ii] Tke Triunity of Man 77 



saw. He guides it, inspires it, gives to it its true value 

 as an instrument, because he sees purpose in it. But in 

 matter qua matter; in unperceived matter, if for the 

 moment we assume that such a thing could exist ; there 

 would be no purpose; matter derives all its meaning 

 from spirit. 



We have seen that for man matter only acquires 

 meaning as opposed to mere otherness which is really 

 potential meaning when he for the time indwells it. 

 This is one of the great arguments for the immanence of 

 God. When we remember that we have learned to look 

 on matter as the expression of the self-limitation of the 

 Godhead, much light is thrown on the conception of 

 God's immanence. For such matter is purposeful has 

 a meaning and by the analogy of man's immanence it 

 would seem that it is, and must be, indwelt by the spirit 

 of God. Thus from man's immanence we argue to the 

 nature of God's immanence, since we conclude on many 

 grounds that man's spirit is similar in nature to God's 

 spirit. Man's spirit is immanent in the same sense that 

 God is immanent. Man makes use of the mediating 

 function of matter for the manifestation and perfection 

 of his freedom. His will through the mediation of 

 matter achieves freedom in time. 



His indwelling spirit ever urges him on towards per- 

 fection that is, towards the completion of his unity 1 . 

 As we have seen, as soon as man becomes transcendent 

 he is able to look upon himself as both I and thou, but 

 he is at the same time conscious of the fact that he is 

 one, and that the completeness of his unity is made 

 possible because of the internal activities of his being as 

 its own subject and object. The completion of this unity 

 is the work of what we may call his spirit of freedom. 

 Let us, then, see what is the function of his freedom in 



1 In union, eventually; but for the moment we are arguing as 

 if personality could exist in isolation. 



