Ireadthescientificandscepticalliteratureofmytime——allofit,atleast,thatIcouldfindwritteninEnglishandlyingabout;
andIreadnothingelse;ImeanIreadnothingelseonanyothernoteofphilosophy。ThepennydreadfulswhichIalsoreadwereindeedinahealthyandheroictraditionofChristianity;
butIdidnotknowthisatthetime。IneverreadalineofChristianapologetics。IreadaslittleasIcanofthemnow。
ItwasHuxleyandHerbertSpencerandBradlaughwhobroughtmebacktoorthodoxtheology。Theysowedinmymindmyfirstwilddoubtsofdoubt。OurgrandmotherswerequiterightwhentheysaidthatTomPaineandthefree-thinkersunsettledthemind。Theydo。
Theyunsettledminehorribly。Therationalistmademequestionwhetherreasonwasofanyusewhatever;andwhenIhadfinishedHerbertSpencerIhadgotasfarasdoubting(forthefirsttime)
whetherevolutionhadoccurredatall。AsIlaiddownthelastofColonelIngersoll’satheisticlecturesthedreadfulthoughtbrokeacrossmymind,\"AlmostthoupersuadestmetobeaChristian。\"Iwasinadesperateway。
Thisoddeffectofthegreatagnosticsinarousingdoubtsdeeperthantheirownmightbeillustratedinmanyways。
Itakeonlyone。AsIreadandre-readallthenon-Christianoranti-Christianaccountsofthefaith,fromHuxleytoBradlaugh,aslowandawfulimpressiongrewgraduallybutgraphicallyuponmymind——theimpressionthatChristianitymustbeamostextraordinarything。Fornotonly(asIunderstood)hadChristianitythemostflamingvices,butithadapparentlyamysticaltalentforcombiningviceswhichseemedinconsistentwitheachother。
Itwasattackedonallsidesandforallcontradictoryreasons。
Nosoonerhadonerationalistdemonstratedthatitwastoofartotheeastthananotherdemonstratedwithequalclearnessthatitwasmuchtoofartothewest。NosoonerhadmyindignationdieddownatitsangularandaggressivesquarenessthanIwascalledupagaintonoticeandcondemnitsenervatingandsensualroundness。
IncaseanyreaderhasnotcomeacrossthethingImean,IwillgivesuchinstancesasIrememberatrandomofthisself-contradictioninthescepticalattack。Igivefourorfiveofthem;therearefiftymore。
Thus,forinstance,IwasmuchmovedbytheeloquentattackonChristianityasathingofinhumangloom;forIthought(andstillthink)sincerepessimismtheunpardonablesin。
Insincerepessimismisasocialaccomplishment,ratheragreeablethanotherwise;andfortunatelynearlyallpessimismisinsincere。
ButifChristianitywas,asthesepeoplesaid,athingpurelypessimisticandopposedtolife,thenIwasquitepreparedtoblowupSt。Paul’sCathedral。Buttheextraordinarythingisthis。
TheydidprovetomeinChapterI。(tomycompletesatisfaction)
thatChristianitywastoopessimistic;andthen,inChapterII。,theybegantoprovetomethatitwasagreatdealtoooptimistic。
OneaccusationagainstChristianitywasthatitpreventedmen,bymorbidtearsandterrors,fromseekingjoyandlibertyinthebosomofNature。Butanotheraccusationwasthatitcomfortedmenwithafictitiousprovidence,andputtheminapink-and-whitenursery。
OnegreatagnosticaskedwhyNaturewasnotbeautifulenough,andwhyitwashardtobefree。AnothergreatagnosticobjectedthatChristianoptimism,\"thegarmentofmake-believewovenbypioushands,\"hidfromusthefactthatNaturewasugly,andthatitwasimpossibletobefree。OnerationalisthadhardlydonecallingChristianityanightmarebeforeanotherbegantocallitafool’sparadise。Thispuzzledme;thechargesseemedinconsistent。
Christianitycouldnotatoncebetheblackmaskonawhiteworld,andalsothewhitemaskonablackworld。ThestateoftheChristiancouldnotbeatoncesocomfortablethathewasacowardtoclingtoit,andsouncomfortablethathewasafooltostandit。
Ifitfalsifiedhumanvisionitmustfalsifyitonewayoranother;
itcouldnotwearbothgreenandrose-colouredspectacles。
Irolledonmytonguewithaterriblejoy,asdidallyoungmenofthattime,thetauntswhichSwinburnehurledatthedrearinessofthecreed——
\"Thouhastconquered,OpaleGalilaean,theworldhasgrowngraywithThybreath。\"
ButwhenIreadthesamepoet’saccountsofpaganism(asin\"Atalanta\"),Igatheredthattheworldwas,ifpossible,moregraybeforetheGalileanbreathedonitthanafterwards。
Thepoetmaintained,indeed,intheabstract,thatlifeitselfwaspitchdark。Andyet,somehow,Christianityhaddarkenedit。
TheverymanwhodenouncedChristianityforpessimismwashimselfapessimist。Ithoughttheremustbesomethingwrong。Anditdidforonewildmomentcrossmymindthat,perhaps,thosemightnotbetheverybestjudgesoftherelationofreligiontohappinesswho,bytheirownaccount,hadneitheronenortheother。
ItmustbeunderstoodthatIdidnotconcludehastilythattheaccusationswerefalseortheaccusersfools。IsimplydeducedthatChristianitymustbesomethingevenweirderandwickederthantheymadeout。Athingmighthavethesetwooppositevices;
butitmustbearatherqueerthingifitdid。Amanmightbetoofatinoneplaceandtoothininanother;buthewouldbeanoddshape。
AtthispointmythoughtswereonlyoftheoddshapeoftheChristianreligion;Ididnotallegeanyoddshapeintherationalisticmind。
