seraphita- 第19部分

a　single　one　of　those　secrets　which　men　of　science　seek　with　their

noses　to　the　earth；instead　of　raising　their　eyes　to　heaven。　Were　I

to　tell　you　how　and　at　what　point　the　plant　merges　into　the　animal　you

would　begin　to　doubt　your　doubts。　You　have　plotted　to　question　me；　you

will　admit　that？〃



〃Yes；　dear　Seraphita；〃　answered　Wilfrid；　〃but　the　desire　is　a　natural

one　to　men；　is　it　not？〃



〃You　will　bore　this　dear　child　with　such　topics；〃　she　said；　passing

her　hand　lightly　over　Minna's　hair　with　a　caressing　gesture。



The　young　girl　raised　her　eyes　and　seemed　as　though　she　longed　to　lose

herself　in　him。



〃Speech　is　the　endowment　of　us　all；〃　resumed　the　mysterious　creature；

gravely。　〃Woe　to　him　who　keeps　silence；　even　in　a　desert；　believing

that　no　one　hears　him；　all　voices　speak　and　all　ears　listen　here

below。　Speech　moves　the　universe。　Monsieur　Becker；　I　desire　to　say

nothing　unnecessarily。　I　know　the　difficulties　that　beset　your　mind；

would　you　not　think　it　a　miracle　if　I　were　now　to　lay　bare　the　past

history　of　your　consciousness？　Well；　the　miracle　shall　be

accomplished。　You　have　never　admitted　to　yourself　the　full　extent　of

your　doubts。　I　alone；　immovable　in　my　faith；　I　can　show　it　to　you；　I

can　terrify　you　with　yourself。



〃You　stand　on　the　darkest　side　of　Doubt。　You　do　not　believe　in　God；

although　you　know　it　not；and　all　things　here　below　are　secondary　to

him　who　rejects　the　first　principle　of　things。　Let　us　leave　aside　the

fruitless　discussions　of　false　philosophy。　The　spiritualist

generations　made　as　many　and　as　vain　efforts　to　deny　Matter　as　the

materialist　generations　have　made　to　deny　Spirit。　Why　such

discussions？　Does　not　man　himself　offer　irrefragable　proof　of　both

systems？　Do　we　not　find　in　him　material　things　and　spiritual　things？

None　but　a　madman　can　refuse　to　see　in　the　human　body　a　fragment　of

Matter；　your　natural　sciences；　when　they　decompose　it；　find　little

difference　between　its　elements　and　those　of　other　animals。　On　the

other　hand；　the　idea　produced　in　man　by　the　comparison　of　many　objects

has　never　seemed　to　any　one　to　belong　to　the　domain　of　Matter。　As　to

this；　I　offer　no　opinion。　I　am　now　concerned　with　your　doubts；　not

with　my　certainties。　To　you；　as　to　the　majority　of　thinkers；　the

relations　between　things；　the　reality　of　which　is　proved　to　you　by

your　sensations　and　which　you　possess　the　faculty　to　discover；　do　not

seem　Material。　The　Natural　universe　of　things　and　beings　ends；　in　man；

with　the　Spiritual　universe　of　similarities　or　differences　which　he

perceives　among　the　innumerable　forms　of　Nature；relations　so

multiplied　as　to　seem　infinite；　for　if；　up　to　the　present　time；　no　one

has　been　able　to　enumerate　the　separate　terrestrial　creations；　who　can

reckon　their　correlations？　Is　not　the　fraction　which　you　know；　in

relation　to　their　totality；　what　a　single　number　is　to　infinity？　Here；

then；　you　fall　into　a　perception　of　the　infinite　which　undoubtedly

obliges　you　to　conceive　of　a　purely　Spiritual　world。



〃Thus　man　himself　offers　sufficient　proof　of　the　two　orders；Matter

and　Spirit。　In　him　culminates　a　visible　finite　universe；　in　him　begins

a　universe　invisible　and　infinite；two　worlds　unknown　to　each　other。

Have　the　pebbles　of　the　fiord　a　perception　of　their　combined　being？

