lecture03-第6节

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prestige　undoubtedly；　for　it　has　the　loquacity；　it　can　challenge



you　for　proofs；　and　chop　logic；　and　put　you　down　with　words。　　But



it　will　fail　to　convince　or　convert　you　all　the　same；　if　your



dumb　intuitions　are　opposed　to　its　conclusions。　　If　you　have



intuitions　at　all；　they　come　from　a　deeper　level　of　your　nature



than　the　loquacious　level　which　rationalism　inhabits。　　Your　whole



subconscious　life；　your　impulses；　your　faiths；　your　needs；　your



divinations；　have　prepared　the　premises；　of　which　your



consciousness　now　feels　the　weight　of　the　result；　and　something



in　you　absolutely　KNOWS　that　that　result　must　be　truer　than　any



logic…chopping　rationalistic　talk；　however　clever；　that　may



contradict　it。　　This　inferiority　of　the　rationalistic　level　in



founding　belief　is　just　as　manifest　when　rationalism　argues　for



religion　as　when　it　argues　against　it。　　That　vast　literature　of



proofs　of　God's　existence　drawn　from　the　order　of　nature；　which　a



century　ago　seemed　so　overwhelmingly　convincing；　to…day　does



little　more　than　gather　dust　in　libraries；　for　the　simple　reason



that　our　generation　has　ceased　to　believe　in　the　kind　of　God　it



argued　for。　　Whatever　sort　of　a　being　God　may　be；　we　KNOW　to…day



that　he　is　nevermore　that　mere　external　inventor　of



〃contrivances〃　intended　to　make　manifest　his　〃glory〃　in　which　our



great…grandfathers　took　such　satisfaction；　though　just　how　we



know　this　we　cannot　possibly　make　clear　by　words　either　to　others



or　to　ourselves。　　I　defy　any　of　you　here　fully　to　account　for



your　persuasion　that　if　a　God　exist　he　must　be　a　more　cosmic　and



tragic　personage　than　that　Being。







The　truth　is　that　in　the　metaphysical　and　religious　sphere；



articulate　reasons　are　cogent　for　us　only　when　our　inarticulate



feelings　of　reality　have　already　been　impressed　in　favor　of　the



same　conclusion。　　Then；　indeed；　our　intuitions　and　our　reason



work　together；　and　great　world…ruling　systems；　like　that　of　the



Buddhist　or　of　the　Catholic　philosophy；　may　grow　up。　Our



impulsive　belief　is　here　always　what　sets　up　the　original　body　of



truth；　and　our　articulately　verbalized　philosophy　is　but　its



showy　translation　into　formulas。　　The　unreasoned　and　immediate



assurance　is　the　deep　thing　in　us；　the　reasoned　argument　is　but　a



surface　exhibition。　　Instinct　leads；　intelligence　does　but



follow。　　If　a　person　feels　the　presence　of　a　living　God　after　the



fashion　shown　by　my　quotations；　your　critical　arguments；　be　they



never　so　superior；　will　vainly　set　themselves　to　change　his



faith。







Please　observe；　however；　that　I　do　not　yet　say　that　it　is　BETTER



that　the　subconscious　and　non…rational　should　thus　hold　primacy



in　the　religious　realm。　　I　confine　myself　to　simply　pointing　out



that　they　do　so　hold　it　as　a　matter　of　fact。







So　much　for　our　sense　of　the　reality　of　the　religious　objects。



Let　me　now　say　a　brief　word　more　about　the　attitudes　they



characteristically　awaken。







We　have　already　agreed　that　they　are　SOLEMN；　and　we　have　seen



reason　to　think　that　the　most　distinctive　of　them　is　the　sort　of



joy　which　may　result　in　extreme　cases　from　absolute



self…surrender。　　The　sense　of　the　kind　of　object　to　which　the



surrender　is　made　has　much　to　do　with　determining　the　precise



complexion　of　the　joy；　and　the　whole　phenomenon　is　more　complex



than　any　simple　formula　allows。　　In　the　literature　of　the



subject；　sadness　and　gladness　have　each　been　emphasized　in　turn。　



The　ancient　saying　that　the　first　maker　of　the　Gods　was　fear



receives　voluminous　corroboration　from　every　age　of　religious



history；　but　none　the　less　does　religious　history　show　the　part



which　joy　has　evermore　tended　to　play。　　Sometimes　the　joy　has



been　primary；　sometimes　secondary；　being　the　gladness　of



deliverance　from　the　fear。　This　latter　state　of　things；　being　the



more　complex；　is　also　the　more　complete；　and　as　we　proceed；　I



think　we　shall　have　abundant　reason　for　refusing　to　leave　out



either　the　sadness　or　the　gladness；　if　we　look　at　religion　with



