ON SIMILK AND METAPHOR IN THE FOURTH GOSPEL. 123 



and experience. In His further discourse Christ expounds and 

 elucidates the " heavenly things," of which He declares (iii. 12) 

 that He proposes to speak. They are the supernatural motives and 

 purposes and acts of the Divine realm. 



Mr. Hoste also refers to the phrase used, " re-creation of physical 

 existence." I was thinking when I wrote of the doctrine of re- 

 incarnation or metempsychosis as understood, for example, in 

 India. Some readers have found this doctrine in the New 

 Testament ; and I wished to deny it explicitly of St. John. 



The word " metaphor " is used throughout with a wide and 

 liberal connotation. No doubt it would be possible so to contract 

 its meaning as to except much that I have written. Surely how- 

 ever (p. 118) the opening statement of Genesis is one of the greatest 

 and most wonderful metaphors ever conceived or penned. " Meta- 

 phor " and truth are not opposed but corroborative, and mutually 

 interpret each the other. 



The distinction which the Rev. J. J. Lias draws between (ipwai^ 

 and (ipubfia (p. 119) may be true theoretically, but it is certainly 

 ignored in usage. It is sufficient to refer to the passages in the 

 Gospels in which (Spwrn^ is found. In the Septuagint the words 

 are used to render one and the same Hebrew term, e.g., 

 Gen. i. 29, *' To you it shall be for ftp{v(TL<i^'' not surely the " act of 

 eating " ! (Cp. ver. 30, ii. 9, etc. ; Ps. Ixxvii. 30 ; Ezek. xlvii 12.) 



