god the invisible king-第3章

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he　arguments　of　old　Arius；　that　the　cardinal　　mystery　of　the　Trinity　was　established　as　the　essential　fact　of　　Christianity。　　Throughout　those　three　centuries；　the　centuries　of　　its　greatest　achievements　and　noblest　martyrdoms；　Christianity　had　　not　defined　its　God。　　And　even　to…day　it　has　to　be　noted　that　a　　large　majority　of　those　who　possess　and　repeat　the　Christian　creeds　　have　come　into　the　practice　so　insensibly　from　unthinking　childhood；　　that　only　in　the　slightest　way　do　they　realise　the　nature　of　the　　statements　to　which　they　subscribe。　　They　will　speak　and　think　of　　both　Christ　and　God　in　ways　flatly　incompatible　with　the　doctrine　of　　the　Triune　deity　upon　which；　theoretically；　the　entire　fabric　of　all　　the　churches　rests。　　They　will　show　themselves　as　frankly　Arians　as　　though　that　damnable　heresy　had　not　been　washed　out　of　the　world　　forever　after　centuries　of　persecution　in　torrents　of　blood。　　But　　whatever　the　present　state　of　Christendom　in　these　matters　may　be；　　there　can　be　no　doubt　of　the　enormous　pains　taken　in　the　past　to　　give　Christian　beliefs　the　exactest；　least　ambiguous　statement　　possible。　　Christianity　knew　itself　clearly　for　what　it　was　in　its　　maturity；　whatever　the　indecisions　of　its　childhood　or　the　　confusions　of　its　decay。　　The　renascent　religion　that　one　finds　now；　　a　thing　active　and　sufficient　in　many　minds；　has　still　scarcely　come　　to　self…consciousness。　　But　it　is　so　coming；　and　this　present　book　　is　very　largely　an　attempt　to　state　the　shape　it　is　assuming　and　to　　compare　it　with　the　beliefs　and　imperatives　and　usages　of　the　　various　Christian；　pseudo…Christian；　philosophical；　and　agnostic　　cults　amidst　which　it　has　appeared。　The　writer's　sympathies　and　convictions　are　entirely　with　this　that　　he　speaks　of　as　renascent　or　modern　religion；　he　is　neither　atheist　　nor　Buddhist　nor　Mohammedan　nor　Christian。　　He　will　make　no　　pretence；　therefore；　to　impartiality　and　detachment。　　He　will　do　his　　best　to　be　as　fair　as　possible　and　as　candid　as　possible；　but　the　　reader　must　reckon　with　this　bias。　　He　has　found　this　faith　growing　　up　in　himself；　he　has　found　it；　or　something　very　difficult　to　　distinguish　from　it；　growing　independently　in　the　minds　of　men　and　　women　he　has　met。　　They　have　been　people　of　very　various　origins；　　English；　Americans；　Bengalis；　Russians；　French；　people　brought　up　in　　a　〃Catholic　atmosphere；〃　Positivists；　Baptists；　Sikhs；　Mohammedans。　　　Their　diversity　of　source　is　as　remarkable　as　their　convergence　of　　tendency。　　A　miscellany　of　minds　thinking　upon　parallel　lines　has　　come　out　to　the　same　light。　　The　new　teaching　is　also　traceable　in　　many　professedly　Christian　religious　books　and　it　is　to　be　heard　　from　Christian　pulpits。　　The　phase　of　definition　is　manifestly　at　　hand。

