﻿536 
  PROFESSOR 
  ALISON 
  ON 
  THE 
  BELIEF 
  

  

  nal, 
  beyond 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  Space 
  and 
  Time, 
  above 
  all 
  contact 
  with 
  error 
  or 
  disor- 
  

   der, 
  — 
  to 
  that 
  Intelligence 
  of 
  which 
  ours, 
  or 
  that 
  which 
  makes 
  its 
  appearance 
  in 
  

   us, 
  is 
  but 
  a 
  fragment, 
  — 
  to 
  that 
  Mind, 
  pure 
  and 
  incorruptible, 
  of 
  which 
  ours 
  is 
  only 
  

   the 
  reflection." 
  

  

  These 
  are 
  sentiments 
  which 
  adorn 
  and 
  dignify 
  Science, 
  but 
  I 
  beg 
  to 
  ask, 
  

   whether 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  in 
  exact 
  accordance 
  with 
  the 
  doctrines 
  of 
  all 
  our 
  esteemed 
  

   Scottish 
  metaphysicians, 
  — 
  nay, 
  whether 
  they 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  commen- 
  

   taries 
  on 
  the 
  simple 
  text 
  already 
  quoted 
  from 
  Reid, 
  that 
  all 
  our 
  knowledge 
  of 
  

   what 
  exists, 
  or 
  ever 
  did 
  exist, 
  traced 
  to 
  its 
  source, 
  is 
  found 
  to 
  come 
  by 
  a 
  channel, 
  

   which 
  is 
  open 
  to 
  those 
  who 
  cannot 
  reason, 
  i. 
  e. 
  (the 
  word 
  reason 
  being 
  ambiguous), 
  

   who 
  cannot 
  exert 
  the 
  voluntary 
  power 
  of 
  Reasoning, 
  but 
  only 
  yield 
  to 
  the 
  influence 
  

   of 
  the 
  faculty 
  of 
  Intuition 
  implanted 
  in 
  their 
  nature, 
  — 
  " 
  that 
  we 
  are 
  led 
  to 
  it 
  in 
  

   the 
  dark, 
  and 
  know 
  not 
  how 
  we 
  came 
  by 
  it, 
  — 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  wise 
  and 
  humble 
  will 
  

   simply 
  take 
  it 
  as 
  the 
  gift 
  of 
  Heaven, 
  and 
  try 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  best 
  use 
  of 
  it." 
  Accord- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  the 
  doctrine 
  of 
  Reid, 
  all 
  those 
  mental 
  acts 
  in 
  which 
  Intuitive 
  Belief 
  is 
  in- 
  

   volved, 
  and 
  on 
  which 
  all 
  knowledge 
  is 
  directly 
  or 
  indirectly 
  founded, 
  although 
  we 
  

   call 
  them 
  ours, 
  are 
  ultimate 
  facts 
  in 
  Nature, 
  independent 
  of 
  our 
  will, 
  and 
  beyond 
  

   our 
  comprehension 
  ; 
  and 
  this 
  conclusion, 
  so 
  far 
  from 
  humbling 
  the 
  human 
  mind, 
  

   establishes 
  a 
  more 
  intimate 
  connexion 
  between 
  man 
  and 
  his 
  Creator 
  than 
  can 
  be 
  

   inferred 
  from 
  any 
  other 
  facts 
  in 
  nature. 
  

  

  When 
  we 
  attend 
  to 
  the 
  meaning, 
  and 
  trace 
  the 
  applications 
  of 
  this 
  principle 
  

   of 
  Intuition, 
  necessarily 
  involved 
  in 
  the 
  only 
  account 
  we 
  can 
  give 
  of 
  our 
  per- 
  

   ceptions, 
  and 
  of 
  all 
  our 
  knowledge 
  ; 
  when 
  we 
  observe 
  the 
  still 
  more 
  striking 
  

   exercise 
  of 
  this 
  power 
  in 
  animals, 
  whose 
  sensations 
  suggest 
  to 
  them, 
  prior 
  to 
  all 
  

   experience, 
  the 
  true 
  distance, 
  direction, 
  and 
  size 
  of 
  external 
  objects, 
  certainly 
  

   neither 
  contained 
  in, 
  nor 
  deducible 
  by 
  any 
  process 
  of 
  reasoning 
  from, 
  the 
  intima- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  sense 
  ; 
  when 
  we 
  reflect 
  on 
  the 
  equally 
  mysterious 
  nature, 
  and 
  yet 
  on 
  the 
  

   proved 
  fidelity 
  (in 
  the 
  healthy 
  state) 
  of 
  the 
  evidence 
  of 
  Memory, 
  essential, 
  not 
  

   only 
  to 
  all 
  reasoning, 
  but 
  to 
  all 
  definite 
  voluntary 
  action 
  of 
  men 
  and 
  animals 
  ; 
  

   when 
  we 
  consider 
  the 
  nature 
  and 
  the 
  tendency 
  of 
  those 
  Instinctive 
  propensities 
  

   or 
  Impulses, 
  which 
  are 
  excited 
  in 
  us 
  and 
  in 
  all 
  animals 
  during 
  the 
  exercise 
  of 
  the 
  

   senses, 
  and 
  which 
  are 
  equally 
  requisite 
  and 
  equally 
  effective, 
  in 
  attaining 
  objects 
  

   essential 
  to 
  our 
  existence, 
  as 
  are 
  the 
  vital 
  properties 
  of 
  muscles 
  and 
  of 
  nerves 
  ; 
  — 
  

   in 
  all 
  these 
  cases, 
  we 
  shall 
  perceive 
  that 
  truths 
  are 
  made 
  known 
  to 
  us 
  in 
  a 
  manner 
  

   absolutely 
  mysterious 
  ; 
  — 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  impressions 
  on 
  our 
  senses, 
  but 
  " 
  no 
  more 
  con- 
  

   tained 
  in 
  sense, 
  than 
  the 
  explosion 
  of 
  a 
  cannon 
  in 
  the 
  spark 
  that 
  gave 
  it 
  fire." 
  

  

  And 
  when 
  we 
  farther 
  observe, 
  that 
  the 
  actions 
  which 
  are 
  prompted 
  by 
  the 
  In- 
  

   stincts 
  and 
  Volitions 
  both 
  of 
  animals 
  and 
  of 
  men, 
  consequent 
  on 
  the 
  knowledge 
  thus 
  

   acquired, 
  are 
  all 
  conducive 
  to 
  certain 
  important 
  ends, 
  intelligible 
  to 
  us 
  after 
  ob- 
  

   servation 
  and 
  reflection, 
  but 
  scarcely 
  ever 
  in 
  the 
  contemplation 
  of 
  the 
  agents 
  at 
  

   the 
  moment, 
  we 
  can 
  express 
  these 
  facts 
  only 
  by 
  saying 
  that 
  both 
  men 
  and 
  animals 
  

  

  