The Persistence of Force. 105 



the force manifested in it, and it has been, in so far, 

 destroyed. 



Take the other attribute. Resistance is also relative 

 a question of more and less. It is relative also in 

 this, that it cannot be known except in the relation of 

 matter to matter. If we think of an atom, removing 

 from onr thought all other matter, and conceiving it 

 out of relation to all other matter, we are not necessi- 

 tated to ascribe to it the attribute of resistance. Besides, 

 there is no sufficient reason for excepting matter from 

 the law of the correlation of forces. " Forces standing 

 in certain correlations form the whole content of our 

 idea of matter." * If it be a correlated force, matter 

 may, in the inscrutable cosmic activity, be interchange- 

 able with other modes. Otherwise we set bounds to 

 the principle of the correlation forces, and in drawing 

 the boundary line we violate the law of continuity. 



There is, then, no sufficient ground for affirming 

 that matter, whether viewed as resistant or space- 

 occupying, persists. But turning from force as mani- 

 festated, which, on Mr. Spencer's theory, does not 

 persist, to the presisting force the unconditioned and 

 unknowable power we find no support for the 

 doctrine of the everlasting continuance of matter. 

 The absolute force does not persist in any knowable 

 mode. The persistence of a knowable mode cannot, 

 therefore, be deduced from the persistence of the un- 



* First Principles, 48. 



