Page:Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion volume 3.djvu/39

 there. In the same way Spirit presupposes itself, it is what begins.

The differentiation through which the Divine Life passes is not of an external kind, but must be defined as an inward differentiation in such a way that the First, or the Father, is to be conceived of as the Last. The process is thus nothing but the play of self-preservation or self-confirmation. This characteristic is of importance in this respect that it constitutes the criterion by which to estimate the value of many of the popular conceptions of God, and by which what is defective in them can be detected and criticised, and it is specially owing to the presence of that defective element that this characteristic is often overlooked or misunderstood.

We are considering the Idea in its universality, as it exists in pure thought, and as defined by means of pure thought. This Idea is all truth and the one truth, and consequently everything particular which is to be conceived of as true must be conceived of in accordance with the Form of this Idea.

Nature and the finite spirit are a product of God, and therefore possess rationality. The fact that they have been made by God involves their having truth in themselves, divine truth in general, i.e., the characteristic of this Idea considered generally.

The Form of this Idea exists in God only as Spirit; if the Divine Idea exists in those forms which belong to finitude, it is not in that case posited in its true and entire nature, in-and-for-self; it is only in Spirit that it is so posited. In these finite forms it exists in a finite way; but the world is something which has been produced by God, and therefore the Divine Idea always constitutes its basis if we consider it in a general aspect. To know the truth regarding anything just means to know it and define it in accordance with the form of this Idea.

In the earlier religions, particularly in the religion of India, we have ideas which are in accord with that of the