pursue, but whose inclinations lead them in a contrary direction, in consequence of being opposed to all the dictates of truth and equity. He is more specifically a representative figure of the Jewish nation, who, being in possession of the eternal truth as made known in the Word of revelation, and having their understandings thus enlightened by the knowledge of Gon, and of His HOLY LAWS, were yet disinclined, in will, to conform to that knowledge, and to obey those laws. As, therefore, the first son specifically represented the Gentiles, so the second son specifically represented the Jews.

Q. But on this occasion the BLESSED JESUS immediately proposes the significant and interesting question, Whether of them twain did the will of his father? What do you suppose to be the drift and design of this question?

A. In this question the BLESSED JESUS makes an appeal to the common sense and reason of mankind, under the full assurance that the answer would be such as is here recorded, where it is written, They say unto him, The first. Thus the BLESSED JESUS would instruct us that the common sense and reason of mankind, if they were fairly consulted, would favor the great design of religion, which means nothing else but to call man to the discharge of the important duties which he owes to his HEAVENLY FATHER, because common sense and reason must see the miserable infatuation of all those who profess one thing with their lips, whilst in their hearts they pursue another, or, what amounts to the same, who have their understandings enlightened with the knowledge of truth, whilst their wills are defiled and misled by the love of evil.

Q. And how do you understand the concluding application of this parable, as it is expressed in the following words: JESUS saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not; but the publicans and harlots. believed him; and ye, when ye had seen [it], repented not afterwards. that ye might believe him?

A. In these words the BLESSED JESUS Confirms the observation above made, that by the first son, mentioned in the parable, are to be understood the Gentiles, or those who have not formed their understandings in agreement with the ETERNAL TRUTH; and that by the second son are to be understood the Jews, or those who were in possession of the HOLY WORD, and were thus acquainted with the laws and precepts of the divine wisdom. For by the publicans and harlots, here spoken of, are manifestly meant the Gentiles, and in the term you, are, with equal clearness, involved the Jews. In the above words, therefore, the BLESSED JESUS evidently teaches the important lesson, that they who are principled in simplicity and sincerity of will; in other words, who are disposed to do the whole of their duty uprightly, and in the fear of GoD, although the knowledge of that duty is very incorrect, are better qualified to admit the ETERNAL TRUTH, than those who are acquainted, intellectually, with the measures of their duty, and yet, in heart and affection, are not inclined to perform it. Accordingly, he declares that the former go into the king

has

dom of God before the latter; because, by going into the kingdom of GOD, the same thing is meant as receiving the ETERNAL TRUTH, inasmuch as the reception of the ETERNAL TRUTH opens and forms in man the kingdom of GoD, and consequently man goes into the kingdom of Gop so far as he admits the ETERNAL TRUTH to enlighten his understanding, and regulate his love and life. JESUS CHRIST, therefore, adds, John came unto you in the way of righteousness, because, by John is represented the HOLY WORD, or the ETERNAL TRUTH; and by his coming in the way of righteousness, is described the presence and influence of that WORD in the human mind, and also the principles which constitute it, viz., the principles of wisdom and of love; for, by the way of righteousness, or, as it might be more properly expressed, the way of justice, both those principles are intended to be expressed, inas much as the term way, when applied in the Sacred Scriptures, perpetual reference to truth, or doctrine, as righteousness, or justice has reference equally constant to the principles of love and charity. When, therefore, JESUS CHRIST tells the Jews that they believed him not, that is to say, believed not John, it is the same thing as if he had said, that they received not the ETERNAL TRUTH; and when he adds, that the publicans and harlots believed him, it is again the same thing as if he had said, that they who are signified by publicans and har lots, received the ETERNAL TRUTH. Lastly, when he concludes in these words, And ye when ye had seen [it], repented not afterwards that ye might believe, he teaches the additional important lesson, that they who are principled in the knowledge of the truth, but are not obedi ent to its dictates, finally reject the truth, because they are unwilling to renounce those evils which the truth makes manifest, or as it is here expressed, They repent not that they might believe. It is said, when ye had seen [it], and it is next said, Ye repented not afterwards that ye might believe, plainly teaching that there is an essential difference between seeing the truth and believing it, and that there can be no proper belief, only so far as there is a desire to forsake sin, or to repent. For it is possible that truth may be seen by the understand ing to be truth, when yet the will or love is not affected by it, but it cannot be believed in, until the will, or love becomes so affected as to be led to reject all evil as sin against Gon, thus to repent.

