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OBSERVATIONS
0 THE
GROWTH OF THE MIND.
BY SAMPSON REED.
Concluded .
of creation —and as, in the progress of moral im
provement, the imagination (which is called the
creative power of man) shall coincide with the
actively creative will of God, reason will be
clothed with eloquence, as nature is with verdure.
Reason is said to be a power given to man for
his protection and safety. Let us not be deceived
by words. If this were the par icular design, it
should be found in equal perfection in every con
dition of the mind ; for all are in equal need of
such a power. It is the office of the eye to dis
cern the objects of nature, and it may protect the
body from any impending injury; and the under
standing may be useful in a similar way to the
the spiritual man. Reason is partly a natural and
partly an acquired power. The understanding
is the eye, with simply the bower of discerning
the light; but reason is the eye, whose powers
have been enlarged by exercise and experience,
which measures the distance of objects, compares
their magnitudes, discerns their colors, and se
lects and arranges them according to the relation
they bear to each other. In the progress of mor
al improvement no power of the mind, or rather
no mode of exercising the understanding, under
goes a more thorough and decisive change than
this. It is like the change from chaos to creation ;
since it requires a similar exercise of the under
standing in man to comprehend creation, to what
it docs in God to produce it; and every approach
to II im, by bringing us nearer the origin of things,
enables us to discover analogies in what was be
fore chaotic. This is a change which it is the
grand design of revelation to accomplish; reason
should therefore come to revelation in the spirit
of prayer, and not in that of judgement. Noth
ing can be more intimately and necessarily con
nected with the moral character of an individual
than his rational powers, since it is his moral
character which is the grand cause of that pecu
liar classification and arangement which charac
terizes his mind; hence revelation, in changing
the former, must change the latter also.
The insufficiency of reason to judge of the Bi
ble, is obvious on the very face of revelation from
its miracles. The laws of Divine Operation are
perfectly uniform and harmonious; and a miracle
is a particular instance of Divine Power, which,
for want of more interior and extended knowl-
edge of the ways of God, appearing to stand
alone, and to have been the result of an unusual
exertion of the Divine Will, creates in the minds
of men, what its name implies, a sensation of
wonder. That there are miracles in the Bible,
proves that there are laws of the Divine Operation
and of the Divine Government, which are not em
braced within the utmost limits of that classifica
tion and arrangement, which is the result of nat
ural reason. \\ hile, therefore, human reason
professes to be convinced of the reality of reve
lation from its miracles, let it humble itself before
them. Let it bow itself to the earth, that it may
be exalted to a more intimate acquantaince with
these heavenly strangers. Let it follow the Lord
in the regeneration, till the wonderful disappear
iu the paternal. Miracles are like angels who
have sometimes been visible to men, who would
much more willingly have introduced them to an
acquantance with the laws and society of heaven,
than have filled them with fear and consternation.
They are insulated example's of laws as boundless
as the universe, and by the manner in which we
are affected by them, prove how much we have
to learn, and how utterly incompetent we are to
judge of the ways of Gocl, from that reason which
is founded on our own limited and fallacious
observation. The resurrection of our Lord must
have been a very different miracle to the angels
at the sepulchre, from what it was to Mary. They
saw it from the other side of the grave, with a
knowledge of the nature of that death which they
had themselves experienced ; she saw an insulated
fact, not at all coincident with her views on the
subject of which it was an illustration. They
saw the use and design of that which had been
accomplished; she saw the sepulchre and the lin
nen clothes lying. As they gazed intensely at the
same subject, the veil ot heaven was withdrawn,
and they beheld each other, face to face. She
was filled with fear; they with love and compas
sion. If Mary were to persist in judging of this
subject from her own reason; from a knowledge
ot those laws with which she was ac
quainted; how could her views ever become an
gelic/ How could the dark cloud, of admiration
be ever filled with the rich light of the rising sun ‘/
Man alone, ol all created things, appears on
his own account to want the full measure of his
happiness; because he alone has left the order of
his creation. He stands, even at the present pe
riod, half con\ inced of the reality of the future
state. It is the design of revelation to restore to
him that moral condition in which he will possess
as*neccessarilv the consciousness of immortality,
as the brute does that of existence; fora con
sciousness of existence, together with that of union
with God, is a consciousness of eternal life. Let
us come to the Bible then, with no hopes of arbi-
trary reward, and no fears of arbitrary pun
ishment; but let us come to it, as to that
which, if followed aright, will produce a con
dition of mind of which happiness will be the
natural and necessary consequence.
