of the globe is too mighty and improbable a conclusion to be based upon
the increase of temperature, observed only to the depth of two or three
thousand feet. But this is not the only evidence of such a condition of
the earth's interior. Three hundred active volcanoes, and still more
numerous extinct ones, have opened their mouths and poured forth their
molten contents from a great depth, to bear witness to the existence of
vast masses of melted rock beneath the earth's crust. The globe, too, is
flattened at the poles, just to the amount it would be by rotation on its
axis, had it been a liquid mass; and, therefore, there is every
probability that it was once liquid; and if so once, its interior is
probably still so, because the period for cooling it, when once surrounded
by a solid crust, must be incalculably long. That this solid crust has
once been liquid from heat, is most obvious to all who carefully examine
it. For the unstratified rocks have certainly once been melted, and most
of the stratified series were derived from the unstratified. Again, the
organic remains dug out from the deep-seated strata prove that, when they
were alive, the surface, even in high latitudes, must have been subject to
a tropical, or even an ultra-tropical heat; thus showing us that the
temperature of the globe has gradually diminished, as we should expect
from the theory of original igneous fluidity. And, finally, no other
hypothesis but the gradual cooling of the earth's crust, and the powerful
volcanic agency that must from time to time have torn and ridged up that
crust, will account for the present fractured and overturned condition of
the strata, and the elevation of our continent from the ocean's bed. But
this supposition does most satisfactorily explain all these phenomena, and
also those of earthquakes and volcanoes.
I must acknowledge, however, that all these arguments fail of convincing a
few geologists of the doctrine of internal igneous fluidity, to the extent
above described. But they all admit that the facts do prove the existence
of vast oceans of melted matter beneath the earth's crust. Nor do even
these geologists doubt but the globe contains within itself the agencies
requisite for a universal conflagration. Mr. Lyell says that "there must
exist below enormous masses of matter, intensely heated, and in many
instances in a constant state of fusion." He says, also, "When we consider
the combustible nature of the elements of the earth, so far as they are
known to us, the facility with which their compounds may be decomposed and
made to enter into new combinations, the quantity of heat which they
evolve during those processes; when we recollect the expansive power of
steam, and that water itself is composed of two gases, which, by their
union, produce intense heat; when we call to mind the number of explosive
and detonating compounds which have been already discovered,--we may be
allowed to share the astonishment of Pliny, that a single day should pass
without a general conflagration. '_Excedit profecto omnia miracula, ullum
diem fuisse quo non cuncta conflagrarent._'"--Lyell's _Principles of
Geology_, b. ii. chap. xx. vol. ii.
"As a consequence of the refrigeration of the centre and crust of the
globe," says D'Orbigny, "the withdrawment of matter has produced
elevations and depressions on the consolidated crust; to which movements,
in connection with those of the waters, we must impute the complete
destruction of the existing fauna. These dislocations have brought about
at each epoch changes of level in the consolidated beds and in the seas.
And after a period of agitation, more or less prolonged, after each of
these geological revolutions, different beings have been created to cover
anew and enliven the surface of the earth."--_Cours Elementaire
Paleontologie_, p. 148.
All geologists, then, agree that the elements of the earth's final
conflagration are contained within its bosom or upon its surface. At
present, these elements are so bound down by counteracting agencies, that
all is quiet and security. But let the fiat of the Almighty go forth for
their liberation, and the scenes of the last day, as described in the
Bible, will commence. The ploughshare of ruin will be driven onward, until
this fair world is all ingulfed, and no trace of organic life remains.
Yet to him who realizes that the destruction is only a necessary
preparation for a brighter world, which will emerge from the ruins of the
present; that, when the matter of the globe has been purified, its surface
shall be covered with new and lovelier forms of beauty, surrounded by a
still more bland and balmy atmosphere, and inhabited by sinless and
immortal beings,--to him who realizes all this, the desolation will put on
the aspect of a glorious transformation.
In the second place, still deeper will be this impression, when we
recollect that similar transmutations have already been experienced by the
earth with an improvement of its condition. There is no evidence that the
entire surface of the earth has ever undergone a complete fusion since
organic life first appeared upon it. But we have reason to think that,
frequently, at least, when one race of animals and plants has disappeared
from the earth, it has been the result of violent catastrophes, proceeding
from the elevation or subsidence of continents or chains of mountains.
