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I " Id U.aUi ^vi' ^^Jr- ,1 ■ '^1 ■>. ) y y^ iJl.i i 1 » c i U:i3',iS.P NOTICE. !•'- work is most rospec,,runydedi..a.ed and ,.nioul.uW Addressed to the English spealcing p„p„,„i,„ ,, Canada ' Tho abstract views herein set forth is the production of a conscious inspiration. Some of the assumptions advaucea ,nav at flr^t sight startle and perhaps somewhat displease a certai,", class of readers, as clashing with their dogmatic education and convictions; othen might wish that the peculiar kind of philo «ophy which tins work represents in a narrowed compass should be extended to a larger form. To the first the author would .,.y : The world of ideas is an active world, not to be anchored for ever any where. Motion is synonymous with pro- grcssion i„ its result. The slowest mover cannot strictlv be said to be at rest, to have settled convictions. Principle/are "".verbally ,he same, although clothed here and there under different aspects and forms. Should this first production receive encouragement the author would gladly meet the wishes of those who are anxious to acquire more e.xte„ded knowled-^e concerning the newly revived philosophy. . " HENRY LACaiOIX. MoNTnEAr, (Canada) 1866. THE MA^N OF FAITH ABRIDGED VIEWS Of MODERN MIRACLES AND SOCIAL INTERCOURSE. ^i ♦ Mankind is ever prone to be skeptical towards nevv reveal- mcnts, and often to doubt in the premises the evidence of their senses. The mind not prepared to receive does not become reci- pient, however strong the appeal may be. Nature can bo viewed in tiie liglu of a grand BaUery, cons- tantly at work, creating continually new sparks, mysteries or miracles, through the action of the positive and negative poles. In the human physical organism there is one great battery which exercises the supreme sway over al". other parts : tli;it is the brain. Apart from that great centrifugal power, there are also in that organism many other minor powers, or batteries, which exercise a certain amount of action in the whole. In viewing the human form the part which attracts the attention most, although the lesser in volume or size, is the head ; — concentration is there, also beauty and power. From that pinnacle of the organism the mind is enabhd to see more and more clearly the things which are perceptible in Nature's Kingdom. The mind leads an as(jentional existence ; from the physical or rudimental phase, wherein faith takes its first step, the mind ascends into the moral, or second phase, where beauty is akii\ 8 lo lovp, hopo and charily ; from Ihonco llio iiiiiul is ushoi-cd into llu» most liallowod tornplo, wlioro iind'Tstaiidini,' — llu? podly [tower — the f,'roat arbitrator, I'oi^iis ovnr all lliiii,UH and thon;!:lits. The first i)haso of tlio mind may ha callod I lie Uh>\- iii;,' I)Ii,vso, tiiG second llio sfMisational piiasc and llio fliird lli«» scoiiig phase. In the goiioral human form, tho head ajtpcars as lli(! most prominent part; in tho si.'clional or detail view the eye is Die most striking' feature ; it is not Ihereforc! amiss or illogical to consider the eye as tho corresi)Oiiding organ through which the mind manifests itself externally monj powerfully, mon? evidently.—We perceive Ihroughoul naliin! relative alTinily in all things; that which is the most elevated in the physical sense is equally the medium through which moral and intellectual qualities arc moic; readily maiiifcsled. The mind, although using the hi-ain as i(s .'icLive agenl, is more or less inlluenced, according to the development of the individual, by the sensational and feeling organs. The being in the physical stale has a physical mind. The being in the moral state has a moral mind. The being in the intellectual state has an intellectual mind. The classifying of these three Oiders of beings is easily made. The physical n7an seeks for j)hysical occupations; lie is attracted and held in the feeling state. The moral man seeks for moral occupations ; ho is attracted and bound in the sensational stale, wherein the moial qualities are evident. The intellectual man seeks for j)hilosopliical attainments, for the most enlarged views whicli the mind can grasp, and looks over all things in the most inde- pendant and feai'less manner. ICvery being, however, rei)re- sents a ditterent shade in the degree lo which he is attached. Philosophical ideas are never nourished to any extent in the physical and moral mind ; the intellectual mind alone can grasp and comprehend them. Nature's laws jireside over and govern all things; nothing is left to exceptional government, to arbitrary and whimsical action ; relativeness and harmony are visible throughout nature — in all things without exc;^p- tion. The difference of degrees does pot constitute injustice, because all degrees have had tho same starting point, the same origin ; progression is there to prove it. The intellectual