it on the Calton Hill.

We have also a knife to cut for it a little turf. Good, said I, it sang sweetly when beside us; may be it sings more sweetly now, that it is free and perched on the tree of life! Go-go in peace. They went their way; I went mine. I too heeded not the passers by. My mind was absorbed in one deep thought-what is life? I could not answer then, neither can I now, still I can do more than conjecture. Seeing it is written, "The life of the flesh is in the blood-the blood is the life thereof." Hence life is the living animal's soul, as well in man as in beasts; yea, in all things that have the power of motion in themselves. It exists in the living flesh (Basar, Heb.); the soul of the body (Psuche) lives in everypart (Aristotle), but the organic life does not also think. The Spirit (Rauch, Greek—Mind, Nous, Reason, Phren. also Greek) is the Ego. The flesh, by the law of instinct feels, according to its law of contractility; hence it craves and desires, Rom. viii. The Ego more properly feels and desires. Yea more, it also energises itself. It thinks, reasons, imagines, judges by comparison, and hence concludes, maybe correctly,' maybe not.

"Behold I know not any thing,

I can but trust that good shall fall
At last-far off at last to all;
And every winter change to spring,
So runs my dream. But what am I?
An infant crying in the night,
An infant crying for the light,

And with no language but a cry."

Hence the need of a divine revelation. Life and immortality are brought to light by the gospel. God's word is sure, and like the earth, it standeth fast, i. e. it changeth not. It alone is the absolute, i. e. the eternal and unchangeable truth; and after all, for man's perfect assurance, God confirmed it by an

Ah! says Colenso, Moses made a strange mistake. No, said a Pope, the world standeth still: No, said Galileo, "the world moves after all," and science has confirmed this truth. The motion of the earth is not perceptible by sense. Moses could not possibly have described it otherwise than as he, while standing on it, saw it, i. e. motionless. He saw the acts of creation in a vision-hence his perceptions were all true to sense-a moving object cannot be photographed. We only see a bird flying, because its motion is slow. An arrow or a ball is soon out of sight. We cannot perceive the motion of the planets, we only judge of it by comparison. Sensations strike the sensorium in a second, and instant perception is the effect -result. Hence so far from cavilling at Bible language, Reason should rather marvel with highest astonishment. No two photographs can possibly be identically alike. Hence

276

LIFE.

ant.

God

and ear of i could have Moses would had he not read perceived it. onform to nature. t modify itself, far ous and phenomena Their proportions may must in all points, lines, elative proportions coincide ceptions to one hair-breadth's d have been arbitrary, i. e. false. solute. Its question ever is and bsolute truth? The finite can know

There is a kind of innocence in childhor and yet all speak lies from their very h Still Jesus loved the lawyer for his hones lacked one thing which was far above "Go sell all, and then come and follow and he went away very sorrowful. man to enter heaven's strait gate' but not so with God! Hence th their nets-St Paul lost all, a' as beautiful as she was good. her associates, and yet pla amusements, they used to Christian was not amon white attire, and she

mations had their lirt (St Paul and Hamilton). If the Bible ledge, the world could not have contained all, even as it is, can master, during his perfect truth, seeing that absolute truth in but infinite. But still, it may be said, is truth positive, and if so, how can a thing which

some rule was ena
childhood soon arr
ences in taste.
was unseemly
child." See,
grassy slopi
lying deer
at Hawt

See

at

d not to move? Of two contradictories, one must and the other false. Still one thing is clear, i. e. it is

sounding to
universal

KAS IS a
sensible

to perception, and perceptious are true to sense;
law, else no truth could possibly be known
Hence when it is said that the world

truth.

Standeth fast, and cannot be moved, it simply means that it is so only as it is seen and perceived. Thus, air, water, aud light are said to be elements; while each is now known to be a com

pound,

facts are

experimental truths, "sought out by all who therein
e." How could the Bible otherwise accord with

take pleasure.

This is God's general manner of
the constitution of man, and with those organs which are given
teaching, but it is not so all and all throughout. God had at
for this very end and use?
first spoken, aud Adam believed not the "voice" of God.
Next, God spake by eight prophets in succession, and men

believed not.

The Sodomites knew not that the two men were manifesta-
tions of the Son and the Holy Ghost, the Word, or Wisdom,
and the divine power of God. Again, the sons of Jacob had
also apostatised. God next manifested himself to Moses as a
voice of mercy proceeding out of a flaming bush, and yet the
That voice was that I AM who was
bush was not consumed!
the God of Abraham, &c. His name for ever is I AM, and his
everlasting memorial' is still the same. Again, God's absolute

