more is meant, than that the power, or as Locke defines it, the "faculty whereby man is supposed to be distinguished from the beasts," the mind itself as capable of perceiving and receiving truth, is the medium of our knowledge of the word of God, we do not object. All truth, of whatever kind, and supported by whatever evidence, makes its appeal directly to man's rational nature, and it is the percipient thinking principle itself that receives or rejects. But this is not the idea which is attached to the phrase by many.

When it is contended by some, that human reason is the judge of truth-that the scriptures are but the law (the norma) of judgment, and not God expressing his decisions, they mean, that there are certain intuitive principles or axioms, which the mind apprehends to be immutably true, and by means of which it forms a judgment, whether the revelations of the scriptures are to be received or rejected. For example, it is assumed that every father is prior to his son, every generation has some beginning of existence, the Most High God and man are unequal, every body is finite, every true man is a true person. These propositions, and many other of a like character which might be suggested are apprehended as absolute truisms. Now it is alleged by our opponents, that to the test of such postulates and axioms we are to subject the revelations of scriptúre, in order to discover their truth or to decide whether they are or are not the word of God. Accordingly, they go to work and throwing the different doctrines of faith into this alembic, they quickly resolve them into mere vapour, and pronounce them altogether devoid of truth. How spurious are such arguments! Every father is prior to his son: but God is the Father of Jesus Christ:-therefore Jesus Christ was not from all eternity with God.

Every generation has some beginning of existence: but Jesus Christ was begotten of the Father: therefore Jesus

Christ is not God, who is without beginning of days or end of years.

The Most High God and man are not equal. Jesus Christ was man: therefore Jesus Christ was not equal with God.

Every body is finite. But Jesus Christ had a body: therefore He was not infinite.

Every true man is a human person: but Jesus Christ was truly man: therefore He was not God, but a human per

son.

Against such an use of reason we solemnly protest. We do utterly deny, that the axioms, which the human mind receives as self-evident truths in reference to the things of this world, are to be made the test of truth in reference to those of another. No position can be more tenable, more undeniable than this, that it is only by means of the five senses a knowledge of the external world around us can be had. But who would jeopard his reputation as a philosopher by affirming there are not inhabitants of other worlds provided with more or different means of intercourse with material things around them? The truth is, every rational man cannot but feel the force of the dramatist's assertion,

There are more things in Heaven and Earth--
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

It would be absurd to reason, because we have only five senses, therefore there can be no other means of intercourse with a material world, and therefore the inhabitants of Jupiter must be human beings. We feel how utterly false it is to apply the axioms and reasonings which are true of the things of this world to those of another.

Now, the sacred seriptures are the word of God, disclosing scenes and objects, entirely different from what we meet in this world. The source of our information, is the

1 Voltaire, in one of his romances, has happily illustrated this idea, and against it assuredly the infidel will not object.

testimony or communication of God Himself, both mediately and directly. "God, who at sundry times, and in divers manners, spake, in time past, unto the fathers, by the prophets, hath, in these last days, spoken, unto us, by His Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he hath made the worlds." In such evidence we may rest satisfied, for the witness is from the unseen world; and, that there should be no doubt, and no mistake about receiving his testimony, the whole established order of nature here is interrupted, suspended, controlled, and changed. The God of nature, whom in this world we adore, is thus proved to be the Lord of the invisible state, and the sensible proofs of His power thus furnished become strong confirmations of the truth of His communications, as the apostle affirms of the gospel, "which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him: God also bearing them witness both with signs, and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his will." It would be absurd to imagine, that the things communicated from such a source would be demonstrable by the principles and axioms that apply to this world. Philosophy may have much to do in the application, and prosecution of the great principles of nature's operations as men call it; but certainly she can have nothing to do with disclosures made by the most competent witness, with regard to things spiritual. Faith, or the belief of testimony, is the medium of knowledge in reference to the latter. And if there should be any thing mysterious, and to us inexplicable in the facts made known with regard to the spiritual world-if they follow not the order and principles of things in this world, that is no reason why they should be rejected, but rather presumptive evidence of their truth, since, even here philosophy herself fails in applying her own favorite and

1 Heb. i. 1, 2.

2 Heb. ii. 3, 4.

peculiar data to the solution of many phenomena occurring. The two worlds differ essentially in their nature, and so must the respective phenomena they present.

On the ground of the essentially differing character of the facts reported in the scriptures, and of the phenomena which this world presents, we claim a superiority for the knowledge obtained by faith, above that derived from systems of philosophy. On the same ground, too, we affirm, exists whatever difficulty there may be with respect to our apprehension of them. There is no vagueness or mysticism in the language which the Spirit of God has employed in delivering His testimony. There is, indeed, an imperfection in human language, which renders it difficult to convey precisely our ideas: and this arises, no doubt, out of the very nature of things, it being by no means probable that all will attach the very same meaning to the same expression. But, therefore, as it has pleased the Spirit of God to speak to us in human language, to use our own words, we must expect that there will be different and even erroneous impressions sometimes made on different minds. The only effectual guard against this thing, is to "compare spiritual things with spiritual"—not to put our meaning on any term, but to ascertain, previously, in what sense the Spirit of God employs it. Here is an appropriate sphere for the energies of the human mind to be displayed. But such an office of reason is very different from that of judging and deciding, whether the facts and truths made known, are entitled to credence. If there is any other difficulty in apprehending the meaning of scripture, it may be traced entirely to a different source, either to the circumstance, that the facts or truths they disclose are such as, from the very nature of the case, could not have been discovered, or excogitated by the human mind, and could only be communicated by expressions bor.

1 1 Cor. ii. 13.

rowed from things analogous to them in this world. They are "the things of God,"-things pertaining, and peculiar to the infinite Supreme, which were hid in the counsels or purposes of the eternal mind, and, therefore, could only become known by us, either, as He should see fit to declare them, or develope them in His providence. Accordingly, the apostle declares the source of his knowledge of divine things to have been the communication of God Himself, and not the principles and deductions of the world's philosophy. "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God."

We are aware that such distinctions are repudiated, by those who affirm human reason to be competent to the discovery of all man shall ever know; and, that, to speak of things beyond its ken, is, in their estimation, to rave in the delirium of an enthusiastic and distempered fancy. But such votaries of reason, seem to have taken a very partial and limited view of the various objects and extent of human knowledge. God and His government comprehénd the utmost of what exists, and can be known by the most exalted and intelligent of creatures. Yea, with reverence be it said, the knowledge of God Himself can extend no further. But where, let us ask, is the man that can tell the extent of either the divine excellence or operations? As to the perfections of Deity, who will affirm there may not be some, yea, many, of which we cannot even conjecture? There was a period when but a very few of the leading attributes of God were known to men. But it has pleased the Most High to reveal others, of which human reason, in her loftiest flights, and most entranced reveries, had never thought or dreamt. The experience of the world, from the beginning, authorises the belief, that many attributes of God, yet lie concealed from the

1 1 Cor. ii. 12.

1