man 1 3 IH'lI r imc nan cannot boast of not having been physical ..nd mor.il in Inni, or of having boon cxonipt from the crucifixion of the flesh and of iho heart in their general degrees, apart from their minor degrees which still retain a hold on liim and which always will throughout existence. Physical and moral men, there- fore, can with propriety and truthfulness look upon the inteU hictnal man with confidence and love us having undergone more trials than they themselves have yet endured; he who has arrived at the end of a road must necessarily have tra- versed the intervening sjjace ; such are the lessons of logic. Simplicity is the hand-maid of truth ; complexity is the imp of error. , In dealing with ideas, even often times with those of an ele- vated character, the physical man is led on by faith, his \m\vI\- vular companion and guide, when his vicious propensities do not interfere or when the vicious or blind counsels of his nearest superior — tln) moral man — does not obstruct his vision. The physical man's senses are very acute; his intuitive powei-s are capable at times of reaching a great height in the sphere? of thought, when the negative reins are not loo much tighliMi- ed over him : witness Ihe wild Indian's logic in many instan- ces : witness the child's repartee and casual observations when left to his sole inspiration. Self reliance is often equal to first thought, which is usually accounted to be the best. The physi- cal man is naturally more self reliant tlian the moral man, although he occupieij a lower degree than the other. The moral man^ is a protection seeker, a more or less dependant being on exclusive authority; at least, such is his general character. The normal state of the moral being consists in iillowing himself to be guided and led by his superior — the intel- lectual man ; sensation is never equal to the action of seeing ; the moral mind is not on the same plane as the intellectual mind, therefore its vision is not as extensive, as capacious as that of the other. The loot when feeling an object transmits the impression to the sensational organs, which at once trans- mit it to the comprehensive organs. Such is the modus operandi in the physical organism of all beings ; such should also be the mofJus operandi in the social organism ! Is such a divine, or naliiral law, adlKTcd to ai d followed in ils dictates ?... TIjr> moral man is only an auxiliary whoso ronl mission consists- sjnipiy in Iransmilling faithfully tho mossajjps bctwf'cn tho in- tcllei'lnal and physical man, and vice vfrsn. Tho moial man i^ not invostod hy natnro with anthority, in its strict or truth- i'nl sonso, — no more than th(- spouse in tho human family is inv(!slod with lh(» same ; no reasonin<^, I imagine, can vindicalo a contrary view — however long and lerso it may be. Hierarchy is established in .ill things throughout nalnr<», for a practical |)nrpose, and not for a nominal one; utility is the object of every thing, and therefore we mus-t view the existence of the intellectual njan over the moral man, in a practical manner and acknowledge him — in tho so(!ial view— as the proper au' ihorily by whom mankind should be governed. The mother, in th" family who would question the authority of its guic'Cy and assert her snpremacy, would be looked upon as acting unwisely and viciously j that which is natural and wise on a small scale is a'.-*o natural and wiso on a large scale. The child, in the lamlly, questions its mother upon all things and receives answers which are in keeping with the expressed views of its father; such at least is tho wise practice in every harmonial family, of every mother who wishes for the welfare of hei' children, for quietness and happiness at home. Would such a course of action be injudicious and unwise in the large scale of the social family ?,.. Many questions are made l)y thec/j/7arts. The medium state is a very difficult one to go through. To link two parts together — by ollicious action — requires a great deal of care, a deUcate nature, and a constant watching over one's self. To keep one's self from conlammination when dealing with impure, or rudimental things, such as physical things always are, is never possible in Ihe strict sense. See th.; action and labours of the m-Jther in the houst!hold, — how trying, painful and difficult they are; where is the mother wlio does not at times become despondent and irritable ? What lakes pla<^e on a small scale takes place also on a large scale. It behooves everv intellect to be merciful towards those who have difficult missions to perform and who therein derive mcic bitters than sweets. To transmit to inferiors instructions supe- I'ior — in many instances — to one's own comprehension is a very .irduousdutj ; a load above one's own present spiritual strength can be viewed in the same light as in physical instances. To acknowledge an idea as