lecture18-第5节

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perform　in　order　to　adapt　myself　the　better　to　God's　simplicity？　



Or　how　does　it　assist　me　to　plan　my　behavior；　to　know　that　his



happiness　is　anyhow　absolutely　complete？　　In　the　middle　of　the



century　just　past；　Mayne　Reid　was　the　great　writer　of　books　of



out…of…door　adventure。　He　was　forever　extolling　the　hunters　and



field…observers　of　living　animals'　habits；　and　keeping　up　a　fire



of　invective　against　the　〃closet…naturalists；〃　as　he　called　them；



the　collectors　and　classifiers；　and　handlers　of　skeletons　and



skins。　　When　I　was　a　boy；　I　used　to　think　that　a　closet…



naturalist　must　be　the　vilest　type　of　wretch　under　the　sun。　But



surely　the　systematic　theologians　are　the　closet…naturalists　of



the　deity；　even　in　Captain　Mayne　Reid's　sense。　　What　is　their



deduction　of　metaphysical　attributes　but　a　shuffling　and　matching



of　pedantic　dictionary…adjectives；　aloof　from　morals；　aloof　from



human　needs；　something　that　might　be　worked　out　from　the　mere



word　〃God〃　by　one　of　those　logical　machines　of　wood　and　brass



which　recent　ingenuity　has　contrived　as　well　as　by　a　man　of　flesh



and　blood。　　They　have　the　trail　of　the　serpent　over　them。　　One



feels　that　in　the　theologians'　hands；　they　are　only　a　set　of



titles　obtained　by　a　mechanical　manipulation　of　synonyms；



verbality　has　stepped　into　the　place　of　vision；　professionalism



into　that　of　life。　　Instead　of　bread　we　have　a　stone；　instead　of



a　fish；　a　serpent。　　Did　such　a　conglomeration　of　abstract　terms



give　really　the　gist　of　our　knowledge　of　the　deity；　schools　of



theology　might　indeed　continue　to　flourish；　but　religion；　vital



religion；　would　have　taken　its　flight　from　this　world。　What　keeps



religion　going　is　something　else　than　abstract　definitions　and



systems　of　concatenated　adjectives；　and　something　different　from



faculties　of　theology　and　their　professors。　　All　these　things　are



after…effects；　secondary　accretions　upon　those　phenomena　of　vital



conversation　with　the　unseen　divine；　of　which　I　have　shown　you　so



many　instances；　renewing　themselves　in　saecula　saeculorum　in　the



lives　of　humble　private　men。







So　much　for　the　metaphysical　attributes　of　God！　　From　the　point



of　view　of　practical　religion；　the　metaphysical　monster　which



they　offer　to　our　worship　is　an　absolutely　worthless　invention　of



the　scholarly　mind。







What　shall　we　now　say　of　the　attributes　called　moral？



Pragmatically；　they　stand　on　an　entirely　different　footing。　They



positively　determine　fear　and　hope　and　expectation；　and　are



foundations　for　the　saintly　life。　　It　needs　but　a　glance　at　them



to　show　how　great　is　their　significance。







God's　holiness；　for　example：　　being　holy；　God　can　will　nothing



but　the　good。　　Being　omnipotent；　he　can　secure　its　triumph。　



Being　omniscient；　he　can　see　us　in　the　dark。　　Being　just；　he　can



punish　us　for　what　he　sees。　　Being　loving；　he　can　pardon　too。　



Being　unalterable；　we　can　count　on　him　securely。　　These　qualities



enter　into　connection　with　our　life；　it　is　highly　important　that



we　should　be　informed　concerning　them。　　That　God's　purpose　in



creation　should　be　the　manifestation　of　his　glory　is　also　an



attribute　which　has　definite　relations　to　our　practical　life。　



Among　other　things　it　has　given　a　definite　character　to　worship



in　all　Christian　countries。　　If　dogmatic　theology　really　does



prove　beyond　dispute　that　a　God　with　characters　like　these



exists；　she　may　well　claim　to　give　a　solid　basis　to　religious



sentiment。　　But　verily；　how　stands　it　with　her　arguments？







It　stands　with　them　as　ill　as　with　the　arguments　for　his



existence。　　Not　only　do　post…Kantian　idealists　reject　them　root



and　branch；　but　it　is　a　plain　historic　fact　that　they　never　have



converted　any　one　who　has　found　in　the　moral　complexion　of　the



world；　as　he　experienced　it；　reasons　for　doubting　that　a　good　God



can　have　framed　it。　　To　prove　God's　goodness　by　the　scholastic



argument　that　there　is　no　non…being　in　his　essence　would　sound



to　such　a　witness　simply　silly。







No！　the　book　of　Job　went　over　this　whole　matter　once　for　all　and



definitively。　　Ratiocination　is　a　relatively　superficial　and



unreal　path　to　the　deity：　　〃I　will　lay　mine　hand　upon　my　mouth；　I



