38 The Tnunity of God [CH. 



pious. Human nature is divine : the mirror of the Eter- 

 nal ; and we can only envisage the Unknown through its 

 known counterpart. Because of this, the effort to under- 

 stand the Godhead through the study of manhood is 

 the most hopeful method open to the partial powers of 

 reason. 



We shall therefore start from the basis of human per- 

 sonality and our knowledge of the laws which govern it, 

 and try to construct some conception of the Divine 

 Personality and the laws of Self-determination which 

 govern its Activities ; in order to find, if we may, a sure 

 foundation in reason for the revealed Nature of the 

 Godhead. 



Before we begin our proper task it will be well to 

 remind ourselves briefly of the dogmatic teaching of 

 orthodox Christianity as to the nature of the Being of 

 God, casting it in a modern mould. To this and to the 

 formulation of difficulties and questionings the present 

 chapter is devoted. 



(1) Our knowledge of the existence of God rests 

 on His self-revelation under conditions apprehen- 

 sible to us, which means, directly or indirectly, to 

 our reason. 



(2) Our knowledge of the Nature of God 1 as seen 

 in His manward aspects of what we may call 

 His Objective Being rests on our recognition of 

 His attributes, which are manifested to us in that 

 self-revelation, and on the fact that our own nature 

 renders such recognition possible. 



(3) Our knowledge of the essential or subjective 

 Being 1 of God the Being of God for Himself rests 

 in part on His special revelation throughout the 



1 For justification of this distinction between God-for-Us 

 (limited human beings) and God-for-Himself, and discussion of 

 the problem of the thing-in-itself which is apparently involved, 

 see Preliminary Considerations, pp. 12-16. 



