A New Argument for Consciousness in Death.
By Editor
UNDER the head of "The Spiritual Organization," the Spiritual Telegraph of the 27th ult., in an article designed to "demonstrate the existence of a mysterious inward life," by which we suppose is meant that part of man which goes by the name of "soul"—that part which some tell us lives right along when the body dies, just as though nothing had happened;—in this same article in the Telegraph we find the following language: "This two-fold being is still more apparent in man; and here—on the verge of visible existence—in this last refinement of the outward elements, the internal principle assumes an organic form which, from its refinement, is imperceptible by the senses. Within this corporeal structure is another body, constituted of the more ethereal elements of the former. It is a curious fact that persons who have lost a limb always have an internal consciousness that the body is still complete. Though an arm or a leg may have been amputated years before, and its decomposed elements scattered by the winds or waves, the individual yet feels that the lost member is with him and sustaining its proper relations; and his sensation extends to the very extremity, almost as perfectly as when the limb was there. * If the various members of the body may be removed without affecting the internal consciousness or disturbing the original limits to which sensation extended, it follows that the whole body may be decomposed and yet all of life, and sense, and thought may remain." To the truthfulness of the fact, above stated, we can bear testimony from our own experience; but we must confess that we have never dreamed from this, that we were immortal, or should be conscious in death; and we do not think that we can justly be ranked among the "fearful and unbelieving," when we say that we should not feel safe to base our hopes of immortality and a future life on any such grounds. And, to carry the subject out practically: Though it be true, that, when a member of the body is removed, a sensation of its presence still remains, we doubt seriously whether the Editor of the Telegraph would be willing to lose his head, on the strength of this consideration. But there are additional particulars which we might mention; and one is, that when a limb has long been rendered useless by disease or accident, it not only leaves behind it, upon being removed, a sensation of its presence, but of its useless condition also. Shall we conclude then that if a man in this life is deformed by misfortune, or prostrated by disease, the soul will retain a sense of these infirmities when it has thrown off this mortal coil? Must the soul forever bear the scars of those misfortunes which afflicted the body during its brief sojourn with it? This must be so, if the Telegraph's inferences are correct; and our notions of the felicity of heaven must then be lowered a degree or two. There would however be no necessity of men's drawing out their fancy in such speculations, if they would seek wisdom from the revelation God has given to man—the only source from which we might expect it. A willingness seems to be manifested to go anywhere and everywhere for information rather than to the Bible. Thus we find further, in the article of the Telegraph, these words: "It will be perceived, we think, that neither the laws of matter, nor those of mind afford the least reason to question the immortality of man." We presume not; since they have nothing to do in determining that question. But it is observable that nearly all who have been left to decide this matter by these supposed laws, have settled down into the same belief. This was the case with the heathen generally at the time of our Saviour's incarnation. Dr. Mosheim gives the following account of the light in which man was regarded by the oriental philosophy:197"Man is a compound of a terrestrial and corrupt body, and a soul which is of celestial origin, and, in some measure, an emanation from the divinity. This nobler part is miserably weighed down and encumbered by the body which is the seat of all irregular lusts and impure desires. It is this body that seduces the soul from the pursuit of truth, and not only turns it from the contemplation and worship of God, so as to confine its homage and veneration to the creator of this world, but also attaches it to terrestrial objects, and to the immoderate pursuit of sensual pleasures, by which its nature is totally polluted." Aside from divine revelation, we could not expect that men would arrive at any better conclusions. Nor can we expect any more of them at the present day, while they pursue the same course; while they are more ready to bow in adoration at heathen altars, and exclaim, "It must be so! Plato, thou reasonest well!" than they are to heed the declarations of the word of the Lord, which says that in the beginning man became a living soul; that he lieth down, and is not awaked out of his sleep, till the heavens be no more; and that the soul that sinneth, it shall die. Gen. ii, 7; Job xiv, 12; Eze. xviii, 4.