have　they　a　consciousness　of　the　colors　they　present　to　the　eye　of

man？　do　they　hear　the　music　of　the　waves　that　lap　them？　Let　us

therefore　spring　over　and　not　attempt　to　sound　the　abysmal　depths

presented　to　our　minds　in　the　union　of　a　Material　universe　and　a

Spiritual　universe；a　creation　visible；　ponderable；　tangible；

terminating　in　a　creation　invisible；　imponderable；　intangible；

completely　dissimilar；　separated　by　the　void；　yet　united　by

indisputable　bonds　and　meeting　in　a　being　who　derives　equally　from　the

one　and　from　the　other！　Let　us　mingle　in　one　world　these　two　worlds；

absolutely　irreconcilable　to　your　philosophies；　but　conjoined　by　fact。

However　abstract　man　may　suppose　the　relation　which　binds　two　things

together；　the　line　of　junction　is　perceptible。　How？　Where？　We　are　not

now　in　search　of　the　vanishing　point　where　Matter　subtilizes。　If　such

were　the　question；　I　cannot　see　why　He　who　has；　by　physical　relations；

studded　with　stars　at　immeasurable　distances　the　heavens　which　veil

Him；　may　not　have　created　solid　substances；　nor　why　you　deny　Him　the

faculty　of　giving　a　body　to　thought。



〃Thus　your　invisible　moral　universe　and　your　visible　physical　universe

are　one　and　the　same　matter。　We　will　not　separate　properties　from

substances；　nor　objects　from　effects。　All　that　exists；　all　that

presses　upon　us　and　overwhelms　us　from　above　or　from　below；　before　us

or　in　us；　all　that　which　our　eyes　and　our　minds　perceive；　all　these

named　and　unnamed　things　composein　order　to　fit　the　problem　of

Creation　to　the　measure　of　your　logica　block　of　finite　Matter；　but

were　it　infinite；　God　would　still　not　be　its　master。　Now；　reasoning

with　your　views；　dear　pastor；　no　matter　in　what　way　God　the　infinite

is　concerned　with　this　block　of　finite　Matter；　He　cannot　exist　and

retain　the　attributes　with　which　man　invests　Him。　Seek　Him　in　facts；

and　He　is　not；　spiritually　and　materially；　you　have　made　God

impossible。　Listen　to　the　Word　of　human　Reason　forced　to　its　ultimate

conclusions。



〃In　bringing　God　face　to　face　with　the　Great　Whole；　we　see　that　only

two　states　are　possible　between　them；either　God　and　Matter　are

contemporaneous；　or　God　existed　alone　before　Matter。　Were　Reasonthe

light　that　has　guided　the　human　race　from　the　dawn　of　its　existence

accumulated　in　one　brain；　even　that　mighty　brain　could　not　invent　a

third　mode　of　being　without　suppressing　both　Matter　and　God。　Let　human

philosophies　pile　mountain　upon　mountain　of　words　and　of　ideas；　let

religions　accumulate　images　and　beliefs；　revelations　and　mysteries；

you　must　face　at　last　this　terrible　dilemma　and　choose　between　the　two

propositions　which　compose　it；　you　have　no　option；　and　one　as　much　as

the　other　leads　human　reason　to　Doubt。



〃The　problem　thus　established；　what　signifies　Spirit　or　Matter？　Why

trouble　about　the　march　of　the　worlds　in　one　direction　or　in　　another；

since　the　Being　who　guides　them　is　shown　to　be　an　absurdity？　Why

continue　to　ask　whether　man　is　approaching　heaven　or　receding　from　it；

whether　creation　is　rising　towards　Spirit　or　descending　towards

Matter；　if　the　questioned　universe　gives　no　reply？　What　signifies

theogonies　and　their　armies；　theologies　and　their　dogmas；　since

whichever　side　of　the　problem　is　man's　choice；　his　God　exists　not？　Let

us　for　a　moment　take　up　the　first　proposition；　and　suppose　God

