16Septemberсентября · 16-е сентября
Сомнения не разрушают, но укрепляют веру.
Doubts do not destroy faith, but strengthen it.
1. Я не берусь провести непроводимую черту между богом и нами. Решения воли, несомненно, наши, но в области высшей, в области свободной мысли и чувства, нельзя не признать его присутствия. Всё наиболее глубокое в нас есть только его отражение.
Он постоянно воодушевляет нас, никогда не перестает действовать через нас, если только мы соглашаемся желать и делать то, чего он хочет. Он содействует нашим нравственным усилиям, поддерживает нас в правде, принимает наше сотрудничество в борьбе со злом и открывает нам множество вещей слишком прекрасных, чтобы их можно было выразить словами.
Но малейшая неверность ему — и он покидает нас.
1. I do not undertake to draw a line between God and us that cannot be drawn. The decisions of the will are undoubtedly ours, but in the higher realm, the realm of free thought and feeling, we cannot fail to recognize his presence. All that is deepest in us is only his reflection.
He constantly inspires us and never ceases to act through us, if only we consent to desire and to do what he wills. He assists our moral efforts, upholds us in the truth, accepts our cooperation in the struggle against evil, and reveals to us a multitude of things too beautiful to be put into words.
But the least unfaithfulness to him — and he leaves us.
From Lo! God is Here!, sermon XXVII in Endeavours after the Christian Life · shortened by Tolstoy .
What Tolstoy read · James Martineau: Passages from his Writings, selected by C. G. Howland, in Unity Church-…I pretend not to draw the untraceable line that separates his being from ours.
His inspiration is perennial; and he never ceases to work within us if we consent to will and to do his good pleasure.
But he is expelled by the least unfaithfulness.
Source text: archive.orgMartineau’s own wordsI pretend not to draw the untraceable line that separates his being from ours.
The decisions of the Will, doubtless, are our own, and constitute the proper sphere of our personal agency.
Whatever is most deep within us is the reflection of himself.
He befriends our moral efforts; encourages us to maintain our resolute fidelity and truth; accepts our co-operation with his designs against all evil; and reveals to us many things far too fair and deep for language to express.
Source text: archive.orgDetails
The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. Lo! God is Here!, sermon XXVII in Endeavours after the Christian Life (1843–47), New edition (Boston: James Munroe, 1858), pp. 347–48.
Shortened, and close to the abridgment Tolstoy read. Howland's selection in Unity's Church-Door Pulpit, which earlier months found behind Tolstoy's Martineau, prints the passage under the heading 'Thou in me, and I in Thee' and runs '... far too fair and deep for language to express. But he is expelled by the least unfaithfulness', leaving out Martineau's 'while he is thus prompt to come with his Spirit to the help of seeking hearts'; Tolstoy's «Но малейшая неверность ему — и он покидает нас» (But the least unfaithfulness to him, and he leaves us) follows that shorter text. Tolstoy also leaves out 'and constitute the proper sphere of our personal agency' and the two sentences on 'our better love, and higher aspirations' and 'the sweet touch of his morning light within us'. Changed words: 'the untraceable line that separates his being from ours' becomes «непроводимую черту между богом и нами» (the line that cannot be drawn between God and us); 'the realm of spontaneous thought and emotion' becomes «в области свободной мысли и чувства» (free thought and feeling); 'there is scope enough for his abode with us' becomes «нельзя не признать его присутствия» (one cannot but acknowledge his presence); 'is expelled' becomes «покидает нас» (leaves us). The 1858 text prints 'perenial'. The same sermon gave July's 7-23.3. The vol. 42 name index refers «Мартино» to Harriet Martineau; the author is James.
2. Неверие не в том, что человек верит или не верит, а в том, что человек исповедует то, во что он не верит.
2. Unbelief lies not in a man’s believing or not believing, but in a man’s professing what he does not believe.
From The Age of Reason, Part I · close to the original .
What Tolstoy read · The Message of Man: A Book of Ethical Scriptures, gathered by Stanton CoitInfidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving, it consists in professing to believe what he does not believe.
Martineau, Essays, vol. iv., p. 155
4-7. Idem, pt. i., p. 4.
Source text: archive.orgMartineau’s own wordsBut it is necessary to the happiness of man, that he be mentally faithful to himself.
Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving; it consists in professing to believe what he does not believe.
Source text: gutenberg.orgDetails
The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. The Age of Reason, Part I (1794), ch. I 'The Author's Profession of Faith', after 'My own mind is my own church'; The Writings of Thomas Paine, vol. IV, ed. M. D. Conway (1896).
