The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-12-16

Professor AleSandar HWHs ImnS away.
ha Iu ene hrst geology class to- wbicb
keon ana have since then tried 70
lect p up Win his work. / heard him
lecture on Geology and Genesisn nna
nave read his work on "pre. dan,tomn hn
Mhiie can not fully accept his theorv
-, uo not see anything in it to controSict,
a atI oeautil9l, poetic descriptions of ere.
ta .ron contained In the first two chan
as oL Genesis. Adam is presented by
and t, inspired historian as the ancestor
nartn ,ype Oh the Messiih. After his de-
parture from Eden we learn that there
was great deterioration on the nart nf
some OF the descendants of Adam. md
T1ney doubtless adopted savage life,
Inc same thing can be said of some of
the descendants of Noah.
VII there ever be a type of animal
superior to man? This is certainly nm
interesting problem. | think man is the
highest type for the following reasons :.
/ ~ All geological ideas and prepare.
IONS converge In man, everything pre-
ceulng man seems to have been design
ed Tor his use, and the system of ma.
lure is so arranged as to stimulate his
thinking powers. All vertebra develop
lnent seems 10 have reached its consuin-
nation in man. (2) Mans superiority
over the brute creation seems to ind-
cate that God had a special purpose in
bringing him into eXistence-a purpose
beyond everything else created. Mans
universal geographical range makes 1t
evident that God intended him for the
communicating type of creation. All
other animals are limited in their geo.
graphical range. but not man. He Is
monarch Of this earth. His erect pos
ture enables him to subdue the earth
and contemplate the heavens.
The Christ of history is the perfect
| man. Organic evolution reaches its
goal in the first Adam. Human evolu-
tion finds it's consummating type in the
second Adam-the Lord from heaven.
| Christ is the ideal man, and the work
of evolution now is to bring humanity
up to this IDEAL In evolution goal is
not only the completion of one stage,
but it Is also the beginning of higher
stage. 1t introduces higher plane OF
life, with higher capacities. AS man is
the completion of animal evolution and
also birth into higher plane of spirit
ual life, so Christ Is the completion OF
human evolution, and also birth into
the higher plane of divine life. When
we become Christians we have II higher
spiritual life implanted into our natures
which relates us directly to the invisible
and spiritual universe.
What is man?
EVERYTHING preceding man appears tt
be A prophecy of his appearance upon
the earth. That he has close relation
ship to the animal below him no one
will for moment question. nat M
also has elements in his nature relating
him to the world above him is Just as
evident. He occupies that hiatus whlcf
would otherwise have been unoccupie'
between the natural and spiritua
worlds. His nature seems to be mace
I'D of the grossness Of the one ana th'
refinement of the other.
Some philosophers, looking ohly
the material side of man, have denne'
him simply as an intelligence assisted
nv organs. In his bodily organization
man is. of course. an animal, and an,
| true definition of man must inclun
| his relationship to the lower animals II
hut il should not stop there. Whll
| man is an animal he is much more ina
an animal. He is an organized. !nteii
gent being, endower with the powers 0
! abstraction and conscience. Man wa
created in the image of God. lhis
not the decentralization of some obj2'
or force of nature, but the God VI IN
first chapter of Genesis. Between III
attributes of Jehovah and those
man there is great dlfferehce' III,
this makes it possible that man roui
have been formed in the image OF Ho'
DIR. Lowber next showed ina. nj:
wac created in the image of God
intellect, sensibilitles ana VIII. Tie tue
proceeded as follows
No student of human nature can den
the fact that man is so conSti'"''
that he will Worship; lie
naturally IL religious being an
will worship something. 1t Is als
| g, fact that he becomes assimllated 10 III
| character of the object worshipped. Ines
! facts make it quite certain that no ldoiil
| trous nation can extricate Itseh lroil
! ;dolatry There is no hope for SlyaE
nations. except by presenting TO thch
| deals from without The view OF humai
nature which we have taken makes
very certain that the progress OF h9lilai u
ity has resulted from Gods reNGiatloh .
man in nature and the Bible. Wheh Il,
nations fully accept thar reNgioi whiSi
teaches the fatherhoOd OF God anu .ii'
universal brotherhood OF man, men 'rn,
culture will result III the periccfloh OF
humanity.
WHITTIER is man bound? In this
connection we VIII coiiiiie oui
argument for higher destiny for man IL
Tho almost universal belief Of mankind in
, future state of existence. Comparative
tbeologists are now fully agreed upon
the correctness of this proposition The
doctrine of a future state OF rewards ana
nnnishments was believed in by the an
rient Egyptians, Chaldeans, Babylonians,
Greeks. Romans, and, in fact, al the
nations of antiquity. The doctrine oil
Zoroaster largely prevailed in, Media,
Persia. Babylonia, Assyria. nand there
can be no question in reference 10 his DC
lief in immortality and a future state:
| am fully satisfied that many writers
do not correctly represent the Dellet Oh
MANY nations on the question OF future
state. Things familiar are used to rep
resent the future, as this is the best that
can he done in the imperfect language
of man. and nations are supposed to nave
materialistic conceptions of the future
when really their ideas are more spirit
nal Mohammed's view was certainly
moterialistic enough. but not as much
so M many are disposed to think. His
representation of paradise is an intensi-
fcation of the happiness of this life, ana
be could not well have conveyed his
thoughts TO the Arabs in any other way.
TIA believed in the spirituality of God.
= nd mist have had Il higher conception OF
" "D future state than simply that of an
n.rthIv paradise. The North American
Indians appear to have very material
IDEAS of the future, but they believe in the
Great Spirit, and in the land OF spirits.
ond ,pnst have used earthly things as
symbols of the felicity of future state
T r Is no belief more fully established
-, ~. universal consent Of mankind