lecture19-第2章

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of　a　mutual　interpreter。＇305＇　So　much　for　the　aesthetic



diversities　in　the　religious　consciousness。







＇305＇　Compare　the　informality　of　Protestantism；　where　the　〃meek



lover　of　the　good；〃　alone　with　his　God；　visits　the　sick；　etc。；



for　their　own　sakes；　with　the　elaborate　〃business〃　that　goes　on



in　Catholic　devotion；　and　carries　with　it　the　social　excitement



of　all　more　complex　businesses。　　An　essentially　worldly…minded



Catholic　woman　can　become　a　visitor　of　the　sick　on　purely



coquettish　principles；　with　her　confessor　and　director；　her



〃merit〃　storing　up；　her　patron　saints；　her　privileged　relation　to



the　Almighty；　drawing　his　attention　as　a　professional　devote；　her



definite　〃exercises；〃　and　her　definitely　recognized　social　pose



in　the　organization。















In　most　books　on　religion；　three　things　are　represented　as　its



most　essential　elements。　　These　are　Sacrifice；　Confession；　and



Prayer。　　I　must　say　a　word　in　turn　of　each　of　these　elements；



though　briefly。　　First　of　Sacrifice。







Sacrifices　to　gods　are　omnipresent　in　primeval　worship；　but；　as



cults　have　grown　refined；　burnt　offerings　and　the　blood　of



he…goats　have　been　superseded　by　sacrifices　more　spiritual　in



their　nature。　　Judaism；　Islam；　and　Buddhism　get　along　without



ritual　sacrifice；　so　does　Christianity；　save　in　so　far　as　the



notion　is　preserved　in　transfigured　form　in　the　mystery　of



Christ's　atonement。　　These　religions　substitute　offerings　of　the



heart；　renunciations　of　the　inner　self；　for　all　those　vain



oblations。　　In　the　ascetic　practices　which　Islam；　Buddhism；　and



the　older　Christianity　encourage　we　see　how　indestructible　is　the



idea　that　sacrifice　of　some　sort　is　a　religious　exercise。　　In



lecturing　on　asceticism　I　spoke　of　its　significance　as　symbolic



of　the　sacrifices　which　life；　whenever　it　is　taken　strenuously；



calls　for。＇306＇　　But；　as　I　said　my　say　about　those；　and　as　these



lectures　expressly　avoid　earlier　religious　usages　and　questions



of　derivation；　I　will　pass　from　the　subject　of　Sacrifice



altogether　and　turn　to　that　of　Confession。







＇306＇　Above；　p。　354　ff。















In　regard　to　Confession　I　will　also　be　most　brief；　saying　my　word



about　it　psychologically；　not　historically。　　Not　nearly　as



widespread　as　sacrifice；　it　corresponds　to　a　more　inward　and



moral　stage　of　sentiment。　　It　is　part　of　the　general　system　of



purgation　and　cleansing　which　one　feels　one's　self　in　need　of；　in



order　to　be　in　right　relations　to　one's　deity。　　For　him　who



confesses；　shams　are　over　and　realities　have　begun；　he　has



exteriorized　his　rottenness。　　If　he　has　not　actually　got　rid　of



it；　he　at　least　no　longer　smears　it　over　with　a　hypocritical　show



of　virtuehe　lives　at　least　upon　a　basis　of　veracity。　　The



complete　decay　of　the　practice　of　confession　in　Anglo…Saxon



communities　is　a　little　hard　to　account　for。　　Reaction　against



popery　is　of　course　the　historic　explanation；　for　in　popery



confession　went　with　penances　and　absolution；　and　other



inadmissible　practices。　　But　on　the　　side　of　the　sinner



himself　it　seems　as　if　the　need　ought　to　have　been　too　great　to



accept　so　summary　a　refusal　of　its　satisfaction。　　One　would　think



that　in　more　men　the　shell　of　secrecy　would　have　had　to　open；　the



pent…in　abscess　to　burst　and　gain　relief；　even　though　the　ear



that　heard　the　confession　were　unworthy。　　The　Catholic　church；



for　obvious　utilitarian　reasons；　has　substituted　auricular



confession　to　one　priest　for　the　more　radical　act　of　public



confession。　　We　English…speaking　Protestants；　in　the　general



self…reliance　and　unsociability　of　our　nature；　seem　to　find　it



enough　if　we　take　God　alone　into　our　confidence。＇307＇







