out by some omniscient science, which subordinates. every force to a harmony vast and enduring as the universe. The celebrated Pascal took up the fact, and reasoned-If the mercurial column be supported by the atmosphere, the higher we ascend in the air the lower the column will sink as the weight overhead is decreased. He experimented, and the Barometer was discovered. By which we learn that the pressure of all worlds is so delicately and accurately proportioned that it acts with an infinitesimal difference on every particle of air. Kepler, by many observations of planetary motions, ascertained their order, and gave a general expression of them in what are known as "Kepler's Laws." These laws manifest a vast complex intelligible rule, subordinating varying and opposing and coalescing forces to such reasonable end, as demonstrates the universal sway of Intelligence. Our own intelligence, moving in finite sphere, discerns that infinitude is the scene of operations akin, but immeasurably transcending its own. We can retrace the past motions of planets, foresee the future, ascertain the position of stars at any time, and know that even perturbations and anomalies establish the dominion of law. Newton marshalled his thoughts around the grand fact-Gravitation; and virtually, weighed the moon. As a result and verification of all previous thinking, we can, when perturbations are detected in planetary motions, indicate the region where the disturbing influence may be discovered; and the practical astronomer, turning thitherward his telescope, beholds, say, Neptune in the predicted place. We marvellously pass from ignorance, discern "the future in the instant," know the coming place and state

of worlds. The underlying essence of the knowledge is marvellous in its nature, and the germ of something still more wonderful: the science of an infinite Intelligence building, swaying, adorning worlds. Intelligence displaying new vigour every moment in such transcendental physical operations that the forces of the universe, though they centre in every point of space, transcend every finite or measurable circumference. Nor do we yet view the whole: the material world is but a vast outer portico of the Divine magnificence, only the beautiful porch of the infinite Cathedral of God. Spiritual insight, growing with the growth of our mental and moral power, reveals evermore to the eye of sacred genius a pure radiance of inner mysteries, of which the outer world and even Revelation itself are as much a veiling as an unveiling. Highly gifted men, rich in spiritual grace, and of a loving lowly heart, are the only ones who at present enter the light of His secret illumination; but the time is coming when all flesh will behold it and the faithful abide in it for ever. Then the worlds will be read as holy books displaying the works of Divinity.

The materialist, standing outside of things, says, "Laws, so far as science observes, are invariable and continue for ever; there is nothing to indicate that their operation has ever been suspended, or ever been crossed by Divine spontaneous action; or that a state of things at any time existed that could not rigorously be deduced from the preceding state."

The inaccuracy of all such general assertions, professing to formulate everything, may nearly always be seen by a reversal of the assumed facts, thus, "Laws, so far as science observes, are not invariable in their operation,

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nor do they continue for ever. There was a time w they began, and when our system passes away will pass with it. There is nothing, as far as sci. concerned, which allows us to say that nature e any moment apart from Divine spontaneous act could any former or present existing state of Porously deduced from the preceding state."

We challenge materialists to disprove the s and we unhesitatingly pronounce their unscientific, incapable of pret, and abse Now for verification of the tengan surge threefold:

I. The vanabilly and tempor laws.

The variably s pod by

in nature is not loss is th the action of grant and m distance, and is at last the practable: interfered with, interrupted, and rendero vital and mental action. Not to spealt the weight of bodies to a diver under effect of a strong magnet held over an scale, we know that weight itself alters the matter remains, so far as we are Suspend a pound from a spring-ba' some height in the atmosphere, and show a lessened weight. From a spring balance suspend a weight a on the table: if we could read the we should find that the weigle 372 for a single hour. Never

to a fixed quantity of p

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know

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ever, nor Tossed by

is nothing y if he has

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ow that law has

and that nature ous action. They laws are suspended, y time we move our Tered with, suspended and laws of life are those of mind. Mate-varying manifestations of Energy; vital phenomena of unseen Life; mental le garments of unseen In1, is, and ever will be, a cond changing of things, or nature

the same cause has always been followed by the same event. What then? Why, though we admit that physical science, to be practical, must assume and act upon this; when we pass from our buying and selling, from the little to the great, from time to eternity, from space to infinitude, philosophy and religion enlarge our views. We reason after this manner-Take an instance in which an event occurs, and one in which it does not occur: have both instances all the events in common save one which occurs in the former or in the latter as the case may be; and is that one an indispensable part of the factor? If this can be shown in any event, at any moment, we establish, for that event and moment, the universality and invariability of law. It cannot be shown, and precisely the opposite is true: for the state of the universe is never the same in every particular, save one, at any two successive moments; not only so, the universe differs in many particulars in any and every instant; moreover, we know that the same effect is often produced by more than one cause. We have demonstrated by science and philosophy that laws are not invariable.

ever.

Laws are not invariable nor do they continue for All the facts of science show that existing laws,. if extended to the past and future, remain intelligible for a finite period only. Though the progress of science is continually bringing under law that which seemed lawless, it reveals barriers which can never be surmounted by any higher generalization. Science, for example, can never explain how, apart from Divine interference, the insentient became sentient; the unintelligent became intelligent; and how every natural thing, though in