lecture19-第6章

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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　know