lecture20-第6部分

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on　Conversion　and　on　Saintliness；　we　have　seen　how　this　emotion



overcomes　temperamental　melancholy　and　imparts　endurance　to　the



Subject；　or　a　zest；　or　a　meaning；　or　an　enchantment　and　glory　to



the　common　objects　of　life。＇340＇　　The　name　of　〃faith…state；〃　by



which　Professor　Leuba　designates　it；　is　a　good　one。＇341＇　　It　is　a



biological　as　well　as　a　psychological　condition；　and　Tolstoy　is



absolutely　accurate　in　classing　faith　among　the　forces　BY　WHICH



MEN　LIVE。＇342＇　　The　total　absence　of　it；　anhedonia；＇343＇　means



collapse。







＇340＇　Compare；　for　instance；　pages　200；　215；　219；　222；



244…250；　270…273。







＇341＇　American　Journal　of　Psychology；　vii。　345。







＇342＇　Above；　p。　181。







＇343＇　Above；　p。　143。















The　faith…state　may　hold　a　very　minimum　of　intellectual　content。　



We　saw　examples　of　this　in　those　sudden　raptures　of　the　divine



presence；　or　in　such　mystical　seizures　as　Dr。　Bucke



described。＇344＇　　It　may　be　a　mere　vague　enthusiasm；　half



spiritual；　half　vital；　a　courage；　and　a　feeling　that　great　and



wondrous　things　are　in　the　air。＇345＇







＇344＇　Above；　p。　391。







＇345＇　Example：　　Henri　Perreyve　writes　to　Gratry：　　〃I　do　not　know



how　to　deal　with　the　happiness　which　you　aroused　in　me　this



morning。　It　overwhelms　me；　I　want　to　DO　something；　yet　I　can　do



nothing　and　am　fit　for　nothing。　。　。　。　I　would　fain　do　GREAT



THINGS。〃　　Again；　after　an　inspiring　interview；　he　writes：　　〃I



went　homewards；　intoxicated　with　joy；　hope；　and　strength。　　I



wanted　to　feed　upon　my　happiness　in　solitude　far　from　all　men。　



It　was　late；　but；　unheeding　that；　I　took　a　mountain　path　and　went



on　like　a　madman；　looking　at　the　heavens；　regardless　of　earth。　



Suddenly　an　instinct　made　me　draw　hastily　back　I　was　on　the



very　edge　of　a　precipice；　one　step　more　and　I　must　have　fallen。　



I　took　fright　and　gave　up　my　nocturnal　promenade。〃　　A。　Gratry：　



Henri　Perreyve；　London；　1872；　pp。　92；　89。















This　primacy；　in　the　faith…state；　of　vague　expansive　impulse　over



direction　is　well　expressed　in　Walt　Whitman's　lines　（Leaves　of



Grass；　1872；　p。　190）：　　







〃O　to　confront　night；　storms；　hunger；ridicule；　accidents；



　　　　　rebuffs；　as　the　trees　and　animals　do。　。　。　。　　



Dear　Camerado！　I　confess　I　have　urged　you　onward　with　me；　and　　　　



　　　　still　urge　you；　without　the　least　idea　what　is　our　　　　　　　　　　　



　　　　destination　　



Or　whether　we　shall　be　victorious；　or　utterly　quell'd　and



defeated。〃











This　readiness　for　great　things；　and　this　sense　that　the　world　by



its　importance；　wonderfulness；　etc。；　is　apt　for　their　production；



would　seem　to　be　the　undifferentiated　germ　of　all　the　higher



faiths。　　Trust　in　our　own　dreams　of　ambition；　or　in　our　country's



expansive　destinies；　and　faith　in　the　providence　of　God；　all　have



their　source　in　that　onrush　of　our　sanguine　impulses；　and　in　that



sense　of　the　exceedingness　of　the　possible　over　the　real。







When；　however；　a　positive　intellectual　content　is　associated　with



a　faith…state；　it　gets　invincibly　stamped　in　upon　belief；＇346＇



and　this　explains　the　passionate　loyalty　of　religious　persons



everywhere　to　the　minutest　details　of　their　so　widely　differing



creeds。　　Taking　creeds　and　faith…state　together；　as　forming



〃religions；〃　and　treating　these　as　purely　subjective　phenomena；



without　regard　to　the　question　of　their　〃truth；〃　we　are　obliged；



on　account　of　their　extraordinary　influence　upon　action　and



endurance；　to　class　them　amongst　the　most　important　biological



functions　of　mankind。　　Their　stimulant　and　anaesthetic　effect　is



so　great　that　Professor　Leuba；　in　a　recent　article；＇347＇　goes　so



far　as　to　say　that　so　long　as　men　can　USE　their　God；　they　care



very　little　who　he　is；　or　even　whether　he　is　at　all。　　〃The　truth



of　the　matter　can　be　put；〃　says　Leuba；　〃in　this　way：　　GOD　IS　NOT



KNOWN；　HE　IS　NOT　UNDERSTOOD；　HE　IS　USEDsometimes　as



meat…purveyor；　sometimes　as　moral　support；　sometimes　as　friend；



sometimes　as　an　object　of　love。　　If　he　proves　himself　useful；　the



religious　consciousness　asks　for　no　more　than　that。　　Does　God



really　exist？　　How　does　he　exist？　　What　is　he？　　are　so　many



irrelevant　questions。　　Not　God；　but　life；　more　life；　a　larger；



richer；　more　satisfying　life；　is；　in　the　last　analysis；　the　end



of　religion。　　The　love　of　life；　at　any　and　every　level　of



development；　is　the　religious　impulse。〃＇348＇







＇346＇　Compare　Leuba：　　Loc。　cit。；　pp。　346…349。







＇347＇　The　Contents　of　Religious　Consciousness；　in　The　Monist；　xi。



536；　July　1901。







＇348＇　Loc。　cit。；　pp。　571；　572；　abridged。　　See；　also；　this



writer's　extraordinarily　true　criticism　of　the　notion　that



