passages from an old volume of life-第33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！


　but　with　a　serene　countenance　and　a　sympathetic　voice；　with　tact；　with　patience；　waiting　for　the　right　moment；will　surprise　the　shy　spirit　into　a　confession　of　the　doubt；　the　sorrow；　the　shame；　the　remorse；　the　terror　which　underlies　all　the　bodily　symptoms；　and　the　unburdening　of　which　into　a　loving　and　pitying　soul　is　a　more　potent　anodyne　than　all　the　drowsy　sirups　of　the　world。　And；　on　the　other　hand；　there　are　many　nervous　and　over…sensitive　natures　which　have　been　wrought　up　by　self…torturing　spiritual　exercises　until　their　best　confessor　would　be　a　sagacious　and　wholesome…minded　physician。

Suppose　a　person　to　have　become　so　excited　by　religious　stimulants　that　he　is　subject　to　what　are　known　to　the　records　of　insanity　as　hallucinations：　that　he　hears　voices　whispering　blasphemy　in　his　ears；　and　sees　devils　coming　to　meet　him；　and　thinks　he　is　going　to　be　torn　in　pieces；　or　trodden　into　the　mire。　　Suppose　that　his　mental　conflicts；　after　plunging　him　into　the　depths　of　despondency；　at　last　reduce　him　to　a　state　of　despair；　so　that　he　now　contemplates　taking　his　own　life；　and　debates　with　himself　whether　it　shall　be　by　knife；　halter；　or　poison；　and　after　much　questioning　is　apparently　making　up　his　mind　to　commit　suicide。　　Is　not　this　a　manifest　case　of　insanity；　in　the　form　known　as　melancholia？　　Would　not　any　prudent　physician　keep　such　a　person　under　the　eye　of　constant　watchers；　as　in　a　dangerous　state　of；　at　least；　partial　mental　alienation？　　Yet　this　is　an　exact　transcript　of　the　mental　condition　of　Christian　in　〃Pilgrim's　Progress；〃　and　its　counterpart　has　been　found　in　thousands　of　wretched　lives　terminated　by　the　act　of　self…destruction；　which　came　so　near　taking　place　in　the　hero　of　the　allegory。　　Now　the　wonderful　book　from　which　this　example　is　taken　is；　next　to　the　Bible　and　the　Treatise　of　〃De　Imitatione　Christi；〃　the　best…known　religious　work　of　Christendom。　　If　Bunyan　and　his　contemporary；　Sydenham；　had　met　in　consultation　over　the　case　of　Christian　at　the　time　when　be　was　meditating　self…murder；　it　is　very　possible　that　there　might　have　been　a　difference　of　judgment。　　The　physician　would　have　one　advantage　in　such　a　consultation。　　He　would　pretty　certainly　have　received　a　Christian　education；　while　the　clergyman　would　probably　know　next　to　nothing　of　the　laws　or　manifestations　of　mental　or　bodily　disease。　　It　does　not　seem　as　if　any　theological　student　was　really　prepared　for　his　practical　duties　until　he　had　learned　something　of　the　effects　of　bodily　derangements；　and；　above　all；　had　become　familiar　with　the　gamut　of　mental　discord　in　the　wards　of　an　insane　asylum。

It　is　a　very　thoughtless　thing　to　say　that　the　physician　stands　to　the　divine　in　the　same　light　as　the　divine　stands　to　the　physician；　so　far　as　each　may　attempt　to　handle　subjects　belonging　especially　to　the　other's　profession。　　Many　physicians　know　a　great　deal　more　about　religious　matters　than　they　do　about　medicine。　　They　have　read　the　Bible　ten　times　as　much　as　they　ever　read　any　medical　author。　　They　have　heard　scores　of　sermons　for　one　medical　lecture　to　which　they　have　listened。　　They　often　hear　much　better　preaching　than　the　average　minister；　for　he　hears　himself　chiefly；　and　they　hear　abler　men　and　a　variety　of　them。　　They　have　now　and　then　been　distinguished　in　theology　as　well　as　in　their　own　profession。　　The　name　of　Servetus　might　call　up　unpleasant　recollections；　but　that　of　another　medical　practitioner　may　be　safely　mentioned。　　〃It　was　not　till　the　middle　of　the　last　century　that　the　question　as　to　the　authorship　of　the　Pentateuch　was　handled　with　anything　like　a　discerning　criticism。　The　first　attempt　was　made　by　a　layman；　whose　studies　we　might　have　supposed　would　scarcely　have　led　him　to　such　an　investigation。〃　　This　layman　was　〃Astruc；　doctor　and　professor　of　medicine　in　the　Royal　College　at　Paris；　and　court　physician　to　Louis　XIV。〃　　The　quotation　is　from　the　article　〃Pentateuch〃　in　Smith's　〃Dictionary　of　the　Bible；〃　which；　of　course；　lies　on　the　table　of　the　least　instructed　clergyman。　　The　sacred　profession　has；　it　is　true；　returned　the　favor　by　giving　the　practitioner　of　medicine　Bishop　Berkeley's　〃Treatise　on　Tar…water；〃　and　the　invaluable　prescription　of　that　〃aged　clergyman　whose　sands　of　life〃but　let　us　be　fair；　if　not　generous；　and　remember　that　Cotton　Mather　shares　with　Zabdiel　Boylston　the　credit　of　introducing　the　practice　of　inoculation　into　America。　　The　professions　should　be　cordial　allies；　but　the　church…going；　Bible…　reading　physician　ought　to　know　a　great　deal　more　of　the　subjects　included　under　the　general　name　of　theology　than　the　clergyman　can　be　expected　to　know　of　medicine。　　To　say；　as　has　been　said　not　long　since；　that　a　young　divinity　student　is　as　competent　to　deal　with　the　latter　as　an　old　physician　is　to　meddle　with　the　former；　suggests　the　idea　that　wisdom　is　not　an　heirloom　in　the　family　of　the　one　who　says　it。　　What　a　set　of　idiots　our　clerical　teachers　must　have　been　and　be；　if；　after　a　quarter　or　half　a　century　of　their　instruction；　a　person　of　fair　intelligence　is　utterly　incompetent　to　form　any　opinion　about　the　subjects　which　they　have　been　teaching；　or　trying　to　teach　him；　so　long！

