god the known and god the unknown-第6部分

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

comparison　with　man；　still　limited　in　space　and　time；　and　capable　

of　making　mistakes　concerning　his　own　interests；　though　as　a　

general　rule　right　in　his　estimates　concerning　them。　　Where；　then；　

is　this　Being？　He　must　be　on　earth；　or　what　folly　can　be　greater　

than　speaking　of　him　as　a　person？　What　are　persons　on　any　other　

earth　to　us；　or　we　to　them？　He　must　have　existed　and　be　going　to　

exist　through　all　time；　and　he　must　have　a　tangible　body。　　Where；　

then；　is　the　body　of　this　God？　And　what　is　the　mystery　of　his　

Incarnation？



It　will　be　my　business　to　show　this　in　the　following　chapter。





　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　CHAPTER　VI



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　THE　TREE　OF　LIFE



Atheism　denies　knowledge　of　a　God　of　any　kind。　　Pantheism　and　

Theism　alike　profess　to　give　us　a　God；　but　they　alike　fail　to　

perform　what　they　have　promised。　　We　can　know　nothing　of　the　God　

they　offer　us；　for　not　even　do　they　themselves　profess　that　any　

of　our　senses　can　be　cognisant　＇sic＇　of　him。　　They　tell　us　that　he　

is　a　personal　God；　but　that　he　has　no　material　person。　　This　is　

disguised　Atheism。　　What　we　want　is　a　Personal　God；　the　glory　of　

whose　Presence　can　be　made　in　part　evident　to　our　senses；　though　

what　we　can　realise　＇sic＇　is　less　than　nothing　in　comparison　with　

what　we　must　leave　for　ever　unimagined。



And　truly　such　a　God　is　not　far　from　every　one　of　us；　for　if　we　

survey　the　broader　and　deeper　currents　of　men's　thoughts　during　

the　last　three　thousand　years；　we　may　observe　two　great　and　

steady　sets　as　having　carried　away　with　them　the　more　eligible　

races　of　mankind。　　The　one　is　a　tendency　from　Polytheism　to　

Monotheism；　the　other　from　Polytypism　to　Monotypism　of　the　

earliest　forms　of　life…all　animal　and　vegetable　forms　having　at　

length　come　to　be　regarded　as　differentiations　of　a　single　

substance…to　wit；　protoplasm。



No　man　does　well　so　to　kick　against　the　pricks　as　to　set　himself　

against　tendencies　of　such　depth；　strength；　and　permanence　as　

this。　　If　he　is　to　be　in　harmony　with　the　dominant　opinion　of　his　

own　and　of　many　past　ages；　he　will　see　a　single　God…impregnate　

substance　as　having　been　the　parent　from　which　all　living　forms　

have　sprung。　　One　spirit；　and　one　form　capable　of　such　

modification　as　its　directing　spirit　shall　think　fit；　one　soul　

and　one　body；　one　God　and　one　Life。



For　the　time　has　come　when　the　two　unities　so　painfully　arrived　

at　must　be　joined　together　as　body　and　soul；　and　be　seen　not　as　

two；　but　one。　　There　is　no　living　organism　untenanted　by　the　

Spirit　of　God；　nor　any　Spirit　of　God　perceivable　by　man　apart　

from　organism　embodying　and　expressing　it。　　God　and　the　Life　of　

the　World　are　like　a　mountain；　which　will　present　different　

aspects　as　we　look　at　it　from　different　sides；　but　which；　when　we　

have　gone　all　round　it；　proves　to　be　one　only。　　God　is　the　animal　

and　vegetable　world；　and　the　animal　and　vegetable　world　is　God。



I　have　repeatedly　said　that　we　ought　to　see　all　animal　and　

vegetable　life　as　uniting　to　form　a　single　personality。　　I　should　

perhaps　explain　this　more　fully；　for　the　idea　of　a　compound　

person　is　one　which　at　first　is　not　very　easy　to　grasp；　inasmuch　

as　we　are　not　conscious　of　any　but　our　more　superficial　aspects；　

and　have　therefore　until　lately　failed　to　understand　that　we　are　

ourselves　compound　persons。　　I　may　perhaps　be　allowed　to　quote　

from　an　earlier　work。



〃Each　cell　in　the　human　body　is　now　admitted　by　physiologists　to　

be　a　person　with　an　intelligent　soul；　differing　from　our　own　more　

complex　soul　in　degree　and　not　in　kind；　and；　like　ourselves；　

being　born；　living；　and　dying。　　It　would　appear；　then；　as　though　

'we；'　'our　souls；'　or　'selves；'　or　'personalities；'　or　by　

whatever　name　we　may　prefer　to　be　called；　are　but　the　

consensus　and　full…　flowing　stream　of　countless　sensations　

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　itse