ps. 103: 17). "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who according to his great mercy begat us again unto a living hope by the resur- rection of Jesus Christ from the dead, unto an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who by the power of God are guarded through faith unto a salvation ready to be revealed at the last time" (1 Pet. 1:3). "I am the first and the last, and the Living One; and I was dead and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades (the grave)" (Rev. 1: 18). "To him that overcometh I will give to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God" (Rev. 2:7). "He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second 142 Grave Am I Immortal ? death" (Rev. 2: 11). "Blessed and holy is he Resurrection that hath part in the first resurrection: Over from the these the second death hath no power" (Rev. 20:6). "Now if Christ is preached that He hath been raised from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither hath Christ been raised, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we witnessed of God that He raised up Christ whom He raised not up if so be that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, neither hath Christ been raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most pitiable." "But now, hath Christ been raised from the dead the first fruits of them that are asleep. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits; then they that are Christ's at His coming. Then cometh the end, when He shall deliver 143 Grave Am I Immortal ? Resurrection the kingdom to God ; even the Father ; when He from the s hall have abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He hath put all his enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be abolished is death" (1 Cor. 15 : 20). Here we have the plain teaching of the New Testament by the apostle Paul. The dead "are asleep.' 9 Christ at His resurrection from the dead was "the -first fruits" of the resurrection, "of them that are asleep/ 9 and none of the dead from Adam downward had "been made alive" again before then, but they shall be made alive again when He comes again for them at the resurrection day* Bt. Bev. M. Clark, D. D., L. L. D., Boston Monday Lectures — Dr. Carpenter in his principles of mental physiology, quotes with approval from the late Charles Baxter, as follows: "Irresistible, undeniable facts demonstrate that man is not a den wherein two enemies are chained together, but one being; that soul and body are one — one and indivisible. We had better face this great fact. 'Tis no good to blink it. Our knowledge of physiology has come to a point where the old idea of man's constitution must be thrown aside. To struggle against the overwhelming force of science under the notion of shielding religion is mere play. 144 Am I Immortal ? THE LAW OF THE KINGDOM. Is the teaching of the New Testament of immortality through Christ in accordance with what we know of the laws governing the world as part of the creation of God? This being God's world it must be fulfilling His design in its creation, and be governed by His laws. Pro- fessor Drummond has shown that in the various kingdoms of nature — mineral, vegetable and animal— the kingdom below cannot reach up to the kingdom above, but that the kingdom above must reach down and lift the lower kingdom up into it. The vegetable reaches down and takes up the mineral into itself. The animal reaches down and takes up the vegetable into itself. And is it not so also with the spiritual king- dom? If in God's creation of this world, as seems probable, there has been a distinct act of creation in raising a new and higher species out of the one below it, and if this has led successively from the lowest form of existence to mortal man at the top; it would be continuing the order of creation to have the next step from man mortal to man immortal. If mortal man, having sinned, cannot of him- self attain to immortal life, must not Immor- 145 Am I Immortal ? The Law of tality reach down and lift him up into it? And the Kingdom j s no t this what the Bible teaches ? Christ said : "Except a man be born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). And so we have the kingdoms of creation in this order : first, the mineral ; then the vegetable ; then the animal; and last, the kingdom of God — or life immortal. Henry Drummond. Natural Law in the Spiritual World. — What is the difference between a crystal and an organism, a stone and a plant? They both have much in common. Both are made from the same atoms. Both display the same qualities of matter. Both are subject to the physical laws. Both may be very beauti- ful. But beside possessing all that the crystal has, the plant possesses something more ; a mysterious something called life. This life is not something that existed in the crystal in a less developed form. There is nothing at all like it in the crystal. There is nothing like the first beginning of it in the crystal, not a trace or a symptom of it. This plant is tenanted by something new, an original and unique possession, added over and above all to the properties common to both. When from vegetable we rise to animal life, here again we find something original and unique — unique at least as compared with the mineral. From animal life we again ascend to spiritual life — and here also is some- thing new, something still more unique. He who lives the spiritual life has a distinct kind of life added to all the other phases of life which he mani- fests — a kind of life infinitely more distinct than is the active life of a plant from the inertia of a stone. The spiritual man is more distinct in point of fact than is 146 Am I Immortal ? the plant from the stone. This is the one possible com- The Law of parison in Nature for the widest distinction in Nature ; the Kingdom but compared with the difference between the natural and spiritual, the gulf which divides the organic from the inorganic is a hair's breadth. The natural man belongs essentially to this present order of things. He is endowed simply with a high quality of the natural animal life. But it is a life of so poor a quality that is not life at all. He that hath not the Son hath not the life; but he that hath the Son hath life; a new distinct and supernatural endowment. He is not of this world. He is of the timeless state of eternity. 147 Am I Immortal ? THE GOSPEL OF THE RESURRECTION, Our Lord said at the grave of Lazarus: "I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11 : 25). In these days when almost everything except the resurrection is proclaimed in the name of Jesus Christ, it is startling to realize that the "Gospel/' or "Good News/' or "Good Tidings" which the Apostles were to proclaim throughout the world, and which constituted Christianity, was Christ's resurrection from the dead, the forgiveness of sins, the gift of eternal life, and the resurrection of the bodies of believers from the grave through Him; "who only hath immor- tality" (1 Tim. 6:12), and who only can 6e- stow it. After His resurrection, we are told of our Lord on the way to Emmaus with disciples who did not know Him in His risen form: "Then opened He their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures, and said unto them, thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day" (Luke 24:25). When before His ascension His disciples were gathered together with Him in the mountain in Galilee by appointment, we are told that after 148 Am I Immortal ? upbraiding those who had not believed when The Gospel others who had seen Him had told them of His °* the resurrection, He said: "Preach the good tidings (of His resurrection) to the whole creation" (Mark 16:15); and that was "the great com- mission/ 9 that was Christianity. Then after His ascension the eleven Apostles chose a successor to Judas, that he also might be "a witness with us of His resurrection" (Acts 1:22). When the Apostles knew of Christ's resur- rection, and learned of resurrection from the dead and life eternal through Him, the natural death of this world ceased to have any terrors for them, and most of them gladly offered up their lives in testifying to the resurrection of Christ from the dead, and in proclaiming a coming resurrection from the grave of those who believe in Him. In the history of the early Christian church in the Acts of the Apostles we are told that, "He was received up, after He had given command- ment through the Holy Spirit unto the apostles whom He had chosen: to whom He also showed Himself alive after His passion by many proofs, appearing unto them by the space of forty days, and speaking the things concerning the kingdom 149 Am I Immortal ? The Gospel of God" (Acts 1:2). In Acts 4: S3 we are told: of the "And with great power gave the Apostles their witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus; and great grace was upon them all." Peter's great address on the day of Pentecost was on the resurrection of Christ, "Whom God raised up, having loosed the pangs of death; because it was not possible that He should be holden of it" (Acts 2: 24). He spoke of David prophetically foreseeing the resurrection of Christ and saying that He would not be left in the grave, nor would His flesh see corruption. (Acts 2:31.) When Peter and John were preaching to a multitude, after the healing of a man who had been a cripple from birth, "the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, being sore troubled because they taught the people and proclaimed in Jesus the resurrection from the dead" (Acts 4:1). When Peter as a Jew was sent for by the Roman centurion Cornelius, he began his address with: "Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons, but that in every nation he that feareth Him and worketh righteousness is acceptable to Him;" and closed it thus: "Him God raised up the third day and gave Him to be 150 Am I Immortal ? made manifest, not to all the people, but unto The Gospel witnesses that were chosen before of God, even to °* the us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. And He charged us to preach unto the people, and to testify that this is He who is ordained of God to be the judge of the living and the dead. To Him bear all the prophets witness, that through His name every one that believeth on Him shall receive remission of their sins" (Acts 10: 34). Death having been the result of sin, the remission of sins through Christ will restore the immortal life which had been forfeited. Paul preaching in Antioch said: "But God raised Him from the dead: and He was seen for many days of them that came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem who are now His witnesses unto the people. And we bring you good tidings of the promise made unto the fathers; that God hath fulfilled the same unto our children in that He raised up Jesus: as also it is written in the second Psalm, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten Thee" (Acts 13: 30). When Paul preached to the philosophers at Athens, they listened to him until he proclaimed Christ's resurrection: "Now when they heard of the resurrection from the dead, some mocked, 151 Am I Immortal ? The Gospel but others said : We will hear thee again about of * he this matter" (Acts 17:32). When the chief priests in council were trying Paul at Jerusalem, he said : "Touching the hope of the resurrection of the dead I am called in question" (Acts 23:6). "And the night follow- ing the Lord stood by him and said, Be of good cheer: for as thou hast testified concerning me at Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome" (Acts 23:11). When Paul was arrested by the Jews and taken before Governor Felix, he said in his de- fense: "Touching the resurrection of the dead I am called in question this day" (Acts 24: 21). When Paul was brought before King Agrippa, he said: "Why is it judged incredible with you that God should raise the dead? Having there- fore obtained the help that is from God, I stand unto this day testifying to small and great, say- ing nothing but what the prophets and Moses did say should come, how that the Christ must suffer and that He first by the resurrection of the dead should proclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles" (Acts 26: 8). The Epistle to the Romans begins: "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the good tidings of God which 152 Resurrection Am I Immortal ? He promised afore through His prophets in the The Gospel Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was ^ the born of the seed of David according to the flesh, who was declared to be the Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead; even Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 1:1). Paul said to them: "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and death" (Rom. 8:2). "For none of us liveth to himself, and none dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; or whether we die, we die unto the Lord; whether we live therefore or die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living" (Rom. 14: 7). In Paul's Epistle to the Thessalonians he said: "For they themselves report concerning us what manner of entering in we had unto you; and how ye turned unto God from idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead even Jesus, who delivereth us from the wrath to come" (1 Thes. 1:9). In his Epistle to the Philippians, Paul said: "That I may know Him and the power of His 153 Am I Immortal ? The Gospel resurrection, and the fellowship of His suffer- of the ings, becoming conformed unto His death ; if by Resurrection T ... ., .. any means 1 may attain unto the resurrection from the dead" (Phil. 3: 10). In his Epistle to the Romans, he said: "But if the spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall give life also to your mortal bodies through His Spirit that dwelleth in you" (Rom. 8: 11). The apostles did not preach about our going to heaven at death. They preached of Christ's coming from heaven for us at the resurrection day. This is made very plain in John 21:21. "Peter therefore seeing Him, saith to Jesus, Lord and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me. Tins saying went forth among the brethren, that that disciple should not die. Yet Jesus said not unto him that he should not die ; but if I will that he tarry till I come (remain alive until Christ should come for them both living and dead, at the resurrection day) what is that to thee?" In celebrating the Lord's Supper we are not told that we show forth His death until we go to 154 Resurrection Am I Immortal ? Him when we die, but that "we do show forth The Gospel the Lord's death until He come" for us at the of the resurrection day. When Christ told men to invite the poor, and maimed, and blind to their feasts, He did not say they would be recompensed when they died, but: "Thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just" (Luke 14: 14). The fundamental theme of the preaching of the Apostles was Christ's resurrection from the dead, and the resurrection of believers through Him when He came for them at the last day. And so we can understand now why the Resur- rection Day of the week was celebrated as the Lord's day for worship instead of the Jewish Sabbath, because on that day Christ completed the work of a new creation in Him. Rev. Frederick W. Robertson, T>. D. f of England — And so came that strange wrong doctrine exhibited at Corinth, where immortality was taught separate from and in opposition to the doctrine of the resurrection. Martin Luther, Vol. 51, P. 337 — If a man wishes to preach the Gospel, it must be in brief the Gospel of the resurrection of Christ. Whoever does not preach that is no Apostle, for that is the supreme article of our faith ; and the genuine books — the noblest books — are such as most clearly teach and impress the truth of the resurrection. 