124 EXPLANATIONS. 



system revealed to our senses and reason, through- 

 out all ages of its existence. And I believed that 

 we were called upon, not to grasp at every objec- 

 tion to this idea which could be conjured out of 

 the darkness of our imperfect knowledge, as if to 

 save us fi'om a disrelished conclusion, but rather 

 to look with candid minds into nature, and endea- 

 vour to discover in what we do know the traces of 

 such an origin of organization as might harmonize 

 with the conceptions forced upon us from other 

 quarters ; trusting that there never could be any 

 disadvantage from embracing that view which thr 

 balance of reason might show to be the nearest to 

 truth. The question is, to which view does the 

 balance now incline ? Whether is it most likely 

 that the Deity produced being and its many-staged 

 theatre in the manner of order or law, or by any 

 different mode of a more arbitrary character; 

 whether, consequently, are we to regard him as 

 ruling the affairs of the world in the manner of 

 an invariable order or otherwise .? I say likely — 

 because we are not to expect on any such ques- 

 tions the absolute demonstration which attends a 

 mathematical problem or an unchallengeable writ- 

 ing. We must be content if we only can see a pre- 

 ponderance of reasons for regarding the universe 



