Browning as a Philosophical and Religious Teacher

by Sir Henry Jones

Man's impotency, God's omnipotence,

These stop my answer."^A

A: A Bean-Stripe.

I shall not pause at present to examine the value of this new form of the old argument, "Ex contingentia mundi." But I may point out in passing, that the reference of human love to a divine creative source is accomplished by means of the idea of cause, one of the categories of the thought which Browning has aspersed. And it is a little difficult to show why, if we are constrained to doubt our thought, when by the aid of causality it establishes a connection between finite and finite, we should regard it as worthy of trust when it connects the finite and the infinite. In fact, it is all too evident that the poet assumes or denies the possibility of knowledge, according as it helps or hinders his ethical doctrine.

But, if we grant the ascent from the finite to the infinite and regard man's love as a divine gift—which it may well be although the poet's argument is invalid—then a new light is thrown upon the being who gave man this power to love. The "necessity," "the mere power," which alone could be discerned by observation of the irresistible movement of the world's events, acquires a new character. Prior to this discovery of love in man as the work of God—

"Head praises, but heart refrains

From loving's acknowledgment.

Whole losses outweigh half-gains:

Earth's good is with evil blent: