The herald., 1894-03-26
Firat Prosbytsrian Church.


yesterday shared in a services few will
ever forget The beautiful Arrangement
OF the flowers, appropriately white and
green, was not only charming to the eye
at ret sight. but had deeper sugges-
tione TO the thoughtful observer, reveal
ing a mind in harmony with the spirit
OF the day. The music, always delight
full in this church, was an exceptionally
fine rendition of choice Easter selections
by the usual choir, with tho addition OF
Mrs. Simpson, and directed by Prof.
Morrison. The enthusiastic expressions
OF praise heard on every side as the con-
gregation dispersed, left no doubts as to
the complete satisfaction of those who
appreciated Prof. Morrison's careful
preparation for this Easter service. The
musical programme included the Festi-
val Te Dsum Dudley Buck), Christ the
Lord Is Risen Today, Christ Our Pass
over (Wheat) and the beautiful hymn,
Holy Spirit Come.
Mr.. Howard not only believes himself
in the doctrine of the Immortality of
the soul. but he also evidently believes
that the idea OF the eternal persistence
of the human soul is not alone based
on presumptive proof, but is scientific.
His text was l. Corinthians, 18th chap
ter, more particularly 10th to 10th
verses. He said the doctrine OF the
resurrection of the dead assumes the
fact OF Immortality.
Can the immortality OF the soul be
proven? Have we any direct evidence
on the subject? So, is the idea OF the
eternal persistence of the human soul
based on presumptive proof, or is it
scientific? Arguments to prove the i'm
mortality of the soul have been founded
on three kinds of testimony. The first
was inference from analogy; but anal
ogy ie not argument. The second line
of argument was in the realm of phil
osophy. The third line of argument is
ecriptural, and. in a sense, historic.
The first may be laid aside as of little
worth; the second regarded as negative,
at the best; the third as appealing only
to those whose minds are already COM
mitted to the authority OF book.
Is there no demonstration of hard,
cold facts that will press the issue on
irresistibly to its conclusion? Minds
are not constituted alike, and what ia
proof to one may fail to convince some
body else. But there is line of reason.
ing that seems exceedingly strong and
more scientific than many processes oil
thought that we accept and call ra-
tional.
The doctrine of immortality, if certain
premises positively declared by all
scientic thinkers, be admitted, is just as
certain aa the fourth term OF q problem
in proportion or as any unknown term
in the series OF an arithmetical pro-
gression. The proof ceases to be pre-.
sumtive and becomes a moral certainty.
1t is admitted by everybody having
sufficient intelligence to form an opin-
ion, that the phenomena OF nature are
produced by certain forces that operate
in accordance with certain fixed laws.
Tneee laws are 30 constant that if we
are given the force and the condition oil
it's working we can determine with ex.
actness its results at any required time,
az for instance, the force of gravitation
Now if we can find any other force on
a greater OF smaller scale in a different
realm of nature, operating progressively
and il we can ascertain the law of its
working, we may prophesy results with
q certainty that cannot be called pre-
sumption, if only we do not 60 beyond
the point where fact ceases and fancy
begins in using our known factor. II
we find q force working progressively "
and steadily, and can see plainly that
the series is not yet perfect, that there
is room for further development, that
the power is not lost, we are fullysjusti-
fed in claiming, positively, that some
where and some time in the future the
process that has brought results par
italy perfect will go on operating by the
same law up to completeness.
Now, then, il we can find force in
nature that moves constantly from
matter up TO spirit, gradually incIeAs-
ing the spiritual and making the mate
rial less and less essential, we shall
have gone long way towards the proof
OF Immortality.
He then glanced back over the history
OF the world, in it's long process OF de-
velopment, to find that the earth was
formed by long series of mighty opera
tions for the nouriahing of life, and that
as the preparation for the maintenance
OF life went OH the life OF the earth grew
into a higher order with a more COM
plex organism.
AS the conditions changed the form
OF life changed also from the first there
being development of life from lower
forms to higher. In fact, the process of
nature is clearly the working of vital
forces according to fixed laws OF pro-
gression. At any stage of the unfolding
or development it would have been
reasonable and scientific to have said
that life ia its form at that time WAS not
complete, and, inasmuch as the plain
law of nature was constant upward
process, therefore in days to come we
must logically expect that it would be
fonnd under more highly developed
forms. So when God said let us make
man in our image, and when he
breathed in the nostrils OF an
animal body living soul, he was
simply adding another and higher and
more complex term to the long series
that was borne on Increasingly by an in
exorable law OF life. Man is the crown
ing term of long line of development.
Now, we must certainly hold that un-
less man has reached state of absolute
perfection the process of unfolding must
still so on. Life is a continual becom-
ing. The race, and with it all its rela-
tions and capacities and powers, is per-
petually moving forward and upward
toward goal that has not yet been
reached. The whole movement of his.
tory. in all that is vital and permanent,
is q movement from the outward and
visible to the inward and spiritual, ae
evidenced by the ideas that have held
the race respecting the true measure Of
man. First, they measured men
by their knotted muscles and