lecture09-第6部分

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the　pietists；　and　quakers　by　the　way；　we　can　trace　the　stages　of



progress　towards　the　idea　of　an　immediate　spiritual　help；



experienced　by　the　individual　in　his　forlornness　and　standing　in



no　essential　need　of　doctrinal　apparatus　or　propitiatory



machinery。







Psychology　and　religion　are　thus　in　perfect　harmony　up　to　this



point；　since　both　admit　that　there　are　forces　seemingly　outside



of　the　conscious　individual　that　bring　redemption　to　his　life。　



Nevertheless　psychology；　defining　these　forces　as　〃subconscious；〃



and　speaking　of　their　effects；　as　due　to　〃incubation；〃　or



〃cerebration；〃　implies　that　they　do　not　transcend　the



individual's　personality；　and　herein　she　diverges　from　Christian



theology；　which　insists　that　they　are　direct　supernatural



operations　of　the　Deity。　　I　propose　to　you　that　we　do　not　yet



consider　this　divergence　final；　but　leave　the　question　for　a



while　in　abeyancecontinued　inquiry　may　enable　us　to　get　rid　of



some　of　the　apparent　discord。







Revert；　then；　for　a　moment　more　to　the　psychology　of



self…surrender。







When　you　find　a　man　living　on　the　ragged　edge　of　his



consciousness；　pent　in　to　his　sin　and　want　and　incompleteness；



and　consequently　inconsolable；　and　then　simply　tell　him　that　all



is　well　with　him；　that　he　must　stop　his　worry；　break　with　his



discontent；　and　give　up　his　anxiety；　you　seem　to　him　to　come　with



pure　absurdities。　　The　only　positive　consciousness　he　has　tells



him　that　all　is　NOT　well；　and　the　better　way　you　offer　sounds



simply　as　if　you　proposed　to　him　to　assert　cold…blooded



falsehoods。　　〃The　will　to　believe〃　cannot　be　stretched　as　far　as



that。　　We　can　make　ourselves　more　faithful　to　a　belief　of　which



we　have　the　rudiments；　but　we　cannot　create　a　belief　out　of　whole



cloth　when　our　perception　actively　assures　us　of　its　opposite。　



The　better　mind　proposed　to　us　comes　in　that　case　in　the　form　of



a　pure　negation　of　the　only　mind　we　have；　and　we　cannot　actively



will　a　pure　negation。







There　are　only　two　ways　in　which　it　is　possible　to　get　rid　of



anger；　worry；　fear；　despair；　or　other　undesirable　affections。　



One　is　that　an　opposite　affection　should　overpoweringly　break



over　us；　and　the　other　is　by　getting　so　exhausted　with　the



struggle　that　we　have　to　stopso　we　drop　down；　give　up；　and



DON'T　CARE　any　longer。　　Our　emotional　brain…centres　strike　work；



and　we　lapse　into　a　temporary　apathy。　Now　there　is　documentary



proof　that　this　state　of　temporary　exhaustion　not　infrequently



forms　part　of　the　conversion　crisis。　　So　long　as　the　egoistic



worry　of　the　sick　soul　guards　the　door；　the　expansive　confidence



of　the　soul　of　faith　gains　no　presence。　　But　let　the　former　faint



away；　even　but　for　a　moment；　and　the　latter　can　profit　by　the



opportunity；　and；　having　once　acquired　possession；　may　retain　it。







Carlyle's　Teufelsdrockh　passes　from　the　everlasting　No　to　the



everlasting　Yes　through　a　〃Centre　of　Indifference。〃







Let　me　give　you　a　good　illustration　of　this　feature　in　the



conversion　process。　　That　genuine　saint；　David　Brainerd；



describes　his　own　crisis　in　the　following　words：







〃One　morning；　while　I　was　walking　in　a　solitary　place　as　usual；　I



at　once　saw　that　all　my　contrivances　and　projects　to　effect　or



procure　deliverance　and　salvation　for　myself　were　utterly　in



vain；　I　was　brought　quite　to　a　stand；　as　finding　myself　totally



lost。　　I　saw　that　it　was　forever　impossible　for　me　to　do　anything



towards　helping　or　delivering　myself；　that　I　had　made　all　the



pleas　I　ever　could　have　made　to　all　eternity；　and　that　all　my



pleas　were　vain；　for　I　saw　that　self…interest　had　led　me　to　pray；



and　that　I　had　never　once　prayed　from　any　respect　to　the　glory　of



God。　　I　saw　that　there　was　no　necessary　connection　between　my



prayers　and　the　bestowment　of　divine　mercy；　that　they　laid　not



the　least　obligation　upon　God　to　bestow　his　grace　upon　me；　and



that　there　was　no　more　virtue　or　goodness　in　them　than　there



would　be　in　my　paddling　with　my　hand　in　the　water。　　I　saw　that　I



had　been　heaping　up　my　devotions　before　God；　fasting；　praying；



etc。；　pretending；　and　indeed　really　thinking　sometimes　that　I　was



aiming　at　the　glory　of　God；　whereas　I　never　once　truly　intended



it；　but　only　my　own　happiness。　　I　saw　that　as　I　had　never　done



anything　for　God；　I　had　no　claim　on　anything　from　him　but



perdition；　on　account　of　my　hypocrisy　and　mockery。　　When　I　saw



evidently　that　I　had　regard　to　nothing　but　self…interest；　then　my



duties　appeared　a　vile　mockery　and　a　continual　course　of　lies；



for　the　whole　was　nothing　but　self…worship；　and　an　horrid　abuse



of　God。