Q. What, then, is the general instruction which you derive from this parable?

A. I learn from this parable that all the families of mankind may be referred to two classes; one consisting of those who, in understanding, are acquainted with their duty, but who in their wills are not so well instructed in the particulars which that duty requires. I learn, further, that each of these classes of mankind are called, by their HEAV ENLY FATHER, to work to-day in his vineyard; in other words, to cher ish eternally, in their minds and lives, all the principles of heavenborn truth, that so they may bring forth to all eternity the blessed fruits of heaven-born love and charity. Lastly, I learn that they who have the light of knowledge in their understandings, but not the love of that light in their wills, make fair professions of obedience to the above call, whilst in reality they are disobedient, because they

do not allow the light to remove their natural evils, and conduct them thus, in the way of repentance, to a state of purification and regeneration; and that, on the other hand, they who are well disposed in will, but not so much enlightened in understanding, although they make no professions of obedience, are still obedient, because they suf fer the little truth with which they are acquainted to control their natural evils, and bring their lives under the regulations of heavenly order. I am resolved, therefore, to profit by the above instruction, and for this purpose to ponder well on the distinct characters of these two classes of people, until I see clearly in my own mind, that sincere obedience to the divine law, though attended with little knowledge of its particular requirements, is infinitely preferable to much knowledge, if unattended with love and practice. I am further resolved to consider seriously with myself, that my HEAVENLY FATHER is continually saying to me, as he says to his two sons in the parable, Son, go work to-day in my vineyard, and that my eternal happiness will depend on my obedience to this call, because my eternal happiness must of necessity depend on the measure and degree in which I have admitted and cherished in my mind and life, the blessed principles of heaven-born love and wisdom. Lastly, I am resolved, through the grace and mercy of my HEAVENLY FATHER to repent sincerely of all my sins, that so I may no longer be like the proud Pharisees of old, who were acquainted with the law of salvation, and yet were disobedient to that law; but may rather be of the blessed character of those of whom it is written, They enter into the kingdom of God before you. AMEN.

ARTICLE IV.

THOUGHTS ON THE CAUSE OF GRAVITATION.

THE cause of the force of gravitation has been a subject of much inquiry among the learned ever since Newton published to the world his celebrated doctrines relating thereto. Various causes have been surmised, and various hypotheses put forth, yet none has given satisfaction. The prevailing opinion is, that all matter is endowed with gravity, as an essential principle; and that all matter sends forth from itself a power which draws all other matter to itself; and that a vacuum is the bearer of this power, or rather that such power acts through a vacuum. This latter hypothesis is one of the impos-sibilities of an irrational science. It is self-evident to reason, that power or force cannot, in any manner, be actually separated from: substance or matter-cannot exist as an abstraction. It is also plainly inconsonant with reason that matter possesses power or force per se, unless it be admitted that matter is uncreated and eter nal. A Christian philosophy can never admit inherent and self-existent power anywhere but in the Deity.

All power is derived either mediately or immediately from the Deity-proceeds from Him, and every stream is unceasingly supplied from the same source. Hence it must be concluded that the force of gravity is perpetually derived into matter mediately from the Deity. Primordial matter had, then, no inherent tendency or power to move in one direction rather than another, being in itself a perfect pas sivity. It must be admitted that the natural suns throughout the universe, consisting of primordial matter, are the perpetual avenues through which natural forces come into the world.

