The Perfect Man.^257
one hour?"-but no human hand may clasp
anotherinthatGethsemaneofdesolation.
When this darkness of human desertion is
overpast, then, despite the shrinking of the
humannature from the cup,comesthe deeper
darknessofthehourwhenagulfseemstoopen
between the Fatherand the Son,betweenthe
lifeembodiedandthelifeinfinite. TheFather,
who wasyetrealised inGethsemanewhenall
humanfriendswereslumbering,isveiledinthe
passionoftheCross. It isthebitterest of all
theordealsofthe Initiate,wheneventhecon-
sciousnessofthelifeof sonship islost,andthe
hourofthe hoped-for triumphbecomesthatof
the deepest ignominy. He sees his enemies
exultantaroundhim; heseeshimselfabandoned
by his friends and his lovers; he feels the
divinesupport crumbleawaybeneathhisfeet;
and hedrinkstothe lastdrop the cup of soli-
tude,of isolation,no contactwith manorGod
bridging the void in which hangs his helpless
soul. Then from the heart that feels itself
desertedevenbythe Fatherringsoutthecry:
"MyGod! myGod! whyhastThouforsaken
me?
Whythislastproof,thislastordeal,thismost
cruel of all illusions? Illusion,for the dying
Christisnearestofalltothedivine Heart.
