THE GREAT MYSTERY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11757, 22 July 1916, Page 9

THE GREAT MYSTERY.

WHERE ARE OUR HEROIC DEAD? (By tho REV A. J. FOR SOX.) Within the past fow weeks I have' had several letters from friends in different parts of the country, each touching upon some aspect' of tho great mystery of death and tho problem of tho life, after death. Tho. instinct of immortality, as it has sometimes boon willed, is one of the surest guides in a. question of this Jiiud, and it is a universal instinct. 1 remember Dan Cra.wford idling mc that it was a custom among soiuo of the tribes in Central Africa to build a hut for each one who died, the idea being that the soil of tho departed would make that its dwelling place, so as to be among its own people. Still,- death is a great mystery, and there is no escapiug it. e shall all pass through that strange experience some day. Medical science may make undreamt of discoveries in tho. way of curing " incurable diseases/' but there will never come a time when we shall be able to <; dodgo death" §l- - as the late W. T. Stead once said. It is inevitable.

Further, it is not an intrusion. Because_ it is universal, it must bo there by Divine intenton. If you say that death is a punishment for sin, I would remind you that animals die, and we never speak of animals sinning. Besides animals, flowers, all died before man was created, for hu is the last of created things—the " crown of creation." Except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die it abideth alone,, but if it die it bringeth forth much fruit. These words of Jesus contain a profound truth, and express the principles of life wherever we find it. Unless that seed which you planted in your garden dies—in form, and as a seed—it will never grow. The fuller life of the plant is only possible it the beed as' such dies. It is the same principle that we see at work in the building up of the body. Beginning with a single cell, there comes a time when that ,cell must either die or become two cells, and so on. Death is the gateway of the larger life. So we think it must be "the same with the death of the body. At least, Jesus teaches the reality of life after death, aiid untii we find him wrong it will t be wise for us to abide by what he says. If I had the space at my disposal i think I could show the reasonableness of belief in the liie Beyond from tho nature of God, from evolution, and from the doctrine of the conservation of energy—that is, the theory that there is so'much'energy or force in the universe which can neither be increased nor diminished. Then, again, the investigations of men like Sir William Barrett, Sir Oliver Lodge," Professor Sidgwick aiid Alfred Russcl Wallace must be taken into account. Wallace, for instance, the co-discoverei with Charles Darwin of the principlesof evolution; said that, so far as he was concerned, the reality of a life Beyond and communication between those on that side and ourselves on this had been established through spiritualism. I hold no brief for spiritualism, but at tho same time no man of intelligence will attempt to dismiss its witnesses with a sneed. The late Dr Parker tells this incident, which was told him by anothei minister. Two men were looking out of tho window of an inn. They both heard footsteps balow. .One saw \ figure, and said, "You see that man there?" and the other said, "No, [ hear footsteps, but I see nobody.' ,f Why!" exclaimed the first .speaker, '' ho is high, has su h and such a face, is dressed in such and such clothes C'ail you not. see him there?"'

•'•Xo, I can't." said the-second speaker; ■' but you have described my father, ft man you have never seen." By the next post he learned that his father iiad just died. But there are many incidents equally verifiable that prove the reality of the life Beyond, So when friends ask, as so many are " Where are our heroic dead ?" 1 reply, " They are on the other side of life. 1 ' The mystery of death and the mystery of life are one and the same. When you have solved you have solved the other.

I have lead that during the FrancoPrussian war tlio great soldiers of the world were so deeply interested that, they obtained permission to accompany the Headquarters of . the Genuan Army. Whan the battle of Sedan came that seitled for the time being the fate of the French Array, thes? soldiers stood looking down rpV-n the horrible death grapple. Something lik" lhis was in the apostle's mind when he spoke of us being surrounded by a great cloud, of witnesses. Our departed arc separated from us only by the air! »r Peace, perfect ponce, death shadowing us and ours? Jesus hath vanquished death and all its powers.