lectures14+15-第9节

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evil；　and　that　they　would　come　unarmed　to　tell　them　the　story　of



how　the　Son　of　God　came　into　the　world　and　died　in　order　to　bless



and　save　his　enemies。　　The　heathen　chief　sent　back　a　stern　and



prompt　reply　once　more：　　'If　you　come；　you　will　be　killed。'　On



Sabbath　morn　the　Christian　chief　and　his　four　companions　were　met



outside　the　village　by　the　heathen　chief；　who　implored　and



threatened　them　once　more。　But　the　former　said：







〃'We　come　to　you　without　weapons　of　war！　We　come　only　to　tell



you　about　Jesus。　　We　believe　that　He　will　protect　us　to…day。'







〃As　they　pressed　steadily　forward　towards　the　village；　spears



began　to　be　thrown　at　them。　　Some　they　evaded；　being　all　except



one　dexterous　warriors；　and　others　they　literally　received　with



their　bare　hands；　and　turned　them　aside　in　an　incredible　manner。　



The　heathen；　apparently　thunderstruck　at　these　men　thus



approaching　them　without　weapons　of　war；　and　not　even　flinging



back　their　own　spears　which　they　had　caught；　after　having　thrown



what　the　old　chief　called　'a　shower　of　spears；'　desisted　from



mere　surprise。　　Our　Christian　chief　called　out；　as　he　and　his



companions　drew　up　in　the　midst　of　them　on　the　village　public



ground：







〃'Jehovah　thus　protects　us。　　He　has　given　us　all　your　spears！



Once　we　would　have　thrown　them　back　at　you　and　killed　you。　　But



now　we　come；　not　to　fight　but　to　tell　you　about　Jesus。　　He　has



changed　our　dark　hearts。　　He　asks　you　now　to　lay　down　all　these



your　other　weapons　of　war；　and　to　hear　what　we　can　tell　you　about



the　love　of　God；　our　great　Father；　the　only　living　God。'







