orthodoxy-第22章

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If　a　man　believes　in　unalterable　natural　law；　he　cannot　believe



in　any　miracle　in　any　age。　　If　a　man　believes　in　a　will　behind　law；



he　can　believe　in　any　miracle　in　any　age。　　Suppose；　for　the　sake



of　argument；　we　are　concerned　with　a　case　of　thaumaturgic　healing。　



A　materialist　of　the　twelfth　century　could　not　believe　it　any　more



than　a　materialist　of　the　twentieth　century。　　But　a　Christian



Scientist　of　the　twentieth　century　can　believe　it　as　much　as　a



Christian　of　the　twelfth　century。　　It　is　simply　a　matter　of　a　man's



theory　of　things。　　Therefore　in　dealing　with　any　historical　answer；



the　point　is　not　whether　it　was　given　in　our　time；　but　whether　it



was　given　in　answer　to　our　question。　　And　the　more　I　thought　about



when　and　how　Christianity　had　come　into　the　world；　the　more　I　felt



that　it　had　actually　come　to　answer　this　question。







　　　　　It　is　commonly　the　loose　and　latitudinarian　Christians　who　pay



quite　indefensible　compliments　to　Christianity。　　They　talk　as　if



there　had　never　been　any　piety　or　pity　until　Christianity　came；



a　point　on　which　any　mediaeval　would　have　been　eager　to　correct　them。　



They　represent　that　the　remarkable　thing　about　Christianity　was　that　it



was　the　first　to　preach　simplicity　or　self…restraint；　or　inwardness



and　sincerity。　　They　will　think　me　very　narrow　（whatever　that　means）



if　I　say　that　the　remarkable　thing　about　Christianity　was　that　it



was　the　first　to　preach　Christianity。　　Its　peculiarity　was　that　it



was　peculiar；　and　simplicity　and　sincerity　are　not　peculiar；



but　obvious　ideals　for　all　mankind。　　Christianity　was　the　answer



to　a　riddle；　not　the　last　truism　uttered　after　a　long　talk。　



Only　the　other　day　I　saw　in　an　excellent　weekly　paper　of　Puritan　tone



this　remark；　that　Christianity　when　stripped　of　its　armour　of　dogma



（as　who　should　speak　of　a　man　stripped　of　his　armour　of　bones）；



turned　out　to　be　nothing　but　the　Quaker　doctrine　of　the　Inner　Light。　



Now；　if　I　were　to　say　that　Christianity　came　into　the　world



specially　to　destroy　the　doctrine　of　the　Inner　Light；　that　would



be　an　exaggeration。　　But　it　would　be　very　much　nearer　to　the　truth。　



The　last　Stoics；　like　Marcus　Aurelius；　were　exactly　the　people



who　did　believe　in　the　Inner　Light。　　Their　dignity；　their　weariness；



their　sad　external　care　for　others；　their　incurable　internal　care



for　themselves；　were　all　due　to　the　Inner　Light；　and　existed　only



by　that　dismal　illumination。　　Notice　that　Marcus　Aurelius　insists；



as　such　introspective　moralists　always　do；　upon　small　things　done



or　undone；　it　is　because　he　has　not　hate　or　love　enough　to　make



a　moral　revolution。　　He　gets　up　early　in　the　morning；　just　as　our



own　aristocrats　living　the　Simple　Life　get　up　early　in　the　morning；



because　such　altruism　is　much　easier　than　stopping　the　games



of　the　amphitheatre　or　giving　the　English　people　back　their　land。　



Marcus　Aurelius　is　the　most　intolerable　of　human　types。　　He　is　an



unselfish　egoist。　　An　unselfish　egoist　is　a　man　who　has　pride　without



the　excuse　of　passion。　　Of　all　conceivable　forms　of　enlightenment



the　worst　is　what　these　people　call　the　Inner　Light。　　Of　all　horrible



religions　the　most　horrible　is　the　worship　of　the　god　within。　



Any　one　who　knows　any　body　knows　how　it　would　work；　any　one　who　knows



any　one　from　the　Higher　Thought　Centre　knows　how　it　does　work。　



That　Jones　shall　worship　the　god　within　him　turns　out　ultimately



to　mean　that　Jones　shall　worship　Jones。　　Let　Jones　worship　the　sun



or　moon；　anything　rather　than　the　Inner　Light；　let　Jones　worship



cats　or　crocodiles；　if　he　can　find　any　in　his　street；　but　not



the　god　within。　　Christianity　came　into　the　world　firstly　in　order



to　assert　with　violence　that　a　man　had　not　only　to　look　inwards；



