lecture09-第6节

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



struggle。　　Gradually　the　feeling　came　over　me　that　I　had　done　my



part；　and　God　was　willing　to　do　his。〃＇111＇〃Lord　Thy　will　be



done；　damn　or　save！〃　cries　John　Nelson；＇112＇　exhausted　with　the



anxious　struggle　to　escape　damnation；　and　at　that　moment　his　soul



was　filled　with　peace。







＇111＇　Starbuck：　　Op。　cit。；　pp。　91；　114。







＇112＇　Extracts　from　the　Journal　of　Mr。　John　Nelson；　London；　no



date；　p。　24。















Dr。　Starbuck　gives　an　interesting；　and　it　seems　to　me　a　true；



accountso　far　as　conceptions　so　schematic　can　claim　truth　at



allof　the　reasons　why　self…surrender　at　the　last　moment　should



be　so　indispensable。　　To　begin　with；　there　are　two　things　in　the



mind　of　the　candidate　for　conversion：　　first；　the　present



incompleteness　or　wrongness；　the　〃sin〃　which　he　is　eager　to



escape　from；　and；　second；　the　positive　ideal　which　he　longs　to



compass。　　Now　with　most　of　us　the　sense　of　our　present　wrongness



is　a　far　more　distinct　piece　of　our　consciousness　than　is　the



imagination　of　any　positive　ideal　we　can　aim　at。　　In　a　majority



of　cases；　indeed；　the　〃sin〃　almost　exclusively　engrosses　the



attention；　so　that　conversion　is　〃a　process　of　struggling　away



from　sin　rather　than　of　striving　towards　righteousness。〃＇113＇　A



man's　conscious　wit　and　will；　so　far　as　they　strain　towards　the



ideal；　are　aiming　at　something　only　dimly　and　inaccurately



imagined。　Yet　all　the　while　the　forces　of　mere　organic　ripening



within　him　are　going　on　towards　their　own　prefigured　result；　and



his　conscious　strainings　are　letting　loose　subconscious　allies



behind　the　scenes；　which　in　their　way　work　towards　rearrangement；



and　the　rearrangement　towards　which　all　these　deeper　forces　tend



is　pretty　surely　definite；　and　definitely　different　from　what　he



consciously　conceives　and　determines。　　It　may　consequently　be



actually　interfered　with　（JAMMED；　as　it　were；　like　the　lost　word



when　we　seek　too　energetically　to　recall　it）；　by　his　voluntary



efforts　slanting　from　the　true　direction。







＇113＇　Starbuck；　p。　64。















Starbuck　seems　to　put　his　finger　on　the　root　of　the　matter　when



he　says　that　to　exercise　the　personal　will　is　still　to　live　in



the　region　where　the　imperfect　self　is　the　thing　most　emphasized。



Where；　on　the　contrary；　the　subconscious　forces　take　the　lead；　it



is　more　probably　the　better　self　in　posse　which　directs　the



operation。　　Instead　of　being　clumsily　and　vaguely　aimed　at　from



without；　it　is　then　itself　the　organizing　centre。　　What　then　must



the　person　do？　　〃He　must　relax；〃　says　Dr。　Starbuck〃that　is；　he



must　fall　back　on　the　larger　Power　that　makes　for　righteousness；



which　has　been　welling　up　in　his　own　being；　and　let　it　finish　in



its　own　way　the　work　it　has　begun。　。　。　。　　The　act　of　yielding；　in



this　point　of　view；　is　giving　one's　self　over　to　the　new　life；



making　it　the　centre　of　a　new　personality；　and　living；　from



within；　the　truth　of　it　which　had　before　been　viewed



objectively。〃＇114＇







＇114＇　Starbuck；　p。　115。















〃Man's　extremity　is　God's　opportunity〃　is　the　theological　way　of



putting　this　fact　of　the　need　of　self…surrender；　whilst　the



physiological　way　of　stating　it　would　be；　〃Let　one　do　all　in



one's　power；　and　one's　nervous　system　will　do　the　rest。〃　　Both



statements　acknowledge　the　same　fact。＇115＇







＇115＇　Starbuck；　p。　113。















To　state　it　in　terms　of　our　own　symbolism：　　When　the　new　centre



of　personal　energy　has　been　subconsciously　incubated　so　long　as



to　be　just　ready　to　open　into　flower；　〃hands　off〃　is　the　only



word　for　us；　it　must　burst　forth　unaided！







We　have　used　the　vague　and　abstract　language　of　psychology。　But



since；　in　any　terms；　the　crisis　described　is　the　throwing　of　our



conscious　selves　upon　the　mercy　of　powers　which；　whatever　they



may　be；　are　more　ideal　than　we　are　actually；　and　make　for　our



redemption；　you　see　why　self…surrender　has　been　and　always　must



be　regarded　as　the　vital　turning…point　of　the　religious　life；　so



far　as　the　religious　life　is　spiritual　and　no　affair　of　outer



works　and　ritual　and　sacraments。　　One　may　say　that　the　whole



