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This kind of discernment is a gift higher than reason; and may it not be possible that they are of the nature of these spiritual gifts, and are but the incipient developments of a law of our spiritual nature as yet undeveloped, on which these gifts are founded, which is to be the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy?

OBJECTION FIRST. -- Mrs. Dixon objected that since the power of working miracles is included among these gifts, she concluded they must be confined to the apostolic age, since the day of miracles is past. I reply, if the term miracle must mean only a suspension of a law of nature, or contrary to nature, I think with her, that the day is past for such manifestations. But, if it may bear the interpretation which men of talent and ability put upon it -- viz: that a miracle signifies, and implies a supernatural power, meaning a power acting in harmony with a higher than natural law, I think they may, and still do continue. The law by which these supernatural events take place is unknown to us, and may be beyond our present ability to comprehend. For example, had we never seen or known that a caterpillar could be changed into a butterfly, we should call it a miracle. The facts occurring daily on the telegraphic wires would have been considered miracles to past generations. So of eclipses, which were regarded as miracles, until the law of eclipses was discovered. And I think it will continue to be a fact that supernatural events will continue to take place, because they are the result of laws on a plane of which we are as yet ignorant. I believe these spiritual gifts are all controlled by established laws of our spiritual existence, of which we are at present comparatively ignorant. I fully believe God never acts except in harmony with established laws, and is never compelled to break these laws to bring about his purposes.

OBJECTION SECOND. -- Deacon Merrick objected, that if this was the true view, all who believe must have this power; and since none do have it as he thought, therefore there can be no true Christianity in the church.

I reply, that I do not think this a legitimate conclusion -- that because all do not have this power, therefore none do. Would Deacon Merrick say that because all the blossoms of the apple-tree do not perfect into perfect, sound, ripe apples, therefore none do; or that there are no apples at all? Or would he rather say, that each blossom has in it the germ of the mature, sound apple, which will naturally be developed into fruit, unless some accident occurs to prevent it? So all who have any degree of saving faith, have that in them which will ultimately perfect into this vigorous faith, and bring forth some of these perfected fruits or spiritual gifts. This faith is the natural outgrowth of human nature -- that is, it has that universal principle of human nature, viz: trust or confidence, for its foundation to rest upon. We can no more get faith without this principle of human nature to build it upon, than we can get apples without soil to support the tree; and no more is the soil a sinful article because it is natural, than is human nature sinful because it is natural. Both the nature, and the precious germinated spiritual fruits upon it, are part of God's well done work, and therefore are both equally good in their places. But for lack of proper cultivation, this kind of fruit is rarely brought to perfection in this life.

Another illustration. I once heard the Rev. Joseph Cooper, a Congregational minister, of Salem, Iowa, relate the following fact, which took place when he served on board a vessel, on the coast of Norway. His captain found himself utterly unable to navigate the ship through a very dangerous channel between an island and the main land. A pilot on board seeing the very dangerous condition they were in, volunteered his services to the captain, assuring him he could take the ship safely through. The captain accepted the offer, although not without some misgivings as to the ability of this stranger pilot. But confident he could not guide it himself, he felt compelled to accept the offer. Consequently he resigned his ship entirely to this pilot's control, and directed his men to follow all this new pilot's directions.

The pilot accepted his charge, and commenced by reversing all the captain's orders, and headed the ship towards the breakers on shore. This aroused the captain's fears. Still he could do nothing but submit. But very soon his fears became so much aroused, in view of their approach towards the breakers, that he ventured to tell his pilot that they were going into the breakers. "I know it!" was his only reply, and still approached the breakers. The captain expostulated with him three times, and each time received the same answer, "I know it!" For a time the captain paced the deck in agony, wringing his hands, until at length becoming desperate, he determined to take the ship into his own hands, confident that his professed pilot was unworthy of confidence, and was just in the act of doing so, when, behold! the pilot turned the ship about, and soon brought it out of all danger. He afterwards found that the pilot had turned the ship at just the point, and the only point, where it could be done without being wrecked, for there was a narrow channel of rocks beneath, which the pilot knew how to follow; but the least deviation from that course would have been destruction to the ship, and an attempt to turn before the right point was reached would have been not only impossible, but certain destruction.