lecture09-第7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！





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



prayers　and　the　bestowment　of　divine　mercy；　that　they　laid　not



the　least　obligation　upon　God　to　bestow　his　grace　upon　me；　and



that　there　was　no　more　virtue　or　goodness　in　them　than　there



would　be　in　my　paddling　with　my　hand　in　the　water。　　I　saw　that　I



had　been　heaping　up　my　devotions　before　God；　fasting；　praying；



etc。；　pretending；　and　indeed　really　thinking　sometimes　that　I　was



aiming　at　the　glory　of　God；　whereas　I　never　once　truly　intended



it；　but　only　my　own　happiness。　　I　saw　that　as　I　had　never　done



anything　for　God；　I　had　no　claim　on　anything　from　him　but



perdition；　on　account　of　my　hypocrisy　and　mockery。　　When　I　saw



evidently　that　I　had　regard　to　nothing　but　self…interest；　then　my



duties　appeared　a　vile　mockery　and　a　continual　course　of　lies；



for　the　whole　was　nothing　but　self…worship；　and　an　horrid　abuse



of　God。







〃I　continued；　as　I　remember；　in　this　state　of　mind；　from　Friday



morning　till　the　Sabbath　evening　following　（July　12；　1739）；　when



I　was　walking　again　in　the　same　solitary　place。　　Here；　in　a



mournful　melancholy　state　I　was　attempting　to　pray；　but　found　no



heart　to　engage　in　that　or　any　other　duty；　my　former　concern；



exercise；　and　religious　affections　were　now　gone。　I　thought　that



the　Spirit　of　God　had　quite　left　me；　but　still　was　NOT



DISTRESSED；　yet　disconsolate；　as　if　there　was　nothing　in　heaven



or　earth　could　make　me　happy。　　Having　been　thus　endeavoring　to



praythough；　as　I　thought；　very　stupid　and　senselessfor　near



half　an　hour；　then；　as　I　was　walking　in　a　thick　grove；



unspeakable　glory　seemed　to　open　to　the　apprehension　of　my　soul。　



I　do　not　mean　any　external　brightness；　nor　any　imagination　of　a



body　of　light；　but　it　was　a　new　inward　apprehension　or　view　that



I　had　of　God；　such　as　I　never　had　before；　nor　anything　which　had



the　least　resemblance　to　it。　　I　had　no　particular　apprehension　of



any　one　person　in　the　Trinity；　either　the　Father；　the　Son；　or　the



Holy　Ghost；　but　it　appeared　to　be　Divine　glory。　　My　soul　rejoiced



with　joy　unspeakable；　to　see　such　a　God；　such　a　glorious　Divine



Being；　and　I　was　inwardly　pleased　and　satisfied　that　he　should　be



God　over　all　for　ever　and　ever。　　My　soul　was　so　captivated　and



delighted　with　the　excellency　of　God　that　I　was　even　swallowed　up



in　him；　at　least　to　that　degree　that　I　had　no　thought　about　my



own　salvation；　and　scarce　reflected　that　there　was　such　a



creature　as　myself。　　I　continued　in　this　state　of　inward　joy；



peace；　and　astonishing；　till　near　dark　without　any　sensible



abatement；　and　then　began　to　think　and　examine　what　I　had　seen；



and　felt　sweetly　composed　in　my　mind　all　the　evening　following。　



I　felt　myself　in　a　new　world；　and　everything　about　me　appeared



with　a　different　aspect　from　what　it　was　wont　to　do。　　At　this



time；　the　way　of　salvation　opened　to　me　with　such　infinite



wisdom；　suitableness；　and　excellency；　that　I　wondered　I　should



ever　think　of　any　other　way　of　salvation；　was　amazed　that　I　had



not　dropped　my　own　contrivances；　and　complied　with　this　lovely；



blessed；　and　excellent　way　before。　　If　I　could　have　been　saved　by



my　own　duties　or　any　other　way　that　I　had　formerly　contrived；　my



whole　soul　would　now　have　refused　it。　　I　wondered　that　all　the



world　did　not　see　and　comply　with　this　way　of　salvation；　entirely



by　the　righteousness　of　Christ。〃＇116＇







＇116＇　Edward's　and　Dwight's　Life　of　Brainerd；　New　Haven；　1822；



