their　speech　antedates　languages；　and　they　do　not　grow　old。＇271＇
  ＇271＇　Compare　M。　Maeterlinck：　　L'Ornement　des　Noces　spirituelles
  de　Ruysbroeck；　Bruxelles；　1891；　Introduction；　p。　xix。
  〃That　art　Thou！〃　say　the　Upanishads；　and　the　Vedantists　add：
  〃Not　a　part；　not　a　mode　of　That；　but　identically　That；　that
  absolute　Spirit　of　the　World。〃　　〃As　pure　water　poured　into　pure
  water　remains　the　same；　thus；　O　Gautama；　is　the　Self　of
  a　thinker　who　knows。　　Water　in　water；　fire　in　fire；　ether　in
  ether；　no　one　can　distinguish　them：　　likewise　a　man　whose　mind
  has　entered　into　the　Self。〃＇272＇　　〃'Every　man；'　says　the　Sufi
  Gulshan…Raz；　whose　heart　is　no　longer　shaken　by　any　doubt；　knows
  with　certainty　that　there　is　no　being　save　only　One。　。　。　。　　In
  his　divine　majesty　the　ME；　and　WE；　the　THOU；　are　not　found；　for
  in　the　One　there　can　be　no　distinction。　Every　being　who　is
  annulled　and　entirely　separated　from　himself；　hears　resound
  outside　of　him　this　voice　and　this　echo：　　I　AM　GOD：　　he　has　an
  eternal　way　of　existing；　and　is　no　longer　subject　to
  death。'〃＇273＇　　In　the　vision　of　God；　says　Plotinus；　〃what　sees　is
  not　our　reason；　but　something　prior　and　superior　to　our　reason。　。
  。　。　　He　who　thus　sees　does　not　properly　see；　does　not　distinguish
  or　imagine　two　things。　　He　changes；　he　ceases　to　be　himself；
  preserves　nothing　of　himself。　　Absorbed　in　God；　he　makes　but　one
  with　him；　like　a　centre　of　a　circle　coinciding　with　another
  centre。〃＇274＇　　〃Here；〃　writes　Suso；　〃the　spirit　dies；　and　yet　is
  all　alive　in　the　marvels　of　the　Godhead　。　。　。　and　is　lost　in　the
  stillness　of　the　glorious　dazzling　obscurity　and　of　the　naked
  simple　unity。　It　is　in　this　modeless　WHERE　that　the　highest　bliss
  is　to　be　found。〃＇275＇　　〃Ich　bin　so　gross　als　Gott；〃　sings　Angelus
  Silesius　again；　〃Er　ist　als　ich　so　klein；　Er　kann　nicht　uber
  mich；　ich　unter　ihm　nicht　sein。〃＇276＇
  ＇272＇　Upanishads；　M。　Muller's　translation；　ii。　17；　334。
  ＇273＇　Schmolders：　Op。　cit。；　p。　210。
  ＇274＇　Enneads；　Bouillier's　translation。　Paris；　1861；　iii。　　561。
  Compare　pp。　473…477；　and　vol。　i。　p。　27。
  ＇275＇　Autobiography；　pp。　309；　310。
  ＇276＇　Op。　cit。；　Strophe　10。
  In　mystical　literature　such　self…contradictory　phrases　as
  〃dazzling　obscurity；〃　〃whispering　silence；〃　〃teeming　desert；〃　are
  continually　met　with。　　They　prove　that　not　conceptual　speech；　but
  music　rather；　is　the　element　through　which　we　are　best　spoken　to
  by　mystical　truth。　　Many　mystical　scriptures　are　indeed　little
  more　than　musical　compositions。
  〃He　who　would　hear　the　voice　of　Nada；　'the　Soundless　Sound；'　and
  comprehend　it；　he　has　to　learn　the　nature　of　Dharana。　。　。　。　　When
  to　himself　his　form　appears　unreal；　as　do　on　waking　all　the　forms
  he　sees　in　dreams；　when　he　has　ceased　to　hear　the　many；　he　may
  discern　the　ONEthe　inner　sound　which　kills　the　outer。　。　。　。
  For　then　the　soul　will　hear；　and　will　remember。　　And　then　to　the
  inner　ear　will　speak　THE　VOICE　OF　THE　SILENCE。　。　。　。　　And　now　thy
  SELF　is　lost　in　SELF；　THYSELF　unto　THYSELF；　merged　in　that　SELF
  from　which　thou　first　didst　radiate。　。　　。　　。　Behold！　thou　hast
  become　the　Light；　thou　hast　become　the　Sound；　thou　art　thy　Master
  and　thy　God。　　Thou　art　THYSELF　the　object　of　thy　search：　　the
  VOICE　unbroken；　that　resounds　throughout　eternities；　exempt　from
  change；　from　sin　exempt；　the　seven　sounds　in　one；　the　VOICE　OF
  THE　SILENCE。　　Om　tat　Sat。〃＇277＇
  ＇277＇　H。　P。　Blavatsky：　　The　voice　of　the　Silence。
  These　words；　if　they　do　not　awaken　laughter　as　you　receive　them；
  probably　stir　chords　within　you　which　music　and　language　touch　in
  common。　　Music　gives　us　ontological　messages　which　non…musical
  criticism　is　unable　to　contradict；　though　it　may　laugh　at　our
  foolishness　in　minding　them。　　There　is　a　verge　of　the　mind　which
  these　things　haunt；　and　whispers　therefrom　mingle　with　the
  operations　of　our　understanding；　even　as　the　waters　of　the
  infinite　ocean　send　their　waves　to　break　among　the　pebbles　that
  lie　upon　our　shores。
  〃Here　begins　the　sea　that　ends　not　till　the　world's　end。　　Where
  we　stand；
