14 THE REIGN OF LAW. 



all natural laws would give, if not complete power, 

 at least degrees of power immensely greater than 

 those which we now possess. Power of this kind, 

 then, however great in degree, clearly does not 

 answer that idea of the Supernatural which so 

 many reject as inconceivable. What, then, is 

 that idea ? Have we not traced it to its den at 

 last ? By " supernatural " power, do we not mean 

 power independent of the use of means, as distin- 

 guished from power depending on knowledge — 

 even infinite knowledge — of the means proper to 

 be employed ? 



This is the sense — probably the only sense — in 

 which the Supernatural is, to many minds, so diffi- 

 cult of belief. No man can have any difficulty in 

 believing that there are natural laws of which he 

 is ignorant ; nor in conceiving that there may be 

 Beings who do know them, and can use them, 

 even as he himself now uses the few laws with 

 which he is acquainted. The real difficulty lies 

 in the idea of Will exercised without the use of 

 means — not in the exercise of Will through means 

 which are beyond our knowledge. 



Now, have we any right to say that belief in this 



