god the invisible king-第18部分
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seize it； but where the oath is unavoidable he will take it。 The service of God is not to achieve a delicate consistency of statement； it is to do as much as one can of God's work。
9。 THE PRIEST AND THE CREED
It may be doubted if this line of reasoning regarding the official and his oath can be extended to excuse the priest or pledged minister of religion who finds that faith in the true God has ousted his formal beliefs。 This has been a frequent and subtle moral problem in the intellectual life of the last hundred years。 It has been increasingly difficult for any class of reading； talking； and discussing people such as are the bulk of the priesthoods of the Christian churches to escape hearing and reading the accumulated criticism of the Trinitarian theology and of the popularly accepted story of man's fall and salvation。 Some have no doubt defeated this universal and insidious critical attack entirely； and honestly established themselves in a right…down acceptance of the articles and disciplines to which they have subscribed and of the creeds they profess and repeat。 Some have recanted and abandoned their positions in the priesthood。 But a great number have neither resisted the bacillus of criticism nor left the churches to which they are attached。 They have adopted compromises； they have qualified their creeds with modifying footnotes of essential repudiation； they have decided that plain statements are metaphors and have undercut； transposed； and inverted the most vital points of the vulgarly accepted beliefs。 One may find within the Anglican communion； Arians； Unitarians； Atheists； disbelievers in immortality； attenuators of miracles； there is scarcely a doubt or a cavil that has not found a lodgment within the ample charity of the English Establishment。 I have been interested to hear one distinguished Canon deplore that 〃they〃 did not identify the Logos with the third instead of the second Person of the Trinity； and another distinguished Catholic apologist declare his indifference to the 〃historical Jesus。〃 Within most of the Christian communions one may believe anything or nothing； provided only that one does not call too public an attention to one's eccentricity。 The late Rev。 Charles Voysey； for example； preached plainly in his church at Healaugh against the divinity of Christ； unhindered。 It was only when he published his sermons under the provocative title of 〃The Sling and the Stone；〃 and caused an outcry beyond the limits of his congregation； that he was indicted and deprived。 Now the reasons why these men do not leave the ministry or priesthood in which they find themselves are often very plausible。 It is probable that in very few cases is the retention of stipend or incumbency a conscious dishonesty。 At the worst it is mitigated by thought for wife or child。 It has only been during very exceptional phases of religious development and controversy that beliefs have been really sharp。 A creed； like a coin； it may be argued； loses little in practical value because it is worn； or bears the image of a vanished king。 The religious life is a reality that has clothed itself in many garments； and the concern of the priest or minister is with the religious life and not with the poor symbols that may indeed pretend to express； but do as a matter of fact no more than indicate； its direction。 It is quite possible to maintain that the church and not the creed is the real and valuable instrument of religion； that the religious life is sustained not by its propositions but by its routines。 Anyone who seeks the intimate discussion of spiritual things with professional divines； will find this is the substance of the case for the ecclesiastical sceptic。 His church； he will admit； mumbles its statement of truth； but where else is truth？ What better formulae are to be found for ineffable things？ And meanwhilehe does good。 That may be a valid defence before a man finds God。 But we who profess the worship and fellowship of the living God deny that religion is a matter of ineffable things。 The way of God is plain and simple and easy to understand。 Therewith the whole position of the conforming sceptic is changed。 If a professional religious has any justification at all for his professionalism it is surely that he proclaims the nearness and greatness of God。 And these creeds and articles and orthodoxies are not proclamations but curtains； they are a darkening and confusion of what should be crystal clear。 What compensatory good can a priest pretend to do when his primary business is the truth and his method a lie？ The oaths and incidental conformities of men who wish to serve God in the state are on a different footing altogether from the falsehood and mischief of one who knows the true God and yet recites to a trustful congregation； foists upon a trustful congregation； a misleading and ill…phrased Levantine creed。 Such is the line of thought which will impose the renunciation of his temporalities and a complete cessation of services upon every ordained priest and minister as his first act of faith。 Once that he has truly realised God； it becomes impossible for him ever to repeat his creed again。 His course seems plain and clear。 It becomes him to stand up before the flock he has led in error； and to proclaim the being and nature of the one true God。 He must be explicit to the utmost of his powers。 Then he may await his expulsion。 It may be doubted whether it is sufficient for him to go away silently； making false excuses or none at all for his retreat。 He has to atone for the implicit acquiescences of his conforming years。