155 Am I Immortal ? WHAT CHRIST THE LORD SAID OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. "The Kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man that sowed good seed in his field ; but while men slept his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away. But when the blade sprang up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared tares also. And the servant of the household came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? Whence then hath it tares? And he said unto him, An enemy hath done this. And the servant said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he saith, Nay; lest haply while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn" (Matt. 13:24). "Then He left the multitudes, and went into the house: and His disciples came unto Him, saying, Explain unto us the parable of the tares of the field. And He answered and said, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; and the field is the world; and the good seed, 156 Am I Immortal ? these are the sons of the Kingdom; and the What Christ tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy The Lord that sowed them is the devil; and the harvest __. , £ Kingdom of is the end of the world; and the reapers are the Heaven angels. As therefore the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the world. The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His King- dom all things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears, let him hear" (Matt. 13:36). The tares are cast into the furnace and de- stroyed. This is in harmony with all the other teachings of our Lord about the punishment of those who prefer to go on in sin rather than to accept redemption through Christ, and live in obedience to Him. "Again the Kingdom of heaven is like unto a net that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind; which when it was filled, they drew up upon the beach, and they sat down and gath- ered the good into vessels, but the bad they cast away. So shall it be at the end of the world; 157 Am I Immortal ? What Christ the angels shall come forth and sever the wicked The Lord f rom among the righteous, and shall cast them „. . into the furnace of fire; there shall be weep- Kingdom of r Heaven * n S an( ^ gnashing of teeth" (Matt. 13:47). The bad in the net were cast away as refuse and destroyed, "And if thy hand cause thee to stumble, cut it off; it is good for thee to enter into life maimed, rather than having thy two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire." "And if thy foot causes thee to stumble, cut it off; it is good for thee to enter into life halt, rather than having thy two feet to be cast into Gehenna." "And if thine eye cause thee to stumble, cast it out: it is good for thee to enter into the King- dom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into Gehenna; where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched" (Mark Q:4<3). This teaching of Gehenna is the same as that of the preceding parables. The refuse is de- stroyed by fire. Gehenna was the place in the valley of Hinnom outside of Jerusalem where the filth of the city was taken and destroyed by fire. In olden times the Moabites sacrificed children here unto Molech, their idol god, and 158 Am I Immortal ? the Jews showed their detestation of this by What Christ making it a place where the filth of Jerusalem ^^ e ^ord j . , , . ., Said of the was removed to, as there were no sewers in the _. _ x ' Kingdom of city to carry off the refuse and filth. The worm n eaven of putrefaction was always present, while the fire was destroying it. The teaching of this parable was, doubtless, perfectly understood at the time. When a dogma of purgatory, and of eternal punishment as to duration was promulgated by a paganized church, a misinterpretation of this teaching of our Lord followed, and gradually it became taught by many that unbelievers would be kept alive forever and tormented by fire and by a worm that lived forever. A worse perversion of Scripture has never occurred in all the long centuries of Christianity. The plain and simple teaching of the Bible is everywhere in opposition to this. It has been said that the early Christians were divided into two classes: those who believed in the destruction of all evil at last ; and those who believed in " the restoration of all things ," or in other words, that good would ultimately over- come all evil, and that all mankind would be ultimately saved through Christ.* While the teachings of the New Testament concerning the * The Scriptural Doctrine of Retribution. (Rev. Thomas K. Beecher, D. D.) 159 Am I Immortal ? What Christ result of sin have been presented somewhat fully The Lord already, there are a number of passages of Scrip- ~. , t ture seemingly divergent from this. One of Kingdom of ew & Heaven these ls * ne Parable of the rich man and Lazarus; and another, our Lord's saying to the thief on the cross, "Verily I say unto thee, today thou shalt be with me in Paradise." In the allegorical Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16), told by our Lord to rebuke the Pharisees "who were covetous/' "who were lovers of money," and who believed that the rich were blessed of God and would go "to Abraham's bosom" at their death, while the poor were ac- cursed of God and would go to "Tartarus" (their idea of a place of torment), our Lord seems to have told this Parable according to their ideas, but reversed the result; Lazarus went to Abra- ham's bosom, and the Rich Man went to Tar- tarus. But in this allegory there was no separa- tion between body and spirit. Lazarus was car- ried bodily by the angels and deposited in Abra- ham's bosom, while the Rich Man awoke in Tar- tarus with all his bodily senses; sight, hearing, thirst and bodily torment. The Jews believed in Tartarus as a place in the underworld where the wicked were punished by tormenting fire. What an awful rebuke this 160 Am I Immortal ? was to those sneering Pharisees ! In this Parable What Christ also, there was something prophetic of the way The Lord . ,_• i_ .u t # jlili- • t a Said of the in which the Jews refused to believe in our Lord Kin2dom of after His resurrection. "If they believe not Heaven Moses and the Prophets concerning Him, neither will they believe although one rose from the dead." An explanation has been given of the saying of our Lord on the cross to the thief crucified with Him: "Verily I say unto thee, today thou shalt be with me in Paradise/' that if after punctuation came to be used the comma had been placed after the word "today" instead of before it, it would have meant that on this day of His humiliation and crucifixion, He assured the re- pentant thief that he would be with Him in Paradise. There are doubtless many other passages in the Scriptures which might indicate a separation between body and spirit at death, but most of these when viewed in the light of the plain state- ments so numerously given to the contrary take on a different meaning. 161 Am I Immortal ? ABOUT HEAVEN. Many will say after reading this far: But is not all that is preached about heaven true ? Yes, it is true; but according to the plain teaching of the Scriptures it will not be attained until the resurrection day. Consider how little is said about heaven in the Bible until we come to the description of the end of the world in the book of Revelation. So true is this, that clergymen are at their wits' end to describe what heaven is now, and where it is, and have to draw upon their imagination to supply what is not to be found in all the other books of the Bible. God created this beautiful world, with all that it contains, for the benefit and pleasure of man- kind. All evils and sorrows, and vicissitudes, and death, have been brought into it as a result of sin. There will be none of these in the life to come. It will surpass all that is happiest and best in this world in infinite proportion in another and an infinitely better world. "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive the things which God hath prepared for them who love Him" (1 Cor. 2:9). The new and everlasting life of freedom from 162 Am I Immortal ? sin and perfection of being does not come to About Christians at their death. It will begin at the Heaven Resurrection Day when Christ will come for them. But, as in perfect natural sleep, there will be no conscious lapse of time between the closing of the eyes in the sleep of death, and the opening of them in a glorious resurrection at the last day. That is the plain teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Apostles. The Bible does not teach that evil in itself, or evil men shall be immortal. It teaches that evil in all its forms shall be destroyed. It teaches that only "He that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap everlasting life" (Gal. 6:8). At Christ's ascension the angels said: "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye looking into heaven? This Jesus who was received up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye beheld Him going into heaven" (Acts 1 : 11). Christ Himself, in speaking of that time, said : "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then shall He render unto every man according to his deeds" (Matt. 16:27). This coming again does not refer to the time of one's death, as is so often erroneously stated, but to the Resurrection Day. "For the Lord 163 Am I Immortal ? About Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, Heaven vvith the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first, then we that are alive that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air ; and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words" (1 Thes. 4: 16). They were to "wait for His Son from heaven" (1 Thes. 1: 10). Christ said that that would be the time of redemption for His followers. (Luke 21:28). "Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gather- ing together unto Him; to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet troubled either by spirit or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand" (2 Thes. 2:1). They were cautioned not to expect it very soon. It may be soon now. "Knowing that He that raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise us up also with Jesus, and shall present us with you" (2 Cor. 4: 14). "For the body is for the Lord, and the Lord for the body, and God hath raised the Lord, and will raise us up through His power" (1 Cor. 6:13). "In my Father's house are many mansions; 164 Am I Immortal ? if it were not so I would have told you, for I About go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, / will come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14: 2). If the dead are all asleep in the dust and awaiting the resurrection, what a fraud spirit- ualism is, and how foolish it is to believe in ghosts ! There is nothing in the performances of spiritualism that cannot be explained by fraud, or telepathy, or hallucination, or hyp- notism. The belief in a resurrection from the dead through Christ is a rational belief upon which Christianity was founded. It was the primitive faith of the Christian Church, and has been covered up through beliefs of paganism being received into a corrupted Christianity. Christ's ministers should be preaching "Jesus and the resurrection/ ' as the early Apostles did. That would revolutionize the world today, as it did then. The lives of men believing in a resur- rection of the body, and life everlasting after- ward through Christ the Son of God, would purify religion and civil life, and politics, as nothing else ever will or ever did. The preaching and teaching of the forgive- ness of sins, of eternal life through Christ, and 165 Heaven Am I Immortal ? About of Christ as our example in Christian living, is Heaven transforming the world today; but that other great truth of the Gospel, the resurrection of the body, is being strangely overlooked, It should be proclaimed from every Christian pul- pit. Men would go to church then to learn of an everlasting life through Christ in an actual body at the resurrection day. "There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body" (1 Cor. 15:44). Even spiritually minded men are ceasing to attend church services regularly, because they often have to listen to talks on sociology, or politics, or other subjects which they have been surfeited with in the magazines and news- papers. Men are quite willing to attend services to worship God and to learn of His plan for their redemption. Men want to know about Jesus Christ our Lord, and about what The Bible teaches concerning eternal life through Him; for a multitude of men in the world today who seldom attend church services, believe far more in the Bible itself than in many worldly churches, where the worship of God is a secondary matter, and where the Gospel of the resurrection from the dead is never proclaimed. 