of the latter days which, he expressly tells us, will reproduce the character of those which immediately preceded the flood. The sole safeguard is in recognising the Divine Spirit as the only Source of Power and in regarding every action, whether of thought, word, or deed, as being in its form and measure an act of Divine worship. This is what St Paul means when he says "Pray without ceasing". What needs to be cultivated is the habitual mental attitude that leads us to see God in all things, and it is for this reason that the foundation of conscious spiritual Life is that First Commandment to the consideration of which we are approaching.

It was, therefore, in consequence of their entire denial of the Divine Spirit that the antediluvians raised up an adverse power which at last became too strong for them to control. And here let me once for all set the student right with regard to those passages of the Bible in which God is represented as making up His mind to inflict injury, as in the announcement of the impending deluge. These expressions are figurative. They represent the entrance upon the scene of that Cosmic Law of Disintegration which necessarily comes into play as soon as the highest directing power of Intelligence is inhibited; and therefore as soon as a man wilfully thrusts from himself the recognition of the Universal Spirit in its higher