contemporaneous　with　Matter。　Is　subjection　to　the　action　or　the　co…

existence　of　an　alien　substance　consistent　with　being　God　at　all？　In

such　a　system；　would　not　God　become　a　secondary　agent　compelled　to

organize　Matter？　If　so；　who　compelled　Him？　Between　His　material　gross

companion　and　Himself；　who　was　the　arbiter？　Who　paid　the　wages　of　the

six　days'　labor　imputed　to　the　great　Designer？　Has　any　determining

force　been　found　which　was　neither　God　nor　Matter？　God　being　regarded

as　the　manufacturer　of　the　machinery　of　the　worlds；　is　it　not　as

ridiculous　to　call　Him　God　as　to　call　the　slave　who　turns　the

grindstone　a　Roman　citizen？　Besides；　another　difficulty；　as　insoluble

to　this　supreme　human　reason　as　it　is　to　God；　presents　itself。



〃If　we　carry　the　problem　higher；　shall　we　not　be　like　the　Hindus；　who

put　the　world　upon　a　tortoise；　the　tortoise　on　an　elephant；　and　do　not

know　on　what　the　feet　of　their　elephant　may　rest？　This　supreme　will；

issuing　from　the　contest　between　God　and　Matter；　this　God；　this　more

than　God；　can　He　have　existed　throughout　eternity　without　willing　what

He　afterwards　willed；admitting　that　Eternity　can　be　divided　into　two

eras。　No　matter　where　God　is；　what　becomes　of　His　intuitive

intelligence　if　He　did　not　know　His　ultimate　thought？　Which；　then；　is

the　true　Eternity；the　created　Eternity　or　the　uncreated？　But　if　God

throughout　all　time　did　will　the　world　such　as　it　is；　this　new

necessity；　which　harmonizes　with　the　idea　of　sovereign　intelligence；

implies　the　co…eternity　of　Matter。　Whether　Matter　be　co…eternal　by　a

divine　will　necessarily　accordant　with　itself　from　the　beginning；　or

whether　Matter　be　co…eternal　of　its　own　being；　the　power　of　God；　which

must　be　absolute；　perishes　if　His　will　is　circumscribed；　for　in　that

case　God　would　find　within　Him　a　determining　force　which　would　control

Him。　Can　He　be　God　if　He　can　no　more　separate　Himself　from　His

creation　in　a　past　eternity　than　in　the　coming　eternity？



〃This　face　of　the　problem　is　insoluble　in　its　cause。　Let　us　now

inquire　into　its　effects。　If　a　God　compelled　to　have　created　the　world

from　all　eternity　seems　inexplicable；　He　is　quite　as　unintelligible　in

perpetual　cohesion　with　His　work。　God；　constrained　to　live　eternally

united　to　His　creation　is　held　down　to　His　first　position　as　workman。

Can　you　conceive　of　a　God　who　shall　be　neither　independent　of　nor

dependent　on　His　work？　Could　He　destroy　that　work　without　challenging

Himself？　Ask　yourself；　and　decide！　Whether　He　destroys　it　some　day；　or

whether　He　never　destroys　it；　either　way　is　fatal　to　the　attributes

without　which　God　cannot　exist。　Is　the　world　an　experiment？　is　it　a

perishable　form　to　which　destruction　must　come？　If　it　is；　is　not　God

inconsistent　and　impotent？　inconsistent；　because　He　ought　to　have　seen

the　result　before　the　attempt；moreover　why　should　He　delay　to

destroy　that　which　He　is　to　destroy？impotent；　for　how　else　could　He

have　created　an　imperfect　man？



〃If　an　imperfect　creation　contradicts　the　faculties　which　man

attributes　to　God　we　are　forced　back　upon　the　question；　Is　creation

perfect？　The　idea　is　in　harmony　with　that　of　a　God　supremely

intelligent　who　could　make　no　mistakes；　but　then；　what　means　the

degradation　of　His　work；　and　its　regeneration？　Moreover；　a　perfe