lecture09-第5节

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In　other　persons　the　trouble　is　profounder。　　There　are　men



anaesthetic　on　the　religious　side；　deficient　in　that　category　of



sensibility。　　Just　as　a　bloodless　organism　can　never；　in　spite　of



all　its　goodwill；　attain　to　the　reckless　〃animal　spirits〃　enjoyed



by　those　of　sanguine　temperament；　so　the　nature　which　is



spiritually　barren　may　admire　and　envy　faith　in　others；　but　can



never　compass　the　enthusiasm　and　peace　which　those　who　are



temperamentally　qualified　for　faith　enjoy。　　All　this　may；



however；　turn　out　eventually　to　have　been　a　matter　of　temporary



inhibition。　　Even　late　in　life　some　thaw；　some　release　may　take



place；　some　bolt　be　shot　back　in　the　barrenest　breast；　and　the



man's　hard　heart　may　soften　and　break　into　religious　feeling。　



Such　cases　more　than　any　others　suggest　the　idea　that　sudden



conversion　is　by　miracle。　　So　long　as　they　exist；　we　must　not



imagine　ourselves　to　deal　with　irretrievably　fixed　classes。　



Now　there　are　two　forms　of　mental　occurrence　in　human　beings；



which　lead　to　a　striking　difference　in　the　conversion　process；　a



difference　to　which　Professor　Starbuck　has　called　attention。　　You



know　how　it　is　when　you　try　to　recollect　a　forgotten　name。　



Usually　you　help　the　recall　by　working　for　it；　by　mentally



running　over　the　places；　persons；　and　things　with　which　the　word



was　connected。　　But　sometimes　this　effort　fails：　　you　feel　then



as　if　the　harder　you　tried　the　less　hope　there　would　be；　as



though　the　name　were　JAMMED；　and　pressure　in　its　direction　only



kept　it　all　the　more　from　rising。　And　then　the　opposite　expedient



often　succeeds。　　Give　up　the　effort　entirely；　think　of　something



altogether　different；　and　in　half　an　hour　the　lost　name　comes



sauntering　into　your　mind；　as　Emerson　says；　as　carelessly　as　if



it　had　never　been　invited。　　Some　hidden　process　was　started　in



you　by　the　effort；　which　went　on　after　the　effort　ceased；　and



made　the　result　come　as　if　it　came　spontaneously。　　A　certain



music　teacher；　says　Dr。　Starbuck；　says　to　her　pupils　after　the



thing　to　be　done　has　been　clearly　pointed　out；　and　unsuccessfully



attempted：　　〃Stop　trying　and　it　will　do　itself！〃＇108＇







＇108＇　Psychology　of　Religion；　p。　117。















There　is　thus　a　conscious　and　voluntary　way　and　an　involuntary



and　unconscious　way　in　which　mental　results　may　get　accomplished；



and　we　find　both　ways　exemplified　in　the　history　of　conversion；



giving　us　two　types；　which　Starbuck　calls　the　volitional　type　and



the　type　by　self…surrender　respectively。







In　the　volitional　type　the　regenerative　change　is　usually



gradual；　and　consists　in　the　building　up；　piece　by　piece；　of　a



new　set　of　moral　and　spiritual　habits。　　But　there　are　always



critical　points　here　at　which　the　movement　forward　seems　much



more　rapid。　　This　psychological　fact　is　abundantly　illustrated　by



Dr。　Starbuck。　　Our　education　in　any　practical　accomplishment



proceeds　apparently　by　jerks　and　starts　just　as　the　growth　of　our



physical　bodies　does。







〃An　athlete　。　。　。　sometimes　awakens　suddenly　to　an　understanding



of　the　fine　points　of　the　game　and　to　a　real　enjoyment　of　it；



just　as　the　convert　awakens　to　an　appreciation　of　religion。　If　he



keeps　on　engaging　in　the　sport；　there　may　come　a　day　when　all　at



once　the　game　plays　itself　through　himwhen　he　loses　himself　in



some　great　contest。　　In　the　same　way；　a　musician　may　suddenly



reach　a　point　at　which　pleasure　in　the　technique　of　the　art



entirely　falls　away；　and　in　some　moment　of　inspiration　he　becomes



the　instrument　through　which　music　flows。　The　writer　has　chanced



to　hear　two　different　married　persons；　both　of　whose　wedded　lives



had　been　beautiful　from　the　beginning；　relate　that　not　until　a



year　or　more　after　marriage　did　they　awake　to　the　full



blessedness　of　married　life。　　So　it　is　with　the　religious



experience　of　these　persons　we　are　studying。〃＇109＇







＇109＇　Psychology　of　Religion；　p。　385。　　Compare；　also；　pp。　137…144



and　262。















We　shall　erelong　hear　still　more　remarkable　illustrations　of



subconsciously　maturing　processes　eventuating　in　results　of　which



we　suddenly　grow　conscious。　　Sir　William　Hamilton　and　Professor