10。 THE UNIVERSALISM OF GOD
Are any sorts of people shut off as if by inherent necessity from God？ This is； so to speak； one of the standing questions of theology； it reappears with slight changes of form at every period of religious interest； it is for example the chief issue between the Arminian and the Calvinist。 From its very opening proposition modern religion sweeps past and far ahead of the old Arminian teachings of Wesleyans and Methodists； in its insistence upon the entirely finite nature of God。 Arminians seem merely to have insisted that God has conditioned himself； and by his own free act left men free to accept or reject salvation。 To the realist type of mindhere as always I use 〃realist〃 in its proper sense as the opposite of nominalistto the old…fashioned； over…exact and over…accentuating type of mind； such ways of thinking seem vague and unsatisfying。 Just as it distresses the more downright kind of intelligence with a feeling of disloyalty to admit that God is not Almighty； so it troubles the same sort of intelligence to hear that there is no clear line to be drawn between the saved and the lost。 Realists like an exclusive flavour in their faith。 Moreover； it is a natural weakness of humanity to be forced into extreme positions by argument。 It is probable； as I have already suggested； that the absolute attributes of God were forced upon Christianity under the stresses of propaganda； and it is probable that the theory of a super…human obstinancy beyond salvation arose out of the irritations natural to theological debate。 It is but a step from the realisation that there are people absolutely unable or absolutely unwilling to see God as we see him； to the conviction that they are therefore shut off from God by an invincible soul blindness。 It is very easy to believe that other people are essentially damned。 Beyond the little world of our sympathies and comprehension there are those who seem inaccessible to God by any means within our experience。 They are people answering to the 〃hard…hearted；〃 to the 〃stiff…necked generation〃 of the Hebrew prophets。 They betray and even confess to standards that seem hopelessly base to us。 They show themselves incapable of any disinterested enthusiasm for beauty or truth or goodness。 They are altogether remote from intelligent sacrifice。 To every test they betray vileness of texture； they are mean； cold； wicked。 There are people who seem to cheat with a private self…approval； who are ever ready to do harsh and cruel things； whose use for social feeling is the malignant boycott； and for prosperity； monopolisation and humiliating display； who seize upon religion and turn it into persecution； and upon beauty to torment it on the altars of some joyless vice。 We cannot do with such souls； we have no use for them； and it is very easy indeed to step from that persuasion to the belief that God has no use for them。 And besides these base people there are the stupid people and the people with minds so poor in texture that they cannot even grasp the few broad and simple ideas that seem necessary to the salvation we experience； who lapse helplessly into fetishistic and fearful conceptions of God； and are apparently quite incapable of distinguishing between what is practically and what is spiritually good。 It is an easy thing to conclude that the only way to God is our way to God； that he is the privilege of a finer and better sort to which we of course belong； that he is no more the God of the card…sharper or the pickpocket or the 〃smart〃 woman or the loan…monger or the village oaf than he is of the swine in the sty。 But are we justified in thus limiting God to the measure of our moral and intellectual understandings？ Because some people seem to me steadfastly and consistently base or hopelessly and incurably dull and confused； does it follow that there are not phases； albeit I have never chanced to see them； of exaltation in the one case and illumination in the other？ And may I not be a little restricting my perception of Good？ While I have been ready enough to pronounce this or that person as being； so far as I was concerned； thoroughly damnable or utterly dull； I find a curious reluctance to admit the general proposition which is necessary for these instances。 It is possible that the difference between Arminian and Calvinist is a difference of essential intellectual temperament rather than of theoretical conviction。 I am temperamentally Arminian as I am temperamentally Nominalist。 I fe