166 Am I Immortal ? HOW TO OBTAIN IMMORTAL LIFE. There is a God, this world was created by Him and is fulfilling its destiny according to the laws of its creation; Christ is the Son of God, and everlasting life is His gift. The con- ditions upon which immortal life may be ob- tained have been plainly stated by the Lord Jesus Christ, and His apostles. In the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15: 11) our Lord has shown us the way. After the son had lived away from his Father so long in sin and forget fulness, "he came to himself" and said: "I will arise and will go to my Father, and wilt say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy Son/ 9 "And he arose and came to his Father" — barefooted and in rags. "But while he was yet afar off, his Father saw him, and was moved with com- passion, and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight. I am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the Father said to his servants: Bring forth quickly the best robe and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: and 167 Life Am I Immortal ? How to bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat Obtain an( j make merry: for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." In the Parable of the Lost Sheep in the same chapter, the Lord said, "Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost. I say unto you that even so there shall be joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth." "Repent ye, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 3:2). "The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye and believe the Gos- pel" (Mark 1: 15). "Except ye repent ye shall all in like man- ner perish" (Luke 13: 3). "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise from the dead the third day and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name unto all nations" (Luke 24:46). "Repent ye therefore and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out" (Acts 3: 19). "And when they heard these things they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then to the Gentiles also hath God granted repentance unto life" (Acts 11: 18). "The time of ignorance^ therefore, God over- 168 Am I Immortal ? looked; but now He commandeth men that they How to should all everywhere repent; inasmuch as He Obtain hath appointed a day in which He will judge f the world in righteousness by the man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assur- ance to all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead" (Acts 17: 30). "Testifying both to Jews and Greeks, re- pentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ 9 ' (Acts 20:21). "For Godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation, a repentance which bringeth no re- gret; but the sorrow of the world worketh death" (2 Cor. 7: 10). "Or despisest thou the riches of His good- ness, and forbearance, and long suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance" (Rom. 2:4). "The Lord is not slack concerning His prom- ises, as some men count slackness; but is long suffering toward you- ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9). "Repent ye and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). 169 Immortal Life Am I Immortal ? How to ''And He said unto them, Go ye into all the Obtain WO rld and preach the good tidings to the whole creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned ,, (Mark 16: 15). "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3: 16). "He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life; but he that obeyeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:36). "I said therefore unto you that ye shall die in your sins; for except ye believe that I am He, ye shall die in your sins" (John 8:24). "To Him bear all the prophets witness that through His name everyone that believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins" (Acts 10:43). "And this is His commandment, that we should believe in the name of His Son" (1 John 3:23). "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house" (Acts 16:31). ff Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is begotten of God" (1 John 5:1). 170 Am I Immortal ? "These things have I written unto you that How to ye may know that ye have eternal life, even Obtain unto you that believe on the name of the Son of . - God" (1 John 5: 13). "Every one therefore who shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in Heaven' (Matt. 10:32). "And I say unto you, Every one who shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God" (Luke 12:8). "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised Him from the dead thou shalt be saved" (Rom. 10:9). "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (John 1:9). "Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God abideth in Him and he in God" (1 John 4:15). "Beloved let us love one another; for love is of God; and everyone that loveth is begotten of God; for God is love. Herein was the love of God manifested in us, that God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. Herein is love; not that we 171 Life Am I Immortal ? How to loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Obtain g on j- jj e ^he propitiation for our sins. Be- loved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another" (1 John 4:7). "Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of re- pentance" (Matt. 3:8). "Herein is my Father glorified that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples" (John 15:8). "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faith- fulness, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law" (Gal. 5:22). "Who His own self bore our sins in His body on the tree (cross), that we having died unto sin, might live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were going astray like sheep ; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls" (1 Pet. 2:24). "But when the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then shall He sit on the throne of His glory: and before Him shall be gathered all the nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats: and He shall set the sheep on His right hand but the goats on the left. 172 Am I Immortal ? "Then shall the King say unto them on His How to right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, Obtain inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the , foundation of the world : for I was an hungered, and ye gave Me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink: I was a stranger and ye took Me in: naked, and ye clothed Me: I was sick, and ye visited Me: I was in prison, and ye came unto Me. "Then shall the righteous answer Him, say- ing, Lord, when saw we Thee an hungered, and fed Thee? Or athirst and gave Thee drink? And when saw we Thee sick, or in prison, and came unto Thee? "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these My brethren, even these least, ye did it unto Me. 'Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was an hungered and ye gave Me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took Me not in; naked, and ye clothed Me not; sick and in prison, and ye visited Me not. "Then shall they also answer, saying, Lord 173 Am I Immortal ? How to when saw we Thee an hungered, or athirst, or Obtain naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto Thee? Then shall He answer them say- ing, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of these least, ye did it not unto Me. And these shall go away into eternal pun- ishment: but the righteous into eternal life" (Matt. 25:31). This is God's world, and it is fulfilling its destiny according to His holy will. His will is prevailing and must prevail in it. It may be our privilege to have some part in carrying on His beneficent purposes of good in it, because He uses human instrumentalities for this pur- pose, but His will shall certainly prevail, whether we individually have any part in it, or not. It will be our present and eternal loss if we have no part in it. God's Spirit in our con- sciences pleads sometimes in vain. We may "resist the Spirit" (Acts 7: 51) ; we may "grieve the Spirit" (Eph. 4:30); we may "quench the Spirit (1 Thes. 5: 19). What an inestimable privilege it is to be- come a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, to have some part, however small, in His work of redemption, and to inherit life immortal through Him! 174 Am I Immortal ? Rev. Joseph Cook, 2). D. — Christianity includes all How to ethics; it is a philosophy, it is an art, it is a science, it Obtain is a revelation of the nature of things in which there is immortal no variableness or shadow of turning. But it is more j .* and better — it is a life in God's love and strength per- meated everywhere with the doctrine of the new birth and atonement and also by the truth that character tends to a final permanence, good or bad, and that a final permanence can come but once. Christianity has for its central thought the personal love of a holy, infinite Personality revealed both in nature and in revelation as Redeemer and as Lord, and of love for that Person as the only possible means of purifying the world. Behold in Him a Redeemer, and you become glad to take Him as Lord. Look on the cross, and it becomes no cross to bear a cross. God as an atoning God, God revealed in history as at once Saviour and King, God revealed in our Lord and now moving the world through the Holy Spirit, and moving as both Redeemer and Lord; the acceptance of that God first as a Redeemer and then utter affectionate submission to Him as Lord, the personal love of infinite Perfection as a regenerating passion — this is the beauti- ful and awful which has triumphed, and will continue to triumph. 175 Am I Immortal ? A NEGLECTED BOOK. If it be true that immortal life is offered to man through Jesus Christ our Lord — and we have this upon the authority of the Lord Him- self, and of His apostles — could anything be more calamitous than the utter neglect of the Bible so common today among all classes of people? Although the Bible is universally recognized as the most wonderful book in the world, it is shamefully neglected, even by many professed Christians. Men have forgotten what this Bible in their native tongue has cost. It is a blood-bought book. Thousands of our forefathers were put to death because of it. An apostate Roman Catholic church burned them to death at the stake for translating it into their native lan- guage, for printing it, for circulating it, and even for teaching it. Before that time there were many priests and monks even who had never seen the Bible. Pope Paul IV., who made out the first Index Expurgatorius, or list of books prohibited by the Romish church in 1599^ included in it all Bibles printed in modern languages, and enumerated forty-eight editions of them. 176 Am I Immortal ? Men have forgotten the massacres of Vassy A Neglected and of St. Bartholomew in France; of many Book thousands massacred in Scotland; of Tyndale burned at the stake for translating the Bible into English, and of Cranmer who revised it; and of the great debt of gratitude they owe to all these martyrs in having an open Bible now in their own language everywhere. Men read almost everything about the Bible instead of reading the Bible itself, and for themselves. Owing to a very general ignorance of the Bible, false statements concerning it, which abound everywhere, are accepted by many as the truth. The perversion of its teachings, in consequence of this ignorance, is used to sustain many modern superstitions (See Appendix). Men strangely ignorant of its teachings, German and Jewish rationalists especially, readily recognized by their names, and Eddy- ites, are going up and down the country, ex- pressing their unbelief in, or perversion of it, and have the temerity to write about it, and succeed in having their misconceptions of it printed in the newspapers, and occasionally even in reputable magazines. The Bible has imprinted itself upon the world's history in such a way that men of no 177 Am I Immortal ? A Neglected belief can never efface it. It has transformed Book the civilized world, and is rapidly transforming pagan lands today. It is gradually compelling civil and religious liberty everywhere. It brought about civil and religious liberty in this country, and in British possessions throughout the world. Countless millions of Christian believers in all sorts and conditions of life, after lives of unselfishness spent in patient endurance, or in happy and even joyous contentment until the end, have peacefully pillowed their dying heads upon the promises of the Bible. Think of that long procession of Christian believers covering a period of nineteen hundred years since the crucifixion ; and the other equally long procession of believers looking forward in faith to a coming Redeemer from Adam down. And yet throughout the ages they have probably always been a minority among men. When the Lord Jesus Christ was asked if many of mankind would be saved, He replied: "Wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be that enter in thereby. For narrow is the gate, and straitened is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it" (Matt. 7: 13). He 178 Am I Immortal ? said also: "Ye will not come unto Me, that ye A Neglected might have life" (John 5 : 40). Book Why is it that comparatively few enter into the way that leads to life immortal? Why is it that Christian believers are in the minority today? Ignorance is one reason. Neglect is another reason. Unwillingness to make the necessary sacrifice is a third. Men are utterly ignorant of the Bible even in this Christian country of ours; thousands, millions of them. O if all Christian believers were striving daily to bring it to the knowledge of these ignorant ones! Men who know something about it are neg- lecting to know more. "How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation" (Heb. 2:3). Many men intend sometime to read the Bible for themselves, but there is such an abundance of interesting reading matter in the newspapers and magazines, and in books innumerable, and so little time to spare for reading these, that when an opportunity for reading the Bible does present itself, they are at a loss to know where to begin. The Bible should be read like any other book, carefully and thoughtfully and a book at a time. Any man can, if he will, read one book of the 179 Am I Immortal ? A Neglected Bible every Sunday; and if our hope of immor- Book tal life after our short existence here, depends upon the knowledge obtained from this Word of God and put in practice, surely it is infinitely worthy of the time and effort required. Begin by carefully reading the First Epistle of John as an introduction to the subject; then read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the four historical accounts of our Lord's life on earth, and realize as you read them that this is a sin- gularly truthful and reliable record of a won- derful life. Then read on book by book to the end. After the New Testament is read in this way, it will be a delight to read the Old Testa- ment also; and much will be gained in doing so by first obtaining a little book, "An Outline of the Books of the Bible/' or some similar work, giving what is known concerning the times and authorship of each book. Every reader of this book if he has not a New Testament of his own should buy one immediately, and if he has one that has been neglected should turn to it with new interest, to see if its teachings concerning life immortal have been properly presented here. They are the teachings believed in, and without contro- versy, by millions of Christian believers of all 180 Am I Immortal ? denominations who study the Bible for them- A Neglected selves, both ministers and laymen, and who say: Book "Search the Scriptures to see if these things are so." Is it not surprising as well as shameful that any intelligent man should spend a whole life- time in a Christian country without having read the New Testament for himself? Rev. J. B. Thomas, D. D. The Historical Element in Scripture. — How diversified in authorship, in era, in locality, and in form ; compendious statements of scientific truth ; genealogies ; state documents like the Chronicles; idyls like Ruth; statutes like Leviticus; epics like Job ; lyric and didactic verse in Psalms ; con- crete earthly wisdom in Proverbs ; pessimistic sighs in Ecclesiastes ; commingled history, poetry, and oratory, as in the Prophets ; unstudied memoirs in the Gospels ; equally artless records of travel and experience in the Acts ; Epistles which uncover the social and individual heart-history of the time ; and the gorgeous vision of the evening, passing through night to morning, at the end ! 