224 Data in one Plane of Thought > CHAP. 



belongs to the same physical world with other planets ; 

 the waves of sound and light, though they cannot be 

 directly perceived by our organs of sense, yet are 

 shown by the reasoning which discovers them to be 

 analogous in constitution, though with differences, to 

 the waves of water which we see ; and although such 

 a natural law as that of the force of gravitation 

 varying with the inverse square of the distance could 

 not conceivably be an object of sensible perception at 

 all, yet the law, when discovered, is not anything 

 added to the phenomena : it is only the statement of 

 the law under which the phenomena occur. 



But it is different in reasoning about Mind. It 

 may appear profoundly logical to assume that the 

 conclusions of reasoning must always belong to the 

 same order, and lie in the same plane of thought, 

 with their data ; but the fact is not so. We reason 

 truly from human actions and words, and from human 

 countenances and voices, which belong to the order 

 of sensible perception, to human thought, purpose, 

 and character, which belong to the mental and 

 spiritual order. Now, on this power is based the 

 possibility of our acquiring knowledge of spiritual 

 things, and receiving a revelation. If we have an 

 instinctive power which enables us to reason truly 

 from data of merely sensible perception to conclusions 

 in the world of mind and thought, it cannot be essen- 

 tially impossible for us to learn, from facts made known 

 in nature and consciousness, and from additional facts 

 revealed in prophecy and miracle, truths infinitely 



