LECTURE
THE HUMAN SOUL,
I'-ffK THE BENEFIT OK THE
ORPHAN ASSYLUMS
OK 1HB- CI'IY OK NASHVILLE,-
Delivered at Odd Fellows' Hall, February 4th, 1852.
M WILLIAM D. DORRIS", I. D.
NASHVILLE:
JOHN T. S. FALL, BOOK AND JOB PR—BEN FRANKLIN OFFICE, COLLEGE STREET.
1852.
LECTURE
ON
THE HUMAN SOUL,
TO* THE BENEFIT OF THE
ORPHAN ASSYLUMS
OF THE CITY OF NA8HVILLK,
Delivered at Odd Fellows' Hall, February 4th, 1852.
BY WILLIAM D. DORRIS, M. D.
NASHVILLE:
JOHN T. S. FALL, BOOK AND JOB PR—BEN FRANKLIN OFFICE, COLLEGE STREET.
INTRODUCTION.
"'i'he free communication of thought and opinion is one of the inalienable rights of
manj: and any person may freely speak, write or print upon any subject.''
Our fathers, who, in their overwhelming love of human liberty, not only wrested by
their Valor that blessing from tyranny and oppression, but secured it to their descendants
by the above Testament, which theylcaused to be incorporated into their Organic Law.
In the unrestrained exercise of the privilege thus secured, I have chosen to think, write
and speak, and now choose to print what I have thus chosen to think, write and speak.
That Infidelity and Materialism are inte?changable terms in the minds of many good
men, and that the latter is, therefore, but suggestive of the former, is, to my mind, no
reason why an effort should not be made to separate them. That Infidels are Materialits
is no reason why a Christian should not be a Materialist also, unless it can be shown,
which I deny, that Materialism necessarily involves Infidelity. An Infidel is a firm be-
liver ina great and pervading and supremeTntelligence, Jehovah, Jove,or God, and so
is the Christian.
Many thinking Christians are at a loss to conceive how it is that the soul, if it be the
mere shadow of a shade, is capable of all those exquisite enjoyments of which the Scrip¬
tures are so redolent with eloquence, or those horrible torments and inconceivable ago¬
nies on whicli uninspired mortality has exhausted his eloquence.
After much thought and reading upon this subject, it occurred to me that all Christ¬
ians would be Materialists, in my sense of the term, if that ground in name had not been
preoccupied by the opposers of Christianity itself The Infidel makes the soul material
that it may perish, while I make it material that it may enjoy bliss ineffable in
the world to come. TheTnfidel could not secure its annihilation save by endowing it
with the destructabie attributes of matter, while I could not secure its enjoyment without
endowing it with the capacity to enjoy.
The lecture was not written with a view to- publication, but merely to be read among
a series of lectures now in progress of delivery at Odd Fellow's Hall, for the benefit of
the orphans of the city. But since its delivery two considerations have arisen, which
together, have determined me to print it.
1st. It has occasioned me a loss of considerable time, upon which I set some value, in
explaining to many who had heard of, but had not heard the lecture, that Materialism and
Infidelity were essentially different, and that the former by ho means presupposed the
latter.
2nd. From a hope that it miiht be useful to others, who, I have no doubt, like myself,
have been troqbled in their minds upon this subject, who could not believe a nonentity
eould suffer either pain or pleasure, and yet dare not endow the soul with the necessary
capacity for pain or pleasure, from sheer fear of Materialism, which they, like myself,
had been falsely taught involved Infidelity.
ESxehaxa pre
peafaod v
Jan. *38
LECTURE.
Ladies and Gentlemen:—
You have heard many interesting lectures on various
subjects—which were very instructive to those who heard or
read them, and no doubt, that all who have contributed, or
will contribute to the enlightenment of the minds, or ameli¬
oration of the condition of the orphan children of our coun¬
try—have been, and will continue to work by the "golden rule
of doing unto others" as they would wish to have done for
their children, when they are dead and gone. This is the
way to "cast your bread upon the waters," which will be
gathered, with interest and honor after many days. Because
orphans, properly trained, stamp their likeness upon the an¬
nals of every clime and country.
