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THE KEY OF KNOWLEDGE.
and the same substance except with reference to the element of impurity which may be found to be attaching to one individual and not to another. And this is precisely the difference between God and man; the one being pure spirit, fully evolved out into perfection, and the other still weltering in the filth of sin and uncleanliness. Hence is God the ideal of perfection for the imagination of man, whose inner essence is no less pure and divine and also uncreate than that of Him whom he worships to attain salvation.
We must now ascertain if God can be said to be the maker of bodies. Here also theology has nothing more than the old analogy of a watch-maker to advance in support of its doctrine, and nothing to say in reply to the objections that arise against it. To begin with, how is it that so much precious time is wasted in the course of gestation ? An Almighty God decides to make a being, but why is his order not obeyed at once? Again, God decides to make the being, but the latter comes to an end in many instances in a fatal condition. The question is, is his death due to the action of some other power, or did the Lord God change his mind in the middle of the process of manufacturing? If the former, we are landed in further difficulties, because the destroying power is apparently more powerful than the creator, as it can override his commands. If the latter, God must be a whimsical, capricious, changeable being, wanting in force of character and dignity, and devoid of respect for his own decrees. Thus, in the one case the attempt of the creator fails on account of his impotence, and in the other, owing to his fickle-mindedness.
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