lectures11-13-第3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！




our　present　lecture。　　The　man　who　lives　in　his　religious　centre



of　personal　energy；　and　is　actuated　by　spiritual　enthusiasms；



differs　from　his　previous　carnal　self　in　perfectly　definite　ways。







The　new　ardor　which　burns　in　his　breast　consumes　in　its　glow　the



lower　〃noes〃　which　formerly　beset　him；　and　keeps　him　immune



against　infection　from　the　entire　groveling　portion　of　his



nature。　　Magnanimities　once　impossible　are　now　easy；　paltry



conventionalities　and　mean　incentives　once　tyrannical　hold　no



sway。　　The　stone　wall　inside　of　him　has　fallen；　the　hardness　in



his　heart　has　broken　down。　　The　rest　of　us　can；　I　think；　imagine



this　by　recalling　our　state　of　feeling　in　those　temporary



〃melting　moods〃　into　which　either　the　trials　of　real　life；　or　the



theatre；　or　a　novel　sometimes　throws　us。　　Especially　if　we　weep！　



For　it　is　then　as　if　our　tears　broke　through　an　inveterate　inner



dam；　and　let　all　sorts　of　ancient　peccancies　and　moral



stagnancies　drain　away；　leaving　us　now　washed　and　soft　of　heart



and　open　to　every　nobler　leading。　　With　most　of　us　the　customary



hardness　quickly　returns；　but　not　so　with　saintly　persons。　　Many



saints；　even　as　energetic　ones　as　Teresa　and　Loyola；　have



possessed　what　the　church　traditionally　reveres　as　a　special



grace；　the　so…called　gift　of　tears。　　In　these　persons　the　melting



mood　seems　to　have　held　almost　uninterrupted　control。　　And　as　it



is　with　tears　and　melting　moods；　so　it　is　with　other　exalted



affections。　　Their　reign　may　come　by　gradual　growth　or　by　a



crisis；　but　in　either　case　it　may　have　〃come　to　stay。〃







At　the　end　of　the　last　lecture　we　saw　this　permanence　to　be　true



of　the　general　paramountcy　of　the　higher　insight；　even　though　in



the　ebbs　of　emotional　excitement　meaner　motives　might　temporarily



prevail　and　backsliding　might　occur。　　But　that　lower　temptations



may　remain　completely　annulled；　apart　from　transient　emotion　and



as　if　by　alteration　of　the　man's　habitual　nature；　is　also　proved



by　documentary　evidence　in　certain　cases。　　Before　embarking　on



the　general　natural　history　of　the　regenerate　character；　let　me



convince　you　of　this　curious　fact　by　one　or　two　examples。　The



most　numerous　are　those　of　reformed　drunkards。　　You　recollect　the



case　of　Mr。　Hadley　in　the　last　lecture；　the　Jerry　McAuley　Water



Street　Mission　abounds　in　similar　instances。＇148＇　　You　also



remember　the　graduate　of　Oxford；　converted　at　three　in　the



afternoon；　and　getting　drunk　in　the　hay…field　the　next　day；



but　after　that　permanently　cured　of　his　appetite。　　〃From　that



hour　drink　has　had　no　terrors　for　me：　　I　never　touch　it；　never



want　it。　　The　same　thing　occurred　with　my　pipe。　。　。　。　the　desire



for　it　went　at　once　and　has　never　returned。　　So　with　every　known



sin；　the　deliverance　in　each　case　being　permanent　and　complete。　



I　have　had　no　temptations　since　conversion。〃







＇148＇　Above；　p。　200。　　〃The　only　radical　remedy　I　know　for



dipsomania　is　religiomania；〃　is　a　saying　I　have　heard　quoted　from



some　medical　man。















Here　is　an　analogous　case　from　Starbuck's　manuscript



collection：







〃I　went　into　the　old　Adelphi　Theatre；　where　there　was　a　Holiness



meeting；　。　。　。　and　I　began　saying；　'Lord；　Lord；　I　must　have　this



blessing。'　　Then　what　was　to　me　an　audible　voice　said：　　'Are　you



willing　to　give　up　everything　to　the　Lord？'　and　question　after



question　kept　coming　up；　to　all　of　which　I　said：　　'Yes；　Lord；



yes；　Lord！'　until　this　came：　　'Why　do　you　not　accept　it　NOW？'　and



I　said：　　'I　do；　Lord。'I　felt　no　particular　joy；　only　a　trust。　



Just　then　the　meeting　closed；　and；　as　I　went　out　on　the　street；　I



met　a　gentleman　smoking　a　fine　cigar；　and　a　cloud　of　smoke　came



into　my　face；　and　I　took　a　long；　deep　breath　of　it；　and　praise



the　Lord；　all　my　appetite　for　it　was　gone。　　Then　as　I　walked



along　the　street；　passing　saloons　where　the　fumes　of　liquor　came



out；　I　found　that　all　my　taste　and　longing　for　that　accursed



stuff　was　gone。　　Glory　to　God！　。　。　。　＇But＇　for　ten　or　eleven　long



years　＇after　that＇　I　was　in　the　wilderness　with　its　ups　and



downs。　　My　appetite　for　liquor　never　came　back。〃







The　classic　case　of　Colonel　Gardiner　is　that　of　a　man　cured　of



