56 
1 7. But to go back for another moment to the observations 
of Bishop Cotterill on Mr. Spencer’s view respecting the 
original homogeneity of the universe. I have said that on 
the supposition that its shape was spherical, and gravitation 
the only force acting on its particles, the Bishop's conclusion 
would be correct, viz., that nothing but will operating upon it 
could have produced the variety which it now exhibits. But 
inasmuch as it is impossible to prove the correctness of these 
suppositions, we are not warranted in asserting that will must 
have acted. All that I have undertaken to show, and all that 
need be shown is, that will may have acted ; in short, that 
Dr. Tyndall has no ground for his assertion that no nook or 
crevice is left for spontaneity . For this it is sufficient that 
the universe, if it ever was homogeneous, may have been 
spherical in shape at the same time, and that the force or forces 
acting on its particles may have observed the same law as that 
of gravity. In truth, I believe we might go much further, 
and say that if the universe was once homogeneous and finite, 
it is not only possible, but highly probable, that it was at the 
same time of the shape and nature here supposed, and there- 
fore proportionally probable that the variety now existing has 
been the result of will. The fact more than once alluded to 
by Mr. Spencer that nebulous matter precipitated from a re- 
sisting medium would acquire a rotatory motion which would 
lead to further changes need not be considered in this connec- 
tion, inasmuch as precipitation necessarily presupposes two 
different kinds of matter, the precipitant and the precipitate, 
whereas our present hypothesis is that only one kind of matter 
was in existence. 
18. I had occasion, near the commencement, to allude to 
Professor Tyndall's denial of free-will to the human race, but 
it would carry me beyond the limits which I have assigned to 
myself were I to enter upon that subject, however interesting 
in itself. My object is to make it appear that the chief argu- 
ments made use of to the effect that there is no room for the 
operation of the Divine Will are without foundation ; and I 
only mentioned human will for the purpose of observing that 
the arguments against its freedom being drawn from material 
considerations are wholly inapplicable (be they sound or un- 
sound) to a pure spirit, such as we Christians believe our God 
to be. We are, therefore, at liberty to describe the will of 
God as “ spontaneity," whatever we may think of the will of 
man. 
19. In reference to the will of the Deity acting on matter, 
it will not be irrelevant to state what my friend, Professor 
Jellett, of Trinity College, Dublin, in his Donnellan Lectures 
