the vicar of wakefield-第33部分

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exhort　you　to　seek　it　at　that　greatest　tribunal　where　we　both　shall　shortly　answer。　But　let　us　not　be　niggardly　in　our　exhortation；　but　let　all　our　fellow　prisoners　have　a　share：　good　gaoler　let　them　be　permitted　to　stand　here；　while　I　attempt　to　improve　them。'　Thus　saying；　I　made　an　effort　to　rise　from　my　straw；　but　wanted　strength；　and　was　able　only　to　recline　against　the　wall。　The　prisoners　assembled　according　to　my　direction；　for　they　loved　to　hear　my　council；　my　son　and　his　mother　supported　me　on　either　side；　I　looked　and　saw　that　none　were　wanting；　and　then　addressed　them　with　the　following　exhortation。



CHAPTER　29

The　equal　dealings　of　providence　demonstrated　with　regard　to　the　happy　and　the　miserable　here　below。　That　from　the　nature　of　pleasure　and　pain；　the　wretched　must　be　repaid　the　balance　of　their　sufferings　in　the　life　hereafter


My　friends；　my　children；　and　fellow　sufferers；　when　I　reflect　on　the　distribution　of　good　and　evil　here　below；　I　find　that　much　has　been　given　man　to　enjoy；　yet　still　more　to　suffer。　Though　we　should　examine　the　whole　world；　we　shall　not　find　one　man　so　happy　as　to　have　nothing　left　to　wish　for；　but　we　daily　see　thousands　who　by　suicide　shew　us　they　have　nothing　left　to　hope。　In　this　life　then　it　appears　that　we　cannot　be　entirely　blest；

but　yet　we　may　be　completely　miserable！

Why　man　should　thus　feel　pain；　why　our　wretchedness　should　be　requisite　in　the　formation　of　universal　felicity；　why；　when　all　other　systems　are　made　perfect　by　the　perfection　of　their　subordinate　parts；　the　great　system　should　require　for　its　perfection；　parts　that　are　not　only　subordinate　to　others；　but　imperfect　in　themselves？　These　are　questions　that　never　can　be　explained；　and　might　be　useless　if　known。　On　this　subject　providence　has　thought　fit　to　elude　our　curiosity；　satisfied　with　granting　us　motives　to　consolation。

In　this　situation；　man　has　called　in　the　friendly　assistance　of　philosophy；　and　heaven　seeing　the　incapacity　of　that　to　console　him；　has　given　him　the　aid　of　religion。　The　consolations　of　philosophy　are　very　amusing；　but　often　fallacious。　It　tells　us　that　life　is　filled　with　comforts；　if　we　will　but　enjoy　them；　and　on　the　other　hand；　that　though　we　unavoidably　have　miseries　here；　life　is　short；　and　they　will　soon　be　over。　Thus　do　these　consolations　destroy　each　other；　for　if　life　is　a　place　of　comfort；　its　shortness　must　be　misery；　and　if　it　be　long；　our　griefs　are　protracted。　Thus　philosophy　is　weak；　but　religion　comforts　in　an　higher　strain。　Man　is　here；　it　tells　us；　fitting　up　his　mind；　and　preparing　it　for　another　abode。　When　the　good　man　leaves　the　body　and　is　all　a　glorious　mind；　he　will　find　he　has　been　making　himself　a　heaven　of　happiness　here；　while　the　wretch　that　has　been　maimed　and　contaminated　by　his　vices；　shrinks　from　his　body　with　terror；　and　finds　that　he　has　anticipated　the　vengeance　of　heaven。　To　religion　then　we　must　hold　in　every　circumstance　of　life　for　our　truest　comfort；　for　if　already　we　are　happy；　it　is　a　pleasure　to　think　that　we　can　make　that　happiness　unending；　and　if　we　are　miserable；　it　is　very　consoling　to　think　that　there　is　a　place　of　rest。　Thus　to　the　fortunate　religion　holds　out　a　continuance　of　bliss；　to　the　wretched　a　change　from　pain。

But　though　religion　is　very　kind　to　all　men；　it　has　promised　peculiar　rewards　to　the　unhappy；　the　sick；　the　naked；　the　houseless；　the　heavy…laden；　and　the　prisoner；　have　ever　most　frequent　promises　in　our　sacred　law。　The　author　of　our　religion　every　where　professes　himself　the　wretch's　friend；　and　unlike　the　false　ones　of　this　world；　bestows　all　his　caresses　upon　the　forlorn。　The　unthinking　have　censured　this　as　partiality；　as　a　preference　without　merit　to　deserve　it。　But　they　never　reflect　that　it　is　not　in　the　power　even　of　heaven　itself　to　make　the　offer　of　unceasing　felicity　as　great　a　gift　to　the　happy　as　to　the　miserable。　To　the　first　eternity　is　but　a　single　blessing；　since　at　most　it　but　encreases　what　they　already　possess。　To　the　latter　it　is　a　double　advantage；　for　it　diminishes　their　pain　here；　and　rewards　them　with　heavenly　bliss　hereafter。

But　providence　is　in　another　respect　kinder　to　the　poor　than　the　rich；　for　as　it　thus　makes　the　life　after　death　more　desirable；　so　it　smooths　the　passage　there。　The　wretched　have　had　a　long　familiarity　with　every　face　of　terror。　The　man　of　sorrow　lays　himself　quietly　down；　without　possessions　to　regret；　and　but　few　ties　to　stop　his　departure：　he　feels　only　nature's　pang　in　the　final　separation；　and　this　is　no　way　greater　than　he　has　often　fainted　under　before；　for　after　a　certain　degree　of　pain；　every　new　breach　that　death　opens　in　the　constitution；　nature　kindly　covers　with　insensibility。

