PrefatoryNote"GODtheKnownandGodtheUnknown"firstappearedintheformofaseriesofarticleswhichwerepublishedin"TheExaminer"inMay，June，andJuly，1879。SamuelButlersubsequentlyrevisedthetextofhiswork，presumablywiththeintentionofrepublishingit，thoughhenevercarriedtheintentionintoeffect。InthepresenteditionIhavefollowedhisrevisedversionalmostwithoutdeviation。Ihave，however，retainedafewpassageswhichButlerproposedtoomit，partlybecausetheyappeartometorenderthecourseofhisargumentclearer，andpartlybecausetheycontaincharacteristicthoughtsandexpressionsofwhichnoneofhisadmirerswouldwishtobedeprived。InthelistofButler’sworks"GodtheKnownandGodtheUnknown"follows"LifeandHabit，"whichappearedin1877，and"Evolution，OldandNew，"whichwaspublishedinMay，1879。
Itisscarcelynecessarytopointoutthatthethreeworksarecloselyakininsubjectandtreatment，andthat"GodtheKnownandGodtheUnknown"willgainininterestbybeingconsideredinrelationtoitspredecessors。
R。A。STREATFEILD
GodtheKnownandGodtheUnknownBYSAMUELBUTLER
CHAPTER1
INTRODUCTION
MANKINDhaseverbeenreadytodiscussmattersintheinverseratiooftheirimportance，sothatthemorecloselyaquestionisfelttotouchtheheartsofallofus，themoreincumbentitisconsidereduponprudentpeopletoprofessthatitdoesnotexist，tofrownitdown，totellittoholditstongue，tomaintainthatithaslongbeenfinallysettled，sothatthereisnownoquestionconcerningit。
Sofar，indeed，hasthisbeencarriedthroughalltimepastthattheactionswhicharemostimportanttous，suchasourpassagethroughtheembryonicstages，thecirculationofourblood，ourrespiration，etc。etc。，havelongbeenformulatedbeyondallpowerofreopeningquestionconcerningthem-themerefactormanneroftheirbeingdoneatallbeingrankedamongthegreatdiscoveriesofrecentages。Yettheanalogyofpastsettlementswouldleadustosupposethatsomuchunanimitywasnotarrivedatallatonce，butratherthatitmusthavebeenprecededbymuchsmouldering[sic]discontent，whichagainwasfollowedbyopenwarfare；andthatevenafterasettlementhadbeenostensiblyarrivedat，therewasstillmuchsecretwantofconvictiononthepartofmanyforseveralgenerations。
Therearemanywhoseenothinginthistendencyofournaturebutoccasionforsarcasm；those，ontheotherhand，whoholdthattheworldisbythistimeoldenoughtobethebestjudgeconcerningthemanagementofitsownaffairswillscrutinise[sic]thismanagementwithsomeclosenessbeforetheyventuretosatirise[sic]it；norwilltheydosoforlongwithoutfindingjustificationforitsapparentrecklessness；forwemustallfearresponsibilityuponmattersaboutwhichwefeelweknowbutlittle；ontheotherhandwemustallcontinuallyact，andforthemostpartpromptly。Wedoso，therefore，withgreatersecuritywhenwecanpersuadebothourselvesandothersthatamatterisalreadypigeon-holedthanifwefeelthatwemustuseourownjudgmentforthecollection，interpretation，andarrangementofthepaperswhichdealwithit。Moreover，ouractionisthusmadetoappearasifitreceivedcollectivesanction；andbysoappearingitreceivesit。Almostanysettlement，again，isfelttobebetterthannone，andthemorenearlyamattercomeshometoeveryone，themoreimportantisitthatitshouldbetreatedasasleepingdog，andbelettolie，forifonepersonbeginstoopenhismouth，fataldevelopmentsmayariseintheBabelthatwillfollow。
Itisnotdifficult，indeed，toshowthat，insteadofhavingreasontocomplainofthedesireforthepostponementofimportantquestions，asthoughtheworldwerecomposedmainlyofknavesorfools，suchfixityasanimalandvegetableformspossessisduetothisveryinstinct。Foriftherehadbeennoreluctance，iftherewerenofrictionandvisinertaetobeencounteredevenafteratheoreticalequilibriumhadbeenupset，weshouldhavehadnofixedorgansnorsettledproclivities，butshouldhavebeendailyandhourlyundergoingProteantransformations，andhavestillbeenthrowingoutpseudopodialiketheamoeba。True，wemighthavecometolikethisfashionoflivingaswellasourmoresteady-goingsystemifwehadtakentoitmanymillionsofagesagowhenwewereyetyoung；butwehavecontractedotherhabitswhichhavebecomesoconfirmedthatwecannotbreakwiththem。Wethereforenowhatethatwhichweshouldperhapshavelovedifwehadpractised[sic]
it。This，however，doesnotaffecttheargument，forourconcerniswithourlikesanddislikes，notwiththemannerinwhichthoselikesanddislikeshavecomeabout。Thediscoverythatorganismiscapableofmodificationatallhasoccasionedsomuchastonishmentthatithastakenthemostenlightenedpartoftheworldmorethanahundredyearstoleaveoffexpressingitscontemptforsuchacrude，shallow，andpreposterousconception。
Perhapsinanotherhundredyearsweshalllearntoadmirethegoodsense，endurance，andthoroughEnglishnessoforganisminhavingbeensoaversetochange，evenmorethanitsversatilityinhavingbeenwillingtochangesomuch。
Nevertheless，howeverconservativewemaybe，andhowevermuchalivetothefollyandwickednessoftamperingwithsettledconvictions-nomatterwhattheyare-withoutsufficientcause，thereisyetsuchaconstantthoughgradualchangeinoursurroundingsasnecessitatescorrespondingmodificationinourideas，desires，andactions。Wemaythinkthatweshouldliketofindourselvesalwaysinthesamesurroundingsasourancestors，sothatwemightbeguidedateverytouchandturnbytheexperienceofourrace，andbesavedfromallself-communingorinterpretationoforacularresponsesutteredbythefactsaroundus。Yetthefactswillchangetheirutterancesinspiteofus；
