lecture19-第6节

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！





active；　and　spiritual　work　of　some　kind　is　effected　really。







＇322＇　Above；　p。　243　ff。　　Compare　the　withdrawal　of　expression



from　the　world；　in　Melancholiacs；　p。　148。















So　much　for　Prayer；　taken　in　the　wide　sense　of　any　kind　of



communion。　　As　the　core　of　religion；　we　must　return　to　it　in　the



next　lecture。







The　last　aspect　of　the　religious　life　which　remains　for　me　to



touch　upon　is　the　fact　that　its　manifestations　so　frequently



connect　themselves　with　the　subconscious　part　of　our　existence。



You　may　remember　what　I　said　in　my　opening　lecture＇323＇　about　the



prevalence　of　the　psychopathic　temperament　in　religious



biography。　　You　will　in　point　of　fact　hardly　find　a　religious



leader　of　any　kind　in　whose　life　there　is　no　record　of



automatisms。　　I　speak　not　merely　of　savage　priests　and　prophets；



whose　followers　regard　automatic　utterance　and　action　as　by



itself　tantamount　to　inspiration；　I　speak　of　leaders　of　thought



and　subjects　of　intellectualized　experience。　　Saint　Paul　had　his



visions；　his　ecstasies；　his　gift　of　tongues；　small　as　was　the



importance　he　attached　to　the　latter。　The　whole　array　of



Christian　saints　and　heresiarchs；　including　the　greatest；　the



Barnards；　the　Loyolas；　the　Luthers；　the　Foxes；　the　Wesleys；　had



their　visions；　voices；　rapt　conditions；　guiding　impressions；　and



〃openings。〃　　　　They　had　these　things；　because　they　had　exalted



sensibility；　and　to　such　things　persons　of　exalted　sensibility



are　liable。　　In　such　liability　there　lie；　however；　consequences



for　theology。　　Beliefs　are　strengthened　wherever　automatisms



corroborate　them。　　Incursions　from　beyond　the　transmarginal



region　have　a　peculiar　power　to　increase　conviction。　　The



inchoate　sense　of　presence　is　infinitely　stronger　than



conception；　but　strong　as　it　may　be；　it　is　seldom　equal　to　the



evidence　of　hallucination。　　Saints　who　actually　see　or　hear　their



Saviour　reach　the　acme　of　assurance。　　Motor　automatisms；　though



rarer；　are；　if　possible；　even　more　convincing　than　sensations。　



The　subjects　here　actually　feel　themselves　played　upon　by　powers



beyond　their　will。　　The　evidence　is　dynamic；　the　God　or　spirit



moves　the　very　organs　of　their　body。＇324＇







＇323＇　Above；　pp。　25；　26。







＇324＇　A　friend　of　mine；　a　first…rate　psychologist；　who　is　a



subject　of　graphic　automatism；　tells　me　that　the　appearance　of



independent　actuation　in　the　movements　of　his　arm；　when　he　writes



automatically；　is　so　distinct　that　it　obliges　him　to　abandon　a



psychophysical　theory　which　he　had　previously　believed　in；　the



theory；　namely；　that　we　have　no　feeling　of　the　discharge



downwards　of　our　voluntary　motor…centres。　　We　must　normally　have



such　a　feeling；　he　thinks；　or　the　SENSE　OF　AN　ABSENCE　would　not



be　so　striking　as　it　is　in　these　experiences。　　Graphic　automatism



of　a　fully　developed　kind　is　rare　in　religious　history；　so　far　as



my　knowledge　goes。　　Such　statements　as　Antonia　Bourignon's；　that



〃I　do　nothing　but　lend　my　hand　and　spirit　to　another　power　than



mine；〃　is　shown　by　the　context　to　indicate　inspiration　rather



than　directly　automatic　writing。　　In　some　eccentric　sects　this



latter　occurs。　　The　most　striking　instance　of　it　is　probably　the



bulky　volume　called；　〃Oahspe；　a　new　Bible　in　the　Words　of　Jehovah



and　his　angel　ambassadors；〃　Boston　and　London；　1891；　written　and



illustrated　automatically　by　Dr。　Newbrough　of　New　York；　whom　I



understand　to　be　now；　or　to　have　been　lately；　at　the　head　of　the



spiritistic　community　of　Shalam　in　New　Mexico。　　The　latest



automatically　written　book　which　has　come　under　my　notice　is



〃Zertouhem's　Wisdom　of　the　Ages；〃　by　George　A。　Fuller；　Boston；



1901。















The　great　field　for　this　sense　of　being　the　instrument　of　a



higher　power　is　of　course　〃inspiration。〃　　It　is　easy　to



discriminate　between　the　religious　leaders　who　have　been



habitually　subject　to　inspiration　and　those　who　have　not。　　In　the



teachings　of　the　Buddha；　of　Jesus；　of　Saint　Paul　（apart　from　his



gift　of　tongues）；　of　Saint　Augustine；　of　Huss；　of　Luther；　of



Wesley；　automatic　or　semi…automatic　composition　appears　to　have



been　only　occasional。　　In　the　Hebrew　prophets；　on　the　contrary；



