god the known and god the unknown-第7章

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our　thoughts。



Let　the　reader　look　at　a　case　of　moths　in　the　shop…window　of　a　

naturalist；　and　note　the　unspeakable　delicacy；　beauty；　and　yet　

serviceableness　of　their　wings；　or　let　him　look　at　a　case　of　

humming…birds；　and　remember　how　infinitely　small　a　part　of　Nature　

is　the　whole　group　of　the　animals　he　may　be　considering；　and　how　

infinitely　small　a　part　of　that　group　is　the　case　that　he　is　

looking　at。　　Let　him　bear　in　mind　that　he　is　looking　on　the　dead　

husks　only　of　what　was　inconceivably　more　marvellous　＇sic＇　when　

the　moths　or　humming…birds　were　alive。　　Let　him　think　of　the　

vastness　of　the　earth；　and　of　the　activity　by　day　and　night　

through　countless　ages　of　such　countless　forms　of　animal　and　

vegetable　life　as　that　no　human　mind　can　form　the　faintest　

approach　to　anything　that　can　be　called　a　conception　of　their　

multitude；　and　let　him　remember　that　all　these　forms　have　touched　

and　touched　and　touched　other　living　beings　till　they　meet　back　

on　a　common　substance　in　which　they　are　rooted；　and　from　which　

they　all　branch　forth　so　as　to　be　one　animal。　　Will　he　not　in　this　

real　and　tangible　existence　find　a　God　who　is　as　much　more　worthy　

of　admiration　than　the　God　of　the　ordinary　Theologian…as　He　is　

also　more　easy　of　comprehension？



For　the　Theologian　dreams　of　a　God　sitting　above　the　clouds　among　

the　cherubim；　who　blow　their　loud　uplifted　angel　trumpets　before　

Him；　and　humour　＇sic＇　Him　as　though　He　were　some　despot　in　an　

Oriental　tale；　but　we　enthrone　Him　upon　the　wings　of　birds；　on　

the　petals　of　flowers；　on　the　faces　of　our　friends；　and　upon　

whatever　we　most　delight　in　of　all　that　lives　upon　the　earth。　　We　

then　can　not　only　love　Him；　but　we　can　do　that　without　which　love　

has　neither　power　nor　sweetness；　but　is　a　phantom　only；　an　

impersonal　person；　a　vain　stretching　forth　of　arms　towards　

something　that　can　never　fill　them…we　can　express　our　love　and　

have　it　expressed　to　us　in　return。　　And　this　not　in　the　uprearing　

of　stone　temples…for　the　Lord　dwelleth　＇sic＇　in　temples　made　with　

other　organs　than　hands…nor　yet　in　the　cleansing　of　our　hearts；　

but　in　the　caress　bestowed　upon　horse　and　dog；　and　kisses　upon　

the　lips　of　those　we　love。　　



Wide；　however；　as　is　the　difference　between　the　orthodox　

Theologian　and　ourselves；　it　is　not　more　remarkable　than　the　

number　of　the　points　on　which　we　can　agree　with　him；　and　on　

which；　moreover；　we　can　make　his　meaning　clearer　to　himself　than　

it　can　have　ever　hitherto　been。　　He；　for　example；　says　that　man　

has　been　made　in　the　image　of　God；　but　he　cannot　mean　what　he　

says；　unless　his　God　has　a　material　body；　we；　on　the　other　hand；　

do　not　indeed　believe　that　the　body　of　God…the　incorporation　of　

all　life…is　like　the　body　of　a　man；　more　than　we　believe　each　one　

of　our　own　cells　or　subordinate　personalities　to　be　like　a　man　in　

miniature；　but　we　nevertheless　hold　that　each　of　our　tributary　

selves　is　so　far　made　after　the　likeness　of　the　body　corporate　

that　it　possesses　all　our　main　and　essential　characteristics…that　

is　to　say；　that　it　can　waste　and　repair　itself；　can　feel；　move；　

and　remember。　　To　this　extent；　also；　we…who　stand　in　mean　

proportional　between　our　tributary　personalities　and　God…are　made　

in　the　likeness　of　God；　for　we；　and　God；　and　our　subordinate　

cells　alike　possess　the　essential　characteristics　of　life　which　

have　been　above　recited。　　It　is　more　true；　therefore；　for　us　to　

say　that　we　are　made　in　the　likeness　of　God　than　for　the　orthodox　

Theologian　to　do　so。



Nor；　again；　do　we　find　difficulty　in　adopting　such　an　expression　

