lectures14+15-第3节

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meanness　and　tenacity　of　superstition　that　in　a　wholesale



undiscerning　way　they　glory　in　saying　that　they　are　〃down〃　on



religion　altogether。　　Even　we　who　belong　to　churches　do　not



exempt　other　churches　than　our　own　from　the　general　condemnation。







But　in　this　course　of　lectures　ecclesiastical　institutions　hardly



concern　us　at　all。　　The　religious　experience　which　we　are



studying　is　that　which　lives　itself　out　within　the　private



breast。　　First…hand　individual　experience　of　this　kind　has　always



appeared　as　a　heretical　sort　of　innovation　to　those　who　witnessed



its　birth。　　Naked　comes　it　into　the　world　and　lonely；　and　it　has



always；　for　a　time　at　least；　driven　him　who　had　it　into　the



wilderness；　often　into　the　literal　wilderness　out　of　doors；　where



the　Buddha；　Jesus；　Mohammed；　St。　Francis；　George　Fox；　and　so　many



others　had　to　go。　　George　Fox　expresses　well　this　isolation；　and



I　can　do　no　better　at　this　point　than　read　to　you　a　page　from　his



Journal；　referring　to　the　period　of　his　youth　when　religion　began



to　ferment　within　him　seriously。







〃I　fasted　much；〃　Fox　says；　〃walked　abroad　in　solitary　places　many



days；　and　often　took　my　Bible；　and　sat　in　hollow　trees　and



lonesome　places　until　night　came　on；　and　frequently　in　the　night



walked　mournfully　about　by　myself；　for　I　was　a　man　of　sorrows　in



the　time　of　the　first　workings　of　the　Lord　in　me。







〃During　all　this　time　I　was　never　joined　in　profession　of



religion　with　any；　but　gave　up　myself　to　the　Lord；　having



forsaken　all　evil　company；　taking　leave　of　father　and　mother；　and



all　other　relations；　and　traveled　up　and　down　as　a　stranger　on



the　earth；　which　way　the　Lord　inclined　my　heart；　taking　a　chamber



to　myself　in　the　town　where　I　came；　and　tarrying　sometimes　more；



sometimes　less　in　a　place：　　for　I　durst　not　stay　long　in　a　place；



being　afraid　both　of　professor　and　profane；　lest；　being　a　tender



young　man；　I　should　be　hurt　by　conversing　much　with　either。　　For



which　reason　I　kept　much　as　a　stranger；　seeking　heavenly　wisdom



and　getting　knowledge　from　the　Lord；　and　was　brought　off　from



outward　things；　to　rely　on　the　Lord　alone。　　As　I　had　forsaken　the



priests；　so　I　left　the　separate　preachers　also；　and　those　called



the　most　experienced　people；　for　I　saw　there　was　none　among　them



all　that　could　speak　to　my　condition。　　And　when　all　my　hopes　in



them　and　in　all　men　were　gone　so　that　I　had　nothing　outwardly　to



help　me；　nor　could　tell　what　to　do；　then；　oh　then；　I　heard　a



voice　which　said；　'There　is　one；　even　Jesus　Christ；　that　can



speak　to　thy　condition。'　　When　I　heard　it；　my　heart　did　leap　for



joy。　　Then　the　Lord　let　me　see　why　there　was　none　upon　the　earth



that　could　speak　to　my　condition。　I　had　not　fellowship　with　any



people；　priests；　nor　professors；　nor　any　sort　of　separated



people。　　I　was　afraid　of　all　carnal　talk　and　talkers；　for　I　could



see　nothing　but　corruptions。　　When　I　was　in　the　deep；　under　all



shut　up；　I　could　not　believe　that　I　should　ever　overcome；　my



troubles；　my　sorrows；　and　my　temptations　were　so　great　that　I



often　thought　I　should　have　despaired；　I　was　so　tempted。　　But



when　Christ　opened　to　me　how　he　was　tempted　by　the　same　devil；



and　had　overcome　him；　and　had　bruised　his　head；　and　that　through



him　and　his　power；　life；　grace；　and　spirit；　I　should　overcome



also；　I　had　confidence　in　him。　　If　I　had　had　a　king's　diet；



palace；　and　attendance；　all　would　have　been　as　nothing；　for



nothing　gave　me　comfort　but　the　Lord　by　his　power。　　I　saw



professors；　priests；　and　people　were　whole　and　at　ease　in　that



condition　which　was　my　misery；　and　they　loved　that　which　I　would



have　been　rid　of。　　But　the　Lord　did　stay　my　desires　upon　himself；



and　my　care　was　cast　upon　him　alone。〃＇198＇







＇198＇　George　Fox：　　Journal；　Philadelphia；　1800；　pp。　59…61；



abridged。















A　genuine　first…hand　religious　experience　like　this　is　bound　to



be　a　heterodoxy　to　its　witnesses；　the　prophet　appearing　as　a　mere



lonely　madman。　　If　his　doctrine　prove　contagious　enough　to　spread



to　any　others；　it　becomes　a　definite　and　labeled　heresy。　　But　if



it　then　still　prove　contagious　enough　to　triumph　over



persecution；　it　becomes　itself　an　orthodoxy；　and　when　a　religion



