26 THE IMMORTALITY OF ANIMALS 



relates to infinity ; to the divine nature ; to the 

 ultimate purpose of the divine government ; to the 

 unseen worlds and to the future state, and even to 

 the mechanism of motives in the great cosmos, must 

 offer itself to the human understanding in a form 

 beset with mysteries and difficulties. 



If therefore we resolve to receive from the 

 Inspired Writings nothing but what we can recon- 

 cile with certain abstruse notions and partial inter- 

 pretation of passages, the consequence is inevitable : 

 we shall obtain a very limited and pitiful system of 

 theology. 



It is reasonable to suppose that there are treas- 

 ures of divine knowledge yet latent beneath the 

 surface of the divine writings which the practice of 

 scholastic exposition so long adhered to, on all sides, 

 has locked up from the knowledge and use of the 

 world. 



It is to be hoped that when the simple and 

 humble style of inductive interpretation is better 

 understood, and more consistently resorted to, and 

 when the necessary imperfections and incoherency 

 of all human knowledge of divine things is fully 

 recognized, we may see a better world. 



The vain attempt to fashion a miniature model 