It is often said that the Bible has nothing to do
with metaphysics or the sciences. An individual,
whatever be his condition, always retains, to a
certain extent, a consciousness of his moral and
intellectual character; and the more this charac
ter is exalted, the more minute and discriminating
will be this consciousness. Who is it that formed
the human mind, and who is here endeavoring to
restore it to its true order'/ The Bible has the
mind for its subject, that condition of mind which
has heaven for its object, and the Father of mind
for its author. Has it nothing to do with meta
physics'/ It has indeed nothing to do with that
metaphysics which we shall leave with our bodies
in the graves; but of that which will shine with
more and more briliancy, as the passage is open
ed, not through distant regions of space, hat
through the secret part of our own souls to the
presence of God, it is the very life and being.
Can omniscience contemplate the happiness ot
the mind, without regard to its nature? Werej
we disposed to improve the condition of the sav
age, what course should we pursue ? should we
not endeavor to change his habits of mind and
body, by teaching him the arts of civilization, in
structing him in the sciences, and gradually in-:
troducing him to that pnition of social order which
is here attained ? And are not all these most inti
mately connected with our own condition ofj
mind? Are they not merely the expression of its
countenance? In the same way is it the endea
vor of the Divine Mind in the Bible to restore all
to his own image and likeness; and to sav that
the Bible has nothing to do with metaphysics, is
to say that the present condition of the mind has
nothing to do with what it should be, and that
present metaphysics have nothing to do with re
ligion. It is said that the Bible has nothing to do
with the sciences. It is true that it does not teach
them directly; but it is gradually unfolding a con
dition of mind, out of which the sciences will
spring as naturally, as the leaves and !>loss<m ; j
from the tree that bears them. It is the same
power which acts simultaneously to develop the
soul itself, and to develop nature —to form the
mind and the mould which is destined to receive
it. As we behold the external face of the world,
our souls will hold communion with its spirit; and
we shall seem to extend our consciousness beyond
the narrow limits of our own bodies, to the living
objects that surround us. The mind will enter
into nature b\ the secret path of him who forms
her ; and can be no longer ignorant of her laws,
when it is a witness of her creation.
I have endeavored to illustrate, generally, in
what way the natural sciences, the actual condi
lion of society, and the Word of God, are neces
sary to the development of all minds, in a man
ner analogous to that in which the earth, the at
mosphere and the sun combines to bring forth the
| productions of nature. I shall say but a few
words with respect to that particular development
which is requisite to the full manifestation of the
peculiar powers possessed by any individual.
It is well known that at a certain period of life
the character of a man begins to be more distinct
ly marked. He appears to become separated
lrom that which surrounds him—to stand iu a
measure aloof from his associates—to raise his
head above the shadow of any earthly object in
to the light of heaven, and to walk with a more
determined step on the eartli beneath. This is
the manifestation of a character which has always
existed, and which has, as it were, been accumu
lating by little and little, till at length it has at
tained its full stature. When a man has become
his own master, it is left to himself to complete
his own education. “He has one Fa;her, God.”
For the formation of his character, thus far, he is
not in the strictest sense accountable; tnat is, his
character is not as yet so fixed, but that it is yiel
ding and pliable. It is left to himself to decide,
how far it shall remain in its present form. This
is indeed a period of deep responsibility. He
has taken the guidance of a human being, and is
not the less accountable, that this being is bt-mself.
The ligament is now cut asunder by which his
mind was bound to its earthly guardian, and he is
placed on his own feet, exposed to the bleak winds
and refreshing breezes, the clouds and the sun
shine of this work], fully accountable to God and
man tor his conduct. Let him not be m ule dizzy
from a sense of his own liberty, nor faint under
his own weight; but let him remember that the
eye ot God is now fixed full, it might be said anx
iously, upon him.
