66

All," and yet no one element of nature resembles another." If so, how then are things constituted as they are? At first, "all things existed in a chaos; afterwards, Intelligence came, and reduced them to harmonious order." Here is much matter for thought in a few words. Of what did this orderless compound-this chaos-consist? Of united and identical indecomposable elements-for at that time "all things were together infinite in number and smallness; for the small was infinitely small, and by reason of its smallness nothing was distinguishable." "Before they were arranged, while they were all together, none of their qualities were perceptible; this was hindered by the commingling of all things, moist and dry, warm and cold, light and darkness, and the great quantity of earth which existed, and the multitude of the infinite, yet unresembling, elements." And what was that Intelligence to which they owed their arrangement? It is "the purest and most subtle of all things, and possesses the greatest knowledge and the greatest power of all." "It is infinite and autocratic, and mixed up with nothing else; it exists alone, in and for itself; were it otherwise—were it mixed up with aught else—it would partake of the nature of all with which it was mixed. For, as I previously said, in all there is a part of all, and in such a case, that which was mixed with Intelligence would hinder it from exerting power over all, as it would, when absolute, in its own existence." And what are we to understand by being "reduced to harmonious order"? From the non-existent the existent cannot spring, therefore it is that "the Greeks do wrongly suppose that aught begins or ceases to be; nothing comes into being or is annihilated, but all is an aggregation or segregation of preexistent elements; so that all initiated order might more correctly be called a conjunction, and all corruption or destruction a dissolution or disjunction." Chance is but the name given to a cause which human thought has not perceived or cannot discover; Fate is but an empty juggle, a false creation; Intelligence is the disposer and cause of all the phenomenal arrangments of the different sorts of specific yet homogenal elements of matter, and it gives motion, and order, and beauty to all. The arrangement and disposition of the material elements of nature, therefore, constitute the only true and valid idea of creation. These material elements ('Oμoioμépeiai; from öμolos, similar, and μɛpos, part) must be many, for there is an infinite variety of different existences in nature, and this could only result from differences in the primordial elements of things. The facts of sensation will not suffer us to believe that out of one element all the varied products and constituents of nature could be developed, or else we must say everything is everything, and everything is alike. Must we then posit the validity of sense-representation? Yes; but not as absolutely true. "Phenomena are the criteria of our knowledge of things beyond sense." evidenced in phenomena. The reflective reason, in things as they are sensuously presented, cognizes the unapparent; and thus, though "things are to each according as they seem to him," they are only subjectively so, and reason, by pursuing certain processes, discovers the objective realities of which they are the signs. In each animate being a portion of mind is found, and hence the adaptive and selective capabilities of living creatures. Intelligence is a duplex power-a thinking and an active agency, and hence "everything which has a soul, whether great or small, is governed by the Intelligence. It knows all things, those which are mixed and those which are disjunct, those which ought to be and those which were, as well as those which now are and those which will be: all are arranged by Intelligence." Thus there emerges from the study of the universe a pure autocratic Intelligence,

The invisible is

and an infinite variety of similar, yet contrary, elements constituting the whole of matter, arranged, and moved, and regulated by that Intelligence.

Intelligence, then, is not only the ordainer, but the interpreter of the universe; and when we know that which accords with Intelligence, we know the laws of that nature which Intelligence regulates. The true philosophy of nature, therefore, depends upon the philosophy of thought. Although Anaxagoras lived to a good old age, he had not attained a satisfactory and self-conclusive philosophy,-a system rounded, and settled, and clear, and at the close of a life spent in speculation, he exclaimed in sadness, "Nothing can be known. Nothing can be learned. Nothing can be certain. Sense is limited. Reason is weak. Life is short."

REMARKS.-These are the thoughts of a great mind, whose unresting energy is marvellous. The system exhibits great dialectic skill, profundity of thought, and readiness of invention. Here in Ionic philosophy the clear demarcation of thought from matter is first made, and the doctrine of a regulative Reason in creation becomes extant. Nature is now no longer a spontaneous, self-moved activity; Creation is no longer an incomprehensible energy; they are both governed and regulated by Reason, and Chance and Fate are dethroned. The subjective and the objective are somewhat differentiated; Noumena and Phenomena are both possible and both valid; Sense and Reason are at one; the Many are governed by the One, and the One manifests its existence in the Many. The theory is dual: Mind-the architectonic power-operates upon Matter-the mass of infinitely varied elemental atoms-and builds up phenomenal Nature out of them.

