[Footnote 54:  “The Unseen Universe,” p. 184.]

This view of the matter, it is evident, readily leads to a deistic view of the universe,—­or to that burlesque of the Christian view spoken of as the doctrine of an “absentee God,” watching His universe run from the outside, slightly concerned with what it does.

2.  On the other hand, a careful study of the correlation of forces shows us that the great First Cause is still very closely related to the operation of His universe.  We may start, for instance, with the old argument from the evidences of design in nature, which, though often sneered at of late, cannot be cavalierly dismissed in this way; for, as Dugald Stewart has well said, “every combination of means to an end implies intelligence.”  But the direct or immediate action of the great Intelligence behind nature is manifest in the marvellous behavior of the cells; which, instead of behaving in a way to indicate that their life processes are due to properties inherent in the atoms and molecules composing them, show every appearance of being mere automata under the direct control of an intelligent, purpose-filled Mind,—­a Mind external to themselves, it is true, and gloriously transcending them, but constantly, ceaselessly exercised by an immediate action which we may well call “immanent,” in the original and proper sense of this term.  Yet vital action is capable of exact correlation with the other forces of nature; and thus the modern law of the correlation of forces teaches us that the energy behind life must be the same as the energy pervading all nature, the various manifestations of which we know as light, heat, gravity, electricity, etc.  Thus while the study of the behavior of life or the doctrine of “vitalism” might encourage us to think that in the cells and in the behavior of protoplasm we are witnessing the direct action of an intelligent Creator; yet we find that by the correlation of forces we must say the same about all the physical and chemical phenomena of nature.  In other words, while the study of mere physical and chemical action might easily lead us to a strong belief in second causes, or to the belief that in this department of nature at least certain “properties” had been imparted to matter and it had then been left to act largely by itself; yet, since the vital processes of living organisms are capable of exact correlation with all other forces, such as light, heat, and electricity, the direct action of this universal all-controlling Mind in all the phenomena of nature seems demonstrated beyond a doubt, leaving apparently little or no room for any action of second causes.

But this view of the matter, as is very evident, is liable to lead to a pantheistic view of the universe, than which nothing could be more horrible.

How then shall we reconcile these conflicting views?

In this case, as in so many others, the Bible comes in to show us the rational via media, the straight path of reason and sound philosophy which avoids the absurdities of both extremes.