A　minister　must　find　it　very　hard　work　to　preach　to　hearers　who　do　not　believe；　or　only　half　believe；　what　he　preaches。　　But　pews　without　heads　in　them　are　a　still　more　depressing　spectacle。　　He　may　convince　the　doubter　and　reform　the　profligate。　　But　he　cannot　produce　any　change　on　pine　and　mahogany　by　his　discourses；　and　the　more　wood　he　sees　as　he　looks　along　his　floor　and　galleries；　the　less　his　chance　of　being　useful。　　It　is　natural　that　in　times　like　the　present　changes　of　faith　and　of　place　of　worship　should　be　far　from　infrequent。　　It　is　not　less　natural　that　there　should　be　regrets　on　one　side　and　gratification　on　the　other；　when　such　changes　occur。　　It　even　happens　occasionally　that　the　regrets　become　aggravated　into　reproaches；　rarely　from　the　side　which　receives　the　new　accessions；　less　rarely　from　the　one　which　is　left。　　It　is　quite　conceivable　that　the　Roman　Church；　which　considers　itself　the　only　true　one；　should　look　on　those　who　leave　its　communion　as　guilty　of　a　great　offence。　It　is　equally　natural　that　a　church　which　considers　Pope　and　Pagan　a　pair　of　murderous　giants；　sitting　at　the　mouths　of　their　caves；　alike　in　their　hatred　to　true　Christians；　should　regard　any　of　its　members　who　go　over　to　Romanism　as　lost　in　fatal　error。　　But　within　the　Protestant　fold　there　are　many　compartments；　and　it　would　seem　that　it　is　not　a　deadly　defection　to　pass　from　one　to　another。

So　far　from　such　exchanges　between　sects　being　wrong；　they　ought　to　happen　a　great　deal　oftener　than　they　do。　　All　the　larger　bodies　of　Christians　should　be　constantly　exchanging　members。　　All　men　are　born　with　conservative　or　aggressive　tendencies：　they　belong　naturally　with　the　idol…worshippers　or　the　idol…breakers。　　Some　wear　their　fathers'　old　clothes；　and　some　will　have　a　new　suit。　　One　class　of　men　must　have　their　faith　hammered　in　like　a　nail；　by　authority；　another　class　must　have　it　worked　in　like　a　screw；　by　argument。　Members　of　one　of　these　classes　often　find　themselves　fixed　by　circumstances　in　the　other。　　The　late　Orestes　A。　　Brownson　used　to　preach　at　one　time　to　a　little　handful　of　persons；　in　a　small　upper　room；　where　some　of　them　got　from　him　their　first　lesson　about　the　substitution　of　reverence　for　idolatry；　in　dealing　with　the　books　they　hold　sacred。　　But　after　a　time　Mr。　　Brownson　found　he　had　mistaken　his　church；　and　went　over　to　the　Roman　Catholic　establishment；　of　which　he　became　and　remained　to　his　dying　day　one　of　the　most　stalwart　champions。　　Nature　is　prolific　and　ambidextrous。　While　this　strong　convert　was　trying　to　carry　us　back　to　the　ancient　faith；　another　of　her　sturdy　children；　Theodore　Parker；　was　trying　just　as　hard　to　provide　a　new　church　for　the　future。　　One　was　driving　the　sheep　into　the　ancient　fold；　while　the　other　was　taking　down　the　bars　that　kept　them　out　of　the　new　pasture。　　Neither　of　these　powerful　men　could　do　the　other's　work；　and　each　had　to　find　the　task　for　which　he　was　destined。

The　〃old　gospel　ship；〃　as　the　Methodist　song　calls　it；　carries　many　who　would　steer　by　the　wake