It may be good to know that, even in speculations on 666, there are different degrees of unreason. All the diviners, when they get a colleague or an opponent, at once proceed to reckon him up: but some do it in play and some in earnest. Mr. David Thom found a young gentleman of the name St. Claire busy at the Beast number: he forthwith added the letters in [Greek: st klaire] and found 666: this was good fun. But my spiritual tutelary, when he found that he could not make a beast of me, except by changing [Hebrew: A] into [Hebrew: T], solemnly referred the difficulty to the Almighty: this was poor earnest. {230} I am glad I did not notice, in time to insert it in the _Athenaeum_, a very remarkable paradoxer brought forward by Mr. Thom, his friend Mr. Wapshare[373]: it is a little too strong for the general public. In the _Athenaeum_ they would have seen and read it: but this book will be avoided by the weaker brethren. It is as follows: "God, the Elohim, was six days in creating all things, and having made MAN he entered into his rest. He is no more seen as a Creator, as Elohim, but as Jehovah, the _Lord_ of the Sabbath, and the Spirit of life in MAN, which Spirit worketh _sin in the flesh_; for the Spirit of Love, in all flesh, is Lust, or the spirit of a beast, So Rom. vii. And which Spirit is _crucified_ in the flesh. He then, as Jehovah--as the power of the Law, _in_ and _over_ all flesh, John viii. 44--increases that which he has made as the Elohim, and his power shall last for 6 days, or 6 periods of time, computed at a millennium of years; and at the end of which six days, he who is the Spirit of all flesh shall manifest himself as the Holy Spirit of Almighty Love, and of all truth; and so shall the Church have her Sabbath of Rest--all contention being at an end. This is, as well as I may now express it, my solution of the mystery in Hebrew, and in Greek, and also in Latin, IHS. For he that was lifted up _is_ King of the Jews, and is the Lord of all Life, working in us, both to will and to do; as is manifest in the Jews--they slaying him that his blood might be _good_ for the healing of the nations, of all people and tongues. As the Father of all _natural_ flesh, he is the Spirit of Lust, as in all _beasts_; as the Father, or King of the Jews, he is the Devil, as he himself witnesseth in John viii., already referred to. As lifted up, he is transformed into the Spirit of Love, a light to the Gentiles, and the glory of his people Israel.... For there is but ONE God, ONE Lord, ONE Spirit, ONE body, etc. and he who was Satan, the Spirit of life in that body, is, in {231} Christ crucified, seen in the Spirit that is in all, and through all and over all, God blessed for ever." All this seems well meant, and Mr. Thom prints it as convinced of its piety, and "pronounces no opinion." Mystics of all sorts! see what you may come to, or what may come to you! I have inserted the above for your good.