The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1856-11-12
. .zs7F - So ea4wgE p
To the Lovers of Education.
Read before the Monroe County Teachers
lssocsafo,
BY J.. TY SO n.

This essay will consist 1st, of short
synopsis of the creation of man; End, of
his knowledge, and 3dly, of the use to
which it is applied. We may innocently
figure to ourselves the state of the divine
nature previously to the formation of the
human being. Infinitely happy, because
infinitely perfect and self-suffcient, the
Supreme Being could feel no wants.-to
him nothing was wanting, nothing needfnl
AS the "good man is satisfied from him
SELF" from the. contemplation of his con-
cious rectitude; so comparing infinitely
great with small things, the divine mind was
supremely satisfied with the possession
and contemplation of its own unlimited
excellence. From unmixed, .uasullied
goodness sprang all the endlessly varied
attributes, perfections and excellencies of
the divine nature; or rather in this prin-
ciple all are founded, and of this each is
an especial modification. Benevolence is,
however, an affection inseparable from
goodness. God, the all sufficient, knew
that He could in a, certain way commu-
nicate influences from His own perfec-
tions, but the being must resemble Him
self, to whom the communication should
be made. His benevolence therefore, to
communicate and diffuse His own infinite
happiness, we may naturally suppose, led
Him to form the purpose of creating in
telligent beings to whom such commune
cations could be made. He, therefore,
in His eternal goodness, projected the
creation Of man, whom he formed in His
own image, that he might be capable Of
those communications. Here, then, was
motive worthy of eternal goodness, the
desire to communicate its own blessedness,
aud here was an object worthy Of the di-
vine wisdom and power, the making an
! intelligent creature transcript of His own
eternity, as written in Psalm viii /, Y. 5, just
less then God; and cndowing him with
powers and faculties of the most extraor-
binary and comprehensive nature
Having briefly elucidated the creation
of man, / shall now pass to the second
proposition which was to notice his knowl-
edge, and / de- not found these observa-
tions on the supposition of certain excel
lencies possessed by man previous to his
fall I found them on what he is now 8
on his vast and comprehensive understand
ing: on his astonishing powers of ratioci-
nation: on the extent and endless variety
of his imagination or inventive faculty;
and / see the proof and exercise of these
in his invention Of arts and sciences.
Though fallen1 from God, naturally de-
graded and deprayed, he has not lost bis
natural powers, he is yet capable Of the
most exalted degrees of knowledge in all
natural things, and his knowledge is
pewerp allisI StM
Let us take cursory view of what he
has gdone, and, Of what, he is capable,
He has numbered the stars of Heaven,
he has demonstrated the planetary revo
lutions and the laws by which they are
governed; he has accounted for every ap.
parent anomaly in the various affection,
of the heavenly bodies, he has measured
their distances, determined their solid con
tents and weighed the sun! His researche,
into the three kingdoms of nature, thu
animal, vegetable aud mineral are for theil
variety, correctness and Importance, o.
the highest consideration. The laws o
matter, of organized and unorganised be,
ings, and those chemical principles b,
which all the operations of nature are con
Quoted, have been investigated by hin
with the ntmost success He has showl
the father of the rain, and who has begot
ten the drops of dew, he has accounted
for the formation of the snow, the hail
stones and the ice, and demonstrated tn
laws by which the tempest and TORNADO
are governed; he has taken the thuade
! from the clouds, and he plays with til
Il lightnimgs of Heaven. He has invente
those grand subsidiaries of life, the leve1
the screw, the wedge, the inclined plane
and the pully; and by those means multi
piled his power beyond conception, II
has invented the telescope. and by this ir
strument has brought the hosts of Heave
almost into contact with the earth. b
! his engines he has acquired o sort Of on
lnipotency over inert matter; and produce
effects which, to the uninstrscted mine
present oil the appearance Of supernatl
, ralagency.- BY his mental energy he hs
sprunu mn into illimitahle suace and hs