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Literary
March 28, 1861
Green Mountain Freeman
Montpelier, Washington County, Vermont
What is this article about?
A philosophical essay reflecting on time as a brief interval within eternal existence, emphasizing the immortality of the soul, consciousness beyond physical death, and divine purpose, drawing on biblical imagery.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
Time and Eternity.
Time is but a part of eternity. There is only a line that separates eternity from time. You may call it a line, a hair's breadth, if you please, but you live all the time on the very edge-the very threshold of eternity. We measure time by the revolutions of planets ; but there is no way of ascertaining the duration of eternity. It is beyond all that figures can describe, words make known, or ideas conceive. What we call time is only a short interval between two points in eternity. It is a period set apart by the Almighty for a special purpose: and when that shall be accomplished, then an angel shall stand upon the sea and upon the earth, and with hand uplifted toward heaven he shall swear by Him who liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven and the things that therein are, and the earth and the things that therein are, and the sea and the things which are therein,that there shall be time no longer."
We are living in eternity. Our eternity commenced when we were born. The moment we drew our first breath, then our eternity commenced, and never shall we cease to exist a single instant. We are immortal: our souls can never die. The poor suicide may shorten his life, end his stay upon earth, cut off his time, refuse to live out his day of probation, but he does not shorten his eternity; his doom, his destiny, is only by that act the sooner fixed: his state for eternity thus becomes unalterably fixed, fixed forever.
When this body of ours- this clay tenement in which the spirit lives-when it is worn out by old age, or destroyed by violence or disease, then we are done with time. The moment the body dies, the spirit flies- But the soul does not cease to exist--no, not for a moment. Disease, old age, accident, or death, can never touch the soul-no, never. All souls are at this moment as conscious of their existence as ever they were. Whether in the body or out of the body, whether in time or eternity, still they live, still they continue conscious of their existence.
Time is but a part of eternity. There is only a line that separates eternity from time. You may call it a line, a hair's breadth, if you please, but you live all the time on the very edge-the very threshold of eternity. We measure time by the revolutions of planets ; but there is no way of ascertaining the duration of eternity. It is beyond all that figures can describe, words make known, or ideas conceive. What we call time is only a short interval between two points in eternity. It is a period set apart by the Almighty for a special purpose: and when that shall be accomplished, then an angel shall stand upon the sea and upon the earth, and with hand uplifted toward heaven he shall swear by Him who liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven and the things that therein are, and the earth and the things that therein are, and the sea and the things which are therein,that there shall be time no longer."
We are living in eternity. Our eternity commenced when we were born. The moment we drew our first breath, then our eternity commenced, and never shall we cease to exist a single instant. We are immortal: our souls can never die. The poor suicide may shorten his life, end his stay upon earth, cut off his time, refuse to live out his day of probation, but he does not shorten his eternity; his doom, his destiny, is only by that act the sooner fixed: his state for eternity thus becomes unalterably fixed, fixed forever.
When this body of ours- this clay tenement in which the spirit lives-when it is worn out by old age, or destroyed by violence or disease, then we are done with time. The moment the body dies, the spirit flies- But the soul does not cease to exist--no, not for a moment. Disease, old age, accident, or death, can never touch the soul-no, never. All souls are at this moment as conscious of their existence as ever they were. Whether in the body or out of the body, whether in time or eternity, still they live, still they continue conscious of their existence.
What sub-type of article is it?
Essay
What themes does it cover?
Religious
Death Mortality
What keywords are associated?
Time
Eternity
Immortality
Soul
Death
Afterlife
Religious Meditation
Literary Details
Title
Time And Eternity.
Subject
Meditation On Time, Eternity, And Immortality
Key Lines
Time Is But A Part Of Eternity. There Is Only A Line That Separates Eternity From Time.
We Are Living In Eternity. Our Eternity Commenced When We Were Born.
The Poor Suicide May Shorten His Life... But He Does Not Shorten His Eternity; His Doom, His Destiny, Is Only By That Act The Sooner Fixed.
When This Body Of Ours... Then We Are Done With Time. The Moment The Body Dies, The Spirit Flies But The Soul Does Not Cease To Exist No, Not For A Moment.
All Souls Are At This Moment As Conscious Of Their Existence As Ever They Were.