passages from an old volume of life-第26部分

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！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


endow　him　with　a　natural　quality　to　govern？　　Are　the　laity　an　inferior　order　of　beings；　fit　only　to　be　slaves　and　to　be　governed？　　Is　it　good　policy　for　mankind　to　subject　themselves　to　such　degrading　vassalage　and　abject　submission？　　Reason；　common　sense；　and　the　Bible；　with　united　voice；　proclaim　to　all　mankind　that　they　are　all　born　free　and　equal；　that　every　member　of　a　church　or　Christian　congregation　must　be　on　the　same　footing　in　respect　of　church　government；　and　that　the　CONSTITUTION；　which　delegates　to　one　the　power　to　negative　the　vote　of　all　the　rest；　is　SUBVERSIVE　OF　THE　NATURAL　RIGHT　OF　MANKIND　AND　REPUGNANT　TO　THE　WORD　OF　GOD。〃

The　Reverend　Mr。　　Welch　replied　to　the　lawyer's　attack；　pronouncing　him　to　be　〃destitute　of　delicacy；　decency；　good　manners；　sound　judgment；　honesty；　manhood；　and　humanity；　a　poltroon；　a　cat's…paw；　the　infamous　tool　of　a　party；　a　partisan；　a　political　weathercock；　and　a　ragamuffin。〃

No　Fourth…of…July　orator　would　in　our　day　rant　like　the　lawyer；　and　no　clergyman　would　use　such　language　as　that　of　the　Reverend　Moses　Welch。　　The　clergy　have　been　pretty　well　republicanized　within　that　last　two　or　three　generations；　and　are　not　likely　to　provoke　quarrels　by　assertion　of　their　special　dignities　or　privileges。　　The　public　is　better　bred　than　to　carry　on　an　ecclesiastical　controversy　in　terms　which　political　brawlers　would　hardly　think　admissible。　　The　minister　of　religion　is　generally　treated　with　something　more　than　respect；　he　is　allowed　to　say　undisputed　what　would　be　sharply　controverted　in　anybody　else。　　Bishop　Gilbert　Haven；　of　happy　memory；　had　been　discussing　a　religious　subject　with　a　friend　who　was　not　convinced　by　his　arguments。　　〃Wait　till　you　hear　me　from　the　pulpit；〃　he　said；　〃there　you　cannot　answer　me。〃　　The　preacherif　I　may　use　an　image　which　would　hardly　have　suggested　itself　to　himhas　his　hearer's　head　in　chancery；　and　can　administer　punishment　ad　libitum。　　False　facts；　false　reasoning；　bad　rhetoric；　bad　grammar；　stale　images；　borrowed　passages；　if　not　borrowed　sermons；　are　listened　to　without　a　word　of　comment　or　a　look　of　disapprobation。

One　of　the　ablest　and　most　conscientiously　laborious　of　our　clergymen　has　lately　ventured　to　question　whether　all　his　professional　brethren　invariably　give　utterance　to　their　sincerest　beliefs；　and　has　been　sharply　criticised　for　so　doing。　　The　layman；　who　sits　silent　in　his　pew；　has　his　rights　when　out　of　it；　and　among　them　is　the　right　of　questioning　that　which　has　been　addressed　to　him　from　the　privileged　eminence　of　the　pulpit；　or　in　any　way　sanctioned　by　his　religious　teacher。　　It　is　nearly　two　hundred　years　since　a　Boston　layman　wrote　these　words：　〃I　am　not　ignorant　that　the　pious　frauds　of　the　ancient；　and　the　inbred　fire　（I　do　not　call　it　pride）　of　many　of　our　modern　divines；　have　precipitated　them　to　propagate　and　maintain　truth　as　well　as　falsehoods；　in　such　an　unfair　manner　as　has　given　advantage　to　the　enemy　to　suspect　the　whole　doctrine　these　men　have　profest　to　be　nothing　but　a　mere　trick。〃

So　wrote　Robert　Calef；　the　Boston　merchant；　whose　book　the　Reverend　Increase　Mather；　president　of　Harvard　College；　burned　publicly　in　the　college　yard。　　But　the　pity　of　it　is　that　the　layman　had　not　cried　out　earlier　and　louder；　and　saved　the　community　from　the　horror　of　those　judicial　murders　for　witchcraft；　the　blame　of　which　was　so　largely　attributable　to　the　clergy。