We should always endeavor, in our journey through life,
to contribute as much to the happiness of our fellow crea¬
tures by the way, as possible—and in 'so doing, we should
take no merit to ourselves but regard it as a duty imposed
upon us by God himself, in view of our material relations or
of our obligations to each other. All facts and experience
which we may acquire, as individuals, in the course of our
lives, belong not to ourselves alone, but should be thrown into
the common reservoir of knowledge for the use of our cotem-
poraries and posterity; and the good of the present, as well
as future generations,requires that all experience which may
lead to a knowledge of useful facts, as well as facts them¬
selves, must not be overlooked; for the experience of the
humblest citizen becomes an important lesson, which the
proudest of the land may study with profit to themselves;
and the facts that may have been discovered by the veriest
child of nature, frequently become a beacon to the philoso¬
pher, to light up his way in the pursuit of fresh knowledge.
All truths are derived from God himself, and it is our duty
to respect the sources through which they come to us, be
they ever so humble. Having this view of our relations to each
other, and of our material obligations, I have taken the lib¬
erty of addressing you to-night, upon a subject which, to
many of you, I have no doubt, has been a source of much
reflection.
It is readily admitted that, throughout the visible creation,
man stands pre-eminent. This being the case, it must also
4
be admitted that man alone of all created beings, is capable
of studying himself; %nd it is only through the study oi our
anatomy, aided by our knowledge of the other kindred sci¬
ences, that we can attain to any knowledge of our struc¬
ture; the connection of part with part; the uses of the va¬
rious bones, muscles and tendons; the brain, the nervous
system, the blood, and the life; the mental faculties, or that
great faculty which makes the distinction between man and
the rest of creation so apparent, the God-like mind; and the
last and highest of all, the nearest possible knowledge of that
immortal part which must exist through all eternity: the im¬
mortal soul. In this respect, aided by Divine Revelation,
which is, indeed, the first and last volume of the book of na¬
ture, "the proper study of mankind is man." "W ith regard to
the animal structure of the human system, I am happy to say
to you that the most eminent anatomists and philosophers
have pretty well agreed. But on the subject of the soul, or
mind and spirit, there appears to be two principal theories;
and in the advocacy of one or the other, some of the best
minds in the world have been engaged since man has become
the "study of man."
With your permission, I design to make the Soul the subject
of this evening's lecture; and I now take the opportunity to
^tate, that I am more anxious to stir up energy, and excite
better minds than my own to this part of man's nature, than
I am to lay before you my own crude notions on this most
important subject. For it is with the deepest humility, on
account of my own deficiencies, that I approach the subject
at all. The soul, then—what is it ? Is it an immaterial
spirit "without body or parts ?" Is it material ? or, is it non¬
entity ? There is not a week passes that we do not hear
something of the pleasures of the soul in a future state of ex¬
istence, or of the pains it will endure. Now, to enjoy pleas¬
ure or endure pain, in a future state, the one as a reward of
a well-spent life on earth, and the other as a punishment for
sin, presupposes the possession of all the faculties of a ma¬
terial mind; and perhaps, not the least important just then,
will be memory. Now, the question will arise,how can non¬
entity posses the properties or faculties of matter ? To think
and remember, to endure, to enjoy, or reflect and feel re¬
morse of conscience; the gnawings of tlie worm which dieth
not? Suppose I was to ask a tailor for a bodiless jacket
without sleeves, would he not rationally conclude that a
straight jacket with sleeves would suit my case best? No doubt
ol it. The soul or mind then is a material fluid, and is se¬
creted by the compartments of the brain peculiar to man
.and may be that property which Solomon had reference to
5
when he said that, "the spirit of man goeth upward, while
the spirit of the animal goeth downward."
The devout anatomist in-studying the various portions of
the body, their structures and uses, will most naturally en¬
quire, what is the soul? from what construction does it ema¬
nate? and what its tendency?
I will now ask your attention to an examination of the
proofs which I have to support my opinions. It is believed
that the fluids rule in the production and growth of every
material of the visible creation; and they hold in solution the
various solids of which matter is composed. Hence the flu¬
ids, in obedience to the will of the Creator, form and govern
the solids in the three kingdoms of nature. And in support
of this position, I will refer you to the 1st and 2d chapter of
the Book of Genesis; and also to the b oot-prints of Creation,
by Hugh Miller of Scotland, who by persevering energy and
industry cutfrom the old red sand-stone deposits withhis chisel
and mallet, the petrified remains of the Shark, Sturgeon and
other fishes, thereby bringing important truths to light, and
demonstrating that Geology establishes the truths of the
Mosaic history of Creation.
