But how different are the views of those who enter the fields of philosophy, especially the science of astronomy, where they may travel from sun to sun, and from system to system, until, wearied with the flight, the mind returns without having found a resting place! It is these enlarged views of the extent of the universe, and of the govern. ment of God, which serve to elevate our conceptions of his character, and fill us with reverence and holy awe-while overwhelmed and astonished at the mighty scene, we are constrained to cry out, "Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God almighty." Their connection is seen also in the fact, that the constant improvements in science are furnishing additional evidence of the divinity of our holy religion. Great efforts have been made by the whole host of infidels, especially those of the last century, to array science against religion; but their efforts have had no other effect than to wake up a spirit of inquiry, and lead to investigations that have resulted most gloriously for the cause of truth. The battering rams with which they proposed to beat down the walls of Zion have been converted into bulwarks for the defense of Christianity; and an array of evidence has been brought to bear upon the subject, which might never have been known but for the circumstances which called it out. Infidelity has long since lost the aid of science in framing objections to the Scriptures.

Nothing was more confidently asserted a few years since, than that the astronomical observations of China, and the zodiacs of Egyptian temples, contradicted the Mosaic account of the creation; but more recent discoveries prove that none of these zodiacs or observations possess a date more ancient than about nine hundred years before the Christian era.

More recently the science of geology has been seized upon with avidity, as affording evidence against the truth of the Bible; but this science is not only beginning to yield its assent to the truth of divine revelation, but is furnishing evidence in its favor. And so it will be. Divine revelation can never be contradicted by the voice of true philosophy. While in their infancy, some branches of science may, from their puerile and unripe deductions, theorize with great confidence, and perhaps make assertions derogatory to the claims of the Bible; but as they advance toward perfection, and theorize with more judg. ment and accuracy, their teaching will always be found to fall into the channel of the Holy Scriptures. As the world advances in knowledge, and the sciences are carried toward a state of perfection, the evidences of divine originality will cluster around the Bible, bright and numerous as the lamps of night that stud the heavens.

With these remarks upon the connection between religion and science, we will briefly notice the influence of religion on the cultiva. tion of the mind.

This influence is exerted, first, by freeing the mind from its disabilities-making it more vigorous, and susceptible of improvement. To deny this influence, would be to assert, either that the mind has suffered no deterioration by man's departure from original rectitude, or that the scheme of redemption possesses not the power of restoration-either of which would be the rejection of revelation.

The Christian religion is identified with all the virtues that can adorn the human character. And as virtue and vice are antipodes,

therefore, if vice is unfavorable, virtue is in the same proportion friendly to mental culture. If vice debases, virtue exalts the human intellect.

The debasing influence of vice upon the mind is too obvious to escape the notice of the intelligent. The connection between the heart and intellect is so close, that if the former be not right, the latter must, to some extent, be wrong-wrong in its tendency, and crippled in its operations. Vice lays a stern embargo upon the intellect, and chains it to sensual pursuits and sensual gratifications. To the soul incrusted with moral pollution, the objects and pursuits of a refined and elevated character possess charms but few and feeble. Though the widely extended gates invite the student to enter and explore the fields of philosophy, he cannot be induced to pluck fruit from the tree of knowledge: he has no ear to listen to the delightful music of a thousand rolling spheres; and though he might greatly desire it, his fettered mind is incapable of the effort necessary to climb the hill of science; his intellect is torpid and obtuse, and with all the attributes of the giant, he yields to the lure of vice, and is shorn of his strength in the lap of Delilah. Who has not seen melancholy examples of this-examples in which either a course of intellectual training has been prevented, or having been successfully accomplished, by contracting some vicious habit, or indulging some debasing passion or appetite, the mind has been unstrung, and exhibited but the wreck of its former self? We notice such examples as this, because they stand out with prominence; but still it is but the finishing of that deleterious influence which vice exerts upon the minds of men, and which exists, with respect to every man, in proportion to the badness of his heart, and the strength and indulgence of his unholy passions. The vicious passions control and enslave the mind-render it weak and undecidedincapable of making any vigorous and successful efforts.

But these difficulties are measurably overcome by the influence of religion, which wields the strength of a stronger than the strong man armed; conquers and controls the passions, renovates the heart, places reason on her throne, allows her a mild and peaceful sway, unshackles the mind, and leaves it free to choose and prosecute a course of improvement.

