THE THEORY EXPLODED. 521 



belauded theory of a semi-human Providence, an 

 anthropoid Deity, a Constructive Mind, a Deus 

 Paleyensis, a God created in the image of a watch- 

 maker. What then are we to infer ? Why, simply 

 this, that the current theory is false ; that all attempts 

 to define the Creator bring us only to ridiculous 

 conclusions ; that the Supreme Power is not a Mind, but 

 something higher than a Mind ; not a Force, but some- 

 thing higher than a Force; not a Being, but something 

 higher than a Being ; something for which we have no 

 words, something for which we have no ideas. We 

 are to infer that Man is not made in the image of his 

 Maker, and that Man can no more understand his 

 Maker than the beetles and the worms can understand 

 him. As men in the Days of Ignorance endeavoured 

 to discover perpetual motion, and the philosopher's 

 stone, so now they endeavour to define God. But in 

 time also they will learn that the nature of the Deity is 

 beyond the powers of the human intellect to solve. 

 The universe is anonymous ; it is published under 

 secondary laws ; these at least we are able to investigate, 

 and in these perhaps we may find a partial solution of 

 the great problem. The origin of evil cannot be ex- 

 plained, for we cannot explain the • origin of matter. 

 But a careful and unprejudiced study of nature reveals 

 an interesting fact and one that will be of value to 

 mankind. 



The Earth resembles a picture, of which we, like 

 insects which crawl upon its surface, can form but a 

 faint and incoherent idea. We see here and there a 

 glorious flash of colour ; we have a dim conception that 

 there is union in all its parts ; yet to us, because we 

 are so near, the tints appear to be blurred and con- 

 fused. But let us expand our wings and flutter off 