but　to　look　outwards；　to　behold　with　astonishment　and　enthusiasm



a　divine　company　and　a　divine　captain。　　The　only　fun　of　being



a　Christian　was　that　a　man　was　not　left　alone　with　the　Inner　Light；



but　definitely　recognized　an　outer　light；　fair　as　the　sun；　clear　as



the　moon；　terrible　as　an　army　with　banners。







　　　　　All　the　same；　it　will　be　as　well　if　Jones　does　not　worship　the　sun



and　moon。　　If　he　does；　there　is　a　tendency　for　him　to　imitate　them；



to　say；　that　because　the　sun　burns　insects　alive；　he　may　burn



insects　alive。　　He　thinks　that　because　the　sun　gives　people　sun…stroke；



he　may　give　his　neighbour　measles。　　He　thinks　that　because　the　moon



is　said　to　drive　men　mad；　he　may　drive　his　wife　mad。　　This　ugly　side



of　mere　external　optimism　had　also　shown　itself　in　the　ancient　world。　



About　the　time　when　the　Stoic　idealism　had　begun　to　show　the



weaknesses　of　pessimism；　the　old　nature　worship　of　the　ancients　had



begun　to　show　the　enormous　weaknesses　of　optimism。　　Nature　worship



is　natural　enough　while　the　society　is　young；　or；　in　other　words；



Pantheism　is　all　right　as　long　as　it　is　the　worship　of　Pan。　



But　Nature　has　another　side　which　experience　and　sin　are　not　slow



in　finding　out；　and　it　is　no　flippancy　to　say　of　the　god　Pan　that　he



soon　showed　the　cloven　hoof。　　The　only　objection　to　Natural　Religion



is　that　somehow　it　always　becomes　unnatural。　　A　man　loves　Nature



in　the　morning　for　her　innocence　and　amiability；　and　at　nightfall；



if　he　is　loving　her　still；　it　is　for　her　darkness　and　her　cruelty。　



He　washes　at　dawn　in　clear　water　as　did　the　Wise　Man　of　the　Stoics；



yet；　somehow　at　the　dark　end　of　the　day；　he　is　bathing　in　hot



bull's　blood；　as　did　Julian　the　Apostate。　　The　mere　pursuit　of



health　always　leads　to　something　unhealthy。　　Physical　nature　must



not　be　made　the　direct　object　of　obedience；　it　must　be　enjoyed；



not　worshipped。　　Stars　and　mountains　must　not　be　taken　seriously。　



If　they　are；　we　end　where　the　pagan　nature　worship　ended。　



Because　the　earth　is　kind；　we　can　imitate　all　her　cruelties。　



Because　sexuality　is　sane；　we　can　all　go　mad　about　sexuality。　



Mere　optimism　had　reached　its　insane　and　appropriate　termination。　



The　theory　that　everything　was　good　had　become　an　orgy　of　everything



that　was　bad。







　　　　　On　the　other　side　our　idealist　pessimists　were　represented



by　the　old　remnant　of　the　Stoics。　　Marcus　Aurelius　and　his　friends



had　really　given　up　the　idea　of　any　god　in　the　universe　and　looked



only　to　the　god　within。　　They　had　no　hope　of　any　virtue　in　nature；



and　hardly　any　hope　of　any　virtue　in　society。　　They　had　not　enough



interest　in　the　outer　world　really　to　wreck　or　revolutionise　it。　



They　did　not　love　the　city　enough　to　set　fire　to　it。　　Thus　the



ancient　world　was　exactly　in　our　own　desolate　dilemma。　　The　only



people　who　really　enjoyed　this　world　were　busy　breaking　it　up；



and　the　virtuous　people　did　not　care　enough　about　them　to　knock



them　down。　　In　this　dilemma　（the　same　as　ours）　Christianity　suddenly



stepped　in　and　offered　a　singular　answer；　which　the　world　eventually



accepted　as　THE　answer。　　It　was　the　answer　then；　and　I　think　it　is



the　answer　now。







　　　　　This　answer　was　like　the　slash　of　a　sword；　it　sundered；



it　did　not　in　any　sense　sentimentally　unite。　　Briefly；　it　divided



God　from　the　cosmos。　　That　transcendence　and　distinctness　of　the



deity　which　some　Christians　now　want　to　remove　from　Christianity；



was　really　the　only　reason　why　any　one　wanted　to　be　a　Christian。　



It　was　the　whole　point　of　the　Christian　answer　to　the　unhappy　pessimist



and　the　still　more　unhappy　optimist。　　As　I　am　here　only　concerned



with　their　particular　problem；　I　shall　indicate　only　briefly　this



great　metaphysical　suggestion。　　All　descriptions　of　the　creating



or　sustaining　principle　in　things　must　be　metaphorical；　bec