lectures11-13-第10节

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of　those　evils　which　I　had　been　too　long　doing；　therefore　I　was



now　required　to　put　it　away　and　cease　from　it。







〃Again；　the　corrupt　and　unsound　form　of　speaking　in　the　plural



number　to　a　single　person；　YOU　to　one；　instead　of　THOU；　contrary



to　the　pure；　plain；　and　single　language　of　truth；　THOU　to　one；



and　YOU　to　more　than　one；　which　had　always　been　used　by　God　to



men；　and　men　to　God；　as　well　as　one　to　another；　from　the　oldest



record　of　time　till　corrupt　men；　for　corrupt　ends；　in　later　and



corrupt　times；　to　flatter；　fawn；　and　work　upon　the　corrupt　nature



in　men；　brought　in　that　false　and　senseless　way　of　speaking　you



to　one；　which　has　since　corrupted　the　modern　languages；　and　hath



greatly　debased　the　spirits　and　depraved　the　manners　of



men；this　evil　custom　I　had　been　as　forward　in　as　others；　and



this　I　was　now　called　out　of　and　required　to　cease　from。







〃These　and　many　more　evil　customs　which　had　sprung　up　in　the



night　of　darkness　and　general　apostasy　from　the　truth　and　true



religion　were　now；　by　the　inshining　of　this　pure　ray　of　divine



light　in　my　conscience；　gradually　discovered　to　me　to　be　what　I



ought　to　cease　from；　shun；　and　stand　a　witness　against。〃＇176＇







＇176＇　The　History　of　Thomas　Elwood；　written　by　Himself；　London；



1885；　pp。　32…34















These　early　Quakers　were　Puritans　indeed。　　The　slightest



inconsistency　between　profession　and　deed　jarred　some　of　them　to



active　protest。　　John　Woolman　writes　in　his　diary：







〃In　these　journeys　I　have　been　where　much　cloth　hath　been　dyed；



and　have　at　sundry　times　walked　over　ground　where　much　of　their



dyestuffs　has　drained　away。　　This　hath　produced　a　longing　in　my



mind　that　people　might　come　into　cleanness　of　spirit；　cleanness



of　person；　and　cleanness　about　their　houses　and　garments。　　Dyes



being　invented　partly　to　please　the　eye；　and　partly　to　hide　dirt；



I　have　felt　in　this　weak　state；　when　traveling　in　dirtiness；　and



affected　with　unwholesome　scents；　a　strong　desire　that　the　nature



of　dyeing　cloth　to　hide　dirt　may　be　more　fully　considered。







〃Washing　our　garments　to　keep　them　sweet　is　cleanly；　but　it　is



the　opposite　to　real　cleanliness　to　hide　dirt　in　them。　　Through



giving　way　to　hiding　dirt　in　our　garments　a　spirit　which　would



conceal　that　which　is　disagreeable　is　strengthened。　　Real



cleanliness　becometh　a　holy　people；　but　hiding　that　which　is　not



clean　by　coloring　our　garments　seems　contrary　to　the　sweetness　of



sincerity。　　Through　some　sorts　of　dyes　cloth　is　rendered　less



useful。　And　if　the　value　of　dyestuffs；　and　expense　of　dyeing；　and



the　damage　done　to　cloth；　were　all　added　together；　and　that　cost



applied　to　keeping　all　sweet　and　clean；　how　much　more　would　real



cleanliness　prevail。







〃Thinking　often　on　these　things；　the　use　of　hats　and　garments



dyed　with　a　dye　hurtful　to　them；　and　wearing　more　clothes　in



summer　than　are　useful；　grew　more　uneasy　to　me；　believing　them　to



be　customs　which　have　not　their　foundation　in　pure　wisdom。　　The



apprehension　of　being　singular　from　my　beloved　friends　was　a



strait　upon　me；　and　thus　I　continued　in　the　use　of　some　things；



contrary　to　my　judgment；　about　nine　months。　　Then　I　thought　of



getting　a　hat　the　natural　color　of　the　fur；　but　the　apprehension



of　being　looked　upon　as　one　affecting　singularity　felt　uneasy　to



me。　　On　this　account　I　was　under　close　exercise　of　mind　in　the



time　of　our　general　spring　meeting　in　1762；　greatly　desiring　to



be　rightly　directed；　when；　being　deeply　bowed　in　spirit　before



the　Lord；　I　was　made　willing　to　submit　to　what　I　apprehended　was



required　of　me；　and　when　I　returned　home；　got　a　hat　of　the



natural　color　of　the　fur。







〃In　attending　meetings；　this　singularity　was　a　trial　to　me；　and



more　especially　at　this　time；　as　white　hats　were　used　by　some　who



were　fond　of　following　the　changeable　modes　of　dress；　and　as　some



friends；　who　knew　not　from　what　motives　I　wore　it；　grew　shy　of



me；　I　felt　my　way　for　a　time　shut　up　in　the　exercise　of　the



ministry。　　Some　friends　were　apprehensive　that　my　wearing　such　a



hat　savored　of　an　affected　singularity：　　those　who　spoke　with　me



in　a　friendly　way；　I　generally　informed　in　a　few　words；　that　I