above one's own comprehension and be the bearer of it is to act mechanically. To be a medium for a superior intelligence does not however mean that its action is always mechanical. Every transmitted thought is always also more or less taiiUed with the medium's own natrire, how- ever strongly the medium may attempt to be faithful to his calling or mission. To run clear water through a colored cloth will always, more or less, afTect the primitive state of that liquid : so it is in all things. Faith is the first condition to be brought in all things. He who approaches truth with an unbeleiving mind will not there- irom receive any advantage. He who approaches error even, with an tinbeleiving mind will reap none of the benefits which all rudimental things extend to beleiving minds — but its evil i'ruits. The denomination of evil and good are expressions which have relative value only. To admit absolute evil is to admit an absoiute antagonism to the Eternal Author of good ; it is to deny progression. The most rudimental parts of physical nature, however gross ind repulsive they IF lli, appear, extend to the beleiving laborer treasures of imraenso value ; in moral nature it is the same. The laborer is the boleiver ; the idle man is the unbeleiver ; evil haunts the steps of the idle man and good accompanies those of the la- borer. The sensational mind although having undergone the beleiv- ing phase is separated from that state by intervening distance. That which is closer acts more powerfully. The moral man who does not labor in his calling and who does not augment his capital, acts unwisely, both in the personal and general Sfusc. Knowledge is never amiss to any one. Incoming truths are never antagonistic, or evily inclined towards enter- tained truths. Truths, looked upon as errors, and repelled, will always return to their enemies. Past ideas which havi; not been assimilated by man, are children who will always haunt more or less every household of the mind j nothing can be discarded and thrown away as useless, as rubbish ; every idea must receive complete elabon tion. To discountenance an idea on the plea of strangeness, or of its apparent enmity towards entertained or preconceived notions, is unwise and hurtful. ,.: . • . . „„„ , . ,,;, - ; . ^:.,.>,, f^ ,^.„ ,. The moral man, being outside of the beleiving state, or out- side of the phase or faith, being separated therefrom by natural demarcations and boundaries, cannot be looked upon as an active beleiver, no more than the intellectual man can bo looked upon an as active beleiver, or as an active hopeful being. The present mission gives its active qualities to its active agents. The qualities of the child are to be seen in the adolescent and in the man, and those of the adolescent are also traceable in the matured being, but by undergoing changes of states they have also undergone changes in their active natures. In dealing with mysteries or miracles, or those discarded iruthi — which are above the comprehension of the sensational beings — it is not astonishing that some of those beings should deny them and others overrate them. All classes of beings have each three shades or degrees to undergo ; each degree gives a different sight or understanding to its beings. When using the material eye to probe things either pf a material or 18 its the also ;s of jgree '"hen ilor spiritual nature, the returning rays will be in keeping with those which have been sent towards the object in view. Tlie intellectual beings, however superior they may be to all others, are also divided into three sectional classes of a distinct nature from each other ; those having the material sight are mate- rially inclined ; those having the moral sight are morally inclin- ed and those blessed with the superior sight look right into heaven, or the spiritual sphere, and therein see things which are not discernible to others. The material and spiritual spheres are linked together by uninterrupted links, by constant inter- changed actions which are not at all times evident to the m?.- terial eye but which none the less continually take place. All incoming ideas, or those not yet assimilated or understood, are of a spiritual nature; entertained ones are materialized, I might say ; — therefore, I plead that all mysteries and miracles are spiritual things and that they deserve as such a friendly reception on our part ; that they are God-sent no one will deny, as all proceeds from the Eternal Author; that they have useful lessons to transmit to us no one neither will deny if they look at the history of the world. The material and spiritual sights have both to be used to arrive at truth ; the two sights pertain !o all beings and are given to them for practical use and not for a nominal one, — therefore let all men beware how they condemn things which they examine only with the material senses, or with preconceived