181 Am I Immortal F CREEDS. The early Christian Church formulated the essential teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles into a simple and brief statement, or creed, which was used in having men make confession of their faith in Him, and in their formal reception into His church. These have been greatly amplified by the various denomina- tions of Christian believers, but the primitive and simple forms showing what the early Chris- tians believed and taught, and which are con- firmatory of the historical character of the New Testament, have been handed down from gen- eration to generation. One of the earliest of these is the "Creed of Irenaeus." The two universal creeds of Christendom are The Apos- tles' Creed and the Nicene Creed, and these fol- low in their early form. Am I Immortal ? CREED OF IRENAEUS. Irenaeus was born about A. D. 120, and had as pre- ceptor the venerable Polycarp of Smyrna, a pupil of the Apostle John. He wrote of Polycarp: "What I heard from him, that wrote I not on parchment, but in my heart, and by the grace of God I constantly bring it afresh to mind." This is one of the very earliest forms of creed which has been preserved. We believe in one God the Father Almighty, who made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is; And in one Christ Jesus the Son of God; Who became flesh for our salvation ; And His suffering; and His rising from the dead; And His bodily assumption into heaven; And His coming from heaven in the glory of the Father to comprehend all things under one head, and to execute righteous judgment over all. And in the Holy Ghost. And that Christ shall come from heaven to raise up all flesh, and to adjudge the impious and unjust to eternal fire, and to give to the just and holy immortality and eternal glory. Amen. 183 Am I Immortal ? ANCIENT FORM OF THE APOSTLES' CREED. (Before A. D. 341.) I believe in God the Father Almighty; And in Jesus Christ his only begotten Son our Lord, Who was born of the Holy Ghost and the Virgin Mary; Crucified under Pontius Pilate and buried; The third day He arose from the dead ; He ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. And in the Holy Ghost; The holy Church; The forgiveness of sins; The resurrection of the body. Amen. Note—When because of the American Revolution, the Protest- ant Episcopal Church in the United States in Convention in Philadelphia in 1785 decided on a separate organization and to remodel the Liturgy; among other changes they omitted, "He descended into Hell", which was the latest clause that had been added to the Apostles' Creed, The Archbishops of Canterbury and York, before consenting to ordain bishops for America, requested their brethren to restore this clause, on the ground of Concord; and this was done at the convention held at Wilming- ton, Delaware, October 10, 1786; although at the same time the restoration of the Athanasian Creed, also requested, was refused on account of its damnatory clauses. (Memoirs of the Protest- ant Episcopal Church in the United States, 1836.) 184 Am I Immortal ? THE NICENE CREED. (As enlarged A. D. 381.) We believe in one God the Father Almighty ; Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds (aeons), Light of Light, very God of very God, begot- ten not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made ; who for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven and was incar- nate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and was buried, and the third day He rose again, according to the Scrip- tures, and ascended into heaven, and sit- teth on the right hand of the Father ; from thence He cometh to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end. And in the Holy Ghost, who is Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father, who with the Father and the Son 185 Am I Immortal ? The Nicene together is worshipped and glorified ; Creed wno S p a ke by the Prophets. And in one holy, catholic and apostolic church ; we acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen. 186 Am I Immortal ? THE LORDS SUPPER A PASSOVER FEAST. THE PASSOVER. "And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord's Passover. For I will go through the land of Egypt in that night and will smite all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast, and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and there shall be no plague upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. And this day shall be unto you a memorial, and ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord: Throughout your generations ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever" (Ex. 12). "Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you lambs according to your families, and kill the passover. And ye shall take a bunch of hys- sop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, 187 Am I Immortal ? The Lord's and strike the lintel and the two side posts with Supper a t ne blood that is in the basin; and none of you P3SS0VGT shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come into your houses to smite you. And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the Lord will give you, accord- ing as He hath promised, that ye shall keep this service. And it shall come to pass when your children shall say unto you, what mean ye by this service? That ye shall say, It is the sac- rifice of the Lord's passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when He smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped. And the children of Israel went and did so; as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. "And it came to pass at midnight, that the Lord smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the first-born of the captive 188 Feast Am I Immortal ? that was in the dungeon ; and all the first-born The Lord's of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, Su PP er a Passover he, and all his servants and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead" (Ex. 12). THE HOLY COMMUNION. "Now on the first day of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Where wilt Thou that we make ready for Thee to eat the passover? And He said: Go into the city to such a man and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I keep the passover at thy house with my disciples. And the disciples did as Jesus appointed them; and they made ready the passover. Now when even was come, He was sitting at meat with the twelve disciples; and as they were eating He said, Verily I say unto you that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and began to say unto Him, every one, Is it I, Lord? And He answered and said : He that dipped his hand with me in the dish the same shall betray me. The Son of man goeth, even as it is written of Him: but woe unto that man through whom the 189 Am I Immortal ? The Lord's Son of man is betrayed ! Good were it for that Sapper a man if he had not been born. And Judas, who as f° ve * betrayed Him, answered and said, Is it I, Rabbi? He saith unto him, Thou hast said. "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it; and He gave to His disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is my body. And He took the cup and gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is shed for many unto remission of sins. But I say unto you I will not drink henceforth of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom" (Matt. 26:17. See also Mark 14; Luke 22; John 13). "For I received from the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, how that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread ; and when He had given thanks, He brake it, and said, This is my body which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. In like manner also the cup, after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood: this do as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye proclaim the Lord's death till He come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat the bread or 190 Am I Immortal f drink the cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be The Lord's guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord. Supper a But let a man prove himself, and so let him eat _ . of the bread and drink of the cup. For he that eateth and drinketh, eateth and drinketh judg- ment unto himself, if he discern not the body. For this cause many among you are weak and sickly, and not a few sleep" (1 Cor. 11 : 23). "For our passover also hath been sacrificed, even Christ: wherefore let us keep the feast, not with the old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Cor. 5:8). By commemorating the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ as our passover, we recognize the new covenant according to which we are saved from eternal death as the punishment for sin. The Lord said on the night when this supper of His was established, that His blood which would be shed, was "my blood of the covenant which is shed for many unto the remission of sins" (Matt. 26: 28). "This cup is the new covenant in my blood which is poured out for you" (Luke 22:20). "And for this cause He is the mediator of a new covenant, that a death having taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that 191 Am I Immortal ? The Lord's were under the first covenant, they that have Supper a been called may receive the promise of the eter- Passover Feast na ^ inheritance* For where a testament is, there must of necessity be the death of Him that made it" (Heb. 9:15). "So Christ also, having been once offered to bear the sins of many, shall ap- pear a second time, apart from sin, to them that wait for Him, unto salvation" (Heb. Q: 28). And so in partaking of the bread and wine of the Communion, we "proclaim the Lord's death till He come." Until He comes again for us at the Resurrection Day. In partaking of this sacrament, it should be in the spirit of the eleven apostles, who, when the Lord said, One of you shall betray me, each asked individually, Lord, is it I? NOTE:— Many Christian churches have begun to use at the Communion Service instead of the Loving Cup of Christian Fellowship, individual glasses, degrading the service by putting the microbe above its Maker, and losing all thought of the Lov- ing Cup of Christian Fellowship and Equality, which even secular societies make use of, and which had such deep significance at the first observance of it. 192 Am I Immortal ? A COMMUNION HYMN. And now, O Father, mindful of the love That bought us, once for all, on Calvary's Tree; And having with us Him that pleads above, We here present, we here spread forth to Thee That only Offering perfect in Thine eyes ; The one true, pure, immortal Sacrifice. Look Father, look on His anointed face, And only look on us as found in Him ; Look not on our misusings of Thy grace, Our prayer so languid, and our faith so dim; For lo ! between our sins and their reward, We place the Passion of Thy Son our Lord. And then for those, our dearest and our best, By this prevailing presence we appeal ; O fold them closer to Thy mercy's breast ! O do Thine utmost for their soul's true weal ! From tainting mischief keep them white and clear, And crown Thy gifts with strength to persevere. And so we come ; O draw us to Thy feet Most patient Saviour, Who canst love us still f And by this Food, so awful and so sweet, Deliver us from every touch of ill: In Thine own service make us glad and free, And grant us nevermore to part with Thee. The Church Hymnal — Rev. William Bright, 193 Am I Immortal ? PROPHECY NOW BEING FULFILLED. Bible prophecies concerning the Jews "in the latter days," are being fulfilled literally at the present time. We are living in "the time of the Gentiles," which has continued from the cruci- fixion of our Lord until now, and during which the Jews were to suffer great afflictions and tribulations ; while few among them, during such persecutions, could be converted to the Christian faith. At the end of this Gentile dispensation, according to the Scriptures, the Jews were to be restored to great prosperity, Palestine was to be given back to them, and the nation converted to the true faith. Preliminary to that, there was to be "an overturning" by them "among all nations in which you have been scattered." For many weary centuries, the Jews have been "oppressed of all nations." Their plagues were to have been "of long continuance." (Deut. 28:59.) They have been denied citizenship, despised, persecuted and massacred, so that throughout the world their numbers had hardly increased. But a great and surprising change has taken place within less than a century. Within fifty years they have been granted citizenship in nearly all countries. They have 194 Am I Immortal ? been greatly prospered in numbers and in Prophecy wealth. They are multiplying exceedingly. Now Being They are becoming possessed of great wealth everywhere. They are being raised to positions of great influence and power. Jews are rapidly becoming the great capitalists of the world. They are becoming leaders in the politics of all countries. They are gaining con- trol of newspapers everywhere. There is an "overturning' ' going on by them, in business, in government, in philosophy, in society, and even in religion, Spinoza, a Jew, was the father of modern Pantheism. Strauss, a Jew, was the founder of the destructive rationalistic criticism of the Bible, and of disbelief in the supernatural; Lasalle, a Jew, was the founder of German Socialism; Marx, Bebel and Liebknecht, all Jews, were the founders of the International Workingmen's Association. The Russian Ni- hilists are very largely Jews. And so the ' 'over- turning' ' has been going on. But there is another and much larger number of Jews throughout the world who believe in the Old Testament Scriptures; who believe in "the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob ;" who believe in "the law and the prophets;" whose faith is 195 Am I Immortal ? Prophecy being mightily increased and to whom Palestine Now Being s hall be restored and the promised blessings given. The remarkable spread of Zionism among these is in the direction of this fulfill- ment. The reorganization of the Turkish gov- ernment is in the direction of this fulfillment. The literal fulfillment of these prophecies will prove to the world anew that the Bible is indeed the Word of God, and that not a word of what the Lord Jesus Christ uttered shall fail of ful- fillment, who said: "Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gen- tiles be fulfilled 99 (Luke 21:24). In all this, devout students of the Bible see the literal ful- fillment of prophecy going on before their eyes. "And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bands" (Jer. 30:8). "And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, and to overthrow and to destroy and to afflict; so will I watch over them to build and to plant, saith the Lord" (Jer. 31 : 28). "In days to come shall Jacob take root; Israel shall blossom and bud; and they shall fill the face of the earth with fruit" (Is. 27: 6). 