For the sake of brevity, we will pass over the operations
of the 2d, 3d, 4th and 5th days of the creative ages—but
which demand the careful attention of every student as well
as every christian philosopher—and refer you at once to the
6th day's operations, in which the creeping things and beasts
of the earth were made after their kind; and in the evening
of that day, when the lungs or the leaves of the vegetable
kingdom were and had been throwing out to the breezes the
pure oxygenated air, for the use of the God-like beings pre¬
vious to their creation and appointment to rule over the
earth, subject only to the divine will of our Creator. Man
was made out of the dust of the ground, or red earth, and
we see he is possessed of a body composed of many parts,
and endowed with peculiar faculties like his God. The propo¬
sition was, "Let us make man in our own image." At first,
he was a chemico-mechanical body in form, until God
breathed into his body the breath of life, (then the blood
flowed through its vessels, the glands commenced their pe¬
culiar secretions,) and man became a living soul—and not
before. And the same is true of all his descendants—the
breath first and the circulation and secretion afterwards.*
A man has in his body, 245 bones, and 446 muscles; 10,000
nerves and an equal number of blood-vessels—14,000 inter-
*Prof. Bowling, of the University of Nashville, was the fi st to infom me that Mrs.
Willard of Troy, was in advance of me in this physiology of the "breath first and circu¬
lation, &c., afterward;"1 yet, I had never heard of thst lady when ;I penned it.
(>
stices of motion; 1,000 ligaments; 4,000 lacteals and lympha¬
tics, and 100,000 glands. Behold how numerous the pre¬
parers of the fluids!—200,000,000 of pores of the skin; 4,000
contractions of the heart every 24 hours, carrying through
it in the time 350 lbs. of blood, viz: 25 lbs. of blood passes
through the heart 14 times every hour, or one ounce every
3f mint tes, through the whole system.
Anatomists and Physiologists compute the hairs of the
head to number from 16 to 25,000, varying according to color
and fineness; and if all the component parts of the' body
were correctly enumerated, including the hairs of the skin,
we will have some 400,129 700—component parts of, or in
our earthly tabernacle or temple.
Now, whether the Temple of Solomon had the same num¬
ber of parts (as some believe it had) I am not prepared to
affirm or deny. But I do know that the "Temples of our
own bodies" were created for the glory of God, and each
one when furnished has an apartment for his spirit to dwell
in, and as the "sanctum sanctorum" of the former was an
upper chamber, so also of the latter, which is the brain, the
great conglomerate gland, which not only secretes a subtle
fluid in the animal compartments, but also transmits orders
and its preservative influence throughout the system, by
means of the nerves, which may be compared to the wires of
the Telegraph, that conducts the orders from the seat of
Government and receives messages in return. Thus the vis
medicatrix natura, of which I shall speak more hereafter, is
always informed of the approach of the enemy, disease, and
his plan of attack on its charge, and its means of defence
are always arranged in the best manner for the protection of
the citadel of vitality. Every physician knows this to be
true.
It is generally admitted, I believe, that a material fluid is
secreted by the animal compartments of the brain, of which
I have not the shadow of a doubt; and from the experi¬
ments made by the late Professor, G. Troost and myself, on
a large Snapping Turtle, sent him from the western portion
of the state, we found that when we took hold of an exposed
nerve with the finger and thumb of one hand and stripped it
downward with the other, the muscles below would act three
times and no more, unless we applied the voltaic or galvanic
fluid, or let it go and it would be replenished with a supply
ftom above, and the muscles would then act as before. We
then gripped the nerve as before and stripped it upward to-
waid the brain, when the muscles acted every time and the
animal showed signs of pain. The experiments were re¬
peated m the same manner in A. D. 1850, by Drs. House of
7
Ky. and Ryburn of Tenn., and myself, on a Turtle taken out
of 'Red River, and the results were the same as in the former
experiment.
These experiments only corroborate many others on record,
which go very far to establish the belief that the brain se¬
cretes a vital fluid, which by means of the nerves, is carried
to all parts of the system, and all the experiments made up¬
on man or animals, show the same results; and even the
lightning-bug, or fire-fly, secretes light (which is a fluid)
which is made more brilliant by the touch of the furze of the
leaves, or the pith-ball, with which they may be brought in
contact.
