Such are the wild deliriums of a sensual philosophy, vainly seeking to explore the mysteries of a world which lies beyond its reach. The forms of spiritual things may be represented and expressed by those of natural things, but vain and useless will be the labor of him, who having no idea of the essential difference between spiritual and natural things, attempts to search for the former on the same plane with the latter. He will invariably become lost and bewildered in the darkness of sensualism, with no light to guide him but that of his own self-devised wisdom, which he will mistake for the light of spiritual truth; and like the author referred to, the more wild and extravagant his phantasies may be, the more will he admire them as the "most sublime and magnificent ideas that can possibly enter into the mind of man."
It may be remarked, however, in this connection, that the labors of such men as Dr. Dick, perform an important use in carrying out the popular doctrines to their ultimate and logical conclusions, and thereby demonstrating their absurdity. The argumentum ad absurdum is often employed with most excellent effect, in religious and philosophical, as well as in mathematical reasoning. And this sort of reasoning is quite as effectual upon the human mind at large, when employed by one who is not conscious of the use he is performing, but having mistaken false premises for true ones, very confidently supposes that he is coming to correct conclusions,—Confirming himself in error more and more at every step, he may arrive at such a state of mind that the most absurd conclusions will appear to him the most true and beautiful. But other minds, though they may have at first followed him with delight, will at length start back from the absurdity.—And if, in retracing their steps, they find no defect in the course of reasoning that has been pursued, the inevitable consequence will be, that they will begin to suspect that there must be something unsound in the premises upon which the argument was based. Such a use as this, as it
