orthodoxy-第22部分

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The　man　who　disliked　vestments　wore　a　pair　of　preposterous　trousers。　



And　surely　if　there　was　any　insanity　involved　in　the　matter　at　all　it



was　in　the　trousers；　not　in　the　simply　falling　robe。　　If　there　was　any



insanity　at　all；　it　was　in　the　extravagant　entrees；　not　in　the　bread



and　wine。







　　　　　I　went　over　all　the　cases；　and　I　found　the　key　fitted　so　far。　



The　fact　that　Swinburne　was　irritated　at　the　unhappiness　of　Christians



and　yet　more　irritated　at　their　happiness　was　easily　explained。　



It　was　no　longer　a　complication　of　diseases　in　Christianity；



but　a　complication　of　diseases　in　Swinburne。　　The　restraints



of　Christians　saddened　him　simply　because　he　was　more　hedonist



than　a　healthy　man　should　be。　　The　faith　of　Christians　angered



him　because　he　was　more　pessimist　than　a　healthy　man　should　be。　



In　the　same　way　the　Malthusians　by　instinct　attacked　Christianity；



not　because　there　is　anything　especially　anti…Malthusian　about



Christianity；　but　because　there　is　something　a　little　anti…human



about　Malthusianism。







　　　　　Nevertheless　it　could　not；　I　felt；　be　quite　true　that　Christianity



was　merely　sensible　and　stood　in　the　middle。　　There　was　really



an　element　in　it　of　emphasis　and　even　frenzy　which　had　justified



the　secularists　in　their　superficial　criticism。　　It　might　be　wise；



I　began　more　and　more　to　think　that　it　was　wise；　but　it　was　not



merely　worldly　wise；　it　was　not　merely　temperate　and　respectable。　



Its　fierce　crusaders　and　meek　saints　might　balance　each　other；



still；　the　crusaders　were　very　fierce　and　the　saints　were　very　meek；



meek　beyond　all　decency。　　Now；　it　was　just　at　this　point　of　the



speculation　that　I　remembered　my　thoughts　about　the　martyr　and



the　suicide。　　In　that　matter　there　had　been　this　combination　between



two　almost　insane　positions　which　yet　somehow　amounted　to　sanity。　



This　was　just　such　another　contradiction；　and　this　I　had　already



found　to　be　true。　　This　was　exactly　one　of　the　paradoxes　in　which



sceptics　found　the　creed　wrong；　and　in　this　I　had　found　it　right。　



Madly　as　Christians　might　love　the　martyr　or　hate　the　suicide；



they　never　felt　these　passions　more　madly　than　I　had　felt　them　long



before　I　dreamed　of　Christianity。　　Then　the　most　difficult　and



interesting　part　of　the　mental　process　opened；　and　I　began　to　trace



this　idea　darkly　through　all　the　enormous　thoughts　of　our　theology。　



The　idea　was　that　which　I　had　outlined　touching　the　optimist　and



the　pessimist；　that　we　want　not　an　amalgam　or　compromise；　but　both



things　at　the　top　of　their　energy；　love　and　wrath　both　burning。　



Here　I　shall　only　trace　it　in　relation　to　ethics。　　But　I　need　not



remind　the　reader　that　the　idea　of　this　combination　is　indeed　central



in　orthodox　theology。　　For　orthodox　theology　has　specially　insisted



that　Christ　was　not　a　being　apart　from　God　and　man；　like　an　elf；



nor　yet　a　being　half　human　and　half　not；　like　a　centaur；　but　both



things　at　once　and　both　things　thoroughly；　very　man　and　very　God。　



Now　let　me　trace　this　notion　as　I　found　it。







　　　　　All　sane　men　can　see　that　sanity　is　some　kind　of　equilibrium；



