76 The Triunity of Man [CH. 



Immanence would then seem to be, for man, the tem- 

 porary or more or less permanent cessation of recogni- 

 tion of the otherness of an object, for the purpose of 

 achieving an end; such cessation of recognition being 

 thus conditioned by an element of will. 



Nevertheless man is in fact still limited by the nature 

 of the object; even with a thing so much a part of him 

 as his hand he cannot see or smell; it is in fact an 

 'other.' This is obvious, for it is external to him, and 

 mediating in function; through it he achieves some- 

 thing, because he is still becoming. We may therefore 

 say that, as far as man is concerned, immanence is the 

 using of an ' other ' for the spirit's purpose of becoming, 

 the spirit finding in it something beyond mere otherness, 

 and indeed neglecting this aspect as use is made of it. 

 Otherness is for the time swallowed up in the more in- 

 clusive concept of mediation. 



When one applies this same thought to the Imman- 

 ence of God in the Cosmos it is seen as singularly sugges- 

 tive. God can, apparently, think the Cosmos as an 

 ' other,' as a self -limitation ; but inasmuch as His purpose 

 is being worked out through His indwelling, it becomes 

 no longer an other, but a part of Himself; though in 

 fact it is a limitation, He does not recognise it as a 

 limitation while He works in it. This underlies Christ's 

 words 'my Father worketh until now, and I work.' 



Now in becoming a tool for man matter is only sub- 

 serving that which we have seen is its proper function. 

 Man implicitly recognises this in neglecting its other- 

 ness. A tool is for him a means to an end. Thus, like 

 God, he looks on matter as purposive. As soon, that is, 

 as he, a conscious being, becomes immanent in matter 

 he does so because he finds purpose not only in himself 

 but in matter also. The stone on the beach which is 

 clearly perceived by the child, is there for him to throw. 

 Matter is there that man may use it, be it hand or hand- 



