trated by the facts and conclusions deduced from them, the character of observers,-the style of writers; and thus, all the circumstances which come before him are made acutely and individually the objects of attention and reflection. Such a man acquires a confidence in his own powers and resources to which those are strangers who have not cultivated this kind of mental discipline. The intellectual condition arising out of it is applicable alike to every situation in which a man can be placed,-whether the affairs of ordinary life, the pursuits of science, or those higher inquiries and relations which concern him as a moral being.

In the affairs of ordinary life, this mental habit constitutes what we call an intelligent thinking man, whose attention is alive to all that is passing before him, who thinks acutely and eagerly on his own conduct and that of others, and is constantly deriving useful information and subjects of reflection from occurrences which, by the listless mind, are passed by and forgotten. This habit is not necessarily connected with acquired knowledge, or with what is commonly called intellectual cultivation : but is often met with, in a high degree, in persons whose direct attainments are of a very limited kind. It is the foundation of caution and prudence in the affairs of life, and may perhaps be considered as the basis of that quality, of more value to its possessor than any of the sciences, which is commonly called sound good sense. It is the origin also, of what we call presence of mind,—or a readiness in adapting resources to circumstances. A man of this charac ter, in whatever emergency he happens to be placed, forms a prompt, clear, and defined judgment of whatever conduct or expedient the situation requires, and acts with promptitude upon his decision. In both these respect he differs equally from the listless inactivity of one description of men, and the rash, hasty, and inconsiderate conduct of another. He differs not less from characters of a third class, who

though they may be correct in their judgment of what ought to be done, arrive at their decision, or act upon it too slowly for the circumstances, and consequently are said, according to a common proverb, to be wise behind time. The listless and torpid character, indeed, may occasionally be excited by emergencies to a degree of mental activity which is not natural to him; and this is, in many instances, the source of a readiness of conception, and a promptitude in action which the individual does not exhibit in ordinary circumstances.

In the pursuits of science these mental qualities constitute observing and inventive genius,-two conditions of mind which lie at the foundation of all philosophical eminence. By observing genius I mean that habit of mind by which the philosopher not only acquires truths relating to any subject, but arranges and generalizes them in such a manner as to show how they yield conclusions which escape the mere collector of facts. He likewise analyzes phenomena, and thus traces important relations among facts which, to the common mind, appear very remote and dissimilar. I have formerly illustrated this by the manner in which Newton traced a relation between the fall of an apple from a tree, and those great principles which regulate the movements of the heavenly bodies. By inventive genius, again, I mean that active, inquiring state of mind, which not only deduces, in this manner, principles from facts when they are before it, but which grasps after principles by eager anticipation, and then makes its own conjectures the guides to observation or experiment. This habit of mind is peculiarly adapted to the experimental sciences; and in these, indeed, it may be considered as the source of the most important discoveries. It leads a man not only to observe and connect the facts, but to go in search of them, and to draw them, as it were, out of that concealment in which they escape the ordinary observer. In

doing so, he takes for his guides certain conjectures or assumptions which have arisen out of his own intense contemplation of the subject. These may be as often false as true; but if found false, they are instantly abandoned; and by such a course of active inquiry he at length arrives at the development of truth. From him are to be expected discoveries which elude the observation, not of the vulgar alone, but even of the philosopher who, without cultivating this habit of invention, is satisfied with tracing the relation of facts as they happen to be brought before him by the slower course of testimony or occasional observation. The man who only amuses himself with conjectures, and rests satisfied in them without proof, is the mere visionary or speculatist, who injures every subject to which his speculations are directed.

In the concerns which relate to man as a moral being, this active, inquiring, and reflecting habit of mind is not less applicable than in matters of minor interest. The man who cultivates it directs his attention intensely and eagerly to the great truths which belong to his moral condition,-seeks to estimate distinctly his relation to them, and to feel their influence upon his moral principles. This constitutes the distinction between the individual who merely professes a particular creed, and him who examines it till he makes it a matter of understanding and conviction, and then takes its principles as the rule of his emotions and the guide of his conduct. Such a man also contemplates in the same manner his relations to other men; questions himself rigidly regarding the duties which belong to his situation, and his own observance of them. He contemplates others with a kind of personal interest, enters into their wants and feelings, and participates in their distresses. In all his relations, whether of justice, benevolence, or friendship, he acts not from mere incidental impulse, but upon clear and steady princi

ples. In this course of action many may go along with him when the requirements of the individual case are pointed out and impressed upon them; but that in which the mass of mankind are wanting is the state of mental activity which eagerly contemplates its various duties and relations, and thus finds its way to the line of conduct appropriate to the importance of each of them.

VIII. For a well-regulated understanding, and particularly for the application of it to inquiries of the highest import, there is indispensably necessary a sound condition of the moral feelings. This important subject belongs properly to another department of mental science; but we have seen its extensive influence on the due exercise of the intellectual powers;-and it is impossible to lose sight of the place which it holds in the general harmony of the mental functions required for constituting that condition, of greater value than any earthly good, which is strictly to be called a well-regulated mind. This high attainment consists not in any cultivation, however great, of the intellectual powers; but requires also a corresponding and harmonious culture of the benevolent affections and moral feelings; a due regulation of the passions, emotions, and desires; and a full recognisance of the supreme authority of conscience over the whole intellectual and moral system. Cold and contracted, indeed, is that view of man which regards his understanding alone; and barren is that system, however wide its range, which rests in the mere attainment of truth. The highest state of man consists in his purity as a moral being; and in the habitual culture and full operation of those principles by which he looks forth to other scenes and other times. Among these are desires and longings which nought in earthly science can satisfy; which soar beyond the sphere of sensible things, and find no object worthy of their

capacities until, in humble adoration, they rest in the contemplation of God. Truths then burst upon the mind which seem to rise before it in a progressive series, each presenting characters of new and mightier import. The most aspiring understanding, awed by the view, feels the inadequacy of its utmost powers; yet the mind of the humble inquirer gains strength as it advances. There is now felt, in a peculiar manner, the influence of that healthy condition of the moral feelings which leads a man not to be afraid of the truth. For, on this subject, we are never to lose sight of the remarkable principle of our nature formerly referred to, by which a man comes to reason himself into the belief of what he wishes to be true; and shuts his mind against, or even arrives at an actual disbelief of, truths which he fears to encounter. It is striking, also, to remark how closely the philosophy of human nature harmonizes with the declarations of the sacred writings; where this condition of mind is traced to its true source, in the corruption of the moral feelings, and is likewise shown to involve a high degree of guilt, in at rejection of truth which is its natural consequence: "This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth, cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."

This condition of mind presents a subject of intense interest to every one who would study his own mental condition, either as an intellectual or a moral being. In each individual instance, it may be traced to a particular course of thought and of conduct, by which the mind went gradually more and more astray from truth and from virtue. In this progress, each single step was felt to be a voluntary act; but the