THEODORE P. STANLEY
1919
Collingswood, New Jersey
USA
Copyright 1919
Theodore P. Stanley
WHEN you are told that you are an immortal being, you know that it is not true, — because you know you are going to die.
Immortal beings do not die. But some persons say that part of you will never die. What part of man is it that will never die? The eyes become blind; so seeing dies, and sight is not immortal. The hearing is lost; so hearing dies, and hearing is not immortal. The power of speech is lost; so the ability to talk is not immortal. The mind becomes insane and is really lost; so the mind with its intelligence, and with its consciousness, and with its memory is not immortal.
The only part of man that can be immortal is the life, which can exist in the body — without sight, without hearing, without power of speech, without intelligence, without consciousness, and without memory.
If the life, or any part of man without the body, is immortal, it is not conscious of it, because it has no sight, no hearing, no power of speech, no intelligence, and no memory. Then so far as we are conscious we are only mortal beings, and are not immortal beings.
Life, as we know it, always exists in some form or body. We see life in trees and in animals, and this life is lost before the body is lost, and once lost, that life is never regained. Life in an egg can be lost, then the egg can never change into a bird. Life in a grain of corn can be lost; then it is impossible for the com to produce more corn. Life must exist in a healthy eye to produce sight, and life must exist in a well developed brain to produce intelligence, and consciousness and memory. Life in the child produces intelligence as the brain grows in power.
So a life, in any form or body, that possesses neither an eye nor a brain, has no sight, no intelligence and no memory; and this life is not conscious of its existence.
Life must have a healthy body in which to live or it will finally die.
Life in leaving the body becomes weaker and weaker until all the force of life is spent and neither strength nor power remains in the life. The life simply ceases to exist.
We are forced to conclude that not only the body but that the life is mortal and that the life of man is not immortal.
Death does not mean necessarily the loss or the destruction of the body, but it does mean the loss or destruction of the life, including the loss of consciousness, and the loss of memory, and the loss of sight.
But some persons will say that in the spiritual life you will see, and hear, and talk, and have consciousness and memory.
How do you expect to obtain this spiritual life, when you have not the power to keep the mortal life, which has been GIVEN to you?
On what basis is your belief in, or hope of obtaining a spiritual life founded?
You have nothing in your possession that you can keep and you have no power to regain and retain anything you lose. And how are you going to obtain the senses which are essential to a spiritual life? For without sight, without hearing, without talking, without consciousness and without memory, spiritual life would be nothing. If you lose any of these senses, you can not GIVE them to yourself. If you are not able to restore these senses with a body, how can you expect to restore them without a body, — when the parts of man necessary for sight, for hearing, for talking, for intelligence, for consciousness, for memory, and for the form of man, all remain with the body?
Some persons will say that you possess an immortal life, or an immortal spirit, or an immortal soul, that will continue to live, over which death has no power.
When your eyes are destroyed, you know that this immortal life, or immortal spirit, or immortal soul, that you are said to possess, has no power to see, nor power to restore your sight, nor does it have power to restore your hearing, your power of speech, your memory, your consciousness or your intelligence, — nor can it have power to restore the senses after death.
You know that this immortal life, immortal spirit, or immortal soul, that you are said to possess, is positively NOTHING, because it has no power to do anything, nor does it possess any of the senses, nor is there any consciousness of its existence.
Why should you die, if you possess an immortal life? Death cannot occur where there is any life existing.
Death means only the non-existence of life.
This belief that you possess an immortal life, an immortal spirit, or an immortal soul, is without any sense, and without any evidence, and brings no hope, and no prospect of obtaining a spiritual life.
The spirit in man is the consciousness of God.
The soul of man is the consciousness of life.
The spirit and the soul of man are the parts of the mind that possess consciousness, therefore they depend on the life of the brain for existence.
The mind, with its consciousness and memory, ceases to exist when the life of the brain is lost or destroyed.
We find that the spirit, the soul, the life, and the body of man, including sight, hearing, talking, intelligence, memory and consciousness are all mortal.
Everything that man possesses in his being is subject to death.
There is no part of man that is immortal.
In order to live in a spiritual state, escaping the oblivion of death, you must have a spiritual body with an everlasting life GIVEN to you, as you have no power in yourself to obtain this spiritual existence.
Life and the body in which it lives, must be a GIFT from some Great Being, the Creator, — whom we call God.
We know we are going to lose this great GIFT of mortal life, is there any hope of being GIVEN a spiritual body with an everlasting life?
"For GOD so loved the world, that he GAVE his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have EVERLASTING LIFE."
