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and coëxisting with it till death, is itself body-the spiritual bodyand flies off with the soul at death, thus annihilating the resurrection of the mortal body. "This mortal shall put on immortality, and this corruptible shall put on incorruption." "Who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto Christ's glorious body." That the vital principle is the spiritual body may be a beautiful theory, but it is theory only and baseless. It must be baseless until the physiologist can detect it (the vital principle), and show it to be an entity and not a relation. There is not the slightest hope of such an event; we should as soon expect to meet with the fabled umbra of the ancients and hold it in our grasp. Moreover the theory requires such special pleading in the interpretation of the Bible, that that alone subjects it to fatal suspicion.

That the church in the catacombs believed in a literal resurrection, we have not the slightest doubt. Those simple hearted, unlettered, unsophisticated Christians expressed on their tomb-stones their straightforward belief, unsuspicious of any philosophical difficulties. "You well deserving one! lie in peace-in sleep-you will arise-a temporary rest is granted you." "How gladly will your mother the church of God, receive you, returning to this world." We join hand and heart with their interpretation. Nor does the doctrine seem to have been wholly excluded from the thoughts of the heathen. We beg leave to quote Sir Thomas Browne once more. In chapter 4th he says:

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"And if the ancient Gentiles held not the immortality of their better part and some subsistence after death, in several rites, customs, actions and expressions, they contradicted their own opinions; wherein Democritus went high, even to the thought of a resurrection, as scoffingly recorded by Pliny. Similis reviviscendi promissa Democrito vanitas, qui non revixit ipse. Quae, malum, ista dementia est! iterari vitam morte.' L. 7. c. 55. A similar vanity of living again was set forth by Democritus, who himself did not live again. What madness this, forsooth! that one should live again after death!'. What can be more express than the expression of Phocylides? · καὶ τάχα δ' ἐκ γαίης ἐλπίζομεν ἐς φάος ἐλθεῖν λεῖψαν ἀποιχομένων, et deinceps, And departing from the earth, I hope soon to return to the light which I had left,' etc."

It is pleasant to meet with glimmerings of the doctrine among the he athen, but how dark their night! They sought, but could not find. "We have a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto we do well that we take heed, as unto a light shining in a dark place."

We say, then, that while other considerations may be permitted to have all the weight they deserve, the doctrine of the resurrection

ought to be the high commanding motive, that should influence us in our care for the dead. For this, let them be decently composed, arrayed, and committed to the narrow cell, to moulder and dissolve until the appointed time. For the day of the Lord will surely come, earth's millions will come forth. Every battle field will move-Marathon, Borodino, Waterloo. Jerusalem, that grave of men, will shake, the sea will give up its dead, and all that departed in the waves of the great inundation will come forth, and every cemetery make its contribution. The great forefather, with his whole family, will appear again upon this stage. And a separation will be made, a sentence will be given; it is the last court, there is no appeal. "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father." Before such considerations, all other motives fade like the taper at noon day. Especially does the motive of posthumous memory vanish. Should the wicked man perpetuate his name till the sound of the last trump, it will rot then. But the righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance.

Sir Thomas grows eloquent in the conclusion of his Hydriotaphia: we cannot hope to emulate him with all his quaintness and antithesis. As we began with him, so we will end with him.

"Five languages secured not the epithet of Gordianus; The Man of God lives longer without a tomb than any by one, invisibly interred by angels, and adjudged to obscurity, though not without some marks directing human discovery. Enoch and Elias without either tomb or burial, in an anomalous state of being, are the great examples of perpetuity, in their long and living memory, in strict account being still on this side death, and having a late part yet to act upon this stage of earth. If in the decretory term of the world, we shall not all die but be changed, according to received translation; the last day will make but few graves; at least, quick resurrections will anticipate lasting sepultures. Some graves will be opened before they be quite closed, and Lazarus be no wonder. When many that feared to die, shall groan that they can die but once, the dismal state is the second and living death, when life puts despair on the damned; when men shall wish the coverings of mountains, not of monuments, and annihilation. shall be courted."

We suggest to the authorities of Mount Auburn the expediency of publishing an edition of the Hydriotaphia, believing it would promote the interests of cemeteries in general. We know not where there is so much condensed on the subject of burial, in a short compass, as in this tract. Its antiquated style and eccentric thought and varied lore

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cannot fail to please; and it will be found, on careful reading, to be suggestive of many valuable thoughts, both practical and serious. It should, however, be edited with notes sufficient to render it popular. It would then make but a small book, and would beguile some spare hour of the visitor to the City of the Dead.