that　one　may　be　mad　and　eat　too　much；　or　mad　and　eat　too　little。　



Some　moderns　have　indeed　appeared　with　vague　versions　of　progress　and



evolution　which　seeks　to　destroy　the　MESON　or　balance　of　Aristotle。　



They　seem　to　suggest　that　we　are　meant　to　starve　progressively；



or　to　go　on　eating　larger　and　larger　breakfasts　every　morning　for　ever。　



But　the　great　truism　of　the　MESON　remains　for　all　thinking　men；



and　these　people　have　not　upset　any　balance　except　their　own。　



But　granted　that　we　have　all　to　keep　a　balance；　the　real　interest



comes　in　with　the　question　of　how　that　balance　can　be　kept。　



That　was　the　problem　which　Paganism　tried　to　solve：　　that　was



the　problem　which　I　think　Christianity　solved　and　solved　in　a　very



strange　way。







　　　　　Paganism　declared　that　virtue　was　in　a　balance；　Christianity



declared　it　was　in　a　conflict：　　the　collision　of　two　passions



apparently　opposite。　　Of　course　they　were　not　really　inconsistent；



but　they　were　such　that　it　was　hard　to　hold　simultaneously。　



Let　us　follow　for　a　moment　the　clue　of　the　martyr　and　the　suicide；



and　take　the　case　of　courage。　　No　quality　has　ever　so　much　addled



the　brains　and　tangled　the　definitions　of　merely　rational　sages。　



Courage　is　almost　a　contradiction　in　terms。　　It　means　a　strong　desire



to　live　taking　the　form　of　a　readiness　to　die。　　〃He　that　will　lose



his　life；　the　same　shall　save　it；〃　is　not　a　piece　of　mysticism



for　saints　and　heroes。　　It　is　a　piece　of　everyday　advice　for



sailors　or　mountaineers。　　It　might　be　printed　in　an　Alpine　guide



or　a　drill　book。　　This　paradox　is　the　whole　principle　of　courage；



even　of　quite　earthly　or　quite　brutal　courage。　　A　man　cut　off　by



the　sea　may　save　his　life　if　he　will　risk　it　on　the　precipice。







　　　　　He　can　only　get　away　from　death　by　continually　stepping　within



an　inch　of　it。　　A　soldier　surrounded　by　enemies；　if　he　is　to　cut



his　way　out；　needs　to　combine　a　strong　desire　for　living　with　a



strange　carelessness　about　dying。　　He　must　not　merely　cling　to　life；



for　then　he　will　be　a　coward；　and　will　not　escape。　　He　must　not　merely



wait　for　death；　for　then　he　will　be　a　suicide；　and　will　not　escape。　



He　must　seek　his　life　in　a　spirit　of　furious　indifference　to　it；



he　must　desire　life　like　water　and　yet　drink　death　like　wine。　



No　philosopher；　I　fancy；　has　ever　expressed　this　romantic　riddle



with　adequate　lucidity；　and　I　certainly　have　not　done　so。　



But　Christianity　has　done　more：　　it　has　marked　the　limits　of　it



in　the　awful　graves　of　the　suicide　and　the　hero；　showing　the　distance



between　him　who　dies　for　the　sake　of　living　and　him　who　dies　for　the



sake　of　dying。　　And　it　has　held　up　ever　since　above　the　European



lances　the　banner　of　the　mystery　of　chivalry：　　the　Christian　courage；



which　is　a　disdain　of　death；　not　the　Chinese　courage；　which　is　a



disdain　of　life。







　　　　　And　now　I　began　to　find　that　this　duplex　passion　was　the　Christian



key　to　ethics　everywhere。　　Everywhere　the　creed　made　a　moderation



out　of　the　still　crash　of　two　impetuous　emotions。　　Take；　for　instance；



the　matter　of　modesty；　of　the　balance　between　mere　pride　and



mere　prostration。　　The　average　pagan；　like　the　average　agnostic；



