the dore lectures on mental science-第12章

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　know；　that　process　consists　first　of　the　involution　of　Spirit　into　Substance；　and　consequently　of　the　subsequent　evolution　of　Substance　into　forms　continually　increasing　in　fitness　as　vehicles　for　Spirit：　so　now　we　may　look　for　a　repetition　of　this　universal　process　from　its　new　starting…point　in　the　individual　mind　and　expect　a　corresponding　externalization　in　accordance　with　our　familiar　axiom　that　thoughts　are　things。

Now　it　is　as　such　an　external　manifestation　of　the　Divine　ideal　that　the　Christ　of　the　Gospels　is　set　before　us。　I　do　not　wish　to　dogmatize；　but　I　will　only　say　that　the　more　clearly　we　realize　the　nature　of　the　creative　process　on　the　spiritual　side　the　more　the　current　objections　to　the　Gospel　narrative　lose　their　force；　and　it　appears　to　me　that　to　deny　that　narrative　as　a　point…blank　impossibility　is　to　make　a　similar　affirmation　with　regard　to　the　power　of　the　Spirit　in　ourselves。　You　cannot　affirm　a　principle　and　deny　it　in　the　same　breath；　and　if　we　affirm　the　externalizing　power　of　the　Spirit　in　our　own　case；　I　do　not　see　how　we　can　logically　lay　down　a　limit　for　its　action　and　say　that　under　highly　specialized　conditions　it　could　not　produce　highly　specialized　effects。　It　is　for　this　reason　that　St。　John　puts　the　question　of　Christ　manifest　in　the　flesh　as　the　criterion　of　the　whole　matter　（I。　John　iv。；　2）。　If　the　Spirit　can　create　at　all　then　you　cannot　logically　limit　the　extent　or　method　of　its　working；　and　since　the　basis　of　our　expectation　of　individual　expansion　is　the　limitless　creative　power　of　the　Spirit；　to　reject　the　Christ　of　the　Gospels　as　an　impossibility　is　to　cut　away　the　ground　from　under　our　own　feet。　It　is　one　thing　to　say　〃I　do　not　understand　why　the　Spirit　should　have　worked　in　that　way〃that　is　merely　an　honest　statement　of　our　present　stage　of　knowledge；　or　we　may　even　go　the　length　of　saying　that　we　do　not　feel　convinced　that　it　did　work　in　that　waythat　is　a　true　confession　of　our　intellectual　difficultybut　certainly　those　who　are　professedly　relying　on　the　power　of　the　Spirit　to　produce　external　results　cannot　say　that　it　does　not　possess　that　power；　or　possesses　it　only　in　a　limited　degree：　the　position　is　logically　self…destructive。　What　we　should　do　therefore；　is　to　suspend　judgment　and　follow　the　light　as　far　as　we　can　see　it；　and　bye…and…bye　it　will　become　clearer　to　us。　There　are；　it　appears　to　me；　occult　heights　in　the　doctrine　of　Christ　designed　by　the　Supreme　Wisdom　to　counteract　corresponding　occult　depths　in　the　Mystery　of　Darkness。　I　do　not　think　it　is　at　all　necessary；　or　even　possible；　for　us　to　scale　these　heights　or　fathom　those　depths；　with　our　present　infantile　intelligence；　but　if　we　realize　how　completely　the　law　of　our　being　receives　its　fulfilment　in　Christ　as　far　as　we　know　that　law；　may　we　not　well　conceive　that　there　are　yet　deeper　phases　of　that　law　the　existence　of　which　we　can　only　faintly　surmise　by　intuition？　Occasionally　just　the　fringe　of　the　veil　is　lifted　for　some　of　us；　but　that　momentary　glance　is　enough　to　show　us　that　there　are　powers　and　mysteries　beyond　our　present　conception。　But　even　there　Law　reigns　supreme；　and　therefore　taking　Christ　as　our　basis　and　starting…point；　we　start　with　the　Law　already　fulfilled；　whether　in　those　things　which　are　familiar　to　us　or　in　those　realms　which　are　beyond　our　thought；　and　so　we　need　have　nc　fear　of　evil。　Our　starting…point　is　that　of　a　divinely　ordained　security　from　which　we　may　quietly　grow　into　that　higher　evolution　which　is　the　fulfilment　of　the　law　of　our　own　being。



