ence is measured not by the dignity of the injured person but by the
intention of the injurer, and that to speak of an infinite culpable
intention is sheer nonsense, and nothing else. In this connection those
words which Christ addressed to His Father are capable of application:
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do," and no man who
commits an offence against God or his neighbour knows what he does. In
human ethics, or if you like in human police regulations--that which is
called penal law and is anything but law[52] eternal punishment is a
meaningless phrase.

"God is just and punishes us; that is all we need to know; as far as we
are concerned the rest is merely curiosity." Such was the conclusion of
Lamennais (_Essai_, etc., iv^e partie, chap, vii.), an opinion shared by
many others. Calvin also held the same view. But is there anyone who is
content with this? Pure curiosity!--to call this load that wellnigh
crushes our heart pure curiosity!

May we not say, perhaps, that the evil man is annihilated because he
wished to be annihilated, or that he did not wish strongly enough to
eternalize himself because he was evil? May we not say that it is not
believing in the other life that makes a man good, but rather that being
good makes him believe in it? And what is being good and being evil?
These states pertain to the sphere of ethics, not of religion: or,
rather, does not the doing good though being evil pertain to ethics, and
the being good though doing evil to religion?

Shall we not perhaps be told, on the other hand, that if the sinner
suffers an eternal punishment, it is because he does not cease to
sin?--for the damned sin without ceasing. This, however, is no solution
of the problem, which derives all its absurdity from the fact that
punishment has been conceived as vindictiveness or vengeance, not as
correction, has been conceived after the fashion of barbarous peoples.
And in the same way hell has been conceived as a sort of police
institution, necessary in order to put fear into the world. And the
worst of it is that it no longer intimidates, and therefore will have to
be shut up.

But, on the other hand, as a religious conception and veiled in mystery,
why not--although the idea revolts our feelings--an eternity of
suffering? why not a God who is nourished by our suffering? Is our
happiness the end of the Universe? or may we possibly sustain with our
suffering some alien happiness? Let us r