ii. THE ONENESS OF THE TABERNACLE. 33 



the Spirit which was working within them did signify; 

 but while they felt that there was more in their words 

 than they could master, they could not grasp with their 

 understanding the relations of their own share of the 

 work to the whole. Behind the particular scope and 

 purpose of each book, we discern the great plan 

 which rules the whole revelation, the great pattern to 

 which God works, the inspiration of the one Mind 

 that is uttering its thoughts through manifold forms 

 and independent organs. 



The construction of the Book is like that of a perfect 

 plant, whose growth is according to unity of plan, and 

 whose parts are modifications of one fundamental 

 typical form, so that they may be compared with one 

 another and with the whole. We find stamped upon 

 it the same impress of unity which we see in all 

 God's works. He who throughout all the realms of 

 nature acts upon the great principle of unity of type 

 with variety of development, modifying by successive 

 steps the first embodiment of the vertebrate idea, as 

 it appeared in the lowest and oldest fishes, until at 

 length it became arrayed in the glorious garb of the 

 human form, has acted upon the same principle in 

 the different dispensations of His grace, which were 

 but successive disclosures, clearer and fuller as time 

 went on, of the same primitive dispensation. Through- 

 out all God's gracious dealings with man, we can 

 trace a wonderful sameness and continuity, akin to 

 that which science reveals to us in the constitution 



and arrangements of the earth and of the stars. And 

 c 



