My friends, I perceived, during my friend, Mr. Campbell's last address, that none of you would like to be deprived of heaven. I do not recollect that I expressed any intention of taking away any well-founded hope of heaven from you. Nor do I know that my assertion denying the existence of, or my opinion that there was a heaven, would make the least difference in the fact. You have, therefore, notwithstanding all I may have said on the subject, just as good a chance for enjoying heaven as you ever had.

      We come now, my friends, to the twelfth and last fundamental law of human nature, viz: "that the individual is made most superior of his species, when his original organization has been compounded of [104] the best properties, of the best ingredients of which human nature is formed, and when the circumstances which surround him from birth to death are of a character to produce only superior impressions; or in other words, when the circumstances or laws, institutions, and customs in which he is placed, are all in unison with his nature." Now, Mr. Campbell misunderstood me about the ingredients of human nature being the origin of natural evil. I stated that some of the peculiar errors of some men arose from their individual organization. And I only applied the remark to human nature. And surely we cannot derive the natural evil of human nature from any other source than its defective organization.

      It is common to say, that such a one is bad by nature; this only means that the individual has not the same compound as others. But whenever we shall understand this subject fully, and discover that the most superior character is produced by a combination of the best organization and circumstances, we then have a very important practical object presented for our attainment. The inquiry then becomes: Do we possess, or can we obtain through this knowledge any influence over the future formation of individuals? I say that we can; and I speak from a knowledge of facts with which all who are in any degree connected with agricultural pursuits are familiar. It is known to such, that there have been vast improvements in the breed of various kinds of animals; that there is a science by which any animal, whether human or irrational, is capable of receiving great improvement at birth. But most unfortunately, in consequence of the general prevalence of ignorance on the subject of the animal man, almost everything that has been done in this matter has had an immediate and direct tendency to deteriorate the infant man at birth. But the knowledge of this science, as soon as we acquire it, will instruct us in the unerring method of obtaining the best raw material for the manufacture of man. It is an object of the highest importance to the welfare and happiness of man, that every child should be born with the best physical, intellectual, and moral organization of which his nature is susceptible. There is a science by which all these may be improved before birth. But the time is coming when we shall have very distinct and accurate knowledge upon these particulars; when we shall know how to cultivate the human being in such manner as to present him greatly improved in his organization at birth. But be this as it may, we have at present the power of withdrawing the most unfavorable circumstances from around all human beings from birth, and these circumstances acting upon our infinitely diversified organizations create nine-tenths of the whole character of individuals. [105]

      My friends, you have seen many of the society of Friends in this country; you have seen Jews, and you have seen Indians. Now the difference observable between the Quaker, Jew, and Indian, arises solely from the difference of their external circumstances, in their mode of acting, or their respective original organizations. For were we to take the infants of the Quakers and give them to be brought up by the Jews, they would unquestionably make good Jews, and vice versa. We shall, therefore, I repeat, have the power as soon as we acquire the requisite knowledge, to influence the character of every child that is born to a greater extent than nine-tenths of its whole character.

      And if we of the present generation will not exert ourselves to remove the unfavorable circumstances which now exist, the coming generation ought not to be blamed for their characters being ill-formed. If we love our offspring, if we have any regard for the welfare of future generations, we can no longer remain indifferent about ascertaining the true method of forming and educating them; we can no longer supinely leave them to be the sport of such circumstances, as now pervade the world. No! we shall rather devote our whole heart and soul to the investigating and maturing of this all-important subject, which embraces within its scope, all that can be done by man for the improvement of his fellow-beings. My friends, I never consider this subject without feeling that any language which I can command is too feeble to convey an adequate idea of its importance. Nothing can be plainer than the path you have to pursue; you have nothing to do but make yourselves acquainted with the influence of the circumstances, beneficial or injurious around you, and to withdraw all those which experience shall prove to be detrimental to our nature. This is the whole duty of man; let him perform this duty well, with knowledge and with judgment, and every beneficent result will follow, of course. The performance of this duty is plain and simple; there is no complexity about it, and it will soon be understood by every one. But what has been done for the species upon these rational principles? Why scarcely anything; and nothing at all has been done with a correct understanding of the subject. And yet can we advance a single step toward the attainment of this grand object, until we have acquired an accurate knowledge of ourselves?