2。　MODERN　RELIGION　HAS　A　FINITE　GOD

Perhaps　the　most　fundamental　difference　between　this　new　faith　and　　any　recognised　form　of　Christianity　is　that；　knowingly　or　　unknowingly；　it　worships　A　FINITE　GOD。　　Directly　the　believer　is　　fairly　confronted　with　the　plain　questions　of　the　case；　the　vague　　identifications　that　are　still　carelessly　made　with　one　or　all　of　　the　persons　of　the　Trinity　dissolve　away。　　He　will　admit　that　his　　God　is　neither　all…wise；　nor　all…powerful；　nor　omnipresent；　that　he　　is　neither　the　maker　of　heaven　nor　earth；　and　that　he　has　little　to　　identify　him　with　that　hereditary　God　of　the　Jews　who　became　the　　〃Father〃　in　the　Christian　system。　　On　the　other　hand　he　will　assert　　that　his　God　is　a　god　of　salvation；　that　he　is　a　spirit；　a　person；　a　　strongly　marked　and　knowable　personality；　loving；　inspiring；　and　　lovable；　who　exists　or　strives　to　exist　in　every　human　soul。　　He　　will　be　much　less　certain　in　his　denials　that　his　God　has　a　close　　resemblance　to　the　Pauline　（as　distinguished　from　the　Trinitarian）　　〃Christ。〃　。　。　。　The　modern　religious　man　will　almost　certainly　profess　a　kind　of　　universalism；　he　will　assert　that　whensoever　men　have　called　upon　　any　God　and　have　found　fellowship　and　comfort　and　courage　and　that　　sense　of　God　within　them；　that　inner　light　which　is　the　quintessence　　of　the　religious　experience；　it　was　the　True　God　that　answered　them。　　　For　the　True　God　is　a　generous　God；　not　a　jealous　God；　the　very　　antithesis　of　that　bickering　monopolist　who　〃will　have　none　other　　gods　but　Me〃；　and　when　a　human　heart　cries　outto　what　name　it　　matters　notfor　a　larger　spirit　and　a　stronger　help　than　the　　visible　things　of　life　can　give；　straightway　the　nameless　Helper　is　　with　it　and　the　God　of　Man　answers　to　the　call。　　The　True　God　has　no　　scorn　nor　hate　for　those　who　have　accepted　the　many…handed　symbols　　of　the　Hindu　or　the　lacquered　idols　of　China。　　Where　there　is　faith；　　where　there　is　need；　there　is　the　True　God　ready　to　clasp　the　hands　　that　stretch　out　seeking　for　him　into　the　darkness　behind　the　ivory　　and　gold。　The　fact　that　God　is　FINITE　is　one　upon　which　those　who　think　　clearly　among　the　new　believers　are　very　insistent。　　He　is；　above　　everything　else；　a　personality；　and　to　be　a　personality　is　to　have　　characteristics；　to　be　limited　by　characteristics；　he　is　a　Being；　　not　us　but　dealing　with　us　and　through　us；　he　has　an　aim　and　that　　means　he　has　a　past　and　future；　he　is　within　time　and　not　outside　　it。　　And　they　point　out　that　this　is　really　what　everyone　who　prays　　sincerely　to　God　or　gets　help　from　God；　feels　and　believes。　　Our　　practice　with　God　is　better　than　our　theory。　　None　of　us　really　pray　　to　that　fantastic；　unqualified　danse　a　trois；　the　Trinity；　which　the　　wranglings　and　disputes　of　the　worthies　of　Alexandria　and　Syria　　declared　to　be　God。　　We　pray　to　one　single　understanding　person。　　　But　so　far　the　tactics　of　those　Trinitarians　at　Nicaea；　who　stuck　　their　fingers　in　their　ears；　have　prevailed　in　this　world；　this　was　　no　matter　for　discussion；　they　declared；　it　was　a　Holy　Mystery　full　　of　magical　terror；　and　few　religious　people　have　thought　it　worth　　while　to　revive　these　terrors　by　a　definite　contradiction。　　The　　truly　religious　have　been　content　to　lapse　quietly　into　the　　comparative　sanity　of　an　unformulated　Arianism；　they　have　left　it　to　　the　scoffing　Atheist　to　mock　at　the　patent　absurdities　of　the　　official　creed。　　But　one　magnificent　protest　against　this　　theological　fantasy　must　have　been　the　work　of　a　sincerely　religious　　man；　the　cold　superb　humour　of　that　burlesque　creed；　ascribed；　at　　first　no　doubt　facetiously　and　then　quite　seriously；　to　Saint　　Athanasius　the　Great；　which；　by　an　irony　far　beyond　its　original　　intention；　has　become　at　last　the　accepted　creed　of　the　church。　The　long　truce　in　the　criticism　of　Trinitarian　theology　is　drawing　　to　its　end。　　It　is　when　men　most　urgently　need　God　that　they　become　　least　patient　with　foolish　presentations　and　dogmas。　　The　new　　believers　are　very　definitely　set　upon　a　thorough　analysis　of　the　　nature　and　growth　of　the　Christian　creeds　and　ideas。　　There　has　　grown　up　a　practice　of　assuming　that；　when　God　is　spoken　of；　the　　Hebrew…Christian　God　of　Nicaea　is　meant。　　But　that　God　trails　with　　him　a　thousand　misconceptions　and　bad　associations；　his　alleged　　infinite　nature；　his　jealousy；　his　strange　preferences；　his　　vindictive　Old　Testament　past。　　These　things　do　not　even　make　a　　caricature　of　the　True　God；　they　compose　an　altogether　different　and　　antagonistic　figure。　It　is　a　very　childish　and　unphilosophical　set　of　impulses　that　has　　led　the　theologians　of　nearly　every　faith　to　claim　infinite　　qualities　for　their　deity。　　One　has　to　remember　the　poorness　of　the　　mental　and　moral　quality　of　the　churchmen　of　the　third；　fourth；　and　　fifth　centuries　who　saddled　Christendom　with　its　characteristic　　dogmas；　and　the　extreme　poverty　and　confusion　of　the　circle　of　ideas　　within　which　they　thought。　　Many　of　these　makers　of　Christianity；　　like　Saint　Ambrose　of　Milan　（who　had　even　to　be　baptised　after　his　　election　to　his　bishopric）；　had　been　pitchforked　into　the　church　　from　civil　life；　they　lived　in　a　time　of　pitiless　factions　and　　personal　feuds；　they　had　to　conduct　their　disputations　amidst　the　　struggles　of　would…be　emperors；　court　eunuchs　and　favourites　swayed　　their　counsels；　and　popular　rioting　clinched　their　decisions。　　There　　was　less　freedom　of　discussion　then　in　the　Christian　world　than　　there　is　at　pres