The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-06-02
THE RESURRECTION OF THE
EARTHLY BODY.

Mgr. Thomas S. Preston of New
York, well-known Roman Catholic,
is reported as saying that "the custom
of cremation is an attack upon the
doctrine of the resurrection. The
Church holds fast to the sacredness Of
the body, and teaches that the selfsame
body which is buried shall rise again.
Mgr. Preston further remarks that if a
dying Catholic, being informed of the
teaching of the church upon the GUS
tom, should persist in the wish to have
his body cremated the funeral would
not receive the sanction of the church
and could not be attended with its rites.
"No public masses could be said for the
soul of the deceased"
Mgr. Preston is very explicit with
reference to the teaching of the Roman
church in regard to the resurrection of
the body. No doubt the church afirms
the doctrine, but at the same time its
ieliverance5 on the subject are not as
comprehensive,and explicit as many of
the orthodox Protestant denominations.
The council of Trent "a. D. 56) is the rec
ognized authoritative exponent of Ro-
man Catholic doctrine, but it bears tes-
timony on this subject only in re-affirm-
ing the words of the Niceno Constan-
tinopolitan creed, "a. D. 3S1). This
creed says, speaking of Christ: sHe
shall come again with glory to judge
both the quick and the dead, whose
kingdom shall have no end
And 1 look for resurrection Of the
dead and the life of the world to come. y
This declaration might be subscribed
by one who denies the resurrection of
the flesh. Augustine, however, writes
on this subject in manner that leaves
no doubt as to his precise meaning:
Every body, however dispersed here
shall be restored perfect in the resur
rection. Every body shall be complete
in quantity and quality. AS many
hairs as have been shaven off or nails
cut shall not return in such enormous
quantities to deform their original
places, but neither shall they perish;
they shall return into the body into that
substance from which they grew"
The doctrine of the resurrection of
the body, meaning by that the resur-
rection Of the veritable fiesh-the blood
and bones and muscles-is one of the
ideas of the old theology which the ra-
tional progress of mankind has left en-
tirely behind so far as the accepted
faith of the people is concerned. Sci
ence unites with the Scriptures in de-
claring that "the body returns to the
dust as it WIS 1t is taken up amid
the various ramifications of nature,
made constituent in new forms and
combinations, and 'sblown about the
desert dust or sealed within the iron
hills" Its decay and return to the
elements from which it springs is one
of the facts of science which cannot be
disputed and which must stand no
matter what the teachings of the creeds.
But the doctrine remains, nevertheless,
in the creeds, and is very definitely set
forth in nearly all of the various declar-
ations and confessions which are recog-
nized by the orthodox denominations Of
the present time in the old world and
also in this country.
The Orthodox Confession of the
Eastern church (1643), the declaration
which sets forth the faith of the Greek
and Russian church, in one of it's many
articles, teaches positively that "there
will be a resuscitation of human bodies
alike of the good and the wicked, and,
moreover, they shall be altogether in
the same bodies in which they have
lived in this world" The Scotch Con-
fession 1880, the Belgic Confession
Q601), which is the basis of the Re-
formed Dutch church in America; and
the Westminster Confession (l647), the
creed of the Presbyterian church in
England and America, are all united in
formulating this doctrine. The latter
says: SAT the last day such as are
found alive shall not die, but be
changed, and all the dead shall be
raised up with the selfsame bodies and
none other" The Savoy Declaration
Q65S), adopted by the Congregational
churches of England, and the Boston
Confession of 1880, accepted by the
New England Congregational churches,
affirms the same doctrine as the West
minister above quoted.
In DR.. Whiton's "Gospel of the Res
direction" the reader will find the var
ious creeds of the orthodox denomina-
lions touching this particular point.
In one of the official declarations quot
ed the question is asked, "How shall
the body rise again after it has rotted
and persisted in the ground ?" The
answer is made, "Since God formed the
body from the ground originally he can
equally restore it after it has persisted
in the ground"
The resurrection of the literal body
involves miracle, no matter in what
way the case is presented. Mgr. Pres
ton has therefore no good ground for
his opposition to cremation as the mode
of disDosino of human hodiaS. IF the