280 The Evolution Hypothesis. 



But though creation be granted thinkable, its reality 

 may be denied on the ground that it is impossible in 

 fact. This impossibility may be founded on either 

 of two grounds (a) a supposed inability in God to 

 create, or (6) a supposed inability to create the uni- 

 verse that is. 



(1.) God may be so conceived in thought that the 

 idea of God is inconsistent with the idea of creation, 

 and creation concluded to be impossible. We may 

 think of God as the Absolute, as existing out of 

 all relations, altogether self-contained, His whole 

 activity immanent. If we so think of Him, we 

 exclude of necessity the possibility of creation. But 

 such a mode of representing the Divine Being in 

 thought is contrary to the revelation of Him in 

 Scripture : self-communication, not self-inclusion is 

 His characteristic. His activity does not remain 

 immanent : it is manifested. His " goings forth have 

 been of old from everlasting."* If, then, we have 

 formed any idea of God inconsistent with the exercise 

 of creative power, we are not to discard the belief in 

 creation, but to amend our idea of God. 



(2.) It may be supposed that the universe that is, 

 could not have been created by God. A lurking 

 doubt of this kind is often discoverable. If God be 

 a Spirit, how, it is asked, can He be the Creator of 

 that which is so entirely diverse from Him as matter ? 



* Micah. v., 2. 



