lecture18-第6节

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resemblances　and　differences。　Nothing　could　be　more　unlike　the



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



me　quote　in　illustration　some　passages　from　the　Scottish



transcendentalist　whom　I　have　already　named。







〃How　are　we　to　conceive；〃　Principal　Caird　writes；　〃of　the　reality



in　which　all　intelligence　rests？〃　　He　replies：　　〃Two　things　may



without　difficulty　be　proved；　viz。；　that　this　reality　is　an



absolute　Spirit；　and　conversely　that　it　is　only　in　communion　with



this　absolute　Spirit　or　Intelligence　that　the　finite　Spirit　can



realize　itself。　　It　is　absolute；　for　the　faintest　movement　of



human　intelligence　would　be　arrested；　if　it　did　not　presuppose



the　absolute　reality　of　intelligence；　of　thought　itself。　　Doubt



or　denial　themselves　presuppose　and　indirectly　affirm　it。　　When　I



pronounce　anything　to　be　true；　I　pronounce　it；　indeed；　to　be



relative　to　thought；　but　not　to　be　relative　to　my　thought；　or　to



the　thought　of　any　other　individual　mind。　　From　the　existence　of



all　individual　minds　as　such　I　can　abstract；　I　can　think　them



away。　　But　that　which　I　cannot　think　away　is　thought　or



self…consciousness　itself；　in　its　independence　and　absoluteness；



or；　in　other　words；　an　Absolute　Thought　or　Self…Consciousness。〃







Here；　you　see；　Principal　Caird　makes　the　transition　which　Kant



did　not　make：　　he　converts　the　omnipresence　of　consciousness　in



general　as　a　condition　of　〃truth〃　being　anywhere　possible；　into



an　omnipresent　universal　consciousness；　which　he　identifies　with



God　in　his　concreteness。　　He　next　proceeds　to　use　the　principle



that　to　acknowledge　your　limits　is　in　essence　to　be　beyond　them；



and　makes　the　transition　to　the　religious　experience　of



individuals　in　the　following　words：







〃If　＇Man＇　were　only　a　creature　of　transient　sensations　and



impulses；　of　an　ever　coming　and　going　succession　of　intuitions；



fancies；　feelings；　then　nothing　could　ever　have　for　him　the



character　of　objective　truth　or　reality。　　But　it　is　the



prerogative　of　man's　spiritual　nature　that　he　can　yield　himself



up　to　a　thought　and　will　that　are　infinitely　larger　than　his　own。　



As　a　thinking　self…conscious　being；　indeed；　he　may　be　said；　by



his　very　nature；　to　live　in　the　atmosphere　of　the　Universal　Life。







As　a　thinking　being；　it　is　possible　for　me　to　suppress　and　quell



in　my　consciousness　every　movement　of　self…assertion；　every



notion　and　opinion　that　is　merely　mine；　every　desire　that　belongs



to　me　as　this　particular　Self；　and　to　become　the　pure　medium　of　a



thought　that　is　universalin　one　word；　to　live　no　more　my　own



life；　but　let　my　consciousness　be　possessed　and　suffused　by　the



Infinite　and　Eternal　life　of　spirit。　　And　yet　it　is　just　in　this



renunciation　of　self　that　I　truly　gain　myself；　or　realize　the



highest　possibilities　of　my　own　nature。　　For　whilst　in　one　sense



we　give　up　self　to　live　the　universal　and　absolute　life　of



reason；　yet　that　to　which　we　thus　surrender　ourselves　is　in



reality　our　truer　self。　　The　life　of　absolute　reason　is　not　a



life　that　is　foreign　to　us。〃







Nevertheless；　Principal　Caird　goes　on　to　say；　so　far　as　we　are



able　outwardly　to　realize　this　doctrine；　the　balm　it　offers



remains　incomplete。　　Whatever　we　may　be　in　posse；　the　very　best



of　us　in　actu　falls　very　short　of　being　absolutely　divine。　Social



morality；　love；　and　self…sacrifice　even；　merge　our　Self　only　in



some　other　finite　self　or　selves。　　They　do　not　quite　identify　it



with　the　Infinite。　　Man's　ideal　destiny；　infinite　in　abstract



logic；　might　thus　seem　in　practice　forever　unrealizable。







〃Is　there；　then；〃　our　author　continues；　〃no　solution　of　the



contradiction　between　the　ideal　and　the　actual？　　We　answer；　There



is　such　a　solution；　but　in　order　to　reach　it　we　are　carried



beyond　the　sphere　of　morality　into　that　of　religion。　　It　may　be



said　to　be　the　essential　characteristic　of　religion　as　contrasted



with　morality；　that　it　changes　aspiration　into　fruition；



anticipation　into　realization；　that　instead　of　leaving　man　in　the



interminable　pursuit　of　a　vanishing　ideal；　it　makes　him　the



actual　partaker　of　a　divine　or　infinite　life。　　Whether　we　view



religion　from　the　human　side　or　the　divineas　the　surrender　of



