and cause it, so to
say, to "take on" an intelligence relatively to the subject of our
thought, much in the same way that the impersonal soul in the human
subject "takes on" or reflects the thought of the hypnotist, and not
infrequently develops it to a far greater extent than the original
thought of the operator expressed. Such a hypothesis--and I think some
such hypothesis is needed to account for any creation at all--throws
light on the _modus operandi_ of the Bible Promises. We plant the Word
of the Promise in the womb of Anima Mundi, and if we do not uproot it by
using the same power adversely, it is bound to come to fruition in due
course, by the same Law by which the world-systems are formed; and if we
are to believe that the Word of the Promise is not our own word, but the
Word of God, then our Thought of it is imbued with a corresponding power
as we hand it over to Anima Mundi. Thus the Promises fulfil themselves
automatically, in accordance with the principles of the relations
between Law and Personality, and they do so, _not in our own power_, but
by the Power of the Word of God.

This, then, gives us at least an intelligible working hypothesis of the
rationale of the Bible Promises. The measurement of their fulfilment is
exactly proportional to our belief in them, not from any unintelligible
cause, and still less from any unreasoning feat of a capricious Deity,
but by the working of an intelligible Law. If any of my readers happens
to be an electrician, he will find an exact parallel in what is known as
Ohm's Law. Such readers will be familiar with the formula C = E/R, but
for the benefit of those to whom this formula may be unintelligible, I
will give a few words of explanation. C means the current of electricity
which is to be delivered for any work that is to be done. E stands for
the Electro-motive force which generates the current; and R is the
Resistance offered to the current by the conductor, such as the wires
through which it flows. If there be no resistance, the full amount of
current generated would be delivered. But without any conductor no
current could be delivered, and therefore there must be _some_
resistance, and so the full power of the Electro-motive force can never
be delivered by the Current. The amount that will be delivered is the
original power of the Electro-motive force divided by the Resistance.
The Resistance therefore acts as a restricting force, limiting the
extent to which the