andwe，too，changewithageandagesinspiteofourselves，soastoseethefactsaroundusasperhapsevenmorechangedthantheyactuallyare。Ithasbeensaid，"Temporamutanturnosetmutamurinillis。"Thepassagewouldhavebeennolesstrueifithadstood，"Nosmutamurettemporamutanturinnobis。"Whethertheorganismorthesurroundingsbeganchangingfirstisamatterofsuchsmallmomentthatthetwomaybelefttofightitoutbetweenthemselves；but，whicheverviewistaken，thefactwillremainthatwhenevertherelationsbetweentheorganismanditssurroundingshavebeenchanged，theorganismmusteithersucceedinputtingthesurroundingsintoharmonywithitself，oritselfintoharmonywiththesurroundings；ormustbemadesouncomfortableastobeunabletorememberitselfassubjectedtoanysuchdifficulties，andthere
foretodiethroughinabilitytorecognise[sic]itsownidentityfurther。
Underthesecircumstances，organismmustactinoneorotherofthesetwoways：itmusteitherchangeslowlyandcontinuouslywiththesurroundings，payingcashforeverything，meetingthesmallestchangewithacorrespondingmodificationsofarasisfoundconvenient；oritmustputoffchangeaslongaspossible，andthenmakelargerandmoresweepingchanges。
Boththesecoursesarethesameinprinciple，thedifferencebeingonlyoneofscale，andtheonebeingaminiatureoftheother，asarippleisanAtlanticwaveinlittle；bothhavetheiradvantagesanddisadvantages，sothatmostorganismswilltaketheonecourseforonesetofthingsandtheotherforanother。
Theywilldealpromptlywiththingswhichtheycangetateasily，andwhichliemoreuponthesurface；those，however，whicharemoretroublesometoreach，andliedeeper，willbehandleduponmorecataclysmicprinciples，beingallowedlongerperiodsofreposefollowedbyshortperiodsofgreateractivity。
Animalsbreatheandcirculatetheirbloodbyalittleactionmanytimesaminute；buttheyfeed，someofthem，onlytwoorthreetimesaday，andbreedforthemostpartnotmorethanonceayear，theirbreedingseasonbeingmuchtheirbusiesttime。Itisonthefirstprinciplethatthemodificationofanimalformshasproceededmainly；butitmaybequestionedwhetherwhatiscalledasportisnottheorganicexpressionofdiscontentwhichhasbeenlongfelt，butwhichhasnotbeenattendedto，norbeenmetstepbystepbyasmuchsmallremedialmodificationaswasfoundpracticable：sothatwhenachangedoescomeitcomesbywayofrevolution。Or，again（onlythatitcomestomuchthesamething），asportmaybecomparedtooneofthosehappythoughtswhichsometimescometousunbiddenafterwehavebeenthinkingforalongtimewhattodo，orhowtoarrangeourideas，andhaveyetbeenunabletoarriveatanyconclusion。
Sowithpolitics，thesmallerthemattertheprompter，asageneralrule，thesettlement；ontheotherhand，themoresweepingthechangethatisfelttobenecessary，thelongeritwillbedeferred。
Theadvantagesofdealingwiththelargerquestionsbymorecataclysmicmethodsareobvious。For，inthefirstplace，allcompositethingsmusthaveasystem，orarrangementofparts，sothatsomepartsshalldependuponandbegroupedroundothers，asinthearticulationofaskeletonandthearrangementofmuscles，nerves，tendons，etc。，whichareattachedtoit。Tomeddlewiththeskeletonisliketakingupthestreet，ortheflooringofone’shouse；itsoupsetsourarrangementsthatweputitofftillwhateverelseisfoundwanted，orwhateverelseseemslikelytobewantedforalongtimehence，canbedoneatthesametime。
Anotheradvantageisintherestwhichisgiventotheattentionduringthelonghollows，sotospeak，ofthewavesbetweentheperiodsofresettlement。Passionandprejudicehavetimetocalmdown，andwhenattentionisnextdirectedtothesamequestion，itisarefreshedandinvigoratedattention-anattention，moreover，whichmaybegivenwiththehelpofnewlightsderivedfromotherquartersthatwerenotluminouswhenthequestionwaslastconsidered。Thirdly，itismoreeasyandsafertomakesuchalterationsasexperiencehasprovedtobenecessarythantoforecastwhatisgoingtobewanted。Reformersarelikepaymasters，ofwhomthereareonlytwobadkinds，thosewhopaytoosoon，andthosewhodonotpayatall。
CHAPTERII
COMMONGROUND
IHAVEnow，perhaps，sufficientlyprovedmysympathywiththereluctancefeltbymanytotoleratediscussionuponsuchasubjectastheexistenceandnatureofGod。ItrustthatImayhavemadethereaderfeelthatheneedfearnosarcasmorlevityinmytreatmentofthesubjectwhichIhavechosen。Iwill，therefore，proceedtosketchoutaplanofwhatIhopetoestablish，andthisinnodoubtfulorunnaturalsense，butbyattachingthesamemeaningstowordsasthosewhichweusuallyattachtothem，andwiththesamecertainty，precision，andclearnessasanythingelseisestablishedwhichiscommonlycalledknown。
AstowhatGodis，beyondthefactthatheistheSpiritandtheLifewhichcreates，governs，andupholdsalllivingthings，Icansaynothing。IcannotpretendthatIcanshowmorethanothershavedoneinwhatSpiritandtheLifeconsists，whichgovernslivingthingsandanimatesthem。Icannotshowtheconnectionbetweenconsciousnessandthewill，andtheorgan，muchlesscanItearawaytheveilfromthefaceofGod，soastoshowwhereinwillandconsciousnessconsist。Nophilosopher，whetherChristianorRationalist，hasattemptedthiswithoutdiscomfiture；butI