sexual　temptation　in　a　single　hour。　　To　Mr。　Spears　the　colonel



said；　〃I　was　effectually　cured　of　all　inclination　to　that　sin　I



was　so　strongly　addicted　to　that　I　thought　nothing　but　shooting



me　through　the　head　could　have　cured　me　of　it；　and　all　desire　and



inclination　to　it　was　removed；　as　entirely　as　if　I　had　been　a



sucking　child；　nor　did　the　temptation　return　to　this　day。〃　　Mr。



Webster's　words　on　the　same　subject　are　these：　　〃One　thing　I　have



heard　the　colonel　frequently　say；　that　he　was　much　addicted　to



impurity　before　his　acquaintance　with　religion；　but　that；　so　soon



as　he　was　enlightened　from　above；　he　felt　the　power　of　the　Holy



Ghost　changing　his　nature　so　wonderfully　that　his　sanctification



in　this　respect　seemed　more　remarkable　than　in　any　other。〃＇149＇







＇149＇　Doddridge's　Life　of　Colonel　James　Gardiner；　London



Religious　Tract　Society；　pp。　23…32。















Such　rapid　abolition　of　ancient　impulses　and　propensities　reminds



us　so　strongly　of　what　has　been　observed　as　the　result　of



hypnotic　suggestion　that　it　is　difficult　not　to　believe　that



subliminal　influences　play　the　decisive　part　in　these　abrupt



changes　of　heart；　just　as　they　do　in　hypnotism。＇150＇　Suggestive



therapeutics　abound　in　records　of　cure；　after　a　few　sittings；　of



inveterate　bad　habits　with　which　the　patient；　left　to　ordinary



moral　and　physical　influences；　had　struggled　in　vain。　　Both



drunkenness　and　sexual　vice　have　been　cured　in　this　way；　action



through　the　subliminal　seeming　thus　in　many　individuals　to　have



the　prerogative　of　inducing　relatively　stable　change。　　If　the



grace　of　God　miraculously　operates；　it　probably　operates　through



the　subliminal　door；　then。　　But　just　HOW　anything　operates　in



this　region　is　still　unexplained；　and　we　shall　do　well　now　to　say



good…by　to　the　PROCESS　of　transformation　altogetherleaving　it；



if　you　like；　a　good　deal　of　a　psychological　or　theological



mysteryand　to　turn　our　attention　to　the　fruits　of　the　religious



condition；　no　matter　in　what　way　they　may　have　been



produced。＇151＇







＇150＇　Here；　for　example；　is　a　case；　from　Starbuck's　book；　in



which　a　〃sensory　automatism〃　brought　about　quickly　what　prayers



and　resolves　had　been　unable　to　effect。　　The　subject　is　a　woman。　



She　writes：







〃When　I　was　about　forty　I　tried　to　quit　smoking；　but　the　desire



was　on　me；　and　had　me　in　its　power。　　I　cried　and　prayed　and



promised　God　to　quit；　but　could　not。　　I　had　smoked　for　fifteen



years。　　When　I　was　fifty…three；　as　I　sat　by　the　fire　one　day



smoking；　a　voice　came　to　me。　　I　did　not　hear　it　with　my　ears；　but



more　as　a　dream　or　sort　of　double　think。　　It　said；　'Louisa；　lay



down　smoking。'　　At　once　I　replied。　'Will　you　take　the　desire



away？'　But　it　only　kept　saying：　　'Louisa；　lay　down　smoking。'　



Then　I　got　up；　laid　my　pipe　on　the　mantel…shelf；　and　never　smoked



again　or　had　any　desire　to。　　The　desire　was　gone　as　though　I　had



never　known　it　or　touched　tobacco。　　The　sight　of　others　smoking



and　the　smell　of　smoke　never　gave　me　the　least　wish　to　touch　it



again。〃　　　　The　Psychology　of　Religion；　p。　142。







＇151＇　Professor　Starbuck　expresses　the　radical　destruction　of　old



influences　physiologically；　as　a　cutting　off　of　the　connection



between　higher　and　lower　cerebral　centres。　　〃This　condition；〃　he



says；　〃in　which　the　association…centres　connected　with　the



spiritual　life　are　cut　off　from　the　lower；　is　often　reflected　in



the　way　correspondents　describe　their　experiences。　。　。　。　　For



example：　　'Temptations　from　without　still　assail　me；　but　there　is



nothing　WITHIN　to　respond　to　them。'　The　ego　＇here＇　is　wholly



identified　with　the　higher　centres　whose　quality　of　feeling　is



that　of　withinness。　　Another　of　the　respondents　says：　　'Since



then；　although　Satan　tempts　me；　there　is　as　it　were　a　wall　of



brass　around　me；　so　that　his　darts　cannot　touch　me。'〃



Unquestionably；　functional　exclusions　of　this　sort　must　occur



in　the　cerebral　organ。　　But　on　the　side　accessible　to



introspection；　their　causal　condition　is　nothing　but　the　degree



of　spiritual　excitement；　getting　at　last　so　high　and　strong　as　to



be　sovereign；　and　it　must　be　frankly　confessed　that　we　do　not



know　just　why　or　how　such　sovereignty　comes　about　in　one　person



and　not　in　another。　　We　can　only