It is well known that the Torpedoe, or Electric Eel, se¬
cretes and discharges Electricity at pleasure, in taking its
prey or in self-defence; and in connection I may say, that af¬
ter an excessive action of its battery, it dies of inflammation
of the brain, and the conducting nerves.
These facts show the almost identity of the nervous fluid
with the various forms of Electricity known to us. We ad¬
mit that we should not take for granted every thing that is
asserted as true, without first testing it by reason or experi¬
ment; neither should we disbelieve a fact, because we cannot
reason upon it, or test it by the whole of our senses. Now,it
is a well known fact, that musk is a secretion, and I have
heard Professor C. Caldwell, of Transylvania University, in
one of his lectures state that a single grain of musk had
been deposited in a room, and without any apparent dimi¬
nution when opened emitted its odor 100 years afterwards;
and many of you know, that rose-leaves scattered among the
clothing of departed friends, will continue to give out odor,
when the drawers are opened, long after the leaves have dis¬
appeared. The above, and many other instances of a like
nature in the animal and vegetable economy, prove the du¬
rability of the secretions.
Now who will doubt the existence of the odor of musk
and roses?—and yet, who is there that can demonstrate
their presence or identify them by any other sense than that
of smell? So, also, may be stated of gasses—many of them
we know tannot be appreciated except by means of the
nicest chemical tests.
Now, as it is well known that animals, through the me¬
dium of the brain, have the faculties of sense and sensation,
it is but reasonable to believe that man, with his superior
formation to the rest of creation, should possess superior
powers of mind, or rather, that his brain should" secrete
something more, or something else than mere instinct.—
The brain of man is much larger, has many more convolu-
8
tions, is greater in its requisitions upon the blood, of which
it requires 40 parts in the 100 that flows through the system.
The anterior or superior portion of Ine brain is peculiar to
man, and the mental flood, which is communicated through
the five senses, is as necessary to the growth of this part of
the brain, as bread and water are to the growth of the body.
It would be well to state another marked distinction just
here: the manner that the blood enters the cranium, which,
is in the shape of an Italic s, and in a solid column on each
side, while in animals it is numerously divided in the neck.
Hence, the human brain, possessing as we find these im¬
mensely superior resources, and as God has made nothing
in vain, must possess superior functions, and it too, must se¬
crete a fluid according to its grade—which is soul or mind
and can be nothing else—and it is by the exercise of this
divine attribute that we can arrive at any knowledge of our¬
selves, or demonstrate the existence of God or our future
existence.
Assuming that the foregoing facts and reasons are suffi¬
cient to authorize the belief in the materiality of the soul,
the next enquiry will be, through which of the organs of
sense will this immortal gift of our Creator, finally leave its
earthly tabernacle or temple?
As to the manner, or through which of the five senses, the
soul leaves the body, it is not an easy question definitely to
determine in the present state of our knowledge. But that
it may make its final departure through the eyes, I think can
be sustained by the following reasons:
The eyes are looked upon as the master-piece of the out¬
ward senses, and hence they are called "the windows of the
soul," and who is there that can look into an eye beaming
with intelligence, sparkling with wit, or melting with pity
and compassion, or indeed expressing every emotion of the
the soul, and doubt the existence of God, or man's immor¬
tality? The attributes of the soul, through which it receives
impressions of good or evil, are the five senses; and the or¬
der in which they come into perfection in a healthy child is
as follows, viz: Feeling, tasting, smelling, hearing and see¬
ing; and in death when the process is gradual or the causes
which produce it are not too sudden so as to give time for
observation, the same order has been observed and noted,
and the eyes are the last to corrugate and loose their plump¬
ness. These facts are well known to the Faculty, and have
been noticed by intelligent nurses. The Saviour, in one of
his discourses took occasion to compare the understanding
or the "eye of the mind" with the organs of vision, when he
said that the "light of the body is the eye; if therefore thine
9
eye be single, or sound, thy whole body shall be full of light;
but if thine eye be evil, or diseased, thy whole body shall be
lull of darkness." Thus showing that He who "spoke as
never man spake," looked upon the eyes as the most direct
and perfect medium of communication of the soul.
