1 80 Some Implications of the Incarnation [CH. 



constantly been driven. But here we are reasoning not 

 about immanence and process, but about Transcendent 

 Being. It may well be that to the Transcendent God 

 the consummation is actual and present even while, in 

 time, process is incomplete. A's returning flow of love 

 may thus be reality for God in the sphere of Absolute 

 Being, even while in the sphere of duration A is still on 

 the lowest rungs of the ladder, and his actual future, 

 in time, all unknown and undetermined. Even as the 

 Incarnation was involved in the creation, while yet its 

 actualisation was a kenosis of the Godhead in Time 

 brought about by the operation of the Will of the Son 

 acting freely ; so the final perfection was involved in the 

 action (which is itself the nature) of God's creative love, 

 while yet the attainment of that perfection was only 

 possible by the free choice of men able to choose good 

 or evil as they listed a choice unknown and unknow- 

 able to God till it was made, since it was in time. All 

 conscious action is anticipatory ; sees the end before it is 

 actualised ; and yet a temporal series has to intervene, 

 with all its contingency. Yet constantly-renewed will 

 brings the desired end about, through inspiration of each 

 successive stage. 



To reason about transcendence is a difficult, if not an 

 impossible task; but one may not set aside one's con- 

 viction that Transcendent Being must be eternally 

 complete as well as perfect ; and this being so, one must 

 try to set down some attempt tq reconcile the apparent 

 antinomies that are of necessity involved in the concep- 

 tions of Immanence and Transcendence. Still, the view 

 is unquestionably unsatisfactory, for it leaves the mind 

 dissatisfied. At what point does it break down? 



That the Transcendent Experience of God must be 

 in itself perfect and complete is clear. That the intro- 

 duction of any time element, any idea of before and 

 after, into this Experience is inadmissible, is clear. And 



