§ LIBRARY OF CONGRESS-! Chap. *Sheff BExis. UN8TED STATES OF AMERICA. THE HARMONY OF PHRENOLOGY SCRIPTURE SHEWN IN A REFUTATION OF THE PHILOSOPHICAL ERRORS CONTAINED IN MR COMBE'S « CONSTITUTION OF MAN." By WILLIAM SCOTT, Eso. AMien men arrogantly abandon their guide, and wilfully shut their eyes on the light of heaven, it is wisely ordained that their errors shall multiply at every step, until their extravagance confutes itself, and the mischief of their principles works its own antidote. — Robert Hall. SECOND EDITION. EDINBURGH: FRASER & CO. 54, NORTH BRIDGE : SMITH, ELDER, & CO. AND H. WASHBOURNE, LONDON AND W. CURRY, JUN. & CO. DUBLIN. %\a f/ EDINBURGH: Printed by Andrew Shortrede, Thistle Lane. CONTENTS. Preface, ....... Page vii CHAPTER I. EXAMINATION OP MR COMBE'S HYPOTHESIS, THAT THE WORLD IS CONSTI- TUTED ON THE PRINCIPLE OF SLOW AND PROGRESSIVE IMPROVEMENT — GENERAL VIEW OF THE SUBJECT. Mr Combe's analogies in support of his Hypothesis — Analogies tending ' to prove the opposite of Mr Combe's doctrine— Evidence derived from History, and from Ancient Monuments, respecting the Condition of the Human Race in the Earliest Ages — Progress of Civilization over the World — Progress of Civilization in Britain, and the Causes which have given rise to the Improvement of its Inhabitants — Conclusion of the Argument. ....... 1 CHAPTER II. MR COMBE'S OPPOSITION TO THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINES, RESPECTING THE ORIGINAL PERFECTION, AND SUBSEQUENT DEGENERACY, OF THE HUMAN RACE. Statement of the Doctrine of Divines — Mr Combe's Theory — Question, which of these accords best with the Evidence — Recent Origin of Man — State of man in Heathen Ages — Ruin of all the Ancient Empires, . 4-6 CHAPTER III. THE REMEDY FOR EXISTING EVILS. First Propagation of Christianity, and its Effects — Moral and other Improvements derived from Christianity — On the Efficacy of Preaching as a Means of Improvement, . . . .. .61 CHAPTER IV. EXAMINATION OF MR COMBE's VIEWS RESPECTING THE NATURAL LAWS. I. General view of the subject — Views of the French Philosophers respecting the Natural Laws — Dr Spurzheim's views — Mr Combe's views IT CONTENTS. — General Objection to the foregoing views — Bishop Butler's notion of a Divine Government — Bishop Butler's views quite opposite to Mr Combe's — Intuitive Knowledge — Case of the Bee — Paradoxical statement of the Benefits of Ignorance — New view of the Condition of Man — Transgression and Evil necessary — Infinite extent of the Natural Laws — Limited nature of the Human Faculties — How far the Natural Laws can be obeyed — Who are most likely to obey the Natural Laws. II. On the principles stated by Mr Combe as affording a Key to the Divine Government — Superior Authority of the Moral Law — Cases in which Physical Laws may be disobeyed — Superiority of the Moral Law. III. Considerations shewing that a Revealed Law was necessary — Conscience absolute and individual — Means of fixing the Rule of Right — All human Systems of Laws imperfect — Revelation necessary. IV. Perfection and Invariableness of the Revealed Law— Morality of Old Testament compared with that of the New — Particular precepts of the Jewish Law — Laws of Benevolence— .Law of Marriage — Faculties having reference to our Duties to God — The Revealed Law of our Duties to God — True Means of Improvement. . . . Page 86 CHAPTER V. ON THE CONSTITUTION OF THE HUMAN FACULTIES, CONSIDERED IN RELATION TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OBJECTS. Main defect of Mr Combe's System — His omission of a Future State — Present condition of Man — Phrenology assumed to be true — Scheme of he Faculties — Propensities — Sentiments : — Scheme of the Intellectual Faculties — Position and grouping of the Cerebral Organs — General remarks on the system. . ... . . . 140 CHAPTER VI. ON MR COMBE'S PRINCIPLE OF THE SUPREMACY OF THE MORAL SENTIMENTS AND INTELLECT, AND ON CONSCIENCE. Bishop Butler's view respecting Conscience — Mr Combe's view — Supremacy of Moral Sentiments — Examination of Mr Combe's view of Supremacy — The Moral Faculties insufficient of themselves— Distinction between the Animal and Moral powers — Relative Dignity and Harmony of the Faculties — Office of the Intellect — Informing Moral Judgment — Moral effect of various Powers — Conscience, as explained by Dr Chalmers — Conscience premonitive, approving, or condemning — Illustration of the working of Conscience — Offences arising from the Higher Sentiments — All are conscious of Sin. . . . . . 181 CONTENTS. V CHAPTER VII. ON THE SCRIPTURE DOCTRINE OF HUMAN DEPRAVITY. Theological view of Human Depravity — Phrenological view of the Fall and its consequences — Proofs of degeneracy — Means of Improvement — Probable Results of a Knowledge of the Natural Laws — Probable Abuses of the Natural Laws — The Natural Laws no Safeguards to Virtue — Phrenology affords no means of regenerating the World — True Remedy for Human Depravity, .... Page 214 CHAPTER VIII. OBJECTION TO THE PARADISAICAL STATE OF OUR FIRST PARENTS CONSIDERED. Mr Combe's Objections to the Paradisaical State — Unphilosophical Nature of Mr Combe's Objections — Hypothetical Answers to Mr Combe's Objections, .»..».. 237 CHAPTER IX. I. Objection to the Doctrine that Death was brought upon Man as the punishment of Sin, considered — Mr Combe's view of Death — Theological view of Death — Mr Combe transgresses the limits of Philosophical Inquiry — Reason affords no light as to the Primitive State of Man — Special Objections hypothetically answered — Mr Combe's views only apply to our Present Condition — Diseases, &c. attributed to Infringement of the Natural Laws — The Natural Laws will never be perfectly obeyed — Mr Combe's views of Death — Natural feelings of Man on the Prospect of Death. II. On the omission of a Future State — Omission of a Future State inexcusable — Phrenological Argument for a Future State — Natural An- ticipations — Partial views of Mr Combe — Natural Feelings coincide with Revelation — Mr Combe's System offers no Argument against Suicide, 246 CHAPTER X. ON THE PAINS OF PARTURITION. Scripture views of the Pains of Parturition — Mr Combe's Views answered, .