erent and indefeasible prerogative.

Hence arises the idea of contingency relative to the acts of living and
sentient beings, and the opinion that, while, in the universe of matter,
every thing proceeds in regular course, and nothing has happened or
can happen, otherwise than as it actually has been or will be, in the
determinations and acts of living beings each occurrence may be or not
be, and waits the mastery of mind to decide whether the event shall
be one way or the other, both issues being equally possible till that
decision has been made.

Thus, as was said in the beginning, we have demonstration, all the
powers of our reasoning faculty, on one side, and the feeling, of our
minds, an inward persuasion of which with all our efforts we can never
divest ourselves, on the other. This phenomenon in the history of every
human creature, had aptly enough been denominated, the "delusive sense
of liberty(27)."

(27) The first writer, by whom this proposition was distinctly
enunciated, seems to have been Lord Kaimes, in his Essays on the
Principles of Morality and Natural Religion, published in 1751. But this
ingenious author was afterwards frightened with the boldness of his
own conclusions, and in the subsequent editions of his work endeavoured
ineffectually to explain away what he had said.

And, though the philosopher in his closet will for the most part fully
assent to the doctrine of the necessity of human actions, yet this
indestructible feeling of liberty, which accompanies us from the cradle
to the grave, is entitled to our serious attention, and has never
obtained that consideration from the speculative part of mankind,
which must by no means be withheld, if we would properly enter into
the mysteries of our nature. The necessarian has paid it very imperfect
attention to the impulses which form the character of man, if he
omits this chapter in the history of mind, while on the other hand the
advocate of free will, if he would follow up his doctrine rigorously
into all its consequences, would render all speculations on human
character and conduct superfluous, put an end to the system of
persuasion, admonition, remonstrance, menace, punishment and reward,
annihilate the very essence of civil government, and bring to a close
all distinction between the sane person and the maniac.

With the disciples of the latter of these doctrines I am by no means
specially concerned. I am fully persuaded, as far as the