＇307＇　A　fuller　discussion　of　confession　is　contained　in　the



excellent　work　by　Frank　Granger：　　The　Soul　of　a　Christian；



London；　1900；　ch。　xii。















The　next　topic　on　which　I　must　comment　is　Prayerand　this　time



it　must　be　less　briefly。　　We　have　heard　much　talk　of　late　against



prayer；　especially　against　prayers　for　better　weather　and　for　the



recovery　of　sick　people。　　As　regards　prayers　for　the　sick；　if　any



medical　fact　can　be　considered　to　stand　firm；　it　is　that　in



certain　environments　prayer　may　contribute　to　recovery；　and



should　be　encouraged　as　a　therapeutic　measure。　　Being　a　normal



factor　of　moral　health　in　the　person；　its　omission　would　be



deleterious。　　The　case　of　the　weather　is　different。　



Notwithstanding　the　recency　of　the　opposite　belief；＇308＇　every



one　now　knows　that　droughts　and　storms　follow　from　physical



antecedents；　and　that　moral　appeals　cannot　avert　them。　　But



petitional　prayer　is　only　one　department　of　prayer；　and　if　we



take　the　word　in　the　wider　sense　as　meaning　every　kind　of　inward



communion　or　conversation　with　the　power　recognized　as　divine；　we



can　easily　see　that　scientific　criticism　leaves　it　untouched。







＇308＇　Example：　　〃The　minister　at　Sudbury；　being　at　the　Thursday



lecture　in　Boston；　heard　the　officiating　clergyman　praying　for



rain。　　As　soon　as　the　service　was　over；　he　went　to　the　petitioner



and　said　'You　Boston　ministers；　as　soon　as　a　tulip　wilts　under



your　windows；　go　to　church　and　pray　for　rain；　until　all　Concord



and　Sudbury　are　under　water。'〃　　R。　W。　Emerson：　　Lectures　and



Biographical　Sketches；　p。　363。















Prayer　in　this　wide　sense　is　the　very　soul　and　essence　of



religion。　　〃Religion；〃　says　a　liberal　French　theologian；　〃is　an



intercourse；　a　conscious　and　voluntary　relation；　entered　into　by



a　soul　in　distress　with　the　mysterious　power　upon　which　it　feels



itself　to　depend；　and　upon　which　its　fate　is　contingent。　　This



intercourse　with　God　is　realized　by　prayer。　　Prayer　is　religion



in　act；　that　is；　prayer　is　real　religion。　　It　is　prayer　that



distinguishes　the　religious　phenomenon　from　such　similar　or



neighboring　phenomena　as　purely　moral　or　aesthetic　sentiment。　



Religion　is　nothing　if　it　be　not　the　vital　act　by　which　the



entire　mind　seeks　to　save　itself　by　clinging　to　the　principle



from　which　it　draws　its　life。　　This　act　is　prayer；　by　which　term



I　understand　no　vain　exercise　of　words；　no　mere　repetition　of



certain　sacred　formula；　but　the　very　movement　itself　of　the　soul；



putting　itself　in　a　personal　relation　of　contact　with　the



mysterious　power　of　which　it　feels　the　presenceit　may　be　even



before　it　has　a　name　by　which　to　call　it。　　Wherever　this　interior



prayer　is　lacking；　there　is　no　religion；　wherever；　on　the　other



hand；　this　prayer　rises　and　stirs　the　soul；　even　in　the　absence



of　forms　or　of　doctrines；　we　have　living　religion。　　One　sees　from



this　why　〃natural　religion；　so…called；　is　not　properly　a



religion。　　It　cuts　man　off　from　prayer。　　It　leaves　him　and　God　in



mutual　remoteness；　with　no　intimate　commerce；　no　interior



dialogue；　no　interchange；　no　action　of　God　in　man；　no　return　of



man　to　God。　　At　bottom　this　pretended　religion　is　only　a



philosophy。　　Born　at　epochs　of　rationalism；　of　critical



investigations；　it　never　was　anything　but　an　abstraction。　　An



artificial　and　dead　creation；　it　reveals　to　its　examiner　hardly



one　of　the　characters　proper　to　religion。〃＇309＇







＇309＇　Auguste　Sabatier：　　Esquisse　d'une　Philosophie　de　la



Religion。　2me　ed。；　1897；　pp。　24…26；　abridged。















It　seems　to　me　that　the　entire　series　of　our　lectures　proves　the



truth　of　M。　Sabatier's　contention。　　The　religious　phenomenon；



studied　as　in　Inner　fact；　and　apart　from　ecclesiastical　or



theological　complications；　has　shown　itself　to　consist



everywhere；