lectures14+15-第3章

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reserve　your　judgment　until　we　see　it　applied　to　the　details





which　lie　before　us。　　I　do　indeed　disbelieve　that　we　or　any　other



mortal　men　can　attain　on　a　given　day　to　absolutely　incorrigible



and　unimprovable　truth　about　such　matters　of　fact　as　those　with



which　religions　deal。　　But　I　reject　this　dogmatic　ideal　not　out



of　a　perverse　delight　in　intellectual　instability。　　I　am　no　lover



of　disorder　and　doubt　as　such。　　Rather　do　I　fear　to　lose　truth　by



this　pretension　to　possess　it　already　wholly。　　That　we　can　gain



more　and　more　of　it　by　moving　always　in　the　right　direction；　I



believe　as　much　as　any　one；　and　I　hope　to　bring　you　all　to　my　way



of　thinking　before　the　termination　of　these　lectures。　　Till　then；



do　not；　I　pray　you；　harden　your　minds　irrevocably　against　the



empiricism　which　I　profess。







I　will　waste　no　more　words；　then；　in　abstract　justification　of　my



method；　but　seek　immediately　to　use　it　upon　the　facts。







In　critically　judging　of　the　value　of　religious　phenomena；　it　is



very　important　to　insist　on　the　distinction　between　religion　as



an　individual　personal　function；　and　religion　as　an



institutional；　corporate；　or　tribal　product。　　I　drew　this



distinction；　you　may　remember；　in　my　second　lecture。　　The　word



〃religion；〃　as　ordinarily　used；　is　equivocal。　　A　survey　of



history　shows　us　that；　as　a　rule；　religious　geniuses　attract



disciples；　and　produce　groups　of　sympathizers。　　When　these　groups



get　strong　enough　to　〃organize〃　themselves；　they　become



ecclesiastical　institutions　with　corporate　ambitions　of　their



own。　　The　spirit　of　politics　and　the　lust　of　dogmatic　rule　are



then　apt　to　enter　and　to　contaminate　the　originally　innocent



thing；　so　that　when　we　hear　the　word　〃religion〃　nowadays；　we



think　inevitably　of　some　〃church〃　or　other；　and　to　some　persons



the　word　〃church〃　suggests　so　much　hypocrisy　and　tyranny　and



meanness　and　tenacity　of　superstition　that　in　a　wholesale



undiscerning　way　they　glory　in　saying　that　they　are　〃down〃　on



religion　altogether。　　Even　we　who　belong　to　churches　do　not



exempt　other　churches　than　our　own　from　the　general　condemnation。







But　in　this　course　of　lectures　ecclesiastical　institutions　hardly



concern　us　at　all。　　The　religious　experience　which　we　are



studying　is　that　which　lives　itself　out　within　the　private



breast。　　First…hand　individual　experience　of　this　kind　has　always



appeared　as　a　heretical　sort　of　innovation　to　those　who　witnessed



its　birth。　　Naked　comes　it　into　the　world　and　lonely；　and　it　has



always；　for　a　time　at　least；　driven　him　who　had　it　into　the



wilderness；　often　into　the　literal　wilderness　out　of　doors；　where



the　Buddha；　Jesus；　Mohammed；　St。　Francis；　George　Fox；　and　so　many



others　had　to　go。　　George　Fox　expresses　well　this　isolation；　and



I　can　do　no　better　at　this　point　than　read　to　you　a　page　from　his



Journal；　referring　to　the　period　of　his　youth　when　religion　began



to　ferment　within　him　seriously。







〃I　fasted　much；〃　Fox　says；　〃walked　abroad　in　solitary　places　many



days；　and　often　took　my　Bible；　and　sat　in　hollow　trees　and



lonesome　places　until　night　came　on；　and　frequently　in　the　night



walked　mournfully　about　by　myself；　for　I　was　a　man　of　sorrows　in



the　time　of　the　first　workings　of　the　Lord　in　me。







〃During　all　this　time　I　was　never　joined　in　profession　of



religion　with　any；　but　gave　up　myself　to　the　Lord；　having



forsaken　all　evil　company；　taking　leave　of　father　and　mother；　and



all　other　relations；　and　traveled　up　and　down　as　a　stranger　on



the　earth；　which　way　the　Lord　inclined　my　heart；　taking　a　chamber



to　myself　in　the　town　where　I　came；　and　tarrying　sometimes　more；



sometimes　less　in　a　place：　　for　I　durst　not　stay　long　in　a　place；