can，Ihope，dotwothings：Firstly，Icandemonstrate，perhapsmoreclearlythanmodernscienceispreparedtoadmit，thattheredoesexistasingleBeingorAnimatorofalllivingthings-asingleSpirit，whomwecannotthinkofunderanymeanernamethanGod；and，secondly，Icanshowsomethingmoreofthepersonaorbodilyexpression，mask，andmouthpieceofthisvastLivingSpiritthanIknowofashavingbeenfamiliarlyexpressedelsewhere，orasbeingaccessibletomyselforothers，thoughdoubtlessmanyworksexistinwhichwhatIamgoingtosayhasbeenalreadysaid。
AwarethatmuchofthisiswidelyacceptedunderthenameofPantheism，IventuretothinkitdiffersfromPantheismwithallthedifferencethatexistsbetweenacoherent，intelligibleconceptionandanincoherentunintelligibleone。IshallthereforeproceedtoexaminethedoctrinecalledPantheism，andtoshowhowincomprehensibleandvaluelessitis。
IwillthenindicatetheLivingandPersonalGodaboutwhoseexistenceandaboutmanyofwhoseattributesthereisnoroomforquestion；IwillshowthatmanhasbeensofarmadeinthelikenessofthisPersonorGod，thatHepossessesallitsessentialcharacteristics，andthatitisthisGodwhohascalledmanandallotherlivingforms，whetheranimalsorplants，intoexistence，sothatourbodiesarethetemplesofHisspirit；thatitisthiswhichsustainsthemintheirlifeandgrowth，whoisonewiththem，living，moving，andhavingHisbeinginthem；inwhom，also，theyliveandmove，theyinHimandHeinthem；HebeingnotaTrinityinUnityonly，butanInfinityinUnity，andaUnityinanInfinity；eternalintimepast，forsomuchtimeatleastthatourmindscancomenonearertoeternitythanthis；
eternalforthefutureaslongastheuniverseshallexist；everchanging，yetthesameyesterday，andto-day，andforever。AndI
willshowthiswithsolittleambiguitythatitshallbeperceivednotasaphantomorhallucinationfollowinguponapainfulstrainingofthemindandavainendeavour[sic]togivecoherencytoincoherentandinconsistentideas，butwiththesameease，comfort，andpalpableflesh-and-bloodclearnesswithwhichweseethoseneartous；whom，thoughweseethematthebestasthroughaglassdarkly，westillseefacetoface，evenasweareourselvesseen。
IwillalsoshowinwhatwaythisBeingexercisesamoralgovernmentovertheworld，andrewardsandpunishesusaccordingtoHisownlaws。
HavingdonethisIshallproceedtocomparethisconceptionofGodwiththosethatarecurrentlyaccepted，andwillendeavour[sic]toshowthattheideasnowcurrentareintrutheffortstograsptheoneonwhichIshallhereinsist。Finally，Ishallpersuadethereaderthatthedifferencesbetweentheso-calledatheistandtheso-calledtheistaredifferencesratheraboutwordsthanthings，inasmuchasnoteventhemostprosaicofmodernscientistswillbeinclinedtodenytheexistenceofthisGod，whilefewtheistswillfeelthatthis，thenaturalconceptionofGod，isalessworthyonethanthattowhichtheyhavebeenaccustomed。
CHAPTERIII
PANTHEISM。I
THERev。J。H。Blunt，inhis"DictionaryofSects，Heresies，etc。，"definesPantheistsas"thosewhoholdthatGodiseverything，andeverythingisGod。"
Ifitisgrantedthatthevalueofwordsliesinthedefinitenessandcoherencyoftheideasthatpresentthemselvestouswhenthewordsareheardorspoken-thensuchasentenceas"GodiseverythingandeverythingisGod"isworthless。
Forwehavesolongassociatedtheword"God"withtheideaofaLivingPerson，whocansee，hear，will，feelpleasure，displeasure，etc。，thatwecannotthinkofGod，andalsoofsomethingwhichwehavenotbeenaccustomedtothinkofasaLivingPerson，atoneandthesametime，soastoconnectthetwoideasandfusethemintoacoherentthought。Whilewearethinkingoftheone，ourmindsinvoluntarilyexcludetheother，andviceversa；sothatitisasimpossibleforustothinkofanythingasGod，orasformingpartofGod，whichwecannotalsothinkofasaPerson，orasapartofaPerson，asitistoproduceahybridbetweentwowidelydistinctanimals。IfI
amnotmistaken，thebarrennessofinconsistentideas，andthesterilityofwidelydistantspeciesorgeneraofplantsandanimals，areoneinprinciple-sterilityofhybridsbeingduetobarrennessofideas，andbarrennessofideasarisingfrominabilitytofuseunfamiliarthoughtsintoacoherentconception。
Ihaveinsistedonthisatsomelengthin"LifeandHabit，"butcandosonofurtherhere。（Footnote：Butlerreturnedtothissubjectin"Luck，orcunning？"whichwasoriginallypublishedin1887。
Inlikemannerwehavesolongassociatedtheword"Person"withtheideaofasubstantialvisiblebody，limitedinextent，andanimatedbyaninvisiblesomethingwhichwecallSpirit，thatwecanthinkofnothingasapersonwhichdoesnotalsobringtheseideasbeforeus。AnyattempttomakeusimagineGodasaPersonwhodoesnotfulfil[sic]theconditionswhichourideasattachtotheword"person，"isipsofactoatheistic，asrenderingthewordGodwithoutmeaning，andthereforewithoutreality，andthereforenon-existenttous。Ourideasarelikeourorganism，theywillstandavastamountofmodificationifitiseffectedslowlyandwithoutshock，butthelifedepartsoutofthem，leavingtheformofanideawithoutthepowerthereof，iftheyarejarredtoorudely。
Anybeing，then，whomwecanimagineasGod，musthaveallthequalities，capabilities，andalsoallthelimitationswhichareimpliedwhentheword"person"isused。
But，again，wecannotconceiveof"everything"asaperson。
"Everything"mustcomprehendallthatistobefoundonearth，oroutsideofit，andweknowofnosuchpersonsasthis。Whenwesay"persons"weintendlivingpeoplewithfleshandblood；
