Because Atheistical14 opinions were attacked by the law I defended them: I defended the right to hold them without sharing them. And in all the publications I have edited, I have accepted the responsibility of the views of coadjutors and correspondents without conditions, and my name is associated in consequence much more with other persons' opinions than with my own. When the rights of conscience in Free-thought are attacked, to discriminate16 is to condemn17; and while persecution18 is attempted, I make it a point of honour never to pass in appearance on to the side of the persecutors. As soon as legal opposition19 to the publication of heretical opinion ceased, I was the first to insist that the day of good taste must commence. The moment fair play is permitted, all excuse for invective20 or outrage ends. Violence, exaggeration, denunciation, are crimes against Freethought the moment Freethought is permitted. Now that Sir George Cornewall Lewis, on the part of the Government, has refused Sir John Trelawny's request to alter the law which treats an Atheist15 as an outlaw21, which denies him the common right of legal protection, which exposes him to plunder22 or assault without redress23, which cedes24 to the Theist a monopoly of veracity25 in courts of law, and places the word of every man and woman, however honest, cultivated, and reputable, unable to make a Profession of Faith, as below that of a convicted felon26, I am most reluctant to enter upon any explanation of my own views on the great speculative propositions of theology, lest it should appear to others as timidity, retreat, or disposition27 to compromise.. If a man had (which I have not) a change of opinion to own, this is not the hour to make it. But with respect to Affirmative Atheism, the necessity for newness of view is chiefly felt by those who do not understand it. It is refused civil recognition because it is conceived to be some lawless thing. The consternation28 excited just now by the 'Essays and Reviews' is owing to an apprehension30 that public opinion is tending to the negation31 of theology, and that is concluded to be a state of intellectual lawlessness. To trace any outline of the Limits of Atheism, may serve to give more intelligent definiteness to the misgivings32 entertained concerning it, and lead earlier to its legal recognition; and therefore alone I attempt it.
Let us avoid verbiage34 if we can. Too many words are the locusts35 of the mind, which darken the air of the understanding and eat up our meaning. I believe that language is given us not to be used—except upon clear compulsion.
There are two terms which especially excite religious reprobation36, and one of them excites mine. I refer to Infidelity and Atheism.
Infidelity is a term I detest37. It implies that you believe enough to subject you to reproach, and disbelieve enough to entitle you to be damned. It signifies disbelief too inveterate38 to allow you to go back to superstition39, and too much timidity to carry your doubt to a definite or legitimate40 result. I am for thoroughness and decision. If it be criminality to disbelieve, I will put scepticism far from me. I will not even tamper41 with doubt. But if it be lawful42 to reject from the understanding whatever seems false, then I will disbelieve error as a duty, and unhesitatingly doubt whatever is doubtful.
Atheism—objectionable as it is from wanton negative associations—is a far more wholesome43 term. It is a defiant44, militant45 word. There is a ring of decision about it. There is no cringing46 in it. It keeps no terms with superstition. It makes war, and means it. It carries you away from the noisome47 word-jugglery of the conventional pulpits, and brings you face to face with nature. It is a relief to get out of the crowd who believe because their neighbours do, who pray by rote13, and worship through fear; and win your liberty to wander in the refreshing48 solitude49 where the heart may be honest, and the intellect free. Affirmative Atheism of the intellect is a proud, honest, intrepid10, self-respecting attitude of the mind. The Negative Atheism of mere50 ignorance, of insensibility, of lust51, and gluttony, and drunkenness, of egotism or vanity, whose talk is outrage, and whose spirit is blasphemy52; this is the gross negation of God, which superstition begets53 in its slavery, and nurtures54 by its terrors. These species of Atheism I recognise only to disown and denounce them. Of these the priest is the author who preaches the natural corruption55 of the human heart, who inculcates the guilt56 of Freethought, the distrust of reason, and despair of self-reliant progress. Utterly57 different from this is the Atheism of reflection, which seeks for conclusive58 evidence, which listens reverentially for the voice of God, which weighs carefully the teachings of a thoughtful Theism; but refuses to recognise the officious, incoherent babblement60 of intolerant or presumptuous61 men. Reflective Atheism is simply a reluctant uncertainty62 as to the consciousness of Nature, or as to the existence of a Power over Nature. As one who will allow me the pleasure of calling him my friend, Mr. G. H. Lewes, said, all reflective Atheism is suspensive.
He invented the phrase Suspensive Atheism to describe the only form of opinion which he knew I maintained. The thoughtful Atheist wishes to perceive the whole truth of Nature, he hesitates unwillingly63, and waits longingly64 for more light.
Let us dismiss at once that crude and evasive state which affects Atheism, and, at the same time, denies it; which says no Theist has defined Deity65, and therefore the disbelief in it is an impossibility.
Affirmative Atheism may be wrong, but it is at least intelligible66. It has a definite foundation, or it could claim no position, and would deserve none. It must go upon facts if it would maintain a place in the kingdom of thought, and it finds these facts in Positivism. The mind that has wandered in the torrid zones of error, thirsts ardently67 for the cooling draughts68 of positive truth. It is this sentiment which causes Freethought to take the form of Secularism69, and exchanges the verbal distractions71 of conflicting creeds72 for the clear criterions of moral truth. It is the same wise impatience74 of metaphysical unrealities which leads to Affirmative Atheism, and explains it. A series of material and mental facts arrest the attention of one taking an unbiased and independent view of the universe, of time, and space, and matter.
