lectures11-13-第12部分

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the　insects；　for　if　he　wished　to　sleep；　or　when　he　had　fallen



asleep；　they　vied　with　one　another。＇183＇　Sometimes　he　cried　to



Almighty　God　in　the　fullness　of　his　heart：　　Alas！　Gentle　God；



what　a　dying　is　this！　　When　a　man　is　killed　by　murderers　or



strong　beasts　of　prey　it　is　soon　over；　but　I　lie　dying　here　under



the　cruel　insects；　and　yet　cannot　die。　　The　nights　in　winter　were



never　so　long；　nor　was　the　summer　so　hot；　as　to　make　him　leave



off　this　exercise。　　On　the　contrary；　he　devised　something　farther



two　leathern　loops　into　which　he　put　his　hands；　and　fastened



one　on　each　side　his　throat；　and　made　the　fastenings　so　secure



that　even　if　his　cell　had　been　on　fire　about　him；　he　could　not



have　helped　himself。　　This　he　continued　until　his　hands　and　arms



had　become　almost　tremulous　with　the　strain；　and　then　he　devised



something　else：　　two　leather　gloves；　and　he　caused　a　brazier　to



fit　them　all　over　with　sharp…pointed　brass　tacks；　and　he　used　to



put　them　on　at　night；　in　order　that　if　he　should　try　while　asleep



to　throw　off　the　hair　undergarment；　or　relieve　himself　from　the



gnawings　of　the　vile　insects；　the　tacks　might　then　stick　into　his



body。　　And　so　it　came　to　pass。　　If　ever　he　sought　to　help　himself



with　his　hands　in　his　sleep；　he　drove　the　sharp　tacks　into　his



breast；　and　tore　himself；　so　that　his　flesh　festered。　When　after



many　weeks　the　wounds　had　healed；　he　tore　himself　again　and　made



fresh　wounds。







＇183＇　〃Insects；〃　i。e。　lice；　were　an　unfailing　token　of　mediaeval



sainthood。　We　read　of　Francis　of　Assisi's　sheepskin　that　〃often　a



companion　of　the　saint　would　take　it　to　the　fire　to　clean　and



dispediculate　it；　doing　so；　as　he　said；　because　the　seraphic



father　himself　was　no　enemy　of　pedocchi；　but　on　the　contrary　kept



them　on　him　（le　portava　adosso）　and　held　it　for　an　honor　and　a



glory　to　wear　these　celestial　pearls　in　his　habit。　　Quoted　by　P。



Sabatier：　　Speculum　Perfectionis；　etc。；　Paris；　1898；　p。　231；



note。















〃He　continued　this　tormenting　exercise　for　about　sixteen　years。　



At　the　end　of　this　time；　when　his　blood　was　now　chilled；　and　the



fire　of　his　temperament　destroyed；　there　appeared　to　him　in　a



vision　on　Whitsunday；　a　messenger　from　heaven；　who　told　him　that



God　required　this　of　him　no　longer。　　Whereupon　he　discontinued



it；　and　threw　all　these　things　away　into　a　running　stream。〃







Suso　then　tells　how；　to　emulate　the　sorrows　of　his　crucified



Lord；　he　made　himself　a　cross　with　thirty　protruding　iron　needles



and　nails。　　This　he　bore　on　his　bare　back　between　his　shoulders



day　and　night。　　〃The　first　time　that　he　stretched　out　this　cross



upon　his　back　his　tender　frame　was　struck　with　terror　at　it；　and



blunted　the　sharp　nails　slightly　against　a　stone。　　But　soon；



repenting　of　this　womanly　cowardice；　he　pointed　them　all　again



with　a　file；　and　placed　once　more　the　cross　upon　him。　　It　made



his　back；　where　the　bones　are；　bloody　and　seared。　　Whenever　he



sat　down　or　stood　up；　it　was　as　if　a　hedgehog…skin　were　on　him。　



If　any　one　touched　him　unawares；　or　pushed　against　his　clothes；



