lectures14+15-第4部分

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happens　is　that　it　idealizes　the　devotion　itself。　　To　adequately



realize　the　merits　of　the　idol　gets　to　be　considered　the　one



great　merit　of　the　worshiper；　and　the　sacrifices　and　servilities



by　which　savage　tribesmen　have　from　time　immemorial　exhibited



their　faithfulness　to　chieftains　are　now　outbid　in　favor　of　the



deity。　　Vocabularies　are　exhausted　and　languages　altered　in　the



attempt　to　praise　him　enough；　death　is　looked　on　as　gain　if　it



attract　his　grateful　notice；　and　the　personal　attitude　of　being



his　devotee　becomes　what　one　might　almost　call　a　new　and　exalted



kind　of　professional　specialty　within　the　tribe。＇199＇　The　legends



that　gather　round　the　lives　of　holy　persons　are　fruits　of　this



impulse　to　celebrate　and　glorify。　　The　Buddha＇200＇　and



Mohammed＇201＇　and　their　companions　and　many　Christian　saints　are



incrusted　with　a　heavy　jewelry　of　anecdotes　which　are　meant　to　be



honorific；　but　are　simply　abgeschmackt　and　silly；　and　form　a



touching　expression　of　man's　misguided　propensity　to　praise。







＇199＇　Christian　saints　have　had　their　specialties　of　devotion；



Saint　Francis　to　Christ's　wounds；　Saint　Anthony　of　Padua　to



Christ's　childhood；　Saint　Bernard　to　his　humanity；　Saint　Teresa



to　Saint　Joseph；　etc。　　The　Shi…ite　Mohammedans　venerate　Ali；　the



Prophet's　son…in…law；　instead　of　Abu…bekr；　his　brother…in…law。　



Vambery　describes　a　dervish　whom　he　met　in　Persia；　〃who　had



solemnly　vowed；　thirty　years　before；　that　he　would　never　employ



his　organs　of　speech　otherwise　but　in　uttering；　everlastingly；



the　name　of　his　favorite；　Ali；　Ali。　　He　thus　wished　to　signify　to



the　world　that　he　was　the　most　devoted　partisan　of　that　Ali　who



had　been　dead　a　thousand　years。　　In　his　own　home；　speaking　with



his　wife；　children；　and　friends；　no　other　word　but　'Ali！'　ever



passed　his　lips。　　If　he　wanted　food　or　drink　or　anything　else；　he



expressed　his　wants　still　by　repeating　'Ali！'　　Begging　or　buying



at　the　bazaar；　it　was　always　'Ali！'　　Treated　ill　or　generously；



he　would　still　harp　on　his　monotonous　'Ali！'　　Latterly　his　zeal



assumed　such　tremendous　proportions　that；　like　a　madman；　he　would



race；　the　whole　day；　up　and　down　the　streets　of　the　town；



throwing　his　stick　high　up　into　the　air；　and　shriek　our；　all　the



while；　at　the　top　of　his　voice；　'Ali！'　　This　dervish　was



venerated　by　everybody　as　a　saint；　and　received　everywhere　with



the　greatest　distinction。〃　　Arminius　Vambery；　his　Life　and



Adventures；　written　by　Himself；　London；　1889；　p。　69。　　On　the



anniversary　of　the　death　of　Hussein；　Ali's　son；　the　Shi…ite



Moslems　still　make　the　air　resound　with　cries　of　his　name　and



Ali's。







＇200＇　Compare　H。　C。　Warren：　　Buddhism　in　Translation；　Cambridge；



U。S。；　1898；　passim。







＇201＇　Compare　J。　L。　Merrick：　　The　Life　and　Religion　of　Mohammed；



as　contained　in　the　Sheeah　traditions　of　the　Hyat…ul…Kuloob；



Boston。　1850；　passim。















An　immediate　consequence　of　this　condition　of　mind　is　jealousy



for　the　deity's　honor。　　How　can　the　devotee　show　his　loyalty



better　than　by　sensitiveness　in　this　regard？　　The　slightest



affront　or　neglect　must　be　resented；　the　deity's　enemies　must　be



put　to　shame。　　In　exceedingly　narrow　minds　and　active　wills；　such



a　care　may　become　an　engrossing　preoccupation；　and　crusades　have



been　preached　and　massacres　instigated　for　no　other　reason　than