The mechanicism of Anaximander and the dynamicism of Thales and Anaximenes are now one, and out of their union a new philosophy issues. The Ionic school began with physical speculations, but now they have reached the portals of Metaphysic, and even entered within the sanctuary. They sought to comprehend Nature; in studying Nature, they learned to know themselves; and now they have attained the new concept-Mind— one uncompounded, active, thinking, spiritual energy, working in, upon, and through all things, yet clearly and decidedly distinct from the material elements to which it imparts form, activity, and comeliness. Intelligence is the highest existence; to know that thoroughly is to know all else. By what logic are such results obtained? Sense perceives phenomena; Reason cognizes noumena: the one is the cypher in which the other is written. To translate the one into the other is the duty of philosophy. Philosophy discovers everywhere the performance of functions; it traces also the adaptation of these functions to the accomplishment of peculiar purposes, and thus observes the signature of Intelligence in each phenomena. The perception of the activities of Nature enables man to posit the notion of power; but when he recognizes the fitness of these activities to achieve important purposes, it adds to power the idea of intelligence, and this compound concept-intelligent power-unifies the mechanic and dynamic philosophies, and introduces a new era in thought. Let the great spirit, who has thus far adventured on the unsunned waste of Speculation, pass in peace to the realm of shades. Let us not narrowly

but rather let us honestly recognize the merits of this great mind, whom Athens spurned, and the world reveres-this great thoughtsman of an earlier day.

Religion.

DO THE SCRIPTURES TEACH THAT THE PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED
WILL BE ETERNAL?
AFFIRMATIVE REPLY.

ing the iniquity of those who hate him, and tive covenant of grace. God's infinite love showing mercy to those who love him and is most endearingly exhibited in the gift of keep his commandments." He is the God of the Son of his love as a ransom to all willlove, for "God is love; " yet "just and right ing recipients of the overtures of his mercy, is he;" and he says, "Vengeance is mine, I for he "willeth not the death of a sinner, will repay." The scriptures abundantly but rather that he should turn and live;' show God to be unique in his justice, holi- "He gave his only begotten Son, that whoness, and love, and that the whole of these soever believeth in him should not perish, moral attributes may co-exist in infinite but have everlasting life." Thus redemption perfection, and exhibit the most harmonious is applicable to man in time, is a preparative grace and beauty. The scriptures teach us to the final adjudication upon the moral that God is a Moral Governor,-that he has character of man, and can by no means created man a moral agent, the subject of affect the moral delinquent who complies his government,-that, as Moral Governor, not with the conditions of its grace. His he has imposed moral conditions, to which criminality is only heightened by the rejeche has assigned rewards and punishments, tion of its overtures of mercy; his condemconsequent on obedience or disobedience. nation is suicidal, while his conduct vindicates The man, as the creature of God, was fully the love of God from aspersion, and his capable of appreciating the conditions of his justice from the charge of vindictiveness, existence; that God possessed the right, cruelty, and blind vengeance. For these as Creator, to impose these conditions, and reasons, we submit it must be evident to the that they were conformed to abstract justice. unprejudiced mind, that any punishment From the nature of God and man we con- which might be inflicted upon the finally clude that, antecedent to all ritualism, cere- impenitent, the duration of which is less monial enactments, or redemptive acts, God than eternal, would be inconsistent with the was eligible to punish as Creator and Moral revealed character of God-the God of love, Governor, and man was capable of, and ex- holiness, and justice; that, according to the posed to, punishment as a consequence of revealed constitution of the moral world, moral delinquency; and, from the nature of such limitation of punishment is an imposthe case, such punishment must be accord-sibility, and utterly destructive of God's ant with the nature of the delinquent, the extent of the crime, and the character of the government to which the criminal was subject. Moral delinquency is not extinguishable by any ordinary means at the disposal of a moral governor. The stain once received is indelible, ineffaceable the pollution is perpetuative, infective-it is non-corrective by disciplinary process, since discipline is objective. Moral pollution is attained by subjective volition; it is not a thing added to the moral agent; it is suffused throughout the subjective identity; hence the purifying process operates only by the same medium. Discipline is objective application, from without; sanctification is subjective-the generation of holiness within; hence, by the ordinary course of God's moral government, man's delinquency necessitates, in exact accordance and harmonious unison with infinite justice and love, the infliction of punishment co-ordinal with the duration of man's immortality. Nor is this position at all affected by the probationary condition in which man is now placed under the redemp

moral government, since it would make him a lawgiver without a law, a judge without justice, and without power to condemn.

"Sigma's" argument, "that it is not in accordance with the genius and spirit of Christianity," having been replied to in our preceding remarks, we may observe that the nature of the punishment is no part of the present question, it is not for us now to show that the punishment of the future world is material or spiritual, or a compound of both; we therefore pass by this topic, and simply ask what reference to the duration of future punishment can the number (see also N.'s remarks, p. 89) of persons exposed to that punishment by any possibility have, so as in the least degree to invalidate the justice and rectitude of the punishment? Could we admit such a plea as potential in civil jurisprudence? Does the number or the criminality of the prisoners tend to weaken or intensify the administration of the law and the punishment? We presume it would tend to intensify the administration of the law, and the infliction of punishment