lecture19-第5部分
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surely to be more sacred in our eyes than its anomalies; the dear
old ways; of which the Most High is never tired; than the strange
things which he does not love well enough ever to repeat。 And he
who will but discern beneath the sun; as he rises any morning;
the supporting finger of the Almighty; may recover the sweet and
reverent surprise with which Adam gazed on the first dawn in
Paradise。 It is no outward change; no shifting in time or place;
but only the loving meditation of the pure in heart; that can
reawaken the Eternal from the sleep within our souls: that can
render him a reality again; and reassert for him once more his
ancient name of 'the Living God。'〃'319'
'319' James Martineau: end of the sermon 〃Help Thou Mine
Unbelief;〃 in Endeavours after a Christian Life; 2d series。
Compare with this page the extract from Voysey on p。 270; above;
and those from Pascal and Madame Guyon on p。 281。
When we see all things in God; and refer all things to him; we
read in common matters superior expressions of meaning。 The
deadness with which custom invests the familiar vanishes; and
existence as a whole appears transfigured。 The state of a mind
thus awakened from torpor is well expressed in these words; which
I take from a friend's letter:
〃If we occupy ourselves in summing up all the mercies and
bounties we are privileged to have; we are overwhelmed by their
number (so great that we can imagine ourselves unable to give
ourselves time even to begin to review the things we may imagine
WE HAVE NOT)。 We sum them and realize that WE ARE ACTUALLY
KILLED WITH GOD'S KINDNESS; that we are surrounded by bounties
upon bounties; without which all would fall。 Should we not love
it; should we not feel buoyed up by the Eternal Arms?〃
Sometimes this realization that facts are of divine sending;
instead of being habitual; is casual; like a mystical experience。
Father Gratry gives this instance from his youthful melancholy
period:
〃One day I had a moment of consolation; because I met with
something which seemed to me ideally perfect。 It was a poor
drummer beating the tattoo in the streets of Paris。 I walked
behind him in returning to the school on the evening of a
holiday。 His drum gave out the tattoo in such a way that; at that
moment at least; however peevish I were; I could find no pretext
for fault…finding。 It was impossible to conceive more nerve or
spirit; better time or measure; more clearness or richness; than
were in this drumming。 Ideal desire could go no farther in that
direction。 I was enchanted and consoled; the perfection of this
wretched act did me good。 Good is at least possible; I said。
since the ideal can thus sometimes get embodied。〃'320'
'320' Souvenirs de ma Jeunesse; 1897; p。 122。
In Senancour's novel of Obermann a similar transient lifting of
the veil is recorded。 In Paris streets; on a March day; he comes
across a flower in bloom; a jonquil:
〃It was the strongest expression of desire: it was the first
perfume of the year。 I felt all the happiness destined for man。
This unutterable harmony of souls; the phantom of the ideal
world; arose in me complete。 I never felt anything so great or
so instantaneous。 I know not what shape; what analogy; what
secret of relation it was that made me see in this flower a
limitless beauty。 。 。 。 I shall never inclose in a conception
this power; this immensity that nothing will express; this form
that nothing will contain; this ideal of a better world which one
feels; but which; it seems; nature has not made actual。〃'321'
'321' Op。 cit。; Letter XXX。
We heard in previous lectures of the vivified face of the world
as it may appear to converts after their awakening。'322' As a
rule; religious persons generally assume that whatever natural
facts connect themselves in any way with their destiny are
significant of the divine purposes with them。 Through prayer
the purpose; often far from obvious; comes home to them; and if
it be 〃trial;〃 strength to endure the trial is given。 Thus at
all stages of the prayerful life we find the persuasion that in
the process of communion energy from on high flows in to meet
demand; and becomes operative within the phenomenal world。 So
long as this operativeness is admitted to be real; it makes no
essential difference whether its immediate effects be subjective
or objective。 The fundamental religious point is that in prayer;
spiritual energy; which otherwise would slumber; does become
active; and spiritual work of some kind is effected really。
