PEOE. PEEEIEB ON KNOWING AND BEING. 125 



sensitive consciousness is made up. There must always, indeed, be 

 a relation between the Creator and his creatures, of this kind — that 

 the universe of each moment is dependent on the Divine power ex- 

 erted in that moment. The frame of nature is sustained by — in other 

 words, it constantly results from — the Fiat, the unceasingly repeated 

 LET-THERE-BE, of Him "whose word leaps forth to its effect" : 

 but instead of warranting the inference, which forms a part of Pro- 

 fessor Eerrier's system, that, in the existence of the Infinite Being, 

 the two factors of subject and object can be discriminated, as in our 

 consciousness,* this would seem to imply the reverse ; for the rela- 

 tions betwixt subject and object which constitute the several exist- 

 ences manifesting themselves in nature, are at each instant due to 

 an essentially creative act ; they cannot, therefore, be met with iu 

 one of whom it is a distinctive peculiarity, to be uncreated — to have 

 life in himself. 



In bringing ray examination of Professor Eerrier's metaphysical 

 system to a close, I would observe that, though I have been obliged 

 to dissent, and that seriously, both from his reasoning and his con- 

 clusions, the work under review must have the praise bestowed upon 

 it of being one of unusual and refreshing originalit} r . It is written 

 with great clearness, in a flowing and expressive manner ; and the 

 only fault to be found with it, in respect of style, is, that it bristles 

 too much with the forms of demonstration. The Institutes are en- 

 riched with several incidental discussions of great value ; of which, 

 however, it is impossible to take any special notice at present. There 

 is one service which our author could render to philosophy, probably 

 as well as any man living ; and, if he could be persuaded to under- 

 take the task, he would deserve, and receive, the thanks of all who 

 feel an interest in the history or progress of speculation. "What I 

 refer to, has been already pressed upon his attention. 



'•"We hope, also, " says a writer in Blackwood's Magazine, (Feb., 

 1855,) " at no distant day, from the fair promise of the present 

 " volume, to see Professor Eerrier engaged in a work affording a 

 " larger field for the concrete philosophy, than the subtle discussion 

 "of the present volume presents. "We have already said that he 

 " wields the pen gracefully, and that he is anything but a dry, blood- 

 " less speculator ; a mere metaphysician ; which, like a mere mathe- 

 " matician, a mere lawyer, a mere theologian, a mere scholar, or a 

 " mere anything else, is a monster, always, with a most religious 



•Or course, it i< not meant that Professor P< rrier ascribes to the Divine Being our sensi- 

 tive modes of apprehension, lie disclaims sacb an idea. -Hut his doctrine is that th 

 Absolute Existence which is strictly uecessarv " is a supreme and Infinite and everlasting 

 miad in synthesis with all things. " 



