all that we call reason in brutes is little more than instinct, and the effect of habit graduated in reference to the wants of man.

Man has a percipient, or knowing power or principle, unlike, above, and beyond all the indications of it in the inferior animals. He possesses the power of knowing himself and surrounding objects. They do not. He has the power of admiring, adoring, and feeling, in unison with the morally sublime and grand in every development of the Divinity that presides in the universe. In one word, he has a consciousness of thought, of feeling, in harmony with that supreme intelligence, the indications of whose presence every leaf, and flower, and atom of the universe attests, not a single vestige of which has ever appeared in any creature below him.

But that I may make my meaning stand out before you, gentlemen, in all its prominence, permit me to stray off a little into a speculation which, though curious, is nevertheless, I believe, both true and useful. There is external mind, thought, design, intelligence, as well as internal. There is inconscious thought, reason, or design, developed all around us; but it is on the surface, or in the physical constitution of things. Who, that is capable of admiring the starry heavens-the distance, regularity, order, and varied movements of the heavenly bodies, and the innumerable celestial phenomena-or of looking intelligibly upon the beautiful and varied productions of our own planet, that, in all his admiration and reflections, does not feel himself communing with an intelligence, contrivance, and design, visibly present on the whole face, and in every part of the universe, which he can understand; yet none of those creatures that exhibit this thought, reason, and design, are conscious of it, any more than this paper before me is, of the words and ideas which are inscribed upon it. They have thought, reflection, wisdom, and design stamped upon them, as words are printed in a book; but they can neither read nor understand them. This is what we call external, or inconscious thought, reason, and design. We see it in the feathered tribes of heaven-in the finney and scaley broods that swim in the waters—and as visible in all that creeps, as in all that flies-in all that grows out of the earth, as in all that lives and moves upon its surface. This inconscious external mind travels unobserved through all the ranks of being till it reaches man, in whom it finds a germ, or latent principle of reason, planted by the Omniscient Father. This germ, or principle, it incubates and stimulates into life. Thus conscious thought seems to awaken in man, and in him not only first, but alone, of all that springs out of this earth. Soon as it is roused into being it sees, and hears, and feels the attributes of mind every where spread over and through all the organic and inorganic creations around man,

which, like beams from the sun, radiate from universal nature; and, as an image on the retina of the eye, leave their similitude fully sketched upon his soul.

This consciousness of thought, peculiar to man of all the natives of earth, is the foundation and means of all his selfknowledge. It is by it he learns the me and the not me. By comparing these with one another, he learns all the lessons of himself and nature, which constitute the sum total of his earthly acquisitions. It is by comparing the me and the not me that we learn ourselves and things external; and by comparing all the things that are called the not me with one another, we learn their properties, and form all our conceptions of the finite and the infinite, and of the relations between them; which, according to the reigning philosophy of Paris and France, constitute all the elements both of reason and of human knowledge.

I need not prove to you, gentlemen, that he who cannot identify himself, can identify nothing else. But I may remind you of an important fact in mental philosophy, viz.-That the clearness of our conceptions of external nature, society, and religion, will ever be in the ratio of the distinctness of our consciousness of what passes in our own minds. A clear consciousness of our own thoughts and mental operations must always precede clear and distinct knowledge of any object extrinsic of ourselves.

And while I am dwelling on this curious speculation, perhaps you may think more curious than profitable, I beg leave to add, that the first clear perception that we have is that of our own personality, and that is an inference drawn from the consciousness that I think. I THINK, THEREFORE I AM, you will remem ber is the basis of the Cartesian philosophy, now in the first year of the third century of its existence. It is doubtless the true philosophy on this point. No person can at first distinguish the me from the not me, or ascertain his own personality, by gazing, however intensely, upon his outward frame, or by mere sensation of things without. I think, therefore I am, is not to be discarded with the singular and foolish doctrine of the Cartesian vortices.* It is much more rational that the idea of personality, or of myself, should arise from consciousness that I think or feel, than from any thing far from the centre of intelligence. I think, therefore I am, is beginning at the centre; and this is the true starting point in the pursuit of all knowledge. This philosophy has this singular recommendation-not merely that it is reviving after

Sir Isaac Newton has geometrically proved that the doctrine of Descartes of the vortices is false and groundless; because all bodies floating in vortices must be direstly the square of their distance from the centre of them. But the planets in moving round the sun follow a quite different law, viz.- the squares of their periodical times are always as the cubes of their distance. The inference, then, is clear that the planets do not move in vortices. But while Descartes erred in this, it follows not that he erred in his philosophy of mind.

having been measurably discarded because of some abuses; but because it makes the existence of mind more evident, more easily proved, and more certain than the existence of matter. By one step we arrive at the certainty of mind-I think, therefore 1 am; or I am, because I think. I come to this knowledge without going out of myself; but I must walk out and go abroad by the means of my sensations, before I can prove to myself the existence of matter. So argues Lord Brougham, and 1 agree with him.

