OMNIPOTENCE AND LAW. 331 



part of Omnipotence occurred only in the first beginning, 

 previous to the establishment of law, and it has been urged 

 as an argument in favour of this view, that it is far grander, 

 as well as more reasonable than the notion it is supposed 

 to replace. The period of the actual operation of omni- 

 potent will is cleverly forced back to a time so infinitely 

 remote from the present, as to be utterly beyond realisation, 

 and of comparatively little interest to the generation of to- 

 day, seeing that we and all things living and non-living are 

 supposed to be governed by law which immediately 

 succeeded that one manifestation of will, and has since 

 remained and is ever to continue in force. 



Partly by infinite attenuation of the power of Omnipotence, 

 partly by indefinite forcing back of the time of its operation, 

 the wished for result is gained : viz., that the mind shall fail 

 to appreciate any difference between the idea that would be 

 formed in case such modified view concerning Omnipotence 

 should be accepted, and that to which the utter rejection of 

 Omnipotence would give rise. It need scarcely be ob- 

 served that Omnipotence restricted in its operation by the 

 so-called inexorable laws assumed to exist is Omnipotence 

 stripped of power. And it seems to me that the only Deity 

 that can be admitted in our new scientific system is one that 

 is neither Omnipotent, nor Omnipresent, nor Omniscient. 

 Deity, lacking in- fact the knowledge whether this or that 

 arrangement would be the more advantageous, or the more 

 likely to succeed Deity reduced to the necessity of re- 

 sorting to experiment before any question concerning ad- 

 vantageous adaptation could be determined. Combined 

 with some undefined power of forming, contriving and 

 arranging, there seems to be associated the strangest inca- 



