his will and power. Matter as matter, whether animate or inanimate, whether existing in the four great elelements, earth, air, fire and water, or as amalgamated in the forms of animals or men, is not endowed with the power of thought; and more than this it has not, as matter, even one sensation, as the moment a certain principle called life, ceases to animate a body, it ceases to have the sensation of feeling, although there is not a particle less of matter, than a moment before this principle left it. Matter as matter, is not capable of hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, nor feeling; as the instant that mysterious principle called life, passes away, these powers go with it, and who can say that they do not in some unknown manner continue, and attach themselves to the spirits of men, in a disembodied condition, and thus. are held in reserve against the hour of the resurrection, to become in another state constituent parts of the mode of being which shall then be entered into; when the soul, which is the five senses with the passions; and spirit, which is the mind, and the body, which is the companion of both, shall again be eternally united, either for good or ill, as character will decide. But some have strangely imagined, that the organization of matter produces mind, a species of being wholly distinct from the nature of matter. Were this so, we should have one instance, at least, of an effect's rising above its cause, which sentiment, in philosophy, is held by all classes of reasoners, as wholly absurd; because mind is superior to matter, however it may be organized. Rational mind is not, therefore, the result of organization; it is a result of the wisdom and power of God, and was an endowment superadded to the formation and organization of the human body, by which that body of organized matter was to be governed. If then it is superior to the body, and is the effect of the power and wisdom of God, in a sense superior to the creation of matter, it is then immortal of necessity, on account of its origin and parentage, who is the God, of whom it is said, that he is the Father of the spirits of all flesh; namely, of all human flesh, in a different and more exalted way than he is of the spirits of dumb beasts. As to atheistical opinion that matter is eternal; and that out of organized matter, mind, or spirit arises; it is refuted, when we recollect that mind is superior to matter, and therefore could never have been produced in that way, as an effect can never exceed in excellence its cause. But this conclusion is met as Atheists suppose: when they contend, but do not maintain, that mind, spirit, or thought, is but mere matter after all, though of a very refined and delicate description; yet, is nothing more nor less than pure matter, the product of organization, as in the case of man and all other animals. But this conclusion is still refuted, by another view of the subject as follows: If mind, spirit and thought, is matter, an accumulation of this kind of matter, must at last, where a sufficient amount of these delicate particles are.

collected together, become tangible; as it is impossible to have any other conception of the subject than this, on the principle. that like begets like, through all the ranks of being of a terestial character. If mind is matter, then thoughts, which are the offspring of mind, are but the finer particles of such matter; and may therefore be supposed as being capable of an accumulation, so as to become tangible. Now can this be shown to ever have happened, during all the past ages of the earth? It cannot be shown; notwithstanding their incessant production and accumulation above every other production of organized matter, as to numbers and multitudes. Were all the human race now living, with all that may yet come into being, not only on this globe, but on all globes of the universe, during unending ages, to fix their thoughts on one located point, however small, there would not appear the least particle of matter; neither would there be any disorder in their condition, on account of that focal point, no more than if such accumulation of thought had never existed. This conclusion, arises out of the fact that no such accumulation, or appearance of matter, has ever taken place, as arising out of such a cause. The products of organized matter, in all other instances, as of animal or vegetable existencies, can be, and are made tangible, to some one or more of the senses, by accumulation, however refined, in odors, gasses, or otherwise; yet this product of matter, called mind, spirit, or thought, has never been thus collected and made tangible: and until it can be done we claim the argument, which denies that mind or spirit is the product of matter; but the exact contrary; matter must have mind for its origin, and that mind is God the creator of all. That mind is not matter, is further shown, from the fact (though hinted at above) that real matter of any and all kinds, however gross or rarified, is perceiveable by some one or all the senses; as manifested by smelling, tasting, feeling, hearing and seeing. But mind is not thus ascertained; mind cannot be seen, heard, smelt, felt nor tasted; yet we know it exists; and therefore is not matter nor the product of matter, or it could be tested by some one or all of the senses.

All the organizations which are called animal organizations, we ascertain is produced by this creator; who, in the creation of each species, not only made them male and female, but gave them the desire and the power to propagate; by which, we perceive designs, of which mere matter is not capable. Were the earth of itself, anciently capable of producing animal organization, as we find now existing; what is the reason it does not now produce them; and why has it not done so in all past ages, as far back as the annals of man extend? No Atheist can answer this. All the operations of chance, as the falling of trees, the casting their leaves, the tumbling of buildings, when thrown down by the winds, or by convulsions, the drift-wood of a head

long stream; are all demonstrative of the want of order; confusion every where stamps the mass with disarrangement. But the exertions of the creative mind is seen in the order of the great universe; the arrangements of the worlds in orbits; their velocity; attraction and repulsion of each other; their various. products; arising out of first and implanted principles, for definite and certain ends, are all proofs of the exertion of mind; for we repeat it, that chance is nothing but confusion, and never was capable of order and mechanical arrangement, of which every Atheist, educated in Christian countries is obliged to acknowledge. It is therefore, much easier to conceive of the eternal existence of such a mind; having mechanical powers in an unlimited sense; than to believe in the eternal existence of mere matter, which has no such power, and therefore could never have arranged itself, as seen in the great universe of existencies. If, then, the works of God, whether they consist of mind or matter, are not from eternity, as himself is, it follows of necessity that there was a time when there was nothing in being but God; and at whatever period it was that the first creative act took place, it also follows, that as much of boundless eternity had already been, as shall ever be, from that time or period-as it is impossible, even in thought, to make any progress toward the boundaries of that which is boundless, or of that which has no beginning. But does it follow from this fact, that God, who has shown himself to the intellectual part of his works, as an active and ever-producing being, was for so great a period as from unbeginning eternity or duration, in a state of torpor, or inactivity? Or, could he have begun his creative works any sooner than he did?