Hereisanothercaseofthesamekind。IfeltthatastrongcaseagainstChristianitylayinthechargethatthereissomethingtimid,monkish,andunmanlyaboutallthatiscalled\"Christian,\"
especiallyinitsattitudetowardsresistanceandfighting。
Thegreatscepticsofthenineteenthcenturywerelargelyvirile。
Bradlaughinanexpansiveway,Huxley,inareticentway,weredecidedlymen。Incomparison,itdidseemtenablethattherewassomethingweakandoverpatientaboutChristiancounsels。
TheGospelparadoxabouttheothercheek,thefactthatpriestsneverfought,ahundredthingsmadeplausibletheaccusationthatChristianitywasanattempttomakeamantoolikeasheep。
Ireaditandbelievedit,andifIhadreadnothingdifferent,Ishouldhavegoneonbelievingit。ButIreadsomethingverydifferent。
Iturnedthenextpageinmyagnosticmanual,andmybrainturnedup-sidedown。NowIfoundthatIwastohateChristianitynotforfightingtoolittle,butforfightingtoomuch。Christianity,itseemed,wasthemotherofwars。Christianityhaddelugedtheworldwithblood。
IhadgotthoroughlyangrywiththeChristian,becauseheneverwasangry。AndnowIwastoldtobeangrywithhimbecausehisangerhadbeenthemosthugeandhorriblethinginhumanhistory;
becausehisangerhadsoakedtheearthandsmokedtothesun。
TheverypeoplewhoreproachedChristianitywiththemeeknessandnon-resistanceofthemonasteriesweretheverypeoplewhoreproacheditalsowiththeviolenceandvalouroftheCrusades。ItwasthefaultofpooroldChristianity(somehoworother)boththatEdwardtheConfessordidnotfightandthatRichardCoeurdeLeondid。
TheQuakers(weweretold)weretheonlycharacteristicChristians;
andyetthemassacresofCromwellandAlvawerecharacteristicChristiancrimes。Whatcoulditallmean?WhatwasthisChristianitywhichalwaysforbadewarandalwaysproducedwars?Whatcouldbethenatureofthethingwhichonecouldabusefirstbecauseitwouldnotfight,andsecondbecauseitwasalwaysfighting?
Inwhatworldofriddleswasbornthismonstrousmurderandthismonstrousmeekness?TheshapeofChristianitygrewaqueerershapeeveryinstant。
Itakeathirdcase;thestrangestofall,becauseitinvolvestheonerealobjectiontothefaith。TheonerealobjectiontotheChristianreligionissimplythatitisonereligion。Theworldisabigplace,fullofverydifferentkindsofpeople。Christianity(itmayreasonablybesaid)isonethingconfinedtoonekindofpeople;
itbeganinPalestine,ithaspracticallystoppedwithEurope。
Iwasdulyimpressedwiththisargumentinmyyouth,andIwasmuchdrawntowardsthedoctrineoftenpreachedinEthicalSocieties——
Imeanthedoctrinethatthereisonegreatunconsciouschurchofallhumanityfoundedontheomnipresenceofthehumanconscience。
Creeds,itwassaid,dividedmen;butatleastmoralsunitedthem。
Thesoulmightseekthestrangestandmostremotelandsandagesandstillfindessentialethicalcommonsense。ItmightfindConfuciusunderEasterntrees,andhewouldbewriting\"Thoushaltnotsteal。\"Itmightdecipherthedarkesthieroglyphiconthemostprimevaldesert,andthemeaningwhendecipheredwouldbe\"Littleboysshouldtellthetruth。\"Ibelievedthisdoctrineofthebrotherhoodofallmeninthepossessionofamoralsense,andIbelieveitstill——withotherthings。AndIwasthoroughlyannoyedwithChristianityforsuggesting(asIsupposed)
thatwholeagesandempiresofmenhadutterlyescapedthislightofjusticeandreason。ButthenIfoundanastonishingthing。
IfoundthattheverypeoplewhosaidthatmankindwasonechurchfromPlatotoEmersonweretheverypeoplewhosaidthatmoralityhadchangedaltogether,andthatwhatwasrightinoneagewaswronginanother。IfIasked,say,foranaltar,Iwastoldthatweneedednone,formenourbrothersgaveusclearoraclesandonecreedintheiruniversalcustomsandideals。ButifImildlypointedoutthatoneofmen’suniversalcustomswastohaveanaltar,thenmyagnosticteachersturnedcleanroundandtoldmethatmenhadalwaysbeenindarknessandthesuperstitionsofsavages。
IfounditwastheirdailytauntagainstChristianitythatitwasthelightofonepeopleandhadleftallotherstodieinthedark。
ButIalsofoundthatitwastheirspecialboastforthemselvesthatscienceandprogresswerethediscoveryofonepeople,andthatallotherpeopleshaddiedinthedark。TheirchiefinsulttoChristianitywasactuallytheirchiefcomplimenttothemselves,andthereseemedtobeastrangeunfairnessaboutalltheirrelativeinsistenceonthetwothings。Whenconsideringsomepaganoragnostic,weweretorememberthatallmenhadonereligion;whenconsideringsomemysticorspiritualist,wewereonlytoconsiderwhatabsurdreligionssomemenhad。WecouldtrusttheethicsofEpictetus,becauseethicshadneverchanged。WemustnottrusttheethicsofBossuet,becauseethicshadchanged。Theychangedintwohundredyears,butnotintwothousand。
Thisbegantobealarming。ItlookednotsomuchasifChristianitywasbadenoughtoincludeanyvices,butratherasifanystickwasgoodenoughtobeatChristianitywith。
Whatagaincouldthisastonishingthingbelikewhichpeopleweresoanxioustocontradict,thatindoingsotheydidnotmindcontradictingthemselves?Isawthesamethingoneveryside。