So far as the question under consideration is concerned, it matters not whether the suns were anterior to and the fountain whence flowed an all pervading material medium; or whether such a medium was anterior to the suns, giving origin to them. We believe that all analogy and reason must decide, that so far as such a me dium is material, it must have originated from the suns. The me dium is less active than the solar centres, and we cannot conceive that the more inert should have produced the more active matter. The instrumental proceeds from the efficient. That there is such a medium is no longer hypothetical. It is the bearer of all the ener gies, powers, and activities of the suns. We say bearer, because all created matters are but the vehicles of powers not their own. The suns are but the central conduits of energies descending from the Deity. The universal medium, which we will call the Aura, is the most active, elastic medium, or bearer of forces in the natural world, communicating almost timelessly and totally the forces it receives. It is the most perfect bearer of heat and light, the first and highest forces in nature, the two from which all other natural forces are derived.

Let us trace the evolution of matters and forces from the suns, supposing that the aura arises, or is evolved from them.

This mutual

As the aura arises from each sun, it will proceed outwardly until it meets the aural spheres of other suns, which will immediately react upon it, and through it upon its solar centre. reaction among the aural spheres will tend to compress them, and will create a pressure throughout all their volumes. This pressure, in its general tendency, will be toward the centres, and will increase until it equilibrates the force of the sun, acting from the centre toward the circumference. These two forces are inseparably connect ed. The reactive and pressing force is produced by the direct action of the sun upon the aural sphere, giving it an outward motion, or tendency thereto. From these two forces there will arise a tendency to an axillary or rotary motion of the aural sphere around the sun, and unless all the forces are exactly balanced, this motion will actually commence; and if once commenced, the active forces of the suns will continue it. This motion will vary in the ratio of the pressure among the particles and volumes of the aura. This pressure is the greatest at the centres, because there is the greatest action producing it. A rotary motion may arise from another cause. It is highly probable that each atom or particle of the solar aura rotates its axis; and if so, there arises from the several forces of all

upon

the particles a general tendency of the sphere to rotate about a

centre.

From the rotary or curvilinear motion there will arise a centrifugal force.

The solar spheres will also have a motion among themselves, depending upon their active forces, densities, the relative distances of their centres, and their position in relation to each other. The same consequences will follow, if, instead of supposing that the aura arises from the suns, we suppose that it was anterior to the suns, and that these, as active centres, were interposed at various distances throughout its whole extent. This aura, before the interposition of the suns, must have been homogeneous, and equally tense throughout its whole volume; because a perfectly elastic and subtle medium, of its nature, every where tends to equilibrium, and will attain it, in the absence of disturbing causes. The interposed suns will immediately act upon the surrounding aura, expanding, or increasing the tension of the approximate volumes, which will move from the centres, or assume a tendency thereto. There will also arise a reactive tendency or pressure, and indeed, all the consequences above stated as resulting when the aura arose from the suns.

When an aural sphere has been so far perfected that all its forces sustain to each other a permanent relation, we shall find:

1st. An active force, directed from the centre towards the circumference.

2nd. A reactive force from the circumference to the centre.

3rd. A motion of the aural sphere about the sun, from which arises a centrifugal force.

4th. These forces are greatest at the centres, varying inversely as the square of the distance from the centre, according to the well known law of forces radiating from centres, or tending thereto.

5th. All these forces result from the action of the solar centre upon the aural sphere, and are mutually related to each other.

6th. In an aura of this kind there is a pressure in all directions. If we suppose a volume or mass of matter placed any where in the aural sphere, which is totally inert, or has no tendency to move in one direction rather than another; or if a small volume of the aura, for any cause, become less active than the general sphere around it, in what direction will it move?

We answer, it will move to the centre, because the column of aura embracing the inert mass has a less active force urging it towards the circumference than the surrounding volumes: and hence these latter will drive the former in a contrary direction, or towards the centre. The first active and efficient force in the aural sphere is towards the circumference; its equilibrating force must be in an opposite direction, and indeed, without two such forces, the sphere could not exist. The efficient and active tendency of the air is towards the earth, and this tendency or force produces in any mass or volume of matter having a less tendency in that direction, a motion or tendency therein upwards, or in a contrary direction. If, in a fluid