lecture02- 第5部分

things　to　the　eternal　Goodness；　so　that　every　enlightened　man



could　say：　　'I　would　fain　be　to　the　Eternal　Goodness　what　his　own



hand　is　to　a　man。'　　Such　men　are　in　a　state　of　freedom；　because



they　have　lost　the　fear　of　pain　or　hell；　and　the　hope　of　reward



or　heaven；　and　are　living　in　pure　submission　to　the　eternal



Goodness；　in　the　perfect　freedom　of　fervent　love。　　When　a　man



truly　perceiveth　and　considereth　himself；　who　and　what　he　is；　and



findeth　himself　utterly　vile　and　wicked　and　unworthy；　he　falleth



into　such　a　deep　abasement　that　it　seemeth　to　him　reasonable　that



all　creatures　in　heaven　and　earth　should　rise　up　against　him。　



And　therefore　he　will　not　and　dare　not　desire　any　consolation　and



release；　but　he　is　willing　to　be　unconsoled　and　unreleased；　and



he　doth　not　grieve　over　his　sufferings；　for　they　are　right　in　his



eyes；　and　he　hath　nothing　to　say　against　them。　　This　is　what　is



meant　by　true　repentance　for　sin；　and　he　who　in　this　present　time



entereth　into　this　hell；　none　may　console　him。　　Now　God　hath　not



forsaken　a　man　in　this　hell；　but　He　is　laying　his　hand　upon　him；



that　the　man　may　not　desire　nor　regard　anything　but　the　eternal



Good　only。　　And　then；　when　the　man　neither　careth　for　nor



desireth　anything　but　the　eternal　Good　alone；　and　seeketh　not



himself　nor　his　own　things；　but　the　honour　of　God　only；　he　is



made　a　partaker　of　all　manner　of　joy；　bliss；　peace；　rest；　and



consolation；　and　so　the　man　is　henceforth　in　the　kingdom　of



heaven。　　This　hell　and　this　heaven　are　two　good　safe　ways　for　a



man；　and　happy　is　he　who　truly　findeth　them。〃＇15＇







＇15＇　Chaps。　x。；　xi。　　（abridged）：　　Winkworth's　translation。















How　much　more　active　and　positive　the　impulse　of　the　Christian



writer　to　accept　his　place　in　the　universe　is！　Marcus　Aurelius



agrees　TO　the　schemethe　German　theologian　agrees　WITH　it。　　He



literally　ABOUNDS　in　agreement；　he　runs　out　to　embrace　the　divine



decrees。







Occasionally；　it　is　true；　the　stoic　rises　to　something　like　a



Christian　warmth　of　sentiment；　as　in　the　often　quoted　passage　of



Marcus　Aurelius：







〃Everything　harmonizes　with　me　which　is　harmonious　to　thee；　O



Universe。　　Nothing　for　me　is　too　early　nor　too　late；　which　is　in



due　time　for　thee。　　Everything　is　fruit　to　me　which　thy　seasons



bring；　O　Nature：　　from　thee　are　all　things；　in　thee　are　all



things；　to　thee　all　things　return。　　The　poet　says；　Dear　City　of



Cecrops；　and　wilt　thou　not　say；　Dear　City　of　Zeus？〃＇16＇







＇16＇　Book　IV。；　523















But　compare　even　as　devout　a　passage　as　this　with　a　genuine



Christian　outpouring；　and　it　seems　a　little　cold。　Turn；　for



instance；　to　the　Imitation　of　Christ：







〃Lord；　thou　knowest　what　is　best；　let　this　or　that　be　according



as　thou　wilt。　　Give　what　thou　wilt；　so　much　as　thou　wilt；　when



thou　wilt。　　Do　with　me　as　thou　knowest　best；　and　as　shall　be　most



to　thine　honour。　　Place　me　where　thou　wilt；　and　freely　work　thy



will　with　me　in　all　things。　。　。　。　　When　could　it　be　evil　when



thou　wert　near？　　I　had　rather　be　poor　for　thy　sake　than　rich



without　thee。　　I　choose　rather　to　be　a　pilgrim　upon　the　earth



with　thee；　than　without　thee　to　possess　heaven。　　Where　thou　art；



there　is　heaven；　and　where　thou　art　not；　behold　there　death　and



hell。〃＇17＇







＇17＇　Benham's　translation：　　Book　III。；　chaps。　　xv。；　lix。　　Compare



Mary　Moody　Emerson：　　〃Let　me　be　a　blot　on　this　fair　world；　the



obscurest　the　loneliest　sufferer；　with　one　provisothat　I　know



it　is　His　agency。　　I　will　love　Him　though　He　shed　frost　and



darkness　on　every　way　of　mine。〃　　R。　W。　Emerson：　　Lectures　and



Biographical　Sketches；　p。　188。















It　is　a　good　rule　in　physiology；　when　we　are　studying　the　meaning



of　an　organ；　to　ask　after　its　most　peculiar　and　characteristic



sort　of　performance；　and　to　seek　its　office　in　that　one　of　its



functions　which　no　other　organ　can　possibly　exert。　　Surely　the



same　maxim　holds　good　in　our　present　quest。　　The　essence　of



religious　experiences；　the　thing　by　which　we　finally　must　judge



them；　must　be　that　element　or　quality　in　them　which　we　can　meet



nowhere　else。　　And　such　a　quality　will　be　of　course　most



prominent　and　easy　to　notice　in　those　religious　experiences　which



