The stream flows onward, naturally obeying a natural law; but an obstacle interposes and interrupts the design; still it will go on to complete its cycle, obedient to its destiny, though turned from its natural channel:  and these are the same in the end with those undisturbed in the fulfilment of their designs.  All crime or vice is of time, and made such by the laws of man.  The aggregation of men into societies or communities necessitate laws to establish moral, legal, and political duties, and to provide punishments for the infraction of these.  The right to acquire and possess the fruits of labor—­the right of free thought—­the right to enjoy the natural relations of life, and the privileges conferred by society—­the right to live undisturbed, all are the objects of legal protection; because the attributes of man’s nature, unrestrained in the discharge of his duties to his fellow-man, will invade these rights, and hence the necessity of a universal rule of action.  All these attributes are susceptible of education as to what is right, and what is wrong; and it is the duty of religion to impress upon the mind the importance of the one to the security of society, and the evil of the other in its effect upon the design of the Creator.  This design is harmony and love universal, and pervades all nature, where a free will is not vouched; but with this free will is given a capacity to cultivate it into that love and harmony, and thus to consummate the great design of the Creator.

He taught, religion was the sublimation of moral thought and moral action; because it was in harmony with nature, and subserved the purposes of the Creator—­because it brought man into harmony with every other creation, whose design was apparent to his capacity of understanding—­that this design, made manifest to his mind, taught him his duty, and it was the province of the teacher to show to all this design, and illustrate this harmony.  The teacher should know before he attempted to teach.  He should disabuse his own mind of prejudices and superstitions at variance with nature, and study natural organization to learn the intention of the Creator; learn the nature of plants, the organization of the earth, its components how formed, and of what—­all animal creation—­the mechanism of the universe, its motions—­the exact perfection of every creation for the design of that creation; see and know God’s will, and God’s wisdom, and God’s power in all of them; descend to the minor and most infinitesimal creation; learn its organization, and see God here with a design, and a perfect organization, to work it out—­learn truth, where only truth exists, from God in all created nature, and teach this, that all may learn and conserve to the same great end.