COSMIC PHILOSOPHY 



ited the effect of this muscular tension ; and 

 that the force which has ceased to be present in 

 our consciousness exists elsewhere. But it does 

 not exist elsewhere under any form cognizable 

 by us. It was proved that though, on raising an 

 object from the ground, we are obliged to think 

 of its downward pull as equal and opposite to 

 our upward pull ; and though it is impossible 

 to represent these pulls as equal without repre- 

 senting them as like in kind ; yet, since their 

 likeness in kind would imply in the object a 

 sensation of muscular tension, which cannot be 

 ascribed to it, we are compelled to admit that 

 force as it exists out of our consciousness is not 

 force as we know it. Hence the force of which 

 we assert persistence is that Absolute Force of 

 which we are indefinitely conscious as the ne- 

 cessary correlate of the force we know. Thus 

 by the persistence of force we really mean the 

 persistence of some Power which transcends 

 our knowledge and conception. The manifes- 

 tations, as occurring either in ourselves or out- 

 side of us, do not persist — but that which 

 persists is the Unknown Cause of those mani- 

 festations. In other words, asserting the persist- 

 ence of force is but another mode of asserting 

 an Unconditioned Reality, without beginning or 

 end." Thus as " a subjective analysis proved 

 that while, by the very conditions of thought, 

 we are prevented from knowing anything be- 

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