lecture18-第3部分

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draws　capricious　lines　in　innumerable　directions。　　We　count　and



name　whatever　lies　upon　the　special　lines　we　trace；　whilst　the



other　things　and　the　untraced　lines　are　neither　named　nor



counted。　There　are　in　reality　infinitely　more　things　〃unadapted〃



to　each　other　in　this　world　than　there　are　things　〃adapted〃；



infinitely　more　things　with　irregular　relations　than　with　regular



relations　between　them。　　But　we　look　for　the　regular　kind　of



thing　exclusively；　and　ingeniously　discover　and　preserve　it　in



our　memory。　　It　accumulates　with　other　regular　kinds；　until　the



collection　of　them　fills　our　encyclopaedias。　　Yet　all　the　while



between　and　around　them　lies　an　infinite　anonymous　chaos　of



objects　that　no　one　ever　thought　of　together；　of　relations　that



never　yet　attracted　our　attention。







The　facts　of　order　from　which　the　physico…theological　argument



starts　are　thus　easily　susceptible　of　interpretation　as　arbitrary



human　products。　　So　long　as　this　is　the　case；　although　of　course



no　argument　against　God　follows；　it　follows　that　the　argument　for



him　will　fail　to　constitute　a　knockdown　proof　of　his　existence。　



It　will　be　convincing　only　to　those　who　on　other　grounds　believe



in　him　already。







If　philosophy　can　do　so　little　to　establish　God's　existence；　how



stands　it　with　her　efforts　to　define　his　attributes？　　It　is　worth



while　to　look　at　the　attempts　of　systematic　theology　in　this



direction。







Since　God　is　First　Cause；　this　science　of　sciences　says；　he



differs　from　all　his　creatures　in　possessing　existence　a　se。　



From　this　〃a…se…ity〃　on　God's　part；　theology　deduces　by　mere



logic　most　of　his　other　perfections。　　For　instance；　he　must　be



both　NECESSARY　and　ABSOLUTE；　cannot　not　be；　and　cannot　in　any　way



be　determined　by　anything　else。　　This　makes　Him　absolutely



unlimited　from　without；　and　unlimited　also　from　within；　for



limitation　is　non…being；　and　God　is　being　itself。　　This



unlimitedness　makes　God　infinitely　perfect。　　Moreover；　God　is



ONE；　and　ONLY；　for　the　infinitely　perfect　can　admit　no　peer。　　He



is　SPIRITUAL；　for　were　He　composed　of　physical　parts；　some　other



power　would　have　to　combine　them　into　the　total；　and　his　aseity



would　thus　be　contradicted。　　He　is　therefore　both　simple　and



non…physical　in　nature。　　He　is　SIMPLE　METAPHYSICALLY　also；　that



is　to　say；　his　nature　and　his　existence　cannot　be　distinct；　as



they　are　in　finite　substances　which　share　their　formal　natures



with　one　another；　and　are　individual　only　in　their　material



aspect。　　Since　God　is　one　and　only；　his　essentia　and　his　esse



must　be　given　at　one　stroke。　　This　excludes　from　his　being　all



those　distinctions；　so　familiar　in　the　world　of　finite　things；



between　potentiality　and　actuality；　substance　and　accidents；



being　and　activity；　existence　and　attributes。　　We　can　talk；　it　is



true；　of　God's　powers；　acts；　and　attributes；　but　these



discriminations　are　only　〃virtual；〃　and　made　from　the　human　point



of　view。　　In　God　all　these　points　of　view　fall　into　an　absolute



identity　of　being。







This　absence　of　all　potentiality　in　God　obliges　Him　to　be



IMMUTABLE。　　He　is　actuality；　through　and　through。　　Were　there



anything　potential　about　Him；　He　would　either　lose　or　gain　by　its



actualization；　and　either　loss　or　gain　would　contradict　his



perfection。　　He　cannot；　therefore；　change。　　Furthermore；　He　is



IMMENSE；　BOUNDLESS；　for　could　He　be　outlined　in　space；　He　would



be　composite；　and　this　would　contradict　his　indivisibility。　He　is



therefore　OMNIPRESENT；　indivisibly　there；　at　every　point　of



space。　　He　is　similarly　wholly　present　at　every　point　of　timein



other　words　ETERNAL。　　For　if　He　began　in　time；　He　would　need　a



prior　cause；　and　that　would　contradict　his　aseity。　　If　He　ended



it　would　contradict　his　necessity。　　If　He　went　through　any



succession；　it　would　contradict　his　immutability。







He　has　INTELLIGENCE　and　WILL　and　every　other　creature…



perfection；　for　we　have　them；　and　effectus　nequit　superare



causam。　　In　Him；　however；　they　are　absolutely　and　eternally　in



act；　and　their　OBJECT；　since　God　can　be　bounded　by　naught　that　is



external；　can　primarily　be　nothing　else　than　God　himself。　　He



knows　himself；　then；　in　one　eternal　indivisible　act；　and　wills



himself　with　an　infinite　self…pleasure。＇295＇　Since　He　must　of



logical　necessity　thus　love　and　will　himself；　He　cannot　be　called



〃free〃　ad　intra；　with　the　freedom　of　contrarieties　that



characterizes　finite　creatures。　　Ad　extra；　however；　or　with



respect　to　his　creation；　God　is　free。　　He　cannot　NEED　to　create；



being　perfect　in　being　and　in　happiness　already。　　He　WILLS　to



create；　then；　by　an　absolute　freedom。







