lectures16+17-第8部分

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spiritual；　and　supersensible　it　is；　the　more　does　it　exceed　the



senses；　both　inner　and　outer；　and　impose　silence　upon　them。　。　。　。







The　soul　then　feels　as　if　placed　in　a　vast　and　profound　solitude；



to　which　no　created　thing　has　access；　in　an　immense　and　boundless



desert；　desert　the　more　delicious　the　more　solitary　it　is。　There；



in　this　abyss　of　wisdom；　the　soul　grows　by　what　it　drinks　in　from



the　well…springs　of　the　comprehension　of　love；　。　。　。　and



recognizes；　however　sublime　and　learned　may　be　the　terms　we



employ；　how　utterly　vile；　insignificant；　and　improper　they　are；



when　we　seek　to　discourse　of　divine　things　by　their　means。〃＇252＇







＇251＇　M。　ReCeJac；　in　a　recent　volume；　makes　them　essential。



Mysticism　he　defines　as　〃the　tendency　to　draw　near　to　the



Absolute　morally　AND　BY　THE　AID　OF　SYMBOLS。〃　　See　his　Fondements



de　la　Connaissance　mystique；　Paris；　1897；　p。　66。　　But　there　are



unquestionably　mystical　conditions　in　which　sensible　symbols　play



no　part。







＇252＇　Saint　John　of　the　Cross：　　The　Dark　Night　of　the　Soul；　book



ii。　ch。　xvii。；　in　Vie　et　Oeuvres；　3me　edition；　Paris；　1893；　iii。



428…432。　Chapter　xi。　of　book　ii。　of　Saint　John's　Ascent　of　Carmel



is　devoted　to　showing　the　harmfulness　for　the　mystical　life　of



the　use　of　sensible　imagery。















I　cannot　pretend　to　detail　to　you　the　sundry　stages　of　the



Christian　mystical　life。＇253＇　Our　time　would　not　suffice；　for　one



thing；　and　moreover；　I　confess　that　the　subdivisions　and　names



which　we　find　in　the　Catholic　books　seem　to　me　to　represent



nothing　objectively　distinct。　　So　many　men；　so　many　minds：　　I



imagine　that　these　experiences　can　be　as　infinitely　varied　as　are



the　idiosyncrasies　of　individuals。







＇253＇　In　particular　I　omit　mention　of　visual　and　auditory



hallucinations；　verbal　and　graphic　automatisms；　and　such　marvels



as　〃levitation；〃　stigmatization；　and　the　healing　of　disease。　



These　phenomena；　which　mystics　have　often　presented　（or　are



believed　to　have　presented）；　have　no　essential　mystical



significance；　for　they　occur　with　no　consciousness　of



illumination　whatever；　when　they　occur；　as　they　often　do；　in



persons　of　non…mystical　mind。　　Consciousness　of　illumination　is



for　us　the　essential　mark　of　〃mystical〃　states。















The　cognitive　aspects　of　them；　their　value　in　the　way　of



revelation；　is　what　we　are　directly　concerned　with；　and　it　is



easy　to　show　by　citation　how　strong　an　impression　they　leave　of



being　revelations　of　new　depths　of　truth。　　Saint　Teresa　is　the



