the unseen world and other essays-第35章

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ly　ninety　years　ago；　they　should　have　been　regarded　as　dangerous　paradoxes。　They　may　be　summed　up　in　the　statement　that　all　great　religions　are　good　in　their　time　and　place；　that；　〃as　there　is　a　soul　of　goodness　in　things　evil；　so　also　there　is　a　soul　of　truth　in　things　erroneous。〃　According　to　Lessing；　the　successive　phases　of　religious　belief　constitute　epochs　in　the　mental　evolution　of　the　human　race。　So　that　the　crudest　forms　of　theology；　even　fetishism；　now　to　all　appearance　so　utterly　revolting；　and　polytheism；　so　completely　inadequate；　have　once　been　the　best；　the　natural　and　inevitable　results　of　man's　reasoning　powers　and　appliances　for　attaining　truth。　The　mere　fact　that　a　system　of　religious　thought　has　received　the　willing　allegiance　of　large　masses　of　men　shows　that　it　must　have　supplied　some　consciously　felt　want；　some　moral　or　intellectual　craving。　And　the　mere　fact　that　knowledge　and　morality　are　progressive　implies　that　each　successive　system　may　in　due　course　of　time　be　essentially　modified　or　finally　supplanted。　The　absence　of　any　reference　to　a　future　state　of　retribution；　in　the　Pentateuch　and　generally　in　the　sacred　writings　of　the　Jews；　and　the　continual　appeal　to　hopes　and　fears　of　a　worldly　character；　have　been　pronounced　by　deists　an　irremediable　defect　in　the　Jewish　religion。　It　is　precisely　this；　however；　says　Lessing；　which　constitutes　one　of　its　signal　excellences。　〃That　thy　days　may　be　long　in　the　land　which　Jehovah　thy　God　giveth　thee；〃　was　an　appeal　which　the　uncivilized　Jew　could　understand；　and　which　could　arouse　him　to　action；　while　the　need　of　a　future　world；　to　rectify　the　injustices　of　this；　not　yet　being　felt；　the　doctrine　would　have　been　of　but　little　service。　But　in　later　Hebrew　literature；　many　magnificent　passages　revealed　the　despair　felt　by　prophet　and　thinker　over　the　insoluble　problem　presented　by　the　evil　fate　of　the　good　and　the　triumphant　success　of　the　wicked；　and　a　solution　was　sought　in　the　doctrine　of　a　Messianic　kingdom；　until　Christianity　with　its　proclamation　of　a　future　life　set　the　question　entirely　aside。　By　its　appeal　to　what　has　been　aptly　termed　〃other…worldliness；〃　Christianity　immeasurably　intensified　human　responsibility；　besides　rendering　clearer　its　nature　and　limits。　But　according　to　Lessing；　yet　another　step　remains　to　be　taken；　and　here　we　come　upon　the　gulf　which　separates　him　from　men　of　the　stamp　of　Theodore　Parker。　For；　says　Lessing；　the　appeal　to　unearthly　rewards　and　punishments　is　after　all　an　appeal　to　our　lower　feelings；　other…worldliness　is　but　a　refined　selfishness；　and　we　are　to　cherish　virtue　for　its　own　sake　not　because　it　will　lead　us　to　heaven。　Here　is　the　grand　principle　of　Stoicism。　Lessing　believed；　with　Mr。　Mill；　that　the　less　we　think　about　getting　rewarded　either　on　earth　or　in　heaven　the　better。　He　was　cast　in　the　same　heroic　mould　as　Muhamad　Efendi；　who　when　led　to　the　stake　exclaimed：　〃Though　I　have　no　hope　of　recompense　hereafter；　yet　the　love　of　truth　constraineth　me　to　die　in　its　defence！〃

With　the　truth　or　completeness　of　these　views　of　Lessing　we　are　not　here　concerned；　our　business　being　not　to　expound　our　own　opinions；　but　to　indicate　as　clearly　as　possible　Lessing's　position。　Those　who　are　familiar　with　the　general　philosophical　spirit　of　the　present　age；　as　represented　by　writers　otherwise　so　different　as　Littre　and　Sainte…Beuve；　will　best　appreciate　the　power　and　originality　of　these　speculations。　Coming　in　the　last　century；　amid　the　crudities　of　deism；　they　made　a　well…defined　epoch。　They　inaugurated　the　historical　method　of　criticism；　and　they　robbed　the　spirit　of　intolerance　of　its　only　philosophical　excuse　for　existing。　Hitherto　the　orthodox　had　been　intolerant　toward　the　philosophers　because　they　considered　them　heretics；　and　the　philosophers　had　been　intolerant　toward　the　orthodox　because　they　considered　them　fools。　To　Voltaire　it　naturally　seemed　that　a　man　who　could　believe　in　the　reality　of　miracles　must　be　what　in　French　is　expressively　termed　a　sot。　But　henceforth；　to　the　disciple　of　Lessing；　men　of　all　shade　of　opinion　were　but　the　representatives　and　exponents　of　different　phases　in　the　general　evolution　of　human　intelligence；　not　necessarily　to　be　disliked　or　despised　if　they　did　not　happen　to　represent　the　maturest　phase。

