_THE VOICE OF THE DEAD_
HEBREWS xi. 1-6.
With what voice shall we speak when we are dead? What will men hear when
they turn their thoughts toward us? What part of us will remain alive,
singing or jarring in men's remembrance? It is the biggest part of us that
retains its voice. In some it is wealth, in others it is goodness; some
go on speaking in their cruelty, others in their gentleness. Cain still
speaks in his jealous passion. Abel speaks in his faith. Dorcas speaks in
her "good works and alms-deeds which she did"; Judas Iscariot speaks in
his betrayal. Yes, something goes on speaking. What shall it be?
But these biggest things not only continue to speak in the ears of memory,
they persist as actual forces in the common life of men. Our faith is not
buried with our bones, nor is our avarice or pride. Our characters do not
die when our hearts cease to beat. "The evil that men do lives after
them," and so does the good. But deeper than our deeds, our dominant
dispositions persist and mingle as friends or enemies in the lives of
others. By them we, being dead, still speak, and we speak in subtle forces
which aid or hinder other pilgrims who are fighting their way to God and
heaven.