lectures11-13-第7节

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〃He　swore　at　me；　and　called　me　a　Methodist　devil。　　I　told　him



that　God　did　not　tell　me　to　let　him　rob　me。　　He　cursed　again；　and



said　he　would　push　the　wagon　over　me。







〃'Well；'　I　said；　'let　us　see　whether　the　devil　and　thee　are



stronger　than　the　Lord　and　me。'







〃And　the　Lord　and　I　proving　stronger　than　the　devil　and　he；　he



had　to　get　out　of　the　way；　or　the　wagon　would　have　gone　over　him。







So　I　gave　the　wagon　to　the　boy。　　Then　said　Tom：







〃'I've　a　good　mind　to　smack　thee　on　the　face。'







〃'Well；'　I　said；　'if　that　will　do　thee　any　good；　thou　canst　do



it。'　So　he　struck　me　on　the　face。







〃I　turned　the　other　cheek　to　him；　and　said；　'Strike　again。'







〃He　struck　again　and　again；　till　he　had　struck　me　five　times。　I



turned　my　cheek　for　the　sixth　stroke；　but　he　turned　away　cursing。







I　shouted　after　him：　　'The　Lord　forgive　thee；　for　I　do；　and　the



Lord　save　thee。'







〃This　was　on　a　Saturday；　and　when　I　went　home　from　the　coal…pit



my　wife　saw　my　face　was　swollen；　and　asked　what　was　the　matter



with　it。　　I　said：　　'I've　been　fighting；　and　I've　given　a　man　a



good　thrashing。'







〃She　burst　out　weeping；　and　said；　'O　Richard；　what　made　you



fight？'　Then　I　told　her　all　about　it；　and　she　thanked　the　Lord　I



had　not　struck　back。







〃But　the　Lord　had　struck；　and　his　blows　have　more　effect　than



man's。　　Monday　came。　　The　devil　began　to　tempt　me；　saying：　　'The



other　men　will　laugh　at　thee　for　allowing　Tom　to　treat　thee　as　he



did　on　Saturday。'　I　cried；　'Get　thee　behind　me；　Satan；'and　went



on　my　way　to　the　coal…pit。







〃Tom　was　the　first　man　I　saw。　　I　said　'Good…morning；'　but　got　no



reply。







〃He　went　down　first。　　When　I　got　down；　I　was　surprised　to　see　him



sitting　on　the　wagon…road　waiting　for　me。　　When　I　came　to　him　he



burst　into　tears　and　said：　　'Richard；　will　you　forgive　me　for



striking　you？'