We do not pretend that any new powers are added to the mind by the regenerating influence of religion, but that the old ones are so restored from their lapsed state by its renovating power, that they become more vigorous and active, prepared to conceive bolder designs, and accomplish more exalted purposes.

But religion aids mental culture by furnishing motives and inspirations found nowhere else. Separate all those considerations from the mind which Christianity presents, relating to this and a future world, and man is stripped of the most noble and powerful inducements to action, while those which remain are of an inferior character, and terminate in himself. He becomes a sordid and selfish being, and if he is induced to act at all as an intellectual being, it is under the influence of selfish motives, for self-gratification and self-aggrandizement. But enlarge the boundaries of his vision-let the various religious considerations drawn from three worlds crowd upon the mind-let him understand his various duties and obligations-let his heart be brought under the influence of divine grace, and he becomes

a man 56 new made." He has new springs of action; he is impelled by new motives. He beholds himself created for an important end; designed for a high and lofty destiny; and he seeks the necessary qualifications to fill it. He sees he has no right to live for himself alone; that God and his fellow men have claims upon him, which he is bound to recognize. These considerations will, in a greater or less degree, induce intellectual effort, and secure the cultivation of the mind for what he might have been disposed to neglect if the consequences were to terminate only in himself, he is induced to perform under the influence of these motives, that he may acquit himself of his duty in the sight of both God and man. The inspirations so favorable to mental culture are connected with the contemplation of those sublime doctrines and views furnished by Christianity. Let the mind reflect upon those grand and lofty subjects taught in the system of religion-let it attempt to comprehend the existence of a God, and other kindred subjects; and though it will be obliged to acknowledge itself conquered, yet in the effort it will catch an inspiration not its own, and seem nerved with an energy and power almost superhuman.

Do any inquire how they shall prepare their minds for mighty intellectual achievements? Let them bring their passions into subjection to right reason-let them get their minds deeply imbued with the spirit of Christianity; become familiar with divine things; imbibe the inspiration of the Bible; study the burning language of David, the bold strains of Isaiah, and the lofty flights which burst forth from the Apocalyptic vision.

We proceed now to notice the influence of religion upon the ad. vancement of science. But we are aware that we have here to contend with the natural prejudices of the human heart; for there is a disposition in the minds of men to attribute to another cause what they owe to divine revelation, and the influence of virtue and religion ;— to employ themselves among second causes; to bestow their encomiums upon the fruit, without any regard to the tree that bore it. We enjoy many blessings, civil and religious; and while the history of past ages, and the observation and experience of the present, prove to the reflecting mind, both that Christianity originated, and perpetuates these blessings, the minds of many are upon the rack to connect them with other causes, or to open sources independent of these, whence the same benefits may be derived.

This originates in that disposition of the human heart which leads men to wish to be independent of God. But these prejudices to the contrary notwithstanding, we are firm in the opinion that religion is emphatically the "Alma Mater" of science. With these views we

start with the following general proposition, viz., that where religion has flourished most, and as to its fundamental and practical principles possessed the greatest amount of influence, there has science met with the most encouragement, and been cultivated with the greatest success.

But to this proposition I anticipate an objection, and will endeavor to remove it. This objection is founded on the supposition that the ancient Egyptians and Grecians, heathen though they were, carried the arts and sciences to a higher state of perfection than they have since heen earried by the Christians.

Allowing the truth of the proposition, still reference to a few facts

and circumstances will, we think, remove the objection, without invalidating the proposition. First, as to the arts-for these the Egyptions were most remarkable,—and by them some were cultivated, now lost to us; as, for instance, the art of embalming. But to say nothing of the influence of the religion of Egypt upon their cultivation, the flourishing state of the arts was promoted by every possible caution and encouragement from the government. Herodotus tells us, that to promote perfection in the arts, the laws required that no person should follow more than one branch of business at a time, and that he should continue in the same during life; and moreover, that the son should follow the business of the father; thus making the different arts a kind of legacy, transmitted from father to son from generation to generation.

With respect to the healing art, he tells us that this regulation was carried so far, that each physician was allowed to practice for the cure of only one disease, as one for the eyes, one for the teeth, &c. This, it must be conceded, had a very natural tendency to secure improvement in these various and useful branches, and lift them up very far toward the acme of perfection. And this without doubt is one of the grand reasons why the arts flourished so prosperously in Egypt. And as the Grecians received instruction from the Egyptians, it is fair to presume that more or less of the influence of this policy was felt among them.