St. John, 3rd chapter, 16th verse.
It is easy to understand that God is still interested in the beings he has created, but for God to so love his people that he will GIVE them an everlasting life after the loss of their mortal life, is a wonderful thought.
“The Father loves the Son, and hath GIVEN all things into his hand. He that believeth on the Son hath EVERLASTING LIFE, and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life."
St. John, 3rd chapter, 35th and 36 verses.
Everything in the consciousness of man, mental and spiritual, will cease to exist at death, provided God does not rescue him from perishing.
Your depending on your belief that you possess an immortal life, an immortal soul, or an immortal spirit, and not depending on the promise of God to GIVE you an everlasting life, will lead you into oblivion.
Jesus said unto her, "If thou knew the GIFT OF GOD, and who it is that saith to thee, GIVE me to drink, thou would have asked of him, and he would have GIVEN thee living water.”
"But whosoever drinks of the water that I shall
GIVE him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall
GIVE him shall be in him a well of water springing up
into EVERLASTING LIFE."
St. John, 4th chapter, 10th and 14th verses.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that hears my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath EVERLASTING LIFE, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life.''
St. John, Sth chapter, 24th verse.
Do you want to live in a spiritual state, escaping the oblivion of death? Then you must get in communion with God and his Son Jesus Christ, who has promised to GIVE you an everlasting life if you will love God and love your neighbours.
You know no man, nor any organization of men can GIVE you a spiritual body with an everlasting life, and none can keep you from having this spiritual existence GIVEN to you.
GIVE a secret prayer of praise and thankfulness to God, while kneeling to him every night and every morning, and GIVE silent or oral thanks at your meals to your heavenly Father and ask God to help you so live that you may be worthy of the GIFT OF IMMORTALITY.
“When thou prays, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret, and thy Father which sees in secret shall reward thee openly."
St. Matthew, 6th chapter, 6th verse.
There are different kinds of belief in immortality, but the only safe belief is the promise of eternal life to be GIVE^ to the followers of Jesus Christ, whose teachings are a blessing to mankind in making lives beautiful, and pure, and noble, and good, and lovable.
“And this is the PROMISE that he hath promised us, even ETERNAL LIFE."
1 John, 2nd chapter, 25th verse.
Jesus says, “Search the scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me, And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life."
St. John, 5th chapter, 39th and 40th verses.
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they FOLLOW ME, and I GIVE unto them ETERNAL LIFE, and they shall never perish."
St. John, 10th chapter, 27th and 28th verses.
The prophet said “Seek the Lord and ye shall live. Seek good and not evil, that ye may live, and so the Lord shall be with you."
Amos, 5th chapter, 6th and 14th verses.
These words of the prophet show that God undoubtedly GAVE immortality to persons before the coming of Christ, but immortality was not offered as a special reward to be GIVEN for loving God and loving your neighbours, until Christ promised to GIVE eternal life to his followers.
“But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel."
2 Timothy, 1st chapter, 10th verse.
Jesus says “For I have not spoken of myself, but the Father which sent me, he GAVE me a commandment, what I should say, and what 1 should speak, and I know that his commandment is LIFE EVERLASTING.”
St. John, 12th chapter, 49th and 50th verses.
It seems necessary for man to undergo the many trials of this world before he can be trusted with the GIFT of immortality.
''Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations. Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God."
“Blessed is the man that endures temptation, for when he is tried, he shall RECEIVE the CROWN of LIFE which the Lord hath PROMISED to them that love him."
"Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempts he any man."
"But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it brings forth sin, and sin when it is finished, brings forth death."
James, 1st chapter, 2, 3, 5, 12, 13, 14 and 15 verses.
“The soul that sins, it shall die."
Ezekiel, 18th chapter, 4th verse.
“That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord."
Romans, 5th chapter, 21st verse.
Believe in God and in his Son Jesus Christ whom he sent to teach us how to live that we may become worthy to be GIVEN eternal life or immortality.
For God only can change the mortal being of this world into an immortal being of the spiritual world.
"Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God."
"This mortal must put on immortality."
1 Corinthians, 15th chapter, 50th verse, 53rd verse.
The body with mortal life is a GIFT from God, the Creator, through means of earthly parentage.
The spiritual body with immortal, or eternal life, is a GIFT from God to those who believe and trust in Him and follow the teachings of his Son Jesus Christ by loving God and by loving their neighbours.
"This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent, that he should GIVE ETERNAL LIFE to as many as thou hast GIVEN him."
St. John, 17th chapter, 3rd and 2nd verses.
