FROM the beginning the course of this world has been opposed to God. It has ever been Satan's plan to overthrow the purposes of the Most High, and "change his truth into a lie." He has assumed the fearful responsibility of contradicting Jehovah. God said to Adam, "Thou shalt surely die," but Satan replied, "Thou shalt not surely die." The issue proved Satan a liar; for Adam died, and the same sentence passed upon all his posterity. Jesus testifies that Satan is "a liar and the father of it." John viii, 44. The great controversy on earth began with the dark insinuation of that "old serpent," that mankind would not surely (or really) die, but that they would "be as gods," or in other language, they would be immortal. Socrates, the heathen philosopher, endorsed the lie when he said, "Socrates will not die, but is going to be with the gods." Modern Spiritualism does the same when it says, "There is no such thing as death," "It is a change of condition," &c. But what is most strange of all is, that Protestants should give the "no death" falsehood a conspicuous place in their theology. They teach that all men, at what is called death, "change their condition," and go into one of two spheres, (heaven or hell,) while Spiritualism teaches that they may pass to seven spheres. The following poetic description of death is from the Baptist Register: "There is no death! what seems so is transition;
This life of mortal breath,
Is but a suburb of the life elysian,
Whose portals we call Death."
Here is the old deception now vamped in rhyme. A very popular way of teaching error is by poetry. The following has gone the rounds of orthodox hymnbooks: "What, to be banished from my Lord,
And yet forbid to die!
To linger in eternal pain,
And death forever fly?"
The following extracts and criticisms are from the Bible Examiner: "One of our exchange papers contains some blank verses on 'Death,' in which the Monster is worshiped as usual by 'undying soul' entity believers. It begins by the inquiry,
'Why should we picture death a thing of dread?'
"We answer, Because God so announces it, by making it the penalty of sin. If Adam had dreaded it as he ought, he might have been preserved from its power. By believing the serpent's lie of natural immortality—'ye shall not surely die'—he had the 'dread' of death removed and fell into sin. "In the fifth line the following sentiment is uttered:
'Death is an Angel—messenger divine!'
"We do not wonder the writer placed a mark of surprise at the close of this line. Inspiration declares 'the devil' had the power of death; that 'sin entered into the world and death by sin.' See Heb. ii, 14, and Rom. v, 12. To call the 'messenger' of Satan, 'divine,' is cause of surprise and astonishment. Again,
'Death is a pilot—long in our treacherous seas,
While cloud-hung skies above us frown, we sail,
And many a foul Charybdis lurks beneath.
We spend the fleeting moments as they pass,
In ceaseless longings for the onward shore.
Eternal shores are dawning on our sight,
And Death's the friendly hand to guide us there.' "Here death is made an all important friend to pilot us out of this life's sea on to the eternal shores. Enoch and Elijah could not meet that friendly pilot, and so landed without his aid! Unhappy men! How dared they venture without this pilot? Paul rejoices that God, on a certain occasion, delivered him from so great a pilot; and in that hour of trial he did not trust himself to that old ship-wrecker, Death, the Devil sends out for a pilot! No, saith Paul, 'our trust is in God who raiseth the dead.' See 2 Cor. i, 9, 10. The Devil's pilot shipwrecks all that come in his power! God is the christian's Pilot, and brings into palaces immortal by raising the dead. No thanks, and no praise to Satan's pilot. Old Death has stood on the shore to deceive weary mariners, and to rob God and his Christ of the honor of conducting to palaces immortal for many years. But he is doomed to an exposure by the grand doctrine of Life and Immortality only through Christ, that shall place him where his long series of crimes against God, Christ and truth demands; viz., Jesus Christ shall destroy death, and his royal master, the Devil. See Heb. ii, 14. Then will the robber of God and man be no more deified by good, but deceived, men who have so long sung his praises. Yes, friends, your pilot is to go into the lake of fire. Rev. xx, 14. A just doom for all such liars and deceivers. His godship will then be seen in its true character. "In closing the stanzas to death's praise the following language is used:
'O, child of God! call Death no more thy foe.
But picture him with Love and all sweet things,
Fear not his voice, it is thy father's call,
Nor shrink from his embrace though cold and chill.'
"The first line is a rebuke of the great Apostle, who says, 'The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.' 1 Cor. xv, 26. But Paul did not know the wonderful good things death does; he was ignorant of death's friendly hand! Mistaken Apostle! Oh, if you had only lived in these days, in which the world by wisdom has found out a better work for death than to keep him in the devil's employ! He is now transformed into 'love and all sweet things,' whose voice is not to be feared! Death! Why, it's only thy father's call! If this be true, however, they are children of the devil; for death is his voice. "This eulogist of death after dwelling on the bliss that disembodied souls are in, when the friendly hand of death has knocked the clayey temple to pieces, says:
'We then shall say of death, dread ill, transformed,
Only an angel met in the way.'
"We add, in the language of Paul, No marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light; therefore it is no great thing if his ministers [of which death is one] also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works. 2 Cor. xi, 14, 15. The end of death we have seen portrayed by inspiration, if it is to be destroyed by being cast into the lake of fire. See again Heb. ii, 15, and Rev. xx, 14. When will man cease to be deceived by the natural immortal soul theory?" Inspiration is silent about "changing condition" into "spheres" at death—not one word can be found about going at death to heaven, hell, purgatory, the seven spheres, or any other place but the grave. "Let God be true, but every man a liar." Where is man in death? Ans. "Now shall I sleep in the dust." Job vii, 21. "They shall go down to the bars of the pit when our rest together is in the dust." Job xvii, 16. "All go unto one place, (not from two to seven,) all are of dust and all turn to dust again." Eccl. iii, 20. "Madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead." "There is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." Eccl. ix, 3, 10. There is no reward until the resurrection. All are in unconsciousness in the grave, until the great Life-giver shall come, and his reward shall be with him. "Who art thou that repliest against God? Shall mortal man be more just than God?" Then to all we say, Let God be true. Amen.
M. E. CORNELL.
Battle Creek, May, 1858.