62 The Evolution Hypothesis. 



whole stream of change, manifested itself in modes 

 not antecedently existent, in their entirety, within 

 precedent cosmic phenomena. It is, indeed, more 

 than possible, it is probable, that a cause which did 

 not in its primal passing into effect exhaust its causal 

 efficiency may have, in the processes of change 

 throughout the unimaginable cycles of time, revealed 

 itself in ways not implicitly included in antecedent 

 manifestations. But, however this may be, to affirm 

 positively, on the other side, that the absolute cause, 

 though its causal energy was not exhausted, did not 

 operate as cause in any new mode along the entire 

 course of cosmic history, and shall not in the future, 

 is either to assume definite knowledge of the incom- 

 prehensible, or to assert that experience yields a com- 

 plete knowledge of past and future events. 



That this criticism is not strained is evident, if it be 

 borne in mind that Mr. Spencer asserts the continuity 

 of the absolute reality with its phenomenal manifes- 

 tation at all times everywhere. When we think of 

 the absolute cause, we are apt to think of it as that 

 to which the first link in the chain of causation is 

 attached ; we conceive of it as lying behind the stream 

 of causation at that point where its effects first rise 

 into view. When so conceived, the first cause can 

 be easily thought of as ceasing to act when secondary 

 causes come into operation, and as being thus excluded 

 from any real causal efficiency onward throughout all 

 succeeding phases of change. But the absolute cause 