Jesus said "Verily, 1 say unto you. There is no man that hath left house or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or lands, for my sake and the gospels. But he shall RECEIVE an hundred fold now in this time, and in the world to come ETERNAL LIFE."
St. Mark, 10th chapter, 29th and 30th verses.
St. Mark, 8th chapter, 35th verse,
St. Luke, 18th chapter 29th and 30th verses.
“Be thou faithful unto death and I will GIVE thee a CROWN of LIFE."
Revelation, 2nd chapter, 10th verse.
Christ, the Son sent from God, to GIVE us the commandments of right living that will please God, who only has the power to GIVE immortality to mankind says:
“Thou Shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbour as thyself."
St. Luke, 10th chapter, 27th verse.
When you think of what your earthly parents have GIVEN for you and how you love them, and then think of these parents as a GIFT from God and of God GIVING you a body with a mind capable of appreciating this beautiful world He has GIVEN you to live in, you see how easy it is to love God above everything else.
But loving your neighbour as yourself, is the hardest work. No wonder Jesus said the rich man and the ruler of men can hardly enter the kingdom of heaven.
They have glory, power and pleasure, in this life. Verily they have their own reward.
St. Luke, 6th chapter, 24th verse.
St. Luke, 13th chapter, 14th and 15th verses.
St. Luke, 18th chapter, 18th and 24th verses.
St. Luke, 23rd chapter, 35th verse.
St. Mark, 10th chapter, 25th verse.
St. Matthew, 19th chapter, 24th verse.
Loving your neighbour as yourself means sacrifice. It is impossible to love your neighbours and yet do nothing for them.
James, 2nd chapter, 15th and 16th verses.
It is your duty to be a help to your neighbours, not only financially, but socially.
If your neighbour has fallen among thieves, or among evil influences, and cannot escape, you must not pass by on the other side, but you must help rescue your neighbour from those thieves or from those evil influences.
St. Luke, 10th chapter, 29th to 37th verses.
"Let him know that he which converts the sinner from the error of his way, shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.”
James, 5th chapter, 20th verse.
When you have an opportunity to show your love for your neighbours, and you try to save your life by passing by on the other side, you will lose your life, but if you lose your life for your neighbours, you will save it to life eternal.
''Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
St. John, 15th chapter, 13th verse.
Jesus made it so plain that immortality is a GIFT from God that persons came to Jesus asking him what they must do to inherit ETERNAL LIFE.
St. Luke, 10th chapter, 25th verse.
St. Luke, 18th chapter, 18th verse.
St. Matthew, 19th chapter, 16th verse.
St. Mark, 10th chapter, 17th verse.
If you possessed an immortal life, or an immortal spirit, or an immortal soul, Jesus would not have promised so often to GIVE eternal life to those who love God and love their neighbours.
''He that loves not his brother abides in death.”
1 John, 3rd chapter, 13th verse.
Your neighbours and yourself were made possible through the loving kindness of God the Creator, in whose power only is the spirit and the life.
“The spirit shall return unto God, who GAVE it."
Ecclesiastes, 12th chapter, 7th verse.
God GIVES spirit and life as he wills.
"There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit."
Ecclesiastes, 8th chapter, 8th verse.
'*And none can keep alive his own soul."
Psalms, 22nd chapter, 29th verse.
The teachings of Jesus Christ make possible the GIFT of spiritual bodies with eternal life.
“The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."
Jesus said to his disciples “Will ye also go away.”
Then Simon Peter answered him. Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life, and we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God."
St. John, 6th chapter, 63, 67, 68 and 69th verses.
Where can we go for evidence to escape the oblivion of death and gain spiritual existence except as GIVEN by Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God?
"And this is the Record, that GOD HATH GIVEN TO US ETERNAL LIFE, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life."
1 John, 5th chapter, 11th and 12th verses.
“Jesus saith, I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
St. John, 14th chapter, 6th verse.
“If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. Verily, verily, I say unto you. If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death."
St. John, 8th chapter, 24th and 51st verses.
With the mortal life entirely lost for this earthly body, the mind with its consciousness and memory, being the real person, must be resurrected into a spiritual body, with eternal life, in order to escape the oblivion of death.
“There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body."
1 Corinthians, 15th chapter, 44th verse.
As Jesus your Saviour has promised to save you from death. He will be with you at your last day of this mortal life, and will rescue you from perishing by GIVING you a spiritual body with eternal life, which God hath prepared to receive your resurrected mind with its consciousness and memory.
"For we know that if our earthly house were dissolved, we have a building of God eternal in the heavens.” 2 Corinthians, 5th chapter, 1st verse.
