Where Is the Consistency ?
By M. W. Howard
"THERE is a dear sacred spot in Cypress Hills Cemetery, where rests the precious form of the first one gone from a happy household band. A balm is left, a most comforting assurance that he had done what he could for Christ, and is now roaming the fair fields of Eden. Our family circle is not broken, only a link in Heaven." The paragraph given above, was the beginning of a little sketch, on which my eyes rested an hour ago as I took up a paper just brought from the post-office. The second sentence quoted, ended that sketch. Since we have been invited to have our "pens in working order," I will jot down the thoughts suggested, and the more so as they were turned backwards, to an expression heard the evening before, in a minister's lecture. It was this: "None of us expect to attain perfection, till we are clothed upon with bodies that are sinless." How correct and proper; yet it fell from lips which are often heard to say in speaking of departed Christians, "To-day, they are no doubt, partaking of the marriage supper of the lamb." Now, without being fanatical or visionary, nor yet irreverent, I would ask, Is not Jesus represented as "at the right hand of God to make intercession for those who shall be heirs of salvation?"—a business perfectly compatible with his office as High Priest without falsifying his own words, "Henceforth I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, till I drink it new with you in the kingdom of Heaven." Do we like to associate our Saviour with the idea of continually eating and drinking?—and yet this must be, if at death each Christian partakes with Christ. But then it must be marriage suppers (plural); or is it one continual feast? When a subject has reached a point to challenge the attention of the thinking, there is hope, only that the sad fact comes in, that most persons do not think! but are content to be led in matters of faith. In reverie, I often review the process by which I was led to break away from the thralldom of this inconsistency in belief, of which I am writing. An aged minister, in addressing a church gathered at the table of our Lord, said in my hearing: "My friends, if we are what we profess to be, we belong to a royal family; part of which are in Heaven, and a part on earth; and thus it will ever be, till the archangel's trump shall call the dead from their graves to appear before the throne of God." 95What! thought I, is not here a grave inconsistency? to say the dead are in Heaven, and in the same sentence and in the same breath to say also, that the archangel's trump is to summon them from their graves to appear before the throne of God. In my school-days, my "Natural Philosophy" had taught me this fundamental axiom, if common observation had not, that "two bodies could not occupy the same space at the same time;" and was not the opposite equally true, that one body could not occupy two places at the same time? Certainly my reason taught me that this was good philosophy, and my maturer reason now teaches me that it is good theology as well, since it is just what the revelation of God teaches. And when I meet those who in seeming pride of opinion, assert an assured belief to the contrary, I have only to reply, I suppose it matters but very little what you or I may believe upon this point, since our believing alters not the facts in the case; for we have this assurance upon Divine authority, "nevertheless the word of God standeth sure." But meanwhile I ponder in my heart, oh that mankind would acquire the habit of receiving the word of God according to its true import, then would they perceive how consistent and harmonious a chain it is, and then truly learn "to trust in the Lord always," and lean not to their own understanding.