Icangivenofurtherspacetothisdiscussionofitindetail;
butlestanyonesupposesthatIhaveunfairlyselectedthreeaccidentalcasesIwillrunbrieflythroughafewothers。
Thus,certainscepticswrotethatthegreatcrimeofChristianityhadbeenitsattackonthefamily;ithaddraggedwomentothelonelinessandcontemplationofthecloister,awayfromtheirhomesandtheirchildren。But,then,othersceptics(slightlymoreadvanced)
saidthatthegreatcrimeofChristianitywasforcingthefamilyandmarriageuponus;thatitdoomedwomentothedrudgeryoftheirhomesandchildren,andforbadethemlonelinessandcontemplation。
Thechargewasactuallyreversed。Or,again,certainphrasesintheEpistlesorthemarriageservice,weresaidbytheanti-Christianstoshowcontemptforwoman’sintellect。ButIfoundthattheanti-Christiansthemselveshadacontemptforwoman’sintellect;
foritwastheirgreatsneerattheChurchontheContinentthat\"onlywomen\"wenttoit。Oragain,Christianitywasreproachedwithitsnakedandhungryhabits;withitssackclothanddriedpeas。
ButthenextminuteChristianitywasbeingreproachedwithitspompanditsritualism;itsshrinesofporphyryanditsrobesofgold。
Itwasabusedforbeingtooplainandforbeingtoocoloured。
AgainChristianityhadalwaysbeenaccusedofrestrainingsexualitytoomuch,whenBradlaughtheMalthusiandiscoveredthatitrestrainedittoolittle。Itisoftenaccusedinthesamebreathofprimrespectabilityandofreligiousextravagance。BetweenthecoversofthesameatheisticpamphletIhavefoundthefaithrebukedforitsdisunion,\"Onethinksonething,andoneanother,\"
andrebukedalsoforitsunion,\"Itisdifferenceofopinionthatpreventstheworldfromgoingtothedogs。\"Inthesameconversationafree-thinker,afriendofmine,blamedChristianityfordespisingJews,andthendespisedithimselfforbeingJewish。
Iwishedtobequitefairthen,andIwishtobequitefairnow;
andIdidnotconcludethattheattackonChristianitywasallwrong。
IonlyconcludedthatifChristianitywaswrong,itwasverywrongindeed。Suchhostilehorrorsmightbecombinedinonething,butthatthingmustbeverystrangeandsolitary。Therearemenwhoaremisers,andalsospendthrifts;buttheyarerare。Therearemensensualandalsoascetic;buttheyarerare。Butifthismassofmadcontradictionsreallyexisted,quakerishandbloodthirsty,toogorgeousandtoothread-bare,austere,yetpanderingpreposterouslytothelustoftheeye,theenemyofwomenandtheirfoolishrefuge,asolemnpessimistandasillyoptimist,ifthisevilexisted,thentherewasinthisevilsomethingquitesupremeandunique。
ForIfoundinmyrationalistteachersnoexplanationofsuchexceptionalcorruption。Christianity(theoreticallyspeaking)
wasintheireyesonlyoneoftheordinarymythsanderrorsofmortals。
THEYgavemenokeytothistwistedandunnaturalbadness。
Suchaparadoxofevilrosetothestatureofthesupernatural。
Itwas,indeed,almostassupernaturalastheinfallibilityofthePope。
Anhistoricinstitution,whichneverwentright,isreallyquiteasmuchofamiracleasaninstitutionthatcannotgowrong。
TheonlyexplanationwhichimmediatelyoccurredtomymindwasthatChristianitydidnotcomefromheaven,butfromhell。Really,ifJesusofNazarethwasnotChrist,HemusthavebeenAntichrist。
Andtheninaquiethourastrangethoughtstruckmelikeastillthunderbolt。Therehadsuddenlycomeintomymindanotherexplanation。
Supposeweheardanunknownmanspokenofbymanymen。Supposewewerepuzzledtohearthatsomemensaidhewastootallandsometooshort;someobjectedtohisfatness,somelamentedhisleanness;
somethoughthimtoodark,andsometoofair。Oneexplanation(ashasbeenalreadyadmitted)wouldbethathemightbeanoddshape。
Butthereisanotherexplanation。Hemightbetherightshape。
Outrageouslytallmenmightfeelhimtobeshort。Veryshortmenmightfeelhimtobetall。Oldbuckswhoaregrowingstoutmightconsiderhiminsufficientlyfilledout;oldbeauxwhoweregrowingthinmightfeelthatheexpandedbeyondthenarrowlinesofelegance。
PerhapsSwedes(whohavepalehairliketow)calledhimadarkman,whilenegroesconsideredhimdistinctlyblonde。Perhaps(inshort)
thisextraordinarythingisreallytheordinarything;atleastthenormalthing,thecentre。Perhaps,afterall,itisChristianitythatissaneandallitscriticsthataremad——invariousways。
Itestedthisideabyaskingmyselfwhethertherewasaboutanyoftheaccusersanythingmorbidthatmightexplaintheaccusation。
Iwasstartledtofindthatthiskeyfittedalock。Forinstance,itwascertainlyoddthatthemodernworldchargedChristianityatoncewithbodilyausterityandwithartisticpomp。Butthenitwasalsoodd,veryodd,thatthemodernworlditselfcombinedextremebodilyluxurywithanextremeabsenceofartisticpomp。
ThemodernmanthoughtBecket’srobestoorichandhismealstoopoor。
Butthenthemodernmanwasreallyexceptionalinhistory;nomanbeforeeveratesuchelaboratedinnersinsuchuglyclothes。Themodernmanfoundthechurchtoosimpleexactlywheremodernlifeistoocomplex;
hefoundthechurchtoogorgeousexactlywheremodernlifeistoodingy。
Themanwhodislikedtheplainfastsandfeastswasmadonentrees。