As to the first query, we imagine it is answered, when we recollect that the Supreme Being is the ever-living God, and is pure intellect or spirit, pervading boundless, shoreless and measureless space; and therefore, as he is life, and the author of all life, whether of sensation, or of spirit, could not, therefore, previous to his acts of creation, have been inactive, or in a torpor. All created beings, whether spirit or corporeal, are local, however swiftly they may have it in their power to pass from one place to another; they are, nevertheless, still local, as they are every moment in a definite place, are not anywhere else at the same time; while the Divine Being is every where present, and is not, therefore local; unless it be said that boundless eternity and space is this location. But on the subject of the activity of the Deity before his first act of creation, we are capable of forming no ideas, except by comparison, and as arising out of this state of things, in which we now are; where we see a multitude of operations going forward in the earth, the waters, and the heavens. But whether the Deity can be, and always was active, without bringing into being tangible or spiritual objects,

need not be doubted, so long as even ourselves are made capable of thought, without being necessitated to produce the image of every thought. Why not God, therefore, who is the anthor of this capability? Could he not rejoice, if we may so express the idea, over all the works and beings which as yet he had not made, as he can now that he has made them? Were they not always present with him, though to themselves, as yet, they had no being? Could he not as easily rejoice over that which he had not as yet produced, as he can now be supposed to do, over worlds and myriads of beings not yet brought forth? Most certainly, or we retrench the attribute, omniscience. The mind of the Deity dwells with all that is past, and with all that is to come, the same as he does now with the present moment: of whose mind we dare not say, it ever had a first thought—but rather that He is unbeginning, unimproving, unending and perfect intellect; of which ideas we can have but small conceptions, further than to spell the words here on paper.

The idea of solitude, as it relates to God, though he had not made us, or any thing besides, by millions of ages as soon as he did, or even never, is absurd; for we may not suppose his works essential to his happiness, especially as it relates to companionship, or as furnishing occasion for a display of activity; as even now, though space seems filled with an infinity of worlds, and systems of worlds, the works of his power, yet God, the sacred three in one, is as much alone as if the worlds had no being; for which of all his works, even among the hosts of his angels, is his fellow, or who is his companion? Within himself are his own infinite resources, and mode of being, the secret of which can never be communicated, as there can exist no being whose mind can dilate to receive the immense and shoreless communication.

But as to the second query, whether he could have begun his works of mind and matter sooner than he did. We answer, no. Because, had he, as we reckon time and progress, put forth his first tangible unnumbered ages sooner than he did, relatively speaking, it could have been no sooner in fact; or had he not till now begun to create, it could be no later.

The terms late and early, have no application to eternity; as there is no starting point, so there is no ending. If he had not till millions of ages yet to come, have commenced creation, there could be no time lost, as there could be none gained in so deep a sea. Where there is no expenditure there can be no increase, for eternity is the habitation of the High and. Holy One-the Eternal Being.

It is an amazing thought, when we reflect, that myriads in numbers, beyond the power even of angelic computation, of such systems of universal nature may have been created, and have passed away, as now exists, and that they may have been as di

versified as would equal their numbers before this present system of things existed; yet the sentiment remains, that there must have been a first creative act, or that which has been produced is as eternal as the producer, which is absurd. And as many more such universes may yet be brought into being, after this shall have answered all the purposes for which it was produced, and shall have passed away. By universes we do not mean spirits and souls of men, whether commencing on this world or on others; but simply the matter of which they are composed-the suns and their respective systems. We believe, however, that when a system is dismissed from being, by the Creator, it is only to give place to another, better suited to the advanced condition of such intellectual beings as shall have passed through a former state, which we will call their first or incipient condition, such as the race of man is now passing through, in this life. So that a perpetual advance in happiness, in approximating toward the author of all existences, of such as shall have gone through a probationary state safely and virtuously, is to be expected as a fruit of immortality.

Although we have said above, that creation, with all its tribes, visible and invisible, are not essential to the happiness of God; yet the Scriptures inform us, that for His "pleasure, they are and were created." Rev. iv. 11. But we may enquire, what kind of pleasure it is, whether essential, or otherwise, of which it speaks, and conclude it to be the pleasure of making others happy-the joys of philanthropy, and of being known and beloved; as it is said again in Scripture-"when He (Christ) shall come to be glorified in all his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe." If so, then is he not therefore, to be more happy, when this shall take place, than if he (Christ) had not made man, and therefore, does he not derive a degree of happiness from this circumstance, and from the circumstance of creation in general. We answer no;-neither of essential nor of derived happiness, because the certainty of creation, which he had from everlasting purposed to perform, and also the certainty that some of the angels would of their own free will continue to love him, as also some of the human race, of their own assisted yet unforced will, and free agency, would admire him in their creation, redemption, and salvation, afforded the same amount of happiness millions of ages before-yes, from all eternity; as all that he has done, or will do, was, and is ever present with him, as much so as the present moment of time. No degree of happiness, is derived to the Divine Being, from anything which he has made; and though it is said, as in Prov. viii. 31, that his "delights were with the children of men," or as in an other place, Heb. xii. 2, that for the joy that was set before him

Hebrews i. 3, states that Christ is the creator, "and upholds all things by the wold of his power."