lectures14+15-第4章

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spirit　of　dogmatic　dominion；　the　passion　for　laying　down　the　law



in　the　form　of　an　absolutely　closed…in　theoretic　system。　　The



ecclesiastical　spirit　in　general　is　the　sum　of　these　two　spirits



of　dominion；　and　I　beseech　you　never　to　confound　the　phenomena　of



mere　tribal　or　corporate　psychology　which　it　presents　with　those



manifestations　of　the　purely　interior　life　which　are　the



exclusive　object　of　our　study。　　The　baiting　of　Jews；　the　hunting



of　Albigenses　and　Waldenses；　the　stoning　of　Quakers　and　ducking



of　Methodists；　the　murdering　of　Mormons　and　the　massacring　of



Armenians；　express　much　rather　that　aboriginal　human　neophobia；



that　pugnacity　of　which　we　all　share　the　vestiges；　and　that



inborn　hatred　of　the　alien　and　of　eccentric　and　non…conforming



men　as　aliens；　than　they　express　the　positive　piety　of　the



various　perpetrators。　　Piety　is　the　mask；　the　inner　force　is



tribal　instinct。　　You　believe　as　little　as　I　do；　in　spite　of　the



Christian　unction　with　which　the　German　emperor　addressed　his



troops　upon　their　way　to　China；　that　the　conduct　which　he



suggested；　and　in　which　other　Christian　armies　went　beyond　them；



had　anything　whatever　to　do　with　the　interior　religious　life　of



those　concerned　in　the　performance。







Well；　no　more　for　past　atrocities　than　for　this　atrocity　should



we　make　piety　responsible。　　At　most　we　may　blame　piety　for　not



availing　to　check　our　natural　passions；　and　sometimes　for



supplying　them　with　hypocritical　pretexts。　But　hypocrisy　also



imposes　obligations；　and　with　the　pretext　usually　couples　some



restriction；　and　when　the　passion　gust　is　over；　the　piety　may



bring　a　reaction　of　repentance　which　the　irreligious　natural　man



would　not　have　shown。







For　many　of　the　historic　aberrations　which　have　been　laid　to　her



charge；　religion　as　such；　then；　is　not　to　blame。　　Yet　of　the



charge　that　over…zealousness　or　fanaticism　is　one　of　her



liabilities　we　cannot　wholly　acquit　her；　so　I　will　next　make　a



remark　upon　that　point。　　But　I　will　preface　it　by　a　preliminary



remark　which　connects　itself　with　much　that　follows。



　



Our　survey　of　the　phenomena　of　saintliness　has　unquestionably



produced　in　your　minds　an　impression　of　extravagance。　Is　it



necessary；　some　of　you　have　asked；　as　one　example　after　another



came　before　us；　to　be　quite　so　fantastically　good　as　that？　　We



who　have　no　vocation　for　the　extremer　ranges　of　sanctity　will



surely　be　let　off　at　the　last　day　if　our　humility；　asceticism；



and　devoutness　prove　of　a　less　convulsive　sort。　　This　practically



amounts　to　saying　that　much　that　it　is　legitimate　to　admire　in



this　field　need　nevertheless　not　be　imitated；　and　that　religious



phenomena；　like　all　other　human　phenomena；　are　subject　to　the　law



of　the　golden　mean。　　Political　reformers　accomplish　their



successive　tasks　in　the　history　of　nations　by　being　blind　for　the



time　to　other　causes。　　Great　schools　of　art　work　out　the　effects



which　it　is　their　mission　to　reveal；　at　the　cost　of　a



one…sidedness　for　which　other　schools　must　make　amends。　　We



accept　a　John　Howard；　a　Mazzini；　a　Botticelli；　a　Michael　Angelo；



with　a　kind　of　indulgence。　　We　are　glad　they　existed　to　show　us



that　way；　but　we　are　glad　there　are　also　other　ways　of　seeing　and



taking　life。　　So　of　many　of　the　saints　whom　we　have　looked　at。　



We　are　proud　of　a　human　nature　that　could　be　so　passionately



extreme；　but　we　shrink　from　advising　others　to　follow　the



example。　　The　conduct　we　blame　ourselves　for　not　following　lies



nearer　to　the　middle　line　of　human　effort。　It　is　less　dependent



on　particular　beliefs　and　doctrines。　　It　is　such　as　wears　well　in



different　ages；　such　as　under　different　skies　all　judges　are　able



to　commend。







The　fruits　of　religion；　in　other　words；　are；　like　all　human



products；　liable　to　corruption　by　excess。　　Common　sense　must



judge　them。　　It　need　not　blame　the　votary；　but　it　may　be　able　to



praise　him　only　conditionally；　as　one　who　acts　faithfully



according　to　his　lights。　　He　shows　us　heroism　in　one　way；　but　the



unconditionally　good　way　is　that　for　which　no　indulgence　need　be



asked。



　



