lecture09-第7章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！





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



this　point　of　view；　is　giving　one's　self　over　to　the　new　life；



making　it　the　centre　of　a　new　personality；　and　living；　from



within；　the　truth　of　it　which　had　before　been　viewed



objectively。〃＇114＇







＇114＇　Starbuck；　p。　115。















〃Man's　extremity　is　God's　opportunity〃　is　the　theological　way　of



putting　this　fact　of　the　need　of　self…surrender；　whilst　the



physiological　way　of　stating　it　would　be；　〃Let　one　do　all　in



one's　power；　and　one's　nervous　system　will　do　the　rest。〃　　Both



statements　acknowledge　the　same　fact。＇115＇







＇115＇　Starbuck；　p。　113。















To　state　it　in　terms　of　our　own　symbolism：　　When　the　new　centre



of　personal　energy　has　been　subconsciously　incubated　so　long　as



to　be　just　ready　to　open　into　flower；　〃hands　off〃　is　the　only



word　for　us；　it　must　burst　forth　unaided！







We　have　used　the　vague　and　abstract　language　of　psychology。　But



since；　in　any　terms；　the　crisis　described　is　the　throwing　of　our



conscious　selves　upon　the　mercy　of　powers　which；　whatever　they



may　be；　are　more　ideal　than　we　are　actually；　and　make　for　our



redemption；　you　see　why　self…surrender　has　been　and　always　must



be　regarded　as　the　vital　turning…point　of　the　religious　life；　so



far　as　the　religious　life　is　spiritual　and　no　affair　of　outer



works　and　ritual　and　sacraments。　　One　may　say　that　the　whole



development　of　Christianity　in　inwardness　has　consisted　in　little



more　than　the　greater　and　greater　emphasis　attached　to　this



crisis　of　self…surrender。　　From　Catholicism　to　Lutheranism；　and



then　to　Calvinism；　from　that　to　Wesleyanism；　and　from　this；



outside　of　technical　Christianity　altogether；　to　pure



〃liberalism〃　or　transcendental　idealism；　whether　or　not　of　the



mind…cure　type；　taking　in　the　mediaeval　mystics；　the　quietists；



the　pietists；　and　quakers　by　the　way；　we　can　trace　the　stages　of



progress　towards　the　idea　of　an　immediate　spiritual　help；



experienced　by　the　individual　in　his　forlornness　and　standing　in



no　essential　need　of　doctrinal　apparatus　or　propitiatory



machinery。







Psychology　and　religion　are　thus　in　perfect　harmony　up　to　this



point；　since　both　admit　that　there　are　forces　seemingly　outside



of　the　conscious　individual　that　bring　redemption　to　his　life。　



Nevertheless　psychology；　defining　these　forces　as　〃subconscious；〃



and　speaking　of　their　effects；　as　due　to　〃incubation；〃　or



〃cerebration；〃　implies　that　they　do　not　transcend　the



individual's　personality；　and　herein　she　diverges　from　Christian



theology；　which　insists　that　they　are　direct　supernatural



operations　of　the　Deity。　　I　propose　to　you　that　we　do　not　yet



consider　this　divergence　final；　but　leave　the　question　for　a



while　in　abeyancecontinued　inquiry　may　enable　us　to　get　rid　of



some　of　the　apparent　discord。







Revert；　then；　for　a　moment　more　to　the　psychology　of



self…surrender。







When　you　find　a　man　living　on　the　ragged　edge　of　his



consciousness；　pent　in　to　his　sin　and　want　and　incompleteness；



and　consequently　inconsolable；　and　then　simply　tell　him　that　all



is　well　with　him；　that　he　must　stop　his　worry；　break　with　his



discontent；　and　give　up　his　anxiety；　you　seem　to　him　to　come　with



pure　absurdities。　　The　only　positive　consciousness　he　has　tells



him　that　all　is　NOT　well；　and　the　better　way　you　offer　sounds



simply　as　if　you　proposed　to　him　to　assert　cold…blooded



falsehoods。　　〃The　will　to　believe〃　cannot　be　stretched　as　far　as



that。　　We　can　make　ourselves　more　faithful　to　a　belief　of　which



we　have　the　rudiments；　but　we　cannot　create　a　belief　out　of　whole



cloth　when　our　perception　actively　assures　us　of　its　opposite。　



The　better　mind　proposed　to　us　comes　in　that　case　in　the　form　of