There are two classes of thinkers—one who commence with ignoring Nature, seeking in something outside it for the origin of it, and who look upon the infinite processes of the worlds which people space, with the dull astonishment75 accorded to mere agencies, rather than with the native wonder and awe76 which the consciousness of original powers awakens—these are Theists.
The other class are those who regard matter as the very garment of the unknown God, to whom every spray, and pebble77, and flower, and star is a marvel78, a glory, and an inspiration; who, comprehending not an external cause of nature, recognise its existence, its surpassing affluence79, its multitudinous marvels80, and give them the first place in their wonder, study, reverence81, and love—these are Affirmative Atheists.
To believe in Nature, in its self-existence, its self-subsistence, its self-action, its eternity83, infinity84, and materiality, and in that only, is Affirmative Atheism.* Reflective Atheism is pure inability to, realise the fact of the consciousness of the universe, or to conceive the existence of a Being over it.
To believe in something besides nature—is Theism.
To believe in the consciousness of nature—is Pantheism.
The explanation of Affirmative Atheism* here given, involves many considerations which I am not going to discuss. It is not my province here to defend, but to state the case. A definition is a map, but it is not the journey. A definition is a high road through a subject, and a high road should be a straight road: it may run out of the way of some populous85 towns and beautiful scenes, but it gives the means of quickest transit86 through a territory, from which the country can be viewed, and the traveller determine its general features.
* This might stand for a definition of Cosmism, which term I
employ at substantially reciprocal with Affirmative Atheism,
and as its substitute, if I may employ it in its modern and
wider sense than defined by Pythagoras.
If we have said enough for this purpose, we may attempt to trace the limits of our subject. The road through every high question lies over precipices87. Every great question has its Mont Blancs. The higher you climb the deeper the chasms88 on the right hand and on the left. The Roman Catholic makes worship an art, and abject89 submission90 a duty. To relieve you of anxiety he deprives the mind of initiation91 and freedom. The Protestant concedes you private judgment92, and surrounds you by a social despotism lest you should use it. He substitutes a creed73 for the Church. The Church is a cell, and the creed is a cage. The cage is lighter93, more airy, and less repulsive94 than the cell, but the imprisonment is complete in both.
Mere Atheism inculcates freedom and intrepidity of the understanding, but may land you in negation, in dogmatism, in denunciation, in irreverence95. These are the chasms that lie in the path of mere Atheism. The traveller who passes into these is lost. To avoid this danger we must keep within the limits naturally prescribed to Affirmative Atheism, which are:—
1. Positivism in Principle.
2. Exactness in Profession of Opinion.
3. Dispassionateness in Judgment.
4. Humanism in Conception.
1. The Positivist conception of Atheism exhibits the limits which modern thought has impressed upon it. Affirmative Atheism asserts the realism of Nature; Theism denies it. Theism refuses to recognise the self-existence, the self-action, the self-subsistence, eternity, and infinity of the universe. Theism is the negation of Nature. It is a species of impiety96 towards nature, and supplants98, by an artificial superstition, the instinctive99 reverence of the human heart.
Modern Atheism is falsely regarded as a mere negation, as a species of criminal vacuity100 of the understanding. To correct this idea is to win for these opinions attention if not assent101. The negation of any error is useful, but it should be followed by its complement102 of positive truth. All mere negative subjects are like the lime and pebbles103 swallowed by farm fowl104 to assist digestion105, but it fares ill with the fowl if they get nothing but stones to digest; if no corn or barley106 follows to be operated upon. Now, questions of Atheism and Scepticism are the digestive stimuli107 of the mind; positive principles supply the corn and barley which sustain the mental system and preserve its life. If we give ourselves up to negative subjects merely, we come to resemble the theologians who, as Talleyrand said, 'pick a great many bones for very little meat.'
Old Atheism shows that the alleged108 proofs of the existence of a Deity are inconclusive, untenable, or self-refutatory. As a discipline of the intellect, as a questioning of that theistical speculation109 which has always been arrogant110 and tyrannical towards dissentients, there is good in negative Atheism. But it is more important if made to subserve practical objects. Mere negative Atheism has no ulterior objects it untenants the mind, and this may not be in all things beneficial. The slave may be more healthy who is forced to take exercise, and he may have more physical enjoyment112 of life than the indolent freeman, who is sedentary by choice, and diseased through inactivity and overfeeding.
You may pluck up weeds, and the rank herbage be more fruitful of miasma113 than the weeds; or if the plucked up weeds produce no harm, the ground may be left useless until crops are made to grow upon it. So of the weeds of worship which spring up in the priest-ridden mind. Reverence may be cultivated by superstition, good conduct maybe enforced by terror; if superstition and terror be exploded, the reverence and good conduct must be cared for and be better directed. Freethought is no half work, it has much to do.
It is delusive114 to pull down the altar of superstition and not erect115 an altar of science in its place. To pack up the household gods of superstition and leave the fireside bare, will hardly do.. Affirmative Atheism must teach that nature is the Bible of truth, work is worship, that duty is dignity, and the unselfish service of others consolation117.