་

'ned and articulated by the loud trumpet's awful illar of fire by night and cloud by day bespoke Again that favoured nation sinned, hence ent up from the first temple, never to temple with its bare walls should be he first, by the angel of the covenant ence theophanies were only occaChrist was the likeness and itable similitude, i.e. the Logos ch appointed heir of all things; by orlds; who being the brightness of his image of his person, and upholding all d of his power, when he had by himself sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on once a worm and no man (see Buffon), but now uch better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance ■ a more excellent name than they. Hence it is written, all the angels of God worship him." Angels? He maketh is angels spirits, and his ministers (lightning) a flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom, &c. Thou, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands: they shall perish, but thou remainest; and they shall all wax old as a garment, and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up (as he folded up his grave clothes) and they shall be changed; but thou art the same (notwithstanding all changes) and thy years shall not fail. Hence (honour) sit thou at MY right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool, Heb. i. Then shall the SON himself be subject to him who did put all things under him, that God might be (as at first) ALL in ALL, 1 Cor. XV. But as yet we see not all things put under him; but we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death (he tasted death for every man) crowned with glory, &c., even he who was put to death in the flesh and (the same) quickened (again) by the Spirit! Tragedy! where have we a tragedy so affecting as "the fall of man," and its counterpart in the garden of Gethsemane ?" Yea, on the cross behold the Godman! No marvel that the thick vail of the temple fell"it was rent in twain." Epic! where have we an epic like to that of the Bible, which speaks from first to last of Him who is, and yet ever shall be, the mighty Conqueror of death and hell? Is Jesus not the Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace? No marvel that no man before or after ever spake as this man. No marvel that of his kingdom it is written, "Non erit finis," it shall know no end! Let sceptics now tell us how absolute truth could be

there are not two separate books called Genesis extant. God alone could have re-photographed them on the eye and ear of sense, had the first been lost. No human mind could have invented such a marvellously consistent book. Moses would not have been a faithful witness and servant, had he not recorded every iota as he first saw, heard, and perceived it. Natural impressions could not have been else conform to nature. Nature may change, but cannot in a moment modify itself, far less can it modify perceptions. Perceptions and phenomena necessarily are mathematically just. Their proportions may differ, but their likeness to each other must in all points, lines, and angles, necessarily in their relative proportions coincide If Moses had subjected his perceptions to one hair-breadth's modification, his teaching would have been arbitrary, i.e. false. Science seeks after the absolute. Its question ever is and ever shall be, What is absolute truth? The finite can know the infinite only in part (St Paul and Hamilton). If the Bible had revealed all knowledge, the world could not have contained its books. Hence no mall, even as it is, can master, during his short sojourn, any perfect truth, seeing that absolute truth in itself is not relative but infinite. But still, it may be said, is not all parts of truth positive, and if so, how can a thing which moves be said not to move? Of two contradictories, one must be true and the other false. Still one thing is clear, i. e. it is true, according to perception, and perceptious are true to sense; this is a universal law, else no truth could possibly be known as sensible truth. Hence when it is said that the world standeth fast, and cannot be moved, it simply means that it is so only as it is seen and perceived. Thus, air, water, and light are said to be elements; while each is now known to be a compound, and after all, what of that? Science progresses-its facts are experimental truths, "sought out by all who therein take pleasure." How could the Bible otherwise accord with the constitution of man, and with those organs which are given for this very end and use? This is God's general manner of teaching, but it is not so all and all throughout. God had at first spoken, aud Adam believed not the "voice" of God. Next, God spake by eight prophets in succession, and men believed not.

The Sodomites knew not that the two men were manifestations of the Son and the Holy Ghost, the Word, or Wisdom, and the divine power of God. Again, the sons of Jacob had also apostatised. God next manifested himself to Moses as a voice of mercy proceeding out of a flaming bush, and yet the bush was not consumed! That voice was that I AM who was the God of Abraham, &c. His name for ever is I AM, and his everlasting memorial is still the same. Again, God's absolute

law was proclaimed and articulated by the loud trumpet's awful voice, while the pillar of fire by night and cloud by day bespoke God's presence nigh. Again that favoured nation sinned, hence the Shekinah-glory went up from the first temple, never to reappear until the second temple with its bare walls should be made more glorious than the first, by the angel of the covenant suddenly appearing in it. Hence theophanies were only occasional similitudes. Hence also Christ was the likeness and image of the Father, i. e. a veritable similitude, i.e. the Logos in the flesh, whom "GOD hath appointed heir of all things; by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. Being once a worm and no man (see Buffon), but now made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. Hence it is written, "let all the angels of God worship him." Angels? He maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers (lightning) a flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom, &c. Thou, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands: they shall perish, but thou remainest; and they shall all wax old as a garment, and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up (as he folded up his grave clothes) and they shall be changed; but thou art the same (notwithstanding all changes) and thy years shall not fail. Hence (honour) sit thou at MY right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool, Heb. i. Then shall the SON himself be subject to him who did put all things under him, that God might be (as at first) ALL in ALL, 1 Cor. XV. But as yet we see not all things put under him; but we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death (he tasted death for every man) crowned with glory, &c., even he who was put to death in the flesh and (the same) quickened (again) by the Spirit! Tragedy! where have we a tragedy so affecting as 'the fall of man," and its counterpart in the garden of Gethsemane ?" Yea, on the cross behold the Godman! No marvel that the thick vail of the temple fell "it was rent in twain." Epic! where have we an epic like to that of the Bible, which speaks from first to last of Him who is, and yet ever shall be, the mighty Conqueror of death and hell? Is Jesus not the Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace? No marvel that no man before or after ever spake as this man. No marvel that of his kingdom it is written, "Non erit finis," it shall know no end! Let sceptics now tell us how absolute truth could be