39. Sophistry.
This organ, called by the French authors, “Ottin, Tete Philosophie,”—is situated on the top of the forehead above Comparison and causality, and gives an intense love of philosophy and metaphysical research: when well supported by the moral sentiments and perceptive faculties, it gives a great power of reasoning well, but if the perceptives are deficient, it gives a love of theory without sufficient regard to facts, so that the process of induction is lost sight of: its greatest abuse causes the light of wisdom, which is Truth, to be darkened by spiritual delusion or wilful perversion of revelation: or it produces intellectual sophistry, which tends to support party prejudices, and clothe error in the vestments of truth—actuated by the moral sentiments, this faculty produces the power of detecting sophistry in the arguments of another and teaches the christian to be as “subtle as the serpent, and as harmless as the dove.”
40. Prophecy.
This organ lies between Conscientiousness, Hope, Caution and Wonder; it produces a desire to compare the past with the future and judge of what will be; it influences to a study of prophetic writings and as the organ is actuated by wonder, or a desire of truth, so is the prophet true or false; and as the animal or moral and spiritual creature prevails, so will the person be dangerous or useful. St. Paul tells us, “despise not prophesying.”—and he calls it a gift and adds prophecy shall cease, but Charity and Love never faileth;—and again he exhorts us above all things to seek to prophecy, which in the greek text signifies “to teach the truth,” and thus it tends to perfect Christian peace and establishes for ever the eternal power of love; this faculty teaches us to perfect the faculties by pointing their evil tendency and looking forward to the teaching of the Divine spirit, to perfect what is out of unity in the threefold nature of man, as a physical, intellectual, and spiritual being: it teaches us to wait for the time when the Great Teacher Christ shall come as the Spirit of Truth and teach us all things. The abuse of this faculty makes men become false prophets and teachers; history affords abundant instances of men acting under diseased organs who have thus become deluding fanatics. The humble Christian who follows his anointed master will strive to overcome all that is vicious, so that he may be able to inherit all things, and understand the great truth that “the testimony of Christ Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
Conclusion.
This little work having extended to a greater length than was originally intended, it is purposed to continue the subject in another volume of similar size, to which this is the text book.—In that work we design to point out the influence of the organs in combination,—the harmony of Scripture with Phrenology—and a text book for perfecting the organization by means of Holy writ—our object in so doing, is to make Christians the true Phrenologists, and to make this science one of the great army of TRUTHS, now advancing to the battle of Armageddon. Our aim in this volume has been simply to point out the uses of Phrenology, and the truths whereon it is founded; in the next we purpose to consider the means, whereby the pious and humble reader of Scripture may be enabled to perfect his organization, so as to overcome the world,—to fight the good fight,—and indeed to be born again.
THE END.