There is nothing wholly bad. Superstition has in it some elements of good. I no more believe in perfect error than in perfect truth. Error, like truth, is hardly ever found pure; error is mixed with good, and truth alloyed by evil. The mind must have something to feed upon, and if it cannot have truth, it will have superstition; and though superstition, like some diet, is very hard of digestion, and very innutritious, it is better to feed upon that than die. True, it keeps the mind thin, but it keeps it alive, and it is better to be a skeleton than a corpse118. Now it is true that some intellects, like some animals, eat by instinct the right kind of food, but being healthy are not fastidious, and if you give them bad food they don't object to it and don't care for it. If they take it, their digestion is so good that it does not hurt them. But there are other people who pine for the knowledge of nature, and cannot subsist82 unless a large proportion of their mental aliment consists of definite principle. When these are not supplied by religious teachers, and Christianity by any intolerance prevents it being supplied by others, such natures expire in an intellectual sense, and Christianity ought to be regarded as guilty of wilful119 murder. And in the case of Atheism, those persons who are accustomed to take superstition, and are deprived of that, and no attempt is made to supply its place by more wholesome sustenance120, are no doubt injured. Negative Atheism guilty of this neglect may be said to be guilty of manslaughter, and it would be murder were the neglect accompanied, as in the case of Theism, by intolerance. Beware of reckless iconoclasticism.
Mere negations give all advantage to superstition; error seems wisdom and wealth when truth is silent.
2. The logic121 of Affirmative Atheism begins in self-confession. Not to see anything where there is nothing to be seen is the sign of the true faculty122; and not to say that you do see when you do not is the first sign of veracity of intellect.
Man is forgiven who believes more than his neighbours, but he is never forgiven if he believes less. If he believes more than his neighbours, there is the presumption123 that he may have made some discovery which may become profitable one day to join in. It may be that he who believes most, may merely possess a more industrious124 credulity, or possess a greater capacity for hasty assumption. But this is seldom probed. He who believes less may have abandoned some important item of justifiable125 belief. But when he who believes less than the multitude, confesses to the fact in the face of public disapproval126, the probability is that he has inquired into, and sifted127 evidence which others have taken for granted, and discovered some error which they have accepted. His greater accuracy of mind and exactness of speech are an offence, because a reproach to the careless or unscrupulous intellects of those who conduct life on secondhand opinions. Yet austerity of intellect and austerity of speech is as wholesome in character, as austerity of morals. I hope, says Mr. Grote, in his great history of Greece, in a memorable128 passage that ought not to die out of recollection, 'I hope, when I come to the lives of Socrates and Plato, to illustrate129 one of the most valuable of their principles, that conscious and confessed ignorance is a better state of mind than the fancy without the reality of knowledge.' And in a passage which I cannot now recall, Lord Brougham has said that 'a mind uninformed is better than a mind misinformed.' In a state of ignorance we do nothing, in a state of error we do wrong. The popular condemnation130 of the Atheist—which we have lately heard as ignorantly echoed in the House of Commons as in some Conventicles—is not always uttered, because the Atheist does not know more than others, for none know anything certain concerning the existence of God,* but because the Atheist does not profess11 more.
* In his remarkable131 work entitled 'First Principles,' now in
course of publication, Mr. Herbert Spencer has shown that
explanation as certain terms of Theism. This shows how
unwise is dogmatism, how unjustifiable is intolerance, on
either side.
Cosmism, a thoughtful name, which ought to supersede133 Atheism in the future, neither denies nor affirms the existence of Deity. It waits for explanation and proof. It admits there is evidence of something, but what that something is, does not appear. There is evidence of more than we know, but what that is we do not know, and it is dishonesty to use a term respecting it, which pretends that we do know. Why should it not be honourable134 to observe a scientific reservation in the exposition of opinion? In science it is a sign of cultivation to understate a case and keep within the limits of fact and proof. The reservation of Cosmism, which so many regard as an offence, arises from a love of exact truth, from an endeavour to attain135 to it in expression, and from an honourable unwillingness136 to employ words which do not represent to him who uses them, definite ideas.
If we say God is Light, Love, Truth, Power, Goodness, Law, Principle, we confound attributes with existence. If we say God is a Spirit, God is space, we merely fill the imagination, not satisfy the understanding: it is feeding the thoughts with air, and leaving the intellect hungry. A Trinitarian Deity is one of the scholastic137 perplexities of the intellect. The first rule of arithmetic is against it. If it means three Gods in one, it is an enigma138. If it means three doctrinal aspects of God, it confuses all simplicity139 of feeling. In the simple, moral heart of man, God is one, and his name is Love; not a weak, vapoury sentimentality, but an austere140, healthy love, whose expression is strength, purity, truth, justice, service, and tenderness. But this conception of Deity belongs to the empire of the emotions, it is a matter of feeling, not of proof, and can authorise no intolerance towards others, itself existing only by the sufferance of the intellect, which has chastened its expression, and is supreme141 over it.
Exactness of phraseology is well understood self-defence. Well chosen terms are the true weapons of opinion. Employing an old, battered142, rheumatic and abused term like Atheism, is like riflemen using the old musket143 instead of the far-reaching and fatal Minie. Cosmism is the new term which conveys the new idea of the age, and explains the improvements in thought and spirit, which the mere term Atheism conceals144. To suffer an opponent to choose names for you is as though a combatant should suffer his enemy to supply his arms for the conflict. He who consents to be called by a hateful name, can be defeated at the pleasure of his opponent. His ideas are never discussed, his conscientious3 spirit is never recognised, he is trampled145 down by a name which libels, defames, and destroys him. Let us banish146 the unqualified term Atheism from the literature of theological controversy147.
