the whole series, viz.: the Word should be certain of
itself; and if it be not certain of itself we have no assurance that it
may not eventually disappoint our hopes. In short, this mode of thought
leaves us to bear the whole burden from which we want to escape. So it
is not good enough; we must look for something better.

Now this something better I find in the _Promises_ contained in the
Bible, and it is this that to my mind distinguishes our own Scriptures
from the sacred books of all other nations, and from all systems of
philosophy. I do not at all ignore the current objections to the
possibility of Divine Promises, but I think that on examination they
will be found to be superficial and resulting from want of careful
enquiry into the true nature of the Promises themselves. How is it
possible for the Laws of the Universe to make exceptions? How can God
act by individual favouritism unless it be either through sheer caprice,
or by the individual managing to get round Him in some way, either by
supplying some need which He cannot supply for Himself, in which case
God is of limited power, or else by flattering Him, in which case He is
the apotheosis of absurd vanity. The two are really the same question
put in different ways--the question of individual exceptions to the
general Law.

The answer is that there are no individual exceptions to the general
Law; but there are very various degrees of realization of the Principle
of the Law, and the more a man works with the Principle the more the Law
will work for him; so that the finer his perception of the Principle
becomes, the more he will appear to be an exception to the Law as
commonly recognized.

Edison and Marconi are not capriciously favoured by the laws of Nature,
but they know more about them than most of us.

Now it is just the same with the Bible Promises. They are Promises
according to Law. They are based upon the widest generalization and
hence lead to the highest specialization through the combined action of
the Law and the Word--Jachin and Boaz, the Two Pillars of the Universe.

These Promises comprise all sorts of desirable things: health of body,
peace of mind, earthly prosperity, prolongation of life, and, finally,
even the conquest of death itself; but always on one condition: perfect
"Confidence in the power of the All-Originating Spirit in response to
our reliance on the Word." This is what the Bible calls Faith; and it is
perfectly logical when