THE　STORY　OF　EDEN。

The　whole　Bible　and　the　whole　history　of　the　world；　past；　present　and　future；　are　contained　in　embryo　in　the　story　of　Eden；　for　they　are　nothing　else　than　the　continuous　unfolding　of　certain　great　principles　which　are　there　allegorically　stated。　That　this　is　by　no　means　a　new　notion　is　shown　by　the　following　quotation　from　Origen：〃Who　is　there　so　foolish　and　without　common…sense　as　to　believe　that　God　planted　trees　in　the　Garden　of　Eden　like　a　husbandman；　and　planted　therein　the　tree　of　life　perceptible　to　the　eyes　and　to　the　senses；　which　gave　life　to　the　eater；　and　another　tree　which　gave　to　the　eater　a　knowledge　of　good　and　evil？　I　believe　that　everybody　must　regard　these　as　figures　under　which　a　recondite　sense　is　concealed。〃　Let　us；　then；　follow　up　the　suggestion　of　this　early　Father　of　the　Church；　and　enquire　what　may　be　the　〃recondite　sense〃　concealed　under　this　figure　of　the　two　trees。　On　the　face　of　the　story　there　are　two　roots；　one　of　Life　and　the　other　of　Death；　two　fundamental　principles　bringing　about　diametrically　opposite　results。　The　distinctive　mark　of　the　latter　is　that　it　is　the　knowledge　of　good　and　evil；　that　is　to　say；　the　recognition　of　two　antagonistic　principles；　and　so　requiring　a　knowledge　of　the　relations　between　them　to　enable　us　to　continually　make　the　needful　adjustments　to　keep　ourselves　going。　Now；　in　appearance　this　is　exceedingly　specious。　It　looks　so　entirely　reasonable　that　we　do　not　see　its　ultimate　destructiveness；　and　so　we　are　told　that　Eve　ate　the　fruit　because　she　〃saw　that　the　tree　was　pleasant　to　the　eyes。〃　But　careful　consideration　will　show　us　in　what　the　destructive　nature　of　this　principle　consists。　It　is　based　on　the　fallacy　that　good　is　limited　by　evil；　and　that　you　cannot　receive　any　good　except　through　eliminating　the　corresponding　evil　by　realizing　it　and　beating　it　back。　In　this　view　life　becomes　a　continual　combat　against　every　imaginable　form　of　evil；　and　after　we　have　racked　our　brains　to　devise　precautions　against　all　possible　evil　happenings；　there　remains　the　chance；　and　much　more　than　the　chance；　that　we　have　by　no　means　exhausted　the　category　of　negative　possibilities；　and　that　others　may　arise　which　no　amount　of　foresight　on　our　part　could　have　imagined。　The　more　we　see　into　this　position　the　more　intolerable　it　becomes；　because　from　this　stand…point　we　can　never　attain　any　certain　basis　of　action；　and　the　forces　of　possible　evil　multiply　as　we　contemplate　them。　To　set　forth　to　out…wit　all　evil　by　our　own　knowledge　of　its　nature　is　to　attempt　a　task　the　hopelessness　of　which　becomes　apparent　when　we　see　it　in　its　true　light。

The　mistake　is　in　supposing　that　Life　can　be　generated　in　ourselves　by　an　intellectual　process；　but；　as　we　have　seen　in　the　preceding　lectures；　Life　is　the　primary　movement　of　the　Spirit；　whether　in　the　cosmos　or　in　the　individual。　In　its　proper　order　intellectual　knowledge　is　exceedingly　important　and　useful；　but　its　place　in　the　order　of　the　whole　is　not　that　of　the　Originator。　It　is　not　Life　in　itself；　but　is　a　function　of　life；　it　is　an　effect　and　not　the　cause。　The　reason　why　this　is　so　is　because　intellectual　study　is　always　the　study　of　the　various　laws　which　arise　from　the　different　RELATIONS　of　things　to　one　another；　and　it　therefore　presupposes　that　these　things　together　with　their　laws　are　already　in　existence。　Consequently　it　does　not　start　from　the　truly　creative　stand…point；　that　of　creating　something　entirely　new；　creation　ex　nihilo　as　distinguished　from　CONSTRUCTION；　or　the　laying…together　of　existing　materials；　which　is　what　the　word　literally　means。　To　recognize　evil　as　a　force　to　be　reckoned　with　is　therefore　to　give　up　the　creative　stand…point　altogether。　It　is　to　quit　the　plane　of　First　Cause　and　descend　into　the　realm　of　secondary　causation　and　lose　ourselves　amid　the　confusion　of　a　multiplicity　of　relative　causes　and　effects　without　grasping　any　unifying　principle　behind　them。

Now　the　only　thing　that　can　release　us　from　the　inextricable　confusion　of　an　infinite　multiplicity　is　the　realization　of　an　underlying　unity；　and　at　the　back　of　all　things　we　find　the　presence　of　one　Great　Affirmative　principle　without　which　nothing　could　have　existence。　This；　then；　is　the　Root　of　Life；　and　if　we　credit　it　with　being　able；　not　only　to　supply　the　power；　but　also　the　form　for　its　manifestation　we　shall　see　that　we　need　not　go　beyond　this　SINGLE　Power　for　the　production　of　anything。　It　is　Spirit　producing　Substance　out　of　its　own　essence；　and　the　Substance　taking　Form　in　accordance　with　the　movement　of　the　Spirit。　What　we　have　to　realize　is；　not　only　that　this　is　the　way　in　which　the　cosmos　is　brought　into　ex