n--for it is so
long this way to God that Bergson pursues, so long, so long; and the
particular way of this book is to me not like climbing, but
descending: it resembles the frenzied action of a man searching for
lilies downwards, digging with painful persistence in the dark earth
amongst roots. How much more joyous to find the lily where she
blooms, above in the light! There is another way of the Intelligence:
a way of climbing to icy heights, bare, unwarmed by any ray of love,
but less painful than this descent amongst dark roots. Cold, hard
Intelligence, once to slip upon thy frozen way is to be broken on thy
pitiless bosom! O God, in thy tender pity incline our hearts to seek
Thee by the way of Love! For the road of Love comes easily to
knowledge, but the road of knowledge comes not easily to Love.

And we know that love is above learning and wisdom. Did not
Solomon choose wisdom? and we think him so wise to have made
this choice, but he had been far wiser to have chosen holy love. For
wisdom lost herself and him in the arms of unworthy love: so we see
the highest degree of the Wisdom of Man held in bondage to, and
undone by, even the lowest degree of love.

* * *

Dig deeply, and what do we find is at bottom our great, our
persistent need? What is it that instinctively we look for and desire?
Happiness, and the Ever-new.

In and out of every day persistently, desperately, endlessly we seek.
And because we seek amongst the near-to-hand, the visible, the
small, we seek in vain: we discover there is nothing in this world
which can wholly and permanently satisfy either of these desires.

God Himself is Happiness. God Himself is the Ever-new.

In Divine Love there is no monotony: the soul finds that each
encounter with God is ever new, the Ever-new tremulous with the
beauty of rapture: new and wonderful as the first dawn.

IV

Not only is God a Mystery of Holiness, of Truth, of Love and
Beauty: He is also Generosity, a mystery of Eternal Giving, and His
giving is and must for ever be, the supreme necessity of the
Universe: for without He gave how should we receive life, truth,
beauty, love, or Himself?

And it cannot be too deeply impressed upon the soul that would
come to His Presence that because of His law of like to like she
must conform to this law in order to come to His Presence. By
thinking it over we shall see that it is more difficult for us to be
perfect holiness, perfect truth, perfect love, per