260 LIFE THE RESTORER. 



which obey no laws but those which, to some ex- 

 tent or other, we regard as common to all matter. 

 But there are also peculiar laws, which act in oppo- 

 sition to the common laws of matter, and within 

 the sphere of their action overcome them, at least 

 for a time. 



These are the laws of that mysterious relation 

 which we call LIFE ; and which, though we never 

 can tell what it is in itself, or how it and the general 

 properties of matter act and react upon each other, 

 yet furnishes by far the greater part of the useful- 

 ness and pleasure of nature before us. 



Fanciful men, who have lost sight of facts, have 

 sometimes supposed and said that there is a regular 

 gradation through all the productions of nature, from 

 the simplest substance up to man, and even higher ; 

 and these have been called the gradations of nature 

 towards perfection, and held up as especially worthy 

 of our admiration. But, in truth, we observe no 

 such gradation ; and we ought never to know any 

 more about nature than we can observe. There 

 are differences, and very great differences of ap- 

 pearance ; but still we are not warranted in saying 

 that one production of nature is more perfect than 

 another. When we have any purpose of our own 

 to serve, we may find that one thing more perfectly 

 answers our purpose than another does, and we may 

 say so ; but when we put our own purpose and use 

 to us out of the consideration, and come to speak 

 of *' use," and " purpose," and " perfection," in na- 

 ture generally, we speak words which either have 

 no meaning at all, or one which is very presump- 

 tuous and impious, as well as very absurd. That 

 we always understand our own purpose is very 

 doubtful ; and it is certain that we can never find 

 out any purpose in nature. If we did, we should 

 penetrate the secrets of the Almighty ; and as we 

 cannot do that, it is a silly as well as an impious 

 vanity to say that we can. The real fact is, that 



