, 1877-08-05
Why Should a Digger Indian
Live Forever, ANY More than
a Newfoundland Dog?
The Traffic in church.Lirings By English
Clergymen...Ezte1t Of The Evil.
Yesterdays Services at the
Lake Bluff Camp
Meeting.
General Church Notes...Pious
Smiles---Services To-
Day.

1.-THE NEGATIVE SIDE.

SHALL W 4 Al LII LIVE AGAIN.
1.-THE NEGATIVE SIDE.
From the Ionston Spesfalnr.
The answer 10 the Colntist proposition. that
tho Immortality ri the soul is only misaesc1ip
1ion VI the PEST hu,Eous life Of man, coptajnei
in tie Last Spectator, is 4 very strong one; bu1
docs not quite cover the whole case There is q
Acrcsy sub1ler than Mr.. Iiar~isnn's and it ma,
he nlurc dangerous, which at present greatly
attracts Il few, and by-antl-hy will attrac,
thousands, who, nevertheless, are not
w.ll:ng to placc themselves entirely out.
side tie Christian pale 1t attracts NC, confes,
ytry strongly, aud, though yet it is not fairly
entitled To tc called = faith, but only working.
hypothes!s,-a theory that explains much, il not
alI, of the pcrp!cxing problems OF existence
pelAaps ! may be permitted to state it, for tue
sake Of convenience. IS ii it were an absolute
convection. hold, then, as & hypothesis. that
Rome men, possibly very many men, large pro-
PORTION. live ugs:in, but that all men do not;
that the poteutlaiity Of continued existence,
witch We tall Soul. is nut an Inherent quality or
at'n5utc oi the lutuan race, but an acquired or
gwen quality Of sonlc portion OF it only. Nv
rcasons Tor that belief are these:
The existence OF Creator, of sentient
Being who is the ultimate cause OF all material
things Of which 1t, has or can have coguizauce
is assumed Ii that is not granted, we are all
thrown hack upon different and far deeper line
OF argument, into whicl, to-day have neither
spacr nor INCLINATION to enter; but, that being
granted, thea It follows that the existence Ut
lnan must have some purpose, some object,
which that Creator intends through man to
serve 1t is simply incredible that So mar
velous an cxertion Of power, conscious
and far-seeing power, as the develop
ment or creation OF man, could be 1ucan-
lngcss, or could have small rncaning,-
could have been accomplished in sport, or for a
purely temporary end About the method OF
thu work Of creation say nothing, and, for tue
purpose uf luis argument, care nothing.
Whether man is tue result If direct creation or
Of the slow development Of an effective law, is
matter just now Of very minor Importance
The Being who could err-ie out of nothing or
cut Of Himself SO efficient material atom
rnut out OF it man had to spring; the Legislator
who could make 4 law SO far-seeing, SO wise,
aud SO compelling, that under it, through end
less centuries or cycles OF centuries,
the tittcst must survive, and the un-
fit must perish; who could torcsce Newton,
and compel an Ascldian to such obedience that
uut Of hin Newton not only could come, but
must eonc,-,s Il Being and Legislator that is
sufficient tor me- Whether He is the ultimate
Gou, the Que Of Th01n man strains so perpetu-
ally and fal!s SO GENEROUSLY to io.in conception
or only Dcmiursus, subordinate existence in
tsuatei with delegated power, and capable 4
therefore, ALIKE of mistaKe and OF ter
Ea,nation,--he is. 50 utterly above INC
ol'ey them; II can only discover His will,
will du it; il can only ascertain Ills purpose,
viii TO tny best-as a dog would, aud that
analogy is lAr too lofty-to insure their fulfill
lncnt~ Whatever Heis, the notion that, it He
.ytsts, he eau have wasted the marvellous
energy dlscerlibIe i'll the making OF man by |
creative tat or by yiyiiying law, Is incredible
and indeed absurd. There nlust-that one |
hypothesis the existence Of creating Mind, be-
lug gtanfed-oe purpose in the making Of man. ]
And il 1uan, as whole, as an existence, dies
with this li.c, that purpose has failed. Think |
ef 1t as lie will, regard it from any point Of |
view, rscs his brains till they are sick with |
thought, or doubt, or longing, aud still tue |
kecl'sst intellectually among lis has only to &C
knt"le1ge that man US mortal being is q |
failure lie is not tit object Of lovcto Great !
or. even II one could conceive Of an object OF ]
1--we with the life ol an ephemcris. He is not a |
Contribution to the glory Of God, whatever !
lie is not Of any use, or rather the separate |
quality III him-thc accumulating 1ilind !
is hot Of any use, for he, and it, and all its
Ealns, vast as they may yet become, must, if he
Is mortal, pass into nuth:ngncss,-notliugn
60 ai'soiu1c that VT may reverse even Emerson's
tremendous scntcucc, and affirm that man is not
even manure; fur, within period which, even /
q mostas count, is small, the world will be
c.llled ftyond tho riyfying effects OF any guano
1nah las Yet discovered, or usud, OF can beconle.
! he.e IS no purpose III mans existenct,-or, to
" inore cxatt, no purpose in the existence Of
tu3t III him which separates him from the brute
ii lie Is mt to endure.
inrre may br-tlunptlcss there arc-minas
10 "a'ci thu idea Of God is always present, yet
10 which That argument seems weak. 80 Ue it. |
am stating all opinion, not pronouncine
uocfila wilcn say thai to 1ne it is answerab1c
enat my nilnd, though capable OF holding doubts
on % al things, even iile 1in<loo doubt whether
al' i not Illusion, and co2able Of At least COM
y uses e to dissociate tine cxistenec OF
bud and Tue continued existence OF !
nan: Is incapable Of pcrceiying that Deisrn and
'4@.8fml:sm are not direct contradictions in !
'ereciyec, uf simultaneous discussion. But the
'cist1 that tie eIi~teuce of man has purpose
: s.eil IS not fulfilled ii he dies like a iiower
Isss 1'o1 ca:rs win it the belief that the exist
.ate OF every 'nan has equally purpose which
aust always be fulfilled. The purpose may be
General .-sonctiljng which the whole race OF
nan 1lar fulfill, and not The individual. In
yer: o.her department OF life we see or
4'AR 6fe See, The operation OF the grand law,
ae survival Q! thu fttest: Why not in this de-
use the rra<t1cc Vi the governing Mind is the
Tosuses, waste. Why not in the creation OF
uans u stars, NC know. perish. Entire species
!! y Irving creatures l'are died out unknown.
ne'tal qualities, have passed to
he abyss. No matter pcrashes; but
he being iuto which matter is formed
-lhe tree, the flower, tho statue-per!sites |
1e;F7crablv every day. Why should not the
aan i'll whom ti.at which his Creator desires. or
\ n f+1YG ]