The eye, too, is the purest source of our knowledge to the
soul, and all of the impressions derived through this organ
are more perfect and truthful than those which are obtained
through any one of the organs of our outward senses. In
the examination of an object, by means of any of the other
senses, it is necessary to come in contact with it, or its ele¬
ments, so as to sometimes endanger life, produce disease, or
at least prostrate the person thus engaged. Not so with the
eye—its observations are correct, even at a distance far be¬
yond the reach of malaria or sound. The eye, indeed, is
the only source of knowledge to the soul, in the examination
of distant objects. We could form no correct ideas of As¬
tronomy without the eye, or of the dimensions of the earth,
or of its distance from the sun, or the moon's distance from
either of them.
The wisest, purest, and best of men are and have been
engaged in the acquisition of this kind of knowledge and
imparting it to others, and if we look over the history of
their lives and characters, we will find that while all below
them has been strife and discord, they have been uncontami-
nated by the vices and follies of the world. Their lives have
been more peaceful, more holy and more self-sacrificing than
men engaged in any other pursuit. The mind's eye is soar¬
ing among the stars, in quest of celestial knowledge, and
while thus engaged, they seem to have forgotten the world, its
concerns and its sins, as if they had nev$r known them—
and the world seems to have forgotten them at times—as for
instance, when do men think of the Hershels and others, or
their gigantic labors? It is only when our dull senses are
startled by the floods of knowledge, like radiant light which
they sometimes bring down from the starry heavens, that
we stare and wonder and admire for a little while; but in a
few days, weeks or months, the novelty of their discovery
wears off, and these benefactors of their age and posterity,
except by a faithful few, are forgotten. A cloud comes be¬
tween them and the world below, while they are discoursing
among the stars and admiring the goodness and wisdom of
God, as they see them displayed in his works of creation and
providence.
We see, too, that the tyrant, Death, with his legions of de¬
structive demons, are ever busy, and commence on the weak¬
est parts. After driving in the outposts, they advance with
10
their chilling darts until they approach the last strong hold
of vitality, where the "divinity that stirs within us" manages
the materials in the broken down constitution to the best ad¬
vantage, even after the body is shrunken and extremities cold,
and the cobwebbw^ is hung over one eye, he will not even
then surrender his ward until the other is dimmed also with
the same dark curtain, and the pulse moves like a spent
wave, the breathing becomes difficult and slow by degrees
until it ceases with a groan, and the eyes are thrown upward,
as they always are, whether the monster approaches in com¬
mon or double quick time!
We see likewise, sometimes, that there is no very percep¬
tible change of expression in the other parts of the body at
the time of dissolution, excepting the lips, which generally
correspond with the expression of the eye. It is true, there
is the general want of vitality, the pinched appearance of
the nose, and the ghostly expression, peculiar to the dead—
and this is sometimes made more so by the still living ex¬
pression of the eye, which would almost convey the idea, if
other parts were hid, that they yet gave light to a living
body. The other senses do not appear to suffer in the agony
of death, while the eyes give unmistakable signs of pleasing
excitement, or suffering, and consciousness. Sometimes
their expression is horrid enough—and at other times, al¬
though the agony of the final struggle, may have been great,
as soon as it is over, the eyes light up with a glorious ex¬
pression, as though they beheld the triumphant passage of
-the soul that had just left them, and crossing the gulf which
separates time from eternity, and safely moored within the
gates of the celestial city. I have no doubt that most of you
have seen cases like those above described, then, how can
you doubt that the last impression of mind is made upon and
takes its flight from the eyes. To those, who may, without
reflection, object that a material fluid can pass through the
eyes—it would be well for them to remember that light and
the gasses pass through cerous and mucous membranes con¬
tinually, every chemist is familiar with those facts, this any
one can test who will experiment a little in chemistry. Al¬
though the pupil of the eye has twelve lamina or layers of
celular membrane, yet, in a healthy state, light passes into it
daily. Light is a material fluid and surely a fluid as subtle as
the mind or soul will pass where light, heat or electricity
does. The eyes of living animals are full of light, and
in seeing, our eyes receive the image of the object seen
together with the light, and this light and shadow, the one
material and the other a property of matter. As to the du¬
rability of the soul we know that'it is established by evidence
11
of the highest order in heaven or on earth, that the righteous
is to be with the Lord for ever, for there are to be no thieves
to break through and steal, nor moths to corrupt, nor rust to
cause their purity to decay. Our old bodies of "flesh and
blood will not enter heaven," northe soul will notreturnto the
materials, that was food to the glands that secreted it on
earth, enough of pure matter no doubt will be eliminated
lrom earths labaratory in abundance to be the vase of the
soul, which will be attracted by the double elective affinities
existing between them, and will bring them together at the
great centre of attraction, where the good and great of all
nations will be also to enjoy bliss unmixed with sorrow.
