The Unknowable. 55 



thing." He describes it as " an actuality," " a reality," 

 " the real existence," " reality which is behind the veil 

 of appearance," " the ultimate existence." It is power, 

 energy, force ; " the absolute power," " the absolute 

 force." 



It is the " source of power," " the absolute cause," 

 " the first cause," " the power which works in us 

 certain effects," " that through which all things exist," 

 "an absolute reality by which the relative reality is 

 immediately produced," "the energy from which all 

 things proceed ; " " an infinite and eternal energy by 

 which all things are created and sustained."* 



(3.) The unknowable stands related to the cosmos as 

 noumenon to phenomenon, power and the manifesta- 

 tion of power, cause and effect, reality and appearance. 

 The cosmos, on the other hand, is " the totality of the 

 manifestations of the unknowable," and spirit and 

 matter are represented as "signs of the unknown 

 reality which underlies both." 



(4.) This absolute reality lies for ever beyond the 

 reach of human thought. It is the "unknown reality/ 

 "the unknown cause," "the inscrutable power," "the 

 unknowable," "utterly inscrutable," "absolutely in- 

 comprehensible," " for ever inconceivable." 



We have, in these affirmations, a very considerable 

 amount of knowledge. It is evident that in the un- 

 knowable we are dealing with the largest part of the 



* Mr. Spencer in Wth Century, No. 93, Nov. 1884, and First 

 Principles, passim. 



