A new basis of belief in immortality / by John S. Farmer.

  • Farmer, John S.
Date:
1882
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A new basis of belief in immortality / by John S. Farmer. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    laws, customs, aud institutions often drag on long after the spirit which once animated them has fled. The Jews imagined that their peculiar system of religious thought, with its cramped ordinances, its forms, its ceremonies, aud its temple worship, so totally unsuited to other outside nationalities or other periods of time, was the final revelation of God to man. All the world, thought the Jew, would be brought to acknowledge the Jewish ritual and economy, and the worship of God would concentrate itself at the Temple of Solomon at Jerusalem. The echoes of Malachi’s prophetic voice, however, died away, and four hundred years elapsed, at the end of which period but few were looking for the signs of a new revelation. But though unexpected, uncalled for, and considered uiiueedful, a fresh voice from heaven was heard proclaiming the universality of God’s presence amongst men, aud the near relationship of the natural and spiritual worlds. Jesus heralded a nobler and grander faith, revealed the possibility of a newer and truer experience, exemplifying it both by word and work. The new faith grew out of and developed from the old Jewish regime, widening out its forms, enlarging its creed, and unloosing the bonds and fetters which had been cast around human life and thought. The Christian Church, however, soon forgot its supplementary rela- tionship to the Mosaic revelation, and eventually subsided into a firm belief in the finality of the teachings of Christ. The idea of any addition to or revised interpretation of the Bible is to-day repudiated with horror, and loud and indignant are the cries of alarm which are raised when such a procedure is hinted at. Notwithstanding this, Spiritualism has come, claiming to add new lustre to Christ’s teaching—to enlarge its capacities and extend its in- fluence. Spiritualism is not more startling to the religious world to-day than was the gospel of Jesus to the orthodox Jews. They were scan- dalised then by the new light which was thrown upon their ritual and ceremonial observances, and in fear, they exclaimed—Who dares to question our most holy aud ancient faith ? Who disputes the suffici- ency of the law and the prophets ? The parallel is complete. To-day the same cries are heard—the same objections raised. Both Judaism and Christianity are regarded as of divine origin. The Christian Church, however, by following the latter, virtually ad- mits that instruction given at one period of the world’s historj’ to one particular people does not necessarily suffice for all times and peoples. It is true that life and immortality wore brought to light by Christ’s teaching, but it is a mistaken idea that Christ added anything material to the stock of human knowledge with regard to the nature of that life. The bare enunciation and demonstration of the duality aud continuity of life was sufficient for the time. The thought was so transcendent in itself that, had more been revealed, it would probably have been passed by as beyond the apprehension of the mind of man. * I have shown that a re-assertion of this central truth is necessary. , • .Tosus himself gives a similar reason for not revealing the whole of the truth. . There were many things which He loft unsaid to His dUciplcs—“ because ye caunot I hear them now.” i