state which he so much deplores: let him indeed be cautious of making this an excuse for peevishness and restlessness; let him beware of crying Peace, where there can be no real peace, that is, if this temper of mind be not combated: and while, on the one hand, he ought not to adopt that harsh and unjust judgment which would produce a doubt of his interest in the Saviour's atonement, because of the existence, which he mourns over, of feelings thus opposed to the meekness and patience of that Saviour's example; let him, on the other hand, deplore this state, though a physical condition, as an evidence of that debasing influence of sin which has been exerted upon the manifestations of mind, and upon the organ through which they are made. Let him consider this painful struggle as a portion of the trial of his faith and patience, and as perhaps rendered especially necessary at a period when the overwhelming gratitude of recovery renders the mind peculiarly liable to be less watchful than usual, and to those oscillations of feeling which take place rapidly, and often imperceptibly, under the influence of powerful emotion. Let him become guarded in his joy, and remember to "watch unto prayer." Let him recollect that he is called upon to grapple with this physical condition, and by a powerful mental effort, made

in dependance upon the assistance of the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, to keep his heart with all diligence, to preserve it stayed upon his God, to cultivate a devotional spirit, and to show forth the glory of the Saviour by more closely imitating his example. There is, then, no plea for indolence, no excuse for supineness: the existence of feebleness call upon him for the display of energy, and invites him to seek for strength where alone it can be found.

Again the effect of some articles of food or medicine will confirm my principal position. A certain moderate quantity of wine will render the individual more cheerful, give brilliancy to his ideas, and stimulate the organ of thought to more intense exertion. A larger dose of the same fluid will make one individual outrageously joyous and noisy, while another will become stupid and melancholic, according to his peculiar temperament; and a still larger quantity will abolish consciousness from both alike : and absolute intoxication will destroy all traces of the rational creature. The influence of several medicines will be presently noticed among the morbid trains of cerebral impression: it is here only necessary to state, that they are varied and extensive.

Once more bodily fatigue will induce a degree of cerebral irritability, which, in ordinary

cases, will prevent the usual approach of sleep, and give rise to such a susceptibility of the nervous system, that it will be prepared for any morbid impression. A similar effect will be produced by the excitement of society, or by emotion of any kind, of an intense character; thus showing that the brain, as a material organ, is similarly acted upon both by causes from within, and by those which attach more particularly to exterior nature; by mental exertion, and by physical influence. On the other hand, too much sleep produces an effect of a different kind: the patient rises with a dull obtuse headache; he feels that his perceptions are obscured, that he is stupid, that he wants his usual activity of body and mind, that his spirits are oppressed, and that he misses his customary cheerfulness. Now the difference of these two conditions consists in this: in the former case, there is increased action of the arteries of the brain, and the individual is conscious of the change; in the latter, there is a sluggish congested state of the veins; thus proving, that, according to these varying physical states, the manifestations of mind are different, and even opposite, and that the organ is a material one-mainly influenced by physical causes. But enough has been said for

my present purpose: the several forms of cerebral delusion and morbid action will be noticed hereafter.

II. This material organ, thus influenced by physical causes, is the organ of mind, and will characterize, not, indeed, its essence, its real character, but its manifestations, by its operation upon the ideas conveyed to the immaterial spirit from without, as well as upon those produced by its unaided and spontaneous action from within. Man possesses an internal consciousness that the brain is the organ through which he thinks, reasons, remembers, imagines, distinguishes, and performs other mental operations and this consciousness is as positive as would be that of the hand being the organ of prehension to a blind person, who sought after an acquaintance with the properties of matter through this medium.

Indeed, when we recollect that man is a compound creature,-made up of a perishable body, and of an imperishable mind,-we see how impossible it would be for that body to be subjected to the influence of mind, unless it possessed with the latter some medium of communication; and, consequently, that, without this medium, man's moral responsibility would be destroyed. It is true, that the omniscient Creator might

have subjected the body to a purely spiritual influence, without any corporeal mode of communication with it; because He is also omnipotent. But then it is manifest, that there would have been no consciousness of personal identity; and man would not be able to distinguish that which resulted from the influence of bodily association, from that which was prompted by this mysterious presiding spirit: from all which we infer the excellence of the present arrangement; and we exclaim from the heart, “O Lord, how excellent are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all." In this way also man feels that he is a responsible agent, because he is conscious of this mental action, and knows that the brain is subjected to the influence of volition. For an attention to all its actions and promptings, therefore, he is immediately answerable; and for the indulgence of all the suggestions of the spirit, he is equally, though remotely, accountable; because he is furnished with the faculty of discriminating good from evil, and with the power of choosing the one and refusing the other: and then it will follow, that, if responsible for the indulgence of spiritual suggestions, he must be increasingly amenable for those actions and passions which arise from every germ of evil, but