Thus we see that the human eye was formed for the high¬
est and noblest purposes, and 1 can see nothing to prevent
the conclusion, that the soul when it leaves the body, takes
its final departure from the eyes which sometimes, as before
stated, continue to maintain their expression of peace, or
woe, joy or sorrow, doubt or triumphant hope, until it is de¬
stroyed, by the pressure of the hand which closes the lids over
them. If the above conclusions are not correct, why is it that
able writers on medical jurisprudence, lay so much stress
upon most of the signs and expressions above enumerated ?
With regard to the resurrection of the body and its re-union
to the soul, there has been but little said and less written by
the learned in such matters, satisfactory to myself and others,
still the subject to those of us who believe in the immortality of
the soul, and our redemption by the blood of Christ, is one of
vast importance, and inquiry, for the doctrine of redemption
and of the resurrection of our bodies—or of their essential
elements are indispensable, being taught together by the Sa¬
viour himself. Let us then approach this subject with Chris¬
tian humility and reverence. God has ever been pleased to
employ means in the great work of creation and providence;
and also, in the still greater work of man's redemption. It
is true that all of the means are of his own creation—the
same divine law which created matter, gave it motion, ani¬
mation and life—motion, animation and life, therefore be^
long to matter. The divine law which created matter, creat¬
ed the necessity for its attributes—hence then, it is that mat¬
ter was the means of motion, animation and life.
It is believed, by many pious and learned persons, that this
earth will be destroyed by fire—now it would be presump¬
tion in us to say, that God will employ fire from Heaven, or
that He will prepare it from other materials of the Universe.
But it is not presumption in us to know, God having given
us the means of knowing, that the elements of combustion
are in sufficient abundance, throughout the earth and its at-
12
mosphere, to bring about such a catastrophe.* We also
know that every living thing, on the earth, at the moment it
begins to live, has about and within itself, the means of its
own dissolution. In this state of our existence—life brings
with it the means of death and without death, there would
be no resurrection. The scriptures authorize us in the be¬
lief, that the means of man's final redemption were all pro¬
vided, before "men began to increase and multiply on the
face of the earth;" so it may be with regard to the resurrec¬
tion of the body. God may have provided the means, at
the time of our births to resurrect our body after death. That
the "vis medicatrix natura," as it is called by the Faculty—■
the curative power of our bodies, or as Stahl calls it, the Di¬
vinity that stirs within us—as Virey, Fleming and Good has
it, "instinct" or as I choose to call it, the guardian angel of
our bodies—may be made the means of our resurrection, in
the providence of God, there is no doubt of it, for he alone
has the power to make any means subservient to any end.
But, that this angel seems to be provided with the neces¬
sary power, for this very purpose, appears to be something
more than a mere hypothesis, I think can be shown by its
effects on the living body. Virey, Good and Fleming, have
denominated this angel, "instinct" as above stated, because
say they, "instinct" is the operation of the living principle,
whenever manifestly directing its efforts to the health, pre¬
servation, or reproduction of a living frame, or any part of
such frame. It operates by definite means, in definite cir¬
cumstances, to the general welfare of the individual system
or of its separate organs—advancing them to perfection,
preserving them in it, or laying the foundation for their re¬
production as the nature of the case may require. It applies
equally to plants and to animals, and to every part of the
plant, as well as to every part of the animal, as long as
such part continues to live. It is this, which maintains from
age to age, with so much niceity and precision, the different
kinds and species. Which carries off the waste or worn
out matter, and supplies the new—and in every instance of
disease or derangement by accident, if its charge is not
crushed, suggests the mode of cure, to those ivho should as¬
sist, and in thousands of instances effects the cure itself, and
indeed, in many instances, the best friends of the sick, are
those who, if they cannot render efficient aid, will do noth¬
ing to obstruct, the operations of this intelligent nurse of na-
*Witness the Chemical experiments in our Medical College on this subiect. Prof.
