Omaha daily bee., 1899-11-12

transitory object. Intellectual cognition
perceives the mmutable. the necessary, the
eternal viz, the essences and the relations
of things. But essences and their proper
ties are above the nature and the powers
Of the senses, and. therefore. require the
spiritual faculty. Organic cognition reaches
bodies and corporeal qualities only. The
intellect reaches things that in themselves
are alto gether incorporeal, such as God, spirit,
wisdom, justice, etc. Such things can not
impress the likeness of themselves on an
organ because they lack the sensible quail
ties only by which the organs can be moved.
Therefore, the power by which they are
perceived is in no way associated with
material organ, but operates from itself
and is spiritual.
The organic faculty cannot reflect on itself
without injury to the organ. The intellect
reflects on itself. Therefore, it has no con-
nection with an organ.
The organic faculty becomes dulled by the
strong and vehement action of an object and
is sometimes rendered useless and unfit for
action. Too much light blinds the eye, too
much sound Injuries the ear and the imagina-
tion itself becomes disordered when the ap-
prehension of an object is too vehement,
whence arise the halucination and the de-
lirium of the insane. The intellect, on the
other hand, is strengthened by the excel
lence of it's object and is enabled to scru-
tnize other objects that are even more sub
lime. 1t follows, therefore, that the intellect
does not depend intrinscally on an organ
and is spiritual.
Functions of the Senses.
The will also is above the conditions of
! the sensitive appetite. The sensitive appe-
tite Graves only that which is a corporeal
good apprehended by the senses. But the
will seeks incorporeal goods that are above
the reach and the estimation OF the senses,
G. g., the love of Cod that which is just,
| honorable, etc AS a faculty must agree
with the object proper to it the consequence
is that the will is spiritual. The sensitive
appetite seeks individual good, which alone
affects the senses. The will seeks universal
good, e. g., happiness in general and hence
is it's ability to incline in the direction of any
, particular good and the fact that it is not
confined to any particular kind Of good. But
faculty whose object is universal cannot
be organic since an organ limits the faculty.
Therefore the will is inorganic. The sensi-
| tive appetite because it is tied to an organ
! cannot reflect on itself, nor can it's own act
| be the object of it's desire, that is, 1t cannot
! desire that which it does. The will on the
other hand can reflect on itself and can will
| it's own act of voltion. But only an inor-
ganc faculty can be refexive, and therefore
the will is spiritual.
The sensitive appetite is necessarily and is
| fatally inclined toward that object which
| pleasee the senses. Fer example, the pres
ence of delectable object necessarily moves
an animal and in such a way that ii is i'm
I possible to avert it unless something more
| enjoyable is presented to II or it is driven
away by force. The reason Is because the
| faculty resident in an organ cannot free it.
! self of the impression made on the organ.
| As we know the human will is free and can
| at VIII move toward this or that particular
/ good. Therefore 1t Is free of any organ and
is spiritual, The sensitive appetite cannot
conquer itself nor resist itself while it fol-
lows the impression made On the organ But
| the will conquers, restraints and governs and
resists the sensitive appetite. 1t is there
/ fore superior to organic laws and is free Of
them. 1t follows that the human soul, which
| possesses spiritual faculties, is spiritual In
itself.
! The human soul is proportioned and pos
sesses an aptitude for spiritual things. 1t
I loves and desires things merely spiritual; 1t
/ delights in considering things that are alto
: gether immaterial e. e., in knowing God
and His divine attributes and In acquiring
metaphysical ana moral sciences. which