PROVIDENCE. 253 



rational convictions), it is none the less conceivable that each 

 department of existence may be indirectly influenced through 

 the medium of some other department, which is made the 

 receptacle of direct influence. Thus it may be conceived as 

 possible for God, by special and designed action upon a par- 

 ticular planet, to change the orbit of such planet, and thus 

 mediately change the orbits of all the planets with which it 

 may be associated, and thus to change their seasons, and thus 

 their inhabitants, if they have any, and thus even to produce 

 an endless concatenation of spiritual changes ; or, that by 

 action upon one particular department of the Mineral, Veget- 

 able, or Animal Kingdom, He might change other depart- 

 ments of the same Kingdom, and thus indefinitely change the 

 relations existing between them all. 



Similar remarks are especially applicable to the Divine 

 government of the Human world. Notwithstanding every 

 human being, and the whole race, as one grand Man, was 

 designed to reflect the image of the Creator, human nature, 

 in its present state, is undeniably more or less depraved, 

 selfish, and inharmonious, and hence is not receptive of the 

 Divine influence, in its pure and harmonious state. The 

 Divine spiritual influence, directly and immediately infused 

 into the human world, therefore, and without the mediumship 

 of a perfect human personage to harmoniously reflect, truly 

 define, and correctly apply, its principles, would necessarily 

 take a form of manifestation more or less characterized by the 

 imperfections of degenerate humanity as its receptacle in the 

 same way as the Divine operative influence, flowing into 

 animal or still lower creations, takes a form of manifestation 

 peculiar to- those creations. On this principle, and this prin- 

 ciple alone, it is conceived, we may account for the imper- 

 fection of the impressions which the Divine inspiration gave 



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