_I. Difficulty of expressing the Idea of God so that it can be readily understood_ _35_ _II. The Rapid Growth of Modern Knowledge_ _46_
_V. The Idea of God as immanent in the World_ _81_
_VI. The Idea of God as remote from the World_ _87_
_VII. Conflict between the Two Ideas, commonly misunderstood as a Conflict between Religion and Science_ _97_
_VIII. Anthropomorphic Conceptions of God_ _111_
_X. Simile of the Watch replaced by Simile of the Flower_ _128_
_XI. The Craving for a Final Cause_ _134_
_XIII. The Eternal Source of Phenomena_ _144_
_XIV. The Power that makes for Righteousness_ _158_
_Difficulty of expressing the Idea of God so that it can be readily understood._
In Goethe's great poem, while Faust is walking with Margaret at eventide in the garden, she asks him questions about his religion. It is long since he has been shriven or attended mass; does he, then, believe in God?--a question easy to answer with a simple yes, were it not for the form in which it is put. The great scholar and subtle thinker, who has delved in the deepest mines of philosophy and come forth weary and heavy-laden with their boasted treasures, has framed a very different conception of God from that entertained by the priest at the confessional or the altar, and how is he to make this intelligible to the simple-minded girl that walks by his side? Who will make bold to declare that he can grasp an idea of such overwhelming vastness as the idea of God, yet who that hath the feelings of a man can bring himself to cast away a belief that is indispensable to the rational and healthful workings of the mind? So long as the tranquil dome of heaven is raised above our heads and the firm-set earth is spread forth beneath our feet, while the everlasting stars course in their mighty orbits and the lover gazes with ineffable tenderness into the eyes of her that loves him, so long, says Faust, must our hearts go out toward Him that upholds and comprises all. Name or describe as we may the Sustainer of the world, the eternal fact remains there, far above our comprehension, yet clearest and most real of all facts. To name and describe it, to bring it within the formulas of theory or creed, is but to veil its glory as when the brightness of heaven is enshrouded in mist and smoke. This has a pleasant sound to Margaret's ears. It reminds her of what the parson sometimes says, though couched in very different phrases; and yet she remains uneasy and unsatisfied. Her mind is benumbed by the presence of an idea confessedly too great to be grasped. She feels the need of some concrete symbol that can be readily apprehended; and she hopes that her lover has not been learning bad lessons from Mephistopheles.