The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1909-05-14
John Fiske says: Tho track OF


written all that man has ever thought !
or whispered" Thus we are coming
10 know that in the divine economy
there is no such thing as waste. Geol- |
ogists tell us that millions of years
ago. sunlight fell upon a carbonifer-
Gus period. and now in these late GEN.
turies We gather those same beams
OF light 10 brighten the night and
warm our homes; so that in the black
lump of coal there is packed away
and hidden from sight the light which
was first created by the fat of God.
And dare We assign broader destiny
10 the material than the spiritual?
We are told that these forces OF ma
ture are stern, unbending and inexor-
able. sweeping through all space.
binding all worlds and imperial over
all creation; but they cannot bind the
mind that solves the problems. de-
ciphers the hieroglyphics. utilities
gravitation. harnesses the trade
winds. subsidies the lightning and
interprets the literature OF the stars
Herein is the triumph OF the soul,
that it subordinates matter, plays
upon the keys OF physical power, tri-
umphs over the forces OF nature. and
becomes In lofty though secondary
sense a creator. And must heat.
| light, electricity and gravitation
sweep on forever. and the mind. with
its full orbed powers, its God-or-
dained attributes and boundloss ca
pacity. be shrouded in eternal night?
III matter is indestructible, Is not the
spirit OF man OF more value than
! the gain OF sand that defies all disin-
! tegrating agencies? These great
| principles OF science are not cited
as positive proof. for science cannot
radically teach immortality OF the
soul. since IL is founded upon the
discoveries of the senses: but we do
| find in these laws OF nature some
striking and significant analogies.
and. studying them, we are comforted
even by their mute testimony, and
our faith is strengthened In the i'm
mortality OF man. But again, this
doctrine has been assailed upon the
| ground that IL is contrary 10 the i'm
mutable laws OF nature. This argu-
ment has no standing in court. since
immortality is not under the control
OF natural, but spiritual laws. Paul
said, Thou fool, knowest thou not
| that which thou soweth is not quick
ened except to die?" Here is an ap-
peal TO nature. yet the Christians
|
God rather than the laws of nature,
Notwithstanding nature is full OF
analogies TO help our minds and II
! possible to strengthen the foundation
OF faith in the future life. Let us
take a few glances at this question
| from the standpoint OF nature. "The
! tree, though bare, though covered
with the fee Of winter. though there
! is no bursting bud TO be seen, yet
when the springtime returns the bud
! swells, the leaves reappear, the flow
! ers crown the branches and the tree
brings forth fruit after its kind"
Here is an awakening. resurrection
to glorious life. And is It not an inti-
nation that beyond the winter OF
death there Is eternal spring, where
the soul will unfold in perennial
beauty, and where life shall take on
immortal glory? There is the cater
pillar. a loathsome thing to look
upon. It falls asleep, weaves itself
winding sheet, and is sepulchred
In its chrysalis for weeks. There Is
no sign Of life, no indication OF anil
nation, yet suddenly the chrysalis
bursts open. and instead of the loath-
some worm that fell asleep, there
comes forth a butterfly, which en-
chants us with its beauty. Great is
the mystery. Who can understand
It? Is Il not prophetic? Is II not
symbolic of another resurrection?
John exclaims, 'It doth not yet ap-
pear what we shall be-" Paul de-
clares. "Our vile bodies shall be fash
ioned like unto His own glorious
body" Though buried in the earth.
though no block or shaft mark the
| ,lo ~ Chrtatian Cndsu
Word for It, he shall rise again, and
II such transformation is possible In
the life OF a worm. who shall attempt
TO limit the possible transformation
awaiting the human body, which is
the temple OF the soul immortal?
Surely, II shall come forth changed,
sublimated and glorihed. Nature
does not absolutely prove this. bat
her striking analogies all point In
that direction, and we are justified In
accepting them as the revelations OF
| God. The final evidence. however.
Of the doctrine OF Immortality no less
than that of the resurrection, rests
upon the resurrection OF Jesus Christ.
! Paul declares Him TO be "the first
fruits of them that Sleep" and again,
"If Christ be not risen from the dead,
then there is no resurrection OF the
dead; but ~ Christ be risen from the
dead, how say some among you that
there be no resurrection" He was
our Heaven appointed prototype. He
came into the world as our federal
representative. and therefore, since
He assumed a human body and re-
sumed that body changed and glori-
fed after ~ had been buried for three
days, is powerful argument that we
also shall share in His resurrection.
He met death as our representative.
suffered Himself 10 be taken captive
that He might lead captivity cap
tive" He met death in his own ter
ritory, plucked out his sting, robbed
him OF his crown, devastated his en-
pire. Hindled the star OF immortality
in the night OF death, and three days
hence, was seen standing upon the
verge OF the sepulchre crowned with