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Lecture III
THE REALITY OF THE UNSEEN
Were one asked to characterize the life of religion in the
broadest and most general terms possible； one might say that it
consists of the belief that there is an unseen order； and that
our supreme good lies in harmoniously adjusting ourselves
thereto。 This belief and this adjustment are the religious
attitude in the soul。 I wish during this hour to call your
attention to some of the psychological peculiarities of such an
attitude as this； or belief in an object which we cannot see。
All our attitudes； moral； practical； or emotional； as well as
religious； are due to the 〃objects〃 of our consciousness； the
things which we believe to exist； whether really or ideally；
along with ourselves。 Such objects may be present to our senses；
or they may be present only to our thought。 In either case they
elicit from us a REACTION； and the reaction due to things of
thought is notoriously in many cases as strong as that due to
sensible presences。 It may be even stronger。 The memory of an
insult may make us angrier than the insult did when we received
it。 We are frequently more ashamed of our blunders afterwards
than we were at the moment of making them； and in general our
whole higher prudential and moral life is based on the fact that
material sensations actually present may have a weaker influence
on our action than ideas of remoter facts。
The more concrete objects of most men's religion； the deities
whom they worship； are known to them only in idea。 It has been
vouchsafed； for example； to very few Christian believers to have
had a sensible vision of their Saviour； though enough appearances
of this sort are on record； by way of miraculous exception； to
merit our attention later。 The whole force of the Christian
religion； therefore； so far as belief in the divine personages
determines the prevalent attitude of the believer； is in general
exerted by the instrumentality of pure ideas； of which nothing in
the individual's past experience directly serves as a model。
But in addition to these ideas of the more concrete religious
objects； religion is full of abstract objects which prove to have
an equal power。 God's attributes as such； his holiness； his
justice； his mercy； his absoluteness； his infinity； his
omniscience； his tri…unity； the various mysteries of the
redemptive process； the operation of the sacraments； etc。； have
proved fertile wells of inspiring meditation for Christian
believers。＇21＇ We shall see later that the absence of definite
sensible images is positively insisted on by the mystical
authorities in all religions as the sine qua non of a successful
orison； or contemplation of the higher divine truths。 Such
contemplations are expected （and abundantly verify the
expectation； as we shall also see） to influence the believer's
subsequent attitude very powerfully for good。
＇21＇ Example： 〃I have had much comfort lately in meditating on
the passages which show the personality of the Holy Ghost； and
his distinctness from the Father and the Son。 It is a subject
that requires searching into to find out； but； when realized；
gives one so much more true and lively a sense of the fullness of
the Godhead； and its work in us and to us； than when only
thinking of the Spirit in its effect on us。〃 Augustus Hare：
Memorials； i。 244； Maria Hare to Lucy H。 Hare。
Immanuel Kant held a curious doctrine about such objects of
belief as God； the design of creation； the soul； its freedom； and
the life hereafter。 These things； he said； are properly not
objects of knowledge at all。 Our conceptions always require a
sense…content to work with； and as the words soul；〃 〃God；〃
〃immortality；〃 cover no distinctive sense…content whatever； it
follows that theoretically speaking they are words devoid of any
significance。 Yet strangely enough they have a definite meaning
FOR OUR PRACTICE。 We can act AS IF there were a God； feel AS IF
we were free； consider Nature AS IF she were full of special
designs； lay plans AS IF we were to be immortal； and we find then
that these words do make a genuine difference in our moral life。
Our faith THAT these unintelligible objects actually exist proves
thus to be a full equivalent in praktischer Hinsicht； as Kant
calls it； or from the point of view of our action； for a
knowledge of WHAT they might be； in case we were permitted
positively to conceive them。 So we have the strange phenomenon；
as Kant assures us； of a mind believing with all its strength in
the real presence of a set of things of no one of which it can
form any notion whatsoever。
My object in thus recalling Kant's doctrine to your mind is not
to express any opinion as to the accuracy of this particularly
uncouth part of his philosophy； but only to illustrate the
characteristic of human nature which we are considering； by an
example so classical in its exaggeration。 The sentiment of
reality can indeed attach itself so strongly to our object of
belief that our whole life is polarized through and through； so
to speak； by its sense of the existence of the thing believed in；
and yet that thing； for purpose of definite description； can
hardly be said to be present to our mind at all。 It is as if a
bar of iron； without touch or sight； with no representative
faculty whatever； might nevertheless be strongly endowed with an
inner capacity for magnetic feeling； and as if； through the
various arousals of its magnetism by magnets coming and going in
its neighborhood； it might be consciously determined to different
attitudes and tendencies。 Such a bar of iron could never give you
an outward description of the agencies that had the power of
stirring it so strongly； yet of their presence； and of their
significance for its life； it would be intensely aware through
every fibre of its being。
It is not only the Ideas of pure Reason as Kant styled them； that
have this power of making us vitally feel presences that we are
impotent articulately to describe。 All sorts of higher
abstractions bring with them the same kind of impalpable appeal。
Remember those passages from Emerson which I read at my last
lecture。 The whole universe of concrete objects； as we know
them； swims； not only for such a transcendentalist writer； but
for all of us； in a wider and higher universe of abstract ideas；
that lend it its significance。 As time； space； and the ether
soak through all things so （we feel） do abstract and essential
goodness； beauty； strength； significance； justice； soak through
all things good； strong； significant； and just。
Such ideas； and others equally abstract； form the background for
all our facts； the fountain…head of all the possibilities we
conceive of。 They give its 〃nature；〃 as we call it； to every
special thing。 Everything we know is 〃what〃 it is by sharing in
the nature of one of these abstractions。 We can never look
directly at them； for they are bodiless and featureless and
footless； but we grasp all other things by their means； and in
handling the real world we should be stricken with helplessness
in just so far forth as we might lose these mental objects； these
adjectives and adverbs and predicates and heads of classification
and conception。
This absolute determinability of our mind by abstractions is one
of the cardinal facts in our human constitution。 Polarizing and
magnetizing us as they do； we turn towards them and from them； we
seek them； hold them； hate them； bless them； just as if they were
so many concrete beings。 And beings they are； beings as real in
the realm which they inhabit as the changing things of sense are
in the realm of space。
Plato gave so brilliant and impressive a defense of this common
human feeling； that the doctrine of the reality of abstract
objects has been known as the platonic theory of ideas ever
since。 Abstract Beauty； for example； is for Plato a perfectly
definite individual being； of which the intellect is aware as of
something additional to all the perishing beauties of the earth。
〃The true order of going；〃 he says； in the often quoted passage
in his 〃Banquet；〃 〃is to use the beauties of earth as steps along
which one mounts upwards for the sake of that other Beauty； going
from one to two； and from two to all fair forms； and from fair
forms to fa