The words are Thomas Paine's, from the first chapter of The Age of Reason. Coit's The Message of Man prints them as no. 4 of ch. LXXIX, 'The Truth Shall Make You Free', whose no. 1 is credited to Martineau ('Martineau, Essays, vol. iv., p. 155', from 'Why Dissent?') and whose nos. 2–7 are Paine's ('Thos. Paine, Age of Reason'; 'Idem, pt. i., p. 4'): the signature is the chapter's first author. Close: 'it consists in professing to believe what he does not believe' becomes «в том, что человек исповедует то, во что он не верит» (in a man's professing what he does not believe). Printed in italics in the Circle. Faithful to the English: printable offered.
3. Бывают минуты, когда перестаешь верить в жизнь духа.
Это — не неверие, это — периоды веры в жизнь плоти.
Человек, понимающий то, что жизнь его духовна, вдруг начинает бояться смерти. Это всегда бывает, когда он отуманен чем-нибудь и снова начинает верить в то, что жизнь плотская есть жизнь, точно как в театре можно забыться и поверить, что то, что видишь на сцене, происходит в действительности, и испугаться тому, что видишь там, на сцене.
То же случается и в жизни.
Но и в эти минуты иллюзии религиозный человек знает, что то, что происходит в его плотской жизни, не может лишить его блага его истинной жизни.
В периоды упадка духа надо обращаться с собою, как с больным — не шевелиться.
3. There are moments when you stop believing in the life of the spirit.
This is not unbelief; these are periods of faith in the life of the flesh.
People who understand that their life is spiritual suddenly begin to fear death. This always happens when they are clouded by something and begin again to believe that the life of the flesh is life, just as in the theater you can forget yourself and believe that what you see on the stage is really happening, and take fright at what you see there, on the stage.
The same thing happens in life too.
But even in these moments of illusion, religious people know that what happens in their fleshly life cannot deprive them of the good of their true life.
In periods of low spirits you must treat yourself as you would a sick person — keep still.
4. Мудрый человек может сомневаться в самые свои хорошие минуты. Беспрепятственность сомнения составляет основу его уверенности. Истинная вера всегда сопутствуема сомнениями. Если бы я не мог сомневаться, я бы не верил.
4. A wise man may doubt in his very best moments. The unhindered freedom of his doubt forms the basis of his assurance. True faith is always attended by doubts. If I could not doubt, I would not believe.
From Journal, 24 March 1842, as printed in Early Spring in Massachusetts, ed. H. G. O. Blake · reworded by Tolstoy .
What changed“Faith keeps many doubts in her pay” becomes “True faith is always attended by doubts”: the image of doubts in faith’s pay is replaced, and “true” and “always” are added; “in his wisest moment” becomes “in his very best moments.”
What Tolstoy read · Every Day with Thoreau, in The Coming DayThe wise man can afford to doubt in his wisest moment.
The easiness of doubt is the grounds of his assurance.
Faith keeps many doubts in her pay. If I could not doubt I should not believe.
Source text: archive.orgThoreau’s own wordsThe wise can afford to doubt in his wisest moment.
The easiness of doubt is the ground of his assurance.
Faith keeps many doubts in her pay.
If I could not doubt I should not believe.
Source text: archive.orgDetails
The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. Journal, 24 March 1842, as printed in Early Spring in Massachusetts, ed. H. G. O. Blake (Boston, 1881), p. 222, after the 'Veeshnoo Sarma'.
Close in three sentences, changed in one. Tolstoy follows the calendar's 'The wise man' (Blake's printing of the journal has 'The wise'). 'In his wisest moment' becomes «в самые свои хорошие минуты» (in his very best moments); 'The easiness of doubt is the ground of his assurance' becomes «Беспрепятственность сомнения составляет основу его уверенности» (the freedom of his doubt is the basis of his certainty). 'Faith keeps many doubts in her pay' becomes «Истинная вера всегда сопутствуема сомнениями» (true faith is always accompanied by doubts): the image of faith keeping doubts in her pay is replaced, and 'true' and 'always' are added. 'If I could not doubt I should not believe' is kept word for word.
Удален от бога не тот, кто сомневается в его существовании и мучится этим сомнением, а тот, кто на слово поверил в существование или несуществование бога и не сомневается в том, что ему сказали.
Those who are far from God are not the ones who doubt his existence and are tormented by this doubt, but those who have taken the existence or the nonexistence of God on someone’s word and do not doubt what they have been told.
Tolstoy TodayТолстой сегодня · tolstoytoday.org/september/16