LAW; — ITS DEFINITIONS. 123 



the ultimate seat of Force. Science, in the 

 modern doctrine of the Conservation of Energy, 

 and the Convertibility of Forces, is already getting 

 something like a firm hold of the idea that all 

 kinds of Force are but forms or manifestations of 

 some one Central Force issuing from some one 

 Fountain-head of Power. Sir John Herschel has 

 not hesitated to say, that " it is but reasonable to 

 regard the Force of Gravitation as the direct or 

 indirect result of a Consciousness or a Will exist- 

 ing somewhere."* And even if we cannot certainly 

 identify Force in all its forms with the direct 

 energies of One Omnipresent and all pervading 

 Will, it is at least in the highest degree unphilo- 

 sophical to assume the contrary — to speak or to 

 think as if the Forces of Nature were either in- 

 dependent of, or even separate from, the Crea- 

 tor's Power. 



It follows, then, from these considerations that 

 whatever difficulty there may be in conceiving 

 of a Will not exercised by a visible Person, is 

 a difficulty which cannot be evaded by arresting 

 our conceptions at the point at which they 

 * Outlines of Astronomy, 5th Ed., p. 291. 



