But," say they, "this Being himself is an effect. You have no evidence from reason of his self-existence, or self-creation; and as he does exist, you must assign a cause of him, on the same principle that you regard him as the cause of the material creation." The atheists carry this argument the length of a denial of GoD altogether, in respect that it is only the first cause that, according to them, can be entitled to be regarded as Deity; and the first cause, say they, is to us unknown.

This speculation may be answered as follows: Individuality perceives existence directly, and Causality infers qualities from their manifestations. To be able to judge thoroughly of any object, both of these faculties require to be employed on it. When a watch, for example, is presented, Individuality, and the other Knowing Faculties, perceive its wheels, spring, lever, &c. and Causality discerns their object or design. If the question is put, Whence did the watch proceed? From the nature of its materials, as perceived by the knowing faculties, Causality infers that it could not make itself; and from discovering intelligence and design in the adaptation of its parts, this faculty concludes, that its Cause must have possessed these qualities, and therefore assigns its production to an intelligent artificer. Suppose the statement to be next made, "This artificer himself is an existence, and every existence must have a cause, Who, then, made the watchmaker?" In this case, if no farther information were presented to Causality than what it could obtain by contemplating the structure of the watch, the answer would necessarily be, that it could not tell. But let the artificer, or man, be submitted to the joint observation of Individuality and Causality, and let the question be then put, Who made him? -Individuality and the knowing powers, by examining the structure of his body, would present Causality with data from which it could unerringly infer, that, although it perceived in him intelligence and power sufficient to make the watch, yet, from the nature of his constitution, he could not possibly make himself. Proceeding in the investigation, Causality, still aided by the knowing faculties, would perceive farther the most striking indications of power, benevolence, and design in the human frame; and from contemplat

ing these, it would arrive at a complete conviction, that the watchmaker is the workmanship of a great, powerful, and intelligent Being. If, however, the question were repeated, "Whence did this Being proceed?" Causality could not answer. It would then be in a situation similar to that in which it would be placed, if required to tell, from seeing the watch alone, who made the watchmaker. Individuality cannot observe the substance of the Maker of the human body; and none of the perceptive faculties can reach him. His existence is the object of Causality alone; and all that it can accomplish is to infer his existence, and his qualities or attributes, from perceiving their manifestations. I have stated the argument in the plainest language, but with perfect reverence; and we are arrived at the conclusion, that this faculty is silent as to the cause of the Creator of man, and cannot tell whether he is self-existent, or called into being by some higher power; but thus far it can go, and it draws its conclusions unhesitatingly, that he must exist, and must possess the attributes which it perceives manifested in his works; and these points being certain, it declares that he is God to us; that he is our Creator and Preserver; that all his qualities, so far as it can discover, merit our profoundest respect and admiration; and that, therefore, he is to man the highest and most legitimate object of veneration and worship.

It has been objected that although Causality may discover that GOD has existed, it sees no evidence that he now exists.-The answer to this remark appears to me to be that the manifestations of his power, wisdom, and goodness continue to be presented to Causality every moment, and that it has no data for concluding that the cause of them has ceased while they remain monuments of His Being.

The organ is established.

58

ADAPTATION OF THE EXTERNAL WORLD TO THE INTELLECTUAL FACULTIES OF MAN.

THE human mind and the external world, having emanated from the same Creator, ought, when understood, to be found wisely adapted to each other; and this accordingly appears in an eminent degree, to be the case. If the reader will direct his attention to any natural or artificial object, and consider, 1st, Its existence; 2d, Its form; 3d, Its size; 4th, Its weight; 5th, Its locality, or relations in space to other objects; 6th, The number of its parts; 7th, The order or physical arrangement of its parts; 8th, The changes which it undergoes; 9th, The periods of time which these require; 10th, The analogies and differences between the individual under consideration and other individuals; 11th, The effects which it produces; and, lastly, If he will designate this assemblage of ideas by a name, he will find that he has obtained a tolerably complete notion of the subject.

