flame, nor the light, nor a part of either of them. Neither can we be God, nor a part of His power. The scriptures teach that we are afforded the privilege of being naturalized, by being born of the spirit and becoming the adopted children of God. God will neither lose a part of His essence, nor of His powers, by that naturalization. We are taught plainly that man is not God. "Put them in fear O Lord, that the nations may know themselves to be but men."-Psalms 9-20.

"Now the Egyptians are men and not God, and their horses, flesh and not spirit. When the Lord shall stretch out His hand, both he that helpeth shall fall and he that is holpen shall fall down and they all shall fail together." Isaiah 31-3. This same truth is continually stated in the Scriptures; that man is not God, nor a part of Him.

It may be claimed, that, even according to the illustration of the flame, God is not omnipresent, because, as He is the flame, located in a certain part of the universe, He is not everywhere present; for, as the flame is the identity; and as it is the light of the flame, which penetrates everything, the flame itself which represents God, is not omnipresent. We must understand clearly what "presence means. We are in the presence of a person, so long as we are in position and condition to comprehend that person, to know his thoughts, observe his actions, and come under the operation and influence of his powers. It is not necessary that we must occupy the same space, to be in the presence of another. It is not necessary, therefore, that the

Universe and God must occupy the same space; it is sufficient that His powers penetrate and surround everything in the universe; that His intelligence is all-comprehending. This constitutes His omnipresence. The whole universe is within the reach and under the control of His powers.

The word "God" itself, is significant of the illustration given. It is derived, not from "good," as some suppose, but from the Persian or Indian word "Ghauda," or "Ghaud," meaning "the absolute and supreme governor, whose power controls all that is." In this meaning, it strongly resembles the illustration of the flame. The words "Allah," "Elohim" and "Eal," in the Arabic, Hebraic and Syriac respectively, mean "the Surrounding Power, the Comprehensive"; equivalent to the light surrounding and interpenetrating everything existing. All terms are arbitrary, and no term can give full significance to the Almighty; nor liken Him to that which has objective existence. Since we are deficient in knowledge of Him, and in power of expression, the word "God" is used to denote His Infinity and Greatness, which are beyond our finite comprehension.

The Bible teaches specifically, the Personality of God. "I have made the earth and created man upon it; I, even my hands have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded." Isaiah 45-12. "In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind." Job 12-10. "Who hath measured the water in the hollow of His hand and meted out heaven with the span." Isaiah 40-12.

The universe is in the hollow of His mighty hand; nothing can be hidden from His presence. The exaltation is to Him, the authority is to Him, and the greatness is to Him, forever and ever. Amen!

CHAPTER V.

THE ONENESS AND SINGLENESS OF GOD.

Although the great religions which were founded upon the inspired utterances of the prophets, such as Zoroaster, Confucius, Moses, Buddha, Jesus and Mohammed, upheld the principle of Monotheism, yet we find in some of them, evidences of Ditheism and Tritheism.

Zoroaster, for example, taught that the Supreme Being must necessarily be two,-one good and the other evil; this belief being founded upon observation of human actions, which sometime incline toward good and sometime toward evil.

As we are the creations of One Supreme God, endowed by Him with intellectual faculties and possessing the power of independence, which makes us responsible for our actions; as by this gift of independence, we are elevated above all other visible creations, to resemble Him and be fitted for naturalization into His divinity; and as our independence enables us to incline either toward right or wrong doing, it is manifestly certain, that sin or evil is not caused by a Supreme Evil Being, but is the result of our own free will of action. Man is always inclined to lay the responsibility for his wrong doing upon some one else, and seek excuse for his failure to do right. For this reason, he has attributed his sins to the temptation of an