We hope, also, that some publisher will find it in his way to reprint the work of Maitland. The subject is one of great interest to the Protestant public, and is destined to a more full development, when the watchful jealousy of the Vatican shall become a little more relaxed, as the events in Divine Providence already give striking indications. In a note, Maitland remarks thus:

"In the year 1841, the writer applied for permission 'to copy some of the inscriptions contained in the Lapidarian Gallery,' and a license 'to make some memoranda, in drawing, in that part of the Museum,' was granted. About that time a misunderstanding is reported to have arisen between the Jesuits and the officers of the Vatican; in consequence of which the former were refused permission to copy the inscriptions in question for their forthcoming work on the Christian Arts. An application was also made by them to the Custode of the Gallery, in order to prevent the use of its contents by a Protestant. On the last day of the month for which the author's license was available, he was officially informed that his permission did not extend to the inscriptions, but only to a few blocks of sculpture scattered up and down the Gallery. This communication was accompanied by a demand that the copies already made should be given up, which was refused; and with the understanding that no more inscriptions should be copied, and that they should not be published in Rome, the matter was allowed to drop."

ARTICLE III.

THE CLAIMS OF THE NATURAL SCIENCES ON THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY.

By Rev. John Jay Dana, South Adams, Ms.

THE dissatisfaction with existing forms of government is only one of the indications that the human mind is awaking. There is an extraordinary zeal in investigating nature. The little island of knowledge is an island still, but every year makes additions to its territory.

From the centre of this island to the region of uncertainty and doubt, the distance was formerly but a few paces; but in our days we have bold navigators, who go out into the sea of truth and find soundings where, but a few years since, none could be discovered. A half century has wrought wonderful changes in the domain of truth; for where, formerly, nought was found but quicksands, the investigator stands on a firm foundation; and the day is not far distant when this little island shall become a continent. Who can contemplate, without strong emotions, the changes which have taken place in the knowledge of the sciences within a few years. Chemistry, fifty years ago, was scarcely known; and, at that period, few individuals knew one rock from another. Even astronomy has been able to number new planets and stars among its discoveries. Electro-magnetism has had its laws declared, and the lightnings have been tamed so that they do the bidding of man.

There has never been a period of scientific investigation of nature so ample and thorough. Some fear, indeed, for the result; lest infidelity should seize hold of these investigations and make them a powerful enginery for evil, and with them demolish Christianity. With these fears we have no sympathy, because we are confident that the works and word of God are but counterparts of each other and are designed to constitute one great revelation by which the glory of God shall be most conspicuously displayed. We do not tremble when we see skeptics investigating nature, because we have a firm belief that in all the works of God, they can find nothing which shall conflict with his word. We are willing that they should come with their telescopes and their microscopes, their hammers and their retorts; nay, they may come with poetry and music, and with wit and learning and oratory. They may summon all their forces from the earth, and they may make an united assault against the truth, and their efforts will be attended by no results over which they will have any reason to rejoice. The past defeats of infidelity make us the more confident of her ultimate overthrow. She may gain perhaps, now and then, a temporary triumph; but all those discoveries which, from time to time, she shall claim as impugning religion, will ultimately be torn from her grasp and turned against her.

Since there is this disposition to investigate nature, and to turn all discoveries into weapons with which to assault truth, the natural sciences have claims upon the Christian ministry, which they ought not to overlook. There are gems of truth in the physical world which are yet to be wound into a gorgeous diadem and thrown around the head of Jesus of Nazareth. The day is not far distant when some

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gifted mind shall arise to investigate the physical sciences and develop their relations to moral truth, so as to make them minister to the glory of the Saviour. These sciences will be shown to be the handmaid, not of Paganism, nor of Mohammedanism, but of Christianity.

The reader will not deem it strange that, having these views, we feel a very strong desire that clergymen should investigate these sciences, that they may aid the final triumph over skepticism. Having this desire, we wish to present a few thoughts respecting the claims of these sciences on those who minister at the altars of religion.

The day has gone by when ministers in general are afraid of human learning. The day is also past, we trust, when ministers fear the influence of learning on their spirituality; but it is our impression, that while they believe in the importance of knowledge, and while they deem its acquisition perfectly compatible with their piety, and at the same time a duty which they owe to God and man, we fear lest the claims of the physical sciences have, in a great measure, been overlooked. It is our purpose to present a few thoughts on the claims of these sciences, not to the disparagement of other kinds of knowledge, but to show that what has been so much neglected, has very important claims on the attention of those set for the defence of Zion.

Concerning the importance of the study of the natural sciences by the ministry, we mention,

1. The oft asserted truth that knowledge is power. Knowledge gives influence. It matters little, in one respect, in what this knowledge consists; it gives the minister influence with the people of his parish, if they can confide in him as a man of learning. It is the duty of him who ministers at the altar to hold within his grasp as many elements of power as he can gain. Indeed it is his duty to use all lawful means to increase his influence, that he may win as many as possible to the truth. Influence should be regarded as a talent committed to our care, not only to be used, but to be increased, so that more honor may ac crue to Him by whom the trust has been reposed in us.

Knowledge gives the clergyman power in this way: moral truth has weight on the minds of his hearers, not because it brings before them points capable of being demonstrated with mathematical exactness, for its nature forbids this kind of demonstration. It has power only as the speaker can gain the credence of his hearer. He gains this credence just as a party at law gains that of a jury, by bringing such witnesses as shall tend to establish the truth. What can have more weight with an audience of common minds, than the conviction that the speaker has confidence in the truth of what he asserts; when, at

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