This was the beginning of a courtship, not the less sweet because it had
been postponed for so long; not the less real, from the fact that the
man and the woman were spiritual beings. "Sin," said the apostle, "is
without the body;" so love and affection are attributes of the spirit,
whether that spirit is within or without a tabernacle of flesh. And this
courtship did not differ to any great extent from all others which had
taken place from the beginning of time. There were the same timid
approaches and responses; the getting acquainted with each other,
wherein each lover's eyes glorified every act in the other; the
tremulous pressure of hands; the love-laden looks and words; the thrill
of inexpressible joy when the two were together. Neither was this
courtship exceptional. Among the vast multitude in the spirit world
there are many who did not mate in the brief time allotted to them in
the earth-life; therefore, congenial spirits are continually meeting and
reading "life's meaning in each other's eyes."
Rachel, though she claimed to have no "story" to tell, interested David
greatly in her account of how the Lord had chosen her as one of a family
to become a savior on Mt. Zion. The work for the dead had not interested
him. He, in connection with the youth of his time, had neglected that
part of the gospel plan; and now, of course, he saw his mistake.
"Yes," David acknowledged to Rachel, "I see my error now, as usual, when
it is too late to remedy it. You who were faithful rank above me here."
"Don't say that," she pleaded.
"But it is true. Your good deeds came before you here and gave you a
standing. Some of the treasures you destined for heaven were detained
here, and you are now reaping benefits from them. Do I not see it all
the time? When we meet new people, you are received with delight--I am
unknown."
"David, what comes to me, you partake of also, because--"
"Because you shall belong to me. Yes, dear one; that is the blessed
truth. The Lord has brought us together, and all else should be
forgotten in our gratitude to Him.... Rachel, we would have known each
other in earth-life had I behaved myself. Our lives were surely trending
toward each other, and our paths would have met. We would have loved and
have wedded there, had it not been for my--"
"Say no more. Let us forget the past in thinking of and planning for
the future. I am happy now, and so is your mother."
"And so am I."
IV.
"Whatsoever God doeth it shall be forever."--_Eccl. 3:14._
David and Rachel were out walking when they saw another couple whose
lovelike actions were noticeable. As they met, the couple stopped and
the man said, "Pardon me, but we are somewhat strange in this new world.
May we ask you some questions?"
"Let us sit down here together," suggested David, and he led the way to
a place where they could sit quietly. "Are you in trouble?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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