But now you will say, 'What bearing has this singular speculation on the point under consideration?' I answer, We have seen that, as respects this planet, man is not a means, but an end. But it was alleged that he might be a means to some higher end in some other world, or system, superior to the present. To ascertain this, we have looked a little squintingly and superficially into his peculiar and differential attributes, to discover that for which he is pre eminently fitted. Our conclusions from the excursions which we have taken, are:-1st. That he alone, of all terrestrial creatures, possesses conscious thought, or has the sense of consciousness. A very important point, truly, gentlemen. 2d. That he can, from this conscious thought, learn his own personality. 3d. And, in the third place, that, from this, as a punctum saliens, a starting point, he can read and interpret the mind, thought, intelligence, and contrivance written on all the pages of the volumes of nature. Thus when he analyzes his own eye, ear, hand, or foot; or when travelling out of himself, he examines any of the organic or inorganic creatures around him, --a pebble, a mountain, a star-or a plant, a shrub, a tree—an insect, a bird, a fish, a reptile, a quadruped-he communes with the Supreme Intelligence, learns his wisdom, power, and benevolence—his immensity, ubiquity, and omniscience, as they open to his vision in all the works of his hand. Thus we approximate the great end of primitive man as the rightful sovereign and heir of this world.

Compared with all the creatures around him, man is a reflecting mirror; and all other creatures are transparent as the glass. He sees God, at least in some of his glorious attributes, in every creature around him. Through them, as a transparent substance, he views, admires, and adores his Creator. But God contemplates all his works as they are imaged on the human heart and reflected thence to heaven. The primitive man "looked through nature up to Nature's God." All nature, to him, was transparent. God looked upon all his mundane creations as they promoted the happiness or excited the gratitude, admiration, and love of man. In his sight they were good, excellent, and delightful, only so far as they prometed the relicity of man. Thus

God and man look at nature from different points, and for different ends. God contemplates nature in man and man contemtemplates God in nature. Nature, then, is but a medium-a transparency to them both. Hence we teach, that the primitive man viewed God in nature, and delighted in him; while God viewed nature in man, and rejoiced in it. Or, if any one prefers a different expression of the same idea, I would say, the prini. tive or natural* man delighted in God through nature, and God delighted in nature through man. This, then, was a cardinal use of the primitive man.

The human heart is that only altar on which the offerings of nature, and from which all the incense of its praise are made acceptable to God. "In nature there is no beauty seen by God, but as it is reflected from the human heart; no melody heard, but as it ascends from the human soul. Philosophers know that all the lines of beauty-that all the lights and shades—that all he attitudes, and forms, and colors of earthly charms, on, or near the surface of this planet, are arranged and fitted for the human eye; and from any other point there is no visible beauty in all material nature. The glories of the azure vault, with all its shining orbs of light, are thrown upon the human heart by the eye, as upon a polished mirror, that they may be thence reflected to the sempiternal Mind that placed them there; and that delights in them only as they radiate from beings intellectually and morally capable of discerning and enjoying them. The sublimity, grandeur, magnificence of occan, lake, river, and mountain scenery-the beauties of all the varied landscapes on the globe, with all the riches of all the realms of nature, are sources of delight to their benevolent Author, only as they awaken in the human heart sentiments of piety, love, and gratitude to himself as the source of all excellence and glory. If man be blind, all nature is blank; if man be dumb, all nature is silent before its Maker."t

In this point of view man is the tenant and occupant of this earth, and while leased to him God derives through him all his revenues from it. That pittance of glory which God has received through man, is, then, all his rents and revenues for all the expenses of creation and providence thus far.

But man fell, apostatized, and rebelled against his kind and indulgent Father and Benefactor. A remedial system is introduced, grand beyond expression. The "Incarnate Word,'

I beg leave, gentlemen, to explain my use of this word. With me, the natural man is the man as God made him first; but as man has now made himself, he is preternatural: and as God will again make him through Christ, he will be supernatural. In one sen. tence, primitive man is the natural man; fallen man is the preternatural man; and saved ruaa is the supernatural man.

↑ Millennial Harbinger, page 316.

"God's only begotten Son," "the brightness of his Father's glory and the express image of his character," is placed at the head of it. But while we mention this fact as connected with the present use of man, we must also contemplate it as intimately connected with his present rank and dignity in this creation. Humanity having been assumed into personal union with the Divinity in the person of the Messiah, elevates man far beyond his primeval glories as detailed in the history of his origin. For Jesus, the Son of God, all things were created, as well as by him. Having undertaken to expiate the sin of the world-to redeem, emancipate, and sanctify man-and to make him meet for immortality-he, in virtue of this grand interposition, becomes the Heir of the world, the Resurrection and the Life of man, "the Author of an eternal salvation to all who obey him;" and God now views both the realms of nature and man in the person of his beloved Son. Thus God has gained more glory from creation, and also from man's apostacy, and the universe more bliss in the aggregate, than would have accrued to either Creator or creature, had sin never been conceived. God's government has ever been glorious in subduing evil, not merely to the advancement of his glory, but also to the happiness of his children; for in this way only is his glory capable of augmentation.

"From seeming evil still educing good,

And better thence again, and better still,
In infinite progression."

Therefore, under the remedial system of salvation by his Son, he has made use of fallen man

1st. To develope his own adorable perfections in new modes of grandeur, which, but for the permission of moral evil, had not been possible. Thus his justice, truth, holiness-his forbearance, mercy, condescension, and love, otherwise never could have been fully exhibited, or placed before the whole universe in such a glorious attitude as they now occupy.

3d. To exemplify the dread consequences of sin, not merely in human sufferings and death, but in the death of the Son of God, who became an offering for our sins, in such a way as to preclude the possibility of its spreading farther, or again recurring in God's creation after the present demonstration shall have been completed, notwithstanding the perfect free agency of all rational intelligences.

3d. To improve the condition of angels, by placing them under the headship of the Messiah--as they had lost their head in the apostacy of Satan; and to afford them new volumes from which to learn the manifold wisdom and infinite resources of the Creator.