would　merely　say　that　he　was　content　with　himself；　but　not　insolently



self…satisfied；　that　there　were　many　better　and　many　worse；



that　his　deserts　were　limited；　but　he　would　see　that　he　got　them。　



In　short；　he　would　walk　with　his　head　in　the　air；　but　not　necessarily



with　his　nose　in　the　air。　　This　is　a　manly　and　rational　position；



but　it　is　open　to　the　objection　we　noted　against　the　compromise



between　optimism　and　pessimismthe　〃resignation〃　of　Matthew　Arnold。　



Being　a　mixture　of　two　things；　it　is　a　dilution　of　two　things；



neither　is　present　in　its　full　strength　or　contributes　its　full　colour。　



This　proper　pride　does　not　lift　the　heart　like　the　tongue　of　trumpets；



you　cannot　go　clad　in　crimson　and　gold　for　this。　　On　the　other　hand；



this　mild　rationalist　modesty　does　not　cleanse　the　soul　with　fire



and　make　it　clear　like　crystal；　it　does　not　（like　a　strict　and



searching　humility）　make　a　man　as　a　little　child；　who　can　sit　at



the　feet　of　the　grass。　　It　does　not　make　him　look　up　and　see　marvels；



for　Alice　must　grow　small　if　she　is　to　be　Alice　in　Wonderland。　　Thus　it



loses　both　the　poetry　of　being　proud　and　the　poetry　of　being　humble。　



Christianity　sought　by　this　same　strange　expedient　to　save　both



of　them。







　　　　　It　separated　the　two　ideas　and　then　exaggerated　them　both。　



In　one　way　Man　was　to　be　haughtier　than　he　had　ever　been　before；



in　another　way　he　was　to　be　humbler　than　he　had　ever　been　before。　



In　so　far　as　I　am　Man　I　am　the　chief　of　creatures。　　In　so　far



as　I　am　a　man　I　am　the　chief　of　sinners。　　All　humility　that　had



meant　pessimism；　that　had　meant　man　taking　a　vague　or　mean　view



of　his　whole　destinyall　that　was　to　go。　　We　were　to　hear　no　more



the　wail　of　Ecclesiastes　that　humanity　had　no　pre…eminence　over



the　brute；　or　the　awful　cry　of　Homer　that　man　was　only　the　saddest



of　all　the　beasts　of　the　field。　　Man　was　a　statue　of　God　walking



about　the　garden。　　Man　had　pre…eminence　over　all　the　brutes；



man　was　only　sad　because　he　was　not　a　beast；　but　a　broken　god。　



The　Greek　had　spoken　of　men　creeping　on　the　earth；　as　if　clinging



to　it。　　Now　Man　was　to　tread　on　the　earth　as　if　to　subdue　it。　



Christianity　thus　held　a　thought　of　the　dignity　of　man　that　could　only



be　expressed　in　crowns　rayed　like　the　sun　and　fans　of　peacock　plumage。　



Yet　at　the　same　time　it　could　hold　a　thought　about　the　abject　smallness



of　man　that　could　only　be　expressed　in　fasting　and　fantastic　submission；



in　the　gray　ashes　of　St。　Dominic　and　the　white　snows　of　St。　Bernard。　



When　one　came　to　think　of　ONE'S　SELF；　there　was　vista　and　void　enough



for　any　amount　of　bleak　abnegation　and　bitter　truth。　　There　the



realistic　gentleman　could　let　himself　goas　long　as　he　let　himself　go



at　himself。　　There　was　an　open　playground　for　the　happy　pessimist。　



Let　him　say　anything　against　himself　short　of　blaspheming　the　original



aim　of　his　being；　let　him　call　himself　a　fool　and　even　a　damned



fool　（though　that　is　Calvinistic）；　but　he　must　not　say　that　fools



are　not　worth　saving。　　He　must　not　say　that　a　man；　QUA　man；



can　be　valueless。　　Here；　again　in　short；　Christianity　got　over　the



difficulty