26o VESTIGES OF THE 



time endowed with m wide discretion as to the force and 

 frequency of its action, and that our neighbours, the 

 world, and our connexions with something beyond it, are 

 all exercising an ever- varying influence over us, we 

 cannot be surprised at the irregularities attending human 

 conduct. It is simply the penalty paid for the superior 

 endowment. It is here that the imperfection of our 

 nature resides. Causality and conscientiousness are, it is 

 true, guides over all ; but even these are only faculties 

 of the same indeterminate constitution as tlie rest, and 

 partake accortlingly of the same inequality of action. 

 Man is therefore a piece of mechanism, which never can 

 act so as to satisfy his own ideas of what he might be — 

 for he can imagine a state of moral perfection (as he 

 can imagine a glol)e formed of diamonds, pearls, and 

 rubies), though his constitution forbids him to realise it. 

 There ever will, in the best disposed and most disciplined 

 minds, be occasional discrepancies between the amount 

 of temptation and the power summoned for regulation or 

 resistance, or Ijetween the stimulus and the mobility of 

 the faculty ; and hence those errors, and shortcomings, 

 and excesses, without end, with which the good are con- 

 stantly finding cause to charge tliemselves. There is at 

 the same time even here a possibility of improvement. 

 In infancy, the imjoulses are all of them irregular ; a 

 child is cruel, cunning, and false, under the slightest 

 temptation, but in time learns to control these inclina- 

 tions, and to be habitually humane, frank, and truthful. 

 So is human society, in its earliest stages, sanguinary, 

 aggressive, and deceitful, but in time becomes just, faith- 

 ful, and benevolent. To such improvements there is a 

 natural tendency which will operate in all fair cii'cum- 

 stances, though it is not to be expected that iri-egular and 