196 Am I Immortal ? "And they shall build the old wastes, they Prophecy shall raise up the former desolations, and they Now Bein g shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. And strangers shall stand up and feed your flocks, and aliens shall be your plowmen and vinedressers. But ye shall be named the priests of the Lord ; men shall call you the ministers of our God; ye shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves" (Is. 61 : 4). "Behold at that time I will deal with all them that afflict thee; and I will save all that halteth, and gather her that was driven away; and I will make them a praise and a name, whose shame hath been in all the earth. At that time I will bring you in, and at that time will I gather you; for I will make you a name and a praise among all the people of the earth, when I bring again your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord" (Zep. 3: 19). "And I will deliver them out of all places whither they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them upon the mountains of Israel, by the water courses, and in all the inhabited places of the country" (Ezek. 34: 13). 197 Am I Immortal f Prophecy Now Being Fulfilled "And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples as dew from the Lord, as showers upon the grass; that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men. And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep; who, if he go through, treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and there is none to deliver" (Mic. 5:7). WHEN WILL HE COME AGAIN? Till He come ! O let the words Linger on the trembling chords. Let the "little while" between In its golden light be seen. Let us think how heaven and home Lie beyond that "Till He come". The Old Testament was full of prophecies of the -first coming of Christ yet few were expect- ing Him when He did come. The New Testament is full of prophecies of His second coming in glory, and yet compara- tively few are expecting Him now. We are told by the apostle Peter, that "in the last days mockers shall come with mockery say- ing, Where is the promise of His coming, for from the day that the fathers fell asleep, all 198 Am I Immortal ? things continue as they were from the beginning When Will of the creation" (2 Pet. 3:3). He Come Our Lord said, when on earth, 'Tear not, 5 little flock, for it is the Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom ;" the kingdom of im- mortal life. He continues to say that to be- lievers today. That "kingdom" will be given when He comes again. It seems as if the Lord foretold that the num- ber waiting for Him would diminish toward the end rather than increase, for in speaking of his second coming, He said, "Howbeit when the Son of man cometh shall He find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8). "But when the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then shall He sit on the throne of His glory: and before Him shall be gathered all the nations" (Matt. 25:31). "And then shall they see the Son of man coming in clouds with power and great glory. And then shall He send forth the angels, and shall gather His elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven" (Mark 13: 26). "And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 199 Am I Immortal ? When Will But when these things begin to come to pass, He Come \ 00 k U p^ an( j lift U p your heads ; because your Afiftin? . . redemption draweth nigh" (Luke 21:27). "And at that time shall Michael (the arch- angel) stand up, the great prince who standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as was never since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting con- tempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased" (Dan. 12:1-4). "And Jesus went out from the temple, and was going on His way; and His disciples came to Him to show Him the buildings of the tem- ple; but He answered and said unto them, See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 200 Am I Immortal ? "And as He sat on the mount of Olives, the W^ 11 wm disciples came upon Him privately, saying, Tell . us when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming and of the end of the world. And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man lead you astray. For many shall come in my name saying, I am the Christ; and shall lead many astray. And ye shall hear of wars, and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for these things must needs come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines and earth- quakes in divers places. But all these things are the beginning of travail. Then shall they deliver you up unto tribulation, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for My name's sake. And then shall many stumble, and shall deliver up one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall arise and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall be multiplied, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. And this good tidings of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all the nations ; and then shall the end come" (Matt. 24: 1-14). 201 Am I Immortal ? When Will Among the signs to precede His Second Com- f 1 ^ ing given by the Lord Jesus Himself, there are many which point peculiarly to the time in which we are now living. "For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall lead many astray " There never was a time from that of Simon Magus to this of Mrs. Eddy and others, when false Christs abounded as they do now. "And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of •wars/' There never was a time before this when there were so many rumors of wars which never took place. Formerly wars occurred without warnings in advance. "There shall be famines and earthquakes in divers places." The increasing number of de- structive earthquakes is a marked characteristic of the present time. "And many false prophets shall arise and shall deceive many/ 9 Is not this surprisingly true in all parts of the world, and do not many seem ready to follow any false prophet? "And because iniquity shall be multiplied the love of many shall wax cold, but he that endureth to the end the same shall be saved." Iniquity does seem to abound greatly, and crime seems to be on the increase all over the world. Am I Immortal ? "Woe for the earth and for the sea: because When Will the devil is gone down unto you, having great wrath knowing that he hath but a short time" (Rev. 12: 12). "Men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things that are coming on the world" (Luke 21 : 26). The spectre of anarchy is rising all over the world in a terrifying manner. "And this good tidings of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world; and then shall the end come." The good tidings of the Lord Jesus Christ have been proclaimed almost everywhere throughout the world today for the first time. In Daniel's prophecy we are told that "at the time of the end, many shall run to and fro on the earth and knowledge shall be increased." Is not that especially true of the present time? It will come suddenly and unexpectedly. "But take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be over- charged with surfeiting, and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly as a snare: for so shall it come upon all them that dwell on the face of all the earth. But watch ye at every season, making supplica- tion, that ye may prevail to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man" (Luke 21 : 34). 203 Again? Am I Immortal ? When Will "Watch therefore for ye know not when the He Come Again? Lord of the house cometh, whether at even, or at midnight, or at cocker owing or in the morning: lest coming suddenly He find you sleeping (or in idleness). And what I say unto you, I say unto all, Watch" (Mark 13: 35). These are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. If we believe in Christ, or in Chris- tianity at all, we must be looking forward to this second coming. There are many conditions in the Christian church and in the world today such as were in the Jewish church and in the world when He came the first time. It seems as if "the time of the Gentiles" was being brought to an end now. 204 Am I Immortal ? THE RESURRECTION DAY. This is the day looked forward to throughout the ages, by patriarchs, and prophets, and apostles, and all believers. It is the day when sin with all its disastrous consequences shall be brought to an end. It is the day of "the con- summation of all things." It is "that glorious day" which all believers should "rejoice" in looking forward to. It is the day when the Redeemer who came the first time in humiliation, will come the second time "in power and great glory." It is the day for the birth of "a new heaven and a new earth in which dwelleth righteous- ness." Many men say, this world is good enough for me, and I don't care to go to heaven; thinking of heaven as a place of disembodied spirits. That is not what life eternal is to be. We are to be resurrected in bodies "like Christ's glorious body," and free from all the evils of sin, sick- ness, grief and death. God gave us this present world in which we are living, with all that makes life so enjoy- able here; and at the resurrection day He is to give us in a new world of existence, a condition 205 Am I Immortal ? The of happiness beyond even what we can conceive Resurrection of W# Day "Rejoice in that day and leap for joy : for behold great is your reward in heaven' ' (Luke 6:23). "But of that day and hour knoweth no one, not even the angels of heaven, neither the Son, but the Father only" (Mark 13: 32). "Verily I say unto you, I will no more drink of the fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God 9 ' (Mark 14:25). "For as the lightning, when it lighteneth out of the one part under the heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven, so shall the Son of man be in His day" (Luke 17: 24). "Likewise, even as it came to pass in the days of Lot; they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded, but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all : after the same manner shall it be in the day that the Son of man is revealed" (Luke 17:28). "But take heed to yourselves, lest haply your heart be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunk- enness, and cares of this life, and that day come 206 Am I Immortal ? upon you suddenly as a snare: for so shall it The come upon all them that dwell on the face of l all the earth" (Luke 21 : 34). 'Tor this is the will of my Father, that every- one that beholdeth the Son, and believeth on Him, shall have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6: 40). "No man can come to me, except the Father who sent me, draw him; and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6: 44). "Martha said unto Him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day" (John 11:24). "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the day of the Lord come, that great and notable day. And it shall be that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Acts 2: 20). "In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men, according to my good tidings, by Jesus Christ" (Rom. 2: 16). "Holding forth the word of life, that I may have whereof to glory in the day of Christ" (Phil. 2:16). "For our citizenship is in heaven; from whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall fashion anew the body 207 Day Am I Immortal ? ™ e of our humiliation, that it may be conformed to the body of His glory, according to the working whereby He is able even to subject all things unto Himself' (Phil. 3: 20). "Until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: which in its own time He shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; who only hath im- mortality, dwelling in light unapproachable; whom no man hath seen or can see: to whom be honor and power eternal. Amen" (2 Tim. 6:15). "Waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ; Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be unreprovable in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 1: 8). "And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, in whom ye were sealed unto the day of redemp- tion" (Eph. 4:30). "That ye may be sincere and void of offence until the day of Christ" (Phil. 1: 10). "Among whom ye are seen as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life; that I may have whereof to glory in the day of Christ" (Phil. 2:16). "For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night" (1 Thes. 5:2). 208 Am I Immortal ? "But let us, since we are of the day, be sober, The putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and esurrec 10n for a helmet the hope of salvation" (1 Thes. 5:8). "At the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of His power in flaming fire, rendering vengeance to them that know not God, and to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus: who shall suffer punishment, even eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of His might when He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be marvelled at in all them that believed (be- cause testimony unto you was believed) in that day" (2 Thes. 1:7). "For I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that He is able to guard that which I have committed unto Him against that day 9 ' (2 Tim. 1: 12). "The Lord grant unto him to find mercy of the Lord in that day" (2 Tim. 1: 18). "Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give to me at that day: and not only to me but to all them that have loved His appearing" (2 Tim. 4:8). "Looking for the blessed hope and appearing 209 Am I Immortal ? The of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Resurrection christ » (m g. 1S)- Day "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye see the day drawing nigh" (Heb. 10: 25). "And when the chief Shepherd is manifested, ye shall receive the crown of glory that fadeth not away" (1 Pet. 5:4). "Seeing that these things are all thus to be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy living and godliness, looking for and earnestly desiring the day of God, by reason of which the heavens being on fire shall be dis- solved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? But, according to His promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness" (2 Pet. 3: 11). As we pray "Thy kingdom come" in the Lord's Prayer, we should always remember that that kingdom is the kingdom of immortal life which the Lord Jesus Christ has promised to give to all believers at the Resurrection Day. 210 Am I Immortal ? THE JUDGMENT DAY. There is no place where earth's sorrows Are more felt than up in heaven ; There is no place where earth's failings Have such kindly judgment given. For the love of God is broader Than the measure of man's mind; And the heart of the Eternal Is most wonderfully kind. The judgment of "the great day" will not be man's judgment. Man's judgment of other men is always faulty ; generally too severe, and some- times, but seldom, too lenient. Christ's judg- ment will be unerring. There can be no con- cealment