- . . . . . .273 «2 VI CONTENTS, CHAPTER XL ON THE RELATION BETWEEN SCIENCE AND SCRIPTURE. Opposite views stated by Mr Combe — Gross Inconsistency of Mr Combe's views — Religion and Philosophy ought to be studied separately — - Lord Bacon's rules for avoiding Heresy — Bacon's rules against mixing Divine and Human Knowledge — Proper spheres of Religion and Philo- sophy distinct — Meaning of Bacon's Rules, as applied by Mr Combe — Case of Galileo and the Cardinals — The Scriptures exhibit a Knowledge of Human Nature — On the means of Improving the Character — Spiritual Influence improves, but does not alter the Character — Charac- teristics of the Apostles — Sceptical Arguments — Diversities of Doctrine — Difficulties of Interpretation — Garbled Quotations from Bishop Taylor — Various Readings — Trials of Witches — Whether Science aids or is aided by Christianity — How Christianity promotes Science — On the Efficacy of Prayer — Case of Professor Leechman— His Explanations ■ and Admissions — Decision of the Assembly — Doctrine of the Church on Prayer — Dr Gordon's Views on the Subject of Prayer — Dr Chalmers's Views of Prayer — Limitations to the Doctrine — Prayer for Spiritual Blessings — Phrenological View of Prayer — Phrenological Argument for the Efficacy of Prayer ■ — On Spiritual Influence — Phrenology affects no Scripture Doctrine — Spiritual Influences inscrutable, . Page 278 CHAPTER XII. ON CRIMINAL LEGISLATION. Mr Combe's View of Justice — Mr Combe's Views of Crime and Respon- sibility, considered — His objections to Retributive Punishment — Reasons for such Punishment — Punishment of the Criminal preventive of Crime — Punishment more benevolent than Deprivation of Liberty — Peniten- tiaries versus Transportation, .... 330 CONCLUSION. Recapitulation — Laws of Propagation — Political views — Mr Combe's a Low System — Sciences generally misapplied at the first Discovery — Astrology — Alchemy — Cosmogonies — Premature Systematizing — Phrenology still in its Nonage — Rash Experiments deprecated — Conclusion, . . . . . . . 340 PREFACE. I shall shortly state the circumstances which have induced me to come before the public with the present work. Mr Combe is now well known, not only in this country, but on the Continent, and in America, as the most able, zealous, and active supporter and propagator of the new Science of Phrenology, or the doctrine founded on the dis- coveries of Doctors Gall and Spurzheim. In the preface to the Essay which we are now about to consider, he says, that Phrenology appears to him " to be the clearest, the most complete, and best supported system of human nature which has hitherto been taught," and that he has " assumed it as the basis of his work." No one certainly could blame Mr Combe for adopting, in a work on the Constitution of Man, that system of human nature which he believed to be the best, and for making it the basis of his speculations \ but, not contented with this, he has attacked our divines as guilty of a gross neglect of duty in not at once adopting the same views, Vlll PREFACE. and following them out in all their consequences, in their instructions to the people. Against this there appear, even at first sight, several very serious and cogent objections ; and one of them is, that even supposing it universally admitted, (which is at present very far from being the case,) that Phrenology is established on a perfectly solid foundation of facts, and that it affords a clear and perfect view of human nature, our divines are not, and cannot be supposed to be, so conversant with its principles and details, as to be able to teach them to their flocks, or to combine them in any satisfactory way with the doctrines of Christianity. It is only a very few years since Mr Combe, the chief living cultivator of this science, has adopted the views he now advocates. They have, since that time, under- gone various modifications ; and as they are now taught and expounded by him, they are only to be found fully stated in Mr Combe's own writings. It may farther be mentioned, that not only are our clergy, as a body, necessarily unacquainted with the doctrines of Phrenology, but most of them are even ignorant of the peculiar terms, or technical language, in which these doctrines are conveyed, as generally used by phrenological writers. Taking, then, the most favourable sup- position for Mr Combe, and supposing that they had been inclined generally to approve of his doctrines, it is quite impossible that they could PREFACE. IX at once begin to model their public instructions upon these doctrines ; and on the other hand, however objectionable they might consider them, it is not surprising that they should have hesi- tated to come forward with any formal answer to, or refutation of, his errors ; seeing that, in order to do either of these with any effect, it would first be necessary for them to study a science, and to learn a language, which they have never been taught, and to both of which most of them are entire strangers. I may here state, that, about fifteen years ago, I happened to have my attention turned to the subject of Phrenology, and that I have since made it more or less an object of study. Having become convinced of the truth of its general principles, I entered as a member of the Phreno- logical Society in the year 1822, aad thereafter took a considerable share in its proceedings ; and finally, was elected to the office of its Presi- dent, in the year 1825. Soon after that time, Mr Combe began to broach those doctrines on human responsibility, and other points, which were afterwards more fully developed in his " Constitution of Man*" These I opposed at the time, but without much effect : and Mr Combe having, in 1827, printed a small impression of that Essay for private .distribution, I also printed a little tract in answer to it, (which was likewise privately distributed,) but without being able to produce any material PREFACE. change in his views. At last, finding Mr Combe determined to persevere in these new doctrines, to introduce them regularly for discussion iri the Society, and to support them by articles in the Phrenological Journal, I resolved to break off all connection with both ; and acordingly, I gave up attending the Society's meetings, as did also several other members who entertained the same opinions of Mr Combe's views. I also, from that time, ceased from contributing to the Phrenological Journal. In June, 1828, Mr Combe published his work on the " Constitution of Man," nearly in the shape in which it now appears. He acknow- ledges that, at its first appearance, the book did not sell, as nearly seven years elapsed before another edition was called for. It was not until, by aid of the " Henderson Bequest," he was enabled to reduce the price, that it came to have any considerable circulation. Since that time, it appears, many thousand copies of it have been sold, chiefly among the operative classes in our manufacturing towns. It also appears that it has been translated into some foreign languages, and that it has been widely circu- lated in America. I am not surprised at this extensive sale of the essay, as, along with many errors, it contains much that is both instructive and amusing. It contains an account