development　of　Christianity　in　inwardness　has　consisted　in　little



more　than　the　greater　and　greater　emphasis　attached　to　this



crisis　of　self…surrender。　　From　Catholicism　to　Lutheranism；　and



then　to　Calvinism；　from　that　to　Wesleyanism；　and　from　this；



outside　of　technical　Christianity　altogether；　to　pure



〃liberalism〃　or　transcendental　idealism；　whether　or　not　of　the



mind…cure　type；　taking　in　the　mediaeval　mystics；　the　quietists；



the　pietists；　and　quakers　by　the　way；　we　can　trace　the　stages　of



progress　towards　the　idea　of　an　immediate　spiritual　help；



experienced　by　the　individual　in　his　forlornness　and　standing　in



no　essential　need　of　doctrinal　apparatus　or　propitiatory



machinery。







Psychology　and　religion　are　thus　in　perfect　harmony　up　to　this



point；　since　both　admit　that　there　are　forces　seemingly　outside



of　the　conscious　individual　that　bring　redemption　to　his　life。　



Nevertheless　psychology；　defining　these　forces　as　〃subconscious；〃



and　speaking　of　their　effects；　as　due　to　〃incubation；〃　or



〃cerebration；〃　implies　that　they　do　not　transcend　the



individual's　personality；　and　herein　she　diverges　from　Christian



theology；　which　insists　that　they　are　direct　supernatural



operations　of　the　Deity。　　I　propose　to　you　that　we　do　not　yet



consider　this　divergence　final；　but　leave　the　question　for　a



while　in　abeyancecontinued　inquiry　may　enable　us　to　get　rid　of



some　of　the　apparent　discord。







Revert；　then；　for　a　moment　more　to　the　psychology　of



self…surrender。







When　you　find　a　man　living　on　the　ragged　edge　of　his



consciousness；　pent　in　to　his　sin　and　want　and　incompleteness；



and　consequently　inconsolable；　and　then　simply　tell　him　that　all



is　well　with　him；　that　he　must　stop　his　worry；　break　with　his



discontent；　and　give　up　his　anxiety；　you　seem　to　him　to　come　with



pure　absurdities。　　The　only　positive　consciousness　he　has　tells



him　that　all　is　NOT　well；　and　the　better　way　you　offer　sounds



simply　as　if　you　proposed　to　him　to　assert　cold…blooded



falsehoods。　　〃The　will　to　believe〃　cannot　be　stretched　as　far　as



that。　　We　can　make　ourselves　more　faithful　to　a　belief　of　which



we　have　the　rudiments；　but　we　cannot　create　a　belief　out　of　whole



cloth　when　our　perception　actively　assures　us　of　its　opposite。　



The　better　mind　proposed　to　us　comes　in　that　case　in　the　form　of



a　pure　negation　of　the　only　mind　we　have；　and　we　cannot　actively



will　a　pure　negation。







There　are　only　two　ways　in　which　it　is　possible　to　get　rid　of



anger；　worry；　fear；　despair；　or　other　undesirable　affections。　



One　is　that　an　opposite　affection　should　overpoweringly　break



over　us；　and　the　other　is　by　getting　so　exhausted　with　the



struggle　that　we　have　to　stopso　we　drop　down；　give　up；　and



DON'T　CARE　any　longer。　　Our　emotional　brain…centres　strike　work；



and　we　lapse　into　a　temporary　apathy。　Now　there　is　documentary



proof　that　this　state　of　temporary　exhaustion　not　infrequently



forms　part　of　the　conversion　crisis。　　So　long　as　the　egoistic



worry　of　the　sick　soul　guards　the　door；　the　expansive　confidence



of　the　soul　of　faith　gains　no　presence。　　But　let　the　former　faint



away；　even　but　for　a　moment；　and　the　latter　can　profit　by　the



opportunity；　and；　having　once　acquired　possession；　may　retain　it。







Carlyle's　Teufelsdrockh　passes　from　the　everlasting　No　to　the



everlasting　Yes　through　a　〃Centre　of　Indifference。〃







Let　me　give　you　a　good　illustration　of　this　feature　in　the



conversion　process。　　That　genuine　saint；　David　Brainerd；



describes　his　own　crisis　in　the　following　words：







〃One　morning；　while　I　was　walking　in　a　solitary　place　as　usual；　I



at　once　saw　that　all　my　contrivances　and　projects　to　effect　or



procure　deliverance　and　salvation　for　myself　were　utterly　in



vain；　I　was　brought　quite　to　a　stand；　as　finding　myself　totally



lost。　　I　saw　that　it　was　forever　impossible　for　me　to　do　anything



towards　helping　or　delivering　myself；　that　I　had　made　all　the



pleas　I　ever　could　have　made　to　all　eternity；　and　that　all　my



pleas　were　vain；　for　I　saw　that　self…interest　had　led　me　to　pray；



and　that　I　had　never　once　prayed　from　any　respect　to　the　glory　of



God。　　I　saw　that　there　was　no　necessary　connection　between　my



prayers　and　the　bestowment　of　div