fountain heads will symbolize the minds of their princes, and governments, both in church and

Lastly you will observe, that if our LORD Jesus Christ is meant by the above river, still the title of "the truth," or "the spirit of truth," does not appear to belong to him on account of the water of his human mind, but on account of the pure, holy spirit of truth. For HE, and HE alone, is the true water, and the pure, holy spirit of truth, as being both GOD and man.

In reply to the above, it may be objected, that in the seventh chapter of St. John, our LORD himself says, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive; for the Holy Ghost was not given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified." Hence, it may be said, that here is proof positive, from the mouth of Divine Truth himself, that the waters of life proceed from, and are, the influences of the Holy Spirit of truth, and, therefore, water and truth are clearly identified.

I acknowledge that such an opinion would approach, in appearance, very near to the pure truth of Holy Scripture; but yet, I trust, that by the help of the same Holy Spirit, I shall be enabled to show, that the above expression of our LORD's does not, in the smallest degree, (when it is truly considered and understood,) destroy or weaken the truth of the analogies of that chemistry which are, and is, the work of his own hands.

Natural water being formed by the combination of the natural vital air (or Spirit of life natural) with that other aëriform fluid, viz. hydrogen gas, which is a strong emblem of the weakness, lightness, and vanity of the natural mind of unregenerate man; therefore, as a parallel, it may be said with perfect truth, that if the mind of the natural man be by regeneration combined with the Holy Spirit of truth, the

Ocean of
Metaphy-
sical
Deeps.

state, because these two are always combined in laws and religion; for such as is the spiritual law, such also must be the moral and political law.

The mighty waters of the GREAT DEEP, the great SALT SEA, in which the earth is founded

mind of such a man shall (figuratively speaking) become rivers of living mind, full of, or saturated with, the divine Spirit of truth; but can it, therefore, be truly said, that this regenerated mind, which is a compound substance, partly human, and partly divine, is pure, abstract, uncombined Spirit of truth? Or, in other words, that regenerated man is precisely the HOLY GHOST? Therefore, I venture to suppose that St. John, when interpreting the figurative expression, or analogical parable of our LORD, did not write expressly for the criticism of natural chemical, but not spiritual philosophers, but only intended simply to imply this, viz. “This spake he of (the influences of) the Holy Spirit, which they that believe on him, should receive." In this case the whole difficulty vanishes at once; the sense, and the truth, and the consistency is preserved in both scales; viz. as a parallel to the above, (if it can be required after what has been already said,) I say humbly, yet with faith. If vital natural air, and hydrogen gas, be combined in a vessel by chemical process, out of that vessel shall flow streams of water. I here speak of (the effects of) the vital air, when it is admitted into the vessel, together with the hydrogen gas, with which it is combined by fire, viz. "He shall baptize you with THE HOLY GHOST, and with FIRE;" (Gospels ;) but I do not mean that this combination of two distinct substances, or gases, which become a new creature, viz. WATER, is therefore a pure elementary substance uncombined, and, in short, pure vital air, or Spirit, without any hydrogen.

If we deny the truth of the above, then what is the use of logic, or where is the difference between truth and error?

and established, (see Psalm xxiv.) appear to be a symbol of the great metaphysical deep of the JUDGMENTS and PROVIDENCE, or MIND of GOD, so far as is revealed to us in HIS WORD, and in HIS WORKS, respecting mankind, and also in the constitution of human nature. So David says, in the thirty-sixth Psalm, viz. It is Thy JUDGMENTs are a GREAT DEEP." full of SALT, or wisdom, bitter to the taste of sinful man, and full of a smoaking, burning spirit to the natural, as well as to the moral and spiritual philosopher, though the two first understand not its references!

As the UNIVERSAL DELUGE, which overwhelmed the whole natural, animal, and human world, was induced by the breaking up of the fountains of the great deep, and by opening the WINDOWS of HEAVEN, (see Genesis ;) so the great depths of the metaphysical abyss, and the windows of the light of the knowledge of heavenly things, if suddenly opened, would cause a proportionate deluge of intellectual water, though not such as to drown the world; which is secured by the divine promise of the rainbow; or assemblage typically of all the divine graces and attributes of GOD, therein pledged to the truth of HIS WORD; yet such as to overwhelm the infidel and the ungodly, who would FEEL the under firm foundations of this world melt their feet," as wax melteth at the presence of the

away

Particular view of

soils, or temperaments in

mutual comparison.

2

fire." Psalm lxviii. It seems highly probable, if not certain, that the natural deluge was equally accompanied by a mental one, of the knowledge of their sins, and a consciousness of their deplorable state before God, which like deep floods drowned their souls with guilty terrors!

Returning to the particular and subdivided analogies of the terraqueous globe, it seems reasonable to think that our earth contains as great a variety of natural soils, as human nature does of animal and moral temperaments; for the causes of these varieties being parallel in both, the effects ought (I suppose) to be similar. The principal formal difference between human and terraqueous temperaments or soils, appears to be, first, that the former are insulated by individual limits, as well as by consciousness of self; which, with respect to our bodies, is produced by their natural limits, and by the surrounding interposing air; and with respect to our souls by the boundary of their spiritual, intellectual, and moral circumference, and by the quantity and quality of spirit which interposes between us and our neighbours. That is, to say, the spiritual distance between one soul and another, is measured by the difference in rational spirit (or air) in the first place; by the different quantities and qualities of the water of the imagination in the second; and by the dif

ferent varieties in the combinations of the foregoing elements (or nominal elements) in the various moral soils of the heart; and of animal spirits in the animal nature in the third place. These earthly spirits, or elastic fluids, appear to constitute the common point or bond of union, between soul and body, as participating of both

natures.

Solomon says, "Who knoweth (or discerneth) the spirit of MAN that goeth UPWARDS, and the spirit of the BEAST that goeth DOWNWARDS to the earth." The beast possesses only the animal spirit, but the man possesses both the human and animal spirits, though often without appearing to be conscious of their difference; which is probably alluded to by the philosophical and inspired prince.

But the soils or temperaments of the terraqueous globe are blended in one common mass, devoid of individual consciousness, the different degrees of which are not individually separated as among mankind, but slide into each other like shades of colours, or like the degrees of climate, or latitude and longitude, from which they in some measure proceed. The subject, however, is susceptible of further illustration, and closer comparison, if we consider the terraqueous globe as an individual, among the other bodies of the solar system. It will then be separated from them, as one man from another;