notions, with haste, and according only to external manifestations ; truth i& imbedded, like the soul in man, deeply under the form. To deny the right to the man of faith of beleiving actively in things of a seemingly unusual occurrence in nature, would be establishing an unwise precedent which might be brought to bear against its authors in many instances. The man of faith has the undeniable right to beleive ; his duty is to work in his calling — of faith — ^with all the might which is allotted to him by nature. The inherent propensities peculiar to each class of beings are not given to be set aside, to be neglected by their pos- sessors; active life only is useful and blest with contentment and happiness. To condemn the man of faith for beleiving in certain things outside of the bonds or limits of one's own 14 preconceived opinions or active Itnowledge is to doubt iiis veracity, to impugn his character, or to deny the existence in him of the senses through which such things become tangible to him. The Indian's senses are very acute ; through the aural sense he will at times become cognizant of a certain occurrence taking place at a great distance ; will he whose sim- ilar sense is not appealed to by an active rapport with the occurrence, through its external manifestation, deny the capacity to that Indian of hearing what he cannot hear ? The sincere and inquisitive mind in such instances will take the trouble of testing the question by proper investigation, — but even then the circumstances may not be favorable to the inves- tigation ; the producing cause may not be at first traceable or at once found ; — should the effect in such cases be denied exis- tence ? Small birds will warble certain sweet notes which can- not be produced by large ones. To be active and truthful to one's own calling and inward impulse is to act naturally and wisely. The man of faith has senses fitting to his mission, as the foot and hand have peculiar organs suitable for feeling. The exter- nal eye is not always required to come in contact with the object felt by the foot or hand to arrive at the knowledge of the nature of that object. The spiritual sense may alone be appeal- ed to. How far the spiritual senses may be made to replace the material ones is not yet known.- I heard of a man in Bos- ton who after becoming blind — had his spiritual or interior sight so much developed that he was able to see as heretofore although his external organ was completely destroyed. The physical organism is not always a barred dungeon in which the mind has always to stay ; pictures seen are not always those only which are traced upon its damp and frigid walls. The mind borne on the wings of the spiritual senses reaches far away and comes in rapport with things which are not to be seen by material senses at the time. To rely therefore positive ly only upon the evidence of the material senses, is ta work but through the most imperfect part in man. Forewarnings of things which do actually take place are not uncommon ; how can they be accounted for unless we look into the ":' ? 1 M spiritual nature of man for an explanation ? It is exceptional cases, some will say. Exception ! exception ! such a word means what? — to logic it mqans an unwise disposition in na- ture ; that word and the word absolute — which acts as god- father to the other, ai-e sufficiently vicious and unnatural to unbalance all reasoning. Supernatural is also another expres- sion which is commonly used to get over a difficulty, over labor of the mind ; this last word forms with the two others aboved cited — the vicious trinity through which the human mind is kept in darkness, in more or less ignorance of its future destinies. Absolute — exception and supernatural^ are three words which have reference to the three laws of nature — Attrac- tion — Compensation and Repulsion. The relative meaning of those three words to the sense implied by those three laws, is only materially apparent; their relative meaning to one another is so unlike that the wedlock between them must be a very \inhappy one ; and who can gainsay it ? — Attraction, in all things, is never absolute ; it may be very positive at times,- but no more. Compensation at times may be very lenient and mild in its action ,^--but that does not constitute exception. Re- pulsion may appear occasionally with an unusual, viguor and give lieu to actions of more than ordinary volume or impor- tance, — but those actions do not become thereby supernatural. Every law in nature acts through three degrees; every being is moved by those three degrees, or shades of action. There must necessarily be relativeness between the laws and the beings, or else rapports between them would be out of ques- tion. — Supernatural means something outside of nature ; have the limits of nature yet been ascertained?... The father in the household represents the law of