The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-05-05
THE IMMORTALITY or TIE SOUL.
The Doctrine as Viewed from Unitarian
slandpoint by the Rev. WIN IL. AIger.

Inc doctrine as viewed from n Unitarian
Standpoint by the Rev. VIM. H. Aiger.
The Rev. w. II. Algcr of the Unitarian
Church of the Messiah. in his sermon OF last
Sunday. gave reasons for his belief in the i'm
mortality Of the soul. He said that for many
centuries the idea prevailed that man in this
world is in grub state. or wound up in CO.
coon like silk worm; but that when tho grub
condition is past. the spirit emerged like q but
trrfy into the sunshine Of a new existence. Tho
Eternal had ordered this law. and it cannot be
Otherwise than fulfilled. In the material world
nothing is destroyed There may be changes
OF atomic Arrangement and compounds but os-
sences never ccuse to exist. Changes are mere
ly mechanical and mountaineering is an
initiated. Now are minds--our sous-tho es-
senccs Of thoughts-to be destroyed? No. They
will be preserved to all eternity. 1t is impossi-
bic for u logical mind to conceive the annihila-
ton Of soul-thc bouting out Of love-
memory. Conscience. and all the reasoning
faculties. Death is simply change Of exist
ence. There Is no proof to show that 1t is
humiliation. 1t is the ladder by which We
climb to the angelic realms of heaven. Man is
assured Of his future exalted condition. What
il needed to make man highcr2 Freedom from
clay. Man il physically born into the world.
but death is another and n higher birth. As
cal mother. so is the soul separated from the
body. Some say that the soul s an old
stager" ON this earth. and claim that we have a
shadowy re- objection OF prGcxistence. II this Is
so. it Is mother proof Of the Immortality Of the
soul But u W. r'Je" the idea Of anterior We.
" need not throw aside our belief In immOr-
tally. That Col hns not given MS chance tx
list nro Is srli-eVidonL II IL one Of the m AZ
patent Of all aXioms;, God IS method persona
fled. H. madc our lives ON earth for "a " So
purpose. md placed rs IN this mortal school Ia
prepare ms for Immortality. Our iain that here
ia u tUture life is based ON reflection. EVcry
evidence shows US that our existence here IT,
not all some persons die ia infancy, others IN
childhood others in youth AMI others I'M man
hood; but at the most mortal life ~ Ot short
duration. II do T. not stand TO reason that the
Creator has brought us into existence for such
to be- dead2 Death strictly means n past cX-
sten'e. Chndhooi dies when tue person
Is dead when manhood Is reached. \ day that
is past is "a dead day and condition that IN
past = dead condition. II we survive So many
deaths. why can W. not survive the so-oalicd
death That liherates the soul from the ply slca
body The ,a-. Is t1c srandicst death oi AL. It
dynamic mover. Man is active powcr-frce
Will. II W. admit that the euul Ia material we
must acknowledge that II is immortal, for mate
ral-atpms-neve cease to exist. An individual
soul is on''-a simple suhstnnce-not composite,
absolutely simple and eternal. a strong proof
10 conceive ourselves dead; we have dread Of
q deuthly existence. Ii Is "A horror Of the grave.
The s act that T L i Dreaded shows tNat i IS not
oblivion. View 1t any way We may. there IL an
inner consciousness OF future existence.
Muscle. nerve. brain belong to the world. but
love. memory. and Imagination are immortal.
All Of our attributes show our relationship with
God God is not a God Of impere ton. He
never leaves his work partly done. As We oxist
here we are imperfect. We need the higher
life to make US perfect. We have warrant Of
g God Cd Isl is not nckle God. His purposes are
eternal Our Creator Is not mocker., He doos
and holy purpose. he is serious, he does not
create the spiritual man AS an image OF snow
to me- away. but the soul image is Of enduring
marble. As nothing s lost in the material uni
verse. so is nothing lost OF our mental expert
enccs. Our attachments. al that We have
learned by Experiences on Garth will ROMAN in
| our memory for all eternity. Thus our imper-
ieetions viii ee nade ins Inst, Of making
not 70 T. waste. II would be absurd 10 say that
such master minds as Milton and Shakespeare
went into oblivion: Mans ambition, all Of his
| not be given him solely 10 prepare him for the
grave. A grand argument Of the immortality
OF the soul is the fact that God is love. loving
! parent would not annihilate "a enid. We cannot
| conceive Of God Of love who would cronte
feelings u ancct.o ION, gratitude and yearning for
| higher lie in the hearts OF his children, only
| 10 lash all this and turn them into the darkn IS
| OF oblivion. He does not make Us as ground
! sparrows IN our earthly nest. 10 be crushed 10y
| the iron heel OF destruction into nothing. Our
sense OF N" justice ~ God prccludcs the thought
| that the Creator could be- SO unfair to his croa-
| lures. God is justice. Otherwise he would not
be- God. In this world sanity spirits are phys
| ically weak and suffer wrongs. Nillainy. stron;
| AMI 49, iful, triumIh- over weakly honesty. lile
! p"nplr thrive 10y thn fruits earned by Ia" indus
| irlous. Tho world is fun Of wron-s that are
not right ID. II this world were all. there would
| b" unfinished justice. Another existence, alter
| this world Therefore. is needed The cruel Nero
and sanity Paul will not. after this life. dr !
into thu sumo cond ton our noble aspiration,
| and acts. like torgrt-mr-npis. Will Ice pluck"d
| here and transplnntrd in Heaven. Onc-hal
| Of the human race die before reaching the NJ,
| OF ton years. In ten yru-s human BE- lnl.s cOult
moi do All ihcir work. . cre must b., a com
| plation beyond the grave. There is bal
| nnins in tho hereafter. We have u seren,
cunNdru M future reward and a conscious
u,s- of punishment hereafter. Our cons len 90,
are corridors along which como and - ON
comnlunions VITA God. We have no rlght {,
criuri-a our Creator We nave pr,munitluns 81
wrlromn. and there are lights on the headland'
ON tn" other shore. and hear thought whispers
from tho other world. Tine idea of immurtalii!
must Doe true. because il is universal. The say
age and the civilized man. the Ignorant and TIM
learned all have "A -rn-e of the future existence
! OF the SOUL. The belief is natural. and natur
and Got never deceive God cannot lie. Moth
| in, graz itates toward nothing. Our uspirat ON
draw VI toward the bcuer life. and We canno
deny that We hav' aspirations. The proofs U
! lumD rtIlty are Seli-cVlirnt