      Now, my friends, you have heard from me very different doctrines from those which are taught by all the religions of the world. You will, of course, institute a comparison between my developments and those which you have received from your public and appointed instructors--from your spiritual pastors. Well, compare them in their practice. You have already seen and experienced what a state of society [106] the different religions of the world has produced. A little trial will convince you of what can be effected for the good of mankind by the course which I recommend, by attending to facts instead of imagination. Rely upon it, my friends, that if we allow ourselves to be governed by anything but experience, we shall inevitably be led into the mazes of error. When once we diverge from the straightforward path which facts point out, we launch into the wilds of imagination and everything becomes a labyrinth of obscurity, which bewilders the human faculties. Under the old arrangements of society I have never yet met with an individual whose mind was not confused, and whose ideas were not in contradiction with each other. But ever since I was compelled by circumstances to unassociate my early erroneous ideas, since my mind has been regenerated by the removal of these first impressions to their very foundations, and filled with ideas only consistent with these twelve laws of our nature, I have experienced no jarring elements within me; all has been tranquil and harmonious; there has been nothing to wear out my constitution, or create feelings in my bosom except those unavoidably created by beholding my fellow-beings around me existing in a state of misery, for which I know there exists no other cause but the lamentable ignorance in which they have been trained. Now, my friends, I have endeavored to show you how those twelve fundamental laws of human nature are in direct opposition to the doctrines inculcated and always implied by all the religions of the world. My object is to show you that the two systems are perfect antipodes to each other, that they cannot exist together, that either these twelve fundamental laws of human nature are utterly false, or that all the religions of the world are founded in ignorance and error. It is just as impossible to effect a union between these twelve laws and any system of religion extant, as it is to effect an amalgamation between oil and water; there is as little moral affinity in the one case as there is of chemical affinity in the other. The one is all fact derived from what human nature was yesterday, is to-day, and is likely ever to be. The systems of religion on the other hand are derived from the wildest vagaries of fancy; they are but the air-built fabrics of imagination. I call them air-built, for they have nothing but imagination opposed to natural laws to rest upon, and they have been, in consequence, in a perpetual state of change, and they are still hourly changing in men's minds. And most fortunate it is for you, my friends, that they have no other foundation; for neither in their origin, their tendency, their errors, contradictions, or absurdities, are they at all calculated to produce good conduct in men, or happiness for his race. The greatest blessing that can accrue to man is to [107] demonstrate the ignorance of which all these systems have been predicated, so palpably, that with one accord, mankind should agree to dismiss them from their consideration, as unworthy of the attention of rational beings. But in doing this I would guard you against one danger which may and must arise from the course which must be taken to relieve yourselves from error. My friends, there are three distinct states of society. The first is the common one all over the world, in which human nature has been compelled to believe or profess a belief in some district religion or order, and in this state of society, the characters of individuals have been formed upon the principles of this district religion. Knowing these principles, we can, to a certain extent, judge what the characters of the individuals composing this society are. But when we advance one step toward real knowledge and we can no longer believe these principles, we at the same time withdraw all foundation from the former character formed for us by religious belief; we become like vessels on the ocean without a helm, chart, or compass to steer by; and this is the worst state in which human nature can be placed. But this is the gulf through which we must pass, if the condition of society is to be improved. All we can do is to adopt measures to shorten this critical period as much as possible. And while we are doing this, we are in the second state of society. The third and the superior state of existence will be that in which the individual, having been disabused of the errors implanted by his former religious and other vicious external circumstances, has been taught the correct principles of his nature, when he has been fully and fairly taught what manner of being he is, and his relation to his fellows; then, instead of being worse than the present religious characters of the day, he will rise incomparably above them all; they cannot help sinking almost below estimate in the comparison. In the two first states we shall be irrational. In the third state, everything that savors of irrationality will be withdrawn; in this state there will be, there can be, none who are irrational in their thoughts, feelings, and conduct. Fear not, my friends, that this change in your minds will produce vice instead of virtue.

      This change is absolutely necessary, before you can be born again. This is the regeneration which you and past generations have been looking for; and this change can be wrought simply by acquiring a knowledge of these eternal and immutable facts. These twelve fundamental laws of human nature (divine in every sense of the word) demonstrate that all the religions of the world have been founded in ignorance, and are opposed to our nature, when that nature shall be fully understood. Now, my friends, I think I may proceed one step [108] farther, and state that these religions are now the only obstacles in the way of forming a society over the earth, of kindness, intelligence, sincerity, and prosperity in the fullest sense of the term; and now I think I may advance another step, and declare that the light is come among us, and that this knowledge can no longer be withheld from the great mass of the people but by the increased tyranny of the few over the many. But the few can no longer tyrannize over the many. Knowledge is power; and knowledge is passing from mind to mind, from country to country like a flood. And this knowledge shall spread from one point as from a center over every portion of the world, until the knowledge of the truth, or, in scripture language, of the Lord, shall cover the earth as the waters cover the seas. This is the knowledge of the Lord, for truth alone is the knowledge of the Lord. It is a knowledge derived from those facts which ever have existed and which exist to this day, as the universal word of the universal cause from whence all effects proceed. When we use the terms Lord, God, or Deity, we use a term without annexing to it any definite idea. Whenever we use this term we annex to it our own peculiar notions, and in many cases they are strange and wild in the extreme. But, my friends, we do know that it is a law of our nature that we have been so formed that we must acquire all our real knowledge by experience; and all experience declares that man is what he has been demonstrated to be by the twelve fundamental laws of his nature.

[COD 104-109]