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The Scriptural account of man presents us with the thought 
of variety in unity, and unity ever more developing itself in 
variety. The child is not the exact image of either parent, 
but always a combination of the qualities of both. Hence 
arises the possibility of an almost infinite diversity combined 
with substantive unity, for God “ hath made of one blood all 
nations of men, for to dwell on all the face of the earth ” ; but, 
if this had been ordered in the way of evolution of one indi- 
vidual into many, there would have been no variety; all 
would have been the wearisome repetition of an individual 
type. This we see in the vegetable kingdom, in propagation 
by slips and cuttings, and also in what is termed partheno- 
genesis amongst insects. 
It seems to me that we have displayed before us in creation 
these two ideas of the Creator — unity and variety. Unity , 
because all things exist in Him alone ; and all the immense uni- 
verse is, in all its parts, obedient to His laws. He is the great 
King, and His kingdom ruleth over all ; and variety, because 
all His creation is one poem, perpetually hymning His praise, 
and telling forth to the ear of faith the beauty, the loveliness, 
as well as the grandeur and majesty, of the character of God. 
The adaptation of music to the soul of man illustrates this 
poetry of nature ; the divinely-taught gift of speech as 
capable of portraying all the emotions of the soul; the divided 
colours of the rainbow; and the association of light, and life, 
and love, in the moving world — all tell forth this great truth 
that God in creation manifests His own glorious perfections, 
and illustrates Himself. In the figurative language of the old 
Greeks Ovpavog, descends, and Frj becomes fruitful. This 
poetical conception is common to all mankind. 
But there is a deeper mystery still to be revealed. I speak 
of the idea of the Church, by which I presume to understand 
that which rests on the response, in the hearts and lives of 
men, to the revelation of the deepest and most glorious attri- 
butes of God. For whilst we read that His greatness is 
unsearchable, that His understanding is infinite, and that His 
glory is above the earth and heaven, it is only in the mani- 
festation of His grace that we are assured of the consoling 
truth that God is love. “We love Him because He first 
loved us 33 ! 
Now, all this Scriptural teaching is connected with the 
account given in Genesis of the formation (literal^, “ building- 
up 33 ) * of the woman from the side of Adam whilst he slept — 
* |2\ “and he built up,” from the same root comes the word for “ son ” as 
the one by whom the house is built up. 
