lectures11-13-第11部分

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contrived　a　false　floor　to　his　confessional　and　placed　a　metal



case　of　hot　water　beneath。　　The　trick　succeeded；　and　the　Saint



was　deceived：　　'God　is　very　good；'　he　said　with　emotion。　　'This



year；　through　all　the　cold；　my　feet　have　always　been　warm。'



〃＇179＇







＇179＇　A。　Mounin：　　Le　Cure　d'Ars；　vie　de　M。　J。　B。　M。　Vianney；



1864；　p。　545；　abridged。















In　this　case　the　spontaneous　impulse　to　make　sacrifices　for　the



pure　love　of　God　was　probably　the　uppermost　conscious　motive。　　We



may　class　it；　then；　under　our　head　3。　　Some　authors　think　that



the　impulse　to　sacrifice　is　the　main　religious　phenomenon。　　It　is



a　prominent；　a　universal　phenomenon　certainly；　and　lies　deeper



than　any　special　creed。　　Here；　for　instance；　is　what　seems　to　be



a　spontaneous　example　of　it；　simply　expressing　what　seemed　right



at　the　time　between　the　individual　and　his　Maker。　　Cotton　Mather；



the　New　England　Puritan　divine；　is　generally　reputed　a　rather



grotesque　pedant；　yet　what　is　more　touchingly　simple　than　his



relation　of　what　happened　when　his　wife　came　to　die？







〃When　I　saw　to　what　a　point　of　resignation　I　was　now　called　of



the　Lord；〃　he　says；　〃I　resolved；　with　his　help；　therein　to



glorify　him。　　So；　two　hours　before　my　lovely　consort　expired；　I



kneeled　by　her　bedside；　and　I　took　into　my　two　hands　a　dear　hand；



the　dearest　in　the　world。　　With　her　thus　in　my　hands；　I　solemnly



and　sincerely　gave　her　up　unto　the　Lord：　　and　in　token　of　my　real



RESIGNATION；　I　gently　put　her　out　of　my　hands；　and　laid　away　a



most　lovely　hand；　resolving　that　I　would　never　touch　it　more。　



This　was　the　hardest；　and　perhaps　the　bravest　action　that　ever　I



did。　　She　。　。　。　told　me　that　she　signed　and　sealed　my　act　of



resignation。　　And　though　before　that　she　called　for　me



continually；　she　after　this　never　asked　for　me　any　more。〃＇180＇







＇180＇　B。　Wendell：　　Cotton　Mather；　New　York；　no　date；　p。　198。















Father　Vianney's　asceticism　taken　in　its　totality　was　simply　the



result　of　a　permanent　flood　of　high　spiritual　enthusiasm；　longing



to　make　proof　of　itself。　　The　Roman　Church　has；　in　its



incomparable　fashion；　collected　all　the　motives　towards



asceticism　together；　and　so　codified　them　that　any　one　wishing　to



pursue　Christian　perfection　may　find　a　practical　system　mapped



out　for　him　in　any　one　of　a　number　of　ready…made　manuals。＇181＇



The　dominant　Church　notion　of　perfection　is　of　course　the



negative　one　of　avoidance　of　sin。　　Sin　proceeds　from



concupiscence；　and　concupiscence　from　our　carnal　passions　and



temptations；　chief　of　which　are　pride；　sensuality　in　all　its



forms；　and　the　loves　of　worldly　excitement　and　possession。　　All



these　sources　of　sin　must　be　resisted；　and　discipline　and



austerities　are　a　most　efficacious　mode　of　meeting　them。　　Hence



there　are　always　in　these　books　chapters　on　self…mortification。　



But　whenever　a　procedure　is　codified；　the　more　delicate　spirit　of



it　evaporates；　and　if　we　wish　the　undiluted　ascetic　spiritthe



passion　of　self…contempt　wreaking　itself　on　the　poor　flesh；　the



divine　irrationality　of　devotion　making　a　sacrificial　gift　of　all



it　has　（its　sensibilities；　namely）　to　the　object　of　its



adorationwe　must　go　to　autobiographies；　or　other　individual



documents。







＇181＇　That　of　the　earlier　Jesuit；　Rodriguez；　which　has　been



translated　into　all　languages；　is　one　of　the　best　known。　　A



convenient　modern　manual；　very　well　put　together；　is　L'Ascetique



Chretienne；　by　M。　J。　Ribet；　Paris；　Poussielgue；　nouvelle　edition；



1898。















Saint　John　of　the　Cross；　a　Spanish　mystic　who　flourishedor



rather　who　existed；　for　there　was　little　that　suggested



flourishing　about　himin　the　sixteenth　century；　will　supply　a



passage　suitable　for　our　purpose。







〃First　of　all；　carefully　excite　in　yourself　an　habitual



affectionate　will　in　all　things　to　imitate　Jesus　Christ。　　If



anything　agreeable　offers　itself　to　your　senses；　yet　does　not　at



the　same　time　tend　purely　to　the　honor　and　glory　of　God；　renounce



it　and　separate　yourself　from　it　for　the　love　of　Christ；　who　all



his　life　long　had　no　other　taste　or　wish　than　to　do　the　will　of



his　Father　whom　he　called　his　meat　and　nourishment。　　For　example；



you　take　satisfaction　in　HEARING　of　things　in　which　the　glory　of



God　bears　no　part。　　Deny　yourself　this　satisfaction；　mortify　your



wish　to　listen。　　You　take　pleasure　in　SEEING　objects　which　do　not



raise　your　mind　to　God：　　refuse　yourself　this　pleasure；　and　turn



away　your　eyes。　　The　same　with　conversations　and　all　other



things。　Act　similarly；　so　far　as　you　are　able；　with　all　the



