DISCOVERT. 169 



discoveries, lest they may overturn their favourite notions, 

 and seem to forget that we are beggars, not choosers, in 

 such matters, and should therefore be thankful for all 

 additional truths ; and in matters which we do not our- 

 selves understand, our wisest course is to accept new 

 knowledge from those who know most of the subject, and 

 have sufficient trust and courage to hazard the conse- 

 quences, however unpleasant or frightful they may appear. 

 It is evident that man's power to discover new scien- 

 tific truth is dependent upon, and limited by, his position 

 in the universe. This is shown in various ways: 1st. 

 He is the creature of circumstances, and must receive 

 physical and mental impressions. By the necessities of 

 his organisation he is compelled to be continually active. 

 To satisfy his own requirements, and the just demands of 

 his fellow-men, he is often bound to seek the truth. , Im- 

 pelled by his experience of the advantage of knowledge 

 on the one hand, and of the evil effects of ignorance 

 on the other, as well as by his innate curiosity and 

 activity, he is constrained to make original investigations. 

 2nd. Creative power is not vouchsafed to him. He cannot 

 make new knowledge, but only acquire it by experience ; 

 and evolve, by processes of reasoning, &c., from the facts 

 of experience, the additional and more hidden truths they 

 implicitly contain. 3rd. He cannot acquire by experience, 

 knowledge of things which cannot exist ; for instance, he 

 cannot knoiu contradictions or impossibilities, although he 

 often believes them. The scientific knowledge, which he is, 

 or will be, permitted to discover, is pre-ordained and entirely 

 beyond his power to alter. 4th. The truths which he may 

 evolve by processes of reasoning, &c., from the facts of ex- 

 perience, are already contained in those facts, and he is 

 totally unable to alter either their kind or amount. 5th. He 

 can only think correctly in accordance with the rules of logic, 



