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to what the peculiarities in a thing should be which give it



value for purposes of revelation; and this theory itself would be



what I just called a spiritual judgment。  Combining it with our



existential judgment; we might indeed deduce another spiritual



judgment as to the Bible's worth。  Thus if our theory of



revelation…value were to affirm that any book; to possess it;



must have been composed automatically or not by the free caprice



of the writer; or that it must exhibit no scientific and historic



errors and express no local or personal passions; the Bible would



probably fare ill at our hands。  But if; on the other hand; our



theory should allow that a book may well be a revelation in spite



of errors and passions and deliberate human composition; if only



it be a true record of the inner experiences of great…souled



persons wrestling with the crises of their fate; then the verdict



would be much more favorable。  You see that the existential facts



by themselves are insufficient for determining the value; and the



best adepts of the higher criticism accordingly never confound



the existential with the spiritual problem。  With the same



conclusions of fact before them; some take one view; and some



another; of the Bible's value as a revelation; according as their



spiritual judgment as to the foundation of values differs。







I make these general remarks about the two sorts of judgment;



because there are many religious personssome of you now



present; possibly; are among themwho do not yet make a working



use of the distinction; and who may therefore feel first a little



startled at the purely existential point of view from which in



the following lectures the phenomena of religious experience must



be considered。  When I handle them biologically and



psychologically as if they were mere curious facts of individual



history; some of you may think it a degradation of so sublime a



subject; and may even suspect me; until my purpose gets more



fully expressed; of deliberately seeking to discredit the



religious side of life。







Such a result is of course absolutely alien to my intention; and



since such a prejudice on your part would seriously obstruct the



due effect of much of what I have to relate; I will devote a few



more words to the point。







There can be no doubt that as a matter of fact a religious life;



exclusively pursued; does tend to make the person exceptional and



eccentric。  I speak not now of your ordinary religious believer;



who follows the conventional observances of his country; whether



it be Buddhist; Christian; or Mohammedan。  His religion has been



made for him by others; communicated to him by tradition;



determined to fixed forms by imitation; and retained by habit。 



It would profit us little to study this second…hand religious



life。  We must make search rather for the original experiences



which were the pattern…setters to all this mass of suggested



feeling and imitated conduct。  These experiences we can only find



in individuals for whom religion exists not as a dull habit; but



as an acute fever rather。  But such individuals are 〃geniuses〃 in



the religious line; and like many other geniuses who have brought



forth fruits effective enough for commemoration in the pages of



biography; such religious geniuses have often shown symptoms of



nervous instability。  Even more perhaps than other kinds of



genius; religious leaders have been subject to abnormal psychical



visitations。  Invariably they have been creatures of exalted



emotional sensibility。  Often they have led a discordant inner



life; and had melancholy during a part of their career。  They



have known no measure; been liable to obsessions and fixed ideas;



and frequently they have fallen into trances; heard voices; seen



visions; and presented all sorts of peculiarities which are



ordinarily classed as pathological。  Often; moreover; these



pathological features in their career have helped to give them



their religious authority and influence。







If you ask for a concrete example; there can be no better one



than is furnished by the person of George Fox。  The Quaker



religion which he founded is something which it is impossible to



overpraise。  In a day of shams; it was a religion of veracity



rooted in spiritual inwardness; and a return to something more



like the original gospel truth than men had ever known in



England。  So far as our Christian sects today are evolving into



liberality; they are simply reverting in essence to the position



which Fox and the early Quakers so long ago assumed。  No one can



pretend for a moment that in point of spiritual sagacity and



capacity; Fox's mind was unsound。  Everyone who confronted him



personally; from Oliver Cromwell down to county magistrates and



jailers; seems to have acknowledged his superior power。  Yet from



the point of view of his nervous constitution; Fox was a



psychopath or detraque of the deepest dye。  His Journal abounds



in entries of this sort:







〃As I was walking with several friends; I lifted up my head and



saw three steeple…house spires; and they struck at my life。  I



asked them what place that was?  They said; Lichfield。 



Immediately the word of the Lord came to me; that I must go



thither。  Being come to the house we were going to; I wished the



friends to walk into the house; saying nothing to them of whither



I was to go。  As soon as they were gone I stept away; and went by



my eye over hedge and ditch till I came within a mile of



Lichfield where; in a great field; shepherds were keeping their



sheep。  Then was I commanded by the Lord to pull off my shoes。  I



stood still; for it was winter: but the word of the Lord was like



a fire in me。  So I put off my shoes and left them with the



shepherds; and the poor shepherds trembled; and were astonished。



Then I walked on about a mile; and as soon as I was got within



the city; the word of the Lord came to me again; saying: Cry; 'Wo



to the bloody city of Lichfield!' So I went up and down the



streets; crying with a loud voice; Wo to the bloody city of



Lichfield!  It being market day; I went into the market…place;



and to and fro in the several parts of it; and made stands;



crying as before; Wo to the bloody city of Lichfield!  And no one



laid hands on me。  As I went thus crying through the streets;



there seemed to me to be a channel of blood running down the



streets; and the market…place appeared like a pool of blood。 When



I had declared what was upon me; and felt myself clear; I went



out of the town in peace; and returning to the shepherds gave



them some money; and took my shoes of them again。  But the fire



of the Lord was so on my feet; and all over me; that I did not



matter to put on my shoes again; and was at a stand whether I



should or no; till I felt freedom from the Lord so to do: then;



after I had washed my feet; I put on my shoes again。 After this a



deep consideration came upon me; for what reason I should be sent



to cry against that city; and call it The bloody city!  For



though the parliament had the minister one while; and the king



another; and much blood had been shed in the town during the wars



between them; yet there was no more than had befallen many other



places。  But afterwards I came to understand; that in the Emperor



Diocletian's time a thousand Christians were martyr'd in



Lichfield。  So I was to go; without my shoes; through the



channel of their blood; and into the pool of their blood in the



market…place; that I might raise up the memorial of t

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