204 Philosophy of tJie Human Mind. [Chap. XI L 



bounded by a few years, be protracted to immor- 

 tality, or at least to an indefinite duration. 



This system is unsupported by any facts; it is 

 contrary to all the experience of mankind * ; it is 

 opposed to every principle of human nature, and it 

 is scarcely necessary to add, to the plainest dic- 

 tates of Revelation. That man may, and probably 

 "will, make great improvements hereafter, in sci- 

 ence and art, is readily admitted. That we can- 

 not presume to assign the bounds of this improve- 

 ment is also admitted. But that there will be 

 absolutely no bounds to it, or, which is the same 

 thing as to the argument, that it will go on be- 

 yond all assignable or conceivable limits, is to sup- 

 pose the constitution of man essentially changed, 

 his present wants, habits, and mode of subsistence, 

 totally superseded, and a nature conferred upon 

 him wholly different from that which his Creator 

 gave him. But as the doctrines held by the ad- 

 vocates of human pcrfectibiliiy become still more 

 important when considered with respect to their 

 moral and political application, the further consi- 

 deration of their extravagance, weakness, and in- 

 consistency, and the injurious consequences arising 

 from their adoption, will be attended to in a sub- 

 sequent part of the sketcli f. 



* It is somewhat curious that many of those who adopt the 

 opinion concerning man which is here opposed, believe, at the 

 same time, that this world has existed from eternity. If, amidst 

 eternal revolutions, and eternal progress, mankind have not yet 

 risen above the rank at which we now behold them, there seems 

 little encouragement to hope for any thing like what they antici- 

 p/ite in future. 



t Some further remarks on this delusive system will also be 

 found under the head of Education, in the pvesent volume. But 