as　that　〃God　has　taken　our　nature　upon　Him。〃　We　hold　this　as　

firmly；　and　much　more　so；　than　Christians　can　do；　but　we　say　that　

this　is　no　new　thing　for　Him　to　do；　for　that　He　has　taken　flesh　

and　dwelt　among　us　from　the　day　that　He　first　assumed　our　shape；　

some　millions　of　years　ago；　until　now。　　God　cannot　become　man　more　

especially　than　He　can　become　other　living　forms；　any　more　than　

we　can　be　our　eyes　more　especially　than　any　other　of　our　

organs。　　We　may　develop　larger　eyes；　so　that　our　eyes　may　come　to　

occupy　a　still　more　important　place　in　our　economy　than　they　do　

at　present；　and　in　a　similar　way　the　human　race　may　become　a　more　

predominant　part　of　God　than　it　now　is…but　we　cannot　admit　that　

one　living　form　is　more　like　God　than　another；　we　must　hold　all　

equally　like　Him；　inasmuch　as　they　〃keep　ever；〃　as　Buffon　says；　

〃the　same　fundamental　unity；　in　spite　of　differences　of　detail…

nutrition；　development；　reproduction〃　（and；　I　would　add；　

〃memory〃）　〃being　the　common　traits　of　all　organic　bodies。〃　　The　

utmost　we　can　admit　is；　that　some　embodiments　of　the　Spirit　of　

Life　may　be　more　important　than　others　to　the　welfare　of　Life　as　

a　whole；　in　the　same　way　as　some　of　our　organs　are　more　important　

than　others　to　ourselves。



But　the　above　resemblances　between　the　language　which　we　can　

adopt　intelligently　and　that　which　Theologians　use　vaguely；　seem　

to　reduce　the　differences　of　opinion　between　the　two　contending　

parties　to　disputes　about　detail。　　For　even　those　who　believe　

their　ideas　to　be　the　most　definite；　and　who　picture　to　

themselves　a　God　as　anthropomorphic　as　He　was　represented　by　

Raffaelle；　are　yet　not　prepared　to　stand　by　their　ideas　if　they　

are　hard　pressed　in　the　same　way　as　we　are　by　ours。　　Those　who　say　

that　God　became　man　and　took　flesh　upon　Him；　and　that　He　is　now　

perfect　God　and　perfect　man　of　a　reasonable　soul　and　human　flesh　

subsisting；　will　yet　not　mean　that　Christ　has　a　heart；　blood；　a　

stomach；　etc。；　like　man's；　which；　if　he　has　not；　it　is　idle　to　

speak　of　him　as　〃perfect　man。〃　I　am　persuaded　that　they　do　not　

mean　this；　nor　wish　to　mean　it；　but　that　they　have　been　led　into　

saying　it　by　a　series　of　steps　which　it　is　very　easy　to　

understand　and　sympathise　＇sic＇　with；　if　they　are　considered　with　

any　diligence。



For　our　forefathers；　though　they　might　and　did　feel　the　existence　

of　a　Personal　God　in　the　world；　yet　could　not　demonstrate　this　

existence；　and　made　mistakes　in　their　endeavour　＇sic＇　to　persuade　

themselves　that　they　understood　thoroughly　a　truth　which　they　had　

as　yet　perceived　only　from　a　long　distance。　　Hence　all　the　

dogmatism　and　theology　of　many　centuries。　　It　was　impossible　for　

them　to　form　a　clear　or　definite　conception　concerning　God　until　

they　had　studied　His　works　more　deeply；　so　as　to　grasp　the　idea　

of　many　animals　of　different　kinds　and　with　no　apparent　

connection　between　them；　being　yet　truly　parts　of　one　and　the　

same　animal　which　comprised　them　in　the　same　way　as　a　tree　

comprises　all　its　buds。　　They　might　speak　of　this　by　a　figure　of　

speech；　but　they　could　not　see　it　as　a　fact。　　Before　this　could　be　

intended　literally；　Evolution　must　be　grasped；　and　not　Evolution　

as　taught　in　what　is　now　commonly　called　Darwinism；　but　the　old　

teleological　Darwinism　of　eighty　years　ago。　　Nor　is　this　again　

sufficient；　for　it　must　be　supplemented　by　a　perception　of　the　

oneness　of　personality　between　parents　and　offspring；　the　

persistence　of　memory　through　all　generations；　the　latency　of　

this　memory　until　rekindled　by　the　recurrence　of　the　associated　

ideas；　and　the　unconsciousness　with　which　repeated　acts　come　to　