of the interesting discoveries of Gall and Spurzheim, together with other matter well adapted to PREFACE. XI the class of readers for whom it seems prin- cipally intended. This, with the extraordinary cheapness of the work, may account for its extensive sale. Although, during the first seven years after its publication, I did not consider an answer called for, seeing that it seemed to have excited little attention ; the case was altered after it appeared that the sale of it had increased to many thousands, among a class of readers not the best fitted to detect its fallacies ; nd that it was circulated chiefly in those places where the population had far outgrown the means of proper Church accommodation ; and where, of course, it was offered to the people not along with, but in lieu of, religious instruction. It was then pressed upon me by several friends, that the work ought to be answered, and that I ought to under- take the task, as I understood the subject of Phrenology, as maintained and taught by Mr Combe, and was able to address him in his own language ; and that as I had formerly studied his book with the view of answering it, the labour was already half performed. These reasons may perhaps be held sufficient to account for my engaging in the present undertaking. Mr Combe's work takes so wide a range, embraces or touches so vast a variety of subjects, and contains so great a multitude of errors, that Xll PREFACE. in order to answer it completely — to separate the chaff from the wheat — and, admitting what may be true, to expose and refute all that is erroneous, — it would be necessary to write, not a book, but a library. He says in his preface, that it is his wish to avoid controversy. He takes a strange method to avoid it, seeing that he has, in the course of his speculations, not merely declared war against most, if not all, of our secular institutions, but has openly attacked the clergy, and denounced as erroneous almost every article of faith, with regard to the past and present condition of the human race, which is generally held by them on the authority of Scripture. I shall here mention some of the points on which Mr Combe attacks the doctrines of our divines. There are, first, the doctrines of the Original Perfection of Man, — the Fall, — and the con- sequent Depravity of our Nature. Here are three most important points, lying at the founda- tion of the whole scheme of the Christian faith, which Mr Combe denounces as errors, on grounds the most frivolous, false, and unphilosophical. We have next an objection to the Paradisaical State of our First Parents before the Fall, foun- ded on a mere fancy which he has adopted, that certain of the faculties of man are adapted to a world in which pain, danger, and death are elements in his condition, and, therefore, he PREFACE. Xlll imagines, would be un suited to a state from which these were excluded. Then we have an objection to the theological doctrine that Death was brought upon man as the Punishment of Sin, founded on the assump- tion that death is inseparable from the nature of an organized being, and that, therefore, it must have been an original institution of the Creator. We have an objection to the belief, (founded on a passage in Genesis,) that the Pains of Child-birth were part of the punishment inflicted on Woman at the Fall. Mr Combe maintains, that the pains alluded to are not an institution of the Creator at all, but are caused by a dis- obedience of some unknown Natural Laws. With regard to the Natural Laws themselves, (which are at present universally disobeyed, for this, among other reasons, that nobody knows what they are,) Mr Combe's system proceeds on a principle directly opposite to that of Chris- tianity. That system aims at improving the moral nature of man in the first place, holding that, if this were attained, all other improve- ment would necessarily follow. Mr Combe, on the contrary, maintains that, in order to improve the moral nature of man, we must first improve his physical condition ; and, accordingly, he directs our attention almost exclusively to the petty details of diet, clothing, exercise, &c. " what we shall eat, and what we shall drink, and wherewithal we shall be clothed." b XIV PREFACE. In regard to another most important point, his system is the reverse of that recommended in Scripture. We are there directed " to set our affections on things above, and not on things that are on the earth." Mr Combe, on the contrary, in his Essay, (intended, it will be observed, as a practical manual of conduct, for the use chiefly of the lower classes,) omits all consideration of a future state, and rests all the motives to good conduct on the consequences of that conduct in the present life. With respect to Revelation, as Mr Combe's system is not founded on it, he had no occa- sion to speak of it at all. He has done so, however, and has written an entire chapter on the Connection between Science and Scripture. In this, and throughout his book, though he seems to admit the reality of revelation, it is perfectly clear that he entertains no confidence in its power and efficacy as an instrument for the improvement of the human race. Indeed, he seems to consider it as little entitled to atten- tion in any respect, as he represents it as being so obscure, or so corrupted in the text, that no positive reliance can be placed on any thing it contains.* * I have here omitted a sentence of my original Preface, in which I referred to a passage in Mr Combe's book, where I had supposed him to state, that the precepts of Christianity are " scarcely more suited to human nature and circumstances in this world, than the command to fly would be to the nature of the horse." I am satisfied that, in this instance, I have somewhat misapprehended Mr Combe's meaning. The words do occur, but PREFACE. XV Lastly, he states views with regard to a Special Providence, and the efficacy and uses of Prayer, which are totally at variance with the doctrines of every Christian Church. The above may serve as a specimen, — but it is quite clear that we are yet merely on the threshold, — that Mr Combe has but just broken ground before the walls of our Zion, and that he already contemplates still greater triumphs. Indeed, he has not left it to inference, but has openly declared his aim to be nothing less than to plant the standard of Phrenology on the very pinnacle of the Temple, and to make our pulpits resound with the preaching of — " The Natural Laws!" He loudly accuses our divines as blind guides, because they have not already adopted these in their instructions to their flocks, instead of the clear and simple morality, and the sublime and consoling doctrines, of the