attraction ; is he absolute for all that ? If he tries to become so he is look- ed upon as a uyrant, and unhappiness follows his every footstep. The mother in the same center represents the law of compen- sation ; should she be exceptional in hor mission of love and charity ? The child in the same circle represents the law of Repulsion ; supernatural actions cannot be wrought by him, although being an active agent of the law of Repulsion. — ^The law of Compensation acts as an auxiliary, as a medium, be- twecn those of Attraction and Repulsion, and its particular class of beings, or agents. The physical n)an is to miracle^s wliat the moral man is to mysteries, and vice versa. Miracles have a physical tendency ; therefore, they seek more particularly the physical being, the man of faith. Mysteries have a moral tendency and they there- fore seek the moral being, the man of hope. Miracles arc things which make themselves understood in a greater mea- sure than mysteries. The man of faith is naturally an active being and what comes to him is consequently actively dealt with. The man of hope is naturally more of a passive being than otherwise, therefore, he deals in all things in a passive manner. The man of faith has an inherent tendency to rely upon -himself ; the man of hope looks far l*ack or far ahead for messiahs. Faith represents activity or labor, — hope represents a lull, or rest Labor attracts progression, and rest only recuperation. Faith is a result of understanding and hope, as the child is the result of the father and mother, it is truth- fully said that the child represents the future ; by the same logical reasoning therefore, faith represents the future, which according to division of time is accounted to be superior to the past and present Such reasoning is not to be comprehend- ed at first sight, — labor is that which gives understanding. The man of faith according to such a logical train of reason- ing, although being at the foot af the ladder of existence, comes out to view in bright robes and is seen to grasp with mighti- ness and effect that which escapes from many hands the future [ applaud the man of faiih with both hands, with all my capacities of understanding. Futurity to me is heaven — ^in all its applicable meanings ; I therefore cling to that congenial brother. The man of faith is not only to be found in the physi- cal class, the moral and intellectual classes have also those indefatigable pioneers, to whom difriculties,pains and sufferings are pertainable, but to whom, heavenly and divine doors in nature, are more or less opened. — It is an easy task, compara- tively speaking, for the sensational being, or the man of hope — who sits loungingly on the couch of conservatism — to find 17 fault with the activity of Iho man of faith, who works, sweat- ing through every pore of his material and siiiritual nattires, for the sole purpose of obtaining general welfare to common brotherhood ; it is easy to deny and condemn the produce which such labors effect and to reap devoutly the benefits which they ultimately bring ; it is easy to search through a few leaves of written laws ; but it is not so easy to search through the innu- merable pages of unwritten ones. The man of faith has a telescopic eye ; the man of hope has a microscopic one. The first one embraces immensity ; the latter sees small things ; the first one srirchesfor truth and finds it, — the last one searches not and condemns it ; the first one sees light in the greatest darkness, — the last one sees darkness in the most evident light. The first one is named repulsive ; to repulse actively is to attract really ; the savior in all things is in the reactive power ; therein lies the real benefactor : repulsive and reactive are but one and the same thing. Let us now look into the fields, the forests, the fastnesses wherein the man of faith labours and see the effective results — or miracles — which he snatches from nature's grasp. The retrospective view of his labors is to be seen at first sight in all accepted, or existing things, as the man of hope would say. Things which are now accepted as truthful were brought out by the pains-labor man, by the man of faith ; those things were truthful then to the man of faith as thtv,- are now accounted to be by others ; immensity had reveai?d them to him count- less ages before the man of hope became capable of perceiving them ; tradition, history and facts beside are there to prove it In the present times the man of faith is still battling af;ainst great odds of individual kind to get to his laboring fields, forests and fastnesses. In the subdivision view the man of faith represents but three parts out of nine parts. In each of the three classes of mankind there are two beings who mar the onward progress of the man of faith : those of hope and under- standing. One would naturally and logically suppose that