lectures11-13-第4章

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drunkenness　and　sexual　vice　have　been　cured　in　this　way；　action



through　the　subliminal　seeming　thus　in　many　individuals　to　have



the　prerogative　of　inducing　relatively　stable　change。　　If　the



grace　of　God　miraculously　operates；　it　probably　operates　through



the　subliminal　door；　then。　　But　just　HOW　anything　operates　in



this　region　is　still　unexplained；　and　we　shall　do　well　now　to　say



good…by　to　the　PROCESS　of　transformation　altogetherleaving　it；



if　you　like；　a　good　deal　of　a　psychological　or　theological



mysteryand　to　turn　our　attention　to　the　fruits　of　the　religious



condition；　no　matter　in　what　way　they　may　have　been



produced。＇151＇







＇150＇　Here；　for　example；　is　a　case；　from　Starbuck's　book；　in



which　a　〃sensory　automatism〃　brought　about　quickly　what　prayers



and　resolves　had　been　unable　to　effect。　　The　subject　is　a　woman。　



She　writes：







〃When　I　was　about　forty　I　tried　to　quit　smoking；　but　the　desire



was　on　me；　and　had　me　in　its　power。　　I　cried　and　prayed　and



promised　God　to　quit；　but　could　not。　　I　had　smoked　for　fifteen



years。　　When　I　was　fifty…three；　as　I　sat　by　the　fire　one　day



smoking；　a　voice　came　to　me。　　I　did　not　hear　it　with　my　ears；　but



more　as　a　dream　or　sort　of　double　think。　　It　said；　'Louisa；　lay



down　smoking。'　　At　once　I　replied。　'Will　you　take　the　desire



away？'　But　it　only　kept　saying：　　'Louisa；　lay　down　smoking。'　