the　soul　to　God；　or　as　the　life　of　God　in　the　soulin　either



aspect　it　is　of　its　very　essence　that　the　Infinite　has　ceased　to



be　a　far…off　vision；　and　has　become　a　present　reality。　　The　very



first　pulsation　of　the　spiritual　life；　when　we　rightly　apprehend



its　significance；　is　the　indication　that　the　division　between　the



Spirit　and　its　object　has　vanished；　that　the　ideal　has　become



real；　that　the　finite　has　reached　its　goal　and　become　suffused



with　the　presence　and　life　of　the　Infinite。







〃Oneness　of　mind　and　will　with　the　divine　mind　and　will　is　not



the　future　hope　and　aim　of　religion；　but　its　very　beginning　and



birth　in　the　soul。　　To　enter　on　the　religious　life　is　to



terminate　the　struggle。　　In　that　act　which　constitutes　the



beginning　of　the　religious　lifecall　it　faith；　or　trust；　or



self…surrender；　or　by　whatever　name　you　willthere　is　involved



the　identification　of　the　finite　with　a　life　which　is　eternally



realized。　　It　is　true　indeed　that　the　religious　life　is



progressive；　but　understood　in　the　light　of　the　foregoing　idea；



religious　progress　is　not　progress　TOWARDS；　but　WITHIN　the　sphere



of　the　Infinite。　　It　is　not　the　vain　attempt　by　endless　finite



additions　or　increments　to　become　possessed　of　infinite　wealth；



but　it　is　the　endeavor；　by　the　constant　exercise　of　spiritual



activity；　to　appropriate　that　infinite　inheritance　of　which　we



are　already　in　possession。　　The　whole　future　of　the　religious



life　is　given　in　its　beginning；　but　it　is　given　implicitly。　　The



position　of　the　man　who　has　entered　on　the　religious　life　is　that



evil；　error；　imperfection；　do　not　really　belong　to　him：　　they　are



excrescences　which　have　no　organic　relation　to　his　true　nature：　



they　are　already　virtually；　as　they　will　be　actually；　suppressed



and　annulled；　and　in　the　very　process　of　being　annulled　they



become　the　means　of　spiritual　progress。　　Though　he　is　not　exempt



from　temptation　and　conflict；　＇yet＇　in　that　inner　sphere　in　which



his　true　life　lies；　the　struggle　is　over；　the　victory　already



achieved。　　It　is　not　a　finite　but　an　infinite　life　which　the



spirit　lives。　　Every　pulse…beat　of　its　＇existence＇　is　the



expression　and　realization　of　the　life　of　God。〃＇299＇







＇299＇　John　Caird：　　An　Introduction　to　the　Philosophy　of　Religion



London　and　New　York；　1880；　pp。　243…250；　and　291…299；　much



abridged。















You　will　readily　admit　that　no　description　of　the　phenomena　of



the　religious　consciousness　could　be　better　than　these　words　of



your　lamented　preacher　and　philosopher。　They　reproduce　the　very



rapture　of　those　crises　of　conversion　of　which　we　have　been



hearing；　they　utter　what　the　mystic　felt　but　was　unable　to



communicate；　and　the　saint；　in　hearing　them；　recognizes　his　own



experience。　　It　is　indeed　gratifying　to　find　the　content　of



religion　reported　so　unanimously。　　But　when　all　is　said　and　done；



has　Principal　Cairdand　I　only　use　him　as　an　example　of　that



whole　mode　of　thinkingtranscended　the　sphere　of　feeling　and　of



the　direct　experience　of　the　individual；　and　laid　the　foundations



of　religion　in　impartial　reason？　　Has　he　made　religion　universal



by　coercive　reasoning；　transformed　it　from　a　private　faith　into　a



public　certainty？　　Has　he　rescued　its　affirmations　from　obscurity



and　mystery？







I　believe　that　he　has　done　nothing　of　the　kind；　but　that　he　has



simply　reaffirmed　the　individual's　experiences　in　a　more



generalized　vocabulary。　　And　again；　I　can　be　excused　from　proving



technically　that　the　transcendentalist　reasonings　fail　to　make



religion　universal；　for　I　can　point　to　the　plain　fact　that　a



majority　of　scholars；　even　religiously　disposed　ones；　stubbornly



refuse　to　treat　them　as　convincing。　　The　whole　of　Germany；　one



may　say；　has　positively　rejected　the　Hegelian　argumentation。　　As



for　Scotland；　I　need　only　mention　Professor　Fraser's　and



Professor　Pringle…Pattison's　memorable　criticisms；　with　which　so



many　of　you　are　familiar。＇300＇　　Once　more；　I　ask；　if



transcendental　idealism　were　　as　objectively　and　absolutely



rational　as　it　pretends　to　be；　could　it　possibly　fail　so



egregiously　to　be　persuasive？







＇300＇　A。　C。　Fraser：　　Philosophy　of　Theism；　second　edition；



Edinburgh　and　London；　1899；　especially　pa