Themanwhodislikedvestmentsworeapairofpreposteroustrousers。
Andsurelyiftherewasanyinsanityinvolvedinthematteratallitwasinthetrousers,notinthesimplyfallingrobe。Iftherewasanyinsanityatall,itwasintheextravagantentrees,notinthebreadandwine。
Iwentoverallthecases,andIfoundthekeyfittedsofar。
ThefactthatSwinburnewasirritatedattheunhappinessofChristiansandyetmoreirritatedattheirhappinesswaseasilyexplained。
ItwasnolongeracomplicationofdiseasesinChristianity,butacomplicationofdiseasesinSwinburne。TherestraintsofChristianssaddenedhimsimplybecausehewasmorehedonistthanahealthymanshouldbe。ThefaithofChristiansangeredhimbecausehewasmorepessimistthanahealthymanshouldbe。
InthesamewaytheMalthusiansbyinstinctattackedChristianity;
notbecausethereisanythingespeciallyanti-MalthusianaboutChristianity,butbecausethereissomethingalittleanti-humanaboutMalthusianism。
Neverthelessitcouldnot,Ifelt,bequitetruethatChristianitywasmerelysensibleandstoodinthemiddle。Therewasreallyanelementinitofemphasisandevenfrenzywhichhadjustifiedthesecularistsintheirsuperficialcriticism。Itmightbewise,Ibeganmoreandmoretothinkthatitwaswise,butitwasnotmerelyworldlywise;itwasnotmerelytemperateandrespectable。
Itsfiercecrusadersandmeeksaintsmightbalanceeachother;
still,thecrusaderswereveryfierceandthesaintswereverymeek,meekbeyondalldecency。Now,itwasjustatthispointofthespeculationthatIrememberedmythoughtsaboutthemartyrandthesuicide。Inthatmattertherehadbeenthiscombinationbetweentwoalmostinsanepositionswhichyetsomehowamountedtosanity。
Thiswasjustsuchanothercontradiction;andthisIhadalreadyfoundtobetrue。Thiswasexactlyoneoftheparadoxesinwhichscepticsfoundthecreedwrong;andinthisIhadfounditright。
MadlyasChristiansmightlovethemartyrorhatethesuicide,theyneverfeltthesepassionsmoremadlythanIhadfeltthemlongbeforeIdreamedofChristianity。Thenthemostdifficultandinterestingpartofthementalprocessopened,andIbegantotracethisideadarklythroughalltheenormousthoughtsofourtheology。
TheideawasthatwhichIhadoutlinedtouchingtheoptimistandthepessimist;thatwewantnotanamalgamorcompromise,butboththingsatthetopoftheirenergy;loveandwrathbothburning。
HereIshallonlytraceitinrelationtoethics。ButIneednotremindthereaderthattheideaofthiscombinationisindeedcentralinorthodoxtheology。FororthodoxtheologyhasspeciallyinsistedthatChristwasnotabeingapartfromGodandman,likeanelf,noryetabeinghalfhumanandhalfnot,likeacentaur,butboththingsatonceandboththingsthoroughly,verymanandveryGod。
NowletmetracethisnotionasIfoundit。
Allsanemencanseethatsanityissomekindofequilibrium;
thatonemaybemadandeattoomuch,ormadandeattoolittle。
SomemodernshaveindeedappearedwithvagueversionsofprogressandevolutionwhichseekstodestroytheMESONorbalanceofAristotle。
Theyseemtosuggestthatwearemeanttostarveprogressively,ortogooneatinglargerandlargerbreakfastseverymorningforever。
ButthegreattruismoftheMESONremainsforallthinkingmen,andthesepeoplehavenotupsetanybalanceexcepttheirown。
Butgrantedthatwehavealltokeepabalance,therealinterestcomesinwiththequestionofhowthatbalancecanbekept。
ThatwastheproblemwhichPaganismtriedtosolve:thatwastheproblemwhichIthinkChristianitysolvedandsolvedinaverystrangeway。
Paganismdeclaredthatvirtuewasinabalance;Christianitydeclareditwasinaconflict:thecollisionoftwopassionsapparentlyopposite。Ofcoursetheywerenotreallyinconsistent;
buttheyweresuchthatitwashardtoholdsimultaneously。
Letusfollowforamomenttheclueofthemartyrandthesuicide;
andtakethecaseofcourage。Noqualityhaseversomuchaddledthebrainsandtangledthedefinitionsofmerelyrationalsages。
Courageisalmostacontradictioninterms。Itmeansastrongdesiretolivetakingtheformofareadinesstodie。\"Hethatwilllosehislife,thesameshallsaveit,\"isnotapieceofmysticismforsaintsandheroes。Itisapieceofeverydayadviceforsailorsormountaineers。ItmightbeprintedinanAlpineguideoradrillbook。Thisparadoxisthewholeprincipleofcourage;
evenofquiteearthlyorquitebrutalcourage。Amancutoffbytheseamaysavehislifeifhewillriskitontheprecipice。
Hecanonlygetawayfromdeathbycontinuallysteppingwithinaninchofit。Asoldiersurroundedbyenemies,ifheistocuthiswayout,needstocombineastrongdesireforlivingwithastrangecarelessnessaboutdying。Hemustnotmerelyclingtolife,forthenhewillbeacoward,andwillnotescape。Hemustnotmerelywaitfordeath,forthenhewillbeasuicide,andwillnotescape。
Hemustseekhislifeinaspiritoffuriousindifferencetoit;
hemustdesirelifelikewaterandyetdrinkdeathlikewine。
Nophilosopher,Ifancy,haseverexpressedthisromanticriddlewithadequatelucidity,andIcertainlyhavenotdoneso。
