Common Sense Applied to Religion; Or, The Bible and the People

The mind of man is confined in its operations by the material system it inhabits, and has no modes of communicating with other minds except through the medium of the eye and ear...

Among the susceptibilities, the emotions of taste have always been distinguished, and treated of as a peculiarly distinct class. Why is it that certain objects of sight, and cer...

We have seen that the mind of man, by its very constitution, has certain implanted truths which it believes from the necessity of its nature, and that these are the foundation o...

As there is no distinction between sensation and perception except in the fact that one is attended with the belief of a cause and the other is not, they will be treated of toge...

It is the _power of choice_ which raises man to the dignity of an intellectual and moral being. Without this principle, he would be a creature of mere impulses and instincts. He...

It is maintained that the Author of mind has implanted, as a part of its constitution, the belief in certain truths, so that it is impossible to disbelieve them without losing t...

We are now to inquire as to the results of the wrong action of mind in a future state, so far as reason and experience can furnish data for any anticipations.

Habit is a facility in performing physical or mental operations, gained by the repetition of such acts. As examples of this in _physical_ operations may be mentioned the power o...

When the mind is in a state of emotion, this state is always either pleasurable or painful. _Desire_ relates to the attainment of some object which will be the cause of pleasura...

We have seen that there are only these sources of human knowledge, viz., the _intuitive truths_, _human experience_, _reasoning_, and _revelation_. We have alluded to the nature...

To understand clearly the nature of the mental phenomena called _attention_ and _abstraction_, two facts in our mental history need definitely to be understood--facts which have...

Before proceeding, however, it is desirable to refer to the uses of the term _moral_, inasmuch as it often is employed with a vague comprehension of its signification. In its wi...

We have shown that a belief in the reality of the existence, both of mind and of matter, as _causes_, is one of the implanted principles of mind. Some philosophers have claimed...

The causes of the particular succession of our ideas, and the control which the mind has in regulating this succession, is a subject no less interesting than important; for if b...

We are now prepared to inquire in regard to what constitutes _a perfect mind_. This question relates, in the first place, to the perfect constitutional organization of mind, and...

We have examined into the causes of the wrong action of mind, and have found them to consist in the want of knowledge, want of habits, want of social influences from other minds...

Having set forth the object for which the Creator formed mind, we are thus furnished with the means for deciding as to the _right mode of its action_ in obtaining this object. W...

We are now to commence an examination of the various powers and operations of the human mind, for the purpose of illustrating the grand aim of the Author in the creation of all...

We have now presented the organization of mind as the chief evidence of the grand design of its Creator in forming all things. We now will trace the evidences of the same benefi...

We have shown that, independently of a revelation, we have no sources of knowledge except the intuitions reasoning and experience. Hereafter we will, as is often done, include t...

But the day of reconstruction seems to be looming in the orient, and now the grand question is, Are there any sure and universal principles that will evolve a harmonious system...

The preceding pages have exhibited the nature of mind, the object of its formation, the right mode of action to secure this object, and the causes and results of its right and w...

We have shown that, in regard to our Creator, his character and designs, without a revelation, we have nothing to guide us but the intuitive truths, and the deductions obtained...

Not only all writers on mental science, but the most common writers and speakers, recognize a general division of mental operations, which is expressed by the terms _intellect_,...

There has been much speculation on the question as to whether the mind possesses any ideas entirely independent of the senses, which were gained without any aid or influence fro...

According to the principles set forth, a mind acts wrong whenever it transgresses any law. The grand law is that of _sacrifice_, by which every mode of enjoyment is to be relinq...

We have now completed our investigations as to the nature and amount of knowledge to be gained on the great questions of life by reason and experience independently of a revelat...

All operations of mind which are not produced by material things acting upon the senses consist of a continual succession of conceptions. Some of these conceptions are exact pic...

In the preceding chapters have been presented the most important mental faculties which are common to the race. There are none of the powers and attributes of the mind as yet se...

The term _judgment_, as a mental faculty, signifies "that power of the mind by which it notices _relations_." It is often used to signify all the intellectual powers, among whic...

We have seen that there are certain intuitive truths, the belief of which is implanted as a part of our mental constitution, and that there is a _test_ by which we can distingui...

We have considered the mode by which, without revelation, we arrive at a knowledge of the existence and character of one eternal, self-existent Creator, and of other _eternal be...