sometimesweextendourconceptionstoanimalsandplants，butwehavenothithertodonesoasgenerallyasIhopeweshallsomedaycometodo。Belowanimalsandplantswehaveneverinanyseriousnessgone。Allthatwehavebeenabletoregardaspersonalhashadwhatwecancallalivingbody，eventhoughthatbodyisvegetableonly；andthisbodyhasbeentangible，andhasbeencomprisedwithincertaindefinitelimits，orwithinlimitswhichhaveatanyratestrucktheeyeasdefinite。Andeverypartwithintheselimitshasbeenanimatedbyanunseensomethingwhichwecallsoulorspirit。Apersonmustbeapersona-
thatistosay，thelivingmaskandmouthpieceofanenergysaturatingit，andspeakingthroughit。Itmustbeanimateinallitsparts。
But"everything"isnotanimate。Animalsandplantsaloneproduceinusthoseideaswhichcanmakereasonablepeoplecallthem"persons"withconsistencyofintention。Wecanconceiveofeachanimalandofeachplantasaperson；wecanconceiveagainofacompoundpersonlikethecoralpolypes[sic]，orlikeatreewhichiscomposedofacongeriesofsubordinatepersons，inasmuchaseachbudisaseparateandindividualplant。Wecangofartherthanthis，and，asIshallhopetoshow，weoughttodoso；thatistosay，weshallfinditeasierandmoreagreeablewithourotherideastogofartherthannot；forweshouldseeallanimalandvegetablelifeasunitedbyasubtleandtilllatelyinvisibleramification，sothatalllivingthingsareonetree-likegrowth，formingasingleperson。Butwecannotconceiveofoceans，continents，andairasformingpartsofapersonatall；muchlesscanwethinkofthemasformingonepersonwiththelivingformsthatinhabitthem。
Toaskthisofusislikeaskingustoseethebowlandthewaterinwhichthreegold-fishareswimmingaspartofthegold-fish。
Wecannotdoitanymorethanwecandosomethingphysicallyimpossible。Wecanseethegold-fishasformingonefamily，andthereforeasinawayunitedtothepersonalityoftheparentsfromwhichtheysprang，andthereforeasmembersoneofanother，andthereforeasformingasinglegrowthofgold-fish，asboughsandbudsunitetoformatree；butwecannotbyanyeffortoftheimaginationintroducethebowlandthewaterintothepersonality，forwehaveneverbeenaccustomedtothinkofsuchthingsaslivingandpersonal。Those，therefore，whotellusthat"Godiseverything，andeverythingisGod，"requireustosee"everything"asaperson，whichwecannot；orGodasnotaperson，whichagainwecannot。
ContinuingthearticleofMr。BluntfromwhichIhavealreadyquoted，Iread：-
"Linus，inapassagewhichhasbeenpreservedbyStobaeus，exactlyexpressesthenotionafterwardsadoptedbySpinoza：’Onesoleenergygovernsallthings；allthingsareunity，andeachportionisAll；forofoneintegerallthingswereborn；intheendoftimeallthingsshallagainbecomeunity；theunityofmultiplicity。’Orpheus，hisdisciple，taughtnootherdoctrine。"
AccordingtoPythagoras，"anadeptintheOrphicphilosophy，"
"thesouloftheworldistheDivineenergywhichinterpenetrateseveryportionofthemass，andthesoulofmanisaneffluxofthatenergy。Theworld，too，isanexactimpressoftheEternalIdea，whichisthemindofGod。"JohnScotusErigenataughtthat"allisGodandGodisall。"WilliamofChampeaux，again，twohundredyearslater，maintainedthat"allindividualityisoneinsubstance，andvariesonlyinitsnon-essentialaccidentsandtransientproperties。"AmalricofBenaandDavidofDinantfollowedthetheoryout"intoathoroughgoingPantheism。"
Amalricheldthat"AllisGodandGodisall。TheCreatorandthecreatureareoneBeing。Ideasareatoncecreativeandcreated，subjectiveandobjective。Godistheendofall，andallreturntoHim。Aseveryvarietyofhumanityformsonemanhood，sotheworldcontainsindividualformsofoneeternalessence。"DavidofDinantonlyvarieduponthisby"imaginingacorporealunity。
Althoughbody，soul，andeternalsubstancearethree，thesethreeareoneandthesamebeing。"
GiordanoBrunomaintainedtheworldofsensetobe"avastanimalhavingtheDeityforitsliving。soul。"TheinanimatepartoftheworldisthusexcludedfromparticipationintheDeity，andaconceptionthatourmindscanembraceisofferedusinsteadofonewhichtheycannotentertain，exceptasinadream，incoherently。Butwithoutsuchaviewofevolutionaswasprevalentatthebeginningofthiscentury，itwasimpossibletosee"theworldofsense"intelligently，asforming"avastanimal。"Unless，therefore，GiordanoBrunoheldtheopinionsofBuffon，Dr。ErasmusDarwin，andLamarck，withmoredefinitenessthanIamyetawareofhishavingdone，hiscontentionmustbeconsideredasasplendidprophecy，butaslittlemorethanaprophecy。Hecontinues，"BirthisexpansionfromtheonecentreofLife；lifeisitscontinuance，anddeathisthenecessaryreturnoftheraytothecentreoflight。"Thisbeginsfinely，butendsmystically。Ihavenot，however，comparedtheEnglishtranslationwiththeoriginal，andmustreserveafullerexaminationofGiordanoBruno’steachingforanotheropportunity。
SpinozadisbelievedintheworldratherthaninGod。HewasanAcosmist，touseJacobi’sexpression，ratherthananAtheist。
Accordingtohim，"theDeityandtheUniversearebutonesubstance，atthesametimebothspiritandmatter，thoughtandextension，whicharetheonlyknownattributesoftheDeity。"
