102 LECTURES AND ESSAYS [1868- 



of the various elements familiar to the mind of the seer. 

 In the case of men possessed, like all prophets, of a 

 strong historic sense we must expect that the events of 

 contemporary history would play an important part in 

 moulding the visions. 



These remarks apply not only to visions proper, in 

 which, perhaps, the poetic sensibility of the prophet would 

 be most important, but also to such divine communica 

 tions as took the form of an internal voice. Here, how 

 ever, the matter becomes more complicated, for while 

 the uncontrolled play of the associative powers generally 

 produces visible images, the internal voice is the form in 

 which voluntary thinking is generally carried on. For 

 the present voluntary thought must be excluded ; we 

 are dealing only with the case, parallel to vision, when 

 the divine word arose unbidden in the prophet s breast, 

 and appeared to come from without. In dreams and 

 even in reveries such cases occur. The course of thought 

 is determined by the associative powers and kept in a 

 more or less rational channel not by the will but by 

 some cause generally emotive that retains the mental 

 currents in a definite course. 1 



On the current supposition that the whole prophecy 

 was supernaturally announced, it seems impossible that 

 the naturally generated currents should have failed to 

 interfere with the divine word, and so the prophet could 

 not have given a true prophecy. But clearly there was 

 no double process, a divine word and a running accom 

 paniment of suggested human reverie. Nor was the 

 human thought suppressed ; on the contrary, so much 

 stimulus was given as kept the associations in the right 

 course and produced precisely the required effect, without 

 suspending any natural law. This clearly was only 

 possible where the prophet s mind was in natural harmony 



1 This is clearly brought out by lessen (Psychologie, p. 710), who, 

 however, hardly reaches the general principle ; for which see Bain s 

 Senses and Intellect (esp. pp. 570, 599). 