3. Dispassionateness is a law of Affirmative Atheism. Those who commence by believing themselves infallible, and their view of a question open to no dispute, can never see reason in, nor view with patience the dissent111 which others maintain. It is the first instinct of the Cosmist (to use the preferable term) to keep his mind open to reason. The dogmatism which insists on its own case, and shuts its eyes and closes its ears to the facts and arguments on the side of Theism, is always to be condemned148. Dogmatism, the sin of superstition, is excluded from the empire of speculation. The clergyman will often admit that Atheism endeavours to maintain an unprejudiced tone of mind. The Rev29. Charles Marriot, of Oriel College, observed to me, when I had the honour some years ago to be his guest, that 'he had always more hope of the Atheist than of the Dissenter149, for the Dissenter always moved in a little infallibility of his own, while the Atheist was always to be reached by reason.' Mystery will always conquer partisans150, and the Cosmist who comprehends this, will reason with superstition, and never be impatient with it.
Dispassionateness of judgment will also lead to dispassionateness of speech. Opinion in a minority should never have recourse to invective. Prejudice is inveterate enough without being inflamed151 by denunciation. Unpopular and unfriended truth must consent to placate152 opposition by respectfulness of tone and fairness of speech. It must never compromise principle—that is submission, and gives the errorist insolent153 confidence. It must never outrage—that makes the errorist indignant, and deaf to all reason. The force of truth lies in invincible154 patience and in invincible perseverance155 of exposition. Progressive opinion ought ever to be kept on the high places of dispassionate advocacy. It is wonderful how truth has been perilled156 by passion. The battle of opinion has always been fought on impulse, rather than on calculation of forces; and the small band of the combatants for new truths has often been trampled down by the multitudinous army of error.
4. Conceptions of Humanity, or, in other words, Reliance of Humanity, is a law and limit of Affirmative Atheism. Every man who thinks, must choose one of two things, a standard without the universe, or a standard within. I choose one within, I choose humanity. 'Men,' says Lord Bacon, speaking of Atheism, 'who look no farther, become wary157 of themselves.' Let us become wary of ourselves; nothing is more wholesome or progressive!
Hardness, assumption, egotism, insubordination to worth—in one word, irreverence, ought never to be the characteristic of Cosmism. He who vindicates158 nature and reason, should show that being left to nature, philosophy, reputation, and the laws, there exists self-regulation and reliable rationality.* Cosmism is the highest form of self-reliance; the responsibility, which to others is a necessity, is to him a duty and a pride.
* As the late Gen. Jacob, the illustrious commander of the
Scinde Horse, testifies. 'In the jangle and desert, amid a
barbarous people on the extreme confines of civilisation,'
Christianity failed; and he records that 'He was permitted
to witness with delight the fact of a whole nation being
detestable cruelty, and horror, to one of peace, comfort,
racial order, and happiness;' that 'He had seen their
faithful and steady application in practice change thousands
industrious citizens.
The wildness, excesses, extravagances, and incoherences of superstition, arise through men looking without themselves into those regions of the unknown where men make God after their own image, where they imagine their facts, and reason upon them without check. How impertinent is half our modern worship, and how poor the other half! Educated ministers speak of God, and address to him praise they would be ashamed to offer to any gentleman. That delicacy163 of reverence, that reticence164 of laudation, that avoidance of presumption and familiarity, which the law of humanity imposes on all men of religious habits in human relations, has no existence in theology, where it is more to be expected and infinitely165 more needful. When St. Augustine speaks of God, there is a magnificent thoughtfulness in the terms he employs which his Pagan refinement166 had taught him, which we seldom find in modern saints. How imposingly167 he exclaims in his Confessions:—
What art Thou then, my God? Most highest, most good, most potent168, most omnipotent169; most merciful, yet most just; most hidden, yet most present; most beautiful, yet most strong; stable, yet incomprehensible; unchangeable, yet all-changing; never new, never old; all-renewing, and bringing age upon the proud, and they know it not; ever working, ever at rest; still gathering170, yet nothing lacking; supporting, filling, and overspreading; creating, nourishing, and maturing; seeking, yet having all things. Thou lovest, without passion; art jealous, without anxiety; repentest, yet grievest not; art angry, yet serene171; changest Thy works, Thy purpose unchanged; receivest again what Thou findest, yet didst never lose; never in need, yet rejoicing in gains; never covetous173, yet exacting174 usury176. Thou receivest over and above, that Thou mayest owe; and who hath aught that is not Thine? Thou payest debts, owing nothing; remittest debts, losing nothing.'
We forgive the sublime177 contradictions in the stately march of this Pagan praise. Augustine was a noble old saint, but he had a Pagan intellect to the end.
The 'Limits of Atheism' which obviously present themselves to those who reflect upon them, rescue it from the imputation178 of lawlessness. Positivism engrafts upon it practical aims. Exactness of speech necessitates179 exactness of thought, and dictates180 modesty181 of pretension182. Dispassionateness of judgment checks invective, dogmatism, prejudice, or unfairness; and Reliance upon Humanity tends to self-trust, self-direction, and chastity of worship. Why should persons who hold the views of Affirmative Atheism under these 'Limits' be treated in the witness-box as public liars—men whose reiterated183 profession is—that they 'sum up personal duty in Honour, which is respecting the Truth; in Morality, which is acting175 the Truth; and in Love, which is serving the Truth.'*
* 'Last Trial for Atheism,' p. 100.
Plato in his 'Laws,' remarks that 'Atheism is a disease of the soul before it becomes an error of the understanding.' This just opinion, if applied to mere sensualists, who disbelieve in God because his holiness is a restraint upon their infamous184 passions, has since been applied to the pure thinkers like Spinoza, to whom it is an insult and an outrage. Let us see how little such a remark is applicable to those who thoughtfully pause before adopting a creed which, however dictated185 by a feeling of piety97, is far less reverential than thoughtful silence.
