lectures11-13-第1部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！














Lectures　XI；　XII；　and　XIII







SAINTLINESS







The　last　lecture　left　us　in　a　state　of　expectancy。　　What　may　the



practical　fruits　for　life　have　been；　of　such　movingly　happy



conversions　as　those　we　heard　of？　　With　this　question　the　really



important　part　of　our　task　opens；　for　you　remember　that　we　began



all　this　empirical　inquiry　not　merely　to　open　a　curious　chapter



in　the　natural　history　of　human　consciousness；　but　rather　to



attain　a　spiritual　judgment　as　to　the　total　value　and　positive



meaning　of　all　the　religious　trouble　and　happiness　which　we　have



seen。　　We　must；　therefore；　first　describe　the　fruits　of　the



religious　life；　and　then　we　must　judge　them。　　This　divides　our



inquiry　into　two　distinct　parts。　　Let　us　without　further　preamble



proceed　to　the　descriptive　task。







It　ought　to　be　the　pleasantest　portion　of　our　business　in　these



lectures。　　Some　small　pieces　of　it；　it　is　true；　may　be　painful；



or　may　show　human　nature　in　a　pathetic　light；　but　it　will　be



mainly　pleasant；　because　the　best　fruits　of　religious　experience



are　the　best　things　that　history　has　to　show。　　They　have　always



been　esteemed　so；　here　if　anywhere　is　the　genuinely　strenuous



life；　and　to　call　to　mind　a　succession　of　such　examples　as　I　have



lately　had　to　wander　through；　though　it　has　been　only　in　the



reading　of　them；　is　to　feel　encouraged　and　uplifted　and　washed　in



better　moral　air。







The　highest　flights　of　charity；　devotion；　trust；　patience；



bravery　to　which　the　wings　of　human　nature　have　spread　themselves



have　been　flown　for　religious　ideals。　　I　can　do　no　better　than



quote；　as　to　this；　some　remarks　which　Sainte…Beuve　in　his　History



of　Port…Royal　makes　on　the　results　of　conversion　or　the　state　of



grace。







〃Even　from　the　purely　human　point　of　view；〃　Sainte…Beuve　says；



〃the　phenomenon　of　grace　must　still　appear　sufficiently



extraordinary；　eminent；　and　rare；　both　in　its　nature　and　in　its



effects；　to　deserve　a　closer　study。　　For　the　soul　arrives　thereby



at　a　certain　fixed　and　invincible　state；　a　state　which　is



genuinely　heroic；　and　from　out　of　which　the　greatest　deeds　which



it　ever　performs　are　executed。　　Through　all　the　different　forms



of　communion；　and　all　the　diversity　of　the　means　which　help　to



produce　this　state；　whether　it　be　reached　by　a　jubilee；　by　a



general　confession；　by　a　solitary　prayer　and　effusion；　whatever



in　short　to　be　the　place　and　the　occasion；　it　is　easy　to



recognize　that　it　is　fundamentally　one　state　in　spirit　and



fruits。　　Penetrate　a　little　beneath　the　diversity　of



circumstances；　and　it　becomes　evident　that　in　Christians　of



different　epochs　it　is　always　one　and　the　same　modification　by



which　they　are　affected：　　there　is　veritably　a　single　fundamental



and　identical　spirit　of　piety　and　charity；　common　to　those　who



have　received　grace；　an　inner　state　which　before　all　things　is



one　of　love　and　humility；　of　infinite　confidence　in　God；　and　of



severity　for　one's　self；　accompanied　with　tenderness　for　others。　



The　fruits　peculiar　to　this　condition　of　the　soul　have　the　same



savor　in　all；　under　distant　suns　and　in　different　surroundings；



in　Saint　Teresa　of　Avila　just　as　in　any　Moravian　brother　of



Herrnhut。〃＇143＇







＇143＇　Sainte…Beuve：　　Port…Royal；　vol。　i。　pp。　95　and　106；



abridged。















Sainte…Beuve　has　here　only　the　more　eminent　instances　of



regeneration　in　mind；　and　these　are　of　course　the　instructive



ones　for　us　also　to　consider。　　These　devotees　have　often　laid



their　course　so　differently　from　other　men　that；　judging　them　by



worldly　law；　we　might　be　tempted　to　call　them　monstrous



aberrations　from　the　path　of　nature。　　I　begin　therefore　by　asking



a　general　psychological　question　as　to　what　the　inner　conditions



are　which　may　make　one　human　character　differ　so　extremely　from



another。











I　reply　at　once　that　where　the　character；　as　something



distinguished　from　the　intellect；　is　concerned；　the　causes　of



human　diversity　lie　chiefly　in　our　differing　susceptibilities　of



emotional　excitement；　and　in　the　different　impulses　and



inhibitions　which　these　bring　in　their　train。　　Let　me　make　this



more　clear。