are　most　one…sided；　exaggerated；　and　intense。







Now　when　we　compare　these　intenser　experiences　with　the



experiences　of　tamer　minds；　so　cool　and　reasonable　that　we　are



tempted　to　call　them　philosophical　rather　than　religious；　we　find



a　character　that　is　perfectly　distinct。　　That　character；　it　seems



to　me；　should　be　regarded　as　the　practically　important



differentia　of　religion　for　our　purpose；　and　just　what　it　is　can



easily　be　brought　out　by　comparing　the　mind　of　an　abstractly



conceived　Christian　with　that　of　a　moralist　similarly　conceived。







A　life　is　manly；　stoical；　moral；　or　philosophical；　we　say；　in



proportion　as　it　is　less　swayed　by　paltry　personal　considerations



and　more　by　objective　ends　that　call　for　energy；　even　though　that



energy　bring　personal　loss　and　pain。　　This　is　the　good　side　of



war；　in　so　far　as　it　calls　for　〃volunteers。〃　　And　for　morality



life　is　a　war；　and　the　service　of　the　highest　is　a　sort　of　cosmic



patriotism　which　also　calls　for　volunteers。　　Even　a　sick　man；



unable　to　be　militant　outwardly；　can　carry　on　the　moral　warfare。　



He　can　willfully　turn　his　attention　away　from　his　own　future；



whether　in　this　world　or　the　next。　　He　can　train　himself　to



indifference　to　his　present　drawbacks　and　immerse　himself　in



whatever　objective　interests　still　remain　accessible。　　He　can



follow　public　news；　and　sympathize　with　other　people's　affairs。　



He　can　cultivate　cheerful　manners；　and　be　silent　about　his



miseries。　He　can　contemplate　whatever　ideal　aspects　of　existence



his　philosophy　is　able　to　present　to　him；　and　practice　whatever



duties；　such　as　patience；　resignation；　trust；　his　ethical　system



requires。　　Such　a　man　lives　on　his　loftiest；　largest　plane。　　He



is　a　high…hearted　freeman　and　no　pining　slave。　　And　yet　he　lacks



something　which　the　Christian　par　excellence；　the　mystic　and



ascetic　saint；　for　example；　has　in　abundant　measure；　and　which



makes　of　him　a　human　being　of　an　altogether　different



denomination。







The　Christian　also　spurns　the　pinched　and　mumping　sick…room



attitude；　and　the　lives　of　saints　are　full　of　a　kind　of



callousness　to　diseased　conditions　of　body　which　probably　no



other　human　records　show。　　But　whereas　the　merely　moralistic



spurning　takes　an　effort　of　volition；　the　Christian　spurning　is



the　result　of　the　excitement　of　a　higher　kind　of　emotion；　in　the



presence　of　which　no　exertion　of　volition　is　required。　　The



moralist　must　hold　his　breath　and　keep　his　muscles　tense；　and　so



long　as　this　athletic　attitude　is　possible　all　goes



wellmorality　suffices。　　But　the　athletic　attitude　tends　ever　to



break　down；　and　it　inevitably　does　break　down　even　in　the　most



stalwart　when　the　organism　begins　to　decay；　or　when　morbid　fears



invade　the　mind。　　To　suggest　personal　will　and　effort　to　one　all



sicklied　o'er　with　the　sense　of　irremediable　impotence　is　to



suggest　the　most　impossible　of　things。　　What　he　craves　is　to　be



consoled　in　his　very　powerlessness；　to　feel　that　the　spirit　of



the　universe　　recognizes　and　secures　him；　all　decaying　and



failing　as　he　is。　　Well；　we　are　all　such　helpless　failures　in　the



last　resort。　　The　sanest　and　best　of　us　are　of　one　clay　with



lunatics　and　prison　inmates；　and　death　finally　runs　the　robustest



of　us　down。　　And　whenever　we　feel　this；　such　a　sense　of　the



vanity　and　provisionality　of　our　voluntary　career　comes　over　us



that　all　our　morality　appears　but　as　a　plaster　hiding　a　sore　it



can　never　cure；　and　all　our　well…doing　as　the　hollowest



substitute　for　that　well…BEING　that　our　lives　ought　to　be



grounded　in；　but；　alas！　are　not。







And　here　religion　comes　to　our　rescue　and　takes　our　fate　into　her



hands。　　There　is　a　state　of　mind；　known　to　religious　men；　but　to



no　others；　in　which　the　will　to　assert　ourselves　and　hold　our　own



has　been　displaced　by　a　willingness　to　close　our　mouths　and　be　as



nothing　in　the　floods　and　waterspouts　of　God。　　In　this　state　of



mind；　what　we　most　dreaded　has　become　the　habitation　of　our



safety；　and　the　hour　of　our　moral　death　has　turned　into　our



spiritual　birthday。　　The　time　for　tension　in　our　soul　is　over；



and　that　of　happy　relaxation；　of　calm　deep　breathing；　of　an



eternal　present；　with　no　discorda