Says Agassiz, "A very remarkable, and perhaps the most surprising fact is,
that the appearance of the chains of mountains, and the inequalities of
the surface resulting from it, seem to have coincided generally with the
epochs of the renewal of organized beings."--_Ed. Journal of Science_,
Oct. 1842, p. 394.--These vertical movements of such large portions of the
earth's crust could have resulted only from the direct or indirect agency
of volcanic power, though the destruction of organic life, which must have
been the consequence, may have resulted as often from aqueous as igneous
inundations. But usually both agencies were probably concerned, and the
predominance of one or the other of these agencies is of little
consequence to the argument; for if such wide-spread ruin has already
repeatedly passed over the earth, a still wider desolation may be
presumed possible, if only a little wider play shall be given to the
agents of destruction. Already have the changes of this sort which the
earth, or portions of it, have undergone, resulted in an improved
condition of its surface. In other words, at each successive epoch,
animals and plants of a higher and more perfect organization have
appeared, because the temperature, the air, and the earth's general
condition have been better adapted to their happy existence. The amount of
limestone seems to have been constantly increasing, and, as a consequence,
the fertility of the soil; probably, also, the amount of carbonic acid has
diminished in the atmosphere, as animals with lungs have been multiplied.
In short, there is a prodigious increase, among the present inhabitants of
the globe, of animals and plants possessing complicated and delicate
organization and loftier intellectual powers, over all former conditions
of the globe. But we have reason to believe, from the Christian
Scriptures, that the next economy of life which shall be placed upon the
globe will far transcend all those that have gone before. Every vestige of
sin, suffering, decay, and death will disappear. Says the Bible, _There
shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be
any more pain, for the former things are passed away. And there shall in
no wise enter it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh
abomination, or maketh a lie._ In short, the change is no other than the
conversion of this world into heaven. Reasonably, therefore, might we
anticipate a most thorough destruction of the present world, to prepare
the way for the introduction of such a glorious state. The Scriptures
describe that state by the most splendid imagery that can be derived from
existing nature. It is represented, figuratively, no doubt, as a splendid
city, prepared of God, and let down to the earth. Its twelve foundations
are all precious stones, its gates pearls, its wall jasper, and its
streets pure gold, as it were, transparent glass. The Lord God Almighty
and the Lamb are the temple of that city. Instead of the sun and the moon,
the glory of God enlightens it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. From
out of their throne proceeds the water of life, clear as crystal, and
along its banks grows the tree of life, with its twelve manner of fruits,
yielding its fruit every month.
Here, then, we have the most splendid and enchanting objects in nature
brought before us as representatives of the new heavens and the new earth.
Yet we cannot learn from the Bible, or science, what material dress nature
will then put on. We are taught only that it will far exceed, in splendor
and perfection, the drapery which she now wears. We may be assured that it
will be eminently adapted to a spirit that is henceforth to be perfectly
holy, happy, incorruptible, and immortal. Both revelation and geology
agree in assuring us that the new earth, which will emerge from the ruins
of the present, will be improved in its condition; but the particulars of
that condition are not described--probably because we could not, in our
present state, understand them.
Such are the views concerning the earth's future destruction and
renovation, which appear to me to be taught by a fair interpretation of
Scripture, and which harmonize with the teachings of geology. But we are
met here by two formidable difficulties. In the first place, if the
present earth is to be burnt up and melted at the last day, it must
require thousands of years before another solid crust shall be formed upon
its surface, capable of sustaining organic natures which are material. But
the Bible represents the righteous, at the day of judgment, as reunited to
their bodies, which they left in the grave, and entering at once into
their residence upon the new earth. Where, then, can we find the
thousands of years which, by this theory, are essential to prepare this
residence for their reception? Into what intermediate place, what new
Hades, shall they pass, until verdure shall clothe the new earth, and more
than the primeval beauty of Eden take the place of the volcanic desolation
which must reign over a world just beginning to cool from incandescent
heat?
I freely acknowledge that this is a serious objection to my theory; and
perhaps it is insuperable, unless we resort to miraculous interference. It
were easy to say, that God can, in a moment, convert a globe of fire into
a paradise of beauty, and make its landscapes smile with charms
transcending the bowers of paradise lost. Indeed, the Scriptures represent
the New Jerusalem as prepared by God's own hands, and let down at once
upon the earth to form the metropolitan abode of the righteous.
But, after all, I am unwilling thus to dispose of the difficulty. For it
is a clumsy way to meet objections, when we undertake to philosophize upon
events, either past, present, or future, to foist in a miracle, in order
to eke out our hypothesis. We thus make an image of as incoherent parts as
that in Nebuchadnezzar's dream, and as easily broken in pieces.
There is a second mode by which the difficulty under consideration can be
completely obviated, could we only admit the theory on which it rests.
Some theological writers have maintained that the day of judgment will
occupy a long period,--thousands and tens of thousands of years
perhaps,--in order that every individual may experience a literal trial
before the universe for all his conduct on earth, so that the conscience
of every one in that vast assembly shall approve the final sentence. They
appeal to various texts of Scripture, where it is strongly stated that
rigid inquisition will be made on that solemn day into the conduct and
motives of every individual. And it may be, indeed, that such descriptions
are to have a literal fulfilment; and if so, we should have a period long
enough for the new earth to be recovered by natural means from its
volcanic desolation, and to be covered over with new forms of beauty. But
I confess the theory of such a long period of judgment does not seem to me
to be sustained by the most approved rules of exegesis, and therefore I am
unwilling to rest upon it to sustain my own hypothesis.