from Him. He knows all the circum- stances affecting conduct. He knows all the underlying motives. He knows if we have been thoughtless, and blind, and ignorant. He knows if we have been willful, and have sinned against light and knowledge. God has so revealed Himself to all men that every man in some way will either have accepted or rejected Him. "He is the true light that lighteth every man coming into the world" — the light of conscience. (John 1:9-) The apostle Paul in his great Epistle to the Romans, wrote: "For not the hearers of the law 211 Am I Immortal ? ^ he are just before God, but the doers of the law ju gmen gj^jj ^ e justified: for when the Gentiles which have no law do by nature the things of the law, these, having no law, are a law unto themselves ; in that they show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness therewith, and their thoughts one with another accusing or else excusing them: in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men according to my gospel, by Jesus Christ" (Rom. 2: 14). This applies to all to whom the good tidings of resur- rection through Jesus Christ our Lord have never been presented. When the apostle Peter was sent for by Cor- nelius, a Roman centurion, he was constrained to say through the vision he saw before going: "Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: but in every nation he that feareth Him and worketh righteousness is acceptable to Him" (Acts 10:34). "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3: 16). As Browning wrote: "All's love, but all's law" The law of the kingdom of God — of life immortal — is, that in order to have eternal life Am I Immortal ? bestowed upon us, we must believe on the Lord The Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Saviour •* ^ ne Day of sinners, and obey Him. Then we shall not be judged and condemned to everlasting death at the judgment day, but shall be forgiven and restored to life immortal, because He paid the penalty for our sins on the cross. It needed an infinite Redeemer to pay this penalty. "He came into the world and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own and they that were His own received Him not. But as many as received Him to them gave He the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on His name" (John 1:10). Nowhere in the Bible is this salvation more clearly proclaimed than in the Epistle to the Romans. "But now apart from the law a righteousness of God hath been manifested, being witnessed by the law and prophets; even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ unto all them that believe; for there is no distinction, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God set forth to be a propitiation through faith, by His blood ^to show 213 Judgment Day Am I Immortal ? ^ ne His righteousness because of the passing over of the sins done aforetime, in the forbearance of God" (Rom. 3:21). "Or despisest thou the richness of His good- ness, and forbearance and long suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasureth up for thyself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; who will render to every man according to his works: to them that by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and incorruption, eternal life: but unto them that are factious, and obey not the truth, but obey unrighteousness, shall be wrath and indignation, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that worketh evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Greek, for there is no respect of persons with God" (Rom. 2:4). All shall be judged alike: King or pauper; Dives or Lazarus. Kings shall have eternal life bestowed upon them, and paupers shall be extin- guished. Again Kings shall forfeit immortality and paupers shall inherit it through Jesus Christ our Lord. The judgment will be perfectly just, and O so much more lenient than man's judgment of 214 Am I Immortal ? his fellowmen! But it will probably often be The far more severe than our own judgment of our- J u ^ selves. "If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous : and He is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only but also for the whole world" (1 John 2: 1). "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by Thy name and by Thy name cast out demons, and by Thy name do many mighty works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matt. 7: 22). "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my sayings, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I spake shall judge him in the last day" (John 12:48). "And I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned" (Matt. 12:36). "The men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation and shall con- 215 Am I Immortal ? The demn it: for they repented at the preaching of ** ^L Jonah; and behold a greater than Jonah is here" ay (Matt. 12:41). "Woe unto thee Chorazin! Woe unto thee Bethsaida ! For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which were done in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. Howbeit it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judg- ment than for you" (Luke 10: 13). "For neither doth the Father judge any man, but He hath given all judgment unto the Son; that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father" (John 5:22). "For as the Father hath life in himself, even so gave He to the Son also to have life in Him- self: and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of man" (John 5:27). "And reckonest thou this, O man, who judgest them that practice such things, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?" (Rom. 2:3). "But thou, why dost thou judge thy brother? Or thou again, why dost thou set at nought thy brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment-seat of God" (Rom. 14: 10). "For we must all be made manifest before 216 Am I Immortal ? the judgment-seat of Christ; that each one may xhe receive the things done in the body, according Judgment to what he hath done, whether it be good or Day bad" (2 Cor. 5: 10). "Some men's sins are evident, going before into judgment; and some men also they follow after. In like manner also there are good works that are evident; and such as are otherwise cannot be hid" (1 Tim. 5: 24). "And inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this cometh judgment; so Christ, also, having once been offered to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time, apart from sin to them that wait for Him, unto salvation" (Heb. 9:27). "But the heavens that now are, and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire, being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men" (2 Pet. 3:7). "Herein is love made perfect with us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; be- cause as He is, even so are we in this world" (1 John 4: 17). "Behold the Lord cometh, with ten thousand of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their works of ungodliness which they have ungodly wrought, 217 Am I Immortal ? The and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners Judgment ] lave spo ken against Him" (Jude 15). "Fear God and give Him glory; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made the heaven and the earth and sea and fountains of waters" (Rev. 14: 7). "And I heard the altar saying, Yea, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Thy judgments" (Rev. 16: 7). Rev. Richard Roberts; Judgment and Justification; Contemporary Review, April 1910. — The total moral demand of God upon us (let it be repeated) as it is em- bodied in the cross is far more exacting than any other statement of it has ever been. And if it was impossible to gain peace with God by the fulfillment of the Law, how much less possible is it to satisfy the new require- ments ? But just because once the total moral demand of God upon man was satisfied in man, He no longer asks that we should attain to those heights before giving us His peace . The cross is to be our ideal and our liability forever; but because the ideal was once fully realized in the sinless obedience of Jesus, human- ity was raised to another plane in which new conditions obtain and new principles operate. It is true that the moral demands, far from being relaxed, become more stringent upon this new plane; but because they have been once satisfied fully, God does not wait until we also have satisfied them before setting us at peace with Himself. What He does, — this is the New Testament view, — is to consider us and to declare us here and now, — on certain conditions, — wholly what we are in process of becoming. He accounts us righteous what 218 Am I Immortal ? time we are only growing into that holy love which is The the perfect righteousness. It treats us as though we Judgment had arrived, while we are yet only on the way. D a y On certain conditions. What are these? Jesus, by His "obedience unto death," has become the focus of a new universe, the leader of a new phase of human life. The condition of our new relation to God and God's new attitude to us is that we 'definitely place ourselves in this universe of which Jesus is the center, — that is, to use the great Pauline word, "in Christ." The act by which we relate ourselves to Jesus is Faith ; and the process by which our new relation to God is established is called in the New Testament Justifica- tion. It is superfluous to point out that this word, which is of forensic antecedents, means not "making one righteous", but "declaring or accounting one righteous." In Christ, God gives this as a gift, where- as out of Christ He demands it as an attainment. Under cover, as it were, of the perfect righteousness of the man Christ Jesus, in His universe, it is the reign of grace and faith. But faith is more than an emotional act of trust, still more than an intellectual act of belief. It is an act which involves the whole of life, and an act with a moral content. It is the disposition of the entire life Christward. It is the resolute setting of our whole being toward Christ. It is an orientation of the whole soul. It is, in a word, an obedience. And by the suffering of death Jesus "has become the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him." 219 Am I Immortal f THE END. "Then cometh the end, when He shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He shall have abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He hath put all his enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be abolished is death' 9 (1 Cor. 15:24). "And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying, Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuseth them before our God day and night" (Rev. 12: 10). "And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat upon it, from whose face the earth and heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small standing before the throne; and books were opened; and another book was opened which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works. "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and Hades (the grave) gave up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 220 Am I Immortal ? "And death and Hades were cast into the lake The End of fire. And if any was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire" (Rev. 20: 11-15). "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth are passed away; and the sea is no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. "And I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and He shall dwell with them, and they shall be His peoples, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God : and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes ; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain any more: the first things are passed away. And He that sitteth on the throne said, Behold I make all things new. "And He said unto me, They are come to pass. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit these things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son. Am I Immortal ? Xhe End "But for the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolators, and all liars, their part shall be in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death (Rev. 21: 1-8). "And He showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the lamb, in the midst of the streets thereof. And on this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve manner of fruits, yielding its fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. "And there shall be no curse anymore: and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be therein: and His servants shall do Him service; and they shall see His face; and His name shall be on their foreheads. "And there shall be night no more; and they need no light of lamp, neither light of sun ; % for the Lord shall give them light; and they shall reign for ever and ever. "And He said unto me, These words are faith- ful and true : and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show unto His servants the things which must shortly come to 222 Am I Immortal ? pass. And, Behold, I come quickly. Blessed The End is he that keepeth the words of the prophecy of this book. "And I John am he that heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. And he saith unto me, See thou do it not: I am a fellowservant with thee and with thy brethren the prophets, and with them which keep the words of this book: worship God. "And he said unto me, Seal not up the words of the prophecy of this book; for the time is at hand. He that is unrighteous, let him do un- righteousness still; and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him do righteousness still: and he that is holy, let him be made holy still. "Behold I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to render to each man according as his work is. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Blessed are they that wash their robes, that they may have the right to come to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gates into the city. Without are the dogs, and the sorcerers, and the fornicators, and the murderers, and the idolators, and everyone that loveth and maketh a lie. Am I Immortal ? The End "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright, the morning star. "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And he that heareth, let him say, Come. And he that is athirst let him come : he that will, let him take the water of life freely. "He which testifieth these things saith, Yea, I come quickly. Amen : Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with the saints. Amen" (Rev. 22). The End. Appendix MODERN SUPERSTITIONS Appendix MODERN SUPERSTITIONS. Evolution as a substitute for a Creator has already been referred to as a modern super- stition in the chapter on Creation. Other superstitions believed in now by many are singularly like those which Christianity had to contend with in the early centuries of the Christian era; such as a combination of Unitar- ianism with heathen philosophy; Ebionism, like the speculative pantheistic rationalism so much in vogue among German philosophers; a pagan- ized Judaism, and Gnosticism. At the present time in this country, Evolu- tion, Rationalism, Pantheism, Spiritualism, and Eddyism are offered in opposition to Chris- tianity, and to all moral responsibility to God as Creator, Heavenly Father and Redeemer. Most of these are old forms of paganism re- vived, and to some of them a veneering of Chris- tian ethics has been added in an appeal to the religious instincts of mankind. RATIONALISM. Rationalism is a belief held mainly by the ignorant, and is usually characterized by a want of thought. It is atheistic in character, and is 227 Appendix Rationalism the negation of all religion. It is limited very much to those who are unable or unwilling to think. A rationalist will say that he does not believe in anything that he cannot understand, or that is not in accordance with the known laws of this material world. If that were true, how very cir- cumscribed his knowledge would be! Can he understand the law of gravitation? Or even among the most ordinary experiences of life, can he, in looking at objects around him, understand how the visual image is communicated to his consciousness ? A rationalist's ideas seldom rise above that of a mere animal existence. Whittier in speaking of such, said: "Thyself thy own dark jail/* Rationalists as a rule are very superstitious. , They believe in all kinds of "luck." They are quite ready to patronize spiritualists, clairvoy- ants, and all such humbugs. They are ready to discourse freely, and sometimes even learnedly on what they do not believe, but when asked very pertinently what they do believe, have very little to say. Rationalists take themselves too seriously. As a factor in the thought of the world, they are almost negligible. 928 Appendix PANTHEISM. Pantheism is a belief that God is in every- thing. It is held in many forms from idolatry, and Eddyism, up to the higher spiritual form that everything which exists is a manifestation of God. In its lowest form it has been held by many primitive peoples. The American Indian be- lieved in a god of the wind, and a god of the waters, and in gods of all the elements of nature. Pantheism is a groping after God through the things which He has made. In its highest form it has a distinctly intellectual basis and has much in common with Christianity through the belief in the imminence of God in everything; but it falls far short of the Christian conception that God is also above and "over all things which He has made/' and is our Creator, Heav- enly Father and Redeemer. Spinoza, a Dutch Jew, is recognized as the father of modern pantheism, which he taught in a highly spiritual form. It is acceptable to unbelievers in Judaism who have fallen away from their old historic faith, and is an intellec- tual substitute for a paganized Christianity to many who have not been brought to a knowledge 229 Appendix Pantheism of the Scriptures, have an erroneous idea of the Christian religion, and seek to satisfy through pantheism their natural religious cravings. God can be worshipped in nature, without reaching up to the God of revelation, but pantheism always tends in the end toward atheism. To teach that God is all and in everything, removes the distinction between good and evil; between pure and impure; between animal and spiritual. What pantheism leads to is well evidenced by the condition of the Hindus in India and the ruin and decay of their country. A Pantheist does not believe in a Creator separate from His creation. He believes that everything reveals attributes of God, and that God is identical with the sum total of Being. To him God is not personal, but impersonal. He does not believe in a Supreme Being as One to pray to, believe in, or obey. Pantheism has been spreading in many forms among those who will not accept Christ as the Son of God and Saviour of sinners, nor subject themselves to His authority. The rationalistic philosophy of the present day, while having a pantheistic basis, is drifting into atheism. It assumes the impossibility of the miraculous as fundamental, and consequently rejects Christ's Divinity. 230 Appendix A pantheistic disbelief in the supernatural, or Pantheism in any miraculous interference with the usual order of nature is one of the fruits of Spinoza's teachings. In this respect it holds a good deal in common with rationalism. SPIRITUALISM. Spiritualism is another form of superstition which has always been believed in to a large extent by the ignorant and credulous. It is natural for those who believe in a separation of body and spirit at death, and in a world of spirits, to wish that there might be a means of communicating with the spirits of the departed. This desire is taken advantage of to delude many into believing in such communications. If the dead are asleep in the dust of the earth there can be no communication from them. If men after death became disembodied spirits, and if communication with them in that state were possible, we would long ago have had a great deal of interesting information about it, and would have talked with them as friend talks with friend. These communications would have been on a level with their intelligence and intellectual at- Appendix Spiritualism tainments before death, and would be made to those with whom they had been most intimately associated here. The absurdity of the pretended communica- tions is enough in itself to stamp them as fraudu- lent beyond a doubt. They are always of the most trivial and insignificant character, and in- dicate no higher degree of intelligence than that of the "medium." And the method of conveying them is equally absurd. Why should it be necessary for these "seances" to be held in a dark room? Why should it be necessary for people to sit in a circle and to hold each others hands, except to prevent them from seizing the medium and ex- posing the fraud, which has been done so often? Why should messages come through a mega- phone, except to disguise the medium's voice ? The rappings, and shaking of a tambourine, and blowing of a trumpet in the dark are all for the purpose of terrifying credulous people into believing there is something supernatural about it. Real communications from real spirits would not require all this foolish legerdemain. Although so often exposed, people continue to believe in these performances, as they do in a "gold brick." Appendix Nothing has ever been done by any "medium" Spiritualism anywhere that cannot be explained by fraud, or hypnotism, or telepathy, or hallucination. Only the most credulous can be humbugged in this way. Spiritualism is not a religion at all, but an old superstition and fraud. When people really believe in it they are either easily humbugged, or mentally unbalanced. EDDYISM. Eddyism is another modern superstition be- lieved in by many. There is nothing new about it that is true in either teaching or in practice. It should not be considered as a religion at all, but merely as a shrewdly or- ganized and profitable business, conducted on the lines of ' 'suggestion," like that of all patent medicines. Healing by "suggestion" has been practiced from time immemorial, and success- fully too; even by the Indian medicine men, or through African fetiches. What mother is there who, when her child has been slightly hurt, has not kissed the place to make it well ! In Eddyism healing by "suggestion" has been associated with a crude form of pantheism and a revival of old pagan gnosticism; and with 233 Appendix Eddyism these has been craftily combined a veneering of Christian ethics. There is nothing Christian or scientific about the whole business, and as a counterfeit Christianity it substitutes the irra- tional for the supernatural. In the well-authenticated history of Mrs. Eddy by Miss Milmine and others, we learn of her early life and lack of education; her three marriages and divorce; her eccentricities, to say the least; her experiences as a spiritualist and clairvoyant; and her life of deception generally. We learn how she was cured of a nervous ail- ment through "suggestion" by Phineas Quimby, practiced his hypnotic method of healing under him quite successfully, and after his death lauded him to the skies. Mrs. Eddy learned much that was valuable from Quimby in the healing of nervous ailments by suggestion or hypnotism, by firmly asserting the power of the mind over the body, by declar- ing ailments to be imaginary, and by locating the source of diseases in the mind instead of in the body. Although in her book she has cov- ered this up by many falsities and superstitions, it remains the one kernel of value in the bushel of chaff in Eddyism, and is all that keeps it alive. Dr. Quimby did not attempt to set it up 234 Appendix as a religion. He seems to have been a modest Bddyism gentleman and a clear thinker — in marked con- trast with his successor. After Quimby's death Mrs. Eddy seems to have conceived the idea of increasing and ex- tending her business in the guise of a counter- feit religion, with herself as high priestess, and of calling it "Christian Science" — the name which Quimby had given to his method of heal- ing by suggestion. Having had no true conception of the fun- damentals of the Christian religion, she seems to have had no scruples about putting herself on a level with the Lord Jesus Christ, and boldly launching her business with this enlarged scope in Christ's name; claiming that Quimby's method of healing was a divine revelation to her. So successful was she in this deception that before very long she succeeded in getting credulous people by the thousand at several hundred dollars each, to learn her methods of "Divine Healing/' which she claimed had been "revealed" to her; and they were all put under obligation not to teach it to anyone else. Where people have been relieved of ailments by "suggestion," they fall an easy prey to Mrs. Eddy's claim of "revelation" upon which she 235 Appendix Eddyism founded her counterfeit religion; as she knew they would. Most of them are ignorant of the fact that she has revived in her book old and abandoned superstitions which were offered in opposition to Christianity in the first and second centuries of the Christian era. Besides this, she has employed people of ability for many years to give a gloss of Christian ethics to the whole mixture ; so that as Tennyson said : A lie that is all a lie May be met and fought with outright, But a lie that is half the truth Is a harder matter to fight. With large sums of money obtained by teach- ing Quimby's method of healing through hyp- notic suggestion, she had no difficulty in adver- tising her business extensively, got up a book containing a mixture of heathen philosophy and paganized Christianity, denying all the facts of existence and of revelation, and using an abun- dance of pious phrases to cover up her avarice and selfishness. No crazier article has ever appeared in print, either in its ideas or misuse of the English language, than her fantastic "Interpretation of the Book of Genesis" in this book of hers. She has conducted her business on the lines 236 Appendix of "suggestion" from beginning to end. On the Eddyism wall on one side of their reading desks she has painted a saying of Jesus Christ, and on the other a saying of Mrs. Mary Baker G. Eddy, as she calls herself, thus "suggesting" her equality with the Son of God. In her advertising "ser- vice," which is shamefully sacrilegious, she has the Lord's Prayer read sentence by sentence together with a substitute of hers for it, which is required to be publicly advertised in every meeting as "an interpretation of it by Mrs. Mary Baker G. Eddy," thus "suggesting" her- self as being on a level with or even superior to the Saviour. And this is the incoherent sub- stitute which she offers for that holy prayer: "Our Father-Mother God, all-harmonious, Adorable One. Thy kingdom is come; Thou art ever-present. Enable us to know, — as in heaven, so on earth, — God is omnipotent, supreme. Give us grace for today; feed the famished affections ; And Love is reflected in love; And God leadeth us not into temptation, but delivereth us from sin, disease and death. For God is infinite, all-power, all Life, Truth, Love, over all and All." 237 Appendix Eddyism She has one "reader" on the platform read detached verses from the Bible, while another "reader" reads alternately passages from her book; in this way craftily "suggesting" the equality of her book with the Word of God. She has even had the audacity in these adver- tising meetings of hers to have a parody on the Lord's supper without bread, or wine, or any reference to a Redeemer, and has had the im- pudence to have her advertising book bound in the same form as the Bible. Teaching that there is no personality in Deity, and so no One to pray to, she has them in her advertising ser- vices go through the form of "silent prayer," because no oral prayer could be offered that would not be in flat contradiction of the book in which she advertises herself. Owing to her illiteracy, Mrs. Eddy's first book was a mixture of falsities and unintelligible ideas. She employed Rev. James H. Wiggin, an Unitarian minister of unusual literary attain- ments, to rewrite the book for her. He put it into intelligible English so far as she would per- mit — for intentional obscurity had been used to impress the credulous, — and he also corrected its faulty spelling, misuse of words and incorrect references. He became her "literary adviser," 238 Appendix saw her book through several editions and edited Eddyism her advertising publications. After this intimate association with Mrs. Eddy for four years, on Dec. 14, 1889, he wrote of her to an old college friend as follows (See life of Mrs. Eddy by Miss Milmine) : "Christian Science on its theological side is an ignorant revival of one form of gnosticism, that Jesus is to be distinguished from Christ and that His earthly appearance was phantas- mal, not real and fleshly. * * * On its moral side it involves what must follow from the doc- trine that reality is a dream, and that if a thing is right in thought, why, right it is, and that sin is non-existent because God can behold no evil! * * * Physically, it leads people to trust all to nature, the great healer, and so does some good. Great virtue in imagination! Where there is disease which time will not reach, "Christian Science" is useless. * * * As for the High Priestess of it, she is, well, I could tell you better but not write, an awfully (I use the word advisedly) smart woman; acute, shrewd, but not well read, nor in any way learned. What she has, as documents clearly show, she got from P. P. Quimby of Portland, Maine, whom she eulogized as the great leader, and her special 239 Appendix Eddyism teacher. Quimby had definite ideas, but Mrs. Eddy has not understood them. * * * No, Swedenborg and all other such writers are a sealed book to her. She cannot understand such utterances and never could, but dollars and cents she understands thoroughly/ 9 Her meetings on Sunday are supplied every- where with uniform advertising material from Boston, which they are not permitted to go out- side of. She and her associates at Boston do not hesitate to pervert