It is with the human mind, as with the human
body. All our race have those limbs and feat tires,
and that general aspect, from which they are de
nominated men. But, on a nearer view* we find
them divided into nations possessed of peculiar
appearance and habits, and these subdivided into
families and individuals, in ail ol which there is
something peculiarly their own. The human
mind (speaking in the most general sense) re
quires to be instructed in the same sciences, and
needs the same general developoment, and is des
tined to make one common and universal effort
for its own emancipation. But the several na
tions of the earth also will, at a future period,
stand forth with a distinctness ol character which
cannot now be conceived of. The part which
each is to perform in the regeneration of the
world, will become more and more distinctly
marked .and universally acknowledg€'d; and every
nation will be found to possess resources in its
own moral and intellectual character, and its own
natural productions, which will render it essential
to the well-being and happiness ot the whole.
Every government must find that the real good
of its own people precisely harmonizes with that,
of others; and standing armies must be converted
into willing laborers for the promotion of the same
object. Then will the nations of the earth re
semble the well-organized parts ot the same body,
and no longer convert that light which is given
them for the benefit o‘ their bretheren, into an in
strument bv which they are degraded and enslaved.
But we stop not here. Every individual also
possesses peculiar powers, which should be
brought to bear on society in the duties best fitted
to receive them. The highest degree of cultiva
tion of which the mind of any one is capable, con
sists in the most perfect development of that pe
culiar organization, which as really exists in m
| fancy as in in iturer years. The seed which is
! planted is said to possess in mmature, the trunk,
■'Branches, leaves and fruit of the future tree, So
|it is with the mind ; md the most that can possibly
be done, is t > alf>rd facilities by which its devel
opment may be effected with the same order. In
the process of the formation of our minds there
! exists the spirit of prophecy ; and no advance
! moot can create surprise., because we have always
been conscious of that form which it has pro
ductal. We must not seek to make one hair
: white or black. It is in vain for us to attempt
to add one cubit to our statue. All adventitious
or assumed importance should be cast oil, as a
i filthy garment. We should seek an employment
for the mind, in w hich all its energies may bo
warmed into exi>tence; which (il 1 may be al
lowed the expression) may bring every muscle
into action. There is something which every one
can do better than any one else; and is the ten
dency, and must be the end, of human events, to
assign to e tch his true calling. Kings will be
hurled from their thrones, and peasants exalted
to the highest -stations, by this irresistable ten
dency of mind to its true level. These effects
| m ty not be fully disclosed in the short period of
this life : but even the most incredulous must be
ultim itch” convinced th it the truth is no respecter
of persons, by learning the simple fact, that a
man cannot be other than what he is. Not that
endless progression in moral goodness and in
wisdom are not within the reach of any one ; but
that the state will never arrive, when he may not
look back to first rudiments, the original stamina
of his own mind, and be almost able to say, l pos
sessed all at the time of mv birth. The more a
person live; in singleness of heart, in simplicity,
and sincerity, the more will this be apparent.
It b comes us, then, to seek and to cherL-h this
fK’ct/lium of our own minds, as the patrimony
which is left us by our Father in heaven—as that
hv which the branch is united to the vine—as the
formingpporerw r er within us, which gives to our per
sons that by which they are distinguished from
others; and, by a life entirely governed bv the
comm indments of God, to leave on the duties we
are called to perform the full impress of our real
characters. Let a man’s ambition to be great
disappear in a willingness to be what he is ; then
may he fill a high place without pride, or a low
one without dejection. As our desires become
more and more concentrated to those objects
which correspond to the peculiar organization of
our minds, we shall have a foretaste of that which
is coining, in those internal tendencies of which
we are conscious. As we perform with .alacrity
whatever duty presents itself before us, we shall
perceive in our own hearts a kind of pre
paration for every external event or occurrence
of our lives, even the mast trivial, springing from
the all-pervading tendency of the Providence of
God, to present the opportunity of being useful
wherever there is the disposition.