expert　of　experts　in　describing　such　conditions；　so　I　will　turn



immediately　to　what　she　says　of　one　of　the　highest　of　them；　the



〃orison　of　union。〃







〃In　the　orison　of　union；〃　says　Saint　Teresa；　〃the　soul　is　fully



awake　as　regards　God；　but　wholly　asleep　as　regards　things　of　this



world　and　in　respect　of　herself。　　During　the　short　time　the　union



lasts；　she　is　as　it　were　deprived　of　every　feeling；　and　even　if



she　would；　she　could　not　think　of　any　single　thing。　　Thus　she



needs　to　employ　no　artifice　in　order　to　arrest　the　use　of　her



understanding：　　it　remains　so　stricken　with　inactivity　that　she



neither　knows　what　she　loves；　nor　in　what　manner　she　loves；　nor



what　she　wills。　　In　short；　she　is　utterly　dead　to　the　things　of



the　world　and　lives　solely　in　God。　。　。　。　　I　do　not　even　know



whether　in　this　state　she　has　enough　life　left　to　breathe。　　It



seems　to　me　she　has　not；　or　at　least　that　if　she　does　breathe；



she　is　unaware　of　it。　　Her　intellect　would　fain　understand



something　of　what　is　going　on　within　her；　but　it　has　so　little



force　now　that　it　can　act　in　no　way　whatsoever。　　So　a　person　who



falls　into　a　deep　faint　appears　as　if　dead。　。　。　。







〃Thus　does　God；　when　he　raises　a　soul　to　union　with　himself；



suspend　the　natural　action　of　all　her　faculties。　　She　neither



sees；　hears；　nor　understands；　so　long　as　she　is　united　with　God。



But　this　time　is　always　short；　and　it　seems　even　shorter　than　it



is。　　God　establishes　himself　in　the　interior　of　this　soul　in　such



a　way；　that　when　she　returns　to　herself；　it　is　wholly　impossible



for　her　to　doubt　that　she　has　been　in　God；　and　God　in　her。　　This



truth　remains　so　strongly　impressed　on　her　that；　even　though　many



years　should　pass　without　the　condition　returning；　she　can



neither　forget　the　favor　she　received；　nor　doubt　of　its　reality。



If　you；　nevertheless；　ask　how　it　is　possible　that　the　soul　can



see　and　understand　that　she　has　been　in　God；　since　during　the



union　she　has　neither　sight　nor　understanding；　I　reply　that　she



does　not　see　it　then；　but　that　she　sees　it　clearly　later；　after



she　has　returned　to　herself；　not　by　any　vision；　but　by　a



certitude　which　abides　with　her　and　which　God　alone　can　give　her。







I　knew　a　person　who　was　ignorant　of　the　truth　that　God's　mode　of



being　in　everything　must　be　either　by　presence；　by　power；　or　by



essence；　but　who；　after　having　received　the　grace　of　which　I　am



speaking；　believed　this　truth　in　the　most　unshakable　manner。　So



much　so　that；　having　consulted　a　half…learned　man　who　was　as



ignorant　on　this　point　as　she　had　been　before　she　was



enlightened；　when　he　replied　that　God　is　in　us　only　by　'grace；'