pp。　45…47；　abridged。















I　have　italicized　the　passage　which　records　the　exhaustion　of　the



anxious　emotion　hitherto　habitual。　　In　a　large　proportion；　



perhaps　the　majority；　of　reports；　the　writers　speak　as　if　the



exhaustion　of　the　lower　and　the　entrance　of　the　higher　emotion



were　simultaneous；＇117＇　yet　often　again　they　speak　as　if　the



higher　actively　drove　the　lower　out。　　This　is　undoubtedly　true　in



a　great　many　instances；　as　we　shall　presently　see。　　But　often



there　seems　little　doubt　that　both　conditionssubconscious



ripening　of　the　one　affection　and　exhaustion　of　the　othermust



simultaneously　have　conspired；　in　order　to　produce　the　result。







＇117＇　Describing　the　whole　phenomenon　as　a　change　of　equilibrium；



we　might　say　that　the　movement　of　new　psychic　energies　towards



the　personal　centre　and　the　recession　of　old　ones　towards　the



margin　（or　the　rising　of　some　objects　above；　and　the　sinking　of



others　below　the　conscious　threshold）　were　only　two　ways　of



describing　an　indivisible　event。　　Doubtless　this　is　often



absolutely　true；　and　Starbuck　is　right　when　he　says　that



〃self…surrender〃　and　〃new　determination；〃　though　seeming　at　first



sight　to　be　such　different　experiences；　are　〃really　the　same



thing。　　Self…surrender　sees　the　change　in　terms　of　the　old　self；



determination　sees　it　in　terms　of　the　new。〃　　Op。　cit。；　p。　160。















T。　W。　B。；　a　convert　of　Nettleton's；　being　brought　to　an　acute



paroxysm　of　conviction　of　sin；　ate　nothing　all　day；　locked



himself　in　his　room　in　the　evening　in　complete　despair；　crying



aloud；　〃How　long；　O　Lord；　how　long？〃　　〃After　repeating　this　and



similar　language；〃　he　says；　〃several　times；　I　seemed　to　sink　away



into　a　state　of　insensibility。　　When　I　came　to　myself　again　I　was



on　my　knees；　praying　not　for　myself　but　for　others。　　I　felt



submission　to　the　will　of　God；　willing　that　he　should　do　with　me



as　should　seem　good　in　his　sight。　　My　concern　seemed　all　lost　in



concern　for　others。〃＇118＇







＇118＇　A。　A。　Bonar：　　Nettleton　and　his　Labors；　Edinburgh；　1854；　p。



261。















Our　great　American　revivalist　Finney　writes：　　〃I　said　to　myself：　



'What　is　this？　　I　must　have　grieved　the　Holy　Ghost　entirely　away。







I　have　lost　all　my　conviction。　　I　have　not　a　particle　of　concern



about　my　soul；　and　it　must　be　that　the　Spirit　has　left　me。'



'Why！'　thought　I；　'I　never　was　so　far　from　being　concerned　about



my　own　salvation　in　my　life。'　。　。　。　I　tried　to　recall　my



convictions；　to　get　back　again　the　load　of　sin　under　which　I　had



been　laboring。　　I　tried　in　vain　to　make　myself　anxious。　　I　was　so



quiet　and　peaceful　that　I　tried　to　feel　concerned　about　that；



lest　it　should　be　the　result　of　my　having　grieved　the　Spirit



away。〃＇119＇







＇119＇　Charles　G。　Finney：　　Memoirs　written　by　Himself；　1876；　pp。



17；　18。















But　beyond　all　question　there　are　persons　in　whom；　quite



independently　of　any　exhaustion　in　the　Subject's　capacity　for



feeling；　or　even　in　the　absence　of　any　acute　previous　feeling；



the　higher　condition；　having　reached　the　due　degree　of　energy；



bursts　through　all　barriers　and　sweeps　in　like　a　sudden　flood。　



These　are　the　most　striking　and　memorable　cases；　the　cases　of



instantaneous　conversion　to　which　the　conception　of　divine　grace



has　been　most　peculiarly　attached。　I　have　given　one　of　them　at



lengththe　case　of　Mr。　Bradley。　　But　I　had　better　reserve　the



other　cases　and　my　comments　on　the　rest　of　the　subject　for　the



following　lecture。