, 1886-06-13

the New Testament answers it, but in
a very brief and general way, shy
ing what science now teache., that
man is an animal; not dwelling at nl
upon the question whether he emerged from
a lower form by intellectual unfolding and
growth, leaving that TO the schools.
but in so far as his physical structure
is concerned the structure Of nan and
that of the higher animals are
ph~ysiologically, anatouiically, almost identi-
cal The apostle everywhere speaks OF men
living 10 the flesh, meaning the animal, that
part OF man which is organized flesh He
speaks OF an NAL lusts and appetites and pas
sions, rs the 1eshly instincts OF the world. But
then he also speaks of him rs a spirit; rs
having by superinduction or evolution de
velopcd something upon this animal stock
that Is transccndently higher, and that has
prophetic elem ,nts in 1t also. and he divides,
therefore, the nesa us the animal man
and the spirit as the spiritual man,
and he determines in regard TO the
one. he that lives as an animal shall
live to corruption; that shall be the end Of
him; and he that lives to tho intellectual, the
reasonable and the moral element in man,
he shall live everlasting. Two harvest fields,
where men SOW to their passions and expect
the remuncrations in earthly sensations and
thrills-you can do that, and 1t has its
pleasure, its .trong points Of attraction; hut
he that gives his life 10 merely the sphere OF
animaiism dies as much as the deer in the
forest, the lion in the desert, the OK upon t1e
hill, the birds in the air, the fishes In the sea-
He goes out. He that sows to the spirit,
that l., to h higher nature, he shall have
life everlasting, n r~e-orgahizad existence,
protected cut OF the bounds of time and
earth, the leyond.
n 81 -. - Al n..l .l-1I ~ Az a y.
reap corruption. Shall it is sure to come.
What will it be-future torment No,
/ DO not mean that. 1 mean that
he that cultivates his lower. nero ami
NAL ia ure, with the animal perishes. Or,
II there b. n hope that there are yet germs
in him capable, by replanting. OF a better
development. yet through what busine s,
what toll. hat suffering he may go, if there
be an intermediate probationary period.
And this was the doctrine OF the print
tive church, and not only of the
church, but of that part Of 1t which had the
missionary spirit; which believed in r~evivals
of religion and was tho most spiritual. They
held that men must, dying In their
animaltsm, perish forever, and that
those that had yet a germ worth
rep anting went into a period whore, by pain
and suffering, that is to say by a rigor OF
"0't NV ClO% aANO b'N
condition, and were finally savable,
whereas. those that had overcome them
selves and had obtained their victory in
this life were tak-n Immediately into the
presence of Col and the holy angels
And that, as near as l can tell, is about the
way my own mind rests. l could not en-
dure the thought that heaven was a grand
rcscr voir Of mud, as 1t would be IL all the
barbarous tribes and all tho igno-
rant and stupid populations since
time Logan were poured in succe 'sive
streams over into heaven l could not want
TO go in it, and it is to my mind a relief that il
n man never rises any higher than the
animal lie he never will rise any higher,
and that the universe will never ses a God
enthroned that looks down upon the infinite
and prolonged torments Of unconceived
numbers of men shut up simply for the pur-
pose of suffering. II there be anything more
intdel than that. do not know what 1t is,
nor anyth ng that more efectually blots
out the possibility of respecting and
loving any God, than his continuing
10 create men with n sure foresight of their
perpetual suffering. And yet there is this
large intermediate class that has risen a GER
tain way up, and yet Is not clothed
for the society OF heavenly spirits.
They are ludded but no5 blossomed
and If tho early church believed,
through what sou ce of information l know
not, that there might be a probationary p
riol alter life, in which men shall develop
under Letter circumstances the yet crude
and unfrultful higher elements, l should
thank Gpd for that belief. IL Will make
provision FOR n vast part OF the human
fam ly, and take away also a great many oil
those sad ana melancholy conceptions which
we have when we look at tho conditions oil