have　heard　of　Thee　by　the　hearing　of　the　ear；　but　now　mine　eye



seeth　Thee。〃　　An　intellect　perplexed　and　baffled；　yet　a



trustful　sense　of　presencesuch　is　the　situation　of　the　man　who



is　sincere　with　himself　and　with　the　facts；　but　who　remains





religious　still。＇298＇







＇298＇　Pragmatically；　the　most　important　attribute　of　God　is　his



punitive　justice。　　But　who；　in　the　present　state　of　theological



opinion　on　that　point；　will　dare　maintain　that　hell　fire　or　its



equivalent　in　some　shape　is　rendered　certain　by　pure　logic？　



Theology　herself　has　largely　based　this　doctrine　upon　revelation；



and；　in　discussing　it；　has　tended　more　and　more　to　substitute



conventional　ideas　of　criminal　law　for　a　priori　principles　of



reason。　　But　the　very　notion　that　this　glorious　universe；　with



planets　and　winds；　and　laughing　sky　and　ocean；　should　have　been



conceived　and　had　its　beams　and　rafters　laid　in　technicalities　of



criminality；　is　incredible　to　our　modern　imagination。　　It　weakens



a　religion　to　hear　it　argued　upon　such　a　basis。















We　must　therefore；　I　think；　bid　a　definitive　good…by　to　dogmatic



theology。　　In　all　sincerity　our　faith　must　do　without　that



warrant。　　Modern　idealism；　I　repeat；　has　said　goodby　to　this



theology　forever。　　Can　modern　idealism　give　faith　a　better



warrant；　or　must　she　still　rely　on　her　poor　self　for　witness？







The　basis　of　modern　idealism　is　Kant's　doctrine　of　the



Transcendental　Ego　of　Apperception。　　By　this　formidable　term　Kant



merely　meant　the　fact　that　the　consciousness　〃I　think　them〃　must



（potentially　or　actually）　accompany　all　our　objects。　　Former



skeptics　had　said　as　much；　but　the　〃I〃　in　question　had　remained



for　them　identified　with　the　personal　individual。　　Kant



abstracted　and　depersonalized　it；　and　made　it　the　most　universal



of　all　his　categories；　although　for　Kant　himself　the



Transcendental　Ego　had　no　theological　implications。







It　was　reserved　for　his　successors　to　convert　Kant's　notion　of



Bewusstsein　uberhaupt；　or　abstract　consciousness；　into　an



infinite　concrete　self…consciousness　which　is　the　soul　of　the



world；　and　in　which　our　sundry　personal　self…consciousnesses



have　their　being。　　It　would　lead　me　into　technicalities　to　show



you　even　briefly　how　this　transformation　was　in　point　of　fact



effected。　　Suffice　it　to　say　that　in　the　Hegelian　school；　which



to…day　so　deeply　influences　both　British　and　American　thinking；



two　principles　have　borne　the　brunt　of　the　operation。







The　first　of　these　principles　is　that　the　old　logic　of　identity



never　gives　us　more　than　a　post…mortem　dissection　of　disjecta



membra；　and　that　the　fullness　of　life　can　be　construed　to　thought



only　by　recognizing　that　every　object　which　our　thought　may



propose　to　itself　involves　the　notion　of　some　other　object　which



seems　at　first　to　negate　the　first　one。







The　second　principle　is　that　to　be　conscious　of　a　negation　is



already　virtually　to　be　beyond　it。　　The　mere　asking　of　a　question



or　expression　of　a　dissatisfaction　proves　that　the　answer　or　the



satisfaction　is　already　imminent；　the　finite；　realized　as　such；



is　already　the　infinite　in　posse。







Applying　these　principles；　we　seem　to　get　a　propulsive　force　into



our　logic　which　the　ordinary　logic　of　a　bare；　stark　self…identity



in　each　thing　never　attains　to。　　The　objects　of　our　thought　now



ACT　within　our　thought；　act　as　objects　act　when　given　in



experience。　　They　change　and　develop。　They　introduce　something



other　than　themselves　along　with　them；　and　this　other；　at　first



only　ideal　or　potential；　presently　proves　itself　also　to　be



actual。　　It　supersedes　the　thing　at　first　supposed；　and　both



verifies　and　corrects　it；　in　developing　the　fullness　of　its



meaning。







The　program　is　excellent；　the　universe　IS　a　place　where　things



are　followed　by　other　things　that　both　correct　and　fulfill　them；



and　a　logic　which　gave　us　something　like　this　movement　of　fact



would　express　truth　far　better　than　the　traditional　school…logic；



which　never　gets　of　its　own　accord　from　anything　to　anything



else；　and　registers　only　predictions　and　subsumptions；　or　static



resemblances　and　differences。　Nothing　could　be　more　unlike　the



methods　of　dogmatic　theology　than　those　of　this　new　logic。　　Let