be　performed。　　These　are　modern　ideas　which　might　be　caught　sight　

of　now　and　again　by　prophets　in　time　past；　but　which　are　even　now　

mastered　and　held　firmly　only　by　the　few。



When　once；　however；　these　ideas　have　been　accepted；　the　chief　

difference　between　the　orthodox　God　and　the　God　who　can　be　seen　

of　all　men　is；　that　the　first　is　supposed　to　have　existed　from　

all　time；　while　the　second　has　only　lived　for　more　millions　of　

years　than　our　minds　can　reckon　intelligently；　the　first　is　

omnipresent　in　all　space；　while　the　second　is　only　present　in　the　

living　forms　upon　this　earth…that　is　to　say；　is　only　more　widely　

present　than　our　minds　can　intelligently　embrace。　　The　first　is　

omnipotent　and　all…wise；　the　second　is　only　quasi…omnipotent　and　

quasi　all…wise。　　It　is　true；　then；　that　we　deprive　God　of　that　

infinity　which　orthodox　Theologians　have　ascribed　to　Him；　but　the　

bounds　we　leave　Him　are　of　such　incalculable　extent　that　nothing　

can　be　imagined　more　glorious　or　vaster；　and　in　return　for　the　

limitations　we　have　assigned　to　Him；　we　render　it　possible　for　

men　to　believe　in　Him　；　and　love　Him；　not　with　their　lips　only；　

but　with　their　hearts　and　lives。　　



Which；　I　may　now　venture　to　ask　my　readers；　is　the　true　God…the　

God　of　the　Theologian；　or　He　whom　we　may　see　around　us；　and　in　

whose　presence　we　stand　each　hour　and　moment　of　our　lives？　　





　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　CHAPTER　VIII



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　THE　LIFE　EVERLASTING



Let　us　now　consider　the　life　which　we　can　look　forward　to　with　

certainty　after　death；　and　the　moral　government　of　the　world　here　

on　earth。



If　we　could　hear　the　leaves　complaining　to　one　another　that　they　

must　die；　and　commiserating　the　hardness　of　their　lot　in　having　

ever　been　induced　to　bud　forth；　we　should；　I　imagine；　despise　

them　for　their　peevishness　more　than　we　should　pity　them。　　We　

should　tell　them　that　though　we　could　not　see　reason　for　thinking　

that　they　would　ever　hang　again　upon　the　same…or　any　at　all　

similar…bough　as　the　same　individual　leaves；　after　they　had　once　

faded　and　fallen　off；　yet　that　as　they　had　been　changing　

personalities　without　feeling　it　during　the　whole　of　their　

leafhood；　so　they　would　on　death　continue　to　do　this　selfsame　

thing　by　entering　into　new　phases　of　life。　　True；　death　will　

deprive　them　of　conscious　memory　concerning　their　now　current　

life；　but；　though　they　die　as　leaves；　they　live　in　the　tree　whom　

they　have　helped　to　vivify；　and　whose　growth　and　continued　well…

being　is　due　solely　to　this　life　and　death　of　its　component　

personalities。



We　consider　the　cells　which　are　born　and　die　within　us　yearly　to　

have　been　sufficiently　honoured　＇sic＇　in　having　contributed　their　

quotum　to　our　life；　why　should　we　have　such　difficulty　in　seeing　

that　a　healthy　enjoyment　and　employment　of　our　life　will　give　us　

a　sufficient　reward　in　that　growth　of　God　wherein　we　may　live　

more　truly　and　effectually　after　death　than　we　have　lived　when　we　

were　conscious　of　existence？　　Is　Handel　dead　when　he　influences　

and　sets　in　motion　more　human　beings　in　three　months　now　than　

during　the　whole；　probably；　of　the　years　in　which　he　thought　that　

he　was　alive？　What　is　being　alive　if　the　power　to　draw　men　for　

many　miles　in　order　that　they　may　put　themselves　en　

rapport　with　him　is　not　being　so？　True；　Handel　no　longer　

knows　the　power　which　he　has　over　us；　but　this　is　a　small　matter；　

he　no　longer　animates　six　feet　of　flesh　and　blood；　but　he　lives　

in　us　as　the　dead　leaf　lives　in　the　tree。　　He　is　with　God；　and　God　

knows　him　though　he　knows　himself　no　more。