religion　primarily　seeks　to　solve　the　intellectual　mystery　of　the



world。　　Compare　what　W。　Bender　says　（in　his　Wesen　der　Religion；



Bonn；　1888；　pp。　85；　38）：　　〃Not　the　question　about　God；　and　not



the　inquiry　into　the　origin　and　purpose　of　the　world　is　religion；



but　the　question　about　Man。　　All　religious　views　of　life　are



anthropocentric。〃　　〃Religion　is　that　activity　of　the　human



impulse　towards　self…preservation　by　means　of　which　Man　seeks　to



carry　his　essential　vital　purposes　through　against　the　adverse



pressure　of　the　world　by　raising　himself　freely　towards　the



world's　ordering　and　governing　powers　when　the　limits　of　his　own



strength　are　reached。〃　　The　whole　book　is　little　more　than　a



development　of　these　words。















At　this　purely　subjective　rating；　therefore；　Religion　must　be



considered　vindicated　in　a　certain　way　from　the　attacks　of　her



critics。　　It　would　seem　that　she　cannot　be　a　mere　anachronism　and



survival；　but　must　exert　a　permanent　function；　whether　she　be



with　or　without　intellectual　content；　and　whether；　if　she　have



any；　it　be　true　or　false。







We　must　next　pass　beyond　the　point　of　view　of　merely　subjective



utility；　and　make　inquiry　into　the　intellectual　content　itself。







First；　is　there；　under　all　the　discrepancies　of　the　creeds；　a



common　nucleus　to　which　they　bear　their　testimony　unanimously？







And　second；　ought　we　to　consider　the　testimony　true？







I　will　take　up　the　first　question　first；　and　answer　it



immediately　in　the　affirmative。　　The　warring　gods　and　formulas　of



the　various　religions　do　indeed　cancel　each　other；　but　there　is　a



certain　uniform　deliverance　in　which　religions　all　appear　to



meet。　　It　consists　of　two　parts：







1。　　An　uneasiness；　and







2。　　Its　solution。







1。　　The　uneasiness；　reduced　to　its　simplest　terms；　is　a　sense



that　there　is　SOMETHING　WRONG　ABOUT　US　as　we　naturally　stand。







2。　　The　solution　is　a　sense　that　WE　ARE　SAVED　FROM　THE　WRONGNESS



by　making　proper　connection　with　the　higher　powers。







In　those　more　developed　minds　which　alone　we　are　studying；　the



wrongness　takes　a　moral　character；　and　the　salvation　takes　a



mystical　tinge。　　I　think　we　shall　keep　well　within　the　limits　of



what　is　common　to　all　such　minds　if　we　formulate　the　essence　of



their　religious　experience　in　terms　like　these：







The　individual；　so　far　as　he　suffers　from　his　wrongness　and



criticises　it；　is　to　that　extent　consciously　beyond　it；　and　in　at



least　possible　touch　with　something　higher；　if　anything　higher



exist。　　Along　with　the　wrong　part　there　is　thus　a　better　part　of



him；　even　though　it　may　be　but　a　most　helpless　germ。　　With　which



part　he　should　identify　his　real　being　is　by　no　means　obvious　at



this　stage；　but　when　stage　2　（the　stage　of　solution　or　salvation）



arrives；＇349＇　the　man　identifies　his　real　being　with　the　germinal



higher　part　of　himself；　and　does　so　in　the　following　way。　　He



becomes　conscious　that　this　higher　part　is　conterminous　and



continuous　with　a　MORE　of　the　same　quality；　which　is　operative　in



the　universe　outside　of　him；　and　which　he　can　keep　in　working



touch　with；　and　in　a　fashion　get　on　board　of　and　save　himself



when　all　his　lower　being　has　gone　to　pieces　in　the　wreck。







＇349＇　Remember　that　for　some　men　it　arrives　suddenly；　for　others



gradually；　whilst　others　again　practically　enjoy　it　all　their



life。















It　seems　to　me　that　all　the　phenomena　are　accurately　describable



in　these　very　simple　general　terms。＇350＇　　They　allow　for　the



divided　self　and　the　struggle；　they　involve　the　change　of



personal　centre　and　the　surrender　of　the　lower　self；　they　express



the　appearance　of　exteriority　of　the　helping　power　and　yet



account　for　our　sense　of　union　with　it；＇351＇　and　they　fully



justify　our　feelings　of　security　and　joy。　　There　is　probably　no



autobiographic　document；　among　all　those　which　I　have　quoted；　to



which　the　description　will　not　well　apply。　　One　need　only　add



such　specific　details　as　will　adapt　it　to　various　theologies　and



various　personal　temperaments；　and　one　will　then　have　the　various



experiences　reconstructed　in　their　individual　forms。







＇350＇　The　practical　difficulties　are：　　1；　to　〃realize　the



reality〃　of　one's　higher　part；　2；　to　identify　one's　self　with　it



exclusively；　and　3；　to　identify　it　with　all　the　rest　of　ideal



being。







＇351＇　〃When　mystical　activity　is　at　its　height；　we　find



consciousness　possessed　by　the　sense　of　a　being　at　once　EXCESSIVE



and　IDENTICAL　with　the　self：　　great　enough　to　be　God；　interior



enough　to　be　ME。　　The　〃objectivity〃　of　it　ought　in　that　case　to



be　called　EXCESSIVITY；　rather；　or　exceedingness。〃　ReCeJac：　　Essai