lecture09-第6章

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blessedness　of　married　life。　　So　it　is　with　the　religious



experience　of　these　persons　we　are　studying。〃＇109＇







＇109＇　Psychology　of　Religion；　p。　385。　　Compare；　also；　pp。　137…144



and　262。















We　shall　erelong　hear　still　more　remarkable　illustrations　of



subconsciously　maturing　processes　eventuating　in　results　of　which



we　suddenly　grow　conscious。　　Sir　William　Hamilton　and　Professor



Laycock　of　Edinburgh　were　among　the　first　to　call　attention　to



this　class　of　effects；　but　Dr。　Carpenter　first；　unless　I　am



mistaken；　introduced　the　term　〃unconscious　cerebration；〃　which



has　since　then　been　a　popular　phrase　of　explanation。　　The　facts



are　now　known　to　us　far　more　extensively　than　he　could　know　them；



and　the　adjective　〃unconscious；〃　being　for　many　of　them　almost



certainly　a　misnomer；　is　better　replaced　by　the　vaguer　term



〃subconscious〃　or　〃subliminal。〃







Of　the　volitional　type　of　conversion　it　would　be　easy　to　give



examples；＇110＇　but　they　are　as　a　rule　less　interesting　than　



those　of　the　self…surrender　type；　in　which　the　subconscious



effects　are　more　abundant　and　often　startling。　　I　will　therefore



hurry　to　the　latter；　the　more　so　because　the　difference　between



the　two　types　is　after　all　not　radical。　　Even　in　the　most



voluntarily　built…up　sort　of　regeneration　there　are　passages　of



partial　self…surrender　interposed；　and　in　the　great　majority　of



all　cases；　when　the　will　had　done　its　uttermost　towards　bringing



one　close　to　the　complete　unification　aspired　after；　it　seems



that　the　very　last　step　must　be　left　to　other　forces　and



performed　without　the　help　of　its　activity。　　In　other　words；



self…surrender　becomes　then　indispensable。　　〃The　personal　will；〃



says　Dr。　Starbuck；　〃must　be　given　up。　　In　many　cases　relief



persistently　refuses　to　come　until　the　person　ceases　to　resist；



or　to　make　an　effort　in　the　direction　he　desires　to　go。〃







＇110＇　For　instance；　C。　G。　Finney　italicizes　the　volitional



element：　　〃Just　at　this　point　the　whole　question　of　Gospel



salvation　opened　to　my　mind　in　a　manner　most　marvelous　to　me　at



the　time。　　I　think　I　then　saw；　as　clearly　as　I　ever　have　in　my



life；　the　reality　and　fullness　of　the　atonement　of　Christ。　



Gospel　salvation　seemed　to　me　to　be　an　offer　of　something　to　be



accepted；　and　all　that　was　necessary　on　my　part　to　get　my　own



consent　to　give　up　my　sins　and　accept　Christ。　　After　this



distinct　revelation　had　stood　for　some　little　time　before　my



mind；　the　question　seemed　to　be　put；　'will　you　accept　it　now；



to…day？'　I　replied；　'Yes；　I　will　accept　it　to…day；　or　I　will　die



in　the　attempt！'〃　　He　then　went　into　the　woods；　where　he



describes　his　struggles。　　He　could　not　pray；　his　heart　was



hardened　in　its　pride。　　〃I　then　reproached　myself　for　having



promised　to　give　my　heart　to　God　before　I　left　the　woods。　　When　I



came　to　try；　I　found　I　could　not。　。　。　。　　My　inward　soul　hung



back；　and　there　was　no　going　out　of　my　heart　to　God。　　The　thought



was　pressing　me；　of　the　rashness　of　my　promise　that　I　would　give



my　heart　to　God　that　day；　or　die　in　the　attempt。　　It　seemed　to　me



as　if　that　was　binding　on　my　soul；　and　yet　I　was　going　to　break



my　vow。　　A　great　sinking　and　discouragement　came　over　me；　and　I



felt　almost　too　weak　to　stand　upon　my　knees。　　Just　at　this　moment



I　again　thought　I　heard　some　one　approach　me；　and　I　opened　my



eyes　to　see　whether　it　were　so。　　But　right　there　the　revelation



of　my　pride　of　heart；　as　the　great　difficulty　that　stood　in　the



way；　was　distinctly　shown　to　me。　　An　overwhelming　sense　of　my



wickedness　in　being　ashamed　to　have　a　human　being　see　me　on　my



knees　before　God　took　such　powerful　possession　of　me；　that　I



cried　at　the　top　of　my　voice；　and　exclaimed　that　I　would　not



