god the known and god the unknown-第5部分

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analogous；　is　not　a　person；　we　are　required；　therefore；　to　

believe　in　a　personal　God；　who　has　no　true　person；　to　believe；　

that　is　to　say；　in　an　impersonal　person。



This；　as　we　have　seen　already；　is　Atheism　under　another　name；　

being；　as　it　is；　destructive　of　all　idea　of　God　whatever；　for　

these　words　do　not　convey　an　idea　of　something　which　human　

intelligence　can　understand　up　to　a　certain　point；　and　which　it　

can　watch　going　out　of　sight　into　regions　beyond　our　view；　but　in　

the　same　direction…as　we　may　infer　other　stars　in　space　beyond　

the　farthest　that　we　know　of；　they　convey　utterly　self…

destructive　ideas；　which　can　have　no　real　meaning；　and　can　only　

be　thought　to　have　a　meaning　by　ignorant　and　uncultivated　people。　　

Otherwise　such　foundation　as　human　reason　rests　upon…that　is　to　

say；　the　current　opinion　of　those　whom　the　world　appraises　as　

reasonable　and　agreeable；　or　capable　of　being　agreed　with　for　any　

time…is　sapped；　the　whole　thing　tumbles　down；　and　we　may　have　

square　circles　and　round　triangles；　which　may　be　declared　to　be　

no　longer　absurdities　and　contradictions　in　terms；　but　mysteries　

that　go　beyond　our　reason；　without　being　contrary　to　it。　　Few　will　

maintain　this；　and　those　few　may　be　neglected；　an　impersonal　

person　must　therefore　be　admitted　to　be　nonsense；　and　an　

immaterial　God　to　be　Atheism　in　another　shape。



On　the　other　hand；　if　God　is　〃of　a　reasonable　soul　and　human　

flesh　subsisting；〃　and　if　he　thus　has　the　body　without　which　he　

is…as　far　as　we　are　concerned…non…existent；　this　body　must　yet　be　

reasonably　like　other　bodies；　and　must　exist　in　some　place　and　at　

some　time。　　Furthermore；　it　must　do　sufficiently　nearly　what　all　

other　〃human　flesh〃　belonging　to　〃perfect　man〃　must　do；　or　cease　

to　be　human　flesh。　　Our　ideas　are　like　our　organisms；　they　have　

some　little　elasticity　and　circumstance…suiting　power；　some　

little　margin　on　which；　as　I　have　elsewhere　said；　side…notes　may　

be　written；　and　glosses　on　the　original　text；　but　this　power　is　

very　limited。　　As　offspring　will　only；　as　a　general　rule；　vary　

very　little　from　its　immediate　parents；　and　as　it　will　fail　

either　immediately　or　in　the　second　generation　if　the　parents　

differ　too　widely　from　one　another；　so　we　cannot　get　our　idea　of…

we　will　say　a　horse…to　conjure　up　to　our　minds　the　idea　of　any　

animal　more　unlike　a　horse　than　a　pony　is；　nor　can　we　get　a　well…

defined　idea　of　a　combination　between　a　horse　and　any　animal　more　

remote　from　it　than　an　ass；　zebra；　or　giraffe。　　We　may；　indeed；　

make　a　statue　of　a　flying　horse；　but　the　idea　is　one　which　cannot　

be　made　plausible　to　any　but　ignorant　people。　　So　〃human　flesh〃　

may　vary　a　little　from　〃human　flesh〃　without　undue　violence　being　

done　to　our　reason　and　to　the　right　use　of　language；　but　it　

cannot　differ　from　it　so　much　as　not　to　eat；　drink；　nor　waste　and　

repair　itself。　　〃Human　flesh；〃　which　is　without　these　necessary　

adjuncts；　is　human　flesh　only　to　those　who　can　believe　in　flying　

horses　with　feathered　wings　and　bills　like　birds…that　is　to　say；　

to　vulgar　and　superstitious　persons。



Lastly；　not　only　must　the　〃perfect　man；〃　who　is　the　second　person　

of　the　Godhead　according　to　the　orthodox　faith；　and　who　subsists　

