LECTURE XXVI.

THE AUTHORITY OF THE HARMONIAL PHILOSOPHY,

THERE is a simplicity-a beauty-a majesty-a holiness-a celestial grandeur-an unchangeableness belonging to a Principle of Truth, which is seldom perceived by the earth's inhabitants. The soul thrills at the conception. The energies of Reason swell into a higher strength, and the affections kindle into a serener ecstacy, at the thought that, Truth is the source of all eternal realities-the origin of all that is high, divine, and infinite.

But let us inquire, what is Truth? According to my impressions, the Truth is something more than that which endures only for a time. Any thing which is temporary-fleeting and evanescent as the passing breeze--should not be dignified with the name of, nor receive the esteem which belongs properly to, Truth. Truth is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever. It is the same always and every where. Absolute Truth is immutable. He that teaches a doctrine which is absolutely true, does not proclaim a thing which is temporarily certain; but an everlasting substantialism which rests. upon the immutable authority of God. But he who proclaims that which is destined to decay-to become obsolete and useless-does not reveal a Truth of God, but merely a circumstance in the constitution of things. He speaks of things merely; not of that immutable principle whereby those things are held together in harmonious concord.

When Isaac Newton saw the apple fall to the earth, he did not regard that circumstance as an eternal Truth, but simply as an il

lustration of some great natural principle. And when he probed the secrets of creation, and discovered what he termed the "Law of Gravitation," he forthwith drew a line of distinction between the falling of that single apple, and the principle whereby all apples fall and worlds revolve.

Moreover when Newton ascertained the existence of the Law of gravitation, and when he communicated his discovery to the world, he did not set forth a private and peculiar thing, based upon personal and historical evidence, but an absolute and immutable Truth, founded upon the authority of an eternal God. The Truth of the existence of the Law of gravitation did not rest upon the authority of Newton, not upon the falling of an apple, but upon the existence of God.

If we take this position in regard to Truth, we shall then find that there are not many Truths in the universe. I do not mean by this that there is consequently a great multitude of falsehoods; but that the "mystery of Godliness" is not so very mysterious, complicated, and incomprehensible as we have been taught to suppose. Newton did not invent the Law of gravitation, nor did he find it; for it was never lost. It was not his private personal property; for it was then, always had been, as it always will continue to be, the public and universal revelation of the spirit of God.

Nor was it a mystery, an evanescent fact, destined to vanish in the Revolutions of ages; for that principle which causes the apple to fall, not only, also, causes the earth to revolve, but likewise all the earths in the universe. Now, I ask, which deserves to be termed Truth—the falling of the apple, the revolution of this earth, the revolutions of all the planets, or that immutable and magnificent principle by which the immeasurable universe rolls through the realms of Infinitude? Methinks you answer-the principle is the Truth! Now, on this ground, you perceive that one Truth controls innumerable things. Thus we return to the proposition,

that there are not many Truths, but numberless items in the boundless fields of Creation which no one mind, except God's, can at one embrace fully comprehend.

It is my desire that you clearly understand what I mean by the dignity of Truth. I mean that, that which is God's eternal Truth, is perfectly independent of any human being; while that which rests upon the private and personal authority of any individual, is not an absolute Truth, but a fact—a thing—or a circumstance, which, like the individual upon whom it rests, is destined to pass away.

My impression is to free your minds from superstition. He is free, indeed, whom the Truth makes free! But suppose you identify persons with principles, are you then in a state of freedom? If you believe in the Law of gravitation because Isaac Newton taught its existence, then your faith is based upon personal authority, and not upon the Truth-consequently, when Newton, as an authority, dies, your faith will be very likely to die at the same time.

The Bible is supposed, by many, to be God's eternal word. It is termed God's truth; but most believers fail to discriminate between the book itself and the Truths which it unquestionably contains. And others again, confuse the writers with the Truths they wrote-thus, making the divinity of the ten commandments to rest on Moses, the doctrine of immortality to rest on Jesus-while, if a doctrine is eternally true, it depends no more upon the existence of Moses or Jesus than the Law of gravitation depends upon the existence of Isaac Newton. God's Truth is absolute-it is binding yesterday, to day, and forever. But a doctrine which depends upon individual authority may be a total fabrication of the fancy; and, like the insect that flits away its brief moment of existence, the doctrine glides away into the shades of forgetfulness.

If the Bible is God's Truth, then the existence of the Book can not be essential. The duty we owe to ourselves—to our neighbor -to the God of the universe; these are matters of intuition. A

man must feel the action of this Law, else he can not be the object of responsibility. And if he does feel it, there are no human authorities that can render this intuition more a Truth. He who consults his intuitive powers obtains a conviction of something like the existence of a God; he learns this Truth from the operations of his own mind; from the very nature of man; and the idea of his duty to himself and neighbor flows from the same source. Now, if these feelings depend upon the existence and teachings of Moses or Jesus-or, upon the indorsements and authority of any other personages or circumstances,then we are not sure but that, when the authorities die, our feelings will expire with them. While, on the contrary, if the doctrine of love to man and love to God be an everlasting moral Truth, then it was just as true and binding before Moses and Jesus lived as it now is, or ever will be. If the doctrine of Love to the neighbor rests upon the personal authority of Jesus, then it was not binding before he taught it-consequently, if this position be assumed, it is certain that the Old Testament did not contain God's Truth; because, according to the Bible, what was true and binding six thousand years ago, is, to-day, untrue and useless. And, on the same principle of reasoning, what is true to-day, may, by to-morrow, become a falsehood; because whatever depends upon human authority to be believed, is like a foundation of sand, certain to separate and disappear.

Again, I say, my impression is to free your minds from the brutalizing influence of superstition.

You may think that you are not superstitious. If you are not, why do you shrink from an investigation into the history of the Bible and Christianity? If you should take a hammer, and, before the honest barbarian, commence the demolition of his sacred Idol, he would forthwith prostrate himself before you and implore you to leave his God untouched. His prayers and lamentations

would almost rend the sympathetic heart. A benevolent man would cease the work of destruction, and set about the enlightenment of the untutored mind. But what would you say to that idolater? The answer is clear. You would say what your missionaries always say for you,-" Poor, benighted heathen! how we pity you in your lost condition. O, that the Lord would open your blinded hearts, and cause you to see the emptiness of your Idols, and the dębasing influence of your idolatry." Thus the Christian prays for the heathen.

I know it surprises the barbarian exceedingly to tell him that he is an idolater—so it will surprise you when I tell you that I, this moment, stand in the midst of Idolaters! This is an Idolatrous Land. I feel myself here in the capacity of a missionary.

When it is my impression to show you how you idolize books and personages, you break forth in tones of wounded reverence, or excited indignation, and cry against the mind that would destroy your Idols only by appealing to your reason.

The heathen says-" If you take away my Idol, what shall I do ?" The Christian says "If you take away my Bible, what shall I do ?"

The heathen exclaims-"I am lost, if you take from me my blessed Chreechnar!"

The Christian exclaims-"I am lost, if you take from me the truth as it is in Jesus !"

The parallelism is perfect; only the Christian's idolatry is generated and conducted upon a higher scale-though the kind is perfectly identical. It is therefore demonstrated that you are still clinging to idols-to objects and personages. Consequently, you fail to obtain that firm and everlasting appreciation of the Nature of Truth which would exalt your minds far above man-worshiping, and all forms of superstition. When we believe that Christianity rests upon the private and personal authority of Jesus, then we