If we suppose an interposing Providence186 to direct the affairs of this world, what scenes of sorrow must meet his eye? Condemned to poverty and pain, how many human beings are there whose every word is a prayer, and every thought a throb187, and every pulsation188 a pang189? Is it not far more reverential to struggle for the right with what powers we have, and with what Secular70 light is vouchsafed190, and own Theism inscrutable, than connect all this misery with the name of God? The theory of a God of Prayer who hears and aids, of a Providence who orders and controls, all issues to one great Will, and who receives at last the sorrow-stricken, the worn, struggling and weary spirit, after those conflicts which all who think, and feel, and aspire191, encounter, are primitive192 and enduring conceptions, which all humanity, in every age and in every slime, cherishes in its perplexity and clings to in its weakness. It is not Cosmism which seeks or wishes to disprove this theory. Alas193! the God of Prayer does not exist. I say it not in wantonness, or recklessness, nor in any proud spirit of defiance194, nor in any hard spirit of denial, nor in outrage, nor wilful scepticism, nor simulated disbelief. It appears to me an austere fact, which all who observe must see, which all who are frank must own. Yet I know not that I ought to say 'Alas it is so.' Why should any man mourn at truth? What right have I to arraign195 the facts of Nature. To mourn what is—is to condemn what is. Sorrow is censure196 when it relates to what is possibly the order of God. What authority have I to look on Nature awful in its glories and mysteries, and by the implication included in my grief, to judge it and say it is not what it should be? My scrutiny197 ought rather to be directed to my weakness. True reverence lies rather in accepting unmurmuringly the order of things we find; in believing in the completeness and self sufficiency of nature and humanity, and that these contain within them elements of self-sustainment. Our duty is to search there for Truth, to work there patiently for Progress, to regard the humblest conquest there with glad surprise. All virtue199 is summed up in service and endurance. A wise humility200 in expectation is surely the first element of reverence. As to the Future Life of man, the whole question lies in a narrow compass. The immortality201 of the soul is one of those problems which you approach with breathless perplexity. Is it possible that every human being brought into existence, in the caprices of lust and vice116, is a candidate for heaven, and a burden upon the celestial202 taxes, and an inmate203 of the great Poor House or Reformatory of eternity? Is it in the power of ignorance, profligacy204, and passion, to crowd the porticoes205 of Paradise with illicit206 offspring? Can it be true that every being born is liable to eternal perdition for acts done before it had existence—or for offences it was predestined to commit, or in the course of events may commit? It is better never to be born than to incur207 this frightful208 risk. Is it worth while to live at all the prey209 of these awful anxieties, to sport for a few years on the borders of Hell? Who would enter the dance of life with the devil for a partner? The toad210 that croaks211 his hideous212 existence away in the marsh213; the very dog whom men caress214, and kick, and despise; the slimy worm that crawls the grave yard, leads a life of dignity and undimmed bliss215, compared with the dread216 responsibilities and never-ending horrors thus imposed on human consciousness. No man will persuade me that God would bring into existence any creature liable to so frightful a fate. The belief in annihilation is a creed of holiness, in comparison with the creed of the popular religion. If, on the other hand, the future life include no hopeless horror, but a state of purification, of restoration, of atonement, of instruction and progress, however arduous217, protracted218, and slow, I am willing to believe in it, to hope in it, and rejoice in it. I ask no golden crown—I covet172 no angel wings—I crave219 no presumptuous seat of honour at the right hand of God. I supplicate220 for no effeminate security—no eternity of indolence and singing—I am prepared for toil221 as well as enjoyment. The instinct of adventure is strong within me. Study and danger are welcome to me—even suffering, if it bring deeper knowledge, purity and improvement. I do not wish to be a 'Saint made perfect,' lingering through an eternity of monotony, in which there is nothing further to realise, but desire rather to enter upon the eternal discipline of indefinite progress. There never were disbelievers in a tolerable immortality. The question is not—is such a state desirable? but—is it true? The vital inquiry222 is—are we to conduct life on the basis of what we hope or what we know? He who believes in what he wishes, and is willing to teach as true what he desires, has already passed through the gates of superstition.
To honour the brave, to reverence the good, to give thanks to the martyr223, to be re-united to those you have loved and lost; if these be the incidents of immortality, there never was a disbeliever in it. The Cosmist only deplores224 the scantiness225 of the proof. There is no scepticism here which is wilful. Every doubt is reluctant, every misgiving33 is a self-denial.
The popular theology, it must be owned, has many repulsive aspects. The vulgarest and most illiterate226 believer is encouraged to profess a familiar and confident knowledge, hidden from the profoundest philosophers. It is an unanswerable position, that had God spoken, the universe would have been convinced. Had Deity desired that his personal existence should be daily recognised and eternally bruited227 abroad among men, he would have placarded the fact on the walls of nature in letters of light—so luminous228, that time should never pale them; so indelibly, that the war of elements should never efface229 them; so plainly and conclusively230, that no priest should ever be able to misconstrue them; and no wayfarer231, in this hurrying world, ever be in doubt about them. As this is not so, the great secret is left evidently to silent thought and reverent59 conjecture232, of which even mere negative Atheism is a reserved expression, and Cosmism a scheme of philosophical233 adoration234.