Gospel. Let it be observed, that in entering upon my present undertaking, I do not come forward for the purpose of defending Christianity, which I look upon as far removed above any risk of injury from such attacks, — but to vindicate Phre- nology from the reproach which has been brought upon it by some of its supporters, and by none more than Mr Combe, of its being hostile to, or they are used conditional \y, and in reference to special circum- stances. I still consider the passage objectionable, but not in the way T had at first supposed. XVI PREFACE. incompatible with, Christianity. Believing-, as I do, that Phrenology has a foundation in nature, that its general principles are true, and that it must ultimately lead to highly important results, I am anxious to relieve ; i n ds of those who have conceived a prejud i ;ist it (an extremely natural one under the ostances) from the idea that it leads to doctrines of a dangerous and anti-Christian tendency ; and I hope to be able to shew, not only that there is no inconsistency between it and any doctrine of Scripture, but that, as far as the two subjects admit of being compared, there exists a perfect harmony and correspondence between them. In adverting to the objections which have been made to his views, as inconsistent with the doctrines of Scripture, Mr Combe states in the ninth chapter of his work : — " It is gratifying to observe, that these objections have not been ur^ed by any individual of the least eminence in theo- logy, or countenanced bv persons of enlarged views of Christian doctrine." In a letter addressed bv him to Dr Neill, as one of the patrons of the University of Edinburgh, lately published among: the documents in reference to his claims as a candidate for the Logic Chair, he endeavours to bring this specially home to individuals. He there states, — " The late Reverend Dr Andrew Thomson attended a course of my lectures on Phrenology in 1822 or ]S-2o, and survived the publication of the ' Constitution of Man' (a copy PREFACE. XVli of which I presented to him) for nearly three years ; and although he conducted the Christian Instructor, and was a zealous, ready, and power- ful writer, vividly alive to the purity of the faith which he espoused* yet he never published a word against that book. I sat for several years in his church, and was personally acquainted with him, and yet I never received even any private remonstrance from him on the subject." It is not a little surprising, that Mr Combe should either have forgotten, or never have been acquainted with, the fact which I am now to mention. In the end of the year 1828, on an application being made to Dr Thomson to become a director of the Edinburgh Infant School, then in the course of being established, he declined having any connection with that institution, solely on the ground that Mr Combe was to be a director, and that he did not approve of Mr Combe's principles. It would appear that, in some communications which passed on this subject, between Dr Thomson and Mr Combe's friends, the latter represented this to be persecution, — a charge which Dr Thomson indignantly repelled. I have now before me a copy of a letter on the subject, addressed by Dr Thomson to the late Mr William Ritchie, a particular friend of Mr Combe, in which he says : — " I need not repeat the opinion I formerly expressed in regard to Mr Combe. I adhere to it without qualification or reserve. XV111 PREFACE. And yet I cannot see it to be persecution of him, that I should refuse to be connected with a voluntary association, of which he is to be a member, when I am convinced that his opinions and his reputation would be injurious to the cause which that association is formed to promote."* I have not seen any of the previous correspon- dence, containing the opinion which Dr Thomson had expressed in regard to Mr Combe ; but it is quite obvious what must have been its nature. I should add, that the above quoted letter is dated 22d December, 1828, six months after the publication of the " Constitution of Man." Mr Combe refers also to another eminent pillar of the Church. — " Farther," he says, " Dr Chalmers published his Bridgewater Treatise several years after my work had appeared ; and although the subjects in his book and mine are closely analogous, he has stated no objections whatever to my views, which is quite inconcei- vable if he had regarded them as dangerous and unfounded in nature, and been prepared to refute them." With submission, the circumstances here referred to lead to a conclusion the very opposite of that which is here stated by Mr Combe. It being the case that Dr Chalmers published a book a very few years after the publication of * It is proper to mention, that the copy letter above quoted was sent to me by a member of Dr Thomson's family, with a request that 1 would make it public — so as to remove the impression which might be created by the passage now referred to in Mr Combe's letter to Dr Neill. PREFACE. XIX this work of Mr Combe's, and on a subject, as he says, very closely analogous, is it conceivable that Dr Chalmers would have entirely omitted all mention of that work if he had approved of the doctrines which it contained ? Knowing the high character of Dr Chalmers, and how much he must be above any feeling of jealousy in a matter of this kind, I say it is inconceivable that he should not, in such circumstances, have taken some notice of Mr Combe's book, if he had considered it to be deserving of a favourable notice. Lastly, Mr Combe has in this letter referred to the announcement of my intended publication ; as to which he says, — " I can hardly anticipate that Mr Scott will consider himself called on to supply the supposed omission of the two learned Doctors in Divinity above named. If, however, I shall be mistaken in this, and if Mr Scott shall make any attempt to shew that my work contains doctrines inconsistent with sound Christianity, it will be sufficient for me to remind you and the public, that Mr Scott is a layman, that he enjoys no reputation for theological learning, and that his opinions, therefore, are not of authority to decide the question." What Mr Combe has here stated of me is all literally and strictly true. It is true I am a layman, as Mr Combe himself is, and that I enjoy no reputation for theological learning. I never heard, and do not now understand, that XX PREFACE. Mr Combe enjoys any reputation for theological learning*, and, therefore, so far as mere authority goes, his opinion will probably not have greater weight than mine. I may also observe, that if Mr Combe, a layman, has written any thing erroneous in reference to Christianity, there can be no objection to his being answered by a