DIVINE PRESENCE IN THE SOUL. 119 ourselves. The intellectual faculty devoted to this use is essentially the faculty of association, by which we connect a new idea, which strikes us, with one familiar to our mind, and thereby endeavour to possess ourselves of the former, or, if we communicate a new idea to others, seek for a point of connexion, by which we may introduce it into their minds. The corresponding faculty of feeling, on the contrary, is individualizing and intuitive. It concentrates itself, as in one focus, upon the object of its investigation or communication, and receives or represents it, as a matter of immediate intuition, or mental perception, without analysis, without comparison, without reference to any thing else, as it were, by one stroke. It is the predominance of this faculty in the female sex, which renders woman so much more quick-sighted concerning the character of those with whom she comes into contact; and the close connection which it has with the essence of poetry, is the reason why a poetic tinge attaches, almost invariably, to the female character. In the same manner do all the other faculties of the second class-with the exception of those, which belong not so much to our inward life, as to the communication of it in the outward world-exist in pairs, the one being a faculty of feeling, and the other of intellect. The simultaneous and harmonious development of both these branches, and of the different faculties belonging to each, decides upon the moral character of man, which, to be well balanced, requires the judgment of feeling, as well as that of the understanding. So far, but no farther, can man's development be carried, without consciousness of the indwelling, the nature and operations of that light which "lighteth every man that cometh into the world"-and without whom, as "not any thing was made," so not any thing can be understood, of all things that were made. It is by the operation, I repeat it, the unconscious and unknown operation of that light upon the faculties of the two first classes, that the heathen were enabled to investigate nature, to discover principles, and to establish 120 MADE MANIFEST THROUGH JESUS CHRIST. sciences; and it was by this, that they were enabled to come, from a state of brutal hostility, into a state of civilization; to cultivate the arts of life; to frame laws and institutions; to inquire into the nature, the origin, and destination of the soul; to set up a standard of virtue, and to ascertain the moral duties between man and man. But they were not purely submitted to the influence of that light, nor were they governed by it exclusively; the spirit of rebellion influenced the development of their individual and national life, and the results which they obtained, were attributed by them, not to a divine power distinct from themselves, though dwelling within them, but to their own talents and capacities. Nevertheless, some indications of consciousness of a divine presence in the human heart, such as the day of Socrates, broke in upon them in the course of their inquiries, and prepared them for the conception of that great purpose of God, which was to be realized in fulness and glory in the person of Jesus Christ, viz., the divinization of man, through the humanization of the Deity. The historical existence of that fact, and, connected with it, that infinite mass of spiritual information, which the New Testament contains, was necessary, to lead man to a full consciousness of the source, from which he had already derived so much light, so much assistance; and, in that consciousness, to call into full action the faculties of the third and highest order, viz. those which appertain to his existence in and with God. Thus, then, the superiority of christian education, over that which the pagan world gave, consists, not only in the knowledge of God, and our position to him, with which revelation has made us acquainted, and of which the heathen were entirely destitute, but in the light which has been thrown, by that knowledge, upon the whole constitution of human nature, and upon its different operations. It is not merely by the addition of a branch of instruction, called the knowledge of the christian religion, that education has been enriched, but, by the distinct THE FACULTIES AND THEIR OBJECTS. 121 information which we have received, concerning the nature of our task; so that, whilst the heathen knew not, by whose power they learned, nor in whose name they taught, we, on the contrary, know, or at least, ought to know, since the means of knowledge are placed in our hands, in whose name, and by whose power alone, all education and instruction ought to be carried on. How deeply is it, then, to be deplored, that still the greatest part of our education should be imparted in our own name, or in the name of science, and that the little, which is given in the name of God and his Christ, should be given in his name only, and not in his power. In the preceding sketch of the human faculties, I have drawn your attention to the main parts, rather than to the details, as the latter would far exceed the compass which I am obliged to prescribe to myself, and I have merely mentioned the third order of faculties, without offering any remark on them here, as my last lecture will be exclusively appropriated to that subject. Nor do I think it necessary, in the present lecture, to enumerate the different branches of instruction, as they will come under consideration again in the discussion of the two following questions, and I will therefore only beg leave, in conclusion, to say a few words regarding the connection, in which the different faculties. stand with the visible as well as the invisible world. I have shown that they are all destined for one purpose, for the attainment of which they are to be concentrated upon the divine light and life, and developed in subserviency to it; and it remains now for us to see, what relation they bear to the