The record-union., 1894-03-26
SCIENCE AND A rurJAE LIFE
Synopsis of the sermon Preached by
Rev. 7. J. HOrner.

Synopsis of the sermon Preached by
Rev. I. j. Horner.
Unity Hall was filled yesterday by the
Unitarian congregation. The floral deco
rations were of unusual beauty. In the
Sunday-school potted plant was given
to every child. to be cared for in memory
of the day. The choir, under the efficient
leadership of DIR. G. t. Milliken, rendered
selections from Buck, Mendelsshon and
Mozart, which were highly appreciated.
In his sermon, Rev. T. j. Horner brought
modern science upon the witneSs-stand
to tell what it knew about immortality.
He claimed, first, the right of the rational
ist to part in the Easter joy. because
Easter in its origin antedated Christian
ity and is in reality but baptized Saxon
festival celebrated long before Christian
ity, crossed the Alps. Again, he said:
largely prevailed in the time OF Jesus,
His disciples would not have been so
quick to accept his resurrection.
'Now," said he, "let US put our re-
ligious faith aside to-day, and, treating
the whole question as an open one let us
ask modern science what answer it can
give to the question, If a man die, shall
he live again?'''
Science Immediately turns its attention
to the evidence already in. viz: The
resurrection of Christ, and rejects it as
not proved First, because the witnesses
do not agree as to what happened; Sec
ondly, a miracle is recorded as its cause.
and thirdly, after all. Jesus is said to have
risen from the tomb as God having put
off his humanity. If Jesus were man
in the sense that veal are men his resur
rection would prove nothing for the race
unless it could also be proved that the
same miracle will in turn be employed
to resurrect the race. Science finds no
such proof. Again. if Jesus rose as God,
it proves nothing for humanity. What
man has done man may do says science;
! but the moment Jesus passes out OF the
human category what happens to him is
no longer evidence of anything for
| human being.
Science then destroys the Christian
evidence as recorded in the gospel. and
leaves nothing but our primitive in
stinct, which clings to the immortal hope
while we pursue the inquiry.
| Science at first was very confident that
this life was all that humanity need look
| forward to, and with sublime resignation
said, "Pitch this one high" The break
| between religion and science, which fol-
| lowed rapidly, widened until the chasm
| between was so broad and deep that it
was thought no man could cross. AT that
time religion promised nothing except
what could be supported by faith. Sci
ence on the other hand, found so much
that was bright and clear and sure in the
realm of nature that escape from the one
| into the other seemed like coming out of
dark ness into light. Nature then pre-
sented itself as duality. Matter and
energy accounted for everything Thought
was affirmed to be secretion of the
brain, nothing more.
But this state of things did not last
long. The deeper the potentialities of
matter were explored the farther the
thing itself seemed to flee from the sight
of the experimenter. Finally it resolved
itself into molecules, which then seemed
to be but centers of energy. The twain
were made one. Mystery began to in
trude itself upon the scientist. The sun
did not shine upon all the relations of
| things that had to be examined, and of
| late years agnOStlclSm is coming TO be
good excuse for ignorance where few
| years ago all seemed sure. The unknown
even in the realm of nature is now recog
| niZed as lnfinity in comparison with
what is known.
| About thirty years ago the develop
ment theory threw it's calcium lights
upon the unity of nature and added
perspective to the relations of things seen
which reached away back into the past
beyond any possibility of investigation.
Then came the proof of the conservation
q
universe in which the vital energy that
| throbs in his own temples at the thought
of the mystery of 1t, all is one with that
which holds the worlds in their orbits.
The speaker then reviewed the tenden-
cies in mental science and stating that
while the greatest minds in that field diff
fered as to whether rift had been made
in the cloud that hides the future from US,
we should not look with contempt upon
the investigation of spiritualism. hypnO-
tism and related studies, provided it
was carried OH by competent men, who
were not predisposed to believe thing
before it is proved.
Not much, if anything. has been
gained from the land of the hereafter
said he, "but much, oh, how much SCI
cence has revealed as to what we are and
what we are capable of here on this dear
| old earth. AS prophesy, if nothing
more, it surpasses the dreams of the ages.
What wonderful thing is a human soul.
Being last term in a developing order,
| the crowning product of nature, the
flower of the tree of life, is it not to go on
and on, higher and yet higher, or is it
like a flash of light, to go out when this
is done? Faith in reason assures us that
the half has not been told"