god the invisible king-第4章

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　of　acquisition　and　assimilation　and　reproduction；　　submitting　only　to　brief　fellowships　of　defence　or　aggression。　　They　　are　beings　of　strain　and　conflict　and　competition。　　They　are　living　　substance　still　mingled　painfully　with　the　dust。　　The　forms　in　which　　this　being　clothes　itself　bear　thorns　and　fangs　and　claws；　are　　soaked　with　poison　and　bright　with　threats　or　allurements；　prey　　slyly　or　openly　on　one　another；　hold　their　own　for　a　little　while；　　breed　savagely　and　resentfully；　and　pass。　。　。　。　This　second　Being　men　have　called　the　Life　Force；　the　Will　to　Live；　　the　Struggle　for　Existence。　　They　have　figured　it　too　as　Mother　　Nature。　　We　may　speculate　whether　it　is　not　what　the　wiser　among　the　　Gnostics　meant　by　the　Demiurge；　but　since　the　Christians　destroyed　　all　the　Gnostic　books　that　must　remain　a　mere　curious　guess。　　We　may　　speculate　whether　this　heat　and　haste　and　wrath　of　life　about　us　is　　the　Dark　God　of　the　Manichees；　the　evil　spirit　of　the　sun　　worshippers。　　But　in　contemporary　thought　there　is　no　conviction　　apparent　that　this　Demiurge　is　either　good　or　evil；　it　is　conceived　　of　as　both　good　and　evil。　　If　it　gives　all　the　pain　and　conflict　of　　life；　it　gives　also　the　joy　of　the　sunshine；　the　delight　and　hope　of　　youth；　the　pleasures。　　If　it　has　elaborated　a　hundred　thousand　sorts　　of　parasite；　it　has　also　moulded　the　beautiful　limbs　of　man　and　　woman；　it　has　shaped　the　slug　and　the　flower。　　And　in　it；　as　part　of　　it；　taking　its　rewards；　responding　to　its　goads；　struggling　against　　the　final　abandonment　to　death；　do　we　all　live；　as　the　beasts　live；　　glad；　angry；　sorry；　revengeful；　hopeful；　weary；　disgusted；　　forgetful；　lustful；　happy；　excited；　bored；　in　pain；　mood　after　mood　　but　always　fearing　death；　with　no　certainty　and　no　coherence　within　　us；　until　we　find　God。　　And　God　comes　to　us　neither　out　of　the　stars　　nor　out　of　the　pride　of　life；　but　as　a　still　small　voice　within。

5。　GOD　IS　WITHIN

God　comes　we　know　not　whence；　into　the　conflict　of　life。　　He　works　　in　men　and　through　men。　　He　is　a　spirit；　a　single　spirit　and　a　　single　person；　he　has　begun　and　he　will　never　end。　　He　is　the　　immortal　part　and　leader　of　mankind。　　He　has　motives；　he　has　　characteristics；　he　has　an　aim。　　He　is　by　our　poor　scales　of　　measurement　boundless　love；　boundless　courage；　boundless　generosity。　　　He　is　thought　and　a　steadfast　will。　　He　is　our　friend　and　brother　　and　the　light　of　the　world。　　That　briefly　is　the　belief　of　the　　modern　mind　with　regard　to　God。　　There　is　no　very　novel　idea　about　　this　God；　unless　it　be　the　idea　that　he　had　a　beginning。　　This　is　　the　God　that　men　have　sought　and　found　in　all　ages；　as　God　or　as　the　　Messiah　or　the　Saviour。　　The　finding　of　him　is　salvation　from　the　　purposelessness　of　life。　　The　new　religion　has　but　disentangled　the　　idea　of　him　from　the　absolutes　and　infinities　and　mysteries　of　the　　Christian　theologians；　from　mythological　virgin　births　and　the　　cosmogonies　and　intellectual　pretentiousness　of　a　vanished　age。　Modern　religion　appeals　to　no　revelation；　no　authoritative　teaching；　　no　mystery。　　The　statement　it　makes　is；　it　declares；　a　mere　　statement　of　what　we　may　all　perceive　and　experience。　　We　all　live　　in　the　storm　of　life；　we　all　find　our　understandings　limited　by　the　　Veiled　Being；　if　we　seek　salvation　and　search　within　for　God；　　presently　we　find　him。　　All　this　is　in　the　nature　of　things。　　If　　every　one　who　perceives　and　states　it　were　to　be　instantly　killed　　and　blotted　out；　presently　other　people　would　find　their　way　to　the　　same　conclusions；　and　so　on　again　and　again。　　To　this　all　true　　religion；　casting　aside　its　hulls　of　misconception；　must　ultimately　　come。　　To　it　indeed　much　religion　is　already　coming。　　Christian　　thought　struggles　towards　it；　with　the　millstones　of　Syrian　theology　　and　an　outrageous　mythology　of　incarnation　and　resurrection　about　　its　neck。　　When　at　last　our　present　bench　of　bishops　join　the　early　　fathers　of　the　church　in　heaven　there　will　be；　I　fear；　a　note　of　　reproach　in　their　greeting　of　the　ingenious　person　who　saddled　them　　with　OMNIPOTENS。　　Still　more　disastrous　for　them　has　been　the　virgin　　birth；　with　the　terrible　fascination　of　its　detail　for　unpoetic　　minds。　　How　rich　is　the　literature　of　authoritative　Christianity　　with　decisions　upon　the　continuing　virginity　of　Mary　and　the　　virginity　of　Josephideas　that　first　arose　in　Arabia　as　a　Moslem　　gloss　upon　Christianityand　how　little　have　these　peepings　and　　pryings　to　do　with　the　needs　of　the　heart　and　the　finding　of　God！　Within　the　last　few　years　there　have　been　a　score　or　so　of　such　　volumes　as　that　recently　compiled　by　Dr。　Foakes　Jackson；　entitled　　〃The　Faith　and　the　War；〃　a　volume　in　which　the　curious　reader　may　　contemplate　deans　and　canons；　divines　and　church　dignitaries；　men　　intelligent　and　enquiring　and　religiously　disposed；　all　lying　like　　overladen　camels；　panting　under　this　load　of　obsolete　theological　　responsibility；　groaning　great　articles；　outside　the　needle's　eye　　that　leads　to　God。