〃'I　have　forgiven　thee；'　said　I；　'ask　God　to　forgive　thee。　　The



Lord　bless　thee。'　I　gave　him　my　hand；　and　we　went　each　to　his



work。〃＇167＇







＇167＇　J。　Patterson's　Life　of　Richard　Weaver；　pp。　66…68；　abridged。















〃Love　your　enemies！〃　　Mark　you；　not　simply　those　who　happen　not



to　be　your　friends；　but　your　ENEMIES；　your　positive　and　active



enemies。　　Either　this　is　a　mere　Oriental　hyperbole；　a　bit　of



verbal　extravagance；　meaning　only　that　we　should；　as　far　as　we



can；　abate　our　animosities；　or　else　it　is　sincere　and　literal。　



Outside　of　certain　cases　of　intimate　individual　relation；　it



seldom　has　been　taken　literally。　　Yet　it　makes　one　ask　the



question：　　Can　there　in　general　be　a　level　of　emotion　so



unifying；　so　obliterative　of　differences　between　man　and　man；



that　even　enmity　may　come　to　be　an　irrelevant　circumstance　and



fail　to　inhibit　the　friendlier　interests　aroused？　　If　positive



well…wishing　could　attain　so　supreme　a　degree　of　excitement；



those　who　were　swayed　by　it　might　well　seem　superhuman　beings。　



Their　life　would　be　morally　discrete　from　the　life　of　other　men；



and　there　is　no　saying；　in　the　absence　of　positive　experience　of



an　authentic　kindfor　there　are　few　active　examples　in　our



scriptures；　and　the　Buddhistic　examples　are　legendary；＇168＇what



the　effects　might　be：　　they　might　conceivably　transform　the



world。







＇168＇　As　where　the　future　Buddha；　incarnated　as　a　hare；　jumps



into　the　fire　to　cook　himself　for　a　meal　for　a　beggarhaving



previously　shaken　himself　three　times；　so　that　none　of　the



insects　in　his　fur　should　perish　with　him。















Psychologically　and　in　principle；　the　precept　〃Love　your　enemies〃



is　not　self…contradictory。　　It　is　merely　the　extreme　limit　of　a



kind　of　magnanimity　with　which；　in　the　shape　of　pitying　tolerance



of　our　oppressors；　we　are　fairly　familiar。　Yet　if　radically



followed；　it　would　involve　such　a　breach　with　our　instinctive



springs　of　action　as　a　whole；　and　with　the　present　world's



arrangements；　that　a　critical　point　would　practically　be　passed；



and　we　should　be　born　into　another　kingdom　of　being。　　Religious



emotion　makes　us　feel　that　other　kingdom　to　be　close　at　hand；



within　our　reach。







The　inhibition　of　instinctive　repugnance　is　proved　not　only　by



the　showing　of　love　to　enemies；　but　by　the　showing　of　it　to　any



one　who　is　personally　loathsome。　　In　the　annals　of　saintliness　we



find　a　curious　mixture　of　motives　impelling　in　this　direction。　



Asceticism　plays　its　part；　and　along　with　charity　pure　and



simple；　we　find　humility　or　the　desire　to　disclaim　distinction



and　to　grovel　on　the　common　level　before　God。　　Certainly　all



three　principles　were　at　work　when　Francis　of　Assisi　and　Ignatius



Loyola　exchanged　their　garments　with　those　of　filthy　beggars。　



All　three　are　at　work　when　religious　persons　consecrate　their



lives　to　the　care　of　leprosy　or　other　peculiarly　unpleasant



diseases。　　The　nursing　of　the　sick　is　a　function　to　which　the



religious　seem　strongly　drawn；　even　apart　from　the　fact　that



church　traditions　set　that　way。　　But　in　the　annals　of　this　sort



of　charity　we　find　fantastic　excesses　of　devotion　recorded　which



are　only　explicable　by　the　frenzy　of　self…immolation



simultaneously　aroused。　　Francis　of　Assisi　kisses　his　lepers；



Margaret　Mary　Alacoque；　Francis　Xavier；　St。　　John　of　God；　and



others　are　said　to　have　cleansed　the　sores　and　ulcers　of　their



patients　with　their　respective　tongues；　and　the　lives　of　such



saints　as　Elizabeth　of　Hungary　and　Madame　de　Chantal　are　full　of



a　sort　of　reveling　in　hospital　purulence；　disagreeable　to　read



of；　and　which　makes　us　admire　and　shudder　at　the　same　time。







So　much　for　the　human　love　aroused　by　the　faith…state。　Let　me



next　speak　of　the　Equanimity；　Resignation；　Fortitude；　and



Patience　which　it　brings。







〃A　paradise　of　inward　tranquillity〃　seems　to　be　faith's　usual



result；　and　it　is　easy；　even　without　being　religious　one's　self；



to　understand　this。　　A　moment　back；　in　treating　of　the　sense　of



God's　presence；　I　spoke　of　the　unaccountable　feeling　of　safety



which　one　may　then　have。　　And；　indeed；　how　can　it　possibly　fail



to　steady　the　nerves；　to　cool　the　fever；　and　appease　the　fret；　if



one　be　sensibly　conscious　that；　no　matter　what　one's　difficulties



for　the　moment　may　appear　to　be；　one's　life　as　a　whole　is　in　the



keeping　of　a　power　whom　one　can　absolutely　trust？　　In　deeply



religious　men　the　abandonment　of　self　to　this　power　is



passionate。　　Whoever　not　only　says；　but　FEELS；　〃God's　will　be



done；〃　is　mailed　against　every　weakness；　and　the　whole　historic



array　of　martyrs；　missionaries；　and　religious　reformers　is　there



to　prove　the　tranquil…mindedness；　under　naturally　agitating　or



distressing　circumstances；　which　self…surrender　brings。







The　temper　of　the　tranquil…mindedness　differs；　of　course；



according　as　the　person　is　of　a　constitutionally　sombre　or　of　a



constitutionally　cheerful　cast　of　mind。　　In　the　sombre　it



partakes　more　of　resignation　and　submission；　in　the　cheerful　it



is　a　joyous　consent。　　As　an　example　of　the　former　temper；　I　quote



part　of　a　letter　from　Professor　Lagneau；　a　venerated　teacher　of



philosophy　who　lately　died；　a　great　invalid；　at　Paris：







〃My　life；　for　the　success　of　which　you　send　good　wishes；　will　be



what　it　is　able　to　be。　　I　ask　nothing　from　it；　I　expect　nothing



from　it。　　For　long　years　now　I　exist；　think；　and　act；　and　am



worth　what　I　am　worth；　only　through　the　despair　which　is　my　sole



strength　and　my　sole　foundation。　　May　it　preserve　for　me；　even　in



these　last　trials　to　which　I　am　coming；　the　courage　to　do　without



the　desire　of　deliverance。　　I　ask　nothing　more　from　the　Source



whence　all　strength　cometh；　and　if　that　is　granted；　your　wishes



will　have　been　accomplished。〃＇169＇







＇169＇　Bulletin　de　l'Union　pour　l'Action　Morale；　September；　1894。















There　is　something　pathetic　and　fatalistic　about　this；　but　the



power　of　such　a　tone　as　a　protection　against　outward　shocks　is



manifest。　　Pascal　is　another　Frenchman　of　pessimistic　　



natural　temperament。　　He　expresses　still　more　amply　the　temper　of



self…surrendering　submissiveness：







〃Deliver　me；　Lord；〃　he　writes　in　his　prayers；　〃from　the　sadness



at　my　proper　suffering　which　self…love　might　give；　but　put　into



me　a　sadness　like　your　own。　　Let　my　sufferings　appease　your



choler。　　Make　them　an　occasion　for　my　conversion　and　salvation。　I



ask　you　neither　for　health　nor　for　sickness；　for　life　nor　for



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