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ASCENSION DAY 157
On just belief or unbelief ;
And an involuntary act
Make difference infinite in fact
Between the right and left-hand thief ?
Belief is not an act of will !”
I think, Sir, that I have you still,
Free will.
Even allowing (much indeed !) gctbert
That any will at all is freed, penest
And is not merely the result
Of sex, environment, and cult,
Habit and climate, health and mind,
And twenty thousand other things!
So many a metaphysic sings.
(I wish they did indeed: I find
Their prose the hardest of hard reading ! )
“ But if,” you cry, “the world’s designed If there is free
As a mere mirage in the mind, will how can
Un j fr Al. But all P leadiny there be pain
p Jumps fee will. ut all 1m pleading or damnation?
Is against pain and hell. Freewill not-Self being
Then can damn man? No fearful mill an illusion.
eae . nn : , Self or not-Self
Grinding catastrophe, is speeding real? Chute
Outside—some whence, some whither? And % d’Icare.
I think we easier understand
Where Schelling (to the Buddha leading
Calls real not-self. In any case
There is not, there can never be
A soul, or sword or armour needing,
Incapable in time or space
Or to inflict or suffer. We
I think are gradually weeding
The soil of dualism. Pheugh!
Drop to the common Christian’s view!
This is my point ; the world lies bleeding :—- | have pity:
(Result of sin ?)—I do not care ; had Christ
I will admit : here ! any? The
you anywhere . Sheep and the
I take your premisses themselves Goats.
And, like the droll despiteful elves
They are, they yet outwit your plan.
1 will prove Christ a wicked man