Untitled article by M. E. Connell

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Third-day, March 24, 1868

FromReview and Herald, Vol. XXXI, No. 15

DEATH FABLES.

By M. E. Connell

How it must please him who first declared to man, “Thou shalt not surely die,” to see that so many who profess to love God, and believe the Bible, are still giving God the lie. When God says, “Thou shalt surely die,” they flatly contradict, and say the “thou” does not, and cannot die—that it is only the cage or house that the man lives in, that dies.

To hear such men as Pres. Finney, of Oberlin college, and Pres. Fairfield, of Hillsdale college, on the occasion of the death of Eld. David Marks, utter such sentiments as, “Die! It is not death! It is but the budding forth of eternal life.” “Death has no more to do with him. He lives forever.”

And such men as D. W. Clark, Bishop of the M. E. church, speaking of death, says, “These are not dead.” “But never one hath died.” “Death is the crown of life.”

The following, clipped from a Methodist paper, at once brings to view the tree, (immortal spirit, and, No death,) and its fruit, Spiritualism.

“There is no death! Walks o’er the earth with silent tread; He bears our best-loved things away, And then we call them “dead.” And ever near us, though unseen, The dear immortal spirits tread, For all the boundless universe Is life—there are no dead.”

Rev. W. E. Copeland, on the occasion of the death of the two Joyce children, who were murdered in West Roxbury, Mass., said, “The little ones are not dead, they have entered upon that life which has no end. * They are nearer their friends to-day than ever before. Mourn not; turn away from the sorrow of your hearts, and rejoice that your children have gone to their Father.” Compare Jer. xxxi, 15–17.

Could the Father of lies wish to see a more direct contradiction of the truth? How he must rejoice to see such a fine track laid, for his necromantic car to run on!

But who can fail to see the blindness of those who are steeped in such errors? They are not only against the truth, but they contradict themselves. This is always the case, when they attempt a defense of their errors, either spoken or written. And sometimes, when only expressing their sentiments in poetry or prose, they utter the most glaring contradictions, and palpable absurdities.

On the same occasion last mentioned above, Rev. Mr. Hepworth uttered the following: “In the name of the two dead children who are alive with God Almighty, &c.”

Take also the following, clipped from a late paper.

“Our friend and sister, lo! is dead, The cold and lifeless clay Hath made in dust its silent bed, And there it must decay. But, is she dead? No, no, she lives, Her happy spirit flies To Heaven above, and there receives Her long expected prize.”

The following inscription, amusing to infidels, and disgusting to every lover of consistency who has his eyes open, is found on a monument at the head of a pious young man’s grave.

“This happy soul has taken his flight, Beyond the realms of bliss and light,”

This soul made such rapid flight that he went entirely beyond the bliss, (where there is no bliss!) and beyond the light, where of course there is only darkness! Could an immortal soul be happy in such a place?

Some very strange specimens are still found in the hymn books of nearly all denominations.

“Beyond the bounds of time and space Look forward to that heavenly place, The saint’s secure abode!”

What a “secure abode” that must be, located in a “place” where there are neither “bounds,” nor “space?”

In another hymn we have the idea plainly expressed, that, “A never-dying soul” may “forever die.” And this reminds us of the very common saying, that the wicked will “Die the death that never dies!”

Here our curiosity is excited, and we wonder what sort of a death that must be! As life and death are set before all, and the reward of the righteous is exactly the opposite of the wicked, we conclude that the righteous will “Live the life that never lives!” The saints always living without life, while sinners are always dying without death!

O Orthodoxy! Orthodoxy! Do we not say, truly, that thy head is turned with the wine of Babylon!

Do not these men, while teaching, and trying to prove that they have immortal souls, in the very effort show that they are destitute of such an attribute? Would an immortal soul originate such unmitigated nonsense? And could immortal beings be fooled with such contradictions and absurdities, so that they would feed upon it for years and call it good? Impossible! Immortality would not run so crazy, crooked, and blind. Nay, at the resurrection, when this mortal shall put on immortality, there will be an end of such sentiments. The whirlwind of the Lord will sweep away the refuge of lies, and the immortal ones will know better than to cherish contradictions. They will “see as they are seen, and know as they are known.” Oh! that men would, even now, cease to feed on chaff, and rejoice in the clean wheat of God’s word.

“Men’s books with heaps of chaff are stored, God’s book doth golden grain afford, Then leave the chaff and spend your pains In gathering up the golden grains.”

M. E. CONNELL.