THERE is but one Truth. There is also but one counterfeit of Truth. Truth is divine; the counterfeit is human. The warring of the flesh against the Spirit is the attempt of human wisdom to simulate divine Wisdom. Human wisdom is limited, speculative, uncertain. It is so largely intermixed with human prejudice, malice, pride, envy, and passions, that it is difficult to draw the line between its (apparent) upper and lower stratum. It is generally supposed that human wisdom is progressive and has growth. We hear much these days of the wonderful growth, development, and progress of human wisdom.
The absolute fact is that there is no more human wisdom now than there was when the Æon began; than there was before the morning stars sang together. There is to human sense apparent growth — which for purposes of expression, may be said to be relative,— but in reality the only growth there can be is the growth out of or away from the sense of human wisdom.
Truth cannot grow. Truth is divine, and the divine is infinity. It never has been and never will be more nor less than itself. Supreme, absolute Wisdom cannot be more than supreme, or more than absolute, nor can it be less. What then is growth? Will human wisdom continue to expand until it shall become infinite? If it has growth, in any true sense, it must grow toward, or into the infinite. Thus would be constituted a copartnership between Truth and error; between divine Wisdom and human wisdom. Would not this be a strange combination? It is such conceptions that lead to the supposition of an anthropomorphic God, and a divine humanity. Can such an existence be possible? Can the divine and the human co-exist at all? Can the Holy Ghost (Pure Spirit) in any manner partake of human infirmity, human limitations; can divine Love partake of human hate; can God become endued with human prejudice, pride, envy, passions? Can infinity become finity, or partly so? Can Truth and error unite? If not, it must be true that the only growth there can be is the growth out of error. If the divine is divine if Truth is true, there can be no wisdom apart from God; hence it follows that either human and divine wisdom exist together,— thus keeping up a perpetual copartnership,— or that human wisdom is something apart from divine wisdom, or that human wisdom is a myth, having no existence in and of itself. Which of these three premises shall we take? If God is all, and God is supreme Wisdom, it would seem to follow of necessity, that there is but One Wisdom. Then only so far as divine wisdom is reflected through human instrumentality can there be said to be any human wisdom; and thus is apprehended the divine oneness. That wisdom which seems to egotistic mortals to be their own, is not their own at all. Hence the only growth there can be is growth away from the human. Thus human wisdom becomes that supposititious knowledge which Paul says "shall vanish away." Alas then for our boasted human wisdom, human pride, human arrogance, and human permanency. They must all vanish away into their native element, —nothingness.