Myreaderswill，Ithink，agreewithmethatthereisverylittleoftheabovewhichconveysideaswiththefluencyandcomfortwhichaccompanygoodwords。Wordsarelikeservants：itisnotenoughthatweshouldhavethem-wemusthavethemostableandwillingthatwecanfind，andatthesmallestwagesthatwillcontentthem。Havinggotthemwemustmakethebestandnottheworstofthem。Surely，inthegreaterpartofwhathasbeenquotedabove，thewordsarebarrenlettersonly：theydonotquickenwithinusandenableustoconceiveathought，suchaswecaninourturnimpressupondeadmatter，andmould[sic]thatmatterintoanothershapethanitsown，throughthethoughtwhichhasbecomealivewithinus。Nooffspringofideashasfolloweduponthem，or，ifanyatall，yetinsuchunwontedshape，andwithsuchwantofalacrity，thatweloathethemasmalformationsandmiscarriagesofourminds。Grantedthatifweexaminethemcloselyweshallatlengthfindthemtoembodyalittlegermoftruth-thatistosay，ofcoherencywithourotherideas；butthereistoolittletruthinproportiontothetroublenecessarytogetatit。Wecangetmoretruth，thatistosay，morecoherency-fortruthandcoherencyareone-forlesstroubleinotherways。
Butitmaybeurgedthatthebeginningsofalltasksaredifficultandunremunerative，andthatlaterdevelopmentsofPantheismmaybemoreintelligiblethantheearlierones。
Unfortunately，thisisnotthecase。OncontinuingMr。Blunt’sarticle，IfindthelaterPantheistsahundredfoldmoreperplexingthantheearlierones。WithKant，Schelling，Fichte，andHegel，wefeelthatwearewithmenwhohavebeendecoyedintoahopelessquagmire；weunderstandnothingoftheirlanguage-wedoubtwhethertheyunderstandthemselves，andfeelthatwecandonothingwiththembutlookatthemandpassthemby。
InmynextchapterIproposetoshowtheendwhichtheearlyPantheistswerestrivingafter，andthereasonandnaturalnessoftheirerror。
CHAPTERIV
PANTHEISM。II
TheearlierPantheistsweremisledbytheendeavour[sic]tolayholdoftwodistinctideas，theoneofwhichwasarealitythathassincebeengraspedandisofinestimablevalue，theotheraphantomwhichhasmisledallwhohavefollowedit。TherealityistheunityofLife，theonenessoftheguidingandanimatingspiritwhichquickensanimalsandplants，sothattheyarealltheoutcomeandexpressionofacommonmind，andareintruthoneanimal；thephantomistheendeavour[sic]tofindtheoriginofthings，toreachthefountain-headofallenergy，andthustolaythefoundationsonwhichaphilosophymaybeconstructedwhichnonecanaccuseofbeingbaseless，orofarguinginacircle。
Infollowingasthroughathickwoodafterthephantomourforefathersfromtimetotimecaughtglimpsesofthereality，whichseemedsowonderfulasiteludedthem，andflittedbackagainintothethickets，thattheydeclareditmustbethephantomtheywereinsearchof，whichwasthusevidencedasactuallyexisting。Whereon，insteadofmasteringsuchofthefactstheymetwithascouldbecapturedeasily-whichfactswouldhavebetrayedthehiding-placesofothers，andtheseagainofothers，andsoadinfinitum-theyoverlookedwhatwaswithintheirreach，andfollowedhotlythroughbrierandbrakeafteranimaginarygreaterprize。
Greatthoughtsarenottobecaughtinthisway。Theymustpresentthemselvesforcaptureoftheirownfreewill，orbetakenafteralittlecoynessonly。Theyarelikewealthandpower，which，ifamanisnotborntothem，arethemorelikelytotakehim，themorehehasrestrainedhimselffromanattempttosnatchthem。Theyhankerafterthoseonlywhohavetamedtheirnearerthoughts。Nevertheless，itisimpossiblenottofeelthattheearlyPantheistsweretrueprophetsandseers，thoughthethingswereunknowntothemwithoutwhichacompleteviewwasunattainable。WhatdoesLinusmean，weaskourselves，whenhesays：-"Onesoleenergygovernsallthings"？Howcanonesoleenergygovern，wewillsay，thereaderandthechaironwhichhesits？Whatismeantbyanenergygoverningachair？Ifbyaneffortwehavemadeourselvesbelieveweunderstandsomethingwhichcanbebetterexpressedbythesewordsthanbyanyothers，nosoonerdoweturnourbacksthantheideassopainfullycollectedflyapartagain。Nomatterhowoftenwegoinsearchofthem，andforcethemintojuxtaposition，theyprovetohavenoneofthatinnatecoherentpowerwithwhichideascombinethatwecanholdastrueandprofitable。
YetifLinushadconfinedhisstatementtolivingthings，andhadsaidthatonesoleenergygovernedallplantsandanimals，hewouldhavecomenearbothtobeingintelligibleandtrue。Forif，aswenowbelieve，allanimalsandplantsaredescendedfromasinglecell，theymustbeconsideredascousinstooneanother，andasformingasingletree-likeanimal，everyindividualplantoranimalofwhichisastrulyoneandthesamepersonwiththeprimordialcellastheoakathousandyearsoldisoneandthesameplantwiththeacornoutofwhichithasgrown。Thisiseasilyunderstood，butwill，Itrust，bemadetoappearsimplerpresently。
WhenLinussays，"Allthingsareunity，andeachportionisAll；
forofoneintegerallthingswereborn，"itisimpossibleforplainpeople-whodonotwishtousewordsunlesstheymeanthesamethingsbythemasboththeyandothershavebeeninthehabitofmeaning-tounderstandwhatisintended。Howcaneachportionbeall？HowcanoneLondonerbeallLondon？Iknowthatthis，too，caninawaybeshown，buttheresultingideaistoofartofetch，andwhenfetcheddoesnotfitinwellenoughwithourotherideastogiveitpracticalandcommercialvalue。How，again，canallthingsbesaidtobebornofoneinteger，unlessthestatementisconfinedtolivingthings，whichcanalonebebornatall，andunlessatheoryofevolutionisintended，suchasLinuswouldhardlyhaveaccepted？
