The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-11-17

bhC lusAli, bhO 'eiANfAoy " WIN "
iginal title-deeds is a matter OF indif-
ferencel The truth cannot be taught
by means of lie! That transaction
which we call death is a most real
and literal transaction-as we shall
all find. That transaction which we
call the resurrection must be most
real and literal also; none the less SO,
but only the more so, because it is
the rising up of an indestructible
personality out of predominantly ma
terial into predominantly spiritual
conditions. l say "predominantly"
because as man is not all body here
there is no reason to suppose that he
must be all spirit there. Man is not
all material on this side of death. He
is now a supernatural being, living
partlyin an order of nature and partly
in an order of mind which is above
and which controls nature. His
death is step in development; not
necessarily complete transforma-
ton.
The modern Christian conception OF
the function of death, starting from
the resurrection of Jesus, and mould
ed and shaped by the attrition of
nineteen centuries of developing ex-
perience, observation and thought, is
wholly different from that of ante
Christian times. We believe that
death is the cessation of physical
functions only,-that it has no power
over the spirit. We believe, we know
that upon the cessation of its func-
tions the body disintegrates. We
believe in the instant re embodiment
of the released spirit in higher form.
What we name death is in reality
the sign of the birth into that higher
form. We believe that death is the
resurrection = the rising up = into
higher form and force. We believe
that the resurrection is quite un-
speakably more than the mere resus-
citation of the body. HE is not
here; he is risen" Not descended into
a shadow-life, not returned into his
manned and shat cred body, but
risen into higher conditions. The
re entrance upon the same condi-
tions, the mere continuance of exis-
tence on the same plane, without the
rising up-the betterment-would be
but a poor boon. To live and die,
and live and die again, in a gainless
round of births and deaths, would be
to balk every spiritual desire, and
make of life nameless horror from
which humiliation would be glad
escape. The Christian resurrection
is not proftless reincarnation,-it
means ascension, betterment, growth,
progress.
Now, the modern scholar takes
these conceptions of the resurrec-
ton back to the grave of Jesus, and
applies them there. Death has no
power over the spirit. Jesus spirit
then, that is, he himself. is not dead.
Where is he? He is already re en-
bodied in his higher form. What
has become of his earthly body? We
cannot say, although the theory of
M. Reville that the Jewish authorities
caused it to be removed from the
tomb and secretly buried in order to
prevent the tomb from becoming a
sacred shrine and resort of pilgrims,
his plausibility, but-we cannot say,
and we do not greatly care. We want
not the earthly body but the heaven
ly message. Our question is, Where
is Jesus himself? Has he gore
away to meet his Father in heaven?
But his Father is also on earth, was
with him at the cross, and there re-
ceived his commended spirit.
Our question still is, Where is
Jesus? and from out that borderland
of necessary yagueness, awe, dubiety
establishment, glad surprise and eter-
nal hope-the answer of the gospel
narratives is, that in his new body,
visible and tangible to their awak-
ened perceptions, he is yet lingering
among his disciples, making them
know that he is more greatly alive
than ever before, and thus complet-
ing in the only conceivable way his
great message of eternal life.
The characteristic feature of the
modern scholars treatment of the
Resurrection is the combination of
all sources of light into one lens.
Through this lens he looks at the
rising-up of Jesus. He knows that
in dealing with SO momentous sub
ject he must be more than a mere
specialist,-he must avail himself of
both knowledge and faith. He brings
to his aid the sciences of spirit and
affection, as we'll as the sciences of
force and matter. The greatest