Lindsley exhibited many illustrations of this truth. One of the constituents of both air
and water is highly combustible, as well as the metal and vases of the alkalies and alka-
.ine earths a very slight change in the existing combination of elements would Ln&taiU-
Sy produce a spontaneous combustion of the earth.
13
ture. The practitioners of the healing art, are well aware,
that the closer they observe tho directions of this guardian
angel, the greater will be their success, either in medicine
or surgery.
The "vis medicatrix natura," or curative powers of our
nature, then, may well be styled the guardian angel, to whom
God has given us in charge, (while a different grade act in
the vegetable kingdom for our uses) and, although it has
been called by various names, too tedious to mention; and
whatever may be the objections to the views entertained of
its powers and manifestations in disease, that such a
power exists, can no more be doubted or denied, than that
organized bodies are possessed of the vital principle; for we
have too many instances of recovery from injuries and dis¬
ease, which were almost fatal in their nature; not only with¬
out the help of the practitioner, but even in spite of it, to
doubt for a moment, that there is within every living body a
principle, whose operations are manifestly directed to the
health and preservation of it, and all its members. Its
modes of operation are strictly methodical, on definite
and well organized plans, and actually show specific va¬
rieties of chemical combinations and creative or regenera¬
tive powers,%which are hard to comprehend, yet always vis¬
ible. This angel, whose office it is to watch over us while
living, will, no doubt, take care of us when dead; for God has
said that even in death he will not forsake us, and will finally
resurrect our bodies by the angels when the proper time ar¬
rives, and then, when "this mortal shall put on immortality,'^
perhaps their office ceases and they, like us, have a "rest
with the people of God."
I have been informed by old and experienced chemists,
that to take the ashes of a plant, insect or animal, properly
prepared, and hermetrically sealed in a g'lass vessel filled
with distilled water, and exposed to the influence of the sun
and moon for two years, it will, about the expiration of that
time, shew a transparent likeness of the original animal,
plant or insect in the water above spoken of. The legend¬
ary story of the Foenix Bird may have arisen from this fact
being known to some of the ancients and alchemists. This is
a strong chemical proof of the resurrection; and the doctrine
was believed by some of the ancients up to the time that the
Savior and his apostles taught and demonstrated the resur¬
rection to the world. Now, if the operations of chemistry,
directed by a finite mind, can produce the results above spo¬
ken of in the short time above named, how very probable,
then, becomes the belief in the doctrine of the resurrected
"sialic from the dead grain or body" to send up a purified vase
14
to envelop, or contain the understanding heart, when brought
about by the power and wisdom of an almighty and infin¬
itely wise God; when "the earth is His, and the fullness
thereof;" angels aretHis adjuncts, and the earth is Hislabara-
tory; and, though ages will pass over her revolutions, and
appear to be slow to man, yet her chemical actions will be
sure, for her elective affinities and combinations will be ex¬
hibited to the universe.
There is an insect, or animal, if you choose, which usually
inhabits the purest springs of water, and will live in no other;
and by its motions it would seem to indicate that its office
was to guard the sources of the stream from obstructions and
impurities. As soon as the spring is disturbed and its waters
muddied, this little, but active guardian sets about an exam¬
ination of its premises; and so quick are its motions that it is
difficult for the eye to follow them. When it has apparently
satisfied itself with regard to the cause of the disturbance, or
the extent of the mischief, it will station itself just at the
junction of the clear and the muddy waters, and only move
from them as it seems to be driven upward toward the head
of the spring, by the approach of the impure water; and as
soon as the muddy water begins to recede, our little friend
will begin to advance, and thus maintain his position until the
spring is purified, or its "waters healed." This insect is most
appropriately called, in common language,the spring-keeper;
and its apparent office may not be inaptly compared to the
office of the guardian angel of our bodies, or vis medacatrix
natura, whose apparent duty it is to stand upon the outworks
of our systems and guard against the approach of disease.