Here is a particle of matter. It may be amber235, or a ruby236, or a stone. Whence came the electrical properties of the one, the lurid237 brilliancy of the other, or the density238 of the stone? These qualities are wonders and miracles through all time. Science finds them marvels and leaves them mysteries. The philosopher is no more provided with a solution than the peasant. Indeed, the wonder of the philosopher has a deeper intensity239. He sweeps with his eye, and bends his ear over a wider field of nature, and no sign rewards his scrutiny, no response repays his attention. Look at this humble198, secure, and commonplace stone! We neglect it with the eye, we spurn240 it with the foot—it is not worth raising from the shore. Yet no book was ever written, no message was ever delivered, no romance ever depicted241, no epic242 ever sung, containing such wondrous243 interest as the story of this stone, could any man tell it. What thronging244 conjectures245! what unbidden and tumultuous memories rise as we contemplate246 its possible mutations of existence! History was unwritten when it first slept in the earth. What generations of men have lived and struggled, and died since it was first broken from the rock! Great battles, changing the fate of dynasties, and involving the servitude of races, have been fought over its calm resting place. Possibly thousands of years ago the mastodon trod upon it, and the ichthyosaurus paddled it into the sea. Ancient waves may have washed it into the ocean, before the first ship was launched by the first mariner247. In the silent and wondrous caverns248 of the great deep, which no plummet249 has fathomed250 and no eye has ever seen, it has lain in regal rest. What monsters have glared at it! what tempests have raged, what tornadoes251 have broken over it! what earthquakes may have tossed it up from its hiding place. On what shore did it reappear? Did some Assyrian lover watch the wave which washed it up? Did some young Pharaoh play with it? Has it been imbedded in the walls of Troy? Did Achilles plant his spear by it? Did it lie on the plains of Marathon on the morning of the memorable battle? Has it been dyed by the blood of Caesar in the streets of Rome? Have Chaldean shepherds picked it up as the orient morning sun broke over their silent plains?
When all these and a thousand other questions have been answered, its history is not begun. Its elements are indestructible. The parts of which it is composed were never created—in some form, in some world, they always existed. Where were they when the earth was without form or void? To what astral system did the matter of this pebble once belong? Of what star did it form a part? Where was it before time on this planet began to be? If matter has existed for ever, this stone in its countless252 transmutations is a geological Wandering Jew of eternity. If we cannot tell the history of a single stone, who shall tell the history of God? If a poor pebble be a surpassing mystery, who shall understand the Deity? What must be the pretension, the presumption to infinite capacity of that man who, pausing not in reverent humility in the presence of these myriad253 miracles which crowd before him, yet tells us in confident and dogmatic tones, that he
'Looks through Nature up to Nature's God?'
For myself, I cleave254 rather to that more modest form of opinion which stands in mute wonder and listens with greedy ears to the secret tale of Nature, and waits with undying interest the revelations which science, or thought, or time, or death, shall make of these mysteries which surround us evermore.
The End
The End
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1
atheism
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| n.无神论，不信神 | |
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conscientiously
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| adv.凭良心地；认真地，负责尽职地；老老实实 | |
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conscientious
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| adj.审慎正直的，认真的，本着良心的 | |
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imprisonment
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| n.关押，监禁，坐牢 | |
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oracle
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| n.神谕，神谕处，预言 | |
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speculative
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| adj.思索性的，暝想性的，推理的 | |
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outrage
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| n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒 | |
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cultivation
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| n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成 | |
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intrepidity
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| n.大胆，刚勇；大胆的行为 | |
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intrepid
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| adj.无畏的，刚毅的 | |
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profess
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| v.声称，冒称，以...为业，正式接受入教，表明信仰 | |
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magistrate
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| n.地方行政官，地方法官，治安官 | |
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rote
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| n.死记硬背，生搬硬套 | |
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atheistical
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| adj.无神论（者）的 | |
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atheist
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| n.无神论者 | |
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discriminate
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| v.区别，辨别，区分；有区别地对待 | |
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condemn
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| vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑 | |
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persecution
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| n. 迫害,烦扰 | |
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19
opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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invective
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| n.痛骂，恶意抨击 | |
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outlaw
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| n.歹徒，亡命之徒；vt.宣布…为不合法 | |
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plunder
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| vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠 | |
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redress
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| n.赔偿，救济，矫正；v.纠正，匡正，革除 | |
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cedes
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| v.让给，割让，放弃( cede的第三人称单数 ) | |
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veracity
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| n.诚实 | |
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felon
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| n.重罪犯；adj.残忍的 | |
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disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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rev
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| v.发动机旋转，加快速度 | |
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apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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negation
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| n.否定；否认 | |
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misgivings
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕；疑虑，担心，恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 )；疑惧 | |
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misgiving
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕 | |
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verbiage
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| n.冗词；冗长 | |
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locusts
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| n.蝗虫( locust的名词复数 )；贪吃的人；破坏者；槐树 | |
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reprobation
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| n.斥责 | |
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detest
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| vt.痛恨，憎恶 | |
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inveterate
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| adj.积习已深的，根深蒂固的 | |
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superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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legitimate
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| adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法 | |
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41
tamper
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| v.干预，玩弄，贿赂，窜改，削弱，损害 | |
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42
lawful
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| adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的 | |
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43
wholesome
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| adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的 | |
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defiant
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| adj.无礼的，挑战的 | |
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45
militant
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| adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士 | |
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46
cringing
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| adj.谄媚，奉承 | |
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noisome
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| adj.有害的，可厌的 | |
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48
refreshing
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| adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的 | |
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49
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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lust
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| n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望 | |
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52
blasphemy
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| n.亵渎，渎神 | |
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53
begets
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| v.为…之生父( beget的第三人称单数 )；产生，引起 | |
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54
nurtures
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| 教养，培育( nurture的名词复数 ) | |
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55
corruption
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| n.腐败，堕落，贪污 | |
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56
guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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conclusive
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| adj.最后的，结论的；确凿的，消除怀疑的 | |
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reverent
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| adj.恭敬的，虔诚的 | |
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60
babblement
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| 模糊不清的言语，胡说，潺潺声 | |
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presumptuous
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| adj.胆大妄为的，放肆的，冒昧的，冒失的 | |
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uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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unwillingly
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| adv.不情愿地 | |
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longingly
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| adv. 渴望地 热望地 | |
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deity
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| n.神，神性；被奉若神明的人(或物) | |
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intelligible
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| adj.可理解的，明白易懂的，清楚的 | |
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ardently
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| adv.热心地，热烈地 | |
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draughts
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| n. <英>国际跳棋 | |
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secularism
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| n.现世主义；世俗主义；宗教与教育分离论；政教分离论 | |
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secular
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| n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的 | |
