The Newtown bee., 1906-04-06

was that the soul knew no persons.
We are not assured that Emerson
could work out his own logic here. One
may readily, with such hypothesis,
come to deprecatory conclusion con-
corning the personality of Jesus. Yet
Emerson did not have the relation of
Jesus to God in mind at this point.
He was opposing especially the idea of
limitation which to him the word en-
bodied. So we read in Emerson g
Journal Of March, 1885, II say that 1
consciousness, any truth in saying that
God is a person, but the reverse. I
feel that there is some proclamation in
saying he is personal. To represent
him as an individual Is to shut him
out of my consciousness. He is then
but q great man such as the crowd
worships." And again in the same
chapter, II deny personality to Cod
because it is too little, not too much"
We see at once that Emerson's ideas
of words are at fault, not his cOncep-
of .the infinite largenesS of God is q
good definition Of personality. He
thought personality characteristic of
man and hence limited; therefore to
make the contrast he used term
which was Numerically opposed to
the idea of person.
Emerson, then, did wish to rever-
ence personality in God. He ibid not,
however, recognize the interplay Of re-
lationship between God and Christ.
What he defined as personal in Christ
made difficult bis approach to God.
Emerson would have been pleased to
occont tho roovamant If mndarn mill.
osophy which defines personality as
completeness, not as Limitation.
Lotze is held by Prof F. G.. Peabody
and others to be the best representa-
tive of modern philosophy, hence we
may quote: as cOrrObOratiOn OF our
point, the closing sentence of his great
work, Personality can be complete
in an infinite being only ~. For per-
sonality of finite beings we have little
right to speak. 1t is an ideal. Like
every ideal it is, in its fulness, his only
good, it is ours only condfttonally and
imperfectly to SHARE"
WITHIN THE LAST GENERATION
men have been giving a prominent
place to intuition in religion. Beech
er was the preacher of the love of God,
hence he placed emphasis upon heart
power, yet Emerson came before and
went beyond him in preaching to the
world the innate likeness which exists
between finite and infinite. To EN-
~ here he is true to his doctrine of a
continuous revelations: and as we are
to-day exalting the poet as preacher,
Emerson, indeed, has his place, for not
only is he poet but preacher Of po-
etry. Emerson, like all poets, was In.
dependent, and he urged independence
from custom, precedent and from even
theology. Theology is statement OF
our scientific knowledge Of God; for
revelation as we have it is historic;
therefore intuition, the realm of the
poet, comes nearer the truth. 1t goes
toward truth. Emerson makes much
element in man. He places above
every thing else that innate power In
us which deties analysis, and which
seems to vanish If we try to be assured
of it through intellectual channels.
"Man is q stream whose source Is hid
den, for our being is descending into
US from we know not whence. (See
note 3. 1--WE must not tamper with
the orr anic motives of the soul. .
(See note a. And still farther, III we
See See G no1s s. $: '' III '' he IMAM,
nave not found his home
in God, his manners, his forms OF
speech, the turn of his sentences, the
build, shall say, of all his opinions,
will involuntarily confess it. "(see note
l6) Hence intuition with Emerson lis
according to lofty standards. A man
must be that he may know. Only that
is to pass as intuition which affects
the whole life largely, which makes it
TO seek the fulfiilment of divine ends.
Like all mystics, Emerson urges q
He cannot do so II the surroundings
detract. Mysticism as such and alone
we feel is not the ultimate, or the per
feet belief. There must be something
besides the passive listening, in fac,
men cannot listen we'll who are not al
the same time making thought theil
own by living it. Here Emerson con
tradicts himself as it were, and If not
surely the principles of Christianity
do contradict him; for truth as 1t comes
tobe known is leaven. THAT mar
shall be learned who reduceth BIZ
learning to practice" (see note 7.
have no time to lose in waiting fol
light: we 90 out for it. Here Elmer
, son is we'll our teacher. Be he mystic
we are constrained to feel chat hi,
master soul had revelations which are
denied those who do not or cannot SIT
with God, to think his thoughts aft
er him. All truth is not the result
. of illumination from above, nor is II
any more so a result OF thought or rea
soning. We need to incorporate intt
our Christian ideal some of the Quak
er's Inner Light and some of Plotinus
Ecstasy.
THE GREAT APOSTLE OF sELF-REL1
ANCE
had not been so confident In man with
out reliance in God. The Greek poe
though cropping in the darkness be
cause of his theology--sang of mOrt
! tender Hades. Ia spite of lack OF rev
citation, longing or instructive reach
/ ing out after the infinite has facet
: man toward the light. Tn
heart throb of all savage races mani
Testing worship of some nature pOwe
I or idol is revelation as we'll as proof o
divinity. Emerson is a first one t,
speak of this unseen truth. Ma.
q