by these overbalancing pov\ers the active action of faith, through its beings, could not in any possible manner be injurious towards the whole, — that its freedom from restraint would be 2 18 Is I .1 '!1 beneficial to every human being — as harvesting of any kind never represents a surplus or a superfluity. I wbulrl say to every man of faith laboring in the present times : " bo faithful " to your calling and do not curtail what is extended to you by " mother Nature. Be as fearless and as true as your forefathers " have been in by gone times, when burning stakea were the " only recompense they had to meet at every step. Take " renewed courage and tighten the belt around your loins, " because eventful times are near by, and you will be called to *' take therein the most prominent part, as you did at the com* " mencement of this second era, or of the christian phase." Conservatism and its beings have at times to undergo the fiery ordeal, to be subjected to the quickening process named — reaction — so that their progression may be brought about^ Sensational beings are strongly and violently moved when reaction comes to them ; it is a natural effect and therefore not to be wondered at. To those beings I would say : — " Look ye " at passing events, at those which have a moral tendency,and " which therefore interest you particularly ; look ye at those " events and interpret their meaning, foresee their future " results ; surely something more is ahead !" The ways of the Great Author are mysterious, but not past finding out, — as the man of faith and the man of understand- ing imagine. Evil, or reaction's measures and deeds may be looked upon as proceeding from a mythical power to the con- servative eye, but the film which serves to create such a power is, happily not, over every one's visual organ. He who per- ceives good in evil (or undeveloped things) has, I imagine, a powerful sight. He who can extract from such evil, beneficial things for common brotherhood, is a greater benefactor to hu- manity than the one who is a stranger to such work of pro- gression. Conservatism, or rest, is certainly recuperative in all cases, when exercised within proper bounds, but when allowed to overstep its wise or natural limits it becomes detri- mental, not only in the individual point of view but also in the general one. Yea, miraculous things are taking plat e every where ; every newspaper is teeming in their daily columns with the advent n ny kind 1 say to faithful » you by •efathcrs vere the [). Take ur loins, called to the coni' lase." jrgo the 8 named [it about. }d when Bfore not Look ye ;ncy,and at those r future not past erstand- may be Ithe con- a power rho per- igine, a ineficial k to hu- of pro- tative in it when !S detri- \o in the ; every advent ^r new heavenly gifts. Angelic hands are now profusely laden, for our particular benefit. To extort from nature her sncrots is no more a severe aud trying labor — because men of faith are commencing to take the lead, as in olden times ; Yea, men of faith are leaping now a days over the mountainous obs- tacles of conservatism of all kind. It would be too much to recapitulate the extraordinary discoveries, or miracles, that arc attracted from mother nature, by the man of faith. Telegraph- ing, with the ordinary batteries, without a visible conductor, •can be cited as an instance '—bu' what is that compared to mental tebgraphing, which has been taking place for several years past in many instances well authenticated ? The material, or preliminary process, is always superseded, in all things, by more developed modes ; therefore, we may expect at some future ^ay, which may not bw far off, human batteries being employ- ed instead of metallic ones, for communicating messages from one part of the world to the other, Photogr^^phy is also one ef the miracles of this age. That discovery is superseding hand work and every day it is being applied to new uses. Photographing visible objects with ,fac simile precision and with so mucfh quickness is wonderful,- but photographing invisible beings may be accounted more wonderful stilL Is such a thing done ? you will enquire. It is already done in many men's minds. It exists in theory beyond any doubt, and if we may r«ly on reports received to that effect, it exists also in practice. All truths have firstly to he conoeived", application is a thing that follows. Photographing invisible beings 1 — ^why surely the man is mad wto conceives even the possibility of such a thing.