father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do."

On the other hand, when the heart is devoted to GOD, it will repel the temptations of the evil principle, and it will attract heavenly thoughts and objects; because they possess the greatest weight, or sympathy, or congruity, with the spiritual principle in the centre of the heart. "Ye are of GOD, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is HE that is in you, than he that is in the world." (John's epistle.)

This weight, or importance, is what constitutes the natural and moral specific gravity of bodies and spirits; viz. both in natural and moral cases of desire, and of aversion, and in contemplation also, which like aëriform elastic fluids, have a real and powerful attraction. Therefore, if the sympathy between the heart and its object is complete and perfect, then the object will possess the greatest possible specific gravity, with respect to the heart.

John ch. viii.

Cohesion.

Tenacity.

This sympathy of the spirit of desire, this Density. attraction between the heart and its various objects, according to the intensity of love, or the tenacity of opinion, or of both united, seems also to be typified in matter, in some degree, by the density of bodies, or the force of the inherent spirit of cohesion, by which their particles approach towards each other, to the exclusion of almost every other subject; for, generally speak

those bodies which have the greatest specific gravity, possess also the greatest density and cohesion of parts; such, for instance, as the metals. Yet, among these there are exceptions to this rule, for gold is among the heaviest of metals, and its particles are still more easily separated, to a certain degree, than those of many metals which are lighter.* Therefore, density, cohesion, and hardness, though generally accompaniments of great specific gravity in bodies, are not precisely the same thing; but it seems that gravity and attraction bear the same relation to intensity of desire in the heart, as density, or cohesion of parts, or tenacity of substance bears to pertinacity or obstinacy or inveterate prejudices of opinion in the mind; and as it is so extremely natural and common to be violently prejudiced (by pride and self-estima

* Gold is celebrated for its exceeding ductility, without breaking, in wire. This is emblematic of the patience of faith, which like charity," suffereth long," and " endureth all things." Yet it is easier drawn out without breaking than the harder metals, such as iron, &c. Thus faith is more easily extended than reason, (typified by iron,) which is the most intractable of all metals or minerals, in the "heart of the earth." Reason will break or be destroyed, if we try to extend it beyond its own convictions by force; for its convictions are its natural and impassable limits; but the limits of faith are not fixed in the nature of visible things, like those of reason, but are almost, and (in religion) altogether infinite or infrangible" For we walk by faith and not by sight." Again,

we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen,"&c.-2 Corinthians, ch. iv. and v.

tion) in favour of what we greatly desire, and against what we greatly dislike; so, I infer, that the density and hardness in general of very heavy bodies, symbolizes the strong prejudice which generally adheres to strong and selfish passions. Thus it is said in the book of Job respecting that "LEVIATHAN, who is a king over all the children of pride," (which children are unjust prejudices,) His SCALES (or shields*) are his PRIDE, shut up together as with a close seal. One is so near to another, that no air can come between them." This is what causes the extreme difficulty of conveying the vital, though sour air of truth and conviction of error to the heart of an unbeliever. The king of pride, the father of sinful or unjust prejudices, closes up all the avenues to his heart and understanding, by his powerful central attractions, repulsions, and cohesions.

Gravity.

The whole gravity of spherical natural bodies, Centre of viz. the planetary system, is justly considered as accumulated in their centre, (see Ferguson's Astronomy, page 44,) towards which every congruous thing is proportionally attracted from within, and (perhaps) impelled from without, according to the completeness of their sympathy, by one and the same principle. † In

* That is to say, his defensive armour, with which he defends his opinions against the arrows of truth.

+ See the long note, No. 2, Appendix, which examines the

like manner, the ruling passion of the heart, or human centre, that is to say, the predominant form or mode of self-gratification, whether that of the moment, or a more permanent energy, will form its centre. Towards this centre every object externally situated, will be attracted in proportion to its congruity or sympathy with the predominant passion, whatever it be; and in proportion to its nearness or remoteness in hope, and in probability of attainment, and in apparent certainty; and those objects which are most indifferent, will always be nearest to the surface, because they have less of specific gravity, or attraction of sympathy, with respect to the centre; that is to say, they are lighter in the estimation of the heart, having less congruity with that powerful spirit of desire or attraction, which is its centre.

It is known by experience, as well as by theory, that in the open air, bodies fall to the earth more or less rapidly in proportion to their specific gravity, (including the opposition of the atmosphere, which on light bodies is very considerable,) because, specific gravity is the measure of the quantity of the spirit of attraction, (or emblematic desire,) towards the centre,

Newtonian principle of central attraction. The body of this note was written first in A. D. 1817, but the Analysis of Sir Isaac's Proposition lxx. lxxii. lxxiii. book i. sect. 12, of the Principia, was added in 1825-6.

naturally inherent in any body, in proportion to its magnitude. Now magnitude refers to the importance, or moral extent of the object in itself, but gravity shows only our desire for it. Hence a novel, or a newspaper, has often more weight of attraction for the heart than a Bible; or it has a greater congruity with the state of our centres or hearts. Yet, how different is the real magnitude, and moral weight of the objects! Therefore, "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” (Jeremiah.) Again, the greater is the degree of specific gravity in the falling body, the more nearly it approaches to, or coincides with the extreme state of attraction at the centre, whether of the earth, or the heart, where it is always most intense; that is to say, it sympathises most strongly with its favourite object. That this is true with respect to the heart we all know, and therefore if it be not so with respect to the earth, then there is no such thing as universal analogy.

But in this case, if there be no universal analogy, but only partial ones, still it must be allowed to be wonderful, that there should be so many external coincidences, and that after finding a very considerable correspondence to exist in circumstantials, between the human and terraqueous worlds, or systems, it should suddenly cease, and even be inverted, when we come to compare the centres of each together.

D