The spiritual life

(Martin Jones) #1

228 The SpiritualLife.


as fruit no mightybeings,far abovehispigmy


growth as he above the mote inthe sun-ray,


must not all universes be but anebbandflovs^


of the ocean, inwhich he is but a bubble in


the foam ofabreaking wave? Heseeshim-


self within measurable distance of hisend,for


whyshouldhisworldbearaharvestforeternity


when otherlike worlds have gone down into


thepastand no fruit of themremains? The


failure of the dead universes to produce con-


tinuing lives,exhibiting loftierpowers, appears


toprophesyforhimanevolutionequallylimited,


andtopresagehisapproachingdoom. Chilled


by the dank vapours of annihilation he flies


back into the warmer regions of faith, and


submits to any outrage on reason rather than


stifle the ever-recurring conviction,"Notallof


meshalldie.


Here steps forward to his rescue Eastern


Pantheism, satisfying alike to head and heart,


impregnable intellectually as that of Spinoza,


butsolvingtheproblemsoflifeasnophilosopher


can do who reduces intelligent beings to the


narrowcompassofmanandthelowerkingdoms


of nature. Otherworlds indisappearinghave


left the lives evolved bytheiraid, and beings


greater than man, intelligences deeper, wider,


loftier, crowd the realms of space, soaring to

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