ButChristianityhasdonemore:ithasmarkedthelimitsofitintheawfulgravesofthesuicideandthehero,showingthedistancebetweenhimwhodiesforthesakeoflivingandhimwhodiesforthesakeofdying。AndithasheldupeversinceabovetheEuropeanlancesthebannerofthemysteryofchivalry:theChristiancourage,whichisadisdainofdeath;nottheChinesecourage,whichisadisdainoflife。
AndnowIbegantofindthatthisduplexpassionwastheChristiankeytoethicseverywhere。Everywherethecreedmadeamoderationoutofthestillcrashoftwoimpetuousemotions。Take,forinstance,thematterofmodesty,ofthebalancebetweenmereprideandmereprostration。Theaveragepagan,liketheaverageagnostic,wouldmerelysaythathewascontentwithhimself,butnotinsolentlyself-satisfied,thatthereweremanybetterandmanyworse,thathisdesertswerelimited,buthewouldseethathegotthem。
Inshort,hewouldwalkwithhisheadintheair;butnotnecessarilywithhisnoseintheair。Thisisamanlyandrationalposition,butitisopentotheobjectionwenotedagainstthecompromisebetweenoptimismandpessimism——the\"resignation\"ofMatthewArnold。
Beingamixtureoftwothings,itisadilutionoftwothings;
neitherispresentinitsfullstrengthorcontributesitsfullcolour。
Thisproperpridedoesnotlifttheheartlikethetongueoftrumpets;
youcannotgocladincrimsonandgoldforthis。Ontheotherhand,thismildrationalistmodestydoesnotcleansethesoulwithfireandmakeitclearlikecrystal;itdoesnot(likeastrictandsearchinghumility)makeamanasalittlechild,whocansitatthefeetofthegrass。Itdoesnotmakehimlookupandseemarvels;
forAlicemustgrowsmallifsheistobeAliceinWonderland。Thusitlosesboththepoetryofbeingproudandthepoetryofbeinghumble。
Christianitysoughtbythissamestrangeexpedienttosavebothofthem。
Itseparatedthetwoideasandthenexaggeratedthemboth。
InonewayManwastobehaughtierthanhehadeverbeenbefore;
inanotherwayhewastobehumblerthanhehadeverbeenbefore。
InsofarasIamManIamthechiefofcreatures。InsofarasIamamanIamthechiefofsinners。Allhumilitythathadmeantpessimism,thathadmeantmantakingavagueormeanviewofhiswholedestiny——allthatwastogo。WeweretohearnomorethewailofEcclesiastesthathumanityhadnopre-eminenceoverthebrute,ortheawfulcryofHomerthatmanwasonlythesaddestofallthebeastsofthefield。ManwasastatueofGodwalkingaboutthegarden。Manhadpre-eminenceoverallthebrutes;
manwasonlysadbecausehewasnotabeast,butabrokengod。
TheGreekhadspokenofmencreepingontheearth,asifclingingtoit。NowManwastotreadontheearthasiftosubdueit。
Christianitythusheldathoughtofthedignityofmanthatcouldonlybeexpressedincrownsrayedlikethesunandfansofpeacockplumage。
Yetatthesametimeitcouldholdathoughtabouttheabjectsmallnessofmanthatcouldonlybeexpressedinfastingandfantasticsubmission,inthegrayashesofSt。DominicandthewhitesnowsofSt。Bernard。
WhenonecametothinkofONE’SSELF,therewasvistaandvoidenoughforanyamountofbleakabnegationandbittertruth。Theretherealisticgentlemancouldlethimselfgo——aslongashelethimselfgoathimself。Therewasanopenplaygroundforthehappypessimist。
Lethimsayanythingagainsthimselfshortofblasphemingtheoriginalaimofhisbeing;lethimcallhimselfafoolandevenadamnedfool(thoughthatisCalvinistic);buthemustnotsaythatfoolsarenotworthsaving。Hemustnotsaythataman,QUAman,canbevalueless。Here,againinshort,Christianitygotoverthedifficultyofcombiningfuriousopposites,bykeepingthemboth,andkeepingthembothfurious。TheChurchwaspositiveonbothpoints。
Onecanhardlythinktoolittleofone’sself。Onecanhardlythinktoomuchofone’ssoul。
Takeanothercase:thecomplicatedquestionofcharity,whichsomehighlyuncharitableidealistsseemtothinkquiteeasy。
Charityisaparadox,likemodestyandcourage。Statedbaldly,charitycertainlymeansoneoftwothings——pardoningunpardonableacts,orlovingunlovablepeople。Butifweaskourselves(aswedidinthecaseofpride)whatasensiblepaganwouldfeelaboutsuchasubject,weshallprobablybebeginningatthebottomofit。
Asensiblepaganwouldsaythatthereweresomepeopleonecouldforgive,andsomeonecouldn’t:aslavewhostolewinecouldbelaughedat;
aslavewhobetrayedhisbenefactorcouldbekilled,andcursedevenafterhewaskilled。Insofarastheactwaspardonable,themanwaspardonable。Thatagainisrational,andevenrefreshing;
butitisadilution。Itleavesnoplaceforapurehorrorofinjustice,suchasthatwhichisagreatbeautyintheinnocent。Anditleavesnoplaceforameretendernessformenasmen,suchasisthewholefascinationofthecharitable。Christianitycameinhereasbefore。
Itcameinstartlinglywithasword,andcloveonethingfromanother。
Itdividedthecrimefromthecriminal。Thecriminalwemustforgiveuntoseventytimesseven。Thecrimewemustnotforgiveatall。
Itwasnotenoughthatslaveswhostolewineinspiredpartlyangerandpartlykindness。Wemustbemuchmoreangrywiththeftthanbefore,andyetmuchkindertothievesthanbefore。Therewasroomforwrathandlovetorunwild。AndthemoreIconsideredChristianity,themoreIfoundthatwhileithadestablishedaruleandorder,thechiefaimofthatorderwastogiveroomforgoodthingstorunwild。