operations　of　the　senses；　striving　to　make　yourself　free　from



their　yokes。







〃The　radical　remedy　lies　in　the　mortification　of　the　four　great



natural　passions；　joy；　hope；　fear；　and　grief。　　You　must　seek　to



deprive　these　of　every　satisfaction　and　leave　them　as　it　were　in



darkness　and　the　void。　　Let　your　soul　therefore　turn　always：







〃Not　to　what　is　most　easy；　but　to　what　is　hardest；







〃Not　to　what　tastes　best；　but　to　what　is　most　distasteful；







〃Not　to　what　most　pleases；　but　to　what　disgusts；







〃Not　to　matter　of　consolation；　but　to　matter　for　desolation



rather；







〃Not　to　rest；　but　to　labor；







〃Not　to　desire　the　more；　but　the　less；







〃Not　to　aspire　to　what　is　highest　and　most　precious；　but　to　what



is　lowest　and　most　contemptible；







〃Not　to　will　anything；　but　to　will　nothing；







〃Not　to　seek　the　best　in　everything；　but　to　seek　the　worst；　so　



that　you　may　enter　for　the　love　of　Christ　into　a　complete



destitution；　a　perfect　poverty　of　spirit；　and　an　absolute



renunciation　of　everything　in　this　world。







〃Embrace　these　practices　with　all　the　energy　of　your　soul　and　you



will　find　in　a　short　time　great　delights　and　unspeakable



consolations。







〃Despise　yourself；　and　wish　that　others　should　despise　you；







〃Speak　to　your　own　disadvantage；　and　desire　others　to　do　the



same；







〃Conceive　a　low　opinion　of　yourself；　and　find　it　good　when　others



hold　the　same；







〃To　enjoy　the　taste　of　all　things；　have　no　taste　for　anything。







〃To　know　all　things；　learn　to　know　nothing。







〃To　possess　all　things；　resolve　to　possess　nothing。







〃To　be　all　things；　be　willing　to　be　nothing。







〃To　get　to　where　you　have　no　taste　for　anything；　go　through



whatever　experiences　you　have　no　taste　for。







〃To　learn　to　know　nothing；　go　whither　you　are　ignorant。







〃To　reach　what　you　possess　not；　go　whithersoever　you　own　nothing。







〃To　be　what　you　are　not；　experience　what　you　are　not。〃







These　later　verses　play　with　that　vertigo　of　self…contradiction



which　is　so　dear　to　mysticism。　　Those　that　come　next　are



completely　mystical；　for　in　them　Saint　John　passes　from　God　to



the　more　metaphysical　notion　of　the　All。







〃When　you　stop　at　one　thing；　you　cease　to　open　yourself　to　the



All。







〃For　to　come　to　the　All　you　must　give　up　the　All。







〃And　if　you　should　attain　to　owning　the　All；　you　must　own　it；



desiring　Nothing。







〃In　this　spoliation；　the　soul　finds　its　tranquillity　and　rest。



Profoundly　established　in　the　centre　of　its　own　nothingness；　it



can　be　assailed　by　naught　that　comes　from　below；　and　since　it　no



longer　desires　anything；　what　comes　from　above　cannot　depress　it；



for　its　desires　alone　are　the　causes　of　its　woes。〃＇182＇







＇182＇　Saint　Jean　de　la　Croix；　vie　et　Oeuvres；　Paris；　1893；　ii。



94；　99；　abridged。















And　now；　as　a　more　concrete　example　of　heads　4　and　5；　in　fact　of



all　our　heads　together；　and　of　the　irrational　extreme　to　which　a



psychopathic　individual　may　go　in　the　line　of　bodily　austerity；　I



will　quote　the　sincere　Suso's　account　of　his　own　self…tortures。　



Suso；　you　will　remember；　was　one　of　the　fourteenth　century　German



mystics；　his　autobiography；　written　in　the　third　person；　is　a



classic　religious　document。







〃He　was　in　his　youth　of　a　temperament　full　of　fire　and　life；　and



when　this　began　to　make　itself　felt；　it　was　very　grievous　to　him；



and　he　sought　by　many　devices　how　he　might　bring　his　body　into



subjection。　　He　wore　for　a　long　time　a　hair　shirt　and　an　iron



chain；　until　the　blood　ran　from　him；　so　that　he　was　obliged　to



leave　them　off。　　He　secretly　caused　an　undergarment　to　be　made



for　him；　and　in　the　undergarment　he　had　strips　of　leather　fixed；



into　which　a　hundred　and　fifty　brass　nails；　pointed　and　filed



sharp；　were　driven；　and　the　points　of　the　nails　were　always



turned　towards　the　flesh。　　He　had　this　garment　made　very　tight；



and　so　arranged　as　to　go　round　him　and　fasten　in　front　in　order



that　it　might　fit　the　closer　to　his　body；　and　the　pointed　nails



might　be　driven　into　his　flesh；　and　it　was　high　enough　to　reach



upwards　to　his　navel。　　In　this　he　used　to　sleep　at　night。　Now　in



summer；　when　it　was　hot；　and　he　was　very　tired　and　ill　from　his



journeyings；　or　when　he　held　the　office　of　lecturer；　he　would



sometimes；　as　he　lay　thus　in　bonds；　and　oppressed　with　toil；　and



tormented　also　by　noxious　insects；　cry　aloud　and　give　way　to



fretfulness；　and　twist　round　and　round　in　agony；　as　a　worm　does



when　run　through　with　a　pointed　needle。　　It　often　seemed　to　him



as　if　he　were　lying　upon　an　ant…hill；　from　the　torture　caused　by



the　insects；　for　if　he　wished　to　sleep；　o