Laycock　of　Edinburgh　were　among　the　first　to　call　attention　to



this　class　of　effects；　but　Dr。　Carpenter　first；　unless　I　am



mistaken；　introduced　the　term　〃unconscious　cerebration；〃　which



has　since　then　been　a　popular　phrase　of　explanation。　　The　facts



are　now　known　to　us　far　more　extensively　than　he　could　know　them；



and　the　adjective　〃unconscious；〃　being　for　many　of　them　almost



certainly　a　misnomer；　is　better　replaced　by　the　vaguer　term



〃subconscious〃　or　〃subliminal。〃







Of　the　volitional　type　of　conversion　it　would　be　easy　to　give



examples；＇110＇　but　they　are　as　a　rule　less　interesting　than　



those　of　the　self…surrender　type；　in　which　the　subconscious



effects　are　more　abundant　and　often　startling。　　I　will　therefore



hurry　to　the　latter；　the　more　so　because　the　difference　between



the　two　types　is　after　all　not　radical。　　Even　in　the　most



voluntarily　built…up　sort　of　regeneration　there　are　passages　of



partial　self…surrender　interposed；　and　in　the　great　majority　of



all　cases；　when　the　will　had　done　its　uttermost　towards　bringing



one　close　to　the　complete　unification　aspired　after；　it　seems



that　the　very　last　step　must　be　left　to　other　forces　and



performed　without　the　help　of　its　activity。　　In　other　words；



self…surrender　becomes　then　indispensable。　　〃The　personal　will；〃



says　Dr。　Starbuck；　〃must　be　given　up。　　In　many　cases　relief



persistently　refuses　to　come　until　the　person　ceases　to　resist；



or　to　make　an　effort　in　the　direction　he　desires　to　go。〃







＇110＇　For　instance；　C。　G。　Finney　italicizes　the　volitional



element：　　〃Just　at　this　point　the　whole　question　of　Gospel



salvation　opened　to　my　mind　in　a　manner　most　marvelous　to　me　at



the　time。　　I　think　I　then　saw；　as　clearly　as　I　ever　have　in　my



life；　the　reality　and　fullness　of　the　atonement　of　Christ。　



Gospel　salvation　seemed　to　me　to　be　an　offer　of　something　to　be



accepted；　and　all　that　was　necessary　on　my　part　to　get　my　own



consent　to　give　up　my　sins　and　accept　Christ。　　After　this



distinct　revelation　had　stood　for　some　little　time　before　my



mind；　the　question　seemed　to　be　put；　'will　you　accept　it　now；



to…day？'　I　replied；　'Yes；　I　will　accept　it　to…day；　or　I　will　die



in　the　attempt！'〃　　He　then　went　into　the　woods；　where　he



describes　his　struggles。　　He　could　not　pray；　his　heart　was



hardened　in　its　pride。　　〃I　then　reproached　myself　for　having



promised　to　give　my　heart　to　God　before　I　left　the　woods。　　When　I



came　to　try；　I　found　I　could　not。　。　。　。　　My　inward　soul　hung



back；　and　there　was　no　going　out　of　my　heart　to　God。　　The　thought



was　pressing　me；　of　the　rashness　of　my　promise　that　I　would　give



my　heart　to　God　that　day；　or　die　in　the　attempt。　　It　seemed　to　me



as　if　that　was　binding　on　my　soul；　and　yet　I　was　going　to　break



my　vow。　　A　great　sinking　and　discouragement　came　over　me；　and　I



felt　almost　too　weak　to　stand　upon　my　knees。　　Just　at　this　moment



I　again　thought　I　heard　some　one　approach　me；　and　I　opened　my



eyes　to　see　whether　it　were　so。　　But　right　there　the　revelation



of　my　pride　of　heart；　as　the　great　difficulty　that　stood　in　the



way；　was　distinctly　shown　to　me。　　An　overwhelming　sense　of　my



wickedness　in　being　ashamed　to　have　a　human　being　see　me　on　my



knees　before　God　took　such　powerful　possession　of　me；　that　I



cried　at　the　top　of　my　voice；　and　exclaimed　that　I　would　not



leave　that　place　if　all　the　men　on　earth　and　all　the　devils　in



hell　surrounded　me。　　'What！'　I　said；　'such　a　degraded　sinner　as　I



am；　on　my　knees　confessing　my　sins　to　the　great　and　holy　God；　and



ashamed　to　have　any　human　being；　and　a　sinner　like　myself；　find



me　on　my　knees　endeavoring　to　make　my　peace　with　my　offended



God！'　　The　sin　appeared　awful；　infinite。　　It　broke　me　down　before



the　Lord。〃　　Memoirs；　pp。　14…16；　abridged。















〃I　had　said　I　would　not　give　up；　but　when　my　will　was　broken；　it



was　all　over；〃　writes　one　of　Starbuck's　correspondents。　Another



says：　　〃I　simply　said：　　'Lord；　I　have　done　all　I　can；　I　leave　the



whole　matter　with　Thee；'　and　immediately　there　came　to　me　a　great



peace。〃Another：　　〃All　at　once　it　occurred　to　me　that　I　might　be



saved；　too；　if　I　would　stop　trying　to　do　it　all　myself；　and



follow　Jesus：　　somehow　I　lost　my　load。〃Another：　　〃I　finally



ceased　to　resist；　and　gave　myself　up；　though　it　was　a　hard