the Bible continually for the purpose of advertising her book and business. Their meetings on Sunday and Wednesday even- ing are advertising meetings, pure and simple, just as much as the printed advertisements of Peruna, or Lydia Pinkham's Compound, which appear in the newspapers and in other publica- tions; and follow very similar * 'suggestive* ' lines: Have tried all other doctors (and religions) and got no help until I bought Mrs. Eddy's book, and have such "gratitude" or "love" for "Mrs. Mary Baker G. Eddy;" the "love" and "grati- tude" and "Mrs. Mary Baker G. Eddy" being all according to the formula furnished abun- dantly in Mrs. Eddy's advertising publications. Some of the cases of healing reported are undoubtedly genuine, as are also similar cases 240 Appendix from the use of patent medicines where recovery Eddyism has been brought about by the "suggestive" ad- vertising employed, rather than by any sufficient virtue in the remedy itself. Eddyites, however, enormously exaggerate such cases, and make them the basis for many claims which are wholly fictitious. With hundreds and thousands of Eddyite "healers" making their living out of the business, there is no difficulty in having stirring testimonies at their advertising meetings, which they have the effrontery to call a "church;" and in connection with these meetings they have organ music and use a Hymn Book which is a curiosity of its kind, containing many ethical rhymes set to familiar hymn tunes, and an oc- casional familiar hymn "abbreviated and ar- ranged" to make it suit the object aimed at, but no reference to a Heavenly Father or Redeemer, sin or salvation, death or resurrection — the very fundamentals of Christianity. Although deny- ing the existence of material things altogether, they teach that if any man becomes an Eddyite, he can "demonstrate" success in business and in everything else. The amount of deception and falsehood in this business from beginning to end is shocking Appendix Eddyiem to the moral sense of all intelligent Christians who have examined it thoroughly. Eddyites "substitute gain for godliness," as the Bible says. They promise freedom from physical ailments, and prosperity in worldly affairs. As such false claims have been believed in by many, it is not surprising that the business has been so profitable to Mrs. Eddy and her associates. When Eddyites suffer from toothache they go to a dentist, and do not seem to realize that if they could arrest decay in the body at all, or the pain resulting from it, by thinking so — "demonstrating* ' is what they are taught to call it — they should have no difficulty in stopping it in the case of a decayed tooth. God has set a limit of time to the physical life of man on earth, and it is brought to an end by some physical ailment or damage from accident in the case of Christians and of Eddyites alike. Mrs. Eddy came of long-lived parentage, and because of that and the greatest possible care, she has lived longer than the average, but her poor, old body suffers from all the infirmities of old age and approaching dissolution. Physical ailments and death will never be overcome on earth until the Son of God returns in glory, as 242 Appendix He has promised, to accomplish that and to be- Eddyism stow immortal life upon those whom He has redeemed. Mrs. Eddy, in ignorance of Christianity and for purposes of gain, has been guilty of wicked folly in daring to substitute herself for the Lord Jesus Christ. O, the wickedness of it, and O, the folly of it ! But think of the blind folly of professing Christians being deluded by her claims ! There have been many cases of this kind. Having been relieved of some nervous ailment by "sug- gestion/ ' or hypnotism, — and the words are synonymous in this connection — they have been led by constant and specious perversion of the Scriptures to accept the claims of Mrs. Eddy in her advertising book, and to give up Him who has created us, Who swings the mighty worlds in their vast orbits, Who humbled Himself to come to earth and take upon Himself man's nature, and to suffer and die to redeem us. In the case of such people the result has been pitiable. For a time they have lived in "a fool's Paradise" through Mrs. Eddy's deceptions, but with advancing years physical ailments in- creased, as they do with everyone, until they lost faith in Mrs. Eddy's false panaceas. Hav- 243 Appendix Eddyism ing lost their Saviour, lost the comfort of prayer and of trust in a Heavenly Father, they have died "without God and without hope in the world," as the Bible says, unless before the end came, by the mercy of God they have turned again in penitence to a patient, loving, forgiving Redeemer. The writer recently heard the confession of one of these; a frightened, almost hopeless, elderly widow. She had had a great deal of sorrow, and trouble and suffering. She had been led to take up Eddyism owing to all its specious promises. "Healers" had preyed upon her. For two years, she said, she had been con- stantly reading that book, but it had brought her no relief in any respect, and had made it impos- sible for her to pray now. During all this time she had been in more or less physical pain, in straitened circumstances, and in constant fear of utter poverty ; and "O," she said, "I am so alone in the world now !" She was assured that she was not alone in the world; that although she had forsaken her Saviour, He had not forsaken her; that all her fears might be laid aside if she would return to Him in penitence, that her physical ailments were probably the result of her fears, and that 244 Appendix as her Heavenly Father had provided for her in Eddyism the past, she surely could trust Him in the future to provide for her, so that she would always have food to eat, a bed to sleep on and a roof over her head as long as she lived. In a flood of penitence she returned to her loving, forgiving Saviour. In a moment she had become a happy, hopeful Christian, never to be separ- ated again from her Lord and Master. One of the worst results of Eddyism is in its effects upon helpless children who are taught to disbelieve the evidence of their own God- given senses and grow up as little falsifiers and hypocrites. Then when ill, they are denied the comforting "mothering" which all other little children have the benefit of. Those who have been associated with Eddy- ites are familiar with their characteristic un- truthfulness concerning their ailments. Subject to the common ailments of humanity, they mis- represent their own little ailments such as other people get over without thinking anything about, but which under this deplorable system of decep- tion and falsehood they habitually exaggerate enormously and then make equally extravagant claims of wonderful "demonstrations." The healings recorded in the Bible were all 345 Appendix Eddyism instantaneous and without pecuniary reward. Eddyite "healers" claim wonderful cures when people recover from ailments by the ordinary process of nature, as most people do, but when after a long course of "treatment" by them, at so much a "treatment/' or so much a week, they fail to recover, or die, then they are advised to attribute their failure to the opposition of some member of the family, or to "Malicious Animal Magnetism" on the part of some one else. This teaching of Malicious Animal Magnetism is false in every particular, and is a revival of the old pagan superstition of witchcraft which is still believed in by ignorant, uncivilized peoples, but has long since passed away in Christian coun- tries, except among the most ignorant, like the negroes of the South, who believe in it as voo- dooism. There is nothing surprising about the success and profitable character of Mrs. Eddy's busi- ness. A great many people are ignorant and credulous, and are ready to accept anything that seems to be mysterious, or to believe in a pagan philosophy for want of knowledge of anything better. They feel greatly flattered to be called little deities themselves, and accept it compla- cently. 246 Appendix To sum up Mrs. Eddy's teaching in one word, Eddyism it is self-deification. They come together in their meetings to worship self, instead of worshipping God. As the Bible says of such: "They ex- changed the truth of God for a lie, and wor- shipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen." Mrs. Eddy has made a large fortune out of the business, it is true, but so have many manu- facturers of patent medicines through "sugges- tive" advertising, while they have had large sums for extensive advertising to pay out of the profits of their business. Mrs. Eddy with remarkable shrewdness has succeeded in having her patrons pay for all her advertising, while she has reaped the entire profits of the business. Eddyites provide at their own expense the buildings where her ad- vertising meetings are held. They have to pay $3.00 for her advertising book known as Science and Health, which costs only 47 cents; and every few years changes are made in it and a new edition is issued which they are all under obligation to buy, while she refuses to take back the old editions at any price. They have to pay for her advertising publications known as the Christian Science Journal and Christian Science 947 Appendix Eddyism Sentinel, which are as full of "suggestive" adver- tising as patent medicine almanacs, and by the constant reading of these and of her book, which she enjoins, she keeps up the hypnotic spell upon them by which they become self-hypno- tised, and which renders them oblivious to com- mon sense. Her "healers" all pay a substantial sum to get into an easy business, and are her most active advertising agents without a penny of expense. Able and eloquent advertising agents are em- ployed and sent out as lecturers, and what they have to say is all revised at Boston before they go out. But notwithstanding all this "suggestive" advertising, the business is rapidly falling away. It is being patronized very largely by Jews now, who find nothing of Christ's Divinity in it to hinder their acceptance of it. It is also torn by dissensions among themselves through belief in "Malicious Animal Magnetism" applied to one another ; no mention of which reaches the public in their advertising publications. (See "Sins of Eddyism," and "The Eddyite," by Judge Louttit, a former "First Reader" of theirs, pub- lished by The Colonial Press, Fort Wayne, Indiana). Besides, what is good in it is a com- 248 Appendix mon heritage and is being taught in other better Eddyism ways, unmixed with Mrs. Eddy's falsities and superstitions. The remarkable shrewdness of Mrs. Eddy in gathering in money and property to herself at the expense of her followers is shown in Miss Milmine's history of her life, in connection with the establishment of what they call the Mother "church" at Boston, which in brief is as follows: There was a First "church" property there of much value owned and held by her own fol- lowers, on which there was a mortgage with interest amounting to about $5,000.00. Mrs. Eddy purchased the mortgage and foreclosed it, thus obtaining individual ownership of a prop- erty worth several times that amount. Then she got up a scheme of a Mother "church" and suc- ceeded in getting several hundred thousand dol- lars from her adherents to erect a larger building on the same property laudatory of herself. When completed she executed a trust deed, turn- ing the property over to trustees named by her- self, and whom she can change at any time, sub- ject to the conditions that if anything is taught in it except her book and what she may there- after write, or if at any time these trustees should decide that the conditions of this trust 249 Appendix Eddyisxn had been violated in any way, they shall turn over the property and buildings to Mrs. Eddy, her heirs or assigns ; and so the people who paid such large sums of money for it have no title to this property at all. Then she followed this with a scheme to have all her followers everywhere become members of this Mother " church/ ' at so much a head, thus creating a new and very large addition to her income. Surely, as her former "literary adviser" wrote: "But dollars and cents she understands thoroughly." There is a remarkable parallel between Mrs. Eddy and Simon Magus, one of the early anti- christs mentioned in the eighth chapter of The Acts, whom the apostles so severely rebuked for hypocrisy, and the abuse of holy things to sordid ends. Indeed, if there were any truth in the- osophy, Mrs. Eddy might easily prove that she was the reincarnation of Simon Magus. SIMON MAGUS. Simon Magus, and his followers, Performed acts of healing for money; Claimed there was a difference between Jesus and Christ; Declared a male and female principle of Deity ; 250 Appendix Confounded sin with matter and called it evil; Eddyism Disparaged the divinely-created body and over-rated the mind; Called nuptial intercourse an adultery with matter, and therefore evil; Taught that Christ was phantasmal rather than real; Used separate portions of the Bible to sustain his claims; Perverted the Scriptures to sustain his ideas; Used the most extravagant and arbitrary allegorical principles ; Gathered from mythology, astrology, physics and magic Everything that could in any way support his theories. Simon Magus took around his mistress Helen with him and represented her as having de- scended from heaven, and as being the primitive essence of wisdom. (See History of the Chris- tian Church, by Philip Schaff, D.D., LL.D., Chapter on Gnosticism.) Gnosticism abounded in the first and early part of the second century in opposition to Christianity, and was even more widespread than Eddyism is today, but quickly disappeared. 251 Appendix Little children, it is the last hour: and as ye heard that antichrist cometh, even now there have arisen many antichrists ; whereby we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they are not of us ; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us : but they went out that they might be made manifest that they all are not of us. And ye have an anointing from the Holy One, and ye know all things. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and because no lie is of the truth." "Who is the liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, even he that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that confesseth the Son hath the Father also. As for you, let that abide in you which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye heard from the beginning abide in you, ye also shall abide in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the promise which He promised us, even the life eternal" (l John 2:18). For many deceivers are gone forth into the world, even they that confess not that Jesus Christ cometh in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist" (2 John 7). 252 A II fi p^:1§1tt Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide Treatment Date: August 2005 PreservationTechnologies A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive Cranberry Township, PA 16066 (724)779-2111 1ST Hi One copy del. to Cat, Div. MJ& 22 1*W LIBRARY OF CONGRESS