seraphita-第23节

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some　eternal　cauldron　or　to　walk　in　white　robes；　a　palm　in　his　hand

and　a　halo　round　his　head？　Can　it　be　that　this　pagan　invention　is　the

final　word　of　God？　Where　is　the　generous　soul　who　does　not　feel　that

the　calculating　virtue　which　seeks　the　eternity　of　pleasure　offered　by

all　religions　to　whoever　fulfils　at　stray　moments　certain　fanciful　and

often　unnatural　conditions；　is　unworthy　of　man　and　of　God？　Is　it　not　a

mockery　to　give　to　man　impetuous　senses　and　forbid　him　to　satisfy

them？　Besides；　what　mean　these　ascetic　objections　if　Good　and　Evil　are

equally　abolished？　Does　Evil　exist？　If　substance　in　all　its　forms　is

God；　then　Evil　is　God。　The　faculty　of　reasoning　as　well　as　the　faculty

of　feeling　having　been　given　to　man　to　use；　nothing　can　be　more

excusable　in　him　than　to　seek　to　know　the　meaning　of　human　suffering

and　the　prospects　of　the　future。



〃If　these　rigid　and　rigorous　arguments　lead　to　such　conclusions

confusion　must　reign。　The　world　would　have　no　fixedness；　nothing　would

advance；　nothing　would　pause；　all　would　change；　nothing　would　be

destroyed；　all　would　reappear　after　self…renovation；　for　if　your　mind

does　not　clearly　demonstrate　to　you　an　end；　it　is　equally　impossible

to　demonstrate　the　destruction　of　the　smallest　particle　of　Matter；

Matter　can　transform　but　not　annihilate　itself。



〃Though　blind　force　may　provide　arguments　for　the　atheist；　intelligent

force　is　inexplicable；　for　if　it　emanates　from　God；　why　should　it　meet

with　obstacles？　ought　not　its　triumph　to　be　immediate？　Where　is　God？

If　the　living　cannot　perceive　Him；　can　the　dead　find　Him？　Crumble；　ye

idolatries　and　ye　religions！　Fall；　feeble　keystones　of　all　social

arches；　powerless　to　retard　the　decay；　the　death；　the　oblivion　that

have　overtaken　all　nations　however　firmly　founded！　Fall；　morality　and

justice！　our　crimes　are　purely　relative；　they　are　divine　effects　whose

causes　we　are　not　allowed　to　know。　All　is　God。　Either　we　are　God　or

God　is　not！Child　of　a　century　whose　every　year　has　laid　upon　your

brow；　old　man；　the　ice　of　its　unbelief；　here；　here　is　the　summing　up

of　your　lifetime　of　thought；　of　your　science　and　your　reflections！

Dear　Monsieur　Becker；　you　have　laid　your　head　upon　the　pillow　of

Doubt；　because　it　is　the　easiest　of　solutions；　acting　in　this　respect

with　the　majority　of　mankind；　who　say　in　their　hearts：　'Let　us　think

no　more　of　these　problems；　since　God　has　not　vouchsafed　to　grant　us

the　algebraic　demonstrations　that　could　solve　them；　while　He　has　given

us　so　many　other　ways　to　get　from　earth　to　heaven。'