Yetlimitthe"allthings"to"alllivingthings，"grantthetheoryofevolution，andexplain"eachportionisAll"tomeanthatalllifeisakin，andpossessesthesameessentialfundamentalcharacteristics，anditissurprisinghownearlyLinusapproachesbothtotruthandintelligibility。
Itmaybesaidthattheanimateandtheinanimatehavethesamefundamentalsubstance，sothatachairmightrotandbeabsorbedbygrass，whichgrassmightbeeatenbyacow，whichcowmightbeeatenbyaman；andbysimilarprocessesthemanmightbecomeachair；butthesefactsarenotpresentedtothemindbysayingthat"oneenergygovernsallthings"-achair，wewillsay，andaman；wecouldonlysaythatoneenergygovernedamanandachair，ifthechairwereareasonablelivingperson，whowasactivelyandconsciouslyengagedinhelpingthemantoattainacertainend，unless，thatistosay，wearetodepartfromallusualinterpretationofwords，inwhichcaseweinvalidatetheadvantagesoflanguageandallthesanctionsofmorality。
"Allthingsshallagainbecomeunity"isintelligibleasmeaningthatallthingsprobablyhavecomefromasingleelementarysubstance，sayhydrogenorwhatnot，andthattheywillreturntoit；buttheexplanationofunityasbeingthe"unityofmultiplicity"puzzles；ifthereisanymeaningitistooreconditetobeofservicetous。
What，again，ismeantbysayingthat"thesouloftheworldistheDivineenergywhichinterpenetrateseveryportionofthemass"？Thesouloftheworldisanexpressionwhich，tomyself，and，Ishouldimagine，tomostpeople，iswithoutpropriety。Wecannotthinkoftheworldexceptasearth，air，andwater，inthisorthatstate，onandinwhichtheregrowplantsandanimals。Whatismeantbysayingthatearthhasasoul，andlives？Doesitmovefromplacetoplaceerratically？Doesitfeed？Doesitreproduceitself？Doesitmakesuchnoises，orcommitsuchvagariesasshallmakeussaythatitfeels？Canitachieveitsends，andfailofachievingthemthroughmistake？Ifitcannot，howhasitasoulmorethanadeadmanhasasoul，outofwhomwesaythatthesoulhasdeparted，andwhosebodyweconceiveofasreturningtodeadearth，inasmuchasitisnowsoulless？Isthereanyunnaturalviolencewhichcanbedonetoourthoughtsbywhichwecanbringtheideasofasoulandofwater，orofastoneintocombination，andkeepthemthereforlongtogether？Theancients，indeed，saidtheybelievedtheirriverstobegods，andcarvedlikenessesofthemundertheformsofmen；butevensupposingthistohavebeentheirrealmind，canitbyanyconceivablemeansbecomeourown？Grantedthatastoneiskeptfromfallingtodustbyanenergywhichcompelsitsparticlestocohere，whichenergycanbetakenoutofitandconvertedintosomeotherformofenergy；granted（whichmayormaynotbetrue）also，thatthelifeofalivingbodyisonlytheenergywhichkeepstheparticleswhichcomposeitinacertaindisposition；andgrantedthattheenergyofthestonemaybeconvertibleintotheenergyofalivingform，andthatthus，afteralongjourneyatiredideamaylagafterthesoundofsuchwordsas"thesouloftheworld。"Grantedalltheabove，neverthelesstospeakoftheworldashavingasoulisnotsufficientlyinharmonywithourcommonnotions，nordoesitgosufficientlywiththegrainofourthoughtstorendertheexpressionameaningone，oronethatcanbenowusedwithanyproprietyorfitness，exceptbythosewhodonotknowtheirownmeaninglessness。Vigorousmindswillharbour[sic]vigorousthoughtsonly，orsuchasbidfairtobecomeso；andvigorousthoughtsarealwayssimple，definite，andinharmonywitheverydayideas。
Wecanimagineasoulaslivinginthelowestslimethatmoves，feeds，reproducesitself，remembers，anddies。Theamoebawantsthings，knowsitwantsthem，altersitselfsoastotryandalterthem，thuspreparingforanintendedmodificationofoutsidematterbyapreliminarymodificationofitself。Itthrivesifthemodificationfromwithinisfollowedbythedesiredmodificationintheexternalobject；itknowsthatitiswell，andbreedsmorefreelyinconsequence。Ifitcannotgetholdofoutsidematter，orcannotproselytise[sic]thatmatterandpersuadeittoseethingsthroughitsown（theamoeba’s）
spectacles-ifitcannotconvertthatmatter，ifthematterpersistsindisagreeingwithit-itsspiritsdroop，itssoulisdisquietedwithinit，itbecomeslistlesslikeawitheringflower-itlanguishesanddies。Wecannotimagineathingtoliveatallandyetbesoullessexceptinsleepforashorttime，andevensonotquitesoulless。Theideaofasoul，orofthatunknownsomethingforwhichtheword"soul"isourhieroglyphic，andtheideaoflivingorganism，unitesospontaneously，andsticktogethersoinseparably，thatnomatterhowoftenwesunderthemtheywilleludeourvigilanceandcometogether，liketruelovers，inspiteofus。Letusnotattempttodivorceideasthathavesolongbeenweddedtogether。
Isubmit，then，thatPantheism，evenasexplainedbythosewhohadenteredontheoutskirtsonlyofitsgreatmorass，neverthelessholdsoutsolittlehopeofleadingtoanycomfortableconclusionthatitwillbemorereasonabletooccupyourmindswithothermatterthantofollowPantheismfurther。ThePantheistsspeakofapersonwithoutmeaningaperson；theyspeakofa"him"anda"he"withouthavingintheirmindstheideaofalivingpersonwithallitsinevitablelimitations。Pantheismis，therefore，asissaidbyMr。Bluntinanotherarticle，"practicallynothingelsethanAtheism；ithasnobeliefinapersonaldeityoverrulingtheaffairsoftheworld，asDivineProvidence，andis，therefore，Atheistic，"andagain，"Theismbelievesinaspiritsuperiortomatter，andsodoesPantheism；
