god the known and god the unknown-第7节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



and　impulses　on　the　part　of　our　tributary　souls　or　'selves；'　who　

probably　no　more　know　that　we　exist；　and　that　they　exist　as　a　

part　of　us；　than　a　microscopic　insect　knows　the　results　of　

spectrum　analysis；　or　than　an　agricultural　labourer　＇sic＇　knows　

the　working　of　the　British　Constitution；　and　of　whom　we　know　no　

more　than　we　do　of　the　habits　and　feelings　of　some　class　widely　

separated　from　our　own。〃…（〃Life　and　Habit；〃　p。　　110。）



After　which　it　became　natural　to　ask　the　following　question　：…　

〃Is　it　possible　to　avoid　imagining　that　we　may　be　ourselves　

atoms；　undesignedly　combining　to　form　some　vaster　being；　though　

we　are　utterly　incapable　of　perceiving　this　being　as　a　single　

individual；　or　of　realising　＇sic＇　the　scheme　and　scope　of　our　own　

combination？　And　this；　too；　not　a　spiritual　being；　which；　without　

matter　or　what　we　think　matter　of　some　sort；　is　as　complete　

nonsense　to　us　as　though　men　bade　us　love　and　lean　upon　an　

intelligent　vacuum；　but　a　being　with　what　is　virtually　flesh　and　

blood　and　bones；　with　organs；　senses；　dimensions　in　some　way　

analogous　to　our　own；　into　some　other　part　of　which　being　at　the　

time　of　our　great　change　we　must　infallibly　re…enter；　starting　

clean　anew；　with　bygones　bygones；　and　no　more　ache　for　ever　from　

age　or　antecedents。



〃'An　organic　being；'　writes　Mr。　　Darwin；　'is　a　microcosm；　a　little　

universe；　formed　of　a　host　of　self…propagating　organisms　

inconceivably　minute　and　numerous　as　the　stars　in　Heaven。'　　As　

these　myriads　of　smaller　organisms　are　parts　and　processes　of　us；　

so　are　we　parts　and　processes　of　life　at　large。〃



A　tree　is　composed　of　a　multitude　of　subordinate　trees；　each　bud　

being　a　distinct　individual。　　So　coral　polypes　＇sic＇　form　a　tree…

like　growth　of　animal　life；　with　branches　from　which　spring　

individual　polypes　＇sic＇　that　are　connected　by　a　common　tissue　

and　supported　by　a　common　skeleton。　　We　have　no　difficulty　in　

seeing　a　unity　in　multitude；　and　a　multitude　in　unity　here；　

because　we　can　observe　the　wood　and　the　gelatinous　tissue　

connecting　together　all　the　individuals　which　compose　either　the　

tree　or　the　mass　of　polypes　＇sic＇。　　Yet　the　skeleton；　whether　of　

tree　or　of　polype　＇sic＇；　is　inanimate；　and　the　tissue；　whether　of　

bark　or　gelatine　＇sic＇；　is　only　the　matted　roots　of　the　

individual　buds；　so　that　the　outward　and　striking　connection　

between　the　individuals　is　more　delusive　than　real。　　The　true　

connection　is　one　which　cannot　be　seen；　and　consists　in　the　

animation　of　each　bud　by　a　like　spirit…in　the　community　of　soul；　

in　〃the　voice　of　the　Lord　which　maketh　men　to　be　of　one　mind　in　

an　house〃…〃to　dwell　together　in　unity〃…to　take　what　are　

practically　identical　views　of　things；　and　express　themselves　in　

concert　under　all　circumstances。　　Provided　this…the　true　unifier　

of　organism…can　be　shown　to　exist；　the　absence　of　gross　outward　

and　visible　but　inanimate　common　skeleton　is　no　bar　to　oneness　of　

personality。



Let　us　picture　to　our　minds　a　tree　of　which　all　the　woody　fibre　

＇sic＇　shall　be　invisible；　the　buds　and　leaves　seeming　to　stand　in　

mid…air　unsupported　and　unconnected　with　one　another；　so　that　

there　is　nothing　but　a　certain　tree…　like　collocation　of　foliage　

to　suggest　any　common　principle　of　growth　uniting　the　leaves。



Three　or　four　leaves　of　different　ages　stand　living　together　at　

the　place　in　the　air　where　the　end　of　each　bough　should　be；　of　

these　the　youngest　are　still　tender　and　in　the　bud；　while　the　

older　ones　are　turning　yellow　and　on　the　point　of　falling。　　

Between　these　leaves　a　sort　of　twig…like　growth　can　be　detected　

if　they　are　looked　at　in　certain　lights；　but　it　is　hard　to　see；　

except　perhaps　when　a　bud　is　on　the　point　of　coming　out。　　Then　

there　does　appear　to　be　a　connection　which　might　be　called　

branch…like。



The　separate　tufts　are　very　different　from　one　another；　so　that　

oak　leaves；　ash　leaves；　horse…chestnut　leaves；　etc。；　are　each　

represented；　but　there　is　one　species　only　at　the　end　of　each　

bough。



Though　the　trunk　and　all　the　inner　boughs　and　leaves　have　

disappeared；　yet　there　hang　here　and　there　fossil　leaves；　also　in　

mid…air；　they　appear　to　have　been　petrified；　without　method　or　

selection；　by　what　we　call　the　caprices　of　nature；　they　hang　in　

the　path　which　the　boughs　and　twigs　would　have　taken；　and　they　

seem　to　indicate　that　if　the　tree　could　have　been　seen　a　million　