As to science, we remark, 1. That it was by no means so generally understood, either by the Egyptians or Grecians, as many have supposed. The great mass of the people were grossly ignorant, and as superstitious as they were ignorant, with no mind or judgment of their own on any subject; as vacillating as the wind, directed in their movements by the eloquence and cunning of the more enlightened. It is true many of them may have had some taste for literary pursuits; a few attended the schools of the philosophers, and more may have listened to their lectures; but the knowledge they gained in this way was exceedingly limited: it was knowledge taken on trust, and at best but poorly understood; for they had never for themselves studied the branches of science, or investigated the laws of nature. And among those who made pretensions to learning, many had but a smattering of knowledge-not enough to balance the mind, or regulate the judgment.

Indeed, the number of those who were really learned was exceedingly small, and the advantages by which they acquired their education, and the motives and influences under which they acted, were such as to • confirm the truth of the above-named proposition; for, in the first place, they were very religious; as a nation they were religious, as their temples, and altars, and statues, and numberless deities and sacrifices, testify; and those who distinguished themselves for the acquisition of useful knowledge, and obtained a rank among the philosophers of the age, pursued their studies under the influence of those motives and inspirations furnished by their system of religion. Nor can it be alleged that these were unfavorable to the study of philosophy. Corrupt as was their system of religion when compared with the dispensation of the gospel, and as much as their light was inferior to the pure light of Christianity, there were, nevertheless, mingled with it

some of the inspirations peculiar to the true religion, and they exerted an influence favorable to the cultivation of the mind, and the advancement of science. Moral philosophy was their favorite study. They collected all the information they could concerning the origion of evil, the nature and existence of the gods, the best methods of propitiating their favor, and the probabilities and nature of a future state. And their literary pursuits were aided not only by the vigor and strength imparted to the mind by the contemplation of such subjects, but by the necessity of their treasuring up extensive knowledge, that they might pursue these subjects to better advantage..

There is another circumstance which will assist to account for their success in the pursuit of knowledge, without invalidating the position we have taken, and that is, they had access to the Holy Scriptures, and thus drew knowledge from the fountain head. They traveled extensively for the purpose of increasing their stock of wisdom-especially did they visit Egypt and Palestine, searching, as they went, the writings of their wise men, and collecting knowledge from all their writings, sacred and profane. There can be little doubt that these wise men were generally familiar with the first books of Moses, and some other parts of the Old Testament; and that some of them were, is certain. After the establishment of the Alexandrian Library, in Egypt, it became the common resort for all the wise men of the East. And it is well known that in this library was deposited a copy of the Jewish Scriptures in the Greek language. This, therefore, must have passed under their inspection; they must have become acquainted with its contents. But we have evidence still more certain, if possible, that the ancient wise men were acquainted with the Holy Scriptures. Josephus, in his book against Apion, tells us that Pythagoras was familiar with, and an advocate of, their doctrines; some of which he incorporated into his creed. He mentions Aristotle, and many other distinguished men of that age and country, who had made honorable mention of the Jews, of their language, laws, and religion.

Dr. Blair, in his Lectures on Rhetoric, mentions Longinus, a Greek rhetorician, as quoting from the first book of Moses, "Let there be light, and there was light," as an instance of the truly sublime. Socrates, declared the wisest man living by the oracle of Delphi, was as distinguished for his piety as for his wisdom. And it is only by supposing him to have had access to the purest fountains of knowledge, human and divine, that we can account for his having occupied a position elevated so high above all his cotemporaries.

Thus we perceive the circumstances which go to account for the advanced state of the arts and sciences among some of the ancients,⚫ serve also to confirm the correctness of the position we have taken, that where the influence of religion has been most felt, there science has met with most encouragement, and been cultivated with the greatest success. For it was the influence exerted over their minds by the motives and inspirations of their religion, and their acquaintance with the sacred writings, which induced much of their mental improvement, and led to many of their investigations. And we apprehend the proposition will hold good with respect to the Jews. As the Jews were the first who possessed a regular and consistent system of religion—a religion which constituted the gospel in its incipient state, and shadowed forth