Then　I　got　up；　laid　my　pipe　on　the　mantel…shelf；　and　never　smoked



again　or　had　any　desire　to。　　The　desire　was　gone　as　though　I　had



never　known　it　or　touched　tobacco。　　The　sight　of　others　smoking



and　the　smell　of　smoke　never　gave　me　the　least　wish　to　touch　it



again。〃　　　　The　Psychology　of　Religion；　p。　142。







＇151＇　Professor　Starbuck　expresses　the　radical　destruction　of　old



influences　physiologically；　as　a　cutting　off　of　the　connection



between　higher　and　lower　cerebral　centres。　　〃This　condition；〃　he



says；　〃in　which　the　association…centres　connected　with　the



spiritual　life　are　cut　off　from　the　lower；　is　often　reflected　in



the　way　correspondents　describe　their　experiences。　。　。　。　　For



example：　　'Temptations　from　without　still　assail　me；　but　there　is



nothing　WITHIN　to　respond　to　them。'　The　ego　＇here＇　is　wholly



identified　with　the　higher　centres　whose　quality　of　feeling　is



that　of　withinness。　　Another　of　the　respondents　says：　　'Since



then；　although　Satan　tempts　me；　there　is　as　it　were　a　wall　of



brass　around　me；　so　that　his　darts　cannot　touch　me。'〃



Unquestionably；　functional　exclusions　of　this　sort　must　occur



in　the　cerebral　organ。　　But　on　the　side　accessible　to



introspection；　their　causal　condition　is　nothing　but　the　degree



of　spiritual　excitement；　getting　at　last　so　high　and　strong　as　to



be　sovereign；　and　it　must　be　frankly　confessed　that　we　do　not



know　just　why　or　how　such　sovereignty　comes　about　in　one　person



and　not　in　another。　　We　can　only　give　our　imagination　a　certain



delusive　help　by　mechanical　analogies。















If　we　should　conceive；　for　example；　that　the　human　mind；　with　its



different　possibilities　of　equilibrium；　might　be　like　a



many…sided　solid　with　different　surfaces　on　which　it　could　lie



flat；　we　might　liken　mental　revolutions　to　the　spatial



revolutions　of　such　a　body。　　As　it　is　pried　up；　say　by　a　lever；



from　a　position　in　which　it　lies　on　surface　A；　for　instance；　it



will　linger　for　a　time　unstably　halfway　up；　and　if　the　lever



cease　to　urge　it；　it　will　tumble　back　or　〃relapse〃　under　the



continued　pull　of　gravity。　　But　if　at　last　it　rotate　far　enough



for　its　centre　of　gravity　to　pass　beyond　surface　A　altogether；



the　body　will　fall　over；　on　surface　B；　say；　and　abide　there



permanently。　　The　pulls　of　gravity　towards　A　have　vanished；　and



may　now　be　disregarded。　The　polyhedron　has　become　immune　against



farther　attraction　from　their　direction。







In　this　figure　of　speech　the　lever　may　correspond　to　the



emotional　influences　making　for　a　new　life；　and　the　initial　pull



of　gravity　to　the　ancient　drawbacks　and　inhibitions。　　So　long　as



the　emotional　influence　fails　to　reach　a　certain　pitch　of



efficacy；　the　changes　it　produces　are　unstable；　and　the　man



relapses　into　his　original　attitude。　But　when　a　certain　intensity



is　attained　by　the　new　emotion；　a　critical　point　is　passed；　and



there　then　ensues　an　irreversible　revolution；　equivalent　to　the



production　of　a　new　nature。







The　collective　name　for　the　ripe　fruits　of　religion　in　a



character　is　Saintliness。＇152＇　The　saintly　character　is　the



character　for　which　spiritual　emotions　are　the　habitual　centre　of



the　personal　energy；　and　there　is　a　certain　composite　photograph



of　universal　saintliness；　the　same　in　all　religions；　of　which　the



features　can　easily　be　traced。＇153＇







＇152＇　I　use　this　word　in　spite　of　a　certain　flavor　of



〃sanctimoniousness〃　which　sometimes　clings　to　it；　because　no



other　word　suggests　as　well　the　exact　combination　of　affections



which　the　text　goes　on　to　describe。







＇153＇　〃It　will　be　found；〃　says　Dr。　W。　R。　Inge　（in　his　lectures　on



Christian　Mysticism；　London；　1899；　p。　326）；　〃that　men　of



preeminent　saintliness　agree　very　closely　in　what　they　tell　us。　



They　tell　us　that　they　have　arrived　at　an　unshakable　conviction；



not　based　on　inference　but　on　immediate　experience；　that　God　is　a



spirit　with　whom　the　human　spirit　can　hold　intercourse；　that　in



him　meet　all　that　they　can　imagine　of　goodness；　truth；　and



beauty；　that　they　can　see　his　footprints　everywhere　in　nature；



and　feel　his　presence　within　them　as　the　very　life　of　their　life；



so　that　in　proportion　as　they　come　to　themselves　they　come　to



him。　　They　tell　us　what　separates　us　from　him　and　from　happiness



is；　first；　self…seeking　in　all　its　forms；　and　secondly；



sensuality　in　all　its　forms；　that　these　are　the　ways　of　darkness



and　death；　which　hide　from　us　the　face　of　God；　while　the　path　of



the　just　is　like　a　shining　light；　which　shineth　more　and　more



unto　the　perfect　day。〃















They　are　these：







1。　　A　feeling　of　being　in　a　wider　life　than　that　of　this　world's



selfish　little　interests；　and　a　conviction；　not　merely



intellectual；　but　as　it　were　sensible；　of　the　existence　of　an



Ideal　Power。　　In　Christian　saintliness　this　power　is　always



personified　as　God；　but　abstract　moral　ideals；　civic　or　patriotic



utopias；　or　inner　versions　of　holiness　or　right　may　also　be　felt



as　the　true　lords　and　enlargers　of　our　life；　in　ways　which　I



described　in　the　lecture　on　the　Reality　of　the　Unseen。＇154＇







＇154＇　The　〃enthusiasm　of　humanity〃　may　lead　to　a　life　which



coalesces　in　many　respects　with　that　of　Christian　saintliness。　



Take　the　following　rules　proposed　to　members　of　the　Union　pour



l'Action　morale；　in　the　Bulletin　de　l'Union；　April　1…15；　1894。　



See；　also；　Revue　Bleue；　August　13；　1892。







〃We　would　make　known　in　our　own　persons　the　usefulness　of　rule；



of　discipline；　of　resignation　and　renunciation；　we　would　teach



the　necessary　perpetuity　of　suffering；　and　explain　the　creative



part　which　it　plays。　　We　would　wage　war　upon　false　optimism；　on



the　base　hope　of　happiness　coming　to　us　ready　made；　on　the　notion



of　a　salvation　by　knowledge　alone；　or　by　material　civilization



alone；　vain　symbol　as　this　is　of　civilization；　precarious



external　arrangement　ill…fitted　to　replace　the　intimate　union　and



consent　of　souls。　　We　would　wage　war　also　on　bad　morals；　whether



in　public　or　in　private　life；　on　luxury；　fastidiousness；　and



over…refinement；　on　all　that　tends　to　increase　the　painful；



immoral；　and　anti…social　multip