butthespiritofTheismisself-conscious，andthereforepersonalandofindividualexistence-anatureperse，andupholdingallthingsbyanactivecontrol；whilePantheismbelievesinspiritthatisofahighernaturethanbrutematter，butisamereunconsciousprincipleoflife，impersonal，irrationalasthebrutematterthatitquickens。"
IfthisverdictconcerningPantheismistrue-andfromallIcangatheritisasnearlytrueasanythingcanbesaidtobewhichispredicatedofanincoherentidea-thePantheisticGodisanattempttolayholdofatruthwhichhasneverthelesseludeditspursuers。
InmynextchapterIwillconsiderthecommonlyreceived，orthodoxconceptionofGod，andcompareitwiththePantheistic。
Iwillshowthatit，too，isAtheistic，inasmuchas，inspiteofitsprofessingtogiveusaconceptionofGod，itraisesnoideasinourmindsofapersonorLivingBeing-andaGodwhoisnotthisisnon-existent。
CHAPTERV
ORTHODOXTHEISM
WehaveseenthatPantheismfailstosatisfy，inasmuchasitrequiresustomeansomethingdifferentbytheword"God"fromwhatwehavebeeninthehabitofmeaning。Ihavealreadysaid-I
fear，toooften-thatnoconceptionofGodcanhaveanyvalueormeaningforuswhichdoesnotinvolvehisexistenceasanindependentLivingPersonofineffablewisdomandpower，vastness，anddurationbothinthepastandforthefuture。IfsuchaBeingasthiscanbefoundexistingandmadeevident，directlyorindirectly，tohumansenses，thereisaGod。Ifotherwise，thereisnoGod，ornone，atanyrate，sofaraswecanknow，nonewithwhomweneedconcernourselves。Noconsciouspersonality，noGod。AnimpersonalGodisasmuchacontradictionintermsasanimpersonalperson。
Unfortunately，whenwequestionorthodoxtheologyclosely，wefindthatitsupposesGodtobeapersonwhohasnomaterialbodysuchascouldcomewithintherangeofanyhumansense，andmakeanimpressionuponit。Heissupposedtobeofaspiritualnatureonly，exceptinsofarasonepartofhistriunepersonalityis，accordingtotheAthanasianCreed，"perfectman，ofareasonablesoulandhumanfleshsubsisting。"
Here，then，wefindourselvesinadilemma。Ontheonehand，weareinvolvedinthesamedifficultyasinthecaseofPantheism，inasmuchasapersonwithoutfleshandblood，orsomethinganalogous，isnotaperson；wearerequired，therefore，tobelieveinapersonalGod，whohasnotrueperson；tobelieve，thatistosay，inanimpersonalperson。
This，aswehaveseenalready，isAtheismunderanothername，being，asitis，destructiveofallideaofGodwhatever；forthesewordsdonotconveyanideaofsomethingwhichhumanintelligencecanunderstanduptoacertainpoint，andwhichitcanwatchgoingoutofsightintoregionsbeyondourview，butinthesamedirection-aswemayinferotherstarsinspacebeyondthefarthestthatweknowof；theyconveyutterlyself-
destructiveideas，whichcanhavenorealmeaning，andcanonlybethoughttohaveameaningbyignorantanduncultivatedpeople。
Otherwisesuchfoundationashumanreasonrestsupon-thatistosay，thecurrentopinionofthosewhomtheworldappraisesasreasonableandagreeable，orcapableofbeingagreedwithforanytime-issapped；thewholethingtumblesdown，andwemayhavesquarecirclesandroundtriangles，whichmaybedeclaredtobenolongerabsurditiesandcontradictionsinterms，butmysteriesthatgobeyondourreason，withoutbeingcontrarytoit。Fewwillmaintainthis，andthosefewmaybeneglected；animpersonalpersonmustthereforebeadmittedtobenonsense，andanimmaterialGodtobeAtheisminanothershape。
Ontheotherhand，ifGodis"ofareasonablesoulandhumanfleshsubsisting，"andifhethushasthebodywithoutwhichheis-asfarasweareconcerned-non-existent，thisbodymustyetbereasonablylikeotherbodies，andmustexistinsomeplaceandatsometime。Furthermore，itmustdosufficientlynearlywhatallother"humanflesh"belongingto"perfectman"mustdo，orceasetobehumanflesh。Ourideasarelikeourorganisms；theyhavesomelittleelasticityandcircumstance-suitingpower，somelittlemarginonwhich，asIhaveelsewheresaid，side-notesmaybewritten，andglossesontheoriginaltext；butthispowerisverylimited。Asoffspringwillonly，asageneralrule，varyverylittlefromitsimmediateparents，andasitwillfaileitherimmediatelyorinthesecondgenerationiftheparentsdiffertoowidelyfromoneanother，sowecannotgetourideaof-
wewillsayahorse-toconjureuptoourmindstheideaofanyanimalmoreunlikeahorsethanaponyis；norcanwegetawell-
definedideaofacombinationbetweenahorseandanyanimalmoreremotefromitthananass，zebra，orgiraffe。Wemay，indeed，makeastatueofaflyinghorse，buttheideaisonewhichcannotbemadeplausibletoanybutignorantpeople。So"humanflesh"
mayvaryalittlefrom"humanflesh"withoutundueviolencebeingdonetoourreasonandtotherightuseoflanguage，butitcannotdifferfromitsomuchasnottoeat，drink，norwasteandrepairitself。"Humanflesh，"whichiswithoutthesenecessaryadjuncts，ishumanfleshonlytothosewhocanbelieveinflyinghorseswithfeatheredwingsandbillslikebirds-thatistosay，tovulgarandsuperstitiouspersons。
Lastly，notonlymustthe"perfectman，"whoisthesecondpersonoftheGodheadaccordingtotheorthodoxfaith，andwhosubsistsof"humanflesh"aswellasofa"reasonablesoul，"notonlymustthispersonexist，buthemustexistinsomeplaceeitheronthisearthoroutsideit。Ifheexistsonearth，hemustbeinEurope，Asia，Africa，America，oronsomeisland，andifheweremetwithhemustbecapableofbeingseenandhandledinthesamewayasallotherthingsthatcanbecalledperfectmanareseen；