lay- man. Still less can there be any objection to such an answer coming from me, when it is recollected that his attacks against the teachers of our religion are professedly founded on the doctrines of Phrenology, which doctrines cir- cumstances had led me to make a subject of study ; and therefore, I may be supposed better prepared to meet him on this particular ground than those who are comparatively strangers to these doctrines. I have nothing more to add here, except to express my gratitude to those friends who have favoured me with their advice, encouragement, and assistance, during the progress of my little work. To one of these my acknowledgments are particularly due, without whose assistance I should hardly have been able to finish my under- taking, even in the imperfect manner in which, I am well aware, some parts of it have been executed. Edinburgh, August 5, 1836. THE HARMONY OF PHRENOLOGY WITH SCRIPTURE. CHAPTER I. EXAMINATION OF MR COMBE's HYPOTHESIS, THAT THE WORLD IS CONSTI- TUTED ON THE PRINCIPLE OF SLOW AND PROGRESSIVE IMPROVEMENT.—. GENERAL VIEW OF THE SUBJECT. In the commencement of his work on the Consti- tution of Man, Mr Combe draws a parallel between the inferior animals and the human race, and the cir- cumstances in which they are respectively placed. He observes, most truly, that animals exhibit a much more simple constitution than man does; that, whether their nature is wild and ferocious, or gentle and inoffensive, they are uniformly and consistently so; and that each tribe is placed in circumstances obviously suited to its character and habits. Man, on the other hand, presents anomalies and inconsistencies without end, — at once destructive and benevolent, selfish and generous — capa- ble of the grossest sensuality, cruelty, and deceit ; or of high attainments in wisdom, piety, and virtue. " But how," says Mr Combe, " shall these conflicting tendencies be reconciled, and how can external circumstances be devised that shall accord with such heterogeneous ele- ments ?" These questions have puzzled philosophers in all ages. Mr Combe thinks he is able to solve the enigma. A 2 EXAMINATION OF It is to be regretted, that, in entering upon this most interesting field of speculation, Mr Combe should have thought it necessary, at the very outset, to come into collision with certain doctrines which are generally supposed to lie at the very foundation of Christianity, — I allude to the doctrines of the Fall, and the consequent depravity of the human race* Mr Combe had no occasion whatever to enter upon topics like these. If it had been his wish to treat his subject in a manner purely philosophical, and to consider the state and prospects of man, as far as he was able, by the lights of natural reason, he might have done so without trenching upon ground which is withiu the peculiar province of revelation. He might, and, as a philosopher, he was bound to have confined himself to that part of the history of the human race to which we have access from authentic human testimony, or existing monuments; and if, from facts thus established, when compared with the actual state of the race in various parts of the world, he could, by a legitimate induction? succeed in establishing any general laios respecting the progress of society in times past, there might then have been rational grounds for drawing conclusions as to the probabilities of this progress in ages to come. In choosing this course, Mr Combe would have avoided all risk of shocking the prejudices, or insulting the faith of any class of professing Christians, or of awakening, what he so much deprecates, the angry feelings of reli- gious controversy. But Mr Combe has not chosen to take this safe, rational, simple, and truly philosophical course. In- stead of a regular induction, drawn from an extensive and well arranged collection of facts, he sets out with an hypothesis of the most sweeping description, drawn from analogies the most remote* and premises the most slender MR COMBE S HYPOTHESIS. 3 and insufficient. This hypothesis is announced in general terms as follows: — "The constitution of this world does not look like a system of optimism. It appears to be arranged, in all its departments? on the 'principle of slow and progressive improvement" In support of this position, Mr Combe first refers to the facts recently discovered by geologists, shewing that this earth has, in very remote periods of time, undergone various revolutions, and has been covered by various races of vegetables and animals, successively produced and successively destroyed, all tending to prepare it for the residence of its present inhabitants, and particularly of man, — the most important of them all. "At last," he says, "man was created, and since that period there has been little alteration in the physical circumstances of the globe." After some general observations respecting the powers and faculties of man, and their adaptation to the circum- stances in which he is placed, he goes on to draw an analogy between the progress of the human race and that of the physical world. " If the physical history of the globe," he observes, "clearly indicates progression in an advancing series of changes, the civil history of man equally proclaims the march, though often vacil- lating and slow, of moral and intellectual improvement;" and he takes for an example of this improvement the progress from barbarism to civilization in our own country,-^- and upon this slender shred of a very remote analogy, he thinks he has established a new theory of the Divine arrangements, of universal application, which is to explain the secret purposes of Providence in regard to the human race, " and vindicate the ways of God to man." He now brings forward his views in a more definite form, and states them in opposition to those generally received. I shall give them in his own words; * EXAMINATION OF " In our own country, two views of the constitution of the world and of human nature have long been preva- lent, differing widely from each other, and which, if legitimately followed out, would lead to distinct practical results. The one is, that the world, including both the physical and moral departments, contains within itself the elements of improvement, which time will evolve, and bring to maturity ; it having been constituted on the principle of a progressive system, like the acorn in reference to the oak. " The other hypothesis is, that the world was perfect at first, but fell into derangement, continues in disorder, and does not contain within itself the elements of its own rectification." It is quite obvious, that in adopting the former of these views, in opposition to the latter, Mr Combe openly maintains