  Could　we　know　the　next　high　sea…mark　set　beyond　these　waves
  that　gleam；
  We　should　know　what　never　man　hath　known；　nor　eye　of　man
  hath　scanned。　。　。　。
  Ah；　but　here　man's　heart　leaps；　yearning　towards　the　gloom
  with　venturous　glee；
  From　the　shore　that　hath　no　shore　beyond　it；　set　in　all　the
  sea。〃＇278＇
  ＇278＇　Swinburne：　　On　the　Verge；　in　〃A　Midsummer　vacation。〃
  That　doctrine；　for　example；　that　eternity　is　timeless；　that　our
  〃immortality；〃　if　we　live　in　the　eternal；　is　not　so　much　future
  as　already　now　and　here；　which　we　find　so　often　expressed　to…day
  in　certain　philosophic　circles；　finds　its　support　in　a　〃hear；
  hear！〃　or　an　〃amen；〃　which　floats　up　from　that　mysteriously
  deeper　level。＇279＇　　We　recognize　the　passwords　to　the　mystical
  region　as　we　hear　them；　but　we　cannot　use　them　ourselves；　it
  alone　has　the　keeping　of　〃the　password　primeval。〃＇280＇
  ＇279＇　Compare　the　extracts　from　Dr。　Bucke；　quoted　on　pp。　398；
  399。
  ＇280＇　As　serious　an　attempt　as　I　know　to　mediate　between　the
  mystical　region　and　the　discursive　life　is　contained　in　an
  article　on　Aristotle's　Unmoved　Mover；　by　F。　C。　S。　Schiller；　in
  Mind；　vol。　ix。；　1900。
  I　have　now　sketched　with　extreme　brevity　and　insufficiency；　but
  as　fairly　as　I　am　able　in　the　time　allowed；　the　general　traits　of
  the　mystic　range　of　consciousness。　　It　is　on　the　whole
  pantheistic　and　optimistic；　or　at　least　the　opposite　of
  pessimistic。　　It　is　anti…naturalistic；　and　harmonizes　best　with
  twice…bornness　and　so…called　other…worldly　states　mind。
  My　next　task　is　to　inquire　whether　we　can　invoke　it　as
  authoritative。　　Does　it　furnish　any　WARRANT　FOR　THE　TRUTH　of　the
  twice…bornness　and　supernaturality　and　pantheism　which　it　favors？
  I　must　give　my　answer　to　this　question　as　concisely　as　I　can。　　In
  brief　my　answer　is　thisand　I　will　divide　it　into　three　parts：
  （1）　Mystical　states；　when　well　developed；　usually　are；　and　have
  the　right　to　be；　absolutely　authoritative　over　the　individuals　to
  whom　they　come。
  （2）　No　authority　emanates　from　them　which　should　make　it　a　duty
  for　those　who　stand　outside　of　them　to　accept　their　revelations
  uncritically。
  （3）　They　break　down　the　authority　of　the　non…mystical　or
  rationalistic　consciousness；　based　upon　the　understanding　and　the
  senses　alone。　　They　show　it　to　be　only　one　kind　of　consciousness。
  They　open　out　the　possibility　of　other　orders　of　truth；　in　which；
  so　far　as　anything　in　us　vitally　responds　to　them；　we　may　freely
  continue　to　have　faith。
  I　will　take　up　these　points　one　by　one。
  1。
  As　a　matter　of　psychological　fact；　mystical　states　of　a
  well…pronounced　and　emphatic　sort　ARE　usually　authoritative　over
  those　who　have　them。＇281＇　They　have　been　〃there；〃　and　know。　　It
  is　vain　for　rationalism　to　grumble　about　this。　If　the　mystical
  truth　that　comes　to　a　man　proves　to　be　a　force　that　he　can　live
  by；　what　mandate　have　we　of　the　majority　to　order　him　to　live　in
  another　way？　　We　can　throw　him　into　a　prison　or　a　madhouse；　but
  we　cannot　change　his　mindwe　commonly　attach　it　only　the　more
  stubbornly　to　its　beliefs。＇282＇　It　mocks　our　utmost　efforts；　as　a
  matter　of　fact；　and　in　point　of　logic　it　absolutely　escapes　our
  jurisdiction。　　Our　own　more　〃rational〃　beliefs　are　based　on
  evidence　exactly　similar　in　nature　to　that　which　mystics　quote
  for　theirs。　　Our　senses；　namely；　have　assured　us　of　certain
  states　of　fact；　but　mystical　experiences　are　as　direct
  perceptions　of　fact　for　those　who　have　them　as　any　sensations
  ever　were　for　us。　　The　records　show　that　even　though　the　five
  senses　be　in　abeyance　in　them；　they　are　absolutely　sensational　in
  their　epistemological　quality；　if　I　may　be　pardoned　the　barbarous
  expressionthat　is；　they　are　face　to　face　presentations　of　what
  seems　immediately　to　exist。　＇281＇　I　abstract　from　weaker　states；
  and　from　those　cases　of　which　the　books　are　full；　where　the
  director　（but　usually　not　the　subject）　remains　in　doubt　whether
  the　experience　may　not　have　proceeded　from　the　demon。
  ＇282＇　Example：　　Mr。　John　Nelson　writes　of　his　imprisonment　for
  preaching　Methodism：