taking effect, which, without warrant of revelation, cannot be very confidently held; but it may nevertheless be thought of with comfort. There have been wise men who believed that in every resistance against sin, a real and lasting effect has been taken on the powers of darkness: that they suffer loss, and are in some degree weakened, by every conquest over their temptations. But in these days when the tremendous reality of spiritual foes is seriously doubted by many, and lightly ridiculed by still more, it would be thought but visionary to hold out a hope that on these invisible companions we may take effect. On a mystery still more wonderful the word of God speaks expressly, and it is clearly revealed to us that, in some measure, the righteous man can take effect upon Him who rejoices in the habitable parts of His earth, and whose delights are with the sons of men. * What good do I propose to myself by this examination of the wish to impress? Probably, behind my love of disentangling truth from prejudice may be a lurking desire to take effect upon my readers by some supposed originality of idea: but I trust there is a desire quite as strong, and a hope far more likely to be fulfilled, that in tracing to a common root the many diversely acting foibles of human nature, one may do something towards the establishment of unalterable tolerance, in every mind that calls itself philosophic. I trust that when the sufferer from pride, and vanity, and conceit, and cruelty, finds their original motive to be a deep laid instinct of human nature, and perceives Such as are upright in their way are His delight.-Prov. xi. 20. The prayers of the upright are His delight.-Prov. xv. 8. 6 that a mightier power the strong direction sends,' thoughtful people may neither mutually abhor and contemn each other, nor despair of giving, by God's blessing upon their own persistent efforts, a right application to a feeling which nothing within range of man's thought can long lay to sleep, much less destroy. ON THE DECLINE OF SENTIMENT. 'N'apercevez-vous pas de toutes parts les croyances qui font place aux raisonnements et les sentiments aux calculs?' DE TOCQUEVILLE. 'Si l'émotion pouvait être un état durable, bien peu de philosophes refuseraient à convenir qu'elle serait le souverain bien.' DE STAËL. |