otherwiseheisaperfectmanwhoisnotonlynotaperfectman，butwhodoesnotinanyconsiderabledegreeresembleone。Itisnot，however，pretendedbyanyonethatGod，the"perfectman，"istobelookedforinanyplaceuponthesurfaceoftheglobe。
If，ontheotherhand，thepersonofGodexistsinsomesphereoutsidetheearth，hishumanfleshagainprovestobeofanentirelydifferentkindfromallotherhumanflesh，forweknowthatsuchfleshcannotexistexceptonearth；ifinspaceunsupported，itmustfalltotheground，orintosomeotherplanet，orintoasun，orgoonrevolvingroundtheearthorsomeotherheavenlybody-ornotbepersonal。Noneofthosewhoseopinionswillcarryweightwillassignapositioneitherinsomecountryonthisearth，oryetagaininspace，toJesusChrist，butthisinvolvestherenderingmeaninglessofallexpressionswhichinvolvehispersonality。
TheChristianconception，therefore，oftheDeityproveswhenexaminedwithanydesiretounderstandourownmeaning（andwhatlawlessnesssogreatastheattempttoimposewordsuponourunderstandingswhichhavenolawfulsettlementwithinthem？）tobenolessacontradictionintermsthanthePantheisticconception。ItisAtheistic，asofferingusaGodwhichisnotaGod，inasmuchaswecanconceiveofnosuchbeing，norofanythingintheleastlikeit。Itis，likePantheism，anillusion，whichcanbebelievedonlybythosewhorepeataformulawhichtheyhavelearntbyheartinaforeignlanguageofwhichtheyunderstandnothing，andyetaverthattheybelieveit。
Therearedoubtlessmanywhowillsaythatthisispossible，butthemajorityofmyreaderswillholdthatnopropositioncanbebelievedordisbelieveduntilitsnatureisunderstood。
ItmayperhapsbesaidthatthereisanotherconceptionofGodpossible，andthatwemayseehimaspersonal，withoutatthesametimebelievingthathehasanyactualtangibleexistence。
Thuswepersonifyhope，truth，andjustice，withoutintendingtoconveytoanyonetheimpressionthatthesequalitiesarewomen，withfleshandblood。Again，wedonotthinkofNatureasanactualwoman，thoughwecallherone；whymaywenotconceiveofGod，then，asanexpressionwherebywepersonify，byafigureofspeechonly；thethingthatisintendedbeingnoperson，butourownhighestidealofpower，wisdom，andduration。
Therewouldbenoreasontocomplainofthisifthismannerofusingtheword"God"werewellunderstood。Manywordshavetwomeanings，oreventhree，withoutanymischievousconfusionofthoughtfollowing。TherecannotonlybenoobjectiontotheuseofthewordGodasamannerofexpressingthehighestidealofwhichourmindscanconceive，butonthecontrarynobetterexpressioncanbefound，anditisapitythewordisnotthusmoregenerallyused。
Few，however，wouldbecontentwithanysuchlimitationofGodasthatheshouldbeanideaonly，anexpressionforcertainqualitiesofhumanthoughtandaction。Whence，itmaybefairlyasked，didourdeeplyrootedbeliefinGodasaLivingPersonoriginate？Theideaofhimasofaninconceivablyvast，ancient，powerful，loving，andyetformidablePersonisonewhichsurvivesallchangesofdetailinmen’sopinion。Ibelievethereareafewverysavagetribeswhoareasabsolutelywithoutreligioussenseasthebeastsofthefield，butthevastmajorityforalongtimepasthavebeenpossessedwithanideathatthereissomewhereaLivingGodwhoistheSpiritandtheLifeofallthatis，andwhoisatruePersonwithanindividualityandself-
consciousnessofhisown。Itisonlynaturalthatweshouldbeaskedhowsuchanideahasremainedinthemindsofsomany-whodifferuponalmosteveryotherpartoftheirphilosophy-forsolongatimeifitwaswithoutfoundation，andapieceofdreamymysticismonly。
True，ithasgenerallybeendeclaredthatthisGodisaninfiniteGod，andaninfiniteGodisaGodwithoutanyboundsorlimitations；andaGodwithoutboundsorlimitationsisanimpersonalGod；andanimpersonalGodisAtheism。Butmaynotthisbetheincoherencyofprophecywhichprecedesthesuccessfulmasteringofanidea？MaywenotthinkofthisillusoryexpressionashavingarisenfrominabilitytoseethewhereaboutsofacertainvastbuttangiblePersonastowhoseexistencemenwereneverthelessclear？Iftheyfeltthatitexisted，andyetcouldnotsaywhere，norwhereinitwastobelaidhandson，theywouldbeverylikelytogetoutofthedifficultybysayingthatitexistedasaninfiniteSpirit，partlyfromadesiretomagnifywhattheyfeltmustbesovastandpowerful，andpartlybecausetheyhadasyetonlyavagueconceptionofwhattheywereaimingat，andmust，therefore，bestexpressitvaguely。
Wemustnotbesurprisedthatwhenanideaisstillinchoateitsexpressionshouldbeinconsistentandimperfect-ideaswillalmostalwaysduringtheearlierhistoryofathoughtbeputtogetherexperimentallysoastoseewhetherornotheywillcohere。
Partlyoutofindolence，partlyoutofthedesireofthosewhobroughttheideastogethertobedeclaredright，andpartlyoutofjoythatthetruthshouldbesupposedfound，incoherentideaswillbekepttogetherlongerthantheyshouldbe；neverthelesstheywillintheenddetachthemselvesandgo，ifotherspresentthemselveswhichfitintotheirplacebetter。Thereisnoconsistencywhichhasnotoncebeeninconsistent，norcoherencythathasnotbeenincoherent。TheincoherencyofourideasconcerningGodisduetothefactthatwehavenotyettrulyfoundhim，butitdoesnotarguethathedoesnotexistandcannotbefoundanywhereaftermorediligentsearch；onthecontrary，thepersistenceofthemainidea，inspiteoftheincoherencyofitsdetails，pointsstronglyinthedirectionofbelievingthatitrestsuponafoundationinfact。