6。　THE　COMING　OF　GOD

Modern　religion　bases　its　knowledge　of　God　and　its　account　of　God　　entirely　upon　experience。　　It　has　encountered　God。　　It　does　not　　argue　about　God；　it　relates。　　It　relates　without　any　of　those　　wrappings　of　awe　and　reverence　that　fold　so　necessarily　about　　imposture；　it　relates　as　one　tells　of　a　friend　and　his　assistance；　　of　a　happy　adventure；　of　a　beautiful　thing　found　and　picked　up　by　　the　wayside。　So　far　as　its　psychological　phases　go　the　new　account　of　personal　　salvation　tallies　very　closely　with　the　account　of　〃conversion〃　as　　it　is　given　by　other　religions。　　It　has　little　to　tell　that　is　not　　already　familiar　to　the　reader　of　William　James's　〃Varieties　of　　Religious　Experience。〃　　It　describes　an　initial　state　of　distress　　with　the　aimlessness　and　cruelties　of　life；　and　particularly　with　　the　futility　of　the　individual　life；　a　state　of　helpless　self…　disgust；　of　inability　to　form　any　satisfactory　plan　of　living。　　This　　is　the　common　prelude　known　to　many　sorts　of　Christian　as　　〃conviction　of　sin〃；　it　is；　at　any　rate；　a　conviction　of　hopeless　　confusion。　。　。　。　　Then　in　some　way　the　idea　of　God　comes　into　the　　distressed　mind；　at　first　simply　as　an　idea；　without　substance　or　　belief。　　It　is　read　about　or　it　is　remembered；　it　is　expounded　by　　some　teacher　or　some　happy　convert。　　In　the　case　of　all　those　of　the　　new　faith　with　whose　personal　experience　I　have　any　intimacy；　the　　idea　of　God　has　remained　for　some　time　simply　as　an　idea　floating　　about　in　a　mind　still　dissatisfied。　　God　is　not　believed　in；　but　it　　is　realised　that　if　there　were　such　a　being　he　would　supply　the　　needed　consolation　and　direction；　his　continuing　purpose　would　knit　　together　the　scattered　effort　of　life；　his　immortality　would　take　　the　sting　from　death。　　Under　this　realisation　the　idea　is　pursued　　and　elaborated。　　For　a　time　there　is　a　curious　resistance　to　the　　suggestion　that　God　is　truly　a　person；　he　is　spoken　of　preferably　by　　such　phrases　as　the　Purpose　in　Things；　as　the　Racial　Consciousness；　　as　the　Collective　Mind。　I　believe　that　this　resistance　in　so　many　contemporary　minds　to　the　　idea　of　God　as　a　person　is　due　very　largely　to　the　enormous　　prejudice　against　divine　personality　created　by　the　absurdities　of　　the　Christian　teaching　and　the　habitual　monopoly　of　the　Christian　　idea。　　The　picture　of　Christ　as　the　Good　Shepherd　thrusts　itself　　before　minds　unaccustomed　to　the　idea　that　they　are　lambs。　　The　　cross　in　the　twilight　bars　the　way。　　It　is　a　novelty　and　an　enormous　　relief　to　such　people　to　realise　that　one　may　think　of　God　without　　being　committed　to　think　of　either　the　Father；　the　Son；　or　the　Holy　　Ghost；　or　of　all　of　them　at　once。　　That　freedom　had　not　seemed　　possible　to　them。　　They　had　been　hypnotised　and　obsessed　by　the　idea　　that　the　Christian　God　is　the　only　thinkable　God。　　They　had　heard　so　　much　about　that　God　and　so　little　of　any　other。　　With　that　release　　their　minds　become；　as　it　were；　nascent　and　ready　for　the　coming　of　　God。　Then　suddenly；　in　a　little　while；　in　his　own　time；　God　comes。　　This　　cardinal　experience　is　an　undoubting；　immediate　sense　of　God。　　