of　〃human　flesh〃　as　well　as　of　a　〃reasonable　soul；〃　not　only　must　

this　person　exist；　but　he　must　exist　in　some　place　either　on　this　

earth　or　outside　it。　　If　he　exists　on　earth；　he　must　be　in　Europe；　

Asia；　Africa；　America；　or　on　some　island；　and　if　he　were　met　with　

he　must　be　capable　of　being　seen　and　handled　in　the　same　way　as　

all　other　things　that　can　be　called　perfect　man　are　seen；　

otherwise　he　is　a　perfect　man　who　is　not　only　not　a　perfect　man；　

but　who　does　not　in　any　considerable　degree　resemble　one。　　It　is　

not；　however；　pretended　by　anyone　that　God；　the　〃perfect　man；〃　is　

to　be　looked　for　in　any　place　upon　the　surface　of　the　globe。



If；　on　the　other　hand；　the　person　of　God　exists　in　some　sphere　

outside　the　earth；　his　human　flesh　again　proves　to　be　of　an　

entirely　different　kind　from　all　other　human　flesh；　for　we　know　

that　such　flesh　cannot　exist　except　on　earth；　if　in　space　

unsupported；　it　must　fall　to　the　ground；　or　into　some　other　

planet；　or　into　a　sun；　or　go　on　revolving　round　the　earth　or　some　

other　heavenly　body…or　not　be　personal。　　None　of　those　

whose　opinions　will　carry　weight　will　assign　a　position　either　in　

some　country　on　this　earth；　or　yet　again　in　space；　to　Jesus　

Christ；　but　this　involves　the　rendering　meaningless　of　all　

expressions　which　involve　his　personality。



The　Christian　conception；　therefore；　of　the　Deity　proves　when　

examined　with　any　desire　to　understand　our　own　meaning　（and　what　

lawlessness　so　great　as　the　attempt　to　impose　words　upon　our　

understandings　which　have　no　lawful　settlement　within　them？）　to　

be　no　less　a　contradiction　in　terms　than　the　Pantheistic　

conception。　　It　is　Atheistic；　as　offering　us　a　God　which　is　not　a　

God；　inasmuch　as　we　can　conceive　of　no　such　being；　nor　of　

anything　in　the　least　like　it。　　It　is；　like　Pantheism；　an　

illusion；　which　can　be　believed　only　by　those　who　repeat　a　

formula　which　they　have　learnt　by　heart　in　a　foreign　language　of　

which　they　understand　nothing；　and　yet　aver　that　they　believe　it。　　

There　are　doubtless　many　who　will　say　that　this　is　possible；　but　

the　majority　of　my　readers　will　hold　that　no　proposition　can　be　

believed　or　disbelieved　until　its　nature　is　understood。



It　may　perhaps　be　said　that　there　is　another　conception　of　God　

possible；　and　that　we　may　see　him　as　personal；　without　at　the　

same　time　believing　that　he　has　any　actual　tangible　existence。　　

Thus　we　personify　hope；　truth；　and　justice；　without　intending　to　

convey　to　anyone　the　impression　that　these　qualities　are　women；　

with　flesh　and　blood。　　Again；　we　do　not　think　of　Nature　as　an　

actual　woman；　though　we　call　her　one；　why　may　we　not　conceive　of　

God；　then；　as　an　expression　whereby　we　personify；　by　a　figure　of　

speech　only；　the　thing　that　is　intended　being　no　person；　but　our　

own　highest　ideal　of　power；　wisdom；　and　duration。



There　would　be　no　reason　to　complain　of　this　if　this　manner　of　

using　the　word　〃God〃　were　well　understood。　　Many　words　have　two　

meanings；　or　even　three；　without　any　mischievous　confusion　of　

thought　following。　　There　can　not　only　be　no　objection　to　the　use　

of　the　word　God　as　a　manner　of　expressing　the　highest　ideal　of　

which　our　minds　can　conceive；　but　on　the　contrary　no　better　

expression　can　be　found；　and　it　is　a　pity　the　word　is　not　thus　

more　generally　used。