in　Mohammed；　in　some　of　the　Alexandrians；　in　many　minor　Catholic



saints；　in　Fox；　in　Joseph　Smith；　something　like　it　appears　to



have　been　frequent；　sometimes　habitual。　　We　have　distinct



professions　of　being　under　the　direction　of　a　foreign　power；　and



serving　as　its　mouthpiece。　　As　regards　the　Hebrew　prophets；　it　is



extraordinary；　writes　an　author　who　has　made　a　careful　study　of



them；　to　see







〃How；　one　after　another；　the　same　features　are　reproduced　in　the



prophetic　books。　　The　process　is　always　extremely　different　from



what　it　would　be　if　the　prophet　arrived　at　his　insight　into



spiritual　things　by　the　tentative　efforts　of　his　own　genius。



There　is　something　sharp　and　sudden　about　it。　　He　can　lay　his



finger；　so　to　speak；　on　the　moment　when　it　came。　　And　it　always



comes　in　the　form　of　an　overpowering　force　from　without；　against



which　he　struggles；　but　in　vain。　　Listen；　for　instance；　＇to＇　the



opening　of　the　book　of　Jeremiah。　　Read　through　in　like　manner　the



first　two　chapters　of　the　prophecy　of　Ezekiel。







〃It　is　not；　however；　only　at　the　beginning　of　his　career　that　the



prophet　passes　through　a　crisis　which　is　clearly　not　self…



caused。　　Scattered　all　through　the　prophetic　writings　are



expressions　which　speak　of　some　strong　and　irresistible　impulse



coming　down　upon　the　prophet；　determining　his　attitude　to　the



events　of　his　time；　constraining　his　utterance；　making　his　words



the　vehicle　of　a　higher　meaning　than　their　own。　　For　instance；



this　of　Isaiah's：　　'The　Lord　spake　thus　to　me　with　a　strong



hand；'an　emphatic　phrase　which　denotes　the　overmastering　nature



of　the　impulse'and　instructed　me　that　I　should　not　walk　in　the



way　of　this　people。'　。　。　。　Or　passages　like　this　from　Ezekiel：　



'The　hand　of　the　Lord　God　fell　upon　me；'　'The　hand　of　the　Lord



was　strong　upon　me。'　The　one　standing　characteristic　of　the



prophet　is　that　he　speaks　with　the　authority　of　Jehovah　himself。　



Hence　it　is　that　the　prophets　one　and　all　preface　their　addresses



so　confidently；　'The　Word　of　the　Lord；'　or　'Thus　saith　the　Lord。'



They　have　even　the　audacity　to　speak　in　the　first　person；　as　if



Jehovah　himself　were　speaking。　　As　in　Isaiah：　　'Hearken　unto　me；



O　Jacob；　and　Israel　my　called；　I　am　He；　I　am　the　First；　I　also　am



the　last；'and　so　on。　　The　personality　of　the　prophet　sinks



entirely　into　the　background；　he　feels　himself　for　the　time　being



the　mouthpiece　of　the　Almighty。〃＇325＇







＇325＇　W。　Sanday：　　The　Oracles　of　God；　London；　1892；　pp。　49…56；



abridged。















〃We　need　to　remember　that　prophecy　was　a　profession；　and　that　the



prophets　formed　a　professional　class。　　There　were　schools　of　the



prophets；　in　which　the　gift　was　regularly　cultivated。　　A　group　of



young　men　would　gather　round　some　commanding　figurea　Samuel　or



an　Elishaand　would　not　only　record　or　spread　the　knowledge　of



his　sayings　and　doings；　but　seek　to　catch　themselves　something　of



his　inspiration。　　It　seems　that　music　played　its　part　in　their



exercises。　。　。　。　　It　is　perfectly　clear　that　by　no　means　all　of



these　Sons　of　the　prophets　ever　succeeded　in　acquiring　more　than



a　very　small　share　in　the　gift　which　they　sought。　　It　was　clearly



possible　to　'counterfeit'　prophecy。　　Sometimes　this　was　done



deliberately。　。　。　。　　But　it　by　no　means　follows　that　in　all　cases



where　a　false　message　was　given；　the　giver　of　it　was　altogether



conscious　of　what　he　was　doing。＇326＇







＇326＇　Op。　cit。；　p。　91。　　This　author　also　cites　Moses's　and



Isaiah's　commissions；　as　given　in　Exodus；　chaps。　iii。　and　iv。；



and　Isaiah；　chap。　vi。















Here；　to　take　another　Jewish　case；　is　the　way　in　which　Philo　of



Alexandria　describes　his　inspiration：







〃Sometimes；　when　I　have　come　to　my　work　empty；　I　have　suddenly



become　full；　ideas　being　in　an　invisible　manner　showered　upon　me；



and　implanted　in　me　from　on　high；　so　that　through　the　influence



of　divine　inspiration；　I　have　become　greatly　excited；　and　have



known　neither　the　place　in　which　I　was；　nor　those　who　were



present；　nor　myself；　nor　what　I　was　saying；　nor　what　I　was



writing；　for　then　I　have　been　conscious　of　a　richness　of



interpretation；　an　enjoyment　of　light；　a　most　penetrating



insight；　a　most　manifest　energy　in　all　that　was　to　be　done；