Thus　providence　has　given　the　wretched　two　advantages　over　the　happy；　in　this　life；　greater　felicity　in　dying；　and　in　heaven　all　that　superiority　of　pleasure　which　arises　from　contrasted　enjoyment。　And　this　superiority；　my　friends；　is　no　small　advantage；　and　seems　to　be　one　of　the　pleasures　of　the　poor　man　in　the　parable；　for　though　he　was　already　in　heaven；　and　felt　all　the　raptures　it　could　give；　yet　it　was　mentioned　as　an　addition　to　his　happiness；　that　he　had　once　been　wretched　and　now　was　comforted；　that　he　had　known　what　it　was　to　be　miserable；　and　now　felt　what　it　was　to　be　happy。

Thus；　my　friends；　you　see　religion　does　what　philosophy　could　never　do：　it　shews　the　equal　dealings　of　heaven　to　the　happy　and　the　unhappy；　and　levels　all　human　enjoyments　to　nearly　the　same　standard。　It　gives　to　both　rich　and　poor　the　same　happiness　hereafter；　and　equal　hopes　to　aspire　after　it；　but　if　the　rich　have　the　advantage　of　enjoying　pleasure　here；　the　poor　have　the　endless　satisfaction　of　knowing　what　it　was　once　to　be　miserable；　when　crowned　with　endless　felicity　hereafter；　and　even　though　this　should　be　called　a　small　advantage；　yet　being　an　eternal　one；　it　must　make　up　by　duration　what　the　temporal　happiness　of　the　great　may　have　exceeded　by　intenseness。

These　are　therefore　the　consolations　which　the　wretched　have　peculiar　to　themselves；　and　in　which　they　are　above　the　rest　of　mankind；　in　other　respects　they　are　below　them。　They　who　would　know　the　miseries　of　the　poor　must　see　life　and　endure　it。　To　declaim　on　the　temporal　advantages　they　enjoy；　is　only　repeating　what　none　either　believe　or　practise。　The　men　who　have　the　necessaries　of　living　are　not　poor；　and　they　who　want　them　must　be　miserable。　Yes；　my　friends；　we　must　be　miserable。　No　vain　efforts　of　a　refined　imagination　can　sooth　the　wants　of　nature；　can　give　elastic　sweetness　to　the　dank　vapour　of　a　dungeon；　or　ease　to　the　throbbings　of　a　broken　heart。　Let　the　philosopher　from　his　couch　of　softness　tell　us　that　we　can　resist　all　these。　Alas！　the　effort　by　which　we　resist　them　is　still　the　greatest　pain！　Death　is　slight；　and　any　man　may　sustain　it；　but　torments　are　dreadful；　and　these　no　man　can　endure。

To　us　then；　my　friends；　the　promises　of　happiness　in　heaven　should　be　peculiarly　dear；　for　if　our　reward　be　in　this　life　alone；　we　are　then　indeed　of　all　men　the　most　miserable。　When　I　look　round　these　gloomy　walls；　made　to　terrify；　as　well　as　to　confine　us；　this　light　that　only　serves　to　shew　the　horrors　of　the　place；　those　shackles　that　tyranny　has　imposed；　or　crime　made　necessary；　when　I　survey　these　emaciated　looks；　and　hear　those　groans；　O　my　friends；　what　a　glorious　exchange　would　heaven　be　for　these。　To　fly　through　regions　unconfined　as　air；　to　bask　in　the　sunshine　of　eternal　bliss；　to　carrol　over　endless　hymns　of　praise；　to　have　no　master　to　threaten　or　insult　us；　but　the　form　of　goodness　himself　for　ever　in　our　eyes；　when　I　think　of　these　things；　death　becomes　the　messenger　of　very　glad　tidings；　when　I　think　of　these　things；　his　sharpest　arrow　becomes　the　staff　of　my　support；　when　I　think　of　these　things；　what　is　there　in　life　worth　having；　when　I　think　of　these　things；　what　is　there　that　should　not　be　spurned　away：　kings　in　their　palaces　should　groan　for　such　advantages；　but　we；　humbled　as　we　are；　should　yearn　for　them。

And　shall　these　things　be　ours？　Ours　they　will　certainly　be　if　we　but　try　for　them；　and　what　is　a　comfort；　we　are　shut　out　from　many　temptations　that　would　retard　our　pursuit。　Only　let　us　try　for　them；　and　they　will　certainly　be　ours；　and　what　is　still　a　comfort；　shortly　too；　for　if　we　look　back　on　past　life；　it　appears　but　a　very　short　span；　and　whatever　we　may　think　of　the　rest　of　life；　it　will　yet　be　found　of　less　duration；　as　we　grow　older；　the　days　seem　to　grow　shorter；　and　our　intimacy　with　time；　ever　lessens　the　perception　of　his　stay。　Then　let　us　take　comfort　now；　for　we　shall　soon　be　at　our　journey's　end；　we　shall　soon　lay　down　the　heavy　burthen　laid　by　heaven　upon　us；　and　though　death；　the　only　friend　of　the　wretched；　for　a　little　while　mocks　the　weary　traveller　with　the　view；　and　like　his　horizon；　still　flies　before　him；　yet　the　time　will　certainly　and　shortly　come；　when　we　shall　cease　from　our　toil；　when　the　luxurious　great　ones　of　the　world　shall　no　more　tread　us　to　the　earth；　when　we　shall　think　with　pleasure　on　our　sufferings　below；　when　we　shall　be　surrounded　with　all　our　friends；　or　such　as　deserved　our　friendship；　when　our　bliss　shall　be　unutterable；　and　still；　to　crow