its arrogant pretension, and is distasteful to the carnal appetite.

We think it is evident by this time that there is utterly an abuse of reason, a forcing of it forth from its proper sphere, a parade of sophistry, and a pompous show of folly, when the attempt is made to apply it to a determination of the essence of truth itself in a way that assumes for it the power of immediate, independent, authoritative and infallible judgment. Those who adopt that theory in regard to it, are apt to assert for themselves a peculiarly large measure of learning and wisdom, and to put on the airs of superiority in those respects over common mortals, whom they affect to pity for their bondage to ignorance and narrow-mindedness and superstitious reverence for the good "old paths." With how much right they do so, it is not difficult to decide; nor who they are who are really the slaves. Genuine superiority is usually found not far away from humility, and is most selfunconscious.

The fact is, that notwithstanding the boast of the supreme excellence of reason, and notwithstanding its real excellence and grandeur when properly apprehended and used, it is one of the feeblest of things when tried within spheres that lie beyond its legitimate domain-within which spheres some would force it to dwell. Within them it is absolutely helpless, and all its strivings are vain and fruitless of substantial results. Instead of having found freedom, it is the slave of more prejudices; and instead of developing a robust strength, it remains a puny babe. It can not go. It has no means nor power of progress. When it throws away its proper helps-such as the facts of experience, observation, testimony, etc., which conduct to knowledge, and attempts to go by itself, unassisted, to form, to judge, to create, independently, it at once becomes an infant, and must always stay so. It may be pleased, amused, self-satisfied with its speculations, but its speculations are puerilities and nothings which amount to nothing, prove nothing, and rest upon nothing. Its course is a headlong career through

empty space, full of air-images, and philosophical nothings painted. Reason can only go from strength to strength, and from result to result, by being aware of its own self-helplessness, and leaning upon its suitable aids. It was never made to go alone to go out by itself upon the vast deep of immensity, and by itself call up real, substantial creations to people it. It can go only by means of foothold foundations already laid-by means of truths which defy being comprehended in their inmost nature, and which demand to be accepted upon sufficient evidence, and which, accepted, support and assist it over fathomless gulfs, where, otherwise, it must flounder and sink, and abide forever, vainly struggling as amid the unprogressive void.

Try reason forth yonder, where, beyond life's limit-beyond the little circumference which bounds the small space where our earthly existence is pulsating itself away-can reason tell us where away?-yonder, where death lies in profound silence! Can reason give a tongue and voice to death, so that it shall tell us what it is? and what bounds of space and duration are set to its dominion? or whether it is boundless? Can it declare to us that vast and awful mystery? Reason has stood on that border, and tried to penetrate into that unknown to which our destiny bears us onward with resistless force, and has tried to catch the sound of some voice speaking from the deep, but has been compelled to confess it can see, or hear, or know nothing—or in sheer ignorant presumption has boldly given forth for its judgment, "Death is an eternal sleep!"

Try it on the question of immortality-can it answer? Is time all with which we have to do? Is our destiny all fulfilled in time? Are our cares, our hopes, our labors, our loves, our hatreds, our gains, our developments, all finished when our time on earth is ended? Reason can inform us nothing-nothing surely. Reason declares that as man passes hence he "leaps into the dark," not knowing what will be his next experience, nor whether any. But suppose, as it can not, reason should be able to answer the question,

and answer on the side of immortality-an immortality in possession of which all men shall appear in full, personal consciousness-then can it tell us concerning immortalitywhat are its states? its conditions? its relations? How are

those who shall be clothed with it affected by their conduct in their previous life? What employments does it afford? Is it a state of activity? or of mere quiet, passive contemplation? Is it light? or is it darkness? Is it hope? or is it despair? Is it heaven? or is it hell? Is it a place, or state, of new trials? fresh opportunities? a place, or state, where mistakes made now, and here may be corrected? or is it a place, or state, allowing no such things, but where are being forever found out only the consequences of present views, and beliefs, and conduct? Reason can not answer. Why? Because reason has no experience there-because reason has no facts which have been brought thence. Deprive it of, or deny it, facts-imagine it dwelling by itself in an absolute void, and reason can not tell what is, and what is not, possible. Nothing, to its apprehension, would be impossible, and, perhaps we might say, nothing would be possible-or, all things would be alike possible, or alike impossible. For, as we have repeatedly said, its province is simply to employ itself with things that are already, for the sake of finding out their reality and nature and relations. In the absence of all things, therefore, it has nothing at all to do—no judgments to form, no decisions to make.