Mentalandemotionallibertyarenotsosimpleastheylook。
Reallytheyrequirealmostascarefulabalanceoflawsandconditionsasdosocialandpoliticalliberty。Theordinaryaestheticanarchistwhosetsouttofeeleverythingfreelygetsknottedatlastinaparadoxthatpreventshimfeelingatall。Hebreaksawayfromhomelimitstofollowpoetry。Butinceasingtofeelhomelimitshehasceasedtofeelthe\"Odyssey。\"Heisfreefromnationalprejudicesandoutsidepatriotism。Butbeingoutsidepatriotismheisoutside\"HenryV。\"Suchaliterarymanissimplyoutsideallliterature:
heismoreofaprisonerthananybigot。Forifthereisawallbetweenyouandtheworld,itmakeslittledifferencewhetheryoudescribeyourselfaslockedinoraslockedout。Whatwewantisnottheuniversalitythatisoutsideallnormalsentiments;
wewanttheuniversalitythatisinsideallnormalsentiments。
Itisallthedifferencebetweenbeingfreefromthem,asamanisfreefromaprison,andbeingfreeofthemasamanisfreeofacity。IamfreefromWindsorCastle(thatis,Iamnotforciblydetainedthere),butIambynomeansfreeofthatbuilding。
Howcanmanbeapproximatelyfreeoffineemotions,abletoswingtheminaclearspacewithoutbreakageorwrong?THISwastheachievementofthisChristianparadoxoftheparallelpassions。
Grantedtheprimarydogmaofthewarbetweendivineanddiabolic,therevoltandruinoftheworld,theiroptimismandpessimism,aspurepoetry,couldbeloosenedlikecataracts。
St。Francis,inpraisingallgood,couldbeamoreshoutingoptimistthanWaltWhitman。St。Jerome,indenouncingallevil,couldpainttheworldblackerthanSchopenhauer。Bothpassionswerefreebecausebothwerekeptintheirplace。Theoptimistcouldpouroutallthepraisehelikedonthegaymusicofthemarch,thegoldentrumpets,andthepurplebannersgoingintobattle。
Buthemustnotcallthefightneedless。Thepessimistmightdrawasdarklyashechosethesickeningmarchesorthesanguinewounds。
Buthemustnotcallthefighthopeless。Soitwaswithalltheothermoralproblems,withpride,withprotest,andwithcompassion。
Bydefiningitsmaindoctrine,theChurchnotonlykeptseeminglyinconsistentthingssidebyside,but,whatwasmore,allowedthemtobreakoutinasortofartisticviolenceotherwisepossibleonlytoanarchists。Meeknessgrewmoredramaticthanmadness。
HistoricChristianityroseintoahighandstrangeCOUPDETHEATRE
ofmorality——thingsthataretovirtuewhatthecrimesofNeroaretovice。Thespiritsofindignationandofcharitytookterribleandattractiveforms,rangingfromthatmonkishfiercenessthatscourgedlikeadogthefirstandgreatestofthePlantagenets,tothesublimepityofSt。Catherine,who,intheofficialshambles,kissedthebloodyheadofthecriminal。Poetrycouldbeactedaswellascomposed。Thisheroicandmonumentalmannerinethicshasentirelyvanishedwithsupernaturalreligion。They,beinghumble,couldparadethemselves:butwearetooproudtobeprominent。
Ourethicalteacherswritereasonablyforprisonreform;butwearenotlikelytoseeMr。Cadbury,oranyeminentphilanthropist,gointoReadingGaolandembracethestrangledcorpsebeforeitiscastintothequicklime。Ourethicalteacherswritemildlyagainstthepowerofmillionaires;butwearenotlikelytoseeMr。Rockefeller,oranymoderntyrant,publiclywhippedinWestminsterAbbey。
Thus,thedoublechargesofthesecularists,thoughthrowingnothingbutdarknessandconfusiononthemselves,throwareallightonthefaith。ItistruethatthehistoricChurchhasatonceemphasisedcelibacyandemphasisedthefamily;hasatonce(ifonemayputitso)
beenfiercelyforhavingchildrenandfiercelyfornothavingchildren。
Ithaskeptthemsidebysideliketwostrongcolours,redandwhite,liketheredandwhiteupontheshieldofSt。George。Ithasalwayshadahealthyhatredofpink。Ithatesthatcombinationoftwocolourswhichisthefeebleexpedientofthephilosophers。
Ithatesthatevolutionofblackintowhitewhichistantamounttoadirtygray。Infact,thewholetheoryoftheChurchonvirginitymightbesymbolizedinthestatementthatwhiteisacolour:
notmerelytheabsenceofacolour。AllthatIamurgingherecanbeexpressedbysayingthatChristianitysoughtinmostofthesecasestokeeptwocolourscoexistentbutpure。Itisnotamixturelikerussetorpurple;itisratherlikeashotsilk,forashotsilkisalwaysatrightangles,andisinthepatternofthecross。
Soitisalso,ofcourse,withthecontradictorychargesoftheanti-Christiansaboutsubmissionandslaughter。ItIStruethattheChurchtoldsomementofightandothersnottofight;
anditIStruethatthosewhofoughtwerelikethunderboltsandthosewhodidnotfightwerelikestatues。AllthissimplymeansthattheChurchpreferredtouseitsSupermenandtouseitsTolstoyans。TheremustbeSOMEgoodinthelifeofbattle,forsomanygoodmenhaveenjoyedbeingsoldiers。TheremustbeSOMEgoodintheideaofnon-resistance,forsomanygoodmenseemtoenjoybeingQuakers。AllthattheChurchdid(sofarasthatgoes)
wastopreventeitherofthesegoodthingsfromoustingtheother。