leave　that　place　if　all　the　men　on　earth　and　all　the　devils　in



hell　surrounded　me。　　'What！'　I　said；　'such　a　degraded　sinner　as　I



am；　on　my　knees　confessing　my　sins　to　the　great　and　holy　God；　and



ashamed　to　have　any　human　being；　and　a　sinner　like　myself；　find



me　on　my　knees　endeavoring　to　make　my　peace　with　my　offended



God！'　　The　sin　appeared　awful；　infinite。　　It　broke　me　down　before



the　Lord。〃　　Memoirs；　pp。　14…16；　abridged。















〃I　had　said　I　would　not　give　up；　but　when　my　will　was　broken；　it



was　all　over；〃　writes　one　of　Starbuck's　correspondents。　Another



says：　　〃I　simply　said：　　'Lord；　I　have　done　all　I　can；　I　leave　the



whole　matter　with　Thee；'　and　immediately　there　came　to　me　a　great



peace。〃Another：　　〃All　at　once　it　occurred　to　me　that　I　might　be



saved；　too；　if　I　would　stop　trying　to　do　it　all　myself；　and



follow　Jesus：　　somehow　I　lost　my　load。〃Another：　　〃I　finally



ceased　to　resist；　and　gave　myself　up；　though　it　was　a　hard



struggle。　　Gradually　the　feeling　came　over　me　that　I　had　done　my



part；　and　God　was　willing　to　do　his。〃＇111＇〃Lord　Thy　will　be



done；　damn　or　save！〃　cries　John　Nelson；＇112＇　exhausted　with　the



anxious　struggle　to　escape　damnation；　and　at　that　moment　his　soul



was　filled　with　peace。







＇111＇　Starbuck：　　Op。　cit。；　pp。　91；　114。







＇112＇　Extracts　from　the　Journal　of　Mr。　John　Nelson；　London；　no



date；　p。　24。















Dr。　Starbuck　gives　an　interesting；　and　it　seems　to　me　a　true；



accountso　far　as　conceptions　so　schematic　can　claim　truth　at



allof　the　reasons　why　self…surrender　at　the　last　moment　should



be　so　indispensable。　　To　begin　with；　there　are　two　things　in　the



mind　of　the　candidate　for　conversion：　　first；　the　present



incompleteness　or　wrongness；　the　〃sin〃　which　he　is　eager　to



escape　from；　and；　second；　the　positive　ideal　which　he　longs　to



compass。　　Now　with　most　of　us　the　sense　of　our　present　wrongness



is　a　far　more　distinct　piece　of　our　consciousness　than　is　the



imagination　of　any　positive　ideal　we　can　aim　at。　　In　a　majority



of　cases；　indeed；　the　〃sin〃　almost　exclusively　engrosses　the



attention；　so　that　conversion　is　〃a　process　of　struggling　away



from　sin　rather　than　of　striving　towards　righteousness。〃＇113＇　A



man's　conscious　wit　and　will；　so　far　as　they　strain　towards　the



ideal；　are　aiming　at　something　only　dimly　and　inaccurately



imagined。　Yet　all　the　while　the　forces　of　mere　organic　ripening



within　him　are　going　on　towards　their　own　prefigured　result；　and



his　conscious　strainings　are　letting　loose　subconscious　allies



behind　the　scenes；　which　in　their　way　work　towards　rearrangement；



and　the　rearrangement　towards　which　all　these　deeper　forces　tend



is　pretty　surely　definite；　and　definitely　different　from　what　he



consciously　conceives　and　determines。　　It　may　consequently　be



actually　interfered　with　（JAMMED；　as　it　were；　like　the　lost　word



when　we　seek　too　energetically　to　recall　it）；　by　his　voluntary



efforts　slanting　from　the　true　direction。







＇113＇　Starbuck；　p。　64。















Starbuck　seems　to　put　his　finger　on　the　root　of　the　matter　when



he　says　that　to　exercise　the　personal　will　is　still　to　live　in



the　region　where　the　imperfect　self　is　the　thing　most　emphasized。



Where；　on　the　contrary；　the　subconscious　forces　take　the　lead；　it



is　more　probably　the　better　self　in　posse　which　directs　the



operation。　　Instead　of　being　clumsily　and　vaguely　aimed　at　from



without；　it　is　then　itself　the　organizing　centre。　　What　then　must



the　person　do？　　〃He　must　relax；〃　says　Dr。　Starbuck〃that　is；　he



must　fall　back　on　the　larger　Power　that　makes　for　righteousness；



which　has　been　welling　up　in　his　own　being；　and　let　it　finish　in



its　own　way　the　work　it　has　begun。　。　。　。　　The　act　of　yielding；　in



this　point　of　view；　is　giving　one's　self　over　t