opinions, in regard to the past and present condition of the human race, directly at variance with the doctrines of our divines, and of our national church. He nowhere pretends to conceal this; on the contrary, he constantly, throughout his whole work, refers to the doctrine of the corruption of human nature as a funda- mental error, which has been adopted by divines in consequence of their entire ignorance of a true system of mental philosophy. A great part of his introductory chapter is devoted to shewing the causes of this and various other errors into which he supposes them to have fallen, and pointing out to them a course by which they may promote the intellectual and moral improvement of mankind more effectually than they have hitherto been able to do. It may here be remarked, in the first place, that the question respecting the corruption of human nature, or, in other words, its degeneracy from its original state, is not a question dependent on any philosophical theory, or system of mental philosophy. It is- purely a question of faet, to be determined by the ordinary means by which we acquire information with regard to other facts. If Mr Gombe thinks he is in possession of evidence sufficient to prove that the. moral and intellectual faculties of man are at present in a state equal or superior to that in which they existed at his creation, let him produce this evidence, and we shall give it all due consideration. But it must be quite clear, that any evidence upon which we can come to a conclusion on such a subject, can have no connection with the peculiar nature of the faculties themselves with which man is endowed. It is of no consequence, as to the point at issue, whether man possesses sentiments of benevolence, veneration, and conscientiousness, or whether he is endued with propensities of destruc- tiveness and combativeness. The question is, whether these, and all the other faculties, propensities, and sen- timents which form part of his nature, are now in an equally perfect state as in the day when he came from the hands of his Creator. If Mr Combe can prove that they are so, Or that, instead of degenerating, they have actually improved, it will be time enough for him to find fault with the doctrines of divines on the subject of human degeneracy. To illustrate what I mean when I say, that it is of no consequence, as to this question, wliat the faculties are, I shall suppose the question to be, whether our breed of horses has degenerated from the time when it was first introduced into this island ? In this case, it would not in the least tend to a solution of the question, to enter into any detail respecting the anatomy of the horse, or to shew that, at his first introduction, he had exactly four legs as at present; that he had ; then, as now, two eyes, two ears, two nostrils; that the form of the neck, the hoof, the pastern, and every part, was. a 2 6 EXAMINATION OF similar to what it is now. All this, we w r ould answer, has nothing to do with the question. What we want to know is, not what is his form, and what are Iris members, but has he, in his entire nature, degenerated or improved? Are his size, strength, or swiftness in the race, diminished or increased ? Does he shew more or less sagacity, or is his average age lesser or greater than it. was ? As it is obvious that these questions have no connec- tion with the structure, form, and anatomy of the animal, so the question alluded to w r ith regard to the degeneracy or improvement of man, is totally independent of any system we may happen to adopt with regard to the structure of his faculties. Another remark that occurs on this part of Mr Combe's speculation, is this, that in his statement of the several systems, he mixes up two questions which are perfectly distinct. The one is, — Has man, as he at present exists, degenerated from his original state ; or is he, and has he always been, from the beginning, in a state of slow and gradual improvement? Another, and quite a separate question, is, — supposing it to be shewn that the human race is now in an improving state, — what are the means by which that improvement has been brought about in time past, and what are the best means for promoting this improvement now, and for raising man to the highest perfection of which his nature is capable? Are his present faculties, such as they are, sufficient for this purpose ? or does he require the aids of revelation, and of spiritual influences, to lead him to the ultimate ends of his being, and to open to him the sources of his highest happiness? These are different questions, and will require to be separately considered ; and although, in regard to the last of them, there may be some colour for supposing that something may depend upon our possessing a true> MR COMBES HYPOTHESIS. 7 system of mental philosophy, I think it may appear here- after that Mr Combe places far too high a reliance upon his own views of our mental faculties, and very much undervalues the knowledge which divines, in common with the rest of mankind, have hitherto possessed on the subject. I may here repeat my regret, that, in coming to the consideration of both these questions, Mr Combe had not confined himself to a statement of his own views, instead of going out of his way to attack those of others. If the first view given here of the constitution of the world had been the true one, and if it could have been established bv fair logical deductions from a sufficient number of undoubted facts, Mr Combe needed not to have troubled himself with any other that could be proposed. He might have satisfied himself with main- taining his own doctrine, and trusted to the harmony which must ever subsist between all truths, to recon- cile his conclusions with a correct interpretation of Scripture. The geologists who maintained, from the appearances of the different rocks, and other materials forming the outer crust of the earth, that this world must have existed many thousand years before the period generally assigned to the creation, at first excited great alarm in many religious and well-meaning persons, from the apprehension that their speculations would undermine the authority of the Mosaic writings. This alarm was unfounded, and is now no longer entertained. The geologists attacked no doctrine connected with Chris- tianity. They properly and philosophically confined themselves to the proof of a fact, which is now esta- blished by such an overwhelming mass of evidence, that it can no longer be questioned. Had Mr Combe fol- lowed their example, and employed himself in a diligenfe 8 EXAMINATION OF investigation of the facts bearing upon the point at issue,. he probably would have come to different