objects of their activity, which are, erroneously enough, generally mistaken for the purposes of their existence. It has been repeated, often enough to be called a truism, that man is a compound being, and still it may be very excusable to repeat it once more, for the purpose of fixing a meaning upon a term, used so habitually without a meaning. The composition of the different beings, and the ground on which their communication with each other 122 THEIR RELATION TO EACH OTHER. rests, is enveloped in the deepest mystery; it is that which is most carefully veiled from the profane eye of curiosity or selfishness, that which a matter-of-fact philosophy will never discover. Nevertheless, the knowledge of it, if attained, would be of immense interest, as well as practical utility; for although we have the maxim on our books, “naturæ convenienter vivere,” we cannot yet form even a correct idea, what it is to live agreeably to nature, because we are ignorant of the nature of each being, and of the ground of its connexion with others, as founded in its nature. This knowledge I do not think it impossible, nor even very difficult to attain, provided we do not seek our principles in the facts which we observe, but lay them down a priori, which in all, even in the most experimental sciences, is the only way to arrive at real results; and which has been done in all ages by those, who took the lead in any branch of knowledge, although the ignorant multitude, who can see nothing but facts, always attributed to chance, or to the effect of repeated experiments, those great discoveries, on which all that is valuable in human science rests, and which are the work, not of human sagacity, but of a sort of inspiration. Much as it may excite the derision of experimental philosophers, or the bigotry of mere creed believers, I repeat it again, as a truth which, it is important, should be known, as one involved in the revelation which we have of God through Christ, that in no science whatever we can know anything of the nature of things,-beyond their outward appearance, and their external phenomena— unless we proceed upon principles received, as a matter of faith, a priori, and laid down with the most absolute reliance on their reality. If you ask, where those principles are to be found, the answer is, within your own minds, at the source of all knowledge, which dwells in you, and will enlighten you, if you will but turn to it in faith. From the same source, from which all knowledge on religious subjects is derived, ought we likewise to receive the prin NOT TO BE UNDERSTOOD WITHOUT FAITH. * 123 ciples of all other knowledge; but in the latter, as in the former case, it requires faith, without which there is .... * I cannot deny myself the satisfaction of quoting the following verses, from the eighth chapter of Proverbs, which is so beautiful an illustration of the beginning of St. John's Gospel: "I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out "knowledge of witty inventions. When he prepared the heavens, I was "there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: when he established "the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: when "he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment, when he appointed the foundations of the earth: Then I was by "him, as one brought up with him, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing 66 always before him: rejoicing in the habitable parts of his earth, and my "delights were with the sons of men. Now, therefore, hearken unto me, O 'ye children!" Can there be a plainer declaration of the sublime truth, that the universal and everlasting spirit of God, who knoweth the heavens and the compass of the depth, the clouds above and the fountains of the deep, the sea and the foundations of the earth, finds his delight in communicating to the sons of men his wisdom and knowledge; and that it is by his light only, that men are enabled to find out knowledge of witty inventions? But the meanness of our feelings, and the narrowness of our minds, will not permit us to take that enlarged view of revelation, which would cause us to see God in all things, although we keep it on record, as a dead creed, that he is "all and in all." Of the most express declarations, such as those in the above passage, we get rid, by declaring them "figures of speech." Let it be remembered, however, that although men may deprive themselves and others of the benefit of God's revelation, by restricting its import, this can only affect them, but not the meaning of a divine declaration, which remains unalterable for ever. Let it be remembered also, that he who takes the lead in such presumptuous limitations of the divine truth, incurs a heavy responsibility. "Woe unto the world because of offences ;" and woe unto the religious world, if the offence come by them. Woe unto those who, by precluding science from the fountain of religion, have driven the scientific world away from religion, and prevented science from becoming conformable to the wisdom of God. The error, however, lies not with the religious world only; (although it is in them more unpardonable, because they ought to have better knowledge;) the arrogance of human reason, and the conceit of an extensive knowledge of facts, of which the spirit is unknown, has as great a share in the unfortunate separation, nay division, which at present obtains between religion and science, as the narrowmindedness of the religious world. For the benefit of those whom this paltry collection of fragments from the life of the universe- for such are all our natural sciences in their present condition-puffs up so beyond measure, I will extract here (as they might not, perhaps, meet with it elsewhere) part of that sublime passage in the book of Job, in which God asks, "Who is this that darkeneth counsel "by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man, for I "will demand of thee, and answer thou me! Where wast thou when I laid |