Religion；　therefore；　from　this　point　of　view；　becomes　clearly　demarcated　from　theology。　It　consists　no　longer　in　the　mental　assent　to　certain　prescribed　formulas；　but　in　the　moral　obedience　to　the　great　rule　of　life；　the　great　commandment　laid　down　and　illustrated　by　the　Founder　of　the　Christian　religion；　and　concerning　which　the　profoundest　modern　philosophy　informs　us　that　the　extent　to　which　a　society　has　learned　to　conform　to　it　is　the　test　and　gauge　of　the　progress　in　civilization　which　that　society　has　achieved。　The　command　〃to　love　one　another；〃　to　check　the　barbarous　impulses　inherited　from　the　pre…social　state；　while　giving　free　play　to　the　beneficent　impulses　needful　for　the　ultimate　attainment　of　social　equilibrium；or　as　Tennyson　phrases　it；　to　〃move　upward；　working　out　the　beast；　and　letting　the　ape　and　tiger　die；〃was；　in　Lessing's　view；　the　task　set　before　us　by　religion。　The　true　religious　feeling　was　thus；　in　his　opinion；　what　the　author　of　〃Ecce　Homo〃　has　finely　termed　〃the　enthusiasm　of　humanity。〃　And　we　shall　find　no　better　language　than　that　of　the　writer　just　mentioned；　in　which　to　describe　Lessing's　conception　of　faith：

〃He　who；　when　goodness　is　impressively　put　before　him；　exhibits　an　instinctive　loyalty　to　it；　starts　forward　to　take　its　side；　trusts　himself　to　it；　such　a　man　has　faith；　and　the　root　of　the　matter　is　in　such　a　man。　He　may　have　habits　of　vice；　but　the　loyal　and　faithful　instinct　in　him　will　place　him　above　many　that　practice　virtue。　He　may　be　rude　in　thought　and　character；　but　he　will　unconsciously　gravitate　toward　what　is　right。　Other　virtues　can　scarcely　thrive　without　a　fine　natural　organization　and　a　happy　training。　But　the　most　neglected　and　ungifted　of　men　may　make　a　beginning　with　faith。　Other　virtues　want　civilization；　a　certain　amount　of　knowledge；　a　few　books；　but　in　half…brutal　countenances　faith　will　light　up　a　glimmer　of　nobleness。　The　savage；　who　can　do　little　else；　can　wonder　and　worship　and　enthusiastically　obey。　He　who　cannot　know　what　is　right　can　know　that　some　one　else　knows；　he　who　has　no　law　may　still　have　a　master；　he　who　is　incapable　of　justice　may　be　capable　of　fidelity；　he　who　understands　little　may　have　his　sins　forgiven　because　he　loves　much。〃

Such　was　Lessing's　religion；　so　far　as　it　can　be　ascertained　from　the　fragmentary　writings　which　he　has　left　on　the　subject。　Undoubtedly　it　lacked　completeness。　The　opinions　which　we　have　here　set　down；　though　constituting　something　more　than　a　mere　theory　of　morality；　certainly　do　not　constitute　a　complete　theory　of　religion。　Our　valiant　knight　has　examined　but　one　side　of　the　shield；the　bright　side；　turned　toward　us；　whose　marvellous　inscriptions　the　human　reason　can　by　dint　of　unwearied　effort　decipher。　But　the　dark　side；　looking　out　upon　infinity；　and　covered　with　hieroglyphics　the　meaning　of　which　we　can　never　know；　he　has　quite　forgotten　to　consider。　Yet　it　is　this　side　which　genuine　religious　feeling　ever　seeks　to　contemplate。　It　is　the　consciousness　that　there　is　about　us　an　omnipresent　Power；　in　which　we　live　and　move　and　have　our　being；　eternally　manifesting　itself　throughout　the　whole　range　of　natural　phenomena；　which　has　ever　disposed　men　to　be　religious；　and　lured　them　on　in　the　vain　effort　to　construct　adequate　theological　systems。　We　may；　getting　rid　of　the　last　traces　of　fetishism；　eliminate　arbitrary　volition　as　much　as　we　will　or　can。　But　there　still　remains　the　consciousness　of　a　divine　Life　in　the　universe；　of　a　Power　which　is　beyond　and　above　our　comprehension；　whose　goings　out　and　comings　in　no　man　can　follow。　The　more　we　know；　the　more　we　reach　out　for　that　which　we　cannot　know。　And　who　can　realize　this　so　vividly　as　the　scientific　philosopher？　For　our　knowledge　being；　according　to　the　familiar　comparison；　like　a　brilliant　sphere；　the　more　we　increase　it　the　greater　becomes　the　number　of　peripheral　points　at　which　we　are　confronted　by　the　impenetrable　darkness