Every experienced surgeon has seen the lines drawn between
the mortifying and sound parts, and in acting as God's minis¬
ter or messenger of health, he knows where relief is re¬
quired, and when affliction comes, as it sometimes does, in
overwhelming force, and in double quick time this power un¬
furls the banner of distress, so that willing and competant
friends may be informed of our danger, and fly to our relief;
and when death comes for his prey, from whose dart the
shield of mercy cannot save us, this faithful friend, still true
to its trust, takes its final stand within the citadel of vitality,
and there awaits the shock which sets this soul or mind at lib¬
erty. And when our bodies are consigned to the tomb, this
everlasting, but now inert, principle accompanies them, and
there remains "to watch our slumbering dust till God shall
bid it rise." Is it not reasonable that this class of angels, be¬
ing in their places, should hear the voice of the son of God,
and, like good subalterns, repeat the command to the sections
of Legions that they are resurrecting, to form ranks in order
15
and bid them upward move ! at which time the body will
give out emanations and form a vase for the soul, and by
their elective affinities will be reunited. The body, too, be¬
comes immortal; then this faithful guardian surrenders his
charge to the possession of Him who gave it. Thus it is that
we are, and ever will be, in the presence of God. His
watchful eye never looses sight of us, and the power of his
everlasting arms support us; and from the moment we draw
the first breath of life, throughout life's pilgrimage, and in
death, and through all time, we are the objects of his care;
and if we have served his righteous will on earth, we shall
rejoice in the presence of him and his holy angels for ever.
The scriptures have described to us the eternaljoys of the
redeemed in heaven. But still it is impossible that human
language can convey to human understanding a perfect
knowledge of the inexpressible joys, the eternity of pleasure
that await the redeemed in the presence of God and the
Lamb. It may be that in addition to the joys produced by
love, the love of God, and the love to God and the holy angels,
and the love of one another, and the heavenly confidence
which such love begets, that the prospect of a perfect knowl¬
edge will be the cause of joy equal to any of the other endless
sources of happiness; and who can conceive of the happi¬
ness of those who know all things that occurred from the be¬
ginning, and will continue to learn and know through all eter¬
nity. It may be that they will continue to eat of the fruit
of that tree which, to mortals, is still the "fruit of the tree of
knowledge of good and evil. But to the just made perfect,"
it is the knowledge of unmixed good; universal knowledge
and wisdom direct from God himself. The tree of life and
the river of life, too, are there; and the fruit of the one and
the waters of the other will be theirs, to eat and to drink for
ever. All knowledge will be theirs, and for them the veil
shall be taken from the face of nature, and every secret re¬
vealed, and all of the mysteries and, to mortals, inexplicable
facts in the history of creation, and of man's redemption be
fully explained and made simple, so that the little children
of God's redeeming love may become as the angels in knowl¬
edge. They shall stand before God, on the same golden
level, each in the enjoyment of perfect bliss, because there
is no jarring interest to create discord, no malice or hatred,
no wish the one to be above another, or possess more than
the other; but all will be peace and joy and perfect confi¬
dence in each other; for the "secrets of all hearts shall be
made known," and they will "see each other as they are
seen, and know as they are known." The light of God's love
will illuminate all hearts, and their joys will be eternal. Oh,
16
this is food unto the hungry soul! and to the weary rest.
The scripture testimony in favor of the doctrine of the
resurrection of the body, is so abundant, that it would be dif¬
ficult "to quote the whole of it in a lecture—we will therefore
refer you to a few of the most striking passages. In the
book of Job, chap. 19th, v. 25th and 26th, we find this re¬
markable language: in reference to the resurrection of the
body, or as we believe an emination from it. "For I know
that my Redeemer liveth, and he, shall stand at the latter day
upon the earth, and though after my skin, worms destroy this
body, yet in my flesh shall I see God, whom I shall see for
myself and not another." This was spoken according to
the best chronologists 1520 years before Christ.
The above shews that Job believed in the resurrection of
the body, but we would infer from his language, that he did
not fully understand the kind of body he should have, when
he speaks of his flesh. The great Apostle to the Gentiles,
wpeaks of the resurrection, and teaches it as a fundamental
doctrine. 1 Cor. 15th chap. The Apostle John declares, he
did not know what manner of man we should be, yet he be¬
lieved we should be with and like God!! 1 John 3: 1-5. There
are many allusions to it in all his epistles.
But Jesus the Christ, in the 20th chapter and 35th and 38th
verses inclusive, of the gospel by St. Luke, (and other Apos-/
ties) shews us what kind of bodies we will have. It is un¬
necessary to quote it as you are all familiar with the passage.
The kind of body, though is clearly inferred. It is not ^sen¬
sual or corruptible body, but a spiritual body, therefore in¬
corruptible—"and will not fade away."
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