has　become　an　orthodoxy；　its　day　of　inwardness　is　over：　　the



spring　is　dry；　the　faithful　live　at　second　hand　exclusively　and



stone　the　prophets　in　their　turn。　　The　new　church；　in　spite　of



whatever　human　goodness　it　may　foster；　can　be　henceforth　counted



on　as　a　staunch　ally　in　every　attempt　to　stifle　the　spontaneous



religious　spirit；　and　to　stop　all　later　bubblings　of　the　fountain



from　which　in　purer　days　it　drew　its　own　supply　of　inspiration。



Unless；　indeed；　by　adopting　new　movements　of　the　spirit　it　can



make　capital　out　of　them　and　use　them　for　its　selfish　corporate



designs！　Of　protective　action　of　this　politic　sort；　promptly　or



tardily　decided　on；　the　dealings　of　the　Roman　ecclesiasticism



with　many　individual　saints　and　prophets　yield　examples　enough



for　our　instruction。







The　plain　fact　is　that　men's　minds　are　built；　as　has　been　often



said；　in　water…tight　compartments。　　Religious　after　a　fashion；



they　yet　have　many　other　things　in　them　beside　their　religion；



and　unholy　entanglements　and　associations　inevitably　obtain。　　The



basenesses　so　commonly　charged　to　religion's　account　are　thus；



almost　all　of　them；　not　chargeable　at　all　to　religion　proper；　but



rather　to　religion's　wicked　practical　partner；　the　spirit　of



corporate　dominion。　　And　the　bigotries　are　most　of　them　in　their



turn　chargeable　to　religion's　wicked　intellectual　partner；　the



spirit　of　dogmatic　dominion；　the　passion　for　laying　down　the　law



in　the　form　of　an　absolutely　closed…in　theoretic　system。　　The



ecclesiastical　spirit　in　general　is　the　sum　of　these　two　spirits



of　dominion；　and　I　beseech　you　never　to　confound　the　phenomena　of



mere　tribal　or　corporate　psychology　which　it　presents　with　those



manifestations　of　the　purely　interior　life　which　are　the



exclusive　object　of　our　study。　　The　baiting　of　Jews；　the　hunting



of　Albigenses　and　Waldenses；　the　stoning　of　Quakers　and　ducking



of　Methodists；　the　murdering　of　Mormons　and　the　massacring　of



Armenians；　express　much　rather　that　aboriginal　human　neophobia；



that　pugnacity　of　which　we　all　share　the　vestiges；　and　that



inborn　hatred　of　the　alien　and　of　eccentric　and　non…conforming



men　as　aliens；　than　they　express　the　positive　piety　of　the



various　perpetrators。　　Piety　is　the　mask；　the　inner　force　is



tribal　instinct。　　You　believe　as　little　as　I　do；　in　spite　of　the



Christian　unction　with　which　the　German　emperor　addressed　his



troops　upon　their　way　to　China；　that　the　conduct　which　he



suggested；　and　in　which　other　Christian　armies　went　beyond　them；



had　anything　whatever　to　do　with　the　interior　religious　life　of



those　concerned　in　the　performance。







Well；　no　more　for　past　atrocities　than　for　this　atrocity　should



we　make　piety　responsible。　　At　most　we　may　blame　piety　for　not



availing　to　check　our　natural　passions；　and　sometimes　for



supplying　them　with　hypocritical　pretexts。　But　hypocrisy　also



imposes　obligations；　and　with　the　pretext　usually　couples　some



restriction；　and　when　the　passion　gust　is　over；　the　piety　may



bring　a　reaction　of　repentance　which　the　irreligious　natural　man



would　not　have　shown。







For　many　of　the　historic　aberrations　which　have　been　laid　to　her



charge；　religion　as　such；　then；　is　not　to　blame。　　Yet　of　the



charge　that　over…zealousness　or　fanaticism　is　one　of　her



liabilities　we　cannot　wholly　acquit　her；　so　I　will　next　make　a



remark　upon　that　point。　　But　I　will　preface　it　by　a　preliminary



remark　which　connects　itself　with　much　that　follows。



　



Our　survey　of　the　phenomena　of　saintliness　has　unquestionably



produced　in　your　minds　an　impression　of　extravagance。　Is　it



necessary；　some　of　you　have　asked；　as　one　example　after　another



came　before　us；　to　be　quite　so　fantastically　good　as　that？　　We



who　have　no　vocation　for　the　extremer　ranges　of　sanctity　will



surely　be　let　off　at　the　last　day　if　our　humility；　asceticism；



and　devoutness　prove　of　a　less　convulsive　sort。　　This　practically



amounts　to　saying　that　much　that　it　is　legitimate　to　admire　in



this　field　need　nevertheless　not　be　imitated；　and　that　religious



phenomena；　like　all　other　human　phenomena；　are　subject　to　the　law



of　the　golden　mean。　　Political　reformers　accomplish　their



successive　tasks　in　the　history　of　nations　by　being　blind　for　t