〃Tell　me；　dear　pastor；　are　not　these　your　secret　thoughts？　Have　I

evaded　the　point　of　any？　nay；　rather；　have　I　not　clearly　stated　all？

First；　in　the　dogma　of　two　principles；an　antagonism　in　which　God

perishes　for　the　reason　that　being　All…Powerful　He　chose　to　combat。

Secondly；　in　the　absurd　pantheism　where；　all　being　God；　God　exists　no

longer。　These　two　sources；　from　which　have　flowed　all　the　religions

for　whose　triumph　Earth　has　toiled　and　prayed；　are　equally　pernicious。

Behold　in　them　the　double…bladed　axe　with　which　you　decapitate　the

white　old　man　whom　you　enthrone　among　your　painted　clouds！　And　now；　to

me　the　axe；　I　wield　it！〃



Monsieur　Becker　and　Wilfrid　gazed　at　the　young　girl　with　something

like　terror。



〃To　believe；〃　continued　Seraphita；　in　her　Woman's　voice；　for　the　Man

had　finished　speaking；　〃to　believe　is　a　gift。　To　believe　is　to　feel。

To　believe　in　God　we　must　feel　God。　This　feeling　is　a　possession

slowly　acquired　by　the　human　being；　just　as　other　astonishing　powers

which　you　admire　in　great　men；　warriors；　artists；　scholars；　those　who

know　and　those　who　act；　are　acquired。　Thought；　that　budget　of　the

relations　which　you　perceive　among　created　things；　is　an　intellectual

language　which　can　be　learned；　is　it　not？　Belief；　the　budget　of

celestial　truths；　is　also　a　language　as　superior　to　thought　as　thought

is　to　instinct。　This　language　also　can　be　learned。　The　Believer

answers　with　a　single　cry；　a　single　gesture；　Faith　puts　within　his

hand　a　flaming　sword　with　which　he　pierces　and　illumines　all。　The　Seer

attains　to　heaven　and　descends　not。　But　there　are　beings　who　believe

and　see；　who　know　and　will；　who　love　and　pray　and　wait。　Submissive；

yet　aspiring　to　the　kingdom　of　light；　they　have　neither　the　aloofness

of　the　Believer　nor　the　silence　of　the　Seer；　they　listen　and　reply。　To

them　the　doubt　of　the　twilight　ages　is　not　a　murderous　weapon；　but　a

divining　rod；　they　accept　the　contest　under　every　form；　they　train

their　tongues　to　every　language；　they　are　never　angered；　though　they

groan；　the　acrimony　of　the　aggressor　is　not　in　them；　but　rather　the

softness　and　tenuity　of　light；　which　penetrates　and　warms　and

illumines。　To　their　eyes　Doubt　is　neither　an　impiety；　nor　a　blasphemy；

nor　a　crime；　but　a　transition　through　which　men　return　upon　their

steps　in　the　Darkness；　or　advance　into　the　Light。　This　being　so；　dear

pastor；　let　us　reason　together。



〃You　do　not　believe　in　God？　Why？　God；　to　your　thinking；　is

incomprehensible；　inexplicable。　Agreed。　I　will　not　reply　that　to

comprehend　God　in　His　entirety　would　be　to　be　God；　nor　will　I　tell　you

that　you　deny　what　seems　to　you　inexplicable　so　as　to　give　me　the

right　to　affirm　that　which　to　me　is　believable。　There　is；　for　you；　one

evident　fact；　which　lies　within　yourself。　In　you；　Matter　has　ended　in

intelligence；　can　you　therefore　think　that　human　intelligence　will　end

in　darkness；　doubt；　and　nothingness？　God　may　seem　to　you

incomprehensible　and　inexplicable；　but　you　must　admit　Him　to　be；　in

all　things　purely　physical；　a　splendid　and　consistent　workman。　Why

should　His　craft　stop　short　at　man；　His　most　finished　creation？



〃If　that　question　is　not　convincing；　at　least　it　compels　meditation。

Happily；　although　you　deny　God；　you　are　obliged；　in　order　to　establish

your　doubts；　to　admit　those　double…bladed　facts；　which　kill　your

arguments　as　much　as　your　arguments　kill　God。　We　have　also　admitted

that　Matter　and　Spirit　are　two　creations　which　do　not　comprehend　each

other；　that　the　spiritual　world　is　formed　of　infinite　relations　to

which　the　finite　material　world　has　given　rise；　that　if　no　one　on

earth　is　able　to　identify　himself　by　the　power　of　his　spirit　with　the

great…whole　of　terrestrial　creations；　still　less　is　he　able　to　rise　to

the　knowledge　of　the　relations　which　the　spirit　perceives　between

these　creations。



〃We　might　end　the　argument　here　in　one　word；　by　denying　you　the

faculty　of　comprehending　God；　just　as　you　deny　to　the　pebbles　of　the

fiord　the　faculties　of　counting　and　of　seeing　each　other。　How　do　you

know　that　the　stones　themselves　do　not　deny　the　existence　of　man；

though　man　makes　use　of　them　to　build　his　houses？　There　is　one　fact

that　appals　you；the　Infinite；　if　you　feel　it　within；　why　will　you

not　admit　its　consequences？　Can　the　finite　have　a　perfect　knowledge　of

the　infinite？　If　you　cannot　perceive　those　relations　which；　according

to　your　own　admission；　are　infinite；　how　can　you　grasp　a　sense　of　the

far…off　end　to　which　they　are　converging？　Order；　the　revelation　of

which　is　one　of　your　needs；　being　infinite；　can　your　limited　reason

apprehend　it？　Do　not　ask　why　man　does　not　comprehend　that　which　he　is

able　to　perceive；　for　he　is　equally　able　to　perceive　that　which　he

does　not　comprehend。　If　I　prove　to　you　that　your　mind　ignores　that

which　lies　within　its　compass；　will　you　grant　that　it　is　impossible

for　it　to　conceive　whatever　is　beyond　it？　This　being　so；　am　I　not

justified　in　saying　to　you：　'One　of　the　two　propositions　under　which

God　is　annihilated　before　the　tribunal　of　our　reason　must　be　true；　the

other　is　false。　Inasmuch　as　creation　exists；　you　feel　the　necessity　of

an　end；　and　that　end　should　be　good；　should　it　not？　Now；　if　Matter

terminates　in　man　by　intelligence；　why　are　you　not　satisfied　to

believe　that　the　end　of　human　intelligence　is　the　Light　of　the　higher

spheres；　where　alone　an　intuition　of　that　God　who　seems　so　insoluble　a

problem　is　obtained？　The　species　which　are　beneath　you　have　no

conception　of　the　universe；　and　you　have；　why　should　there　not　be

other　species　above　you　more　intelligent　than　your　own？　Man　ought　to

be　better　informed　than　he　is　about　himself　before　he　spends　his

strength　in　measuring　God。　Before　attacking　the　stars　that　light　us；

and　the　higher　certainties；　ought　he　not　to　understand　the　certainties

which　are　actually　about　him？'



〃But　no！　to　the　negations　of　doubt　I　ought　rather　to　reply　by

negations。　Therefore　I　ask　you　whether　there　is　anything　here　below　so

evident　that　I　can　put　faith　in　it？　I　will　show　you　in　a　moment　that

you　believe　firmly　in　things　which　act；　and　yet　are　not　beings；　in

things　which　engender　thought；　and　yet　are　not　spirits；　in　living

abstractions　which　the　understanding　cannot　grasp　in　any　shape；　which

are　in　fact　nowhere；　but　which　you　perceive　everywhere；　which　have；

and　can　have；　on　name；　but　which；　nevertheless