Few；　however；　would　be　content　with　any　such　limitation　of　God　as　

that　he　should　be　an　idea　only；　an　expression　for　certain　

qualities　of　human　thought　and　action。　　Whence；　it　may　be　fairly　

asked；　did　our　deeply　rooted　belief　in　God　as　a　Living　Person　

originate？　The　idea　of　him　as　of　an　inconceivably　vast；　ancient；　

powerful；　loving；　and　yet　formidable　Person　is　one　which　survives　

all　changes　of　detail　in　men's　opinion。　　I　believe　there　are　a　

few　very　savage　tribes　who　are　as　absolutely　without　religious　

sense　as　the　beasts　of　the　field；　but　the　vast　majority　for　a　

long　time　past　have　been　possessed　with　an　idea　that　there　is　

somewhere　a　Living　God　who　is　the　Spirit　and　the　Life　of　all　that　

is；　and　who　is　a　true　Person　with　an　individuality　and　self…

consciousness　of　his　own。　　It　is　only　natural　that　we　should　be　

asked　how　such　an　idea　has　remained　in　the　minds　of　so　many　…　who　

differ　upon　almost　every　other　part　of　their　philosophy…for　so　

long　a　time　if　it　was　without　foundation；　and　a　piece　of　dreamy　

mysticism　only。



True；　it　has　generally　been　declared　that　this　God　is　an　infinite　

God；　and　an　infinite　God　is　a　God　without　any　bounds　or　

limitations；　and　a　God　without　bounds　or　limitations　is　an　

impersonal　God；　and　an　impersonal　God　is　Atheism。　　But　may　not　

this　be　the　incoherency　of　prophecy　which　precedes　the　successful　

mastering　of　an　idea？　May　we　not　think　of　this　illusory　

expression　as　having　arisen　from　inability　to　see　the　whereabouts　

of　a　certain　vast　but　tangible　Person　as　to　whose　existence　men　

were　nevertheless　clear？　If　they　felt　that　it　existed；　and　yet　

could　not　say　where；　nor　wherein　it　was　to　be　laid　hands　on；　they　

would　be　very　likely　to　get　out　of　the　difficulty　by　saying　that　

it　existed　as　an　infinite　Spirit；　partly　from　a　desire　to　magnify　

what　they　felt　must　be　so　vast　and　powerful；　and　partly　because　

they　had　as　yet　only　a　vague　conception　of　what　they　were　aiming　

at；　and　must；　therefore；　best　express　it　vaguely。



We　must　not　be　surprised　that　when　an　idea　is　still　inchoate　its　

expression　should　be　inconsistent　and　imperfect…ideas　will　almost　

always　during　the　earlier　history　of　a　thought　be　put　together　

experimentally　so　as　to　see　whether　or　no　they　will　cohere。　　

Partly　out　of　indolence；　partly　out　of　the　desire　of　those　who　

brought　the　ideas　together　to　be　declared　right；　and　partly　out　

of　joy　that　the　truth　should　be　supposed　found；　incoherent　ideas　

will　be　kept　together　longer　than　they　should　be；　nevertheless　

they　will　in　the　end　detach　themselves　and　go；　if　others　present　

themselves　which　fit　into　their　place　better。　　There　is　no　

consistency　which　has　not　once　been　inconsistent；　nor　coherency　

that　has　not　been　incoherent。　　The　incoherency　of　our　ideas　

concerning　God　is　due　to　the　fact　that　we　have　not　yet　truly　

found　him；　but　it　does　not　argue　that　he　does　not　exist　and　

cannot　be　found　anywhere　after　more　diligent　search；　on　the　

contrary；　the　persistence　of　the　main　idea；　in　spite　of　the　

incoherency　of　its　details；　points　strongly　in　the　direction　of　

believing　that　it　rests　upon　a　foundation　in　fact。



But　it　must　be　remembered　there　can　be　no　God　who　is　not　personal　

and　material：　and　if　personal；　then；　though　inconceivably　vast　in　

comparison　with　man；　still　limited　in　space　a