206 REMARKS ON MR. COMBe's " CONSTITUTION OF MAN." 



Other. True philosophy is a revelation of the divine will manifested 

 in the creation. 



IMr. Combe maintains the proposition that the mental powers of 

 man are capable of ascertaining what exists, and the purpose of 

 what exists, but that they are not capable of ascertaining the will of 

 the Deity in creating the universe. All the departments of nature 

 act according to definite constitutions and fixed laws. A law, in 

 denoting a rule of action, implies a subject which acts, and that the 

 actions or phenomena exhibited by that subject take place in an es- 

 tablished and regular manner ; and this is the sense in which the 

 author uses the term when treating of physical substances and being. 



In this world, pleasure and pain depend upon observance of, and 

 obedience to, these constitutions and laws. Obedience or disobedi- 

 ence to each of these natural laws produces distinct effects, while 

 the whole of them are universal, invariable, unbending, and in har- 

 mony with the entire constitution of man„ Mr. C. does not sup- 

 pose that full and universal obedience to these laws will lead to 

 perfect happiness on earth, or interfere with the prospects of futu- 

 rity. He does not pretend to predicate anything concerning the 

 absolute perfectibility of man by obedience to the laws of nature. 

 The system of sublunary creation, so far as we perceive it, does not 

 appear to be one of optimism ; yet, in its constitution, benevolent 

 design is undeniable. Neither does he intend to teach that the na- 

 tural laws discernible by unassisted reason are sufficient for the 

 salvation of man without revelation. Human interests regard both 

 this world and the next ; and, in order to enjoy the present state of 

 being, we must discover and obey the natural laws. Our Bibles do 

 not communicate complete information concerning the best mode of 

 pursuing even our legitimate temporal interests, and numerous 

 practical duties resulting from our constitution are ascertainable, 

 which are not revealed in detail in the innired volume ; for exam- 

 ple, the means of preserving health, of successfully conducting a busi- 

 ness or profession, or of distinguishing the qualities of persons with 

 whom we intend to associate our interests. This is the case, Mr. 

 Combe conceives, probably because faculties have been given to man 

 to discover arts, sciences, and the natural laws, and to adapt his con- 

 duct to them ; and because his physical, moral, and intellectual na- 

 tures are left open to investigation by these faculties. Hence it 

 becomes a reasonable and most useful object to study the natural 

 constitution of the human body and mind, their relations to external 

 things and beings in this world, and the courses of action that ap- 

 pear, in consequence, to be beneficial or hurtful in this life. Man's 