But is it not possible that our difficulty of conceiving how the spiritual
body can enter at once upon its residence in the new heavens and earth,
while yet the globe is only a shoreless ocean of fire, results from a
mistaken conception of the nature of the spiritual body? Do we not judge
of it by our own present bodies, and imagine that it must necessarily
possess such an organization as would be destroyed by the extremes of heat
and cold? And are we authorized to draw such an inference? The Scriptures
have, indeed, left us very much in the dark as to the specific nature of
the future glorified body, which Paul calls a spiritual body. He does not
mean that it is composed of spirit, for then it would not differ from the
soul itself, by which it is to be animated. He certainly means that it is
composed of matter; unless, indeed, there be in the universe a third
substance, distinct both from matter and spirit. But of the existence of
such a substance we have no positive evidence; and, therefore, must
conclude the spiritual body to be matter; called spiritual, probably,
because eminently adapted to form the immortal residence of pure spirit.
Yet we learn from the apostle's description that it is not composed of
flesh and blood, which, he says, cannot inherit the kingdom of God;
neither is it capable of decay, like our present bodies. Indeed, the
illustration which he derives from the decay and germination of a kernel
of wheat shows us that the future body will be as much unlike the present
as a stalk of wheat is different from the seed whence it sprang; and, in
appearance, scarcely any two things are more unlike. Hence we may suppose
the resurrection body of the righteous to be as different from that which
the soul now animates as matter can be, in its most diverse forms.
Now, the question arises, Do we know of any form of matter in the present
world which remains the same at all temperatures, and in all
circumstances, which no chemical or mechanical agencies can alter?--a
substance which remains unchanged in the very heart of the ice around the
poles, and in the focus of a volcano; which remains untouched by the most
powerful reagents which the chemist can apply, and by the mightiest forces
which the mechanician can bring to bear upon it? It seems to me that
modern science does render the existence of such a substance probable,
though not cognizable by the senses. It is the luminiferous ether, that
attenuated medium by which light, and heat, and electricity are
transmitted from one part of the universe to another, by undulations of
inconceivable velocity. This strange fluid, whose existence and action
seems all but demonstrated by the phenomena of light, heat, and
electricity, and perhaps, too, by the resistance experienced by Encke's,
Biela's, and Halley's comets, must possess the extraordinary
characteristic above pointed out. It must exist and act wherever we find
light, heat, or electricity; and where do we not find them? They penetrate
through what has been called empty space; and, therefore, this ether
exists there, propagating its undulations at the astonishing rate of two
hundred thousand miles per second. They emanate in constant succession
from every intensely heated focus, such as the sun, the volcano, and the
chemical furnace; and, therefore, this strange medium is neither
dissipated nor affected by the strongest known heat. Both light and heat
are transmitted through ice; and, therefore, this ether cannot be
congealed. The same is true of glass, and every transparent substance,
however dense; and even the most solid metals convey heat and electricity
with remarkable facility; and, therefore, this ether exists and acts with
equal facility in the most solid masses as in a vacuum. In short, it seems
to be independent of chemical or mechanical changes, and to act
unobstructed in all possible modifications of matter. And, though too
evanescent to be cognizable by the senses, or the most delicate chemical
and mechanical tests, it possesses, nevertheless, a most astonishing
activity.
Now, I am not going to assert that the spiritual body will be composed of
this luminiferous ether. But, since we know not the composition of that
body, it is lawful to suppose that such may be its constitution. This is
surely possible, and that is all which is essential to my present
argument.
Admitting its truth, the following interesting conclusions follow:--
In the first place, the spiritual body would be unaffected by all possible
changes of temperature. It might exist as well in the midst of fire, or of
ice, as in any intermediate temperature. Hence it might pass from one
extreme of temperature to another, and be at home in them all; and this is
what we might hope for in a future world. Some, indeed, have imagined that
the sun will be the future heaven of the righteous; and on this
supposition there is no absurdity in the theory. Nor would there be in the
hypothesis which should locate heaven in solid ice, or in the centre of
the earth.
In the second place, on this supposition, the spiritual body would be
unharmed by those chemical and mechanical agencies which matter in no
other form can resist.
The question has often arisen, how the glorified body, if material, would
be able to escape all sources of injury, so as to be immortal as the soul.
In this hypothesis, we see how it is possible; for though the whole globe
should change its chemical constitution, though worlds should dash upon
worlds, the spiritual body, though present at the very point where the
terrible collision took place, would feel no injury; and safe in its
immortal habitation, the soul might smile amid "the wreck of matter and
the crush of worlds."