Jesus said ''No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him, and 1 will raise him up at the last day. Verily, verily, 1 say unto you. He that believeth on me hath EVERLASTING LIFE. I am that bread of life."
“Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven that a man may eat thereof and not die."
"I am the living bread which came down from heaven, if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever." St. John, 6th chapter, 44th, 47th to 51st verses.
Death means oblivion for you unless Jesus raises you (that is, resurrects your mind with its consciousness and memory into a spiritual body GIVEN with eternal life) at your last day of this mortal life.
"For the living know that they shall die, but the dead know not anything.” Ecclesiastes, 9th chapter, 5th verse.
“Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God, and not that he should return from his ways, and live? When the wicked man turn away from his wickedness that he hath committed and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. Because he considered and turn away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. For 1 have no pleasure in the death of him that dies, saith the Lord God, wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.”
Ezekiel, 18th chapter, 23rd, 27th, 28th, 32nd verses.
“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.” St. John, 3rd chapter, l7'th verse.
“Jesus said I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE, he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live, and whosoever lives and believeth in me shall never die." St. John, 11th chapter, 25th and 26th verses.
Jesus, by his resurrection from the dead, shows his power over death, and shows his ability to resurrect the mind with its consciousness and memory into spiritual bodies GIVEN with eternal life, of all those who have by their lives proven themselves worthy to be- come the children of God.
Jesus said unto them 'They which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world and the resurrection from the dead, neither can they die any more, for they are equal unto the angels, and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection, For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living, for all live unto him.” (None live except as God GIVES life according to his own plan.)
St. Luke, 20th chapter, 34th, 3Sth, 36th, 38th -verses.
Jesus said “Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” St. Matthew, 19th chapter, 14Th verse.
''Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted" (that is turn from your sinful and selfish way of living to the right way of living by loving God, and by loving your neighbours) ''and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
St. Matthew, 18th chapter, 3rd verse.
"Children are an heritage of the Lord." Psalms, 127th chapter, 3rd verse.
While the prospects for the little children to receive the GIFT of immortality are extremely sure, undoubtedly wicked and selfish parents jeopardize the prospects of their children to receive this wonderful GIFT of immortality.
"As is the mother, so is her daughter.” Ezekiel, 16th chapter, 44th verse.
“As the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son." Ezekiel, 18th chapter, 4th verse.
Why do parents work so hard to GIVE their children the comforts of this short life, which is right, yet neglect the important opportunity to help their children to become worthy of the great GIFT of eternal life?
And children, no doubt, are a great help to their parents in living right, so that these parents may become worthy of the GIFT of immortality.
“Thou Shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might, and these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart, and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sits in thine house, and when thou walks by the way, and when thou lies down, and when thou rises up."
Deuteronomy, 6th chapter, 5th, 6th, 7th verses.
Make your worship of God personal.
“For ye are the temple of the living God."
2 Corinthians, 6th chapter, 16th verse.
1 Corinthians, 3rd chapter, 16th, l7'th verses.
"Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Revelation, 22nd chapter, l7th verse.
“For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
Galatians, 5th chapter, 14th verse.
Romans, 13th chapter, 8th, 9th, 10th verses.
Jesus said “A new commandment I GIVE unto you, That ye love one another, as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."
St. John, 13th chapter, 34th and 35th verses.
Prove your constant love for God by continually showing your love for your neighbours.
“He that loves not, knows not God, for GOD IS LOVE. This commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also, for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?”
1 John, 4th chapter, 8th, 2tst, 20th, verses.
“Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." 1 Corinthians, 2nd chapter, 9th verse.
"Keep yourselves in the LOVE OF GOD, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto ETERNAL LIFE."
Jude, 1st chapter, 21st verse.
"For the wages of sin is death but the GIFT OF GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Romans, 6th chapter, 23rd verse.
''Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled"
When doubts enter your mind and you become fearful of the future, take a look at this wonderful world that you live in.
You see the plant life in all its beauty and bounty and the animal and bird life with all their power and usefulness.
You know there is a Great Being of intelligence who is the living God, for you behold the work of His creation.
“O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth. When 1 consider thy heavens, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained. What is man, that thou art mindful of him. Thou made him to have dominion over the works of thy hands, thou hast put all things under his feet." Psalms, 8th chapter.
"Before thou has formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." Psalms, 90th chapter, 2nd verse.
''1 will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in him will I trust." Psalms, 91st chapter, 2nd verse.
Jesus, your loving Saviour says, "Let not your heart be troubled, ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you. 1 go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also." St. John, 14th chapter, 1st, 2nd, 3rd verses