＇295＇　For　the　scholastics　the　facultas　appetendi　embraces



feeling；　desire；　and　will。















Being　thus　a　substance　endowed　with　intellect　and　will　and



freedom；　God　is　a　PERSON；　and　a　LIVING　person　also；　for　He　is



both　object　and　subject　of　his　own　activity；　and　to　be　this



distinguishes　the　living　from　the　lifeless。　　He　is　thus



absolutely　SELF…SUFFICIENT：　　his　SELF…KNOWLEDGE　and　SELF…LOVE　are



both　of　them　infinite　and　adequate；　and　need　no　extraneous



conditions　to　perfect　them。







He　is　OMNISCIENT；　for　in　knowing　himself　as　Cause　He　knows　all



creature　things　and　events　by　implication。　　His　knowledge　is



previsive；　for　He　is　present　to　all　time。　　Even　our　free　acts　are



known　beforehand　to　Him；　for　otherwise　his　wisdom　would　admit　of



successive　moments　of　enrichment；　and　this　would　contradict　his



immutability。　　He　is　OMNIPOTENT　for　everything　that　does　not



involve　logical　contradiction。　　He　can　make　BEING　in　other



words　his　power　includes　CREATION。　　If　what　He　creates　were　made



of　his　own　substance；　it　would　have　to　be　infinite　in　essence；　as



that　substance　is；　but　it　is　finite；　so　it　must　be　non…divine　in



substance。　　If　it　were　made　of　a　substance；　an　eternally　existing



matter；　for　example；　which　God　found　there　to　his　hand；　and　to



which　He　simply　gave　its　form；　that　would　contradict　God's



definition　as　First　Cause；　and　make　Him　a　mere　mover　of　something



caused　already。　　The　things　he　creates；　then；　He　creates　ex



nihilo；　and　gives　them　absolute　being　as　so　many　finite



substances　additional　to　himself。　　The　forms　which　he　imprints



upon　them　have　their　prototypes　in　his　ideas。　　But　as　in　God



there　is　no　such　thing　as　multiplicity；　and　as　these　ideas　for　us



are　manifold；　we　must　distinguish　the　ideas　as　they　are　in　God



and　the　way　in　which　our　minds　externally　imitate　them。　　We　must



attribute　them　to　Him　only　in　a　TERMINATIVE　sense；　as　differing



aspects；　from　the　finite　point　of　view；　of　his　unique　essence。







God　of　course　is　holy；　good；　and　just。　　He　can　do　no　evil；　for　He



is　positive　being's　fullness；　and　evil　is　negation。　　It　is　true



that　He　has　created　physical　evil　in　places；　but　only　as　a　means



of　wider　good；　for　bonum　totius　praeeminet　bonum　partis。　Moral



evil　He　cannot　will；　either　as　end　or　means；　for　that　would



contradict　his　holiness。　　By　creating　free　beings　He　PERMITS　it



only；　neither　his　justice　nor　his　goodness　obliging　Him　to



prevent　the　recipients　of　freedom　from　misusing　the　gift。







As　regards　God's　purpose　in　creating；　primarily　it　can　only　have



been　to　exercise　his　absolute　freedom　by　the　manifestation　to



others　of　his　glory。　　From　this　it　follows　that　the　others　must



be　rational　beings；　capable　in　the　first　place　of　knowledge；



love；　and　honor；　and　in　the　second　place　of　happiness；　for　the



knowledge　and　love　of　God　is　the　mainspring　of　felicity。　　In　so



far　forth　one　may　say　that　God's　secondary　purpose　in　creating　is



LOVE。







I　will　not　weary　you　by　pursuing　these　metaphysical



determinations　farther；　into　the　mysteries　of　God's　Trinity；　for



example。　　What　I　have　given　will　serve　as　a　specimen　of　the



orthodox　philosophical　theology　of　both　Catholics　and



Protestants。　　Newman；　filled　with　enthusiasm　at　God's　list　of



perfections；　continues　the　passage　which　I　began　to　quote　to　you



by　a　couple　of　pages　of　a　rhetoric　so　magnificent　that　I　can



hardly　refrain　from　adding　them；　in　spite　of　the　inroad　they



would　make　upon　our　time。＇296＇　　He　first　enumerates　God's



attributes　sonorously；　then　celebrates　his　ownership　of



everything　in　earth　and　Heaven；　and　the　dependence　of　all　that



happens　upon　his　permissive　will。　　He　gives　us　scholastic



philosophy　〃touched　with　emotion；〃　and　every　philosophy　should　be



touched　with　emotion　to　be　rightly　understood。　　Emotionally；



then；　dogmatic　theology　is　worth　something　to　minds　of　the　type



of　Newman's。　　It　will　aid　us　to　estimate　what　it　is　worth



intellectually；　if　at　this　point　I　make　a　short　digression。







＇296＇　Op。　cit。；　Discourse　III。　Section　7。















What　God　hath　joined　together；　let　no　man　put　asunder。　The



Continental　schools　of　philosophy　have　too　often　overlooked　the



fact　that　man's　thinking　is　organically　connected　with　his



conduct。　　It　seems　to　me　to　be　the　chief　glory　of　English　and



Scottish　thinkers　to　have　kept　the　organic　connection　in　view。　



The　guiding　principle　of　British　philosophy　has　in　fact　been　that



every　difference　must　MAKE　a　difference；　every　theoretical



difference　somewhere　issue　in　a　practical　difference；　and　that



the　best　method　of　discussing　points　of　theory　is　to　begin　by



ascertaining　what　practical　difference　would　result　from　one



alternative　or　the　other　bei