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lectures11-13-第9部分

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intolerable。  All the mind's objects and occupations must be



ordered with reference to the special spiritual excitement which



is now its keynote。  Whatever is unspiritual taints the pure



water of the soul and is repugnant。  Mixed with this exaltation



of the moral sensibilities there is also an ardor of sacrifice;



for the beloved deity's sake; of everything unworthy of him。 



Sometimes the spiritual ardor is so sovereign that purity is



achieved at a stroke we have seen examples。  Usually it is a



more gradual conquest。  Billy Bray's account of his abandonment



of tobacco is a good example of the latter form of achievement。







〃I had been a smoker as well as a drunkard; and I used to love my



tobacco as much as I loved my meat; and I would rather go down



into the mine without my dinner than without my pipe。  In the



days of old; the Lord spoke by the mouths of his servants; the



prophets; now he speaks to us by the spirit of his Son。  I had



not only the feeling part of religion; but I could hear the



small; still voice within speaking to me。  When I took the pipe



to smoke; it would be applied within; 'It is an idol; a lust;



worship the Lord with clean lips。'  So; I felt it was not right



to smoke。  The Lord also sent a woman to convince me。  I was one



day in a house; and I took out my pipe to light it at the fire;



and Mary Hawkefor that was the woman's namesaid; 'Do you not



feel it is wrong to smoke?'  I said that I felt something inside



telling me that it was an idol; a lust; and she said that was the



Lord。  Then I said; 'Now; I must give it up; for the Lord is



telling me of it inside; and the woman outside; so the tobacco



must go; love it as I may。'  There and then I took the tobacco



out of my pocket; and threw it into the fire; and put the pipe



under my foot; 'ashes to ashes; dust to dust。'  And I have not



smoked since。  I found it hard to break off old habits; but I



cried to the Lord for help; and he gave me strength; for he has



said; 'Call upon me in the day of trouble; and I will deliver



thee。'  The day after I gave up smoking I had the toothache so



bad that I did not know what to do。  I thought this was owing to



giving up the pipe; but I said I would never smoke again; if I



lost every tooth in my head。  I said; 'Lord; thou hast told us My



yoke is easy and my burden is light;' and when I said that; all



the pain left me。  Sometimes the thought of the pipe would come



back to me very strong; but the Lord strengthened me against the



habit; and; bless his name; I have not smoked since。〃







Bray's biographer writes that after he had given up smoking; he



thought that he would chew a little; but he conquered this dirty



habit; too。  〃On one occasion;〃 Bray said; 〃when at a prayer…



meeting at Hicks Mill; I heard the Lord say to me; 'Worship me



with clean lips。'  So; when we got up from our knees; I took the



quid out of my mouth and 'whipped 'en' 'threw it' under the form。







But; when we got on our knees again; I put another quid into my



mouth。  Then the Lord said to me again; 'Worship me with clean



lips。'  So I took the quid out of my mouth; and whipped 'en under



the form again; and said; 'Yes; Lord; I will。'  From that time I



gave up chewing as well as smoking; and have been a free man。〃







The ascetic forms which the impulse for veracity and purity of



life may take are often pathetic enough。  The early Quakers; for



example; had hard battles to wage against the worldliness and



insincerity of the ecclesiastical Christianity of their time。 



Yet the battle that cost them most wounds was probably that which



they fought in defense of their own right to social veracity and



sincerity in their thee…ing and thou…ing; in not doffing the hat



or giving titles of respect。 It was laid on George Fox that these



conventional customs were a lie and a sham; and the whole body of



his followers thereupon renounced them; as a sacrifice to truth;



and so that their acts and the spirit they professed might be



more in accord。







〃When the Lord sent me into the world;〃 says Fox in his Journal;



〃he forbade me to put off my hat to any; high or low: and I was



required to 'thee' and 'thou' all men and women; without any



respect to rich or poor; great or small。  And as I traveled up



and down; I was not to bid people Good…morning or Good…evening;



neither might I bow or scrape with my leg to any one。  This made



the sects and professions rage。  Oh! the rage that was in the



priests; magistrates; professors; and people of all sorts:  and



especially in priests and professors:  for though 'thou' to a



single person was according to their accidence and grammar rules;



and according to the Bible; yet they could not bear to hear it: 



and because I could not put off my hat to them; it set them all



into a rage。 。 。 。 Oh! the scorn; heat; and fury that arose!  Oh!



the blows; punchings; beatings; and imprisonments that we



underwent for not putting off our hats to men!  Some had their



hats violently plucked off and thrown away; so that they quite



lost them。  The bad language and evil usage we received on this



account is hard to be expressed; besides the danger we were



sometimes in of losing our lives for this matter; and that by the



great professors of Christianity; who thereby discovered they



were not true believers。  And though it was but a small thing in



the eye of man; yet a wonderful confusion it brought among all



professors and priests:  but; blessed be the Lord; many came to



see the vanity of that custom of putting off hats to men; and



felt the weight of Truth's testimony against it。〃







In the autobiography of Thomas Elwood; an early Quaker; who at



one time was secretary to John Milton; we find an exquisitely



quaint and candid account of the trials he underwent both at home



and abroad; in following Fox's canons of sincerity。  The



anecdotes are too lengthy for citation; but Elwood sets down his



manner of feeling about these things in a shorter passage; which



I will quote as a characteristic utterance of spiritual



sensibility:







〃By this divine light; then;〃 says Elwood; 〃I saw that though I



had not the evil of the common uncleanliness; debauchery;



profaneness; and pollutions of the world to put away; because I



had; through the great goodness of God and a civil education;



been preserved out of those grosser evils; yet I had many other



evils to put away and to cease from; some of which were not by



the world; which lies in wickedness (I John v。 19); accounted



evils; but by the light of Christ were made manifest to me to be



evils; and as such condemned in me。







〃As particularly those fruits and effects of pride that discover



themselves in the vanity and superfluity of apparel; which I took



too much delight in。  This evil of my doings I was required to



put away and cease from; and judgment lay upon me till I did so。







〃I took off from my apparel those unnecessary trimmings of lace;



ribbons; and useless buttons; which had no real service; but were



set on only for that which was by mistake called ornament; and I



ceased to wear rings。







〃Again; the giving of flattering titles to men between whom and



me there was not any relation to which such titles could be



pretended to belong。  This was an evil I had been much addicted



to; and was accounted a ready artist in; therefore this evil also



was I required to put away and cease from。  So that thenceforward



I durst not say; Sir; Master; My Lord; Madam (or My Dame); or say



Your Servant to any one to whom I did not stand in the real



relation of a servant; which I had never done to any。







〃Again; respect of persons; in uncovering the head and bowing the



knee or body in salutation; was a practice I had been much in the



use of; and this; being one of the vain customs of the world;



introduced by the spirit of the world; instead of the true honor



which this is a false representation of; and used in deceit as a



token of respect by persons one to another; who bear no real



respect one to another; and besides this; being a type and a



proper emblem of that divine honor which all ought to pay to



Almighty God; and which all of all sorts; who take upon them the



Christian name; appear in when they offer their prayers to him;



and therefore should not be given to men;I found this to be one



of those evils which I had been too long doing; therefore I was



now required to put it away and cease from i
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