25 February–2 March 1856

Truth. It is not wise to talk, as men do, of reason as the gift of God bestowed, etc., or, of reasoning from nature up to nature's God, etc. The intellectual power is not the gift, but the presence of God. Nor do we reason to the being of God, but God goes with us into nature, when we go or think at all. Truth is always new and wild as the wild air, and is aHve. The mind is always true, when there is mind, and it makes no difference that the premises are false, we ar- rive at true conclusions.