'Happily, the spirit of the cube and square is not difficult of extraction, by means of the help of their analogies. When a man acts honestly and uprightly, we denominate his conduct to be fair and square. Now we cannot deny this to be a very strong testimony, without contradicting the common sense of mankind. But the matter is susceptible of a demonstration as strong and perfect, though of a mixed nature, as any proposition in Euclid, if we admit the existence of moral and spiritual demonstration.

A straight line, or path, is a figurative expression among men, denoting true moral conduct; and a crooked line, or path, is equally figurative of false or erroneous moral conduct. <If this testimony stood alone upon its own foundation, it might be called a vulgar notion, "destitute of authority; but this is not the case, the similitude is borrowed from the word of God. Thus the Prophet Isaiah says, The "WAY of peace they know not; and there is

"no judgment in their GOINGS: they have made "them CROOKED PATHS: whosoever GOETH therein “shall not know peace."-Chap. lix. 8.

Again, chap. xl. "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make STRAIGHT in the desert a "HIGHWAY for our God." Now all Christian believers allow the above expressions to be

figurative, or to have a spiritual meaning. They believe the Gospel to be the way, the high way of salvation; and they believe it to be the only way to fulfil the holy law of perfect truth and righteousness.

Upon these undisputed foundations, therefore, I venture to try to develope and demonstrate the analogies of the cube and square.

A straight line being the true emblem (not only among men, but in the word of God also) of truth and moral rectitude, therefore a vertical straight line, as being such a line directly produced from earth towards heaven, is typical of the line of true religious piety, which has precisely the same direction in a spiritual sense. Therefore, in Holy Scripture, a faithful and religious man is called an upright man, or to speak geometrically, a vertical man; as the Lord says of Job, "A PERFECT and an UPRIGHT "MAN; one that feareth God, and escheweth "evil."

Again, if the said vertical straight line be bisected at right-angles, by another equal straight line, so that this other straight line be also bisected by the first; then this second line is an emblem, equally true and perfect, of the line or path of true moral rectitude. For the line of true morality is closely connected with the line of true religion. But how? It is not parallel, for then they would never meet, nor

enter into each other, as it is plain they do from Scripture; for St. Paul says, "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, "DO ALL TO THE GLORY OF GOD."-1 Cor. x.

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Hence it is evident, that every, even the. most common action of moral-natural life and conduct, is an act of religion in a subordinate degree and manner. Since then the straight line of religion and the straight line of morality do meet and enter into each other, that is to say, intersect each other, in what manner and degree is this intersection performed?

First, let it be supposed that the angle of intersection is less than a right angle on one side of the vertical line, and consequently greater than a right angle on the other side of the same; also, that neither of the said straight lines bisect each other. Then the second or moral straight line, being divided and regulated by the first, or vertical straight line of religion*, therefore, one part of the moral line, on one side of the vertical, does, and must necessarily typify that part of morality which regards our neighbour; and the other part of the same, on the other side of the vertical, does, and must

·

The love of God is the great commandment, and the first; the second or love of man" is like unto it," but not equal in degree or in kind, because it is mixed with self-love in equal measures.

symbolize that part of morality which regards ourself: for these two parts, viz. self-love and social-love, do make up the sum total of the moral line, which is divided by every man's religion, or conscience towards God. Now because the two straight lines do not bisect each other, but only intersect each other in points distant from their respective centres; therefore, the two distinct parts of the moral line abovementioned will not be equal; for the intersections of the lines not being in the centre of each, therefore one side shall be more than a true radius, and the other side shall be less than a true radius. Therefore the practical, or linear measurement of our duty and love to our neighbour, will not be equal to the measure of our practical duty and love to ourselves. Also, the angles on each side of the vertical line being the speculative measures, respectively, of our love and duty to our neighbour and ourselves, are also unequal from the construction. But the law of God and of perfect truth says, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Hence it is evident, that oblique angles, and unequal radii, cannot be the true construction

* In surveys, we measure distances, or lines, by the chain, practically; but we measure angles speculatively, by a sight, or glass, and without moving from our place. The last denotes theory, the first experiment.

of the moral line, with respect to the true religious line; and it is equally evident, that no construction of the said moral straight line, except that which is at right angles to, and in mutual bisection of, the religious and moral lines, can be the true moral straight line, as described and constructed by our Lord Jesus Christ, both by precept and in practice.

From what has been said it is evident, that the diagram supposed above, is a true type of the whole law of God, viz. "Thou shalt love "the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and

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mind, and soul, and strength; and thou shalt "love thy neighbour as thyself." Now, we have only to join the adjacent extremities, of this rectangular and equilinear CROSS, by straight lines; and we shall have the square type of the New Jerusalem, which, multiplied by its root, produces the cube of the same*.

In the square thus formed, the sides, or external limits of the figure, are emblematic of practical and oblique, or moral conduct, as denoted by the moral 4 of 45° on each extremity; and the internal and perpendicular lines and angles are figures of square, or conscientious

The square and cube here demonstrated, are spiritually formed, by the circumcision of four segments of the circle, and six solid segments of the sphere of humanity, by the law of truth in love.