Perhaps　no；　laymen　have　given　the　clergy　more　trouble　than　the　doctors。　　The　old　reproach　against　physicians；　that　where　there　were　three　of　them　together　there　were　two　atheists；　had　a　real　significance；　but　not　that　which　was　intended　by　the　sharp…tongued　ecclesiastic　who　first　uttered　it。　　Undoubtedly　there　is　a　strong　tendency　in　the　pursuits　of　the　medical　profession　to　produce　disbelief　in　that　figment　of　tradition　and　diseased　human　imagination　which　has　been　installed　in　the　seat　of　divinity　by　the　priesthood　of　cruel　and　ignorant　ages。　　It　is　impossible；　or　at　least　very　difficult；　for　a　physician　who　has　seen　the　perpetual　efforts　of　Naturewhose　diary　is　the　book　he　reads　oftenestto　heal　wounds；　to　expel　poisons；　to　do　the　best　that　can　be　done　under　the　given　conditions；it　is　very　difficult　for　him　to　believe　in　a　world　where　wounds　cannot　heal；　where　opiates　cannot　give　a　respite　from　pain；　where　sleep　never　comes　with　its　sweet　oblivion　of　suffering；　where　the　art　of　torture　is　the　only　science　cultivated；　and　the　capacity　for　being　tormented　is　the　only　faculty　which　remains　to　the　children　of　that　same　Father　who　cares　for　the　falling　sparrow。　　The　Deity　has　often　been　pictured　as　Moloch；　and　the　physician　has；　no　doubt；　frequently　repudiated　him　as　a　monstrosity。


On　the　other　hand；　the　physician　has　often　been　renowned　for　piety　as　well　as　for　his　peculiarly　professional　virtue　of　charity；led　upward　by　what　he　sees　to　the　source　of　all　the　daily　marvels　wrought　before　his　own　eyes。　　So　it　was　that　Galen　gave　utterance　to　that　psalm　of　praise　which　the　sweet　singer　of　Israel　need　not　have　been　ashamed　of；　and　if　this　〃heathen〃　could　be　lifted　into　such　a　strain　of　devotion；　we　need　not　be　surprised　to　find　so　many　devout　Christian　worshippers　among　the　crowd　of　medical　〃atheists。〃

No　two　professions　should　come　into　such　intimate　and　cordial　relations　as　those　to　which　belong　the　healers　of　the　body　and　the　headers　of　the　mind。　　There　can　be　no　more　fatal　mistake　than　that　which　brings　them　into　hostile　attitudes　with　reference　to　each　other；　both　having　in　view　the　welfare　of　their　fellow…creatures。　But　there　is　a　territory　always　liable　to　be　differed　about　between　them。　　There　are　patients　who　never　tell　their　physician　the　grief　which　lies　at　the　bottom　of　their　ailments。　　He　goes　through　his　accustomed　routine　with　them；　and　thinks　he　has　all　the　elements　needed　for　his　diagnosis。　　But　he　has　seen　no　deeper　into　the　breast　than　the　tongue；　and　got　no　nearer　the　heart　than　the　wrist。　　A　wise　and　experienced　clergyman；　coming　to　the　patient's　bedside；not　with　the　professional　look　on　his　face　which　suggests　the　undertaker　and　the　sexton；　but　with　a　serene　countenance　and　a　sympathetic　voice；　with　tact；　with　patience；　waiting　for　the　right　moment；will　surprise　the　shy　spirit　into　a　confession　of　the　doubt；　the　sorrow；　the　shame；　the　remorse；　the　terror　which　underlies　all　the　bodily　symptoms；　and　the　unburdening　of　which　into　a　loving　and　pitying　soul　is　a　more　potent　anodyne　than　all　the　drowsy　sirups　of　the　world。　And；　on　the　other　hand；　there　are　many　nervous　and　over…sensitive　natures　which　have　been　wrought　up　by　self…torturing　spiritual　exercises　until　their　best　confessor　would　be　a　sagacious　and　wholesome…minded　physician。