Speaking　generally；　our　moral　and　practical　attitude；　at　any



given　time；　is　always　a　resultant　of　two　sets　of　forces　within



us；　impulses　pushing　us　one　way　and　obstructions　and　inhibitions



holding　us　back。　　〃Yes！　yes！〃　say　the　impulses；　〃No！　no！〃　say　the



inhibitions。　　Few　people　who　have　not　expressly　reflected　on　the



matter　realize　how　constantly　this　factor　of　inhibition　is　upon



us；　how　it　contains　and　moulds　us　by　its　restrictive　pressure



almost　as　if　we　were　fluids　pent　within　the　cavity　of　a　jar。　　The



influence　is　so　incessant　that　it　becomes　subconscious。　　All　of



you；　for　example；　sit　here　with　a　certain　constraint　at　this



moment；　and　entirely　without　express　consciousness　of　the　fact；



because　of　the　influence　of　the　occasion。　　If　left　alone　in　the



room；　each　of　you　would　probably　involuntarily　rearrange　himself；



and　make　his　attitude　more　〃free　and　easy。〃　　But　proprieties　and



their　inhibitions　snap　like　cobwebs　if　any　great　emotional



excitement　supervenes。　　I　have　seen　a　dandy　appear　in　the　street



with　his　face　covered　with　shaving…lather　because　a　house　across



the　way　was　on　fire；　and　a　woman　will　run　among　strangers　in　her



nightgown　if　it　be　a　question　of　saving　her　baby's　life　or　her



own。　　Take　a　self…indulgent　woman's　life　in　general。　　She　will



yield　to　every　inhibition　set　by　her　disagreeable　sensations；　lie



late　in　bed；　live　upon　tea　or　bromides；　keep　indoors　from　the



cold。　　Every　difficulty　finds　her　obedient　to　its　〃no。〃　　But　make



a　mother　of　her；　and　what　have　you？　　Possessed　by　maternal



excitement；　she　now　confronts　wakefulness；　weariness；　and　toil　



without　an　instant　of　hesitation　or　a　word　of　complaint。　The



inhibitive　power　of　pain　over　her　is　extinguished　wherever　the



baby's　interests　are　at　stake。　　The　inconveniences　which　this



creature　occasions　have　become；　as　James　Hinton　says；　the　glowing



heart　of　a　great　joy；　and　indeed　are　now　the　very　conditions



whereby　the　joy　becomes　most　deep。







This　is　an　example　of　what　you　have　already　heard　of　as　the



〃expulsive　power　of　a　higher　affection。〃　　But　be　the　affection



high　or　low；　it　makes　no　difference；　so　long　as　the　excitement　it



brings　be　strong　enough。　　In　one　of　Henry　Drummond's　discourses



he　tells　of　an　inundation　in　India　where　an　eminence　with　a



bungalow　upon　it　remained　unsubmerged；　and　became　the　refuge　of　a



number　of　wild　animals　and　reptiles　in　addition　to　the　human



beings　who　were　there。　　At　a　certain　moment　a　royal　Bengal　tiger



appeared　swimming　towards　it；　reached　it；　and　lay　panting　like　a



dog　upon　the　ground　in　the　midst　of　the　people；　still　possessed



by　such　an　agony　of　terror　that　one　of　the　Englishmen　could



calmly　step　up　with　a　rifle　and　blow　out　its　brains。　　The　tiger's



habitual　ferocity　was　temporarily　quelled　by　the　emotion　of　fear；



which　became　sovereign；　and　formed　a　new　centre　for　his



character。







Sometimes　no　emotional　state　is　sovereign；　but　many　contrary　ones



are　mixed　together。　　In　that　case　one　hears　both　〃yeses〃　and



〃noes；〃　and　the　〃will〃　is　called　on　then　to　solve　the　conflict。　



Take　a　soldier；　for　example；　with　his　dread　of　cowardice



impelling　him　to　advance；　his　fears　impelling　him　to　run；　and　his



propensities　to　imitation　pushing　him　towards　various　courses　if



his　comrades　offer　various　examples。　　His　person　becomes　the　seat



of　a　mass　of　interferences；　and　he　may　for　a　time　simply　waver；



because　no　one　emotion　prevails。　　There　is　a　pitch　of　intensity；



though；　which；　if　any　emotion　reach　it；　enthrones　that　one　as



alone　effective　and　sweeps　its　antagonists　and　all　their



inhibitions　away。　　The　fury　of　his　comrades'　charge；　once　entered



on；　will　give　this　pitch　of　courage　to　the　soldier；　the　panic　of



their　rout　will　give　this　pitch　of　fear。　　In　these　sovereign



excitements；　things　ordinarily　impossible　grow　natural　because



the　inhibitions　are　annulled。　　Their　〃no！　no！〃　not　only　is　not



heard；　it　does　not　exist。　　Obstacles　are　then　like　tissue…paper



hoops　to　the　circus　riderno　impediment；　the　flood　is　higher



than　the　dam　they　make。







〃Lass　sie　betteln　gehn　wenn　sie　hungrig　sind！〃　cries　the



grenadier；　frantic　over　his　Emperor's　capture；　when　his　wife　and



babes　are　suggested；　and　men　pent　into　a　burning　theatre　have



been