being　afraid　both　of　professor　and　profane；　lest；　being　a　tender



young　man；　I　should　be　hurt　by　conversing　much　with　either。　　For



which　reason　I　kept　much　as　a　stranger；　seeking　heavenly　wisdom



and　getting　knowledge　from　the　Lord；　and　was　brought　off　from



outward　things；　to　rely　on　the　Lord　alone。　　As　I　had　forsaken　the



priests；　so　I　left　the　separate　preachers　also；　and　those　called



the　most　experienced　people；　for　I　saw　there　was　none　among　them



all　that　could　speak　to　my　condition。　　And　when　all　my　hopes　in



them　and　in　all　men　were　gone　so　that　I　had　nothing　outwardly　to



help　me；　nor　could　tell　what　to　do；　then；　oh　then；　I　heard　a



voice　which　said；　'There　is　one；　even　Jesus　Christ；　that　can



speak　to　thy　condition。'　　When　I　heard　it；　my　heart　did　leap　for



joy。　　Then　the　Lord　let　me　see　why　there　was　none　upon　the　earth



that　could　speak　to　my　condition。　I　had　not　fellowship　with　any



people；　priests；　nor　professors；　nor　any　sort　of　separated



people。　　I　was　afraid　of　all　carnal　talk　and　talkers；　for　I　could



see　nothing　but　corruptions。　　When　I　was　in　the　deep；　under　all



shut　up；　I　could　not　believe　that　I　should　ever　overcome；　my



troubles；　my　sorrows；　and　my　temptations　were　so　great　that　I



often　thought　I　should　have　despaired；　I　was　so　tempted。　　But



when　Christ　opened　to　me　how　he　was　tempted　by　the　same　devil；



and　had　overcome　him；　and　had　bruised　his　head；　and　that　through



him　and　his　power；　life；　grace；　and　spirit；　I　should　overcome



also；　I　had　confidence　in　him。　　If　I　had　had　a　king's　diet；



palace；　and　attendance；　all　would　have　been　as　nothing；　for



nothing　gave　me　comfort　but　the　Lord　by　his　power。　　I　saw



professors；　priests；　and　people　were　whole　and　at　ease　in　that



condition　which　was　my　misery；　and　they　loved　that　which　I　would



have　been　rid　of。　　But　the　Lord　did　stay　my　desires　upon　himself；



and　my　care　was　cast　upon　him　alone。〃＇198＇







＇198＇　George　Fox：　　Journal；　Philadelphia；　1800；　pp。　59…61；



abridged。















A　genuine　first…hand　religious　experience　like　this　is　bound　to



be　a　heterodoxy　to　its　witnesses；　the　prophet　appearing　as　a　mere



lonely　madman。　　If　his　doctrine　prove　contagious　enough　to　spread



to　any　others；　it　becomes　a　definite　and　labeled　heresy。　　But　if



it　then　still　prove　contagious　enough　to　triumph　over



persecution；　it　becomes　itself　an　orthodoxy；　and　when　a　religion



has　become　an　orthodoxy；　its　day　of　inwardness　is　over：　　the



spring　is　dry；　the　faithful　live　at　second　hand　exclusively　and



stone　the　prophets　in　their　turn。　　The　new　church；　in　spite　of



whatever　human　goodness　it　may　foster；　can　be　henceforth　counted



on　as　a　staunch　ally　in　every　attempt　to　stifle　the　spontaneous



religious　spirit；　and　to　stop　all　later　bubblings　of　the　fountain



from　which　in　purer　days　it　drew　its　own　supply　of　inspiration。



Unless；　indeed；　by　adopting　new　movements　of　the　spirit　it　can



make　capital　out　of　them　and　use　them　for　its　selfish　corporate



designs！　Of　protective　action　of　this　politic　sort；　promptly　or



tardily　decided　on；　the　dealings　of　the　Roman　ecclesiasticism



with　many　individual　saints　and　prophets　yield　examples　enough



for　our　instruction。







The　plain　fact　is　that　men's　minds　are　built；　as　has　been　often



said；　in　water…tight　compartments。　　Religious　after　a　fashion；



they　yet　have　many　other　things　in　them　beside　their　religion；



and　unholy　entanglements　and　associations　inevitably　obtain。　　The



basenesses　so　commonly　charged　to　religion's　account　are　thus；



almost　all　of　them；　not　chargeable　at　all　to　religion　proper；　but



rather　to　religion's　wicked　practical　partner；　the　spirit　of



corporate　dominion。　　And　the　bigotries　are　most　of　them　in　their



turn　chargeable　to　religion's　wicked　intellectual　partner；　the



spirit　of　dogmatic　dominion；　the　passion　for　laying　do