In the third place, on this supposition, the soul might communicate its
thoughts and receive a knowledge of events and of other minds, through
distances inconceivably great, with the speed of lightning. If we suppose
the soul, in such a tenement, could transmit its thoughts and desires, and
receive impressions, through the luminiferous ether, with only the same
velocity as light, it might communicate with other beings upon the sun, at
the distance of one hundred million miles, in eight minutes; and such a
power we may reasonably expect the soul will hereafter possess, whether
derived from this or some other agency. We cannot believe that, in another
world, the soul's communication with the rest of the universe will be as
limited as in the present state. On this supposition, she need not wander
through the universe to learn the events transpiring in other spheres, for
the intelligence would be borne on the morning's ray or the lightning's
wing.
Finally, on this supposition, the germ of the future spiritual body may,
even in this world, be attached to the soul; and it may be this which she
will come seeking after on the resurrection morning.
I know not but this wonderful medium, in some unknown form, may attach
itself to the sleeping dust; and though that dust be scattered upon the
winds, or diffused in the waters of the ocean, and transformed into other
animal bodies, still that germ may not be lost. The chemist has often been
perplexed, when he thinks how the bodies of men are decomposed after
death, and how every particle must, in some cases, pass into other bodies;
he has been perplexed, I say, to see how the resurrection body should be
identified, and especially how those particles could become a part of
different bodies. Perhaps the hypothesis under consideration may relieve
the difficulty. Perhaps, too, it may teach us how the soul exists and
acts, when separated from the body. It may act through this universal
medium, though in a manner less perfect than after it has united itself to
the spiritual body raised from the grave.[20]
But I fear I am venturing too far into the region of conjecture. My only
object is, to show that we do know of a substance which might form a
spiritual body which should be in its element upon the new earth, even
though it were in the condition of a fiery ocean. It could not, indeed, be
an organic body of such a kind as heat would destroy; though I see no
reason why it may not possess an organism far more delicate and wonderful
than that of our present bodies, and yet be unaffected by heat or cold, or
mechanical or chemical agencies. I do not feel, therefore, that the
objection which I am considering is insuperable. It results, I apprehend,
from the false assumption that the spiritual body will be subject to
those influences by which our present comparatively gross bodies are so
powerfully affected.
Shall I be pardoned if I say that, in the experiments of an incipient and
maltreated science, we have, perhaps, a glimpse of the manner in which the
soul will act in the future spiritual body? for if those experiments be
not all delusion,--and how can we reasonably infer that experiments so
multiplied, so various, and in many cases, when not in the hands of
itinerant jugglers, so fairly performed,--I say, how can we regard all
these as mere trickery? and if not, they are best explained by supposing
the soul to act independently of the bodily organs, and through the same
medium which we have supposed to constitute the future spiritual body. In
this view, mesmerism assumes a most interesting aspect, forming, as it
were, a link between the present and the future world. The theory which I
have advanced does not, indeed, fall to the ground, though mesmerism
should be found a delusion; yet it is but justice to say, that it first
came under my eye in that most classical, philosophical, and attractive
work, Townsend's "Facts in Mesmerism." A similar view, however, was
presented several years earlier, in a work by Isaac Taylor, no less
ingenious and profound, the "Physical Theory of Another Life," a work,
however, which makes not the slightest allusion to mesmerism. The author
supposes such a state of things as I have imagined in another life to be
in existence even now. "The sensation of light," says he, "is now believed
to result from the vibrations, not the emanations, of an elastic fluid, or
ether; but this same element may be capable of another species of
vibrations; or the electric or the magnetic fluids may be susceptible of
some such vibrations; or an element as universally diffused as light
through the universe may be the medium of sonorous undulations, equally
rapid and distinct, and serving to connect the most remote regions of the
universe by the conveyance of sounds, just as the most remote are actually
connected by the passage of light. Yet the sonorous vibrations of this
supposed element may be far too delicate to awaken the ear of man, or, in
fact, of a kind not perceptible by the human auditory nerve." "We refuse
to allow that a conjecture of this sort is extravagant, or destitute of
philosophical probability; on the contrary, consider it as borne out, in a
positive sense, by the discoveries of modern science. Might we then rest
for a moment upon an animating conception (aided by the actual analogy of
light) such as this, viz., that the field of the visible universe is the
theatre of a vast social economy, holding rational intercourse at great
distances? Let us claim leave to indulge the belief, when we contemplate
the starry heavens, that speech, inquiry and response, commands and
petitions, debate and instruction, are passing to and fro; or shall the
imagination catch the pealing anthems of praise, at stated seasons,
arising from worshippers in all quarters, and flowing on with thundering
power, like the noise of many waters, until it meet and shake the courts
of the central heavens?"--_Physical Theory of Another Life_, p. 202, 3d
Am. ed.