Living in a country whose peculiar character
istic is said to be a love of equal libertv, let it
be written on our hearts, that the end of all ed
ucation is a life of active usefulness. We want
no education which shall raise a man out of th *
reach .of die understanding, or the sympathies of
any of his species. We are disgusted with that|
kind of dignity which the possessor is himself
obliged to guard ; but venerate that, which h iving
its origin in the actual character of the man, can
receive no diminution from die approach of weak
ness—that dignity in which the individual ap
pears to live rather in the consciousness of the
light which shines from above, than in that of his
own shadow beneath. There is a spiritual at
mosphere about such an one, which is at once
its own protection, and the protection of him!
with whom it is connected—which, while it is
tree as air alike to the most powerful arid the
most humble, conveys a tacit warning th it too
near an approach is not permitted. We ac
knowledge the invisible chain which binds to
gether all classes of society, and would apply to
it sh(; electric sparks of knowledge with the hand
ot ten derncss and caution. We acknowledge the
healthy union of mental and bodily exercise, and
would rather see all men industrious and
t( md, to s>ee one hall ol mankind, slaves to the
other, and these slaves to their passions. We
acknowledge th it the natural world is one vast
mine ol wisdom, for this reason it is the scene of
the labois ol man; and that in seeing this wis
dom, there is philosophy, and in loving it there is
religion. Most sensibly do we feel, that as the
true end of instruction is to prepare a man fo r
some particular sphere of usefulness; that when
he has found this sphere, his education has then
truly commenced, and the finger ot God is point,
ing to the very page of the book of his oracles
from which he in iv draw the profoundest
wisdom. It was the design of Providence that
there should be enough of science connected with
the calling of each for the highest and holiest pur
poses of heaven. It is the natural world from
which ;be philosopher draws his knowledge; it
is the natural world in which the slave toils for
his bread. Alas ! when will they be one? When
we are willing to practise what we learn, and re
ligion makes our duty our delight. The mass of
mankind must always labor; hence it is supposed
that they must be always ignorant. Thus has
the pride of men converted that discipline into an
occasion of darkness and misery, which was in
tended only to give reality to knowledge, and to
make happiness eternal. Truth is the way in
which we should act; and then only is a man
truly wise when the body performs what the mind
perceives. In this way, flesh and blood are made
made to partake of the wisdom of ihe spiritual
man; and the palms of our bauds will become
the book of our life, on which is inscribed all the
love and all the wisdom we possess. It is the
light which directs a man to his duty; it is by
doing his duty that he is enlightened —thus does
he become identilie with his own acts ot useful
ness. and his own vocation is the silken chord
which directs to his heart the knowledge and the
blessings of all m mkind.
The fir t. 7Vediting* —Major Noah thus pleasantly
and philosophically discourses upon “the first
wedding.” He says:—“We like short court
ships, and in this Adam acted like a sensible man.
He fell asleep a bachelor, and awoke a married
man. He appears to have popped the question
almost immediatlv after meeting Md’ile Eve, and
she, without any flirtation or shyness, gave him a
kiss and herself. Os this first kiss in this world
we have had, however, our own thoughts, and
sometimes in a poe ical mood have wished we
were the man ‘ wot did.’ But the deed is done
he chance was Adam’s, and he improved it.
We like the notion of getting married in a garden.
It is in good taste. We like a private wedding.
Adam’s was privte. No envious beaux were
there; no croaking old maids ; no chatering aunts
and grumbling grandmothers. The birds of hea
ven were the minstrels, and .the glad sky flung its
light upon the scene. One thing about the first
wedding brings queer thoughts to us, in spite of
scriptural tru.h. Adam and his wife were rather
young to be married—some two or three da a
old, according to the sagest speculations of theo
logians—mere babies—larger but ot nulder—with
out experience, without a house, without a pot or
kettle, nothing—but love and Eden.”
Emigration andcoloxtzatiox. —“ Ma , ” saida
young lad y to her mother the other day, • 4 what is
emigrating r” Mother. —“ Emigrating, dear, is a
young lady going to California.” Daughter
“What is colonizing ma?” M>th<r. — “Colonizing,
dear, is marrving there and haveing a family.”
Daughti r. — 44 Ma,l should like to go to Calafornia.’
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