it　tore　him。〃







Suso　next　tells　of　his　penitences　by　means　of　striking　this　cross



and　forcing　the　nails　deeper　into　the　flesh；　and　likewise　of　his



self…scourgingsa　dreadful　storyand　then　goes　on　as　follows：　



〃At　this　same　period　the　Servitor　procured　an　old　castaway　door；



and　he　used　to　lie　upon　it　at　night　without　any　bedclothes　to



make　him　comfortable；　except　that　he　took　off　his　shoes　and



wrapped　a　thick　cloak　round　him。　　He　thus　secured　for　himself　a



most　miserable　bed；　for　hard　pea…stalks　lay　in　humps　under　his



head；　the　cross　with　the　sharp　nails　stuck　into　his　back；　his



arms　were　locked　fast　in　bonds；　the　horsehair　undergarment　was



round　his　loins；　and　the　cloak　too　was　heavy　and　the　door　hard。



Thus　he　lay　in　wretchedness；　afraid　to　stir；　just　like　a　log；　and



he　would　send　up　many　a　sigh　to　God。







〃In　winter　he　suffered　very　much　from　the　frost。　　If　he　stretched



out　his　feet　they　lay　bare　on　the　floor　and　froze；　if　he　gathered



them　up　the　blood　became　all　on　fire　in　his　legs；　and　this　was



great　pain。　　His　feet　were　full　of　sores；　his　legs　dropsical；　his



knees　bloody　and　seared；　his　loins　covered　with　scars　from　the



horsehair；　his　body　wasted；　his　mouth　parched　with　intense



thirst；　and　his　hands　tremulous　from　weakness。　　Amid　these



torments　he　spent　his　nights　and　days；　and　he　endured　them　all



out　of　the　greatness　of　the　love　which　he　bore　in　his　heart　to



the　Divine　and　Eternal　Wisdom；　our　Lord　Jesus　Christ；　whose



agonizing　sufferings　he　sought　to　imitate。　　After　a　time　he　gave



up　this　penitential　exercise　of　the　door；　and　instead　of　it　he



took　up　his　abode　in　a　very　small　cell；　and　used　the　bench；　which



was　so　narrow　and　short　that　he　could　not　stretch　himself　upon



it；　as　his　bed。　　In　this　hole；　or　upon　the　door；　he　lay　at　night



in　his　usual　bonds；　for　about　eight　years。　　It　was　also　his



custom；　during　the　space　of　twenty…five　years；　provided　he　was



staying　in　the　convent；　never　to　go　after　compline　in　winter　into



any　warm　room；　or　to　the　convent　stove　to　warm　himself；　no　matter



how　cold　it　might　be；　unless　he　was　obliged　to　do　so　for　other



reasons。　　Throughout　all　these　years　he　never　took　a　bath；　either



a　water　or　a　sweating　bath；　and　this　he　did　in　order　to　mortify



his　comfort…seeking　body。　　He　practiced　during　a　long　time　such



rigid　poverty　that　he　would　neither　receive　nor　touch　a　penny；



either　with　leave　or　without　it。　　For　a　considerable　time　he



strove　to　attain　such　a　high　degree　of　purity　that　he　would



neither　scratch　nor　touch　any　part　of　his　body；　save　only　his



hands　and　feet。〃＇184＇







＇184＇　The　Life　of　the　Blessed　Henry　Suso；　by　Himself；　translated



by　T。　F。　Knox；　London；　1865；　pp。　56…80；　abridged。















I　spare　you　the　recital　of　poor　Suso's　self…inflicted　tortures



from　thirst。　　It　is　pleasant　to　know　that　after　his　fortieth



year；　God　showed　him　by　a　series　of　visions　that　he　had



sufficiently　broken　down　the　natural　man；　and　that　he　might　leave



these　exercises　off。　　His　case　is　distinctly　pathological；　but　he



does　not　seem　to　have　had　the　alleviation；　which　some　ascetics



