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only after years can one be sure of it； it is not to be brought about by vows and promises but by an essential kindred and cleaving of body and spirit； and it concerns only the two who can dare to say they have it； and God。 And the divine thing in marriage； the thing that is most like the love of God； is； even then； not the relationship of the man and woman as man and woman but the comradeship and trust and mutual help and pity that joins them。 No doubt that from the mutual necessities of bodily love and the common adventure； the necessary honesties and helps of a joint life； there springs the stoutest； nearest； most enduring and best of human companionship； perhaps only upon that root can the best of mortal comradeship be got； but it does not follow that the mere ordinary coming together and pairing off of men and women is in itself divine or sacramental or anything of the sort。 Being in love is a condition that may have its moments of sublime exaltation； but it is for the most part an experience far down the scale below divine experience； it is often love only in so far as it shares the name with better things； it is greed； it is admiration； it is desire； it is the itch for excitement； it is the instinct for competition； it is lust； it is curiosity； it is adventure； it is jealousy； it is hate。 On a hundred scores 'lovers' meet and part。 Thereby some few find true love and the spirit of God in themselves or others。 Lovers may love God in one another； I do not deny it。 That is no reason why the imitation and outward form of this great happiness should be made an obligation upon all men and women who are attracted by one another； nor why it should be woven into the essentials of religion。 For women much more than for men is this confusion dangerous； lest a personal love should shape and dominate their lives instead of God。 〃He for God only； she for God in him；〃 phrases the idea of Milton and of ancient Islam； it is the formula of sexual infatuation； a formula quite easily inverted； as the end of Goethe's Faust （〃The woman soul leadeth us upward and on〃） may witness。 The whole drift of modern religious feeling is against this exaggeration of sexual feeling； these moods of sexual slavishness； in spiritual things。 Between the healthy love of ordinary mortal lovers in love and the love of God； there is an essential contrast and opposition in this； that preference； exclusiveness； and jealousy seem to be in the very nature of the former and are absolutely incompatible with the latter。 The former is the intensest realisation of which our individualities are capable； the latter is the way of escape from the limitations of individuality。 It may be true that a few men and more women do achieve the completest unselfishness and self…abandonment in earthly love。 So the poets and romancers tell us。 If so； it is that by an imaginative perversion they have given to some attractive person a worship that should be reserved for God and a devotion that is normally evoked only by little children in their mother's heart。 It is not the way between most of the men and women one meets in this world。 But between God and the believer there is no other way； there is nothing else； but self…surrender and the ending of self。
CHAPTER THE SIXTH MODERN IDEAS OF SIN AND DAMNATION
1。 THE BIOLOGICAL EQUIVALENT OF SIN
If the reader who is unfamiliar with scientific things will obtain and read Metchnikoff's 〃Nature of Man；〃 he will find there an interesting summary of the biological facts that bear upon and destroy the delusion that there is such a thing as individual perfection； that there is even ideal perfection for humanity。 With an abundance of convincing instances Professor Metchnikoff demonstrates that life is a system of 〃disharmonies；〃 capable of no perfect way； that there is no 〃perfect〃 dieting； no 〃perfect〃 sexual life； no 〃perfect〃 happiness； no 〃perfect〃 conduct。 He releases one from the arbitrary but all too easy assumption that there is even an ideal 〃perfection〃 in organic life。 He sweeps out of the mind with all the confidence and conviction of a physiological specialist； any idea that there is a perfect man or a conceivable perfect man。 It is in the nature of every man to fall short at every point from perfection。 From the biological point of view we are as individuals a series of involuntary 〃tries〃 on the part of an imperfect species towards an unknown end。 Our spiritual nature follows our bodily as a glove follows a hand。 We are disharmonious beings and salvation no more makes an end to the defects of our souls than it makes an end to the decay of our teeth or to those vestigial structures of our body that endanger our physical welfare。 Salvation leaves us still disharmonious； and adds not an inch to our spiritual and moral stature。
2。 WHAT IS DAMNATION？
Let us now take up the question of what is Sin？ and what we mean by the term 〃damnation；〃 in the light of this view of human reality。 Most of the great world religions are as clear as Professor Metchnikoff that life in the world is a tangle of disharmonies； and in most cases they supply a more or less myth…like explanation； they declare that evil is one side of the conflict between Ahriman and Ormazd； or that it is the punishment of an act of disobedience； of the fall of man and world alike from a state of harmony。 Their case； like his； is that THIS world is damned。 We do not find the belief that superposed upon the miseries of this world there are the still bitterer miseries of punishments after death； so nearly universal。 The endless punishments of hell appear to be an exploit of theory； they have a superadded appearance even in the Christian system； the same common tendency to superlatives and absolutes that makes men ashamed to admit that God is finite； makes them seek to enhance the merits of their Saviour by the device of everlasting fire。 Conquest over the sorrow of life and the fear of death do not seem to them sufficient for Christ's glory。 Now the turning round of the modern mind from a conception of the universe as something derived deductively from the past to a conception of it as something gathering itself adventurously towards the future； involves a release from the supposed necessity to tell a story and explain why。 Instead comes the inquiry； 〃To what end？〃 We can say without mental discomfort； these disharmonies are here； this damnation is hereinexplicably。 We can； without any distressful inquiry into ultimate origins； bring our minds to the conception of a spontaneous and developing God arising out of those stresses in our hearts and in the universe； and arising to overcome them。 Salvation for the individual is escape from the individual distress at disharmony and the individual defeat by death； into the Kingdom of God。 And damnation can be nothing more and nothing less than the failure or inability or disinclination to make that escape。 Something of that idea of damnation as a lack of the will for salvation has crept at a number of points into contemporary religious thought。 It was the fine fancy of Swedenborg that the damned go to