conclusions from: those which he has now adopted. At all 'events, while he confined himself strictly to facts, and to pure philoso- phical investigation, he need not have feared the hostility of the divines, and it was entirely out of his province to attack any of their doctrines. When Sir Isaac Newton proposed his theory of uni- versal gravitation as accounting for all the phenomena of the motions of the heavenly bodies, as well as of those on the surface of the globe, he did not encumber himself with attempting to disprove the vortices of Descartes, or the cycles and epicycles of other astronomers. He was quite satisfied with proving his own theoiy, which he placed upon the basis of a broad induction of well- observed facts, and rigid mathematical demonstration, and he left the admirers and supporters of other systems to maintain their own opinions, or reconcile them to the facts, as they best might. Mr Combe's procedure differs from this in two respects. He has attacked the opinions of others; and he has not established his own on any thing like a satis- factory basis. I shall, in what follows^ go more at large into an examination of his fundamental proposition, that the world has been constituted, with regard to man, on the principle of a progressive system ; and, after a full exami- nation of the evidence, I trust I shall be able to shew,: — 1. That the analogy to be drawn from the geological facts, stated by Mr Combe himself, instead of support^ ing his general principle, leads to the very opposite conclusion. 2. That throughout the whole range of organic existence, from which any analogies can be drawn appli- cable to this question, these are uniformly adverse to-; MR combe's hypothesis. 9 Mr Combe's theory, and in favour of the opinions he opposes. 3. That as far as any conclusion can be drawn from history, from the monuments of ancient art, and other remains of antiquity, we are led irresistibly to the belief, that the most ancient nations have been as far, or farther advanced in moral and intellectual attainments, than those which succeeded them. 4. That the course of civilization has, from the first dawn of history until now, proceeded uniformly and exclusively from those countries which were first inhabited, and that no instance can be adduced of any barbarous nation, which, by its own unassisted efforts, ever advanced a single step in the career of moral and intellectual improvement. 5. That the inhabitants of this island have only been raised from barbarism to civilization, by successive con- quests and intermixture with other nations, and by other extraordinary stimulating influences operating on the national mind, and coming from without, including, as the most important, the influence of Christianity. I shall then draw a closer comparison between the two opposite systems, — that of Mr Combe on the one hand, and that of our divines and theologians on the other, and shall endeavour to shew which of them is most consistent with the facts, as far as these can be ascertained by natural reason, and a careful examination of evidence. And, lastly, adverting to the accusations whfch Mr Combe has brought against our religious instructors, and their mode of teaching, I shall endeavour to shew, both on a larger and a more confined scale, what good has already been accomplished by their means, leaving the reader to draw his own conclusions as to what is likely to be done, by a more extended application of the same means in future. 10 EXAMINATION OF I. — Mr Combe's Analogies in support ofJiis Hypothesis. My first position then is, that the analogies relied on by Mr Combe to prove his general principle^ do, if any thing, prove the reverse. If we attend to the geological facts he enumerates, to what do they amount ? Does it appear from them that the physical world, as originally constituted, " contained within itself the elements of improvement, which it required only time to bring to maturity ?" The facts are directly in the teeth of such a supposition. I shall take the statement of them in Mr Combe's own words : " The globe, in the first state in which the imagina- tion can venture to consider it, says Sir H. Davy, appears to have been a fluid mass, with an immense atmosphere, revolving in space round the sun. By its cooling, a portion of its atmosphere was probably con^ densed into water, which occupied a part of its surface. In this state no forms of life, such as now belong to our system, could have inhabited it. The crystalline rocks, or, as they are called by geologists, the primary rocks, which contain no vestiges of a former order of things, were the result of the first consolidation on its surface. Upon the farther cooling, the water, which, more or less, had covered it, contracted; depositions took place; shell-fish and coral insests were created^ and began their labours. Islands appeared in the midst of the ocean, raised from the deep by the productive , energies of millions of zoophytes. These islands became covered with vegetables fitted to bear a high temperature, such as palms, and various species of plants, similar to those which now exist in the hottest parts of the world. The submarine rocks of these new formations of land became covered with aquatic vegetables, on which various. MR COMBE'S ANALOGIES. 11 species of shell-fish and common fishes found their nourishment. As the temperature of the globe became lower, species of the oviparous reptiles appear to have been created to inhabit it ; and the turtle, crocodile, and various gigantic animals of the Saurian (lizard) kind seem to have haunted the bays and waters of the primitive lands. But in this state of things there appears to have been no order of events similar to the present. Immense volcanic explosions seem to have taken place, accom- panied by elevations and depressions of the surface of the globe, producing mountains, and causing new and exten* sive depositions from the primitive ocean. The remains of living beings, plants, fishes, birds, and oviparous reptiles, are found in the strata of rocks, which are the monuments and evidence of these changes. When these revolutions became less frequent, and the globe still more cooled, and inequalities of temperature were established by means of the mountain chains, more perfect animals became its inhabitants, such as the mammoth, mega* lonix, megatherium, and gigantic hyena, many of which have become extinct. Five successive races of plants, and four successive races of animals, appear to have been created and swept away by the physical revolutions of the globe, before the system of things became so permanent as to fit the world for man. In none of these formations, whether called secondary, tertiary, or