nary sphere of human power he has been able to attain, by this subservience of the general principles of nature to his direction and use; that is to say again, how near he has come to the spirit of things; it ought not so much to amaze us, if, at length, arrived so near to the boundary or term of all human power; the comprehensive or intellectual faculty of the mind, being itself a spiritual essence, should begin to acknowledge, and feel, and touch upon the divine.

And here indeed we must be sensible of the difference; for man himself is at his bourne. But there is given to man a still sublimer power, not, for that reason, quite so common; but evidently, though occasionally only, imparted to man; and that is to say, a power of producing effects, not assignable to any of - the common powers of man; but which are notwithstanding effectively produced by the agency of man, although not depending upon his will! And this may be called the supernatural, or rather superhuman power; imparted occasionally only at the intercession of virtue; and not depending in any shape upon the arbitrary will or pretension of man.

For to illustrate,

When the Doctors, who are presumed exclusively to know all that art and nature can do for us, can do no more; and have given their patient over to the simple operations of nature herself; or to the efficacy of supplication and prayer to the God of Nature:

That is to say, when the profane goeth out, to let in the divine.

That is to say, when a man is seen to recover, by some invisible operation of Nature, from that estate of disease, which, to that time, had baffled all the knowledge of the Doctors.

That is to say, when man having acknowledged his own insufficiency, would be willing; but can not.

That is to say, when Nature herself is yielding, and can do no

more.

That is to say, when nothing can cure the patient, but a miracle of God.

That is to say, when the friends, otherwise enemies, of the patient, are pleased to express a real hope in the divine interposition.

That is to say, when man hath been pleased to resign his own impertinent pretensions, to resort at length submissively, and in good faith, to the more certain efficacy of prayer.

Then he may see in reality, the working of a superhuman power, in the wonderful effects of this his humble and virtuous intercession.

Then he may see return miraculously to health, his lost, his abandoned, his irrecoverable friend.

But we are strangers to heaven because we are strangers to the truth. The truth is God, and God is the truth.

Hath not Christ said "and these signs shall follow them "that believe: they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall "recover." St. Mark, ch. xvi. ver. 14.

H

CHAPTER I.

AS TO THE FACULTY OF THE HUMAN SOUL,

BUT FIRST AS TO ITS INDIVIDUALITY.

THE HE Soul, as the principle of life, and the soul, as constituting the especiality of man, may be distinguished thus:

As deriving the principle of life from our parents, and he from his, and he again from his, and so retrogressively to our original parent; beginning with the beginning of things; flowing from the eternal fount; eternal in its essence; the spring of our actions. Then, this principle of life is our soul, as to its immortality; it is so far simply the principle of life in man.

But considered in other words distinctively, as constituting the identity of man; as constituting the selfsufficiency of man; as constituting his personal especiality; whereby his actions become his own; definable by that prerogative of the mind which ruleth, willeth; by that independency of spirit which no authority can subdue; but for the good or bad use whereof, he stands accountable to society first, and then to God: then we say, that this is his peculiar individual soul; the characteristic quality and essence of his mind ;—the soul he has assumed; his human soul, distinguishable from the immortal principle, as the faculty itself, to the use of that faculty; as the power of doing, to the will or act of doing.

Or finally, we would define it, by that freedom of action, that freedom of optating; that absolute arbitrium of determining, so independent of all idea of constraint or restraint from heaven in

the options of men, as not to meet resistance, any more than the warning voice of heaven, even in its offences to God himself; making him therefore, so much the more solemnly responsible for his actions to the celestial throne hereafter.

CHAPTER II.

F

AS TO THE FACULTY OF THE HUMAN SOUL.

If the soul is immortal, as being one with the principle of life ; if there can be no principle but proceeding from an eternal cause; if that cause is God:

What limit will you put to illimitable intelligenee? What limit will you put to the faculty of the soul?

Then, is the faculty of the soul of illimitable essence? Then, is man endued with a soul of illimitable perception?

Then man may attain to a sentiment of all things!
Wonderful to conceive!

CHAPTER III.

AS TO THE FACULTY OF THE HUMAN SOUL.

THAT man may attain to a sentiment of all things, because the

soul of man is of illimitable essence, may have something of fairness in theory, but in practice is rather preremptorily denied.

As one and the same with the principle of life, the soul of man is of illimitable essence.

As adapted to the being of man, it is subject to limitations. To say, therefore, that man is a limited being, with a soul of illimitable essence, may be perfectly true without confounding 'our text.

Man may be limited as to the exercise of a power, without denying the illimitable attribute of that power.

That man is limited in his conception of things, is proved by the different degrees of conception observable in different men. And that the soul is illimitable in its essence, is to be argued from the same difference of perception observable in different

men.

For as far as the causes of this difference in different men have been removed, the efforts of the soul have been seen rushing impatient from their restraints, differently in different men, at every opening, into the capacious wild sublime.

And shall they go no farther? Is the utmost attained? Is there no more to be attained?