years　earlier；　before　it　had　grown　near　its　present　size；　the　

leaves　standing　at　the　end　of　each　bough　would　have　been　found　

very　different　from　what　they　are　now。　　Let　us　suppose　that　all　

the　leaves　at　the　end　of　all　the　invisible　boughs；　no　matter　how　

different　they　now　are　from　one　another；　were　found　in　earliest　

budhood　to　be　absolutely　indistinguishable；　and　afterwards　to　

develop　towards　each　differentiation　through　stages　which　were　

indicated　by　the　fossil　leaves。　　Lastly；　let　us　suppose　that　

though　the　boughs　which　seem　wanted　to　connect　all　the　living　

forms　of　leaves　with　the　fossil　leaves；　and　with　countless　forms　

of　which　all　trace　has　disappeared；　and　also　with　a　single　root…

have　become　invisible；　yet　that　there　is　irrefragable　evidence　to　

show　that　they　once　actually　existed；　and　indeed　are　existing　at　

this　moment；　in　a　condition　as　real　though　as　invisible　to　the　

eye　as　air　or　electricity。　　Should　we；　I　ask；　under　these　

circumstances　hesitate　to　call　our　imaginary　plant　or　tree　by　a　

single　name；　and　to　think　of　it　as　one　person；　merely　upon　the　

score　that　the　woody　fibre　＇sic＇　was　invisible？　Should　we　not　

esteem　the　common　soul；　memories　and　principles　of　growth　which　

are　preserved　between　all　the　buds；　no　matter　how　widely　they　

differ　in　detail；　as　a　more　living　bond　of　union　than　a　framework　

of　wood　would　be；　which；　though　it　were　visible　to　the　eye；　would　

still　be　inanimate？



The　mistletoe　appears　as　closely　connected　with　the　tree　on　which　

it　grows　as　any　of　the　buds　of　the　tree　itself；　it　is　fed　upon　

the　same　sap　as　the　other　buds　are；　which　sap…however　much　it　may　

modify　it　at　the　last　moment…it　draws　through　the　same　fibres　

＇sic＇　as　do　its　foster…brothers…why　then　do　we　at　once　feel　that　

the　mistletoe　is　no　part　of　the　apple　tree？　Not　from　any　want　of　

manifest　continuity；　but　from　the　spiritual　difference…from　the　

profoundly　different　views　of　life　and　things　which　are　taken　by　

the　parasite　and　the　tree　on　which　it　grows…the　two　are　

now　different　because　they　think　differently…as　long　as　

they　thought　alike　they　were　alike…that　is　to　say　they　were　

protoplasm…they　and　we　and　all　that　lives　meeting　in　this　common　

substance。



We　ought　therefore　to　regard　our　supposed　tufts　of　leaves　as　a　

tree；　that　is　to　say；　as　a　compound　existence；　each　one　of　whose　

component　items　is　compounded　of　others　which　are　also　in　their　

turn　compounded。　　But　the　tree　above　described　is　no　imaginary　

parallel　to　the　condition　of　life　upon　the　globe；　it　is　perhaps　

as　accurate　a　description　of　the　Tree　of　Life　as　can　be　put　into　

so　small　a　compass。　　The　most　sure　proof　of　a　man's　identity　is　

the　power　to　remember　that　such　and　such　things　happened；　which　

none　but　he　can　know；　the　most　sure　proof　of　his　remembering　is　

the　power　to　react　his　part　in　the　original　drama；　whatever　it　

may　have　been；　if　a　man　can　repeat　a　performance　with　consummate　

truth；　and　can　stand　any　amount　of　cross…questioning　about　it；　he　

is　the　performer　of　the　original　performance；　whatever　it　was。　　

The　memories　which　all　living　forms　prove　by　their　actions　that　

they　possess…the　memories　of　their　common　identity　with　a　single　

person　in　whom　they　meet…this　is　incontestable　proof　of　their　

being　animated　by　a　common　soul。　　It　is　certain；　therefore；　that　

all　living　forms；　whether　animal　or　vegetable；　are　in　reality　one　

animal；　we　and　the　mosses　being　part　of　the　same　vast　person　in　

no　figurative　sense；　but　with　as　much　bona　fide　literal　

truth　as　when　we　say　that　a　man's　finger…nails　and　his　eyes　are　

parts　of　the　same　man。



It　is　in　this　Person　that　we　may　see　the　Body　of　God…and　in　the　

evolution　of　this　Person；　the　mystery　of　His　Incarnation。



＇In　〃Unconscious　Memory；〃　Chapter　V；　Butler　wrote：　〃In　the　

articles　above　alluded　to　（〃God　the　Known　and　God　the　Unknown〃）　I　

separated　the　organic　from　the　inorganic；　but　when　I　came　to　

rewrite　them　I　found　that　this　could　not　be　done；　and　that　I　must　

reconstruct　what　I　had　written。〃　This　reconstruction　never　having　

been　effected；　it　may　be　well　to　quote　further　from　〃Unconscious　

Memory〃　（concluding　chapter）：　〃At　parting；　therefore；　I　would　

recommend　the　reader　to　see　every　atom　in　the　universe　as　living　

and　able　to　feel　and　remember；　but　in　a　humble　way。　　He　must　have　

life　eternal　as　well　as　matter　eternal；　and　the　life　and　the　

matter　must　be　joined　together　inseparably　as　body　and　soul　to　

one　another。　　Thus　he　will　see　God　everywh