Joseph Cook on Immortality.
Joseph Cook, a man learned in the German schools of philosophy, whose lectures in Boston have made him popular in America, lectured on his favorite theme—Does Death End All? —in the First Congregational Church in Oakland, last week. Mr. Cook is a more animated but less pleasing speaker than we had pictured him in our mind. Having read with some care his lectures on "Biology," we were anxious to hear a compend of the subject in a single lecture. Mr. Cook announces directly the pre-existence of the soul; the immortality of instinct, and consequent immortality of all animals above the "automata." But his argument went much farther than his declaration. If he proved anything he proved the immortality of all living creatures. A few simple propositions will show this. "If we are, there is reason to think we shall continue to be." This "reason" reaches to all creatures. Life precedes organization. That is, there can be no organization without an organizer. That which builds up to itself a material organization existed independent of the organization, and therefore will continue to exist when that organization ceases to be. This will apply to all as certainly as to any organisms. And this conclusion is made more certain by another statement. Germinal matter is the same in all organisms. We cannot distinguish between the bioplasm (life-formers?) which build up the lower and the higher order of organization. Bioplasts build according to the plan of each organism; but the plan must precede the organization, and therefore exists independent of the organization. The organization constantly changes, but the plan does not. It both precedes and succeeds the physical body. If anybody can stop this argument short of the pre-existence and immortality of all living creatures, we cannot discover in what manner it is done. Luther Lee saw this tendency of the philosophical argument for immortality, and said he would rather give immortality to his faithful dog than to deny it to himself. So Mr. Cook said, the fact of the immortality of lower animals does not take anything from ours, but renders ours more certain. One of the strongest objections, in the popular mind, against the faith in conditional immortality, or the denial of inherent immortality, is that it places man on a level with the brutes. The charge is not just; but in view of the present state of investigation on a scientific or philosophical basis, the objection must cease to be offered. There are some consequences attaching to this theory of pre-existent souls, which are worthy the consideration of all orthodox Chiristians. The Ladies' Repository, a standard Methodist monthly, said:— "The general opinion held, seems to be that the soul is created, and does not come by transmission from parents, as the body does. The Roman church has steadily received and taught it. "If the body only is derived by transmission from Adam, while each separate soul is a direct work of creation, then original or hereditary depravity, so far as the soul is concerned, is a thing impossible. If each soul is created by God as it comes into existence, then it must be holy or God must be charged with making it unholy, and thus being the author of evil."—Feb., 1859. This pagan notion of pre-existence and transmigration removes the gospel landmarks, and feeds the soul on the husks of innate, everlasting life, and hides the important truth that life is in Christ, who has brought immortality to light in the gospel. Had some one stood in Mr. Cook's place and presented the gospel hope of eternal life only through Christ, as it is taught in the Scriptures, we are confident that the "applause" would have been lacking. And such are the effects of suffering scientific or philosophic speculations to invade the domains of revelation. "The law and the testimony" as the only source of true knowledge concerning eternal life are losing their hold upon the hearts of the multitude. Philosophy is substituted for faith, in the schools. When the authority of God's word is lessened, the authority of God himself is disregarded. "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools," said the apostle. So man, inflated with pride, rushes on to ruin.