We　find　that　error　by　excess　is　exemplified　by　every　saintly



virtue。　　Excess；　in　human　faculties；　means　usually　one…sidedness



or　want　of　balance；　for　it　is　hard　to　imagine　an　essential



faculty　too　strong；　if　only　other　faculties　equally　strong　be



there　to　cooperate　with　it　in　action。　　Strong　affections　need　a



strong　will；　strong　active　powers　need　a　strong　intellect；　strong



intellect　needs　strong　sympathies；　to　keep　life　steady。　　If　the



balance　exist；　no　one　faculty　can　possibly　be　too　strongwe　only



get　the　stronger　all…round　character。　　In　the　life　of　saints；



technically　so　called；　the　spiritual　faculties　are　strong；　but



what　gives　the　impression　of　extravagance　proves　usually　on



examination　to　be　a　relative　deficiency　of　intellect。　　Spiritual



excitement　takes　pathological　forms　whenever　other　interests　are



too　few　and　the　intellect　too　narrow。　　We　find　this　exemplified



by　all　the　saintly　attributes　in　turndevout　love　of　God；



purity；　charity；　asceticism；　all　may　lead　astray。　　I　will　run



over　these　virtues　in　succession。







First　of　all　let　us　take　Devoutness。　　When　unbalanced；　one　of　its



vices　is　called　Fanaticism。　　Fanaticism　（when　not　a　mere



expression　of　ecclesiastical　ambition）　is　only　loyalty　carried　to



a　convulsive　extreme。　　When　an　intensely　loyal　and　narrow　mind　is



once　grasped　by　the　feeling　that　a　certain　superhuman　person　is



worthy　of　its　exclusive　devotion；　one　of　the　first　things　that



happens　is　that　it　idealizes　the　devotion　itself。　　To　adequately



realize　the　merits　of　the　idol　gets　to　be　considered　the　one



great　merit　of　the　worshiper；　and　the　sacrifices　and　servilities



by　which　savage　tribesmen　have　from　time　immemorial　exhibited



their　faithfulness　to　chieftains　are　now　outbid　in　favor　of　the



deity。　　Vocabularies　are　exhausted　and　languages　altered　in　the



attempt　to　praise　him　enough；　death　is　looked　on　as　gain　if　it



attract　his　grateful　notice；　and　the　personal　attitude　of　being



his　devotee　becomes　what　one　might　almost　call　a　new　and　exalted



kind　of　professional　specialty　within　the　tribe。＇199＇　The　legends



that　gather　round　the　lives　of　holy　persons　are　fruits　of　this



impulse　to　celebrate　and　glorify。　　The　Buddha＇200＇　and



Mohammed＇201＇　and　their　companions　and　many　Christian　saints　are



incrusted　with　a　heavy　jewelry　of　anecdotes　which　are　meant　to　be



honorific；　but　are　simply　abgeschmackt　and　silly；　and　form　a



touching　expression　of　man's　misguided　propensity　to　praise。







＇199＇　Christian　saints　have　had　their　specialties　of　devotion；



Saint　Francis　to　Christ's　wounds；　Saint　Anthony　of　Padua　to



Christ's　childhood；　Saint　Bernard　to　his　humanity；　Saint　Teresa



to　Saint　Joseph；　etc。　　The　Shi…ite　Mohammedans　venerate　Ali；　the



Prophet's　son…in…law；　instead　of　Abu…bekr；　his　brother…in…law。　



Vambery　describes　a　dervish　whom　he　met　in　Persia；　〃who　had



solemnly　vowed；　thirty　years　before；　that　he　would　never　employ



his　organs　of　speech　otherwise　but　in　uttering；　everlastingly；



the　name　of　his　favorite；　Ali；　Ali。　　He　thus　wished　to　signify　to



the　world　that　he　was　the　most　devoted　partisan　of　that　Ali　who



had　been　dead　a　thousand　years。　　In　his　own　home；　speaking　with



his　wife；　children；　and　friends；　no　other　word　but　'Ali！'　ever



passed　his　lips。　　If　he　wanted　food　or　drink　or　anything　else；　he



expressed　his　wants　still　by　repeating　'Ali！'　　Begging　or　buying



at　the　bazaar；　it　was　always　'Ali！'　　Treated　ill