lectures11-13-第6节
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when it is hardly capable of knowing anything else。〃 T。 C。
Upham: The Life and Religious Experiences of Madame de la Mothe
Guyon; New York; 1877; vol。 i。 p。 260。
'160' I have considerably abridged the words of the original;
which is given in Edwards's Narrative of the Revival in New
England。
The annals of Catholic saintship abound in records as ecstatic or
more ecstatic than this。 〃Often the assaults of the divine
love;〃 it is said of the Sister Seraphique de la Martiniere;
〃reduced her almost to the point of death。 She used tenderly to
complain of this to God。 'I cannot support it;' she used to say。
'Bear gently with my weakness; or I shall expire under the
violence of your love。'〃'161'
'161' Bougaud: Hist。 de la Bienheureuse Marguerite Marie; 1894;
p。 125。
Let me pass next to the Charity and Brotherly Love which are a
usual fruit of saintliness; and have always been reckoned
essential theological virtues; however limited may have been the
kinds of service which the particular theology enjoined。
Brotherly love would follow logically from the assurance of God's
friendly presence; the notion of our brotherhood as men being an
immediate inference from that of God's fatherhood of us all。
When Christ utters the precepts: 〃Love your enemies; bless them
that curse you; do good to them that hate you; and pray for them
which despitefully use you; and persecute you;〃 he gives for a
reason: 〃That ye may be the children of your Father which is in
heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the
good; and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust。〃 One
might therefore be tempted to explain both the humility as to
one's self and the charity towards others which characterize
spiritual excitement; as results of the all…leveling character of
theistic belief。 But these affections are certainly not mere
derivatives of theism。 We find them in Stoicism; in Hinduism;
and in Buddhism in the highest possible degree。 They HARMONIZE
with paternal theism beautifully; but they harmonize with all
reflection whatever upon the dependence of mankind on general
causes; and we must; I think; consider them not subordinate but
coordinate parts of that great complex excitement in the study of
which we are engaged。 Religious rapture; moral enthusiasm;
ontological wonder; cosmic emotion; are all unifying states of
mind; in which the sand and grit of the selfhood incline to
disappear; and tenderness to rule。 The best thing is to describe
the condition integrally as a characteristic affection to which
our nature is liable; a region in which we find ourselves at
home; a sea in which we swim; but not to pretend to explain its
parts by deriving them too cleverly from one another。 Like love
or fear; the faith…state is a natural psychic complex; and
carries charity with it by organic consequence。 Jubilation is an
expansive affection; and all expansive affections are
self…forgetful and kindly so long as they endure。
We find this the case even when they are pathological in origin。
In his instructive work; la Tristesse et la Joie;'162' M。 Georges
Dumas compares together the melancholy and the joyous phase of
circular insanity; and shows that; while selfishness
characterizes the one; the other is marked by altruistic
impulses。 No human being so stingy and useless as was Marie in
her melancholy period! But the moment the happy period begins;
〃sympathy and kindness become her characteristic sentiments。 She
displays a universal goodwill; not only of intention; but in act。
。 。 。 She becomes solicitous of the health of other patients;
interested in getting them out; desirous to procure wool to knit
socks for some of them。 Never since she has been under my
observation have I heard her in her joyous period utter any but
charitable opinions。〃'163' And later; Dr。 Dumas says of all such
joyous conditions that 〃unselfish sentiments and tender emotions
are the only affective states to be found in them。 The subject's
mind is closed against envy; hatred; and vindictiveness; and
wholly transformed into benevolence; indulgence; and mercy。〃'164'
'162' Paris; 1900。
'163' Page 130。
'164' Page 167。
There is thus an organic affinity between joyousness and
tenderness; and their companionship in the saintly life need in
no way occasion surprise。 Along with the happiness; this
increase of tenderness is often noted in narratives of
conversion。 〃I began to work for others〃;〃I had more tender
feeling for my family and friends〃;〃I spoke at once to a person
with whom I had been angry〃;〃I felt for every one; and loved my
friends better〃;〃I felt every one to be my friend〃;these are
so many expressions from the records collected by Professor
Starbuck。'165'
'165' Op。 cit。; p。 127。
〃When;〃 says Mrs。 Edwards; continuing the narrative from which I
made quotation a moment ago; 〃I arose on the morning of the
Sabbath; I felt a love to all mankind; wholly peculiar in its
strength and sweetness; far beyond all that I had ever felt
before。 The power of that love seemed inexpressible。 I thought;
if I were surrounded by enemies; who were venting their malice
and cruelty upon me; in tormenting me; it would still be
impossible that I should cherish any feelings towards them but
those of love; and pity; and ardent desires for their happiness。
I never before felt so far from a disposition to judge and
censure others; as I did that morning。 I realized also; in an
unusual and very lively manner; how great a part of Christianity
lies in the performance of our social and relative duties to one
another。 The same joyful sense continued throughout the daya
sweet love to God and all mankind。〃
Whatever be the explanation of the charity; it may efface all
usual human barriers。'166'
'166' The barrier between men and animals also。 We read of
Towianski; an eminent Polish patriot and mystic; that 〃one day
one of his friends met him in the rain; caressing a big dog which
was jumping upon him and covering him horribly with mud。 On
being asked why he permitted the animal thus to dirty his
clothes; Towianski replied: 'This dog; whom I am now meeting for
the first time; has shown a great fellow…feeling for me; and a
great joy in my recognition and acceptance of his greetings。
Were I to drive him off; I should wound his feelings and do him a
moral injury。 It would be an offense not only to him; but to all
the spirits of the other world who are on the same level with
him。 The damage which he does to my coat is as nothing in
comparison with the wrong which I should inflict upon him; in
case I were to remain indifferent to the manifestations of his
friendship。 We ought;' he added; 'both to lighten the condition
of animals; whenever we can; and at the same time to facilitate
in ourselves that union of the world of all spirits; which the
sacrifice of Christ has made possible。'〃 Andre Towianski;
Traduction de l'Italien; Turin; 1897 (privately printed)。 I owe
my knowledge of this book and of Towianski to my friend Professor
W。 Lutoslawski; author of 〃Plato's Logic。〃
Here; for instance; is an example of Christian non…resistance
from Richard Weaver's autobiography。 Weaver was a collier; a
semi…professional pugilist in his younger days; who became a much
beloved evangelist。 Fighting; after drinking; seems to have been
the sin to which he originally felt his flesh most perversely
inclined。 After his first conversion he had a backsliding; which
consisted in pounding a man who had insulted a girl。 Feeling
that; having once fallen; he might as well be hanged for a sheep
as for a lamb; he got drunk and went and broke the jaw of another
man who had lately challenged him to fight and taunted him with
cowardice for refusing as a Christian man;I mention these
incidents to show how genuine a change of heart is implied in the
later conduct which he describes as follows:
〃I went down the drift and found the boy crying because a
fellow…workman was trying to take the wagon from him by force。 I
said to him:
〃'Tom; you mustn't take that wagon。'
〃He swore at me; and called me a Methodist devil。 I told him
that God did not tell me to let