TherecouldbenogenuinecooperationbetweenamereiconoclastlikeReimarus，andaconstructivecriticlikeLessing。ButtheconfusionwasnotanunnaturaloneonGoetze’spart，andIcannotagreewithM。Fontanesintakingitasconvincingproofofthepastor’swrong-headedperversity。ItappearstomethatGoetzeinterpretedLessing’spositionquiteasaccuratelyasM。
Fontanes。ThelatterwriterthinksthatLessingwasaChristianoftheliberalschoolsincerepresentedbyTheodoreParkerinthiscountryandbyM。RevilleinFrance；thathisrealobjectwastodefendandstrengthentheChristianreligionbyrelievingitofthosepeculiardoctrineswhichtothefreethinkersofhistimewereastumbling-blockandanoffence。And，inspiteofLessing’sowndeclarations，heendeavourstoshowthathewasanordinarytheist，——afollowerofLeibnitzratherthanofSpinoza。
ButIdonotthinkhehasmadeouthiscase。Lessing’sownconfessiontoJacobiisunequivocalenough，andcannotwellbearguedaway。Inthatremarkableconversation，heldtowardthecloseofhislife，heindicatesclearlyenoughthathisfaithwasneitherthatoftheordinarytheist，theatheist，northepantheist，butthathisreligioustheoryoftheuniversewasidenticalwiththatsuggestedbySpinoza，adoptedbyGoethe，andrecentlyelaboratedinthefirstpartofthe“FirstPrinciples“
ofMr。HerbertSpencer。Moreover，whileLessingcannotbeconsideredanantagonistofChristianity，neitherdidheassumetheattitudeofadefender。Heremainedoutsidethetheologicalarena；lookingattheologicalquestionsfromthepointofviewofalayman，orrather，asM。Cherbuliezhashappilyexpressedit，ofaPagan。Hismindwasofdecidedlyantiquestructure。Hehadthevirtuesofpaganism:itssanity，itscalmness，anditsprobity；butofthetendernessofChristianity，anditsquenchlessaspirationsafteranindefinableideal，ofthatfeelingwhichhasincarnateditselfinGothiccathedrals，massesandoratorios，heexhibitedbutscantytraces。Hisintellectwasaboveallthingsself-consistentandincorruptible。Hehadthatimperialgood-sensewhichmighthaveformedtheidealalikeofHoraceandofEpictetus。Noclandestinepreferenceforcertainconclusionscouldmakehisreasonswervefromthestraightpathsoflogic。AndheexaminedandrejectedtheconclusionsofReimarusinthesameimperturbablespiritwithwhichheexaminedandrejectedthecurrenttheoriesoftheFrenchclassicdrama。
SuchamancanhavehadbutlittleincommonwithapreacherlikeTheodoreParker，orwithawriterlikeM。Fontanes，whosewholebookisanoblespecimenofloftyChristianeloquence。Hisattributewaslight，notwarmth。Hescrutinized，butdidnotattackordefend。HerecognizedthetranscendentmeritsoftheChristianfaith，butmadenoattempttoreinstateitwhereithadseemedtosuffershock。Itwasthereforewiththesurestofinstincts，withthatsameinstinctofself-preservationwhichhadonceledtheChurchtoanathematizeGalileo，thatGoetze。