The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-01-25
THE EFFECT OF DEATH.
BY REV. J. B. SAKE.

ticularly impressed with Mr.. Martins
metaphysics, dignified with the name
of philosophy. Did he ever study
the science of phrenology7 If he
has, he knows that the shape and
condition of the brain determine, to
large extent at least, the character
and conduct. Mr.. Sizer, or any
skillfnl phrenologist, taking account
of the temperaments, and condition
of the body, can read with almost alb
solute accuracy from an examination
of the Uranium, the intellectual and
moral character of any individual.
This is simply fact, whether it
agrees with anybody's metaphysical
speculations or not. And the shape
and condition of the brain depends
upon hereditary influences more than
upon any other one thing. Ofcourse
it depends also upon environment.
Parents "eat SOU, grapes, and chill
dren's teeth are set on edge" But
child brought up in that burning
emblem of an orthodox hell, the mod
ern saloon, will not have the same
shaped head as though he had been
brought up in Christian home and
in a well-conducted Sunday school.
There is reflex action. In this sense,
"mind dominates matter" The use
or exercise of a mental faculty in
creases the size of its organ in the
brain, just as the use of muscle in
creases the size and power of that
organ. If "the characteristics of the
brain result from the characteristics
of the SOUL" it is hard to see how "a
soul can incur moral guilt" in the
one case more than in the other. In
the first case, it goes wrong because
of the imperfection of its organ. In
the second case, because it was so
made. A square or triangle guilty"
because it was not made circle!
It is folly to try to give meta
physical definition of guilt. A salts
factory one has never yet been given
by any of the philosophers of the
world. Sin is the 'transgression of
the law;" and consciousne ss assures
us that this incurs guilt" whatever
that is. This is all we can know
about it. What it is no man can tell.
If we are "free moral agent" s"-mor-
ally free to do what we please there
can be no guilt in the ordinary accep-
tation of the term. We only do what
we are "free" to do. After July 4tb,
1776, Americans were free to disobey
all the laws of England. After the
suppression of the rebellion, the
slaves were free to disobey their for
mer masters. The case is the same
under divine sovereignty-if "God
foreordains whatsoever comes to
pass" So we might as we'll let the
puzzle alone. We can't guess the
riddle. John the Baptist was Naz-
arite from his mothers womb-under
a VOW to drink neither wine nor
strong drink; which the casuists in
terpreted to forbid the use of grapes,
moist or dry. But they held that
Moses commanded to eat grapes.
How could the two obligations be
reconcileds And So they wrangled
over this unsolvable conundrum.
But they were wiser after all than
our modern casuists. They said, we
cannot solve it. We will wait till
Messiah comes. He will tell US. So
we shall have to wait before we solve
the problem of guilt or the problem
of evil.
What does Mr.. Marlin mean by
"healthy, normal brains" OF course
not the brain of a drunkard, soaked
with whiskey until it will burn upon
the application of match. Not one
in state Of Inflammation, producing
insanity. Not the brain of an idiot,
born so. Not that of Pomeroy, the
boy murderer, who having been in
state prison many years, has learned
several languages, but is yet as he
was when he committed his crimes,
absolutely without any sense of right
or wrong-a complete moral idiot.
And his brain perfectly corresponds
to his character, as it always has.
Facts are stubborn things, as l re-
marked before.
l will grant that Christ had a
healthy, normal brain;" but he did
not sin, nor incur guilt. The mental
and moral faculties were all perfectly
balanced. But no brain is normal, in
the proper meaning of that term, un-
less its faculties are so balanced. If,
for instance, the organ of conscien-
ciousness is small, and acquisitive-
ness very large, the man is born
thief, and will as certainly cheat or
steal as the opportunity occurs, un-