Of these powers it is bereft. Therefore, these
powers are peculiar to man, and it is made evident that in the human
kingdom there is a reality of which the animal is lacking. What is that
reality? It is the spirit of man. By it man is distinguished above all the
other phenomenal kingdoms. Although he possesses all the virtues of the
lower kingdoms, he is further endowed with the spiritual faculty, the
heavenly gift of consciousness.

All material phenomena are subject to nature. All material organisms are
captives of nature. None of them can deviate in the slightest from the
laws of nature. This earth, these great mountains, the animals with their
wonderful powers and instincts cannot go beyond natural limitations. All
things are captives of nature except man. Man is the sovereign of nature;
he breaks nature's laws. Though an animal fitted by nature to live upon
the surface of the earth, he flies in the air like a bird, sails upon the
ocean and dives deep beneath its waves in submarines. Man is gifted with a
power whereby he penetrates and discovers the laws of nature, brings them
forth from the world of invisibility into the plane of visibility.
Electricity was once a latent force of nature. According to nature's laws
it should remain a hidden secret, but the spirit of man discovered it,
brought it forth from its secret depository and made its phenomena
visible. It is evident and manifest that man is capable of breaking
nature's laws. How does he accomplish it? Through a spirit with which God
has endowed him at creation. This is a proof that the spirit of man
differentiates and distinguishes him above all the lower kingdoms. It is
this spirit to which the verse in the Old Testament refers when it states,
"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." The
spirit of man alone penetrates the realities of God and partakes of the
divine bounties.

This great power must evidently be differentiated from the physical body
or temple in which it is manifested. Observe and understand how this human
body changes; nevertheless, the spirit of man remains ever in the same
condition. For instance, the body sometimes grows weak, it becomes strong
or stout, sometimes it grows smaller or may be dismembered, but there is
no effect upon the spirit. The eye may become blind, the foot may be
amputated, but no imperfection afflicts the spirit. This is proof that the
spirit of man is distinct from his body. Defects in the b