The Seeker after God from the book of God's own composing, the holy volume of his own works, through voluntary clairvoyance, will feel himself in the enjoyment of a second nature, the fit inhabitant of an intellectual world, in which the powers of thought are without limits. And who can say what discovery of abstract truths may not be elicited from the conversation of two or more clairvoyants in mutual report, all of exalted talent and superior education? Other worlds, ere this be past, may open to our view, and their inhabitants become clairvoyantly familiar to human observation. The idea is pregnant with hope; it presumes that we are not inhabitants of only the earth, but the universe; which may be considered a natural, never-dying hope. Why, then, should the science be opposed which has already been so beneficial to our species, and promises to make known the never yet discovered wonders of the animal economy? Surely they will be yet ashamed of having done those things, the fruit of which is the bitterness of remorse.
CONTINUOUS MOTION.
The motion which continues after the body has ceased to be in contact with the sensible impelling cause, is named continuous motion. The body impelled receives neither force nor motion from the impelling cause: neither force nor motion is anything transferrable or anything communicable; forcible velocity and change of place are but accidents of matter, and but local, casual circumstances of bodies. Being inert, the body cannot move itself. Motion, therefore, is but a physical effect, and must have a cause equal to the duration of the effect: motion after impulse has ceased, would be effect without cause—which is an absurdity and impossibility; therefore impulse is constant as motion, however insensible the impelling cause. These dynamic principles cannot be too frequently brought to mind, considering the general erroneous opinion on the subject which maintains, that "a body continues in motion because it cannot stop itself;" which is effect without its equal of cause.
A body in motion is under unequal pressure on opposite sides, greater on the rear than front. The air in front resists, that in the rear may be said to recede from the body; therefore neither impels the projectile. Under such circumstances there remains but the alternative, that of the electric constitution of the body being changed by the previous impulse, by which medium of space accumulates on one side, or decreases on the opposite. The phenomenon admits of being thus illustrated:
The first, previous or sensible impulse, effects de-electrisation of the body on the rear or side of impulse; influent medium of space immediately occupies the vacated rear, and by its pressure impels the body through the air. The velocity of the previous impulse, gives momentum to the body greater than the included freely-removable elementary matter can obtain; of consequence the latter is left behind in the air, and the pressure of the acquired medium of space in the rear, is the continuous impelling cause. Thus is the mistake of Dugald Stuart made evident, that "motion is the immediate and only effect of impulse."
It is not the air's resistance which makes the motion of a projectile decline and end. Taking impulse as ten, resistance four, there remains six degrees of unresisted impulse, which should impel the body for ever through the atmosphere. The decline and cessation of impulse is that which brings the projectile to rest.
From the instant the body has ceased to be in contact with the sensible impelling cause, electric matter is re-entering the rear, which displaces gradually the impelling medium; and as are the increments of the former, so are the decrements of the latter, and so is the decline of motion.
Ascending and Descending Motion.
—The rear of the vertically-impelled body becomes vacated of minus-pressure matter, and replaced with medium of space; by the latter, and general pressure, the body is forced upwards as a cork by water. While ascending, the rear is acquiring electric matter and losing the impelling medium,—the velocity of course declines; and when at the highest, the body is at rest in the air for an instant, then is precipitated to the ground. During the entire of the descent, electric matter is vacating the rear and medium of space entering, consequently the fall is accelerated. Now as the body cannot fall of itself; as descending motion is of increasing velocity, while motion in every other direction is retarded; and, because all descent has the same centripetal direction, so should there be some distinct cause to produce these conspicuous effects, which, to trace, suggest the following hypothesis: