The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-12-05
ADDRESS BY DR.. YATES
(Continued from Page Nine.)


delivered to the saints. 1t has pleased
the Infinite Life 10 ordain THAT the prln-
cinle and force of life shall never be
manifested except in organization. Ev-
ery finite thing that lives is organized,
from a blade of grass to the cedar on
Lebanon, and from a microscope lnSerr
to man. Life must organize in order to
manifest itself, and it cannot manifest
itself otherwise God has manifested
His own life only in and through the or
ganization we call the material cosmos,
and to the human soul embodied in that
cosmos We distinguish machinery
from organized life in this, that ma
chinery has no essential internal force
belonging necessarily to its own struct-
ure to put it in motion. Its motor is
outside itself. While life is that inter
nal and necessary force impaired to,
and resident in, organized matter which
enables the organization to adapt itself
to its environments. This definition OF
life also differentiates organized life
from mere composite, as house or
meteOric stove.
Moreover. ii IS organiza ton alone that
makes death possible. This VII be i'm
mediately apparent If we remember that
all of the seventy or eighty simple ele-
cover, and out Of which, or with which,
the whole physical universe has been
constructed, are not subject to any con-
eeivable law or power Of DEATH that
is, they cannot be further decomposed,
because they are s:mples. Death is dis
organization and decomposition. The
human soul i a simple. because it is
spirit; and it cannot die in the sense Of
eeasing to be what it is; since not being
. composite il cannot be decomposed. 1t
is an immortal simple. and its life is a
special importation of the Infinite Life
in order that it may control all lower
organized life. None Of the simples COM
posing an organized body are ever an
initiated, since that would impugn the
wisdom of God, in that He had created
more than He needed. No atom of
oxygen, for instance, ever ceased TO be,
or ever will. 1t entered into all the uni
verses that are past, and will enter into
all that are to come, itself unhurt amidst
the wreck of forms and the crush Of
worlds. The conservation OF matter is
more important than the conservation of
energy, since If there were no matter
there could be no energy! And so the
soul is a simple in the highest sphere
of life. 1t is spirit-substance, and can
not die in the sense of ceasmg to be.
This spiritual sphere is the source from
which the force for material organization
issues. The soul being regenerated by
the Holy Spirit Is again put in control
of all lower spheres, and lifting the body
from the domination of the law of sin
and death, presents it. thus
a living sacrifice unto God, which
is not only a reasonable service, but
philosophical result. This is the re-
Hgious organization of the individual.
Now, this organized religious life Of
the Individual finds its further necessary
development in the organized church of
Christ. Hence, after the ascension Of
our Lord the disciples proceeded to or
ganize. The spread of the Gospel can
not go forward and its life forces can
not act in their fullness without the or
ganized church. Organization implies
a plurality of organs with their various
functions of office; and the organism we
call the church cannot be conceived TO
be living unless it is in possession and ex-
ercise of these laws and powers, and
gives a rational statement of its faith.
If the church, then, is necessity to
the Gospel, rs We have shown, various
@41''H-s are necessary to the church' !.
And then it follows that those persons
who seek to belittle the church, and
who try to belittle missions, home and
foreign, to denounce her as being in
league with sin and the cause Of every
current evil, and who impugn the mo-
tives and seek to weaken the authorities
of the church, are wicked in proportion
to their intelligence.
Nothing disturbed the calm sea Of DR..
Gloss religious life so much as the silly
clamor against the authorities and doc
trines of the church. And it is worse
now than it was in his day. The evil
grows by feeding upon itself. The mag
nitude Of the unrest, unbelief, corruption,
ignorance, fanaticism and consequent
spread of isms and absurd notions in
the name Of reliOn, is absolutely appall-
ing! 1t is fashionable with certain
classes to impugn the motives Of the au-
thorities of the church, to air a shallow
criticism of her creed, to ridicule any
detailed expression Of belief, and to
sneer at Theology. All this is born Of
a shallow mind, and is plainly sin if
the person has knowledge enough to be
accountable. Let us now pass on.
Some time between 1S45 and 1850 Dr.
Gloss and the late DIR. Deems were
mainly instrumental in having transfer
red to the North Carolina Conference
the North Carolina territory then be-
longing to the South Carolina conference,
including Wilmington and Fayetteville
and the adjacent circuits lying along
the South Carolina State line. The ses-
sion of the General Conference was
rapidly drawing to it's close. There was
in the city, where the General Confer
ence was held, yellow fever scare. and
the brethren were anxious to go home.
Drs. Gloss and Deems threatened to
make speeches of three days length, yell
low fever or no yellow fever, if the trans
fer Of the territory were not made The
brethren had thus the alternative Of
fered to them, either to risk the yellow
fever or give up the territory. They
chose the latter! And so DIR. Gloss
claimed that he had the Lord on his
side. At any rate, the movement, good
or bad, was largely brought about by
ILL