Theyexistedsidebyside。TheTolstoyans,havingallthescruplesofmonks,simplybecamemonks。TheQuakersbecameaclubinsteadofbecomingasect。MonkssaidallthatTolstoysays;theypouredoutlucidlamentationsaboutthecrueltyofbattlesandthevanityofrevenge。ButtheTolstoyansarenotquiterightenoughtorunthewholeworld;andintheagesoffaiththeywerenotallowedtorunit。TheworlddidnotlosethelastchargeofSirJamesDouglasorthebannerofJoantheMaid。Andsometimesthispuregentlenessandthispurefiercenessmetandjustifiedtheirjuncture;
theparadoxofalltheprophetswasfulfilled,and,inthesoulofSt。Louis,thelionlaydownwiththelamb。Butrememberthatthistextistoolightlyinterpreted。Itisconstantlyassured,especiallyinourTolstoyantendencies,thatwhenthelionliesdownwiththelambthelionbecomeslamb-like。Butthatisbrutalannexationandimperialismonthepartofthelamb。Thatissimplythelambabsorbingthelioninsteadofthelioneatingthelamb。
Therealproblemis——Canthelionliedownwiththelambandstillretainhisroyalferocity?THATistheproblemtheChurchattempted;
THATisthemiraclesheachieved。
ThisiswhatIhavecalledguessingthehiddeneccentricitiesoflife。Thisisknowingthataman’sheartistotheleftandnotinthemiddle。Thisisknowingnotonlythattheearthisround,butknowingexactlywhereitisflat。Christiandoctrinedetectedtheodditiesoflife。Itnotonlydiscoveredthelaw,butitforesawtheexceptions。ThoseunderrateChristianitywhosaythatitdiscoveredmercy;anyonemightdiscovermercy。Infacteveryonedid。Buttodiscoveraplanforbeingmercifulandalsosevere——
THATwastoanticipateastrangeneedofhumannature。Fornoonewantstobeforgivenforabigsinasifitwerealittleone。
Anyonemightsaythatweshouldbeneitherquitemiserablenorquitehappy。ButtofindouthowfaroneMAYbequitemiserablewithoutmakingitimpossibletobequitehappy——thatwasadiscoveryinpsychology。Anyonemightsay,\"Neitherswaggernorgrovel\";
anditwouldhavebeenalimit。Buttosay,\"Hereyoucanswaggerandthereyoucangrovel\"——thatwasanemancipation。
ThiswasthebigfactaboutChristianethics;thediscoveryofthenewbalance。Paganismhadbeenlikeapillarofmarble,uprightbecauseproportionedwithsymmetry。Christianitywaslikeahugeandraggedandromanticrock,which,thoughitswaysonitspedestalatatouch,yet,becauseitsexaggeratedexcrescencesexactlybalanceeachother,isenthronedthereforathousandyears。
InaGothiccathedralthecolumnswerealldifferent,buttheywereallnecessary。Everysupportseemedanaccidentalandfantasticsupport;
everybuttresswasaflyingbuttress。SoinChristendomapparentaccidentsbalanced。Becketworeahairshirtunderhisgoldandcrimson,andthereismuchtobesaidforthecombination;
forBecketgotthebenefitofthehairshirtwhilethepeopleinthestreetgotthebenefitofthecrimsonandgold。Itisatleastbetterthanthemannerofthemodernmillionaire,whohastheblackandthedraboutwardlyforothers,andthegoldnexthisheart。
Butthebalancewasnotalwaysinoneman’sbodyasinBecket’s;
thebalancewasoftendistributedoverthewholebodyofChristendom。
BecauseamanprayedandfastedontheNorthernsnows,flowerscouldbeflungathisfestivalintheSoutherncities;andbecausefanaticsdrankwateronthesandsofSyria,mencouldstilldrinkciderintheorchardsofEngland。ThisiswhatmakesChristendomatoncesomuchmoreperplexingandsomuchmoreinterestingthanthePaganempire;
justasAmiensCathedralisnotbetterbutmoreinterestingthantheParthenon。Ifanyonewantsamodernproofofallthis,lethimconsiderthecuriousfactthat,underChristianity,Europe(whileremainingaunity)hasbrokenupintoindividualnations。
Patriotismisaperfectexampleofthisdeliberatebalancingofoneemphasisagainstanotheremphasis。TheinstinctofthePaganempirewouldhavesaid,\"YoushallallbeRomancitizens,andgrowalike;lettheGermangrowlessslowandreverent;
theFrenchmenlessexperimentalandswift。\"ButtheinstinctofChristianEuropesays,\"LettheGermanremainslowandreverent,thattheFrenchmanmaythemoresafelybeswiftandexperimental。
Wewillmakeanequipoiseoutoftheseexcesses。TheabsurditycalledGermanyshallcorrecttheinsanitycalledFrance。\"
Lastandmostimportant,itisexactlythiswhichexplainswhatissoinexplicabletoallthemoderncriticsofthehistoryofChristianity。Imeanthemonstrouswarsaboutsmallpointsoftheology,theearthquakesofemotionaboutagestureoraword。
Itwasonlyamatterofaninch;butaninchiseverythingwhenyouarebalancing。TheChurchcouldnotaffordtoswerveahair’sbreadthonsomethingsifshewastocontinuehergreatanddaringexperimentoftheirregularequilibrium。Onceletoneideabecomelesspowerfulandsomeotherideawouldbecometoopowerful。ItwasnoflockofsheeptheChristianshepherdwasleading,butaherdofbullsandtigers,ofterribleidealsanddevouringdoctrines,eachoneofthemstrongenoughtoturntoafalsereligionandlaywastetheworld。
RememberthattheChurchwentinspecificallyfordangerousideas;
shewasaliontamer。TheideaofbirththroughaHolySpirit,ofthedeathofadivinebeing,oftheforgivenessofsins,orthefulfilmentofprophecies,areideaswhich,anyonecansee,needbutatouchtoturnthemintosomethingblasphemousorferocious。