Suppose　a　person　to　have　become　so　excited　by　religious　stimulants　that　he　is　subject　to　what　are　known　to　the　records　of　insanity　as　hallucinations：　that　he　hears　voices　whispering　blasphemy　in　his　ears；　and　sees　devils　coming　to　meet　him；　and　thinks　he　is　going　to　be　torn　in　pieces；　or　trodden　into　the　mire。　　Suppose　that　his　mental　conflicts；　after　plunging　him　into　the　depths　of　despondency；　at　last　reduce　him　to　a　state　of　despair；　so　that　he　now　contemplates　taking　his　own　life；　and　debates　with　himself　whether　it　shall　be　by　knife；　halter；　or　poison；　and　after　much　questioning　is　apparently　making　up　his　mind　to　commit　suicide。　　Is　not　this　a　manifest　case　of　insanity；　in　the　form　known　as　melancholia？　　Would　not　any　prudent　physician　keep　such　a　person　under　the　eye　of　constant　watchers；　as　in　a　dangerous　state　of；　at　least；　partial　mental　alienation？　　Yet　this　is　an　exact　transcript　of　the　mental　condition　of　Christian　in　〃Pilgrim's　Progress；〃　and　its　counterpart　has　been　found　in　thousands　of　wretched　lives　terminated　by　the　act　of　self…destruction；　which　came　so　near　taking　place　in　the　hero　of　the　allegory。　　Now　the　wonderful　book　from　which　this　example　is　taken　is；　next　to　the　Bible　and　the　Treatise　of　〃De　Imitatione　Christi；〃　the　best…known　religious　work　of　Christendom。　　If　Bunyan　and　his　contemporary；　Sydenham；　had　met　in　consultation　over　the　case　of　Christian　at　the　time　when　be　was　meditating　self…murder；　it　is　very　possible　that　there　might　have　been　a　difference　of　judgment。　　The　physician　would　have　one　advantage　in　such　a　consultation。　　He　would　pretty　certainly　have　received　a　Christian　education；　while　the　clergyman　would　probably　know　next　to　nothing　of　the　laws　or　manifestations　of　mental　or　bodily　disease。　　It　does　not　seem　as　if　any　theological　student　was　really　prepared　for　his　practical　duties　until　he　had　learned　something　of　the　effects　of　bodily　derangements；　and；　above　all；　had　become　familiar　with　the　gamut　of　mental　discord　in　the　wards　of　an　insane　asylum。

It　is　a　very　thoughtless　thing　to　say　that　the　physician　stands　to　the　divine　in　the　same　light　as　the　divine　stands　to　the　physician；　so　far　as　each　may　attempt　to　handle　subjects　belonging　especially　to　the　other's　profession。　　Many　physicians　know　a　great　deal　more　about　religious　matters　than　they　do　about　medicine。　　They　have　read　the　Bible　ten　times　as　much　as　they　ever　read　any　medical　author。　　They　have　heard　scores　of　sermons　for　one　medical　lecture　to　which　they　have　listened。　　They　often　hear　much　better　preaching　than　the　average　minister；　for　he　hears　himself　chiefly；　and　they　hear　abler　men　and　a　variety　of　them。　　They　have　now　and　then　been　distinguished　in　theology　as　well　as　in　their　own　profession。　　The　name　of　Servetus　might　call　up　unpleasant　recollections；　but　that　of　another　medical　practitioner　may　be　safely　mentioned。　　〃It　was　not　till　the　middle　of　the　last　century　that　the　question　as　to　the　authorship　of　the　Pentateuch　was　handled　with　anything　like　a　discerning　criticism。　The　first　attempt　was　made　by　a　layman；　whose　studies　we　might　have　supposed　would　scarcely　have　led　him　to　such　an　investigation。〃　　This　layman　was　〃Astruc；　doctor　and　professor　of　medicine　in　the　Royal　College　at　Paris；　and　court　physician　to　Louis　XIV。〃　　The　quotation　is　from　the　article　〃Pentateuch〃　in　Smith's　〃Dictionary　of　the　Bible；〃　which；　of　course；　lies　on　the　table　of　the　least　instructed　clergyman。　　The　sacred　profession　has；　it　is　true；　returned　the　favor　by　giving　the　practitioner　of　medicine　Bishop　Berkeley's　〃Treatise