After Death.

Manawatu Herald, 8 November 1904, Page 2

After Death.

The Bishop of Wellington (Dr Wallis) presided at fivenSculg bn SUrlday night at All Saints’- Church. The Bishop took at his text our Lord’s to the crucified thief—“ To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise ” —and dwelt chiefly upon two matters of much concern m the future of men and women., (i) The state ,of human spirits who have died in faith, when their bodies are laid in the grave; and (2) The resurrection of the body. Regarding the first question the Bishop pointed out that only a very little is revealed.in Holy Scripture; but that little is sufficient for the assurance of those who have learnt to believe in and to love God. It may be summed up in S. Paul’s words of satisfied satis-_ faction —“ to depart to be with Christ" is very far better.” The life after death is a time of waiting between this life and the judgment day which will usher in the resurrection life. It is a. time of conscious existence, in which the spirit is in possession of its faculties, notably that of memory. But the most important thing to remember is that in the intermediate life of Paradise, the faithful soul is nearer to the Lord Jesus than in this present life,—thafis, the presence of Christ is more fully realized ; and this, thought, which sustained the penitent thief, and which cheered the aged prisoner Paul, has been the joyful anticipation of Christians ever since. If we seek to know and love God now we shall be able to trust ourselves in His hands when we pass through the dark valley of death. On the second point—the Resurrection of the Body—the preacher said that many minds were prepared now, as they wer* in S f . Paul’s day. The Apostle was asked—“ But how are the dead raised up ? and with what manner of body do they come ?” In reply the questioner was taken, out .into the cornfield and hidden to observe the miracle wrought there. The planted seed dies only to spring up again with a new and much more glorious body. If we ponder this frequent miracle we shall see that it is no unreasonable thing to believe that the human bodv, planted in the grave, will be raised to a new and higher life, by the same Almighty, all-wise and most, loving God Who rules and orders all nature. The type of this Resurrection body is that of our 'Lord Jesus Christ, changed and glorified at His Resurrection, • A lajge. congregation was present at the service, this being the. conclusion of the celebration of thq parish’s dedi cation festival.