It　is　　the　attainment　of　an　absolute　certainty　that　one　is　not　alone　in　　oneself。　　It　is　as　if　one　was　touched　at　every　point　by　a　being　akin　　to　oneself；　sympathetic；　beyond　measure　wiser；　steadfast　and　pure　in　　aim。　　It　is　completer　and　more　intimate；　but　it　is　like　standing　　side　by　side　with　and　touching　someone　that　we　love　very　dearly　and　　trust　completely。　　It　is　as　if　this　being　bridged　a　thousand　　misunderstandings　and　brought　us　into　fellowship　with　a　great　　multitude　of　other　people。　。　。　。　〃Closer　he　is　than　breathing；　and　nearer　than　hands　and　feet。〃　The　moment　may　come　while　we　are　alone　in　the　darkness；　under　the　　stars；　or　while　we　walk　by　ourselves　or　in　a　crowd；　or　while　we　sit　　and　muse。　　It　may　come　upon　the　sinking　ship　or　in　the　tumult　of　the　　battle。　　There　is　no　saying　when　it　may　not　come　to　us。　。　。　。　　But　　after　it　has　come　our　lives　are　changed；　God　is　with　us　and　there　is　　no　more　doubt　of　God。　　Thereafter　one　goes　about　the　world　like　one　　who　was　lonely　and　has　found　a　lover；　like　one　who　was　perplexed　and　　has　found　a　solution。　　One　is　assured　that　there　is　a　Power　that　　fights　with　us　against　the　confusion　and　evil　within　us　and　without。　　　There　comes　into　the　heart　an　essential　and　enduring　happiness　and　　courage。　There　is　but　one　God；　there　is　but　one　true　religious　experience；　　but　under　a　multitude　of　names；　under　veils　and　darknesses；　God　has　　in　this　manner　come　into　countless　lives。　　There　is　scarcely　a　　faith；　however　mean　and　preposterous；　that　has　not　been　a　way　to　　holiness。　　God　who　is　himself　finite；　who　himself　struggles　in　his　　great　effort　from　strength　to　strength；　has　no　spite　against　error。　　　Far　beyond　halfway　he　hastens　to　meet　the　purblind。　　But　God　is　　against　the　darkness　in　their　eyes。　　The　faith　which　is　returning　to　　men　girds　at　veils　and　shadows；　and　would　see　God　plainly。　　It　has　　little　respect　for　mysteries。　　It　rends　the　veil　of　the　temple　in　　rags　and　tatters。　　It　has　no　superstitious　fear　of　this　huge　　friendliness；　of　this　great　brother　and　leader　of　our　little　beings。　　　To　find　God　is　but　the　beginning　of　wisdom；　because　then　for　all　our　　days　we　have　to　learn　his　purpose　with　us　and　to　live　our　lives　with　　him。

CHAPTER　THE　SECOND　HERESIES；　OR　THE　THINGS　THAT　GOD　IS　NOT

1。　HERESIES　ARE　MISCONCEPTIONS　OF　GOD

Religion　is　not　a　plant　that　has　grown　from　one　seed；　it　is　like　a　　lake　that　has　been　fed　by　countless　springs。　　It　is　a　great　pool　of　　living　water；　mingled　from　many　sources　and　tainted　with　much　　impurity。　　It　is　synthetic　in　its　nature；　it　becomes　simpler　from　　original　complexities；　the　sediment　subsides。　A　life　perfectly　adjusted　to　its　surroundings　is　a　life　without　　mentality；　no　judgment　is　called　for；　no　inhibition；　no　disturbance　　of　the　instinctive　flow　of　perfect　reactions。　　Such　a　life　is　bliss；　　or　nirvana。　　It　is　unconsciousness　below　dreaming。　　Consciousness　is　　discord　evoking　the　will　to　adjust；　it　is　inseparable　from　need。　　At　　every　need　consciousness　breaks　into　being。　　Imperfect　adjustments；　　needs；　are　the　rents　and　tatters　in　the　smooth　dark　veil　of　being　　through　which　the　light　of　consciousness　shinesthe　light　of　　consciousness　and