believed　my　wearing　it　was　not　in　my　own　will。〃







When　the　craving　for　moral　consistency　and　purity　is　developed　to



this　degree；　the　subject　may　well　find　the　outer　world　too　full



of　shocks　to　dwell　in；　and　can　unify　his　life　and　keep　his　soul



unspotted　only　by　withdrawing　from　it。　That　law　which　impels　the



artist　to　achieve　harmony　in　his　composition　by　simply　dropping



out　whatever　jars；　or　suggests　a　discord；　rules　also　in　the



spiritual　life。　　To　omit；　says　Stevenson；　is　the　one　art　in



literature：　　〃If　I　knew　how　to　omit；　I　should　ask　no　other



knowledge。〃　　And　life；　when　full　of　disorder　and　slackness　and



vague　superfluity；　can　no　more　have　what　we　call　character　than



literature　can　have　it　under　similar　conditions。　　So　monasteries



and　communities　of　sympathetic　devotees　open　their　doors；　and　in



their　changeless　order；　characterized　by　omissions　quite　as　much



as　constituted　of　actions；　the　holy…minded　person　finds　that



inner　smoothness　and　cleanness　which　it　is　torture　to　him　to　feel



violated　at　every　turn　by　the　discordancy　and　brutality　of



secular　existence。







That　the　scrupulosity　of　purity　may　be　carried　to　a　fantastic



extreme　must　be　admitted。　　In　this　it　resembles　Asceticism；　to



which　further　symptom　of　saintliness　we　had　better　turn　next。　



The　adjective　〃ascetic〃　is　applied　to　conduct　originating　on



diverse　psychological　levels；　which　I　might　as　well　begin　by



distinguishing　from　one　another。







1。　　Asceticism　may　be　a　mere　expression　of　organic　hardihood；



disgusted　with　too　much　ease。







2。　　Temperance　in　meat　and　drink；　simplicity　of　apparel；



chastity；　and　non…pampering　of　the　body　generally；　may　be　fruits



of　the　love　of　purity；　shocked　by　whatever　savors　of　the　sensual。







3。　　They　may　also　be　fruits　of　love；　that　is；　they　may　appeal　to



the　subject　in　the　light　of　sacrifices　which　he　is　happy　in



making　to　the　Deity　whom　he　acknowledges。







4。　　Again；　ascetic　mortifications　and　torments　may　be　due　to



pessimistic　feelings　about　the　self；　combined　with　theological



beliefs　concerning　expiation。　　The　devotee　may　feel　that　he　is



buying　himself　free；　or　escaping　worse　sufferings　hereafter；　by



doing　penance　now。







5。　　In　psychopathic　persons；　mortifications　may　be　entered　on



irrationally；　by　a　sort　of　obsession　or　fixed　idea　which　comes　as



a　challenge　and　must　be　worked　off；　because　only　thus　does　the



subject　get　his　interior　consciousness　feeling　right　again。







6。　　Finally；　ascetic　exercises　may　in　rarer　instances　be　prompted



by　genuine　perversions　of　the　bodily　sensibility；　in　consequence



of　which　normally　pain…giving　stimuli　are　actually　felt　as



pleasures。







I　will　try　to　give　an　instance　under　each　of　these　heads　in　turn；



but　it　is　not　easy　to　get　them　pure；　for　in　cases　pronounced



enough　to　be　immediately　classed　as　ascetic；　several　of　the



assigned　motives　usually　work　together。　　Moreover；　before　citing



any　examples　at　all；　I　must　invite　you　to　some　general



psychological　considerations　which　apply　to　all　of　them　alike。







A　strange　moral　transformation　has　within　the　past　century　swept



over　our　Western　world。　　We　no　longer　think　that　we　are　called　on



to　face　physical　pain　with　equanimity。　It　is　not　expected　of　a



man　that　he　should　either　endure　it　or　inflict　much　of　it；　and　to



listen　to　the　recital　of　cases　of　it　makes　our　flesh　creep



morally　as　well　as　physically。　　The　way　in　which　our　ancestors



looked　upon　pain　as　an　eternal　ingredient　of　the　world's　order；



and　both　caused　and　suffered　it　as　a　matter…of…course　portion　of



their　day's　work；　fills　us　with　amazement。　　We　wonder　that　any



human　beings　could　have　been　so　callous。　　The　result　of　this



historic　alteration　is　that　even　in　the　Mother　Church　herself；



where　ascetic　discipline　has　such　a　fixed　traditional　prestige　as



a　factor　of　merit；　it　has　largely　come　into　desuetude；　if　not



discredit。　　A　believer　who　flagellates　or　〃macerates〃　himself



today　arouses　more　wonder　and　fear　than　emulation。　　Many　Catholic



writers　who　admit　that　the　times　have　changed　in　this　respect　do



so　resignedly；　and　even　add　that　perhaps　it　is　as　well　not　to



waste　feelings　in　regretting　the　matter；　for　to　return　to　the



heroic　corp