Free Bird

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  “. . . A light broke in upon my brain,—  It was the carol of a bird;  It ceased, and then it came again,  The sweetest song ear ever heard,  And mine was thankful till my eyes  Ran over with the glad surprise,  And they that moment could not see  I was the mate of misery.  But then by dull degrees came back  My senses to their wonted track;  I saw the dungeon walls and floor  Close slowly round me as before,  I saw the glimmer of the sun  Creeping as it before had done,  But through the crevice where it came  That bird was perched, as fond and tame,  And tamer than upon the tree;  A lovely bird, with azure wings,  And song that said a thousand things,  And seemed to say them all for me!  I never saw its like before,  I ne’er shall see its likeness more;  It seemed like me to want a mate,  But was not half so desolate,  And it was come to love me when  None ...

Death ends it all

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An evangelist told the story about the atheist that said to him, “I do not believe what you are preaching.”

The evangelist replied, “You have told me what you do not believe; perhaps you will tell me what you do believe."

“I believe that death ends all.”

“So do I; shake on it.” And the evagelist thrust out his hand.

“What!” the atheist exclaimed. “You believe that death ends all?”

“I certainly do,” the evangelist answered.

The atheist said, “You are a strange Christian.”

“I am sure of that; there is none other like me in the world. As a Christian, I assert the belief that death ends all.” When the atheist said he had never heard such a thing, the evangelist added, “It is time you heard something new.”

“Death ends all your chance of doing evil. Death ends all your joy, all your projects, all your ambitions, all your friendships. Death ends all the Gospel that you will ever hear. Death ends all for you; then you go out into the outer darkness.

“Death ends all my wanderings, all my tears, all my perplexities, all my aches and pains. Death ends it all, and I go to be with my Lord in Glory.”

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