the　breadth　of　view　which　it　demands。　　Stated　in　the　completest



possible　terms；　a　man's　religion　involves　both　moods　of



contraction　and　moods　of　expansion　of　his　being。　　But　the



quantitative　mixture　and　order　of　these　moods　vary　so　much　from



one　age　of　the　world；　from　one　system　of　thought；　and　from　one



individual　to　another；　that　you　may　insist　either　on　the　dread



and　the　submission；　or　on　the　peace　and　the　freedom　as　the



essence　of　the　matter；　and　still　remain　materially　within　the



limits　of　the　truth。　　The　constitutionally　sombre　and　the



constitutionally　sanguine　onlooker　are　bound　to　emphasize



opposite　aspects　of　what　lies　before　their　eyes。







The　constitutionally　sombre　religious　person　makes　even　of　his



religious　peace　a　very　sober　thing。　　Danger　still　hovers　in　the



air　about　it。　　Flexion　and　contraction　are　not　wholly　checked。　



It　were　sparrowlike　and　childish　after　our　deliverance　to　explode



into　twittering　laughter　and　caper…cutting；　and　utterly　to　forget



the　imminent　hawk　on　bough。　　Lie　low；　rather；　lie　low；　for　you



are　in　the　hands　of　a　living　God。　　In　the　Book　of　Job；　for



example；　the　impotence　of　man　and　the　omnipotence　of　God　is　the



exclusive　burden　of　its　author's　mind。　　〃It　is　as　high　as　heaven；



what　canst　thou　do？deeper　than　hell；　what　canst　thou　know？〃　　　



There　is　an　astringent　relish　about　the　truth　of　this　conviction



which　some　men　can　feel；　and　which　for　them　is　as　near　an



approach　as　can　be　made　to　the　feeling　of　religious　joy。







〃In　Job；〃　says　that　coldly　truthful　writer；　the　author　of　Mark



Rutherford；　〃God　reminds　us　that　man　is　not　the　measure　of　his



creation。　　The　world　is　immense；　constructed　on　no　plan　or　theory



which　the　intellect　of　man　can　grasp。　It　is　TRANSCENDENT



everywhere。　　This　is　the　burden　of　every　verse；　and　is　the　secret



if　there　be　one；　of　the　poem。　　Sufficient　or　insufficient；　there



is　nothing　more。　。　。　。　　God　is　great；　we　know　not　his　ways。　　He



takes　from　us　all　we　have；　but　yet　if　we　possess　our　souls　in



patience；　we　MAY　pass　the　valley　of　the　shadow；　and　come　out　in



sunlight　again。　　We　may　or　we　may　not！　。　。　。　What　more　have　we　to



say　now　than　God　said　from　the　whirlwind　over　two　thousand　five



hundred　years　ago？〃＇29＇







＇29＇　Mark　Rutherford's　Deliverance；　London；　1885；　pp。　196；　198。















If　we　turn　to　the　sanguine　onlooker；　on　the　other　hand；　we　find



that　deliverance　is　felt　as　incomplete　unless　the　burden　be



altogether　overcome　and　the　danger　forgotten。　　Such　onlookers



give　us　definitions　that　seem　to　the　sombre　minds　of　whom　we　have



just　been　speaking　to　leave　out　all　the　solemnity　that　makes



religious　peace　so　different　from　merely　animal　joys。　　In　the



opinion　of　some　writers　an　attitude　might　be　called　religious；



though　no　touch　were　left　in　it　of　sacrifice　or　submission；　no



tendency　to　flexion；　no　bowing　of　the　head。　　Any　〃habitual　and



regulated　admiration；〃　says　Professor　J。　R。　Seeley；＇30＇　〃is



worthy　to　be　called　a　religion〃；　and　accordingly　he　thinks　that



our　Music；　our　Science；　and　our　so…called　〃Civilization；〃　as



these　things　are　now　organized　and　admiringly　believed　in；　form



the　more　genuine　religions　of　our　time。　　Certainly　the



unhesitating　and　unreasoning　way　in　which　we　feel　that　we　must



inflict　our　civilization　upon　〃lower〃　races；　by　means　of



Hotchkiss　guns；　etc。；　reminds　one　of　nothing　so　much　as　of　the



early　spirit　of　Islam　spreading　its　religion　by　the　sword。







＇30＇　In　his　book　（too　little　read；　I　fear）；　Natural　Religion；　3d



edition；　Boston；　1886；　pp。　91；　122。















In　my　last　lecture　I　quoted　to　you　the　ultra…radical　opinion　of



Mr。　Havelock　Ellis；　that　laughter　of　any　sort　may　be　considered　a



religious　exercise；　for　it　bears　witness　to　the　soul's



emancipation。　　I　quoted　this　opinion　in　order　to　deny　its



adequacy。　　But　we　must　now　settle　our　scores　more　carefully　with



this　whole　optimistic　way　of　thinking。　　It　is　far　too　complex　to



be　decided　off…hand。　　I　propose　accordingly　that　we　make　of



religious　optimism　the　theme　of　the　next　two　lectures。