〃The　heathen　were　perfectly　overawed。　　They　manifestly　looked　on



these　Christians　as　protected　by　some　Invisible　One。　　They



listened　for　the　first　time　to　the　story　of　the　Gospel　and　of　the



Cross。　　We　lived　to　see　that　chief　and　all　his　tribe　sitting　in



the　school　of　Christ。　　And　there　is　perhaps　not　an　island　in



these　southern　seas；　amongst　all　those　won　for　Christ；　where



similar　acts　of　heroism　on　the　part　of　converts　cannot　be



recited。〃　　　John　G。　Paton；　Missionary　to　the　New　Hebrides；　An



Autobiography；　second　part；　London；　1890；　p。　243。















In　this　respect　the　Utopian　dreams　of　social　justice　in　which



many　contemporary　socialists　and　anarchists　indulge　are；　in　spite



of　their　impracticability　and　non…adaptation　to　present



environmental　conditions；　analogous　to　the　saint's　belief　in　an



existent　kingdom　of　heaven。　　They　help　to　break　the　edge　of　the



general　reign　of　hardness　and　are　slow　leavens　of　a　better　order。







The　next　topic　in　order　is　Asceticism；　which　I　fancy　you　are　all



ready　to　consider　without　argument　a　virtue　liable　to



extravagance　and　excess。　　The　optimism　and　refinement　of　the



modern　imagination　has；　as　I　have　already　said　elsewhere；　changed



the　attitude　of　the　church　towards　corporeal　mortification；　and　a



Suso　or　a　Saint　Peter　of　Alcantara＇216＇　appear　to　us　to…day



rather　in　the　light　of　tragic　mountebanks　than　of　sane　men



inspiring　us　with　respect。　　If　the　inner　dispositions　are　right；



we　ask；　what　need　of　all　this　torment；　this　violation　of　the



outer　nature？　　It　keeps　the　outer　nature　too　important。　　Any　one



who　is　genuinely　emancipated　from　the　flesh　will　look　on



pleasures　and　pains；　abundance　and　privation；　as　alike　irrelevant



and　indifferent。　　He　can　engage　in　actions　and　experience



enjoyments　without　fear　of　corruption　or　enslavement。　　As　the



Bhagavad…Gita　says；　only　those　need　renounce　worldly　actions　who



are　still　inwardly　attached　thereto。　　If　one　be　really　unattached



to　the　fruits　of　action；　one　may　mix　in　the　world　with



equanimity。　　I　quoted　in　a　former　lecture　Saint　Augustine's



antinomian　saying：　　If　you　only　love　God　enough；　you　may　safely



follow　all　your　inclinations。　　〃He　needs　no　devotional



practices；〃　is　one　of　Ramakrishna's　maxims；　〃whose　heart　is　moved



to　tears　at　the　mere　mention　of　the　name　of　　Hari。〃＇217＇　



And　the　Buddha；　in　pointing　out　what　he　called　〃the　middle　way〃



to　his　disciples；　told　them　to　abstain　from　both　extremes；



excessive　mortification　being　as　unreal　and　unworthy　as　mere



desire　and　pleasure。　　The　only　perfect　life；　he　said；　is　that　of



inner　wisdom；　which　makes　one　thing　as　indifferent　to　us　as



another；　and　thus　leads　to　rest；　to　peace；　and　to　Nirvana。＇218＇















＇216＇　Saint　Peter；　Saint　Teresa　tells　us　in　her　autobiography



（French　translation；　p。　333）；　〃had　passed　forty　years　without



ever　sleeping　more　than　an　hour　and　a　half　a　day。　　Of　all　his



mortifications；　this　was　the　one　that　had　cost　him　the　most。　　To



compass　it；　he　kept　always　on　his　knees　or　on　his　feet。　　The



little　sleep　he　allowed　nature　to　take　was　snatched　in　a　sitting



posture；　his　head　leaning　against　a　piece　of　wood　fixed　in　the



wall。　　Even　had　he　wished　to　lie　down；　it　would　have　been



impossible；　because　his　cell　was　only　four　feet　and　a　half　long。　



In　the　course　of　all　these　years　he　never　raised　his　hood；　no



matter　what　the　ardor　of　the　sun　or　the　rain's　strength。　　He



never　put　on　a　shoe。　　He　wore　a　garment　of　coarse　sackcloth；　with



nothing　else　upon　his　skin。　　This　garment　was　as　scant　as



possible；　and　over　it　a　little　cloak　of　the　same　stuff。　　When　the



cold　was　great　he　took　off　the　cloak　and　opened　for　a　while　the



door　and　little　window　of　his　cell。　　Then　he　closed　them　and



resumed　the　mantlehis　way；　as　he　told　us；　of　warming　himself；



and　making　his　body　feel　a　better　temperature。　　It　was　a　frequent



thing　with　him　to　eat　once　only　in　three　days；　and　when　I



expressed　my　surprise；　he　said　that　it　was　very　easy　if　one　once



had　acquired　the　habit。　　One　of　his　companions　has　assured　me



that　he　has　gone　sometimes　eight　days　without　food。　。　。　。　His



poverty　was　extreme；　and　his　mortification；　even　in　his　youth；



was　such　that　he　told　me　he　had　passed　three　years　in　a　house　of



his　order　without　knowing　any　of　the　monks　otherwise　than　by　the



sound　of　their　voice；　for　he　never　raised　his　eyes；　and　only



found　his　way　about　by　following　the　others。　　He　showed　this　same



modesty　on　public　highways。　　He　spent　many　years　without　ever



laying　eyes　upon　a　woman；　but　he　confessed　to　me　that　at　the　age



he　had　reached　it　was　indifferent　to　him　whether　he　laid　eyes　on



them　or　not。　　He　was　very　old　when　I　first　came　to　know　him；　and



his　body　so　attenuated　that　it　seemed　formed　of　nothing　so　much



as　of　so　many　roots　of　trees。　With　all　this　sanctity　he　was　very



affable。　　He　never　spoke　unless　he　was　questioned；　but　his



intellectual　right…mindedness　and　grace　gave　to　all　his　words　an



irresistible　charm。〃







＇217＇　F。　Max　Muller：　　Ramakrishna；　his　Life　and　sayings；　1899；　p。



180。







＇218＇　Oldenberg：　　Buddha；　translated　by　W。　Hoey；　London；　1882；　p。



127。















We　find　accordingly　that　as　ascetic　saints　have　grown　older；　and



directors　of　conscience　more　experienced；　they　usually　have　shown



a　tendency　to　lay　less　stress　on　special　bodily　mortifications。　



Catholic　teachers　have　always　professed　the　rule　that；　since



health　is　needed　for　efficiency　in　God's　service；　health　must　not



be　sacrificed　to　mortification。　　The　general　optimism　and



healthy…mindedness　of　liberal　Protestant　circles　to…day　makes



mortification　for　mortification's　sake　repugnant　to　us。　　We　can



no　longer　sympathize　with　cruel　deities；　and　the　notion　that　God



can　take　delight　in　the　spectacle　of　sufferings　self…inflicted　in



his　honor　is　abhorrent。　　In　consequence　of　all　these　motives　you



probably　are　disposed；　unless　some　special　utility　can　be　shown



in　some　individual's　discipline；　to　treat　the　general　tendency　to



asceticism　as　pathological。







Yet　I　believe　that　a　more　careful　consideration　of　the　whole



matter；　distinguishing　between　the　general　good　intention　of



asceticism　and　the　uselessness　of　some　of　the　particular　acts　of



which　it　may　be　guilty；　ought　to　rehabilitate　it　in　our　esteem。　



For　in　its　spiritual　meaning　asceticism　stands　for　nothing　less



than　for　the　essence　of　the　twice…born　philosophy。　　It



symbolizes；　lamely　enough　no　doubt；　but　sincerely；　the　belief



that　there　is　an　element　of　real　wrongness　in　this　world；　which



is　neither　to　be　ignored　nor　evaded；　but　which　must　be　squarely



met　and　overcome　by　an　appeal　to　the　soul's　heroic　resources；　and



neutralized　and　cleansed　away　by　suffering。　　As　against　this



view；　the　ultra…optimistic　form　of　the　once…born　philosophy



thinks　we　may　treat　evil　by　th