The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-15
is . soul accountable to his Maker and is capable

| which has taken the place Of reason and acts
| whenever religious questions come up. making
| II almost impossible for person, SO Underlined,
to arrive at the true teachings Of the Scriptures
either on this or other important Bible subjects,
such as the Trinity, everlasting punishment,
| Kingdom OF God &c
II people could and would read the Scriptures
| as they do any other book understanding the
| words used in their obvious and natural sgnih-
| cation there would be little or no trouble. The
| teachers for generations entirely 10 blame
for the present state OF both belief and unbelief
| in the same manner the teachers among the
Jewish people before and at Chrlst's day were 10
| blame for the unbelief they exhibited strongly
| as to call forth from Him Matt xv., and Mark
vi, 49, Thus have We made the commandment
OF God Of non-efect by your traditions" The
traditions or teachings of generations Of theo-
logians are responsible for the ocalled great in
herent and almost universal present belief in the
| doctrine Of the immortality Of the soul.
| The Scriptures, rightly understood, do not
| teach this doctrine at all Your correspondents
| appear TO recognize that fact: but. not wishing
to give UP their belief. seek for proof backing
| for their arguments by appealing to the philos-
ophies OF heather writer's such as Plato not seem
ing to realize that in doing they tacitly acknow
edge their want OF faith in the positive state
| ments OF the Bible and that they do not want TO
be guided by il when II nterferes with some cher
| ished notion of their own
Judging from the voluminous correspondence
which you have published upon this subject, one
Is forced to the conclusion that IL Is impossible
for the learned, either in science philosophy,
TO prove disprovc the theory that man Is pos
| sessed Of an immortal soul. Would il not there
fore be the part Of wisdom to stop trying TO do
| what is impossible, and accept and act upon the
following propositions?
ret Nha nait of a.. III
man, can be the only authority acceptable as to
tho nature of man and his destiny.
Second-Tbe Hebrew Scriptures and the New
Testament viz the Bible, the only writings
that lain TO have come TO man through the
| direct suggestion of God III Tim. iii l6)
Third The Bible contains many prophecies
which history proves to have been fulfilled Christ
Himself having come. according to the Script
ures endorses them positively. Therefore
they are worthy Of acceptance and belief
Fourth--The Bible teaches both directly and
indirectly that God only hath Immortality
Il Tim vi 100 or an immortal soul II you like viz:
He only possesses inherent dea thlessness and has
the undoubted power and right to give this quality
or withhold 1t from man, according to His pleasure
Fith-The Bible teaches that God in His pleas.
ure and Infinite mercy has provided way where
by men may attain to the glorious state Of immor-
tally
Sixth.-t is, then. mans duty and privilege to
study and search the Scriptures Gohn ". 3eD in
order to understand that way, with free un-
biased mind, humbly willing TO accept His plan
and provisions, casting away to the owls and bats
all preconceived ideas and notions of their own
LAYMAN
From tho Point of View of Roman Catholic.
To THE EDITOR OF TIE Sun Sir: The
article ofto.day on immortality, signed by Chas.
NJ Higgins, is an illustration Of DR. Henry Brann 3
familiar saw, viz: that II is a course of logic and
metaphysics in a Catholic college that our mod
ern philosophers and scientists need Of
Mr.. Higgins. like many OF his brethren, has
made this mistake. that he assumes the total
subject OF predcation. the senses Of man. OF sen
sltve man. This may answer the purposes of
medical examination OF man. but II is too mar
row field for philosophical speculation. For
we know that some actions manifestations
of life in ourselves such as cannot be atrib-
uted to tho senses, our sensitive parts
We know too, from daily observation, that the |
contrast between life and death is so marked
that it imports more than the plotting out of the
senses. Death is a privation OF that principle
which gives not only life, but being. Conse-
quent upon death is corruption. Stones are
not dead, because they never lived The higher |
the form and manifestations Of life. the higher |
is also the being endowed with life
Now. we know that the life Of man Is above all, |
an intellectual life. But the manifestations OF |
intellect have never been observed in matter: not
even In the purely sensitive creation In the ami |
mails Nay intellectual life is such Of its nature as |
cannot be material: il is comprehension knowledge
choice and NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. which presup- |
pose liberty innate and consciousness Of self |
This In turn supposes reverting Of the life prin
cipale within itselt-a self penetration and this
prerogative cannot be vindicated for anything |
one another except by dislocation but this process
would never tend toward the unity Of an act, such
unity az is manifest in all the acts Of what we call
mind and will. |
Therefore, the principle of life in man Is a sub
stance. e. being capable Of existence for itself
simple and II you will. spiritual Such is our
soul; and as SUCH God may destroy It, as He has
made II: but II he does not destroy by a positive
decree II shall live forever because the element
Of destruction, composition, IS not in It,
BROOKLYN Oct II. JOSEPH RErTER. |
An Argument for Immortality.
To TIE EDITOR OF TIE SuN-Sir: l do not |
know myself as thought or act but as the thin ker
or the actor; not mere qualities but as the real
concrete, subject of many qualities The con
seriousness Of self is knowledge Of the agent in the
action of the subject in its properties of the being
in it's manifestations. 1t reaches quito to the |
centre of the idea Of being and quite to its surface
In its manifestations This power knowing itself |
In consciousness rational, sensitive efficient, |
free, is the soul or spirit Consciousness afrms IL
II conscience is false in this testimony II Is false