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people who really enjoyed this world were busy breaking it up；
and the virtuous people did not care enough about them to knock
them down。 In this dilemma （the same as ours） Christianity suddenly
stepped in and offered a singular answer； which the world eventually
accepted as THE answer。 It was the answer then； and I think it is
the answer now。
This answer was like the slash of a sword； it sundered；
it did not in any sense sentimentally unite。 Briefly； it divided
God from the cosmos。 That transcendence and distinctness of the
deity which some Christians now want to remove from Christianity；
was really the only reason why any one wanted to be a Christian。
It was the whole point of the Christian answer to the unhappy pessimist
and the still more unhappy optimist。 As I am here only concerned
with their particular problem； I shall indicate only briefly this
great metaphysical suggestion。 All descriptions of the creating
or sustaining principle in things must be metaphorical； because they
must be verbal。 Thus the pantheist is forced to speak of God
in all things as if he were in a box。 Thus the evolutionist has；
in his very name； the idea of being unrolled like a carpet。
All terms； religious and irreligious； are open to this charge。
The only question is whether all terms are useless； or whether one can；
with such a phrase； cover a distinct IDEA about the origin of things。
I think one can； and so evidently does the evolutionist； or he would
not talk about evolution。 And the root phrase for all Christian
theism was this； that God was a creator； as an artist is a creator。
A poet is so separate from his poem that he himself speaks of it
as a little thing he has 〃thrown off。〃 Even in giving it forth he
has flung it away。 This principle that all creation and procreation
is a breaking off is at least as consistent through the cosmos as the
evolutionary principle that all growth is a branching out。 A woman
loses a child even in having a child。 All creation is separation。
Birth is as solemn a parting as death。
It was the prime philosophic principle of Christianity that
this divorce in the divine act of making （such as severs the poet
from the poem or the mother from the new…born child） was the true
description of the act whereby the absolute energy made the world。
According to most philosophers； God in making the world enslaved it。
According to Christianity； in making it； He set it free。
God had written； not so much a poem； but rather a play； a play he
had planned as perfect； but which had necessarily been left to human
actors and stage…managers； who had since made a great mess of it。
I will discuss the truth of this theorem later。 Here I have only
to point out with what a startling smoothness it passed the dilemma
we have discussed in this chapter。 In this way at least one could
be both happy and indignant without degrading one's self to be either
a pessimist or an optimist。 On this system one could fight all
the forces of existence without deserting the flag of existence。
One could be at peace with the universe and yet be at war with
the world。 St。 George could still fight the dragon； however big
the monster bulked in the cosmos； though he were bigger than the
mighty cities or bigger than the everlasting hills。 If he were as
big as the world he could yet be killed in the name of the world。
St。 George had not to consider any obvious odds or proportions in
the scale of things； but only the original secret of their design。
He can shake his sword at the dragon； even if it is everything；
even if the empty heavens over his head are only the huge arch of its
open jaws。
And then followed an experience impossible to describe。
It was as if I had been blundering about since my birth with two
huge and unmanageable machines； of different shapes and without
apparent connectionthe world and the Christian tradition。
I had found this hole in the world： the fact that one must
somehow find a way of loving the world without trusting it；
somehow one must love the world without being worldly。 I found this
projecting feature of Christian theology； like a sort of hard spike；
the dogmatic insistence that God was personal； and had made a world
separate from Himself。 The spike of dogma fitted exactly into
the hole in the worldit had evidently been meant to go there
and then the strange thing began to happen。 When once these two
parts of the two machines had come together； one after another；
all the other parts fitted and fell in with an eerie exactitude。
I could hear bolt after bolt over all the machinery falling
into its place with a kind of click of relief。 Having got one
part right； all the other parts were repeating that rectitude；
as clock after clock strikes noon。 Instinct after instinct was
answered by doctrine after doctrine。 Or； to vary the metaphor；
I was like one who had advanced into a hostile country to take
one high fortress。 And when that fort had fallen the whole country
surrendered and turned solid behind me。 The whole land was lit up；
as it were； back to the first fields of my childhood。 All those blind
fancies of boyhood which in the fourth chapter I have tried in vain
to trace on the darkness； became suddenly transparent and sane。
I was right when I felt that roses were red by some sort of choice：
it was the divine choice。 I was right when I felt that I would
almost rather say that grass was the wrong colour than say it must
by necessity have been that colour： it might verily have been
any other。 My sense that happiness hung on the crazy thread of a
condition did mean something when all was said： it meant the whole
doctrine of the Fall。 Even those dim and shapeless monsters of
notions which I have not been able to describe； much less defend；
stepped quietly into their places like colossal caryatides
of the creed。 The fancy that the cosmos was not vast and void；
but small and cosy； had a fulfilled significance now； for anything
that is a work of art must be small in the sight of the artist；
to God the stars might be only small and dear； like diamonds。
And my haunting instinct that somehow good was not merely a tool to
be used； but a relic to be guarded； like the goods from Crusoe's ship
even that had been the wild whisper of something originally wise； for；
according to Christianity； we were indeed the survivors of a wreck；
the crew of a golden ship that had gone down before the beginning of
the world。
But the important matter was this； that it entir