THE NEW WINE
197
down to Hell .
He may become
spontaneously , in the
twinkling of an
eye ,
a
St.
Francis
preaching
to
his
little sisters the birds
,
or
Egg
-
Nogg who persists
in
a
state
of
abnormal
flatulency
,
because
he
considers
himself identical with
a
bottle
of
ginger
-
beer
.
The state
of
illumination
above mentioned
is
by
no
means
an
easy
one
to
attain
to
,
and
the
study
of
philosophy
alone helps
us
,
if
we follow
it
under the
shaded
light
of
a
critical scepticism
;
for
as
a
chemist
reduces
his compounds
to
their component parts
,
and
then
to
their elementary
conditions
;
so
must we dissect
all
philosophic
arguments
which
rise
up
antagonistic
to
our true selves
—
that
is
in
harmony with our false
selves
-
seducing our sense
to
pluck the fruit which
is
pleasant
to
the eye
,
or
inducing our understanding
in
despair
,
to
cast itself down
from the pinnacle
of
the
temple into that abyss below
,
which
is
the world
.
Then
in
the end we shall find
all
these philosophies
are but
types
of
the One
,
that
all
things are
a
unity
,
that
no
con
tradiction can
or
does exist
,
and that there
is
a
universal
harmony
;
then
,
as
that terrific
night engulfs
all
and
envelops
us
,
O
children
of
the Day
!
Let
us
rise
up
with
the whole dawn
of
our understanding
,
encircle and an
nihilate this dismal unity
,
and conglobe
all
into
a
per
fect nothingness
,
an
ineffable bliss
—
attainment
is
ours
.
It
matters little whether we
With
Fichte and the Brahmins preach
That Ego
-
Atman sole
must
be
;
With Schelling and the Buddha own
Non
-
Ego
-
Skandhas are alone
;
With Hegel and
—
the Christian
?
teach
That which completes
,
includes
,
absorbs
Both mighty unrevolving orbs
In
one informing masterless
Master
-
idea
of
consciousness
,