The Watchtower Society and John and Morton Edgar - A2Z.org

_that very day his thoughts perish." Does that lookas if he knew more than he did before? In the 6thPsalm, 4th verse, we read : " Return, 0 Lord, delivermy soul : 0 save me for thy mercies' sake."Then the 5th verse : " For- in death there is noremembrance of thee : in the grave who shall givethee thanks ?"Is it not clear then, dear ,friends,that the soul during this intermediate state is'in acondition of unconsciousness, waiting for the resurrectionawakening ?It is only when we understand what death isthat we can realise the beauty of that figure whichis so often used throughout the Old and New Testaments,the sleep of death. You remember how theLord said : " Our friend Lazarus sleepeth," andwhen His disciples did not understand Him, " thensaid JesuS unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead "-John XI., 11-14. Death is likened to sleep because ait is a state of unconsciousness to be followed byan swakening.I suppose you know, dear friends, that I am amedical man. bike most medical men I am sometimescalled out during the night. Occasionally Irequire to work all night, and as a consequence Iam very tired and sleepy next day. Being a busy- man, I seldom have time to rest during the day,but on one occasion I remember lying on a- couch,and shutting my eyes then -opening them again,said to myself : " I was very nearly asleep thattime." On looking at the clock, however, I wassurprised to see that I had been asleep for an hour !I Yhought I had simply closed my eyes for amoment, and could hardly believe that any intervalhad elapsed. Why was &at? Because the intervalwas a state of unconsciousness. I was asleep, and21