-many of you will think and say. Photography diminishes or enlar- ges the objects at will, A speck unseen to the eye may be en- larged at pleasure to any size aiad a large object be made to appear as a ^peck. All that is well known. These are difTicul- ties — old impossibilities — ^which have been mastered. Are there no more impossibilities ahead 2 Time and labor, I imagine, are able to unravel all things, however impossible they ma,y be. Impossible is a word which is often to be found on the tongue of those who have not seen much and who have •thought still less. JO Such a miraculous discovory as that of roproducing the likenesses of departed beings, by the means of the camira obs- cura, were it not yet in exislonoo, I would beloivo in its fu- ture advent. The deductions of the mind are not guided by the senses in all cases, and minds of metaphysical capacities are not swayed by common place reasoning. To see before one's self is not the gift of every one. The miracles of apostolic times are recurring in our age on a large scale in different parts of the world. It would take volumes to detail their history and the effect they are having in a revolutionary point of view on established doctrines and dogmas. In England, France, Belgium, Germany, Italy and Russia, Ihero are daily, weekly and monthly newspapers, reviews, &ic., devoted to the publication of the many miracles of the day. The only disadvantage these miracles have is, that they occur in our times I Were they shrouded with old age and the misty veil of the past, they would in the eyes of many bear a sacred character and be looked ux^on as genuine, as un- deniable. Lately, at the camp of ChAlons, in France, a zouave, named M. Jacob, became possessed with great healing powers. From all parts around, as far as fifteen and twenty miles, patients affected with all kinds of disease flocked to the camp, many carried on litters by their friends. During a short time thou- sands, it is said, came thus, impelled by hope if not always by faith. The zouave, as in olden times, cured by the touch and even without it, also without bill or cost. As to the miracles performed in the United States for the lu3t fifteen or twenty years, under all circumstances and con- ditions imaginable, tested in public, in private, over and over again, they have surpassed in every way those performed in Europe. Liberty would seem to be a favorable condition for the display of such power. The " Banner of Light," of Boston, edited so ably by Mr. Luther Colby, is a record where many miracles are weekly brought out to notice. Spontaneous creations of arms, hands, heads and entire bodies, bearing the test of touch and handling, are produced in private and public circles, without any visible agency. Showers ot 21 T.iin, of (lowers of (liniTcnt. kinds, tliunder ponls accompanied* with liglitning ; cnrnnits of wind, and many other kinds of ma- nifestations — in closed n)f)ms — are prodiiccil now a days in many lands. Trnrismulation of metals, autlienticated by the well known chemist, J^rofessor Hare, of Pliiladeli>hia, and scviM'al otlu>rs, is also on tlie list of the miracles of the day. Ill New Port, R. I., Dr. J. 11. Newton advocates practically the ' canso of snfferinf? hnmanlly, as the apostles of old did, by curing every kind of disease by the laying on of hands. This new apostle is gifted to an extraordinary degree with the healing power; his repiitatioii is not established by adverlisc- 'ments, ^c, hut by the grateful praises of the thousands he has brought back to health. The hands of man have effected great things in all depart- ments of science, but those mediums of the mind are only of a physical kind. TJie voice of man will be the medium which ho will make use of to dictate his will to nature. Yea ! such a thing will be most assuredly ; every one's intuition, — tliat superior intelligence — which is not chained in dark dungeons, will warrant such an assumption. Wo might still add : — The time will also be, when nature will obcv the will of nin through the mediiunship alone of his visual organ. To those who would deny the possibility of such things taking place, I would say : look at the past and compare it with the present ; do you not perceive that nature requires less exertion on the part of man to obey his will, now than heretofore ? and I would add : look at the present. Do you find there nothing wanting ; are you not still wishing, working and looking for greater prerogatives, for further developments? Progres- sion is endless in all things ! Reflect and weigh well those words, and faith of an intellectual kind will be born unto you. All discoveries, of whatever department of science, have a voice, I imagine, which says to men : — " Ye foolish beings, " look not upon us as supernatui-al things ; do not shame us " out of your sphei-e by those staring looks, those wonderful " exclamations which betoken such wonderful ignorance ^' of natural laws, such a want of faith, such a dismal interior •" spirit within yourselves !'' 22 It is not thought ridiriilous t() liav)> fasliioriablc faith, bti( that t(!rni r'uliculouH, is lYccly ai>[)li(''l to thoso who have pro- giVHsivo failli. How can any uiie itconcilo tliut with progres- sion ? The liino has boon when it was dangerous to <;v