This order ought to be followed in teaching the sciences. Botany and Mineralogy are rendered intolerably tedious and uninteresting to many persons, who really possess sufficient natural talents for studying them, by names and classifications being erroneously represented as the chief ends to be attained. A better method would be, to make the pupil acquainted with his own mental powers, to furnish him with experimental knowledge, that these stand in definite relations to external objects, and feel a positive pleasure in contemplating them. His attention ought then to be directed to the existence of the object, as in itself interesting to Individuality; to its form, as interesting to the faculty of Form; to its color, as pleasing to the faculty of Color; and so on with its other qualities; while the name, order, genus, and species, ought to be taught in the last place, as merely designative of the qualities with which he has become conversant. Practice in this mode of tuition will establish its advantages. The mind which, unexercised, regarded all forms, not extravagantly ugly or

beautiful, with indifference, will soon experience delight in discriminating minute degrees of elegance and expression; and the same effect will be produced by following a similar process of cultivation in regard to the other powers. The larger the organs the greater will be the delight, but even with a moderate developement much may be attained. Nor is it necessary to resort to schools and colleges for this exercise of the intellect. Objects of nature and art every where surround us, calculated to stimulate our faculties; and if the reader, as he walks in the country or in the town, will actively apply his various powers in the manner now pointed out, he will find innumerable sources of pleasure within his reach, although he should not know scientific names and classifications.

MODES OF ACTIVITY OF THE FACULTIES.

ALL the faculties, when active in a due degree, produce actions good, proper, or necessary. It is excess of activity that occasions abuses; and it is probable that Phrenology has been discovered only in consequence of some individuals, in whom particular organs were very largely developed, having yielded to the strongest propensities of their nature. The smallness of a particular organ is not the cause of a faculty producing abuses. Although the organ of Benevolence be small, it will not occasion cruelty; but, as it will be accompanied with indifference to the miseries of others, its deficiency may lead to the omission of duties. When, also, one organ is small, abuses may result from another being left without proper restraint. Thus, large organs of Acquisitiveness and Secretiveness, combined with small organs of Reflection and Conscientiousness, may, in certain circumstances, lead to theft. Powerful Combativeness and Destructiveness, with weak Benevolence, may produce cruel and ferocious actions.

Every faculty, when in action, from whatever cause, produces the kind of feeling, or forms the kind of ideas, already explained as resulting from its natural constitution.

The faculties of the PROPENSITIES and SENTIMENTS cannot be excited to activity directly by a mere act of the will. For example, we cannot conjure up the emotions of Fear, Compassion, Veneration, by merely willing to experience them. These faculties, however, may enter into action from an internal excitement of the organs; and then the desire or emotion which each produces will be felt whether we will to experience it or not. Thus, the cerebellum being active from internal causes, produces the corresponding feeling; and this cannot be avoided if the organ be excited. We have it in our power to permit or restrain the manifestation of it in action; but we have no option, if the organ be excited, to experience, or not to experience, the feeling itself. The case is the same with the organs of Fear, Hope, Veneration, and the others. There are times when we feel involuntary emotions of fear, or hope, or awe, arising in us, for which we cannot account; and such feelings depend on the internal activity of the organs of these sentiments.

"We cannot Nature by our wishes rule,
Nor at our will, her warm emotions cool."

CRABBE.

In the second place, these faculties may be called into action independently of the will, by the presentment of the external objects fitted by nature to excite them. When an object in distress is presented, the faculty of Benevolence starts into activity, and produces the feelings which depend upon it. When an object threatening danger is perceived, Cautiousness gives an instantaneous emotion of fear. And when stupendous objects are contemplated, Ideality inspires with a feeling of sublimity. In all these cases, the power of acting, or of not acting, is dependent on the will; but the power of feeling, or of not feeling, is not so.

"It seems an unaccountable pleasure," says Hume, which the * Essay 22.