CHOICE IS AN ACT OF THE INTELLECT. 131 



developed reason, acts most in accordance with the laws 

 of God in nature. As nature is practically infinite, so is 

 there an almost infinite sphere for freedom of action to 

 a man who exerts all his powers in accordance with 

 reason ;' and as the limits of reasonable human action are 

 almost infinite, so are those of self-development and im- 

 provement. No reasonable being could desire more liberty 

 than this. 



But notwithstanding all the qualifying circumstances 

 which diminish the apparent greatness of the immediate 

 or true effects of the will, and increase that of the mental 

 or nervous force and the importance of the intellect, voli- 

 tion or conscious mental effort is a necessary link in the 

 chain of events, and essentially and materially influences 

 our thoughts and acts. Education of the will, therefore, 

 is an important condition of success in the discovery of 

 scientific truth ; it adds to the efficiency of the powers we 

 inherit ; whatever special act we are enabled to perform 

 by means of instinct or intuitive power, is usually in- 

 creased by discipline and education. 



If the will were c independent of natural law,' c not 

 bound by the chains of law,' l it could not be controlled by 

 natural law; its action would be incapable of human 

 guidance. Such a power would pursue its own course, 

 whatever the education, discipline, habits, occupation, or 

 circumstances of the individual might be ; and we could 

 not in a single instance form the remotest conception or 

 determine with the least degree of probability the way in 

 which it would act. But this is not the case with regard 

 to the ' will ; ' for although in consequence of the con- 

 siderable obscurity and complexity of the phenomena, we 

 cannot accurately predict the effect of every circumstance 



1 See Note 1, p. 101. 

 x 2 