a　pure　negation　of　the　only　mind　we　have；　and　we　cannot　actively



will　a　pure　negation。







There　are　only　two　ways　in　which　it　is　possible　to　get　rid　of



anger；　worry；　fear；　despair；　or　other　undesirable　affections。　



One　is　that　an　opposite　affection　should　overpoweringly　break



over　us；　and　the　other　is　by　getting　so　exhausted　with　the



struggle　that　we　have　to　stopso　we　drop　down；　give　up；　and



DON'T　CARE　any　longer。　　Our　emotional　brain…centres　strike　work；



and　we　lapse　into　a　temporary　apathy。　Now　there　is　documentary



proof　that　this　state　of　temporary　exhaustion　not　infrequently



forms　part　of　the　conversion　crisis。　　So　long　as　the　egoistic



worry　of　the　sick　soul　guards　the　door；　the　expansive　confidence



of　the　soul　of　faith　gains　no　presence。　　But　let　the　former　faint



away；　even　but　for　a　moment；　and　the　latter　can　profit　by　the



opportunity；　and；　having　once　acquired　possession；　may　retain　it。







Carlyle's　Teufelsdrockh　passes　from　the　everlasting　No　to　the



everlasting　Yes　through　a　〃Centre　of　Indifference。〃







Let　me　give　you　a　good　illustration　of　this　feature　in　the



conversion　process。　　That　genuine　saint；　David　Brainerd；



describes　his　own　crisis　in　the　following　words：







〃One　morning；　while　I　was　walking　in　a　solitary　place　as　usual；　I



at　once　saw　that　all　my　contrivances　and　projects　to　effect　or



procure　deliverance　and　salvation　for　myself　were　utterly　in



vain；　I　was　brought　quite　to　a　stand；　as　finding　myself　totally



lost。　　I　saw　that　it　was　forever　impossible　for　me　to　do　anything



towards　helping　or　delivering　myself；　that　I　had　made　all　the



pleas　I　ever　could　have　made　to　all　eternity；　and　that　all　my



pleas　were　vain；　for　I　saw　that　self…interest　had　led　me　to　pray；



and　that　I　had　never　once　prayed　from　any　respect　to　the　glory　of



God。　　I　saw　that　there　was　no　necessary　connection　between　my



prayers　and　the　bestowment　of　divine　mercy；　that　they　laid　not



the　least　obligation　upon　God　to　bestow　his　grace　upon　me；　and



that　there　was　no　more　virtue　or　goodness　in　them　than　there



would　be　in　my　paddling　with　my　hand　in　the　water。　　I　saw　that　I



had　been　heaping　up　my　devotions　before　God；　fasting；　praying；



etc。；　pretending；　and　indeed　really　thinking　sometimes　that　I　was



aiming　at　the　glory　of　God；　whereas　I　never　once　truly　intended



it；　but　only　my　own　happiness。　　I　saw　that　as　I　had　never　done



anything　for　God；　I　had　no　claim　on　anything　from　him　but



perdition；　on　account　of　my　hypocrisy　and　mockery。　　When　I　saw



evidently　that　I　had　regard　to　nothing　but　self…interest；　then　my



duties　appeared　a　vile　mockery　and　a　continual　course　of　lies；



for　the　whole　was　nothing　but　self…worship；　and　an　horrid　abuse



of　God。







〃I　continued；　as　I　remember；　in　this　state　of　mind；　from　Friday



morning　till　the　Sabbath　evening　following　（July　12；　1739）；　when



I　was　walking　again　in　the　same　solitary　place。　　Here；　in　a



mournful　melancholy　state　I　was　attempting　to　pray；　but　found　no



heart　to　engage　in　that　or　any　other　duty；　my　former　concern；



exercise；　and　religious　affections　were　now　gone。　I　thought　that



the　Spirit　of　God　had　quite　left　me；　but　still　was　NOT



DISTRESSED；　yet　disconsolate；　as　if　there　was　nothing　in　heaven



or　earth　could　make　me　happy。　　Having　been　thus　endeavoring　to



praythough；　as　I　thought；　very　stupid　and　senselessfor　near



half　an　hour；　then；　as　I　was　walking　in　a　thick　grove；



unspeakable　glory　seemed　to　open　to　the　apprehension　of　my　soul。　



I　do　not　mean　any　external　brightness；　nor　any　imagination　of　a



body　of　light；　but　it　was　a　new　inward　apprehension　or　view　that



I　had　of　God；　such　as　I　never　had　before；　nor　anything　which　had



the　least　resemblance　to　it。　　I　had　no　particular　apprehension　of



any　one　person　i