〃I　continued；　as　I　remember；　in　this　state　of　mind；　from　Friday



morning　till　the　Sabbath　evening　following　（July　12；　1739）；　when



I　was　walking　again　in　the　same　solitary　place。　　Here；　in　a



mournful　melancholy　state　I　was　attempting　to　pray；　but　found　no



heart　to　engage　in　that　or　any　other　duty；　my　former　concern；



exercise；　and　religious　affections　were　now　gone。　I　thought　that



the　Spirit　of　God　had　quite　left　me；　but　still　was　NOT



DISTRESSED；　yet　disconsolate；　as　if　there　was　nothing　in　heaven



or　earth　could　make　me　happy。　　Having　been　thus　endeavoring　to



praythough；　as　I　thought；　very　stupid　and　senselessfor　near



half　an　hour；　then；　as　I　was　walking　in　a　thick　grove；



unspeakable　glory　seemed　to　open　to　the　apprehension　of　my　soul。　



I　do　not　mean　any　external　brightness；　nor　any　imagination　of　a



body　of　light；　but　it　was　a　new　inward　apprehension　or　view　that



I　had　of　God；　such　as　I　never　had　before；　nor　anything　which　had



the　least　resemblance　to　it。　　I　had　no　particular　apprehension　of



any　one　person　in　the　Trinity；　either　the　Father；　the　Son；　or　the



Holy　Ghost；　but　it　appeared　to　be　Divine　glory。　　My　soul　rejoiced



with　joy　unspeakable；　to　see　such　a　God；　such　a　glorious　Divine



Being；　and　I　was　inwardly　pleased　and　satisfied　that　he　should　be



God　over　all　for　ever　and　ever。　　My　soul　was　so　captivated　and



delighted　with　the　excellency　of　God　that　I　was　even　swallowed　up



in　him；　at　least　to　that　degree　that　I　had　no　thought　about　my



own　salvation；　and　scarce　reflected　that　there　was　such　a



creature　as　myself。　　I　continued　in　this　state　of　inward　joy；



peace；　and　astonishing；　till　near　dark　without　any　sensible



abatement；　and　then　began　to　think　and　examine　what　I　had　seen；



and　felt　sweetly　composed　in　my　mind　all　the　evening　following。　



I　felt　myself　in　a　new　world；　and　everything　about　me　appeared



with　a　different　aspect　from　what　it　was　wont　to　do。　　At　this



time；　the　way　of　salvation　opened　to　me　with　such　infinite



wisdom；　suitableness；　and　excellency；　that　I　wondered　I　should



ever　think　of　any　other　way　of　salvation；　was　amazed　that　I　had



not　dropped　my　own　contrivances；　and　complied　with　this　lovely；



blessed；　and　excellent　way　before。　　If　I　could　have　been　saved　by



my　own　duties　or　any　other　way　that　I　had　formerly　contrived；　my



whole　soul　would　now　have　refused　it。　　I　wondered　that　all　the



world　did　not　see　and　comply　with　this　way　of　salvation；　entirely



by　the　righteousness　of　Christ。〃＇116＇







＇116＇　Edward's　and　Dwight's　Life　of　Brainerd；　New　Haven；　1822；



pp。　45…47；　abridged。















I　have　italicized　the　passage　which　records　the　exhaustion　of　the



anxious　emotion　hitherto　habitual。　　In　a　large　proportion；　



perhaps　the　majority；　of　reports；　the　writers　speak　as　if　the



exhaustion　of　the　lower　and　the　entrance　of　the　higher　emotion



were　simultaneous；＇117＇　yet　often　again　they　speak　as　if　the



higher　actively　drove　the　lower　out。　　This　is　undoubtedly　true　in



a　great　many　instances；　as　we　shall　presently　see。　　But　often



there　seems　little　doubt　that　both　conditionssubconscious



ripening　of　the　one　affection　and　exhaustion　of　the　othermust



simultaneously　have　conspired；　in　order　to　produce　the　result。







＇117＇　Describing　the　whole　phenomenon　as　a　change　of　equilibrium；



we　might　say　that　the　movement　of　new　psychic　energies　towards



the　personal　centre　and　the　recession　of　old　ones　towards　the



margin　（or　the　rising　of　some　objects　above；　and　the　sinking　of



others　below　the　conscious　threshold）　were　only　two　ways　of



describing　an　indivisible　event。　　Doubtless　this　is　often



absolutely　true；　and　Starbuck　is　right　when　he　says　that



〃self…surrender〃　and　〃new　determination；〃　though　seeming　at　first



sight　to　be　such　different　experiences；　are　〃really　the　same



thing。　　Self…surrender　sees　the　change　in　terms　of　the　old　self；



determination　sees　it　in　terms　of　the　new。〃　　Op。　cit。；　p。　160。















T。　W。　B。；　a　convert　of　Nettleton's；　being　brought　to　an　acute



paroxysm　of　conviction　of　sin；　ate　nothing　all　day；　locked



himself　in　his　room　in　the　evening　in　complete　despair；　crying



aloud；　〃How　long；　O　Lord；　how　long？〃　　〃After　repeating　this　and



similar　language；〃　he　says；　〃several　times；　I　seemed　to　sink　away



into　a　state　of　insensibility。　　When　I　came　to　myself　again　I　was



on　my　knees；　praying　not　for　myself　but　for　others。　　I　felt



submission　to　the　will　of　God；　willing　that　he　should　do　with　me



as　should　seem　good　in　his　sight。　　My　concern　seemed　all　lost　in



concern　for　others。〃＇118＇







＇118＇　A。　A。　Bonar：　　Nettleton　and　his　Labors；　Edinburgh；　1854；　p。



261。















Our　great　American　revivalist　Finney　writes：　　〃I　said　to　myself：　



'What　is　this？　　I　must　have　grieved　the　Holy　Ghost　en