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distractions
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| n.使人分心的事[人]( distraction的名词复数 )；娱乐，消遣；心烦意乱；精神错乱 | |
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creeds
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| （尤指宗教）信条，教条( creed的名词复数 ) | |
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creed
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| n.信条；信念，纲领 | |
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impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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pebble
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| n.卵石，小圆石 | |
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marvel
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| vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事 | |
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affluence
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| n.充裕，富足 | |
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marvels
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| n.奇迹( marvel的名词复数 )；令人惊奇的事物（或事例）；不平凡的成果；成就v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的第三人称单数 ) | |
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reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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subsist
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| vi.生存，存在，供养 | |
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eternity
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| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
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infinity
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| n.无限，无穷，大量 | |
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populous
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| adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的 | |
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transit
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| n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过 | |
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precipices
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| n.悬崖，峭壁( precipice的名词复数 ) | |
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chasms
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| 裂缝( chasm的名词复数 )； 裂口； 分歧； 差别 | |
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abject
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| adj.极可怜的，卑屈的 | |
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submission
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| n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出 | |
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initiation
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| n.开始 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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repulsive
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| adj.排斥的，使人反感的 | |
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irreverence
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| n.不尊敬 | |
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impiety
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| n.不敬；不孝 | |
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piety
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| n.虔诚，虔敬 | |
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supplants
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| 把…排挤掉，取代( supplant的第三人称单数 ) | |
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instinctive
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| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
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vacuity
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| n.(想象力等)贫乏，无聊，空白 | |
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assent
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| v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可 | |
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complement
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| n.补足物，船上的定员；补语；vt.补充，补足 | |
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pebbles
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| [复数]鹅卵石； 沙砾； 卵石，小圆石( pebble的名词复数 ) | |
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fowl
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| n.家禽，鸡，禽肉 | |
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digestion
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| n.消化，吸收 | |
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barley
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| n.大麦，大麦粒 | |
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stimuli
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| n.刺激（物） | |
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alleged
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| a.被指控的，嫌疑的 | |
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speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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arrogant
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的 | |
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dissent
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| n./v.不同意，持异议 | |
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enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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miasma
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| n.毒气；不良气氛 | |
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delusive
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| adj.欺骗的，妄想的 | |
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erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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vice
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| n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的 | |
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consolation
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| n.安慰，慰问 | |
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corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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119
wilful
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| adj.任性的，故意的 | |
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120
sustenance
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| n.食物，粮食；生活资料；生计 | |
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121
logic
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| n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性 | |
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122
faculty
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| n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
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123
presumption
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| n.推测，可能性，冒昧，放肆，[法律]推定 | |
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124
industrious
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| adj.勤劳的，刻苦的，奋发的 | |
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125
justifiable
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| adj.有理由的，无可非议的 | |
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126
disapproval
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| n.反对，不赞成 | |
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127
sifted
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| v.筛( sift的过去式和过去分词 )；筛滤；细查；详审 | |
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128
memorable
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| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
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129
illustrate
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| v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图 | |
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130
condemnation
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| n.谴责; 定罪 | |
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131
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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132
incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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133
supersede
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| v.替代；充任 | |
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134
honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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135
attain
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| vt.达到，获得，完成 | |
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136
unwillingness
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| n. 不愿意，不情愿 | |
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137
scholastic
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| adj.学校的，学院的，学术上的 | |
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138
enigma
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| n.谜，谜一样的人或事 | |
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139
simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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140
austere
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| adj.艰苦的；朴素的，朴实无华的；严峻的 | |
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141
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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142
battered
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| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
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143
musket
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| n.滑膛枪 | |
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144
conceals
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的第三人称单数 ) | |
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145
trampled
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| 踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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146
banish
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| vt.放逐，驱逐；消除，排除 | |
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147
controversy
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| n.争论，辩论，争吵 | |
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148
condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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149
dissenter
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| n.反对者 | |
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150
partisans
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| 游击队员( partisan的名词复数 )； 党人； 党羽； 帮伙 | |
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151
inflamed
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| adj.发炎的，红肿的v.（使）变红，发怒，过热( inflame的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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152
placate
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| v.抚慰，平息(愤怒) | |
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153
insolent
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| adj.傲慢的，无理的 | |
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154
invincible
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| adj.不可征服的，难以制服的 | |
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155
perseverance
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| n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠 | |
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156
perilled
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| 置…于危险中（peril的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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157
wary
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| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
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158
vindicates
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| n.澄清（某人/某事物）受到的责难或嫌疑( vindicate的名词复数 )；表明或证明（所争辩的事物）属实、正当、有效等；维护v.澄清（某人/某事物）受到的责难或嫌疑( vindicate的第三人称单数 )；表明或证明（所争辩的事物）属实、正当、有效等；维护 | |
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159
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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160
bishops
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| （基督教某些教派管辖大教区的）主教( bishop的名词复数 )； （国际象棋的）象 | |
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161
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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162
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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163
delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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164
reticence
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| n.沉默，含蓄 | |
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165
infinitely
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|
| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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166
refinement
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| n.文雅；高尚；精美；精制；精炼 | |
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167
imposingly
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168
potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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169
omnipotent
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|
| adj.全能的，万能的 | |
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170
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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171
serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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172
covet
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| vt.垂涎；贪图(尤指属于他人的东西) | |
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173
covetous
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| adj.贪婪的，贪心的 | |
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174
exacting
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| adj.苛求的，要求严格的 | |
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175
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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176
usury
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| n.高利贷 | |
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177
sublime
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|
| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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178
imputation
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| n.归罪，责难 | |
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179
necessitates
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| 使…成为必要，需要( necessitate的第三人称单数 ) | |
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180
dictates
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|
| n.命令，规定，要求( dictate的名词复数 )v.大声讲或读( dictate的第三人称单数 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
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181
modesty
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|
| n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素 | |
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182
pretension
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| n.要求；自命，自称；自负 | |
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183
reiterated
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|
| 反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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184
infamous
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| adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的 | |
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185
dictated
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| v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
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186
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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187
throb
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| v.震颤，颤动；(急速强烈地)跳动，搏动 | |
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188
pulsation
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|
| n.脉搏，悸动，脉动；搏动性 | |
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189
pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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190
vouchsafed
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| v.给予，赐予( vouchsafe的过去式和过去分词 )；允诺 | |
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191
aspire
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|
| vi.(to，after)渴望，追求，有志于 | |
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192
primitive
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|
| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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193
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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194
defiance
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|
| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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195
arraign
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| v.提讯；控告 | |
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196
censure
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|
| v./n.责备；非难；责难 | |
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197
scrutiny
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|
| n.详细检查，仔细观察 | |
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198
humble
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|
| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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199
virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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200
humility
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| n.谦逊，谦恭 | |
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201
immortality
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| n.不死，不朽 | |
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202
celestial
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| adj.天体的；天上的 | |
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203
inmate
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| n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人 | |
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204
profligacy
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| n.放荡，不检点，肆意挥霍 | |
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205
porticoes
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| n.柱廊，（有圆柱的）门廊( portico的名词复数 ) | |
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206
illicit
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| adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的 | |
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207
incur
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| vt.招致，蒙受，遭遇 | |
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208
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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209
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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210
toad
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| n.蟾蜍，癞蛤蟆 | |
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211
croaks
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| v.呱呱地叫( croak的第三人称单数 )；用粗的声音说 | |
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212
hideous
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|
| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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213
marsh
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| n.沼泽，湿地 | |
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214
caress
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| vt./n.爱抚，抚摸 | |
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215
bliss
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| n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福 | |
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216
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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217
arduous
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| adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的 | |
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218
protracted
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| adj.拖延的；延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词 | |
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219
crave
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| vt.渴望得到，迫切需要，恳求，请求 | |
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220
supplicate
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| v.恳求；adv.祈求地，哀求地，恳求地 | |
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221
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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222
inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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223
martyr
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| n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲 | |
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224
deplores
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| v.悲叹，痛惜，强烈反对( deplore的第三人称单数 ) | |
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225
scantiness
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| n.缺乏 | |
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226
illiterate
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| adj.文盲的；无知的；n.文盲 | |
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227
bruited
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| v.传播（传说或谣言）( bruit的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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228
luminous
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| adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的 | |
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229
efface
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| v.擦掉，抹去 | |
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230
conclusively
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| adv.令人信服地，确凿地 | |
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231
wayfarer
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| n.旅人 | |
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232
conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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233
philosophical
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|
| adj.哲学家的，哲学上的，达观的 | |
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234
adoration
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| n.爱慕，崇拜 | |
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235
amber
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|
| n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的 | |
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236
ruby
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| n.红宝石，红宝石色 | |
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237
lurid
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|
| adj.可怕的；血红的；苍白的 | |
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238
density
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| n.密集，密度，浓度 | |
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239
intensity
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|
| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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240
spurn
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| v.拒绝，摈弃；n.轻视的拒绝；踢开 | |
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241
depicted
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| 描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述 | |
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242
epic
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|
| n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的 | |
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243
wondrous
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|
| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
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244
thronging
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|
| v.成群，挤满( throng的现在分词 ) | |
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245
conjectures
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| 推测，猜想( conjecture的名词复数 ) | |
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246
contemplate
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|
| vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视 | |
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247
mariner
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| n.水手号不载人航天探测器，海员，航海者 | |
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248
caverns
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| 大山洞，大洞穴( cavern的名词复数 ) | |
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249
plummet
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| vi.(价格、水平等)骤然下跌；n.铅坠；重压物 | |
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250
fathomed
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| 理解…的真意( fathom的过去式和过去分词 )； 彻底了解； 弄清真相 | |
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251
tornadoes
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| n.龙卷风，旋风( tornado的名词复数 ) | |
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252
countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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253
myriad
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| adj.无数的；n.无数，极大数量 | |
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254
cleave
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| v．(clave；cleaved)粘着，粘住；坚持；依恋 | |
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