To illustrate a little farther the point that out of its proper sphere, that is, out of the region of facts-the place of experience and observation - reason is utterly helpless and weak. How much of our reasoning is founded upon the ideas or facts of time and space! Take these away from under it, and what would support it, or keep it from falling straight, headlong, unimpeded through no sustaining element, down through emptiness itself, without ever finding a resisting medium on which to spread out its wings to lift up itself? In other words, without them, the universe would be to it as one great void. But what are time and space?

They are creations, are created things, or facts, and depend for their being on the will of God. They depend for their being, as we know them, upon our succession of thought and change of place. They belong, therefore, to the dominion of experience-rank themselves along with the things we know by experience. Now, if reason is that independent power, or faculty, which some claim it to be, it must be able to go by itself, without the helps of time and space. But can it? It can not. Let any one try to reason independently of them, and the utter inability to do so will not be long revealing itself. No finite mind, or reason, can take up its position, or make its habitation, in eternity, or immensity-absolute, empty, boundlessness-and think or act solely in their light, under their conditions. To do that is the prerogative of God alone. "Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity." Of him alone is it true that "a thousand years are as one day, and one day as a thousand years." To be able to inhabit eternity, is to be able to be above and without change. If reason can take its position in eternity, it can live above change. Yet of none but God alone is it true that he is "without variableness or shadow of turning;" "the same yesterday, to-day, and forever."

This discussion will not be considered useless by those who have given attention to the signs of the present time, and who have noticed the extensive prevalence of the theory that all things are to be tested by reason-by its illegiti

mate use.

Reason boasters bring their taper light to explore the temple of God-which is all sublimely beautiful in the unquenchable light that breaks forth from the unspeakable glory which surrounds the great throne-in which Divine light all its parts appear standing forth amid the splendor of all-pervading brightness. They go about this templethe grandeur, and immensity, and perfection of beauty of which proclaim the glory of God, the builder, while his praises are declared by the sun, and moon, and stars, which,

revolving within its vast dome, are its illuminating fires, and the songs of angelic choirs, lifted up to Jehovah, are its ravishing music-they go about it, holding their taper lights, ignoring the light of God, and proclaiming the supreme excellence of their own, to scan with mole eyes the porches and the altars, and the aisles, and the buildings, and then pronounce wisely and learnedly, as they imagine, upon the proportions, and the adjustments of the several parts, and the display of the presence or absence of architectural taste and skill. This pleases, and that displeases; this is right, and that is wrong; this is ornamental, that is a blunder and a blemish; this is properly located, but that is quite out of place. And so they give us a new version-an improved universe-not what really is, but what ought to be according to their superior judgment. They take on themselves to correct the faults of the Divine Architect, and give us instead their plan and theory of the spiritual temple, claiming for it a right to be preferred over that of which the Scriptures contain a description. Of this they speak with, perhaps, a certain condescending praise as admirably well suited to former ages when there was little light, and to a people emerging from the ignorance of barbarism and superstition, but far behind the demands and necessities of this day of free, independent inquiry and progress. These pretenders-self-constituted leaders of boasted progress-grope their way back until they arrive among the arcana of creation, and hold the taper light of their reason to explore amid the mysteries of forming worlds, and then pronounce philosophically, as they think, upon the various processes, though in fact they mutter only things foolish and unintelligible, as did the ancient oracular pretenders and dupes from the dark caves in which they sat. They make their boasted explorations, and publish their vaunted valuable discoveries" oppositions of science, falsely so called "-amid the secrets of the creation of the worlds, seeing with mole eyes by taper lights, where to faith beholding in the great light of the glory of revelation, all appears a brilliant pro