Christianity: The Logic of Creation

to us; and the American spuks and table-turners are said by some of their disciples to make revela - tions even in advance of his. But this is an absurd use of the word. What is meant to be said in either case is, that the persons in question give us information of a certain character, and the character being unusual, it is supposed to be enti- tled on that account to the more dignified name of revelation . But revelation is not a more ele- vated information, because, strictly speaking, it is not information at all. Information always means imported knowledge, knowledge which is not in- volved in our consciousness, but which comes up to the soul from the senses, or is derived ab extra . Revelation, on the contrary, means exported knowledge, knowledge which belongs wholly to the sphere of consciousness, or comes down to the senses from the soul, thus ab intra. Whatsoever the broad face of Nature, or the testimony of friends, or the lettered page, brings to our eyes, and ears, and other senses, is information. It always bears the stamp of direct or immediate knowledge, being addressed by the sense to the reason or soul; whereas revelation is always re- flected or mediate knowledge, being addressed through the consciousness to the sense as to a mirror. Information postulates Nature as absolute or fixed. Revelation, on the other hand, turns it into a fluent mirror of superior existence. Infor- mation is subjective knowledge ; that is to say, it