diluvial, have the fossil remains of man, or any of his works, been discovered. At last, man was created, and since that period there has been little alteration in the physical circumstances of the globe." These are Mr Combe's statements, and not mine ; and assuming them to be correct, what is their amount ? Not certainly that the physical world "contained the elements of improvement within itself," and that these were " evolved and brought to maturity" by the sole operation 12 EXAMINATION OF of " time ;" but, on the contrary, that it required various successive exertions of creative power, before the jarring elements were reduced into order, and matters were brought into the state in which we now see them. In short, the history of the physical world, previous to the creation of man, presents us, according to Mr Combe's own account, with little else than a succession of creations and revolutions; in other words, so many distinct acts of Almighty power, by which successive alterations were induced upon its original constitution ; and how, from a statement like this, Mr Combe can come to the conclusion, that the world " contains within itself the elements of improvement, which time will evolve and bring to maturity," I confess, surpasses my comprehension. To an ordinary understanding it does appear a prodigious non sequitur. The argument, as he states it, just comes to this. The world, as at first framed, contained so little of the elements of improvement within itself, that it required four or five successive exertions of creative power to bring it into a state, fitted for the reception of human inhabitants; therefore, (according to Mr Combe's new principles of analogical reasoning,) " the world contains within itself the elements of improvement, which time will evolve and bring to maturity, it having been constituted on the principle of a progressive system, like the acorn in reference to the oak ;" or, it may be stated more shortly thus, — The world originally did not contain within itself the principles of improvement, therefore it does contain within itself the principles of improvement. — Q. E. D. This is Mr Combe's logic. According to that which I believe to be more current in the world, the conclusion would be the direct contrary. If an analogical argument of this kind is good for any thing, it is good to this extent, — that if in one department of the Creator's 13 works we find a certain principle or method uniformly acted on, we may consider it probable, that the same principle or method will appear in his proceedings in other departments. For example, if it appears, that in the physical world the Creator has not left matters to proceed according to the blind operation of qualities impressed upon it from the beginning, but that he has at certain epochs interfered, and, by successive inter- positions of his power, induced certain changes upon his original work, throughout a long series of ages, — if this be true, as Mr Combe's statement indicates, there is reason, from analogy, to conclude that, in the moral world, the interference of the Almighty mind may also be required at certain epochs, in order to produce those changes in the state and character of our race, which are necessary to fulfil his intentions respecting us. I say we may regard this as probable, from analogy. I do not state that it is certain ; but only that it would be quite consistent with the usual modes of operation of Deity, as we have seen them exemplified in the physical world, if it were so. It is extraordinary, that while Mr Combe states the principle of the argument from analogy quite correctly, he should draw a conclusion in perfect opposition to that principle. " The more we discover of creation," he observes, " the more conspicuously does uniformity of design appear to pervade its every department. We perceive here the physical world gradually improved and prepared for man." We do find it to have been so improved and prepared, but how ? Not by the unassisted evolution of its own elements ; not by any principle of improvement inherent within itself: but by successive exertions of the same Almighty power by which it was originally framed. The physical world, according to Mr Combe's account, has been improved and prepared B 14 EXAMINATION OF MR COMBERS ANALOGIES. for man, in the same way as a field is improved and prepared by a skilful husbandman to receive its destined crop ; and if we are to reason from analbgy, are we to conclude, that, having once introduced man upon the scene, the author of his being has from that moment abandoned all active superintendence of his welfare? Is the moral world of so much less consequence than the physical, as not to deserve, or are its elements so much simpler and more regular in their action as not to require, such superintendence ? This argument from analogy is in every view the most unfortunate that can be conceived, as it leads, not remotely or doubtfully, but by direct and obvious inference, to conclusions the very reverse of those drawn by Mr Combe ; and these conclusions are, as might be expected, supported in the fullest manner by the state- ments of Scripture, and the undoubted facts of history.* * As in the physical world Mr Combe has stated that four or five successive creations of plants and animals have taken place, in order to- render it fit for the habitation of man, so in the moral world there have been already five great periods or epochs, where God expressly inter- fered, in an extraordinary and miraculous manner, for the purposes of influencing the destinies of the human race. The first of these occurred at the Fall, when God pronounced the sentence of death upon man, as the punishment of his disobedience ; and, at the same time, gave the first promise of a Saviour, who was to restore his fallen nature. The second occurred at the Flood, when God interfered to destroy the whole inhabitants of the earth, with the exception of the family of Noah and his sons, who were miraculously saved in an ark, and with whom, after the Flood, he made a new covenant. The third occasion took place at the Call of Abraham, when, the whole race having again fallen into idolatry, God made choice of an individual and family to preserve the knowledge and worship of his- name. The fourth great epoch occurred when the Israelites were brought out of Egypt, and when the Law was delivered to them by Moses, previous to their settlement in the land of Canaan. The fifth and last occasion of miraculous interference, and to which ANALOGIES OPPOSED TO A PROGRESSIVE SYSTEM. 15 II. — Other Analogies tending to prove the opposite of Mr Combe's doctrine. But if, in regard to the physical and moral world, considering each