she　disbelieved　his　reply；　so　sure　she　was　of　the　true　answer；



and　when　she　came　to　ask　wiser　doctors；　they　confirmed　her　in　her



belief；　which　much　consoled　her。　。　。　。







〃But　how；　you　will　repeat；　CAN　one　have　such　certainty　in　respect



to　what　one　does　not　see？　　This　question；　I　am　powerless　to



answer。　　These　are　secrets　of　God's　omnipotence　which　it　does　not



appertain　to　me　to　penetrate。　　All　that　I　know　is　that　I　tell　the



truth；　and　I　shall　never　believe　that　any　soul　who　does　not



possess　this　certainty　has　ever　been　really　united　to　God。〃＇254＇







＇254＇　The　Interior　Castle；　Fifth　Abode；　Ch。　i。；　in　Oeuvres；



translated　by　BOUIX；　iii。　421…424。















The　kinds　of　truth　communicable　in　mystical　ways；　whether　these



be　sensible　or　supersensible；　are　various。　　Some　of　them　relate



to　this　worldvisions　of　the　future；　the　reading　of　hearts；　the



sudden　understanding　of　texts；　the　knowledge　of　distant　events；



for　example；　but　the　most　important　revelations　are　theological



or　metaphysical。







〃Saint　Ignatius　confessed　one　day　to　Father　Laynez　that　a　single



hour　of　meditation　at　Manresa　had　taught　him　more　truths　about



heavenly　things　than　all　the　teachings　of　all　the　doctors　put



together　could　have　taught　him。　。　。　。　　One　day　in　orison；　on　the



steps　of　the　choir　of　the　Dominican　church；　he　saw　in　a　distinct



manner　the　plan　of　divine　wisdom　in　the　creation　of　the　world。　



On　another　occasion；　during　a　procession；　his　spirit　was　ravished



in　God；　and　it　was　given　him　to　contemplate；　in　a　form　and　images



fitted　to　the　weak　understanding　of　a　dweller　on　the　earth；　the



deep　mystery　of　the　holy　Trinity。　　This　last　vision　flooded　his



heart　with　such　sweetness；　that　the　mere　memory　of　it　in　after



times　made　him　shed　abundant　tears。〃＇255＇







＇255＇　Bartoli…Michel：　　vie　de　Saint　Ignace　de　Loyola；　i。　34…36。



Others　have　had　illuminations　about　the　created　world；　Jacob



Boehme　for　instance。　　At　the　age　of　twenty…five　he　was



〃surrounded　by　the　divine　light；　and　replenished　with　the



heavenly　knowledge；　insomuch　as　going　abroad　into　the　fields　to　a



green；　at　Gorlitz；　he　there　sat　down　and　viewing　the　herbs　and



grass　of　the　field；　in　his　inward　light　he　saw　into　their



essences；　use；　and　properties；　which　was　discovered　to　him　by



their　lineaments；　figures；　and　signatures。〃　　Of　a　later



period　of　experience　he　writes：　　〃In　one　quarter　of　an　hour　I　saw



and　knew　more　than　if　I　had　been　many　years　together　at　an



university。　　For　I　saw　and　knew　the　being　of　all　things；　the　Byss



and　the　Abyss；　and　the　eternal　generation　of　the　holy　Trinity；



the　descent　and　original　of　the　world　and　of　all　creatures



through　the　divine　wisdom。　　I　knew　and　saw　in　myself　all　the



three　worlds；　the　external　and　visible　world　being　of　a



procreation　or　extern　birth　from　both　the　internal　and　spiritual



worlds；　and　I　saw　and　knew　the　whole　working　essence；　in　the　evil



and　in　the　good；　and　the　mutual　original　and　existence；　and



likewise　how　the　fruitful　bearing　womb　of　eternity　brought　forth。



So　that　I　did　not　only　greatly　wonder　at　it；　but　did　also



exceedingly　rejoice；　albeit　I　could　very　hardly　apprehend　the



same　in　my　external　man　and　set　it　down　with　the　pen。　　For　I　had



a　thorough　view　of　the　universe　as　in　a　chaos；　wherein　all　things



are　couched　and　wrapt　up；　but　it　was　impossible　for　me　to



explicate　the　same。〃　　Jacob　Behmen's　Theosophic　Philosophy；　etc。；



by　Edward　Taylor；　London；　1691；　pp。　425；　427；　abridged。　　







So　George　Fox：　　〃I　was　come　up　to　the　state　of　Adam　in　which　he



was　before　he　fell。　　The　creation　was　opened　to　me；　and　it　was



showed　me；　how　all　things　had　their　names　given　to　them；



according　to　their　nature　and　virtue。　　I　was　at　a　stand　in　my



mind；　whether　I　should　practice　physic　for　the　good　of　mankind；



seeing　the　nature　and　virtues　of　the　creatures　were　so　opened　to



me　by　the　Lord。〃　　　Journal；　Philadelphia；　no　date；　p。　69。　



Contemporary　〃Clairvoyance〃　abounds　in　similar　revelations。　



Andrew　Jackson　Davis's　cosmogonies；　for　example；　or　certain



experiences　related　in　the　delectable　〃Reminiscences　and　Memories



of　Henry　Thomas　Butterworth；〃　Lebanon；　Ohio；　1886。