have　enjoyed；　of　an　alteration　of　sensibility　capable　of　actually



turning　torment　into　a　perverse　kind　of　pleasure。　　Of　the　founder



of　the　Sacred　Heart　order；　for　example；　we　read　that







〃Her　love　of　pain　and　suffering　was　insatiable。　。　。　。　　She　said



that　she　could　cheerfully　live　till　the　day　of　judgment；　provided



she　might　always　have　matter　for　suffering　for　God；　but　that　to



live　a　single　day　without　suffering　would　be　intolerable。　She



said　again　that　she　was　devoured　with　two　unassuageable　fevers；



one　for　the　holy　communion；　the　other　for　suffering；　humiliation；



and　annihilation。　　'Nothing　but　pain；'　she　continually　said　in



her　letters；　'makes　my　life　supportable。'〃＇185＇







＇185＇　Bougaud：　　Hist　de　la　bienheureuse　Marguerite　Marie；　Paris；



1894；　pp。　265；　171。　　Compare；　also；　pp。　386；　387。















So　much　for　the　phenomena　to　which　the　ascetic　impulse　will　in



certain　persons　give　rise。　　In　the　ecclesiastically　consecrated



character　three　minor　branches　of　self…mortification　have　been



recognized　as　indispensable　pathways　to　perfection。　I　refer　to



the　chastity；　obedience；　and　poverty　which　the　monk　vows　to



observe；　and　upon　the　heads　of　obedience　and　poverty　I　will　make



a　few　remarks。







First；　of　Obedience。　　The　secular　life　of　our　twentieth　century



opens　with　this　virtue　held　in　no　high　esteem。　　The　duty　of　the



individual　to　determine　his　own　conduct　and　profit　or　suffer　by



the　consequences　seems；　on　the　contrary；　to　be　one　of　our　best



rooted　contemporary　Protestant　social　ideals。　So　much　so　that　it



is　difficult　even　imaginatively　to　comprehend　how　men　possessed



of　an　inner　life　of　their　own　could　ever　have　come　to　think　the



subjection　of　its　will　to　that　of　other　finite　creatures



recommendable。　　I　confess　that　to　myself　it　seems　something　of　a



mystery。　　Yet　it　evidently　corresponds　to　a　profound　interior



need　of　many　persons；　and　we　must　do　our　best　to　understand　it。







On　the　lowest　possible　plane；　one　sees　how　the　expediency　of



obedience　in　a　firm　ecclesiastical　organization　must　have　led　to



its　being　viewed　as　meritorious。　　Next；　experience　shows　that



there　are　times　in　every　one's　life　when　one　can　be　better



counseled　by　others　than　by　one's　self。　　Inability　to　decide　is



one　of　the　commonest　symptoms　of　fatigued　nerves；　friends　who　see



our　troubles　more　broadly；　often　see　them　more　wisely　than　we　do；



so　it　is　frequently　an　act　of　excellent　virtue　to　consult　and



obey　a　doctor；　a　partner；　or　a　wife。　　But；　leaving　these　lower



prudential　regions；　we　find；　in　the　nature　of　some　of　the



spiritual　excitements　which　we　have　been　studying；　good　reasons



for　idealizing　obedience。　Obedience　may　spring　from　the　general



religious　phenomenon　of　inner　softening　and　self…surrender　and



throwing　one's　self　on　higher　powers。　　So　saving　are　these



attitudes　felt　to　be　that　in　themselves；　apart　from　utility；　they



become　ideally　consecrated；　and　in　obeying　a　man　whose



fallibility　we　see　through　thoroughly；　we；　nevertheless；　may　feel



much　as　we　do　when　we　resign　our　will　to　that　of　infinite　wisdom。



Add　self…despair　and　the　passion　of　self…crucifixion　to　this；　and



obedience　become