'322' Above; p。 243 ff。 Compare the withdrawal of expression
from the world; in Melancholiacs; p。 148。
So much for Prayer; taken in the wide sense of any kind of
communion。 As the core of religion; we must return to it in the
next lecture。
The last aspect of the religious life which remains for me to
touch upon is the fact that its manifestations so frequently
connect themselves with the subconscious part of our existence。
You may remember what I said in my opening lecture'323' about the
prevalence of the psychopathic temperament in religious
biography。 You will in point of fact hardly find a religious
leader of any kind in whose life there is no record of
automatisms。 I speak not merely of savage priests and prophets;
whose followers regard automatic utterance and action as by
itself tantamount to inspiration; I speak of leaders of thought
and subjects of intellectualized experience。 Saint Paul had his
visions; his ecstasies; his gift of tongues; small as was the
importance he attached to the latter。 The whole array of
Christian saints and heresiarchs; including the greatest; the
Barnards; the Loyolas; the Luthers; the Foxes; the Wesleys; had
their visions; voices; rapt conditions; guiding impressions; and
〃openings。〃 They had these things; because they had exalted
sensibility; and to such things persons of exalted sensibility
are liable。 In such liability there lie; however; consequences
for theology。 Beliefs are strengthened wherever automatisms
corroborate them。 Incursions from beyond the transmarginal
region have a peculiar power to increase conviction。 The
inchoate sense of presence is infinitely stronger than
conception; but strong as it may be; it is seldom equal to the
evidence of hallucination。 Saints who actually see or hear their
Saviour reach the acme of assurance。 Motor automatisms; though
rarer; are; if possible; even more convincing than sensations。
The subjects here actually feel themselves played upon by powers
beyond their will。 The evidence is dynamic; the God or spirit
moves the very organs of their body。'324'
'323' Above; pp。 25; 26。
'324' A friend of mine; a first…rate psychologist; who is a
subject of graphic automatism; tells me that the appearance of
independent actuation in the movements of his arm; when he writes
automatically; is so distinct that it obliges him to abandon a
psychophysical theory which he had previously believed in; the
theory; namely; that we have no feeling of the discharge
downwards of our voluntary motor…centres。 We must normally have
such a feeling; he thinks; or the SENSE OF AN ABSENCE would not
be so striking as it is in these experiences。 Graphic automatism
of a fully developed kind is rare in religious history; so far as
my knowledge goes。 Such statements as Antonia Bourignon's; that
〃I do nothing but lend my hand and spirit to another power than
mine;〃 is shown by the context to indicate inspiration rather
than directly automatic writing。 In some eccentric sects this
latter occurs。 The most striking instance of it is probably the
bulky volume called; 〃Oahspe; a new Bible in the Words of Jehovah
and his angel ambassadors;〃 Boston and London; 1891; written and
illustrated automatically by Dr。 Newbrough of New York; whom I
understand to be now; or to have been lately; at the head of the
spiritistic community of Shalam in New Mexico。 The latest
automatically written book which has come under my notice is
〃Zertouhem's Wisdom of the Ages;〃 by George A。 Fuller; Boston;
1901。
The great field for this sense of being the instrument of a
higher power is of course 〃inspiration。〃 It is easy to
discriminate between the religious leaders who have been
habitually subject to inspiration and those who have not。 In the
teachings of the Buddha; of Jesus; of Saint Paul (apart from his
gift of tongues); of Saint Augustine; of Huss; of Luther; of
Wesley; automatic or semi…automatic composition appears to have
been only occasional。 In the Hebrew prophets; on the contrary;
in Mohammed; in some of the Alexandrians; in many minor Catholic
saints; in Fox; in Joseph Smith; something like it appears to
have been frequent; sometimes habitual。 We have distinct
professions of being under the direction of a foreign power; and
serving as its mouthpiece。 As regards the Hebrew prophets; it is
extraordinary; writes an author who has made a careful study of
them; to see
〃How; one after another; the same features are reproduced in the
prophetic books。 The process is always extremely different from
what it would be if the prophe