240 THE WORLD-ENERGY 



tern. It is merely formal objectivity. And this formal 

 objectivity first proves its completeness as the abstract 

 system of thought. In this system, too, we have seen 

 the fundamental characteristic to be that of absolute self- 

 consistency. It is the spontaneity of spirit that proves 

 to be in its highest term absolute Reason. 



But this system of thought as merely formal is still 

 predominantly subjective. In it spirit is as yet seen only 

 as virtually or potentially objective. And, as we have 

 seen, the truth of spirit, even as subjective, is measured 

 absolutely by the degree in which it develops itself into 

 substantial objectivity. The internal, let us repeat, is 

 wholly without meaning save so far as there is a com- 

 pletely corresponding external. Nay, the internal, so 

 far as it is real, already bears within itself its own com- 

 plementary externality. 



The World-Energy as spirit, then, proves once more 

 to be not merely infinite internality as impulse, not 

 merely infinite subjectivity as thought, but also absolutely 

 spontaneous energy as infinitely self -realizing reason, 

 or WILL. Through these three complementary phases 

 the World-Energy as spirit unfolds itself as the infinite, 

 unchanging, completely self -conscious' process which con- 

 stitutes the absolutely perfect personality of God. They 

 are the three fundamental and absolutely correlated 

 modes of the World-Energy now seen to be in its final 

 analysis an absolutely spiritual energy.* 



It is in the spontaneity of this divine World-Energy, 

 then, that we discover at last the secret of all motion, 



*A brief consideration of the Christian doctrine of the Trinity is withheld 

 from this place and will appear in a succeeding volume under the title: "God 

 and Man." Of course the intimation given in the text is altogether inade- 

 quate in this respect. 



