The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-07-03
Creation and Conservation.

Creation and Conservation.
If creation is progressive there
must be such a thing as conserva-
ton. That which is created must be
conserved and prepared for that
which is not yet created. The first
stages must be so realized and con-
served as to FIT those that come after
and the new creation must join on
and realize itself by means of the
old creation. The mineral force, for
instance, being first in the order of
creation, must be 80 conserved and
realized as to be prepared for the
vital force and the vital force must 30
join on to the mineral force, as to use
it in realizing itself and making the
creation continuous and harmonious.
Now the relation between conserva-
ton and creation is the relation be-
tween the natural and the super
natural. The natural is that which
is realized and conserved; the super
natural is that which is not yet real
lied and conserved,-that is the un-
created. Nature, when taken alone
and unlimited or unqualified by any
other word, means the sum of created
things. That which is realized and
conserved is Nature, no more, no less.
Nature is the created, never the un-
created. Its meaning is as fixed and
certain in philosophy and common
usage as any word can be. When
we say God and nature we do not
mean one and the same thing. By
the one we mean the uncreated; by
the other the created; by the one
the cause, by the other the effect; by
the one the independent, by the other
the dependent. Any effort therefore,
to make the term nature cover both
the uncreated and created. the cause
and the effect, God and nature, is
misleading and Intellectually dis
honorable. 1t is playing fast and
loose" with our intellectual counters,
and so confuses thought, bellies
speech, and renders philosophical
discussion impossible. Words must
be held to their legitimate meaning
and not be used in double sense or
false sense, if we are to make any
progress in our search for truth or
attainment of correct thought.
By nature, therefore, is meant the
created. 1t is that which is realized
in time and space at any particular
period. AS Dorner says it is the
temporary world-system." So much
of the world-system as is realized at
any particular time, so much is ma
ture. When for instance, the mineral
force was created and was at work
forming the solid ground, nature in
cluded only this force and its works.
The mineral world constituted the
whole of the nature. There was no
organic nature for there was no or
ganic world. Nature did not include
the vital force or spiritual force for
neither had as yet realized itself in
the world. The whole of nature was
then included in the mineral force.
The whole of nature was covered by
by the mineral force, the whole of
nature, we mean, so far as this planet
is concerned, for to this planet our
discussion is confined. The laws of
nature then were the laws of matter
only; the laws of the mineral force.
There were no laws of life for there
was no life. There we're no laws of
mind for there was no mind. The
natural pertained exclusively to the
mineral force. What this force did,
the way this force acted, were natu.
raj and nothing else was, for nothing
else existed. The mineral force was
created, nature signifies the created,
therefore, nature covered only the
mineral force and the natural per-
tanned only to the works and ways of
this force.
Now the new creation, the coming
of the vital force, was supernatural.
1t was miracle to the realized world
system. There was nothing in that
system to produce this force. There