the soul is not material nor the body spiritual. ",To identify mat- ter with mind," says Cousin, in a passage before quoted, " or mind witli matter ; it is necessary to pretend that sensation, thought, volition, are reducible, in the last analysis, to solidity, extension, figuie, divisibility, etc. ; or that solidity, extension, figure, etc., are reducible to sensation, thought, will." ^ It may be said, tlierefore, despite of materialists and idealists, that it is intuitively certain that matter and mind are two distinct substances ; and such has been the faith of the great body of mankind. This view of the nature of man which is presented in the original account of his creation, is sustained by the constant representations of the Bible.
Truths on this Subject assumed in Scripture.
The Scriptures do not formally teach any system of psychol- ogy, but there are certain truths relating both to our physical and mental constitution, which they constantly assume. They assume, as we have seen, that the soul is a substance ; that it is a substance distinct from the body ; and that there are two, and not more than two, essential elements in the constitution of man. This is evident, (1.) From the distinction everywhere made between soul and body. Thus, in the original account of the creation a clear distinction is made between the body as formed from the dust of the earth, and the soul or principle of life which was breathed into it from God. And in Gen. iii. 19, it is said, '* Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." As it was only the body that was formed out of the dust, it is only the body that is to return to dust. In Eccles. xii. 7, it is said, " Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, antl the spirit sliall return unto God who gave it." Is. X. 18, " Shall consume .... both soul and body." Daniel says .(vii. 15), " I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body." Our Lord (Matt. vi. 25) commands his disciples to take no thought for the body ; and, again (Matt. x. 28), " Fear not them which kill the bod}', but are not able to kill the soul : but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Such is the constant representation of the Scriptures. The body and soul are set forth as distinct substances, and the two together as constituting the whole man. (2.) There is a second class of passages equally decisive as to this point. It consists of those in which tiie body is represented as a garment which is to be laid aside ; a tabernacle or house in which the soul dwells, which it may leave and return to. Paul, on a certain occasion, did not I Elements of Psychology, Henry's translation, N. Y. 1856, p. 370.
44 PART n. ch. II. — nature of man.
know whether \iS was in the body or out of the body. Peter says he thought it meet as long as he was in this tabernacle to put his bretliren in remembrance of the truth, " knowing," as he adds, '■ tliat shortly I must put off this my tabernacle." Paul, in 2 Cor. V. 1, says, " If our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God." In the same coimection, he speaks of being unclothed and clothed upon with our house which is from heaven ; and of being absent from the body and present with the Lord, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. To the Philippians (i. 23, 24) he says, " I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ ; which is far better : nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you." (3.) It is the common belief of mankind, the clearly revealed doctrine of the Bible, and part of the faith of the Church universal, that the soul can and does exist and act after death. If this be so, then the body and soul are two distinct substances. The former may be disorganized, reduced to dust, dispersed, or even annihilated, and the latter retain its con- scious life and activity. This doctrine was taught in the Old Testament, where the dead are represented as dwelling in Sheol, whence they occasionally reappeared, as Samuel did to Saul. Our Lord says that as God is not the God of the dead but of tlie living, his declaring himself to be the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, proves that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are now alive. Moses and Elijah conversed with Christ on the Mount. To the dying thief our Lord said, " To-day shalt thou" (that in which his personality resided) "be with me in Paradise." Paul, as we have just seen, desired to be absent from the body and present with the Lord. He knew that his conscious personal existence was to be continued after the dissolution of his body. It is unnecessary to dwell on this point, as the continued existence of the soul in full conscious- ness and activity out of the body and in the interval between death and the resurrection, is not denied by any Christian Church. But if this be so it clearly proves that the soul and body are two distinct substances, so that the former can exist independently of the lattei.
Relation of the Soul and Body.
Man, then, according to the Scriptures, is a created spirit in vital union with a material organized body. The relation b»*tween these two constituents of our nature is admitted to be myste»'ious. That is, it is incomprehensible. We do not know how the body acts on the mind, or how the mind acts on the body. These facia,