ThesmallestlinkwasletdropbytheartificersoftheMediterranean,andthelionofancestralpessimismbursthischainintheforgottenforestsofthenorth。OfthesetheologicalequalisationsIhavetospeakafterwards。Hereitisenoughtonoticethatifsomesmallmistakeweremadeindoctrine,hugeblundersmightbemadeinhumanhappiness。AsentencephrasedwrongaboutthenatureofsymbolismwouldhavebrokenallthebeststatuesinEurope。
Aslipinthedefinitionsmightstopallthedances;mightwitheralltheChristmastreesorbreakalltheEastereggs。Doctrineshadtobedefinedwithinstrictlimits,eveninorderthatmanmightenjoygeneralhumanliberties。TheChurchhadtobecareful,ifonlythattheworldmightbecareless。
ThisisthethrillingromanceofOrthodoxy。Peoplehavefallenintoafoolishhabitofspeakingoforthodoxyassomethingheavy,humdrum,andsafe。Thereneverwasanythingsoperilousorsoexcitingasorthodoxy。Itwassanity:andtobesaneismoredramaticthantobemad。Itwastheequilibriumofamanbehindmadlyrushinghorses,seemingtostoopthiswayandtoswaythat,yetineveryattitudehavingthegraceofstatuaryandtheaccuracyofarithmetic。
TheChurchinitsearlydayswentfierceandfastwithanywarhorse;
yetitisutterlyunhistorictosaythatshemerelywentmadalongoneidea,likeavulgarfanaticism。Sheswervedtoleftandright,soexactlyastoavoidenormousobstacles。SheleftononehandthehugebulkofArianism,buttressedbyalltheworldlypowerstomakeChristianitytooworldly。Thenextinstantshewasswervingtoavoidanorientalism,whichwouldhavemadeittoounworldly。
TheorthodoxChurchnevertookthetamecourseoracceptedtheconventions;theorthodoxChurchwasneverrespectable。ItwouldhavebeeneasiertohaveacceptedtheearthlypoweroftheArians。
Itwouldhavebeeneasy,intheCalvinisticseventeenthcentury,tofallintothebottomlesspitofpredestination。Itiseasytobeamadman:itiseasytobeaheretic。Itisalwayseasytolettheagehaveitshead;thedifficultthingistokeepone’sown。
Itisalwayseasytobeamodernist;asitiseasytobeasnob。
TohavefallenintoanyofthoseopentrapsoferrorandexaggerationwhichfashionafterfashionandsectaftersectsetalongthehistoricpathofChristendom——thatwouldindeedhavebeensimple。
Itisalwayssimpletofall;thereareaninfinityofanglesatwhichonefalls,onlyoneatwhichonestands。TohavefallenintoanyoneofthefadsfromGnosticismtoChristianSciencewouldindeedhavebeenobviousandtame。Buttohaveavoidedthemallhasbeenonewhirlingadventure;andinmyvisiontheheavenlychariotfliesthunderingthroughtheages,thedullheresiessprawlingandprostrate,thewildtruthreelingbuterect。
VIITHEETERNALREVOLUTION
Thefollowingpropositionshavebeenurged:First,thatsomefaithinourlifeisrequiredeventoimproveit;second,thatsomedissatisfactionwiththingsastheyareisnecessaryeveninordertobesatisfied;third,thattohavethisnecessarycontentandnecessarydiscontentitisnotsufficienttohavetheobviousequilibriumoftheStoic。Formereresignationhasneitherthegiganticlevityofpleasurenorthesuperbintoleranceofpain。
Thereisavitalobjectiontotheadvicemerelytogrinandbearit。
Theobjectionisthatifyoumerelybearit,youdonotgrin。
Greekheroesdonotgrin:butgargoylesdo——becausetheyareChristian。
AndwhenaChristianispleased,heis(inthemostexactsense)
frightfullypleased;hispleasureisfrightful。ChristprophesiedthewholeofGothicarchitectureinthathourwhennervousandrespectablepeople(suchpeopleasnowobjecttobarrelorgans)
objectedtotheshoutingofthegutter-snipesofJerusalem。
Hesaid,\"Iftheseweresilent,theverystoneswouldcryout。\"
UndertheimpulseofHisspiritaroselikeaclamorouschorusthefacadesofthemediaevalcathedrals,throngedwithshoutingfacesandopenmouths。Theprophecyhasfulfilleditself:theverystonescryout。
Ifthesethingsbeconceded,thoughonlyforargument,wemaytakeupwhereweleftitthethreadofthethoughtofthenaturalman,calledbytheScotch(withregrettablefamiliarity),\"TheOldMan。\"Wecanaskthenextquestionsoobviouslyinfrontofus。Somesatisfactionisneededeventomakethingsbetter。
Butwhatdowemeanbymakingthingsbetter?Mostmoderntalkonthismatterisamereargumentinacircle——thatcirclewhichwehavealreadymadethesymbolofmadnessandofmererationalism。
Evolutionisonlygoodifitproducesgood;goodisonlygoodifithelpsevolution。Theelephantstandsonthetortoise,andthetortoiseontheelephant。
Obviously,itwillnotdototakeouridealfromtheprincipleinnature;forthesimplereasonthat(exceptforsomehumanordivinetheory),thereisnoprincipleinnature。Forinstance,thecheapanti-democratofto-daywilltellyousolemnlythatthereisnoequalityinnature。Heisright,buthedoesnotseethelogicaladdendum。Thereisnoequalityinnature;alsothereisnoinequalityinnature。Inequality,asmuchasequality,impliesastandardofvalue。Toreadaristocracyintotheanarchyofanimalsisjustassentimentalastoreaddemocracyintoit。
Botharistocracyanddemocracyarehumanideals:theonesayingthatallmenarevaluable,theotherthatsomemenaremorevaluable。