1879.1 1*° [Chase. 



to try to trace its origin to material or unconscious substance, of which 

 nothing can ever be known, except the qualities which Consciousness itself 

 attributes to the supposed occasion of its own least important experiences. 

 The conviction of material reality is, however, so strong that we should 

 accept it as a matter of instinctive belief, and, therefore, as a truth of in- 

 spiration.* 



Since thought is stimulated directly by will, Reason is apt to believe her- 

 self independent, and to forget that all her powers, as well as all the facts 

 and premises upon which she exercises those powers, are given by the 

 Creator for the special uses which he designed. Scientific investigators 

 often forget that they can reach truth only so far as it has been divinely 

 "unveiled" or revealed, and that all error is the result of too great confi- 

 dence in the unaided strength of imperfect human reason. 



All the needful revelation that man has been able and willing to accept, 

 has been offered to him, in all ages. In order that he may derive the greatest 

 possible help from the offer it is necessary that his will should be wholly 

 given up to the divine will, " They that wait upon the Lord shall renew 

 their strength." This waiting should not be confined to the religious in- 

 stincts. It is no less important in the training of the will and in the en- 

 lightenment of the reasoning faculties. The inspiration of "unconscious 

 cerebration," during the quiet watches of the night, often untangles a 

 knotty clue which has led the self-asserting mind into a labyrinth of des- 

 perate perplexity ; the sanctification, which rewards the opening of the 

 door to the Saviour who stands and knocks, always leads to a " change of 

 heart " and often transforms the habitual character in a way that may be 

 rightly regarded as miraculous ; the inshining light of immediate revela- 

 tion gives a clearness of vision and a certainty of knowledge which are 

 known only to those who have rightly learned both to open and to use their 

 spiritual eyes. In every case willingness must accompany ability. Help 

 is never forced upon us ; if we choose to trust solely to our own delegated 

 strength, we are free to do so and we may often make valuable attainments in 

 so doing , but if we wish most fully to appropriate the prophetic assurance, 

 "the crooked shall be made straight and the rough places plain," we must 

 feel the need of help, and be willing to seek for it where alone it is to be 

 found. 



Christian philosophy discards the use of none of our faculties ; on the 

 contrary, it is the only philosophy which insists on the right development of 

 them all. Scientific writers often speak as if nothing should be left to faith, 

 but everything should be decided by reason. The Christian, while commit- 

 ting himself to nothing that is unreasonable, places faith above reason, and 

 sees that reason always errs when faith is discredited. The most implicit 

 faith is always given to that which is self-evident to the believer ; his faith 

 in what he believes to be self-evident to others comes next in order and 

 is hardly less confident. The man who should attempt, by any reasoning 

 process, to prove what is self-evident, or even to make it plainer than it is 



*Loc. cit. pp. 495-503; 467-8; 504-34. 



PROC. AMER. PHILOS. S0C. XVIII. 103. Q. PRINTED FEB. 25, 1879. 



