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under the philosophy of the mlud, ubile the ollier lies With-
252. Aut to know the manner in which this life and wis msolo in, is infinitely above the sphere of the human minde there
Whicli there are degrees; in stiori, it cannot ascend beyOndnature to a Boing that cannot be finitest in thought, and stillless can be circumscribed by ontological term s Or vocat formulaS. Our human thought seiges iapon some fixed Object in nature, and when it tines sublimer Wing, it contemptates the univerSe
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DW reflections to confirm our ideas that Whatever is in God is infinito a d boundless. Our solii, although circumscribed by the body, Devertheless, in iis representations and intuitions, ison ly limited by the created universe Ρari II., D. 247),-RS UOShali prove in the sequel,-consequently it is as it Were indefinitely sinito; for it cannot in iis mitid comprehend the boundaries of the universe. NoW is the foui, Whieli is Within nature, and below the firsi substance of the worid, is os indefinito intuition, What must be the case With the Supreme Deing, Who
impossibio to think of Him as limited and within the universe, for necessity dictates that He is that to which no limits can bon8Signed; in other Woriis, that He is infinite. But since in this Divine Abyss there is nothing but What is eternat, infinite, illi
philosophy, Whicli long be re they arrive at the verge of thissa thomless deep, fuit, and are forced into silence Dom theinability of language. They, then, Who by the guidauce of mental philosophy dare to attempt this abyss, become the de
ΡreSenee, OmniScience and omnipotenue are attributed to him, although the miud cannot define these attributes excepi Domthe sinite sphere and the nil thereos; so that it gains no idea Ofthe infinite. This very I AM, or esse, is life, the life is Wisdom, the wisdom is ali for the salie of the end, that the esse may bellio firsi and the last end, for the salie of Whicli, or for Whicli, every finite eud in the universe exists. It is the unsailing
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God above ali categories. The first cause ' says he, is above eVery name that is named, and is the esse of createn things.' xΝoW is We cannot penetrate into the first esse of the animal Lingdoni, or into the first esse of the created universe,- fortho firsi substance,V says the philosopher, cannot be reCOgniged in the nature of things excepi by analogy and similitude, and must therofore be considerest apari hom form and accidenis, φ)-hoW shali Ue attempt to penetrate into the mysteryos an esse that is altogether Superunturia. 253. For whateuer is in God, and whalever lais God acts by, is God. For Whateuer is in Him, cannot be separaten Dom his Esse, although What is in us is separabie; so that our esse isnot Our OWn excepi from and by him Who is tho I ΑΜ and tho necessary Being. Grotius has the folloWing as his conclusion Dom a variety os considerations : That Whicli exisis per se, or necessarily, is one; Whence it folioWs, that ali other things have originaled Dom something different hom themseques; noWWhatever things have arisen DOm an eXtrinsie fource, have ali in themselves, Or in their causes, originaled froin that Whieli itsols
tho action os God is God himself. The operation os God,' says the philosopher, ... is perpetuat lise.'' Ρari II., 11. 238.)254. The only representation we can have of it, is in the wayos comparison with light. We are not sorbidden to approach the divine sanctuary by the path os comparison; sor since it is he
are conjoined by Iove, so in Order that We may understand his attributes, he has Willed that W0 should understand them throughnature; consequently, through sigiis, by the heis of Whicli the principies of Our minds are formed. There is nothing more usual, even in the HOly Scriptures, than a comparison of the
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255. For as the sun is the fountain os listhi and the distinctions thereos in iis universe, so the Deily is the sun os life and of au wis m. Where re as the sun of tho world by iis light
ingly, ali things gistud With life Would die, and the universe
Os iis universe, and constantly So emprincipies them as to euable them to exist after a naturat manner; so the Deity floWs most universally, and lienee moSt Singularly, into nil things, and constantly vivisios them; and those things Whicli ho has nos en duodwith sensual life and intellect, he nevertheless so direcis thatthey soW obediently to the euds of his providetice. Inasmuelithon as God is life and wisdom, it is improp0r to term him thesolvi of the universe, for the Word foui involves the idea os a natural subjeet, accommodated at onoe for the begirining of motion and for the reception os life . 256. Wo have suid that it is a dictate of sound reason that God is the lise of the univorso, as tho suu is the light of the universe, und We are convincest in this position by the festimony of the clites philosopher of the Gentiles. God, says he, has filiod tho universe With his harmonies. De Generat. et Gr-
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in the foui.' Nhetoric., lib. iii., cap. X.) The animus is thespring aud principie of living things.V Ρari II., Π. 249.)257. As the sun of the worid flows in one only manner, tandwithout unition, into the subjecis and objecis of iis univer8e, 89 also does the sun os life and of wisdom. That the sun iussoWs in One Only manner, although not in a similar degree, is olear in respect to iis light; and there are some considerations Whieli induce us to thinii that comparatively the fame may be predicated in respect to tho influx of life into created things. Forthat Whicli is one thing, cannot be any other thing; that Which
258. But that God flows in With his virtve Without any essentiat unition, is indeed so high a position, that We cannot be persuaded of it by mere comparison. That it is thus the sunssows in With his light, is clear as day; as for instance, into theeye, producing Sight, Whicli censes at Ouce On the absenoe oflight; and into other objecis and subjecis, Whose distinctions, occasioned by light and shado, and Whose disserent colorings,disappear at once With the solar boum. With respect to God, the fource of vital light or lise, Wo cannot doubi that he may
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260. As the sun of the worid solos in by mediatino auru' 80 the sun os life and of wissim solos in by the mediation of his spirit.
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this light, or of Uisdom; of those depraved natures that arealtogethor bliud and in the darii, and that neverthelesS, RS Our
compariSOn She KS, Rre surrounded by the fame illumination.
Not to travel beyond Our comparison, We Would say that theeye is the organ and subject for distinctly perceiving the solarradiations, but DOm some accidental injury in the determinationor disposition os iis essentinis, it may become debilitated, Vitiatest, dactened, or blinden, While the goodness and poWer Ofthe light remnin unchanged; nay, When it is injured, the paluit suffers is the greater in proportion to the greater intensisy of
264. Furthermore, found , With ali iis Variely, is received by the ear according to the form of the lalter, and accorditigio the state induced by nature and habit. Light, With ali iis variety, is received by the eye according to iis form, and ne- cording to the state induced by nature and habit. Liso, Withali iis variety, is received by the orgauic substance according to iis form, and according to iis state, induced by nature and habit. More ver in Order that found Uith iis variety may be received according to the sorin and state of the ear, the very variety that 1l0Ws in must be formed Dom Without, und not intho ear itself. In order that light With iis variety may be received according to the form and state of the eye, the Very variety that floWs in must be formed Withoiit, and not in thecye itself. In ordor that lise With ali iis varioty may be received
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according to the forin and state of the organ, the Very Varietymust be formed Without; that is, above and not in , the Organicsubstance itself. An application of this laW to the phenomena
above it: the one is physical, the other is pureis morale and theone fusis under the philosophy of the min while the other lies withdrawn among the sacred mysteries of theology; belween whichtwo there are boundaries that it is impossibie for human facultiesto transcend. For the miud, Whiel, is Within nature, there is nopath open beyond and above nature; consequently none by Whichiis philosophy can penetrate into the sanctuary of theology. NOhuman faculty of perception can possibly understand of itself iis