the dore lectures on mental science-第14部分

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e　powers　and　mysteries　beyond　our　present　conception。　But　even　there　Law　reigns　supreme；　and　therefore　taking　Christ　as　our　basis　and　starting…point；　we　start　with　the　Law　already　fulfilled；　whether　in　those　things　which　are　familiar　to　us　or　in　those　realms　which　are　beyond　our　thought；　and　so　we　need　have　nc　fear　of　evil。　Our　starting…point　is　that　of　a　divinely　ordained　security　from　which　we　may　quietly　grow　into　that　higher　evolution　which　is　the　fulfilment　of　the　law　of　our　own　being。



THE　STORY　OF　EDEN。

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

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

Now　the　only　thing　that　can　release　us　from　the　inextricable　confusion　of　an　infinite　multiplicity　is　the　realization　of　an　underlying　unity；　and　at　the　back　of　all　things　we　find　the　presence　of　one　Great　Affirmative　principle　without　which　nothing　could　have　existence。　This；　then；　is　the　Root　of　Life；　and　if　we　credit　it　with　being　able；　not　only　to　supply　the　power；　but　also　the　form　for　its　manifestation　we　shall　see　that　we　need　not　go　beyond　this　SINGLE　Power　for　the　production　of　anything。　It　is　Spirit　producing　Substance　out　of　its　own　essence；　and　the　Substance　taking　Form　in　accordance　with　the　movement　of　the　Spirit。　What　we　have　to　realize　is；　not　only　that　this　is　the　way　in　which　the　cosmos　is　brought　into　existence；　but　also　that；　because　the　Spirit　finds　a　new　centre　in　ourselves；　the　same　process　is　repeated　in　our　own　mentality；　and　therefore　we　are　continually　creating　ex　nihilo　whether　we　know　it　or　not。　Consequently；　if　we　look　upon　evil　as　a　force　to　be　reckoned　with；　and　therefore　requiring　to　be　studied；　we　are　in　effect　creating　it；　while　on　the　other　hand　if　we　realize　that　there　is　only　ONE　force　to　be　considered；　and　that　absolutely　good；　we　are　by　the　law　of　the　creative　process　bringing　that　good　into　manifestation。　No　doubt　for　this　affirmative　use　of　our　creative　power　it　is　necessary　that　we　start　from　the　basic　conception　of　a　SINGLE　originating　power　which　is　absolutely　good　and　life…giving；　but　if　there　were　a　self…originating　power　which　was　destructive　then　no　creation　could　ever　have　come　into　existence　at　all；　for　the　positive　and　negative　self…originating　powers　would　cancel　each　other　and　the　result　would　be　zero。　The　fact；　therefore；　of　our　own　existence　is　a　sufficient　proof　of　the　singleness　and　goodness　of　the　Originating　Power；　and　from　this　starting…point　there　is　no　second　power　to　be　taken　into　consideration；　and　consequently　we　do　not　have　to　study　the　evil　that　may　arise　out　of　existing　or　future　circumstances；　but　require　to　keep　our　minds　fixed　only　upon　the　good　which　we　intend　to　create。　There　is　a　very　simple　reason　for　this。　It　is　that　every　new　creation　necessarily　carries　its　own　law　with　it　and　by　that　law　produces　new　conditions　of　its　own。　A　balloon　affords　a　familiar　illustration　of　my　meaning。　The　balloon　with　its　freight　weighs　several　hundredweight；　yet　the　introduction　of　a　new　factor；　the　gas；　brings　with　it　a　law　of　its　own　which　entirely　alters　the　conditions；　and　the　force　of　gravity　is　so　completely　overcome　that　the　whole　mass　rises　into　the　air。　The　Law　itself　is　never　altered；　but　we　have　previously　known　it　only　under　limiting　conditions。　These　conditions；　however；　are　no　part　of　the　Law　itself；　and　a　clearer　realization　of　the　Law　shows　us　that　it　contai