to　remove　a　fancied　slight　upon　the　God。　　Theologies　representing



the　gods　as　mindful　of　their　glory；　and　churches　with



imperialistic　policies；　have　conspired　to　fan　this　temper　to　a



glow；　so　that　intolerance　and　persecution　have　come　to　be　vices



associated　by　some　of　us　inseparably　with　the　saintly　mind。　They



are　unquestionably　its　besetting　sins。　　The　saintly　temper　is　a



moral　temper；　and　a　moral　temper　has　often　to　be　cruel。　　It　is　a



partisan　temper；　and　that　is　cruel。　　Between　his　own　and



Jehovah's　enemies　a　David　knows　no　difference；　a　Catherine　of



Siena；　panting　to　stop　the　warfare　among　Christians　which　was　the



scandal　of　her　epoch；　can　think　of　no　better　method　of　union



among　them　than　a　crusade　to　massacre　the　Turks；　Luther　finds　no



word　of　protest　or　regret　over　the　atrocious　tortures　with　which



the　Anabaptist　leaders　were　put　to　death；　and　a　Cromwell　praises



the　Lord　for　delivering　his　enemies　into　his　hands　for



〃execution。〃　　Politics　come　in　in　all　such　cases；　but　piety　finds



the　partnership　not　quite　unnatural。　　So；　when　〃freethinkers〃



tell　us　that　religion　and　fanaticism　are　twins；　we　cannot　make　an



unqualified　denial　of　the　charge。







Fanaticism　must　then　be　inscribed　on　the　wrong　side　of　religion's



account；　so　long　as　the　religious　person's　intellect　is　on　the



stage　which　the　despotic　kind　of　God　satisfies。　　But　as　soon　as



the　God　is　represented　as　less　intent　on　his　own　honor　and　glory；



it　ceases　to　be　a　danger。







Fanaticism　is　found　only　where　the　character　is　masterful　and



aggressive。　　In　gentle　characters；　where　devoutness　is　intense



and　the　intellect　feeble；　we　have　an　imaginative　absorption　in



the　love　of　God　to　the　exclusion　of　all　practical　human



interests；　which；　though　innocent　enough；　is　too　one…sided　to　be



admirable。　　A　mind　too　narrow　has　room　but　for　one　kind　of



affection。　　When　the　love　of　God　takes　possession　of　such　a　mind；



it　expels　all　human　loves　and　human　uses。　　There　is　no　English



name　for　such　a　sweet　excess　of　devotion；　so　I　will　refer　to　it



as　a　theopathic　condition。







The　blessed　Margaret　Mary　Alacoque　may　serve　as　an　example。







〃To　be　loved　here　upon　the　earth；〃　her　recent　biographer



exclaims：　　〃to　be　loved　by　a　noble；　elevated；　distinguished



being；　to　be　loved　with　fidelity；　with　devotionwhat



enchantment！　But　to　be　loved　by　God！　and　loved　by　him　to



distraction　＇aime　jusqu'a　la　folie＇！Margaret　melted　away　with



love　at　the　thought　of　such　a　thing。　　Like　Saint　Philip　of　Neri



in　former　times；　or　like　Saint　Francis　Xavier；　she　said　to　God：　



'Hold　back；　O　my　God；　these　torrents　which　overwhelm　me；　or　else



enlarge　my　capacity　for　their　reception。〃＇202＇







＇202＇　Bougaud：　　Hist。　de　la　bienheureuse　Marguerite　Marie；　Paris；



1894；　p。　145。















The　most　signal　proofs　of　God's　love　which　Margaret　Mary　received



were　her　hallucinations　of　sight；　touch；　and　hearing；　and　the



most　signal　in　turn　of　these　were　the　revelations　of　Christ's



sacred　heart；　〃surrounded　with　rays　more　brilliant　than　the　Sun；



and　transparent　like　a　crystal。　　The　wound　which　he　received　on



the　cross　visibly　appeared　upon　it。　　There　was　a　crown　of　thorns



round　about　this　divine　Heart；　and　a　cross　above　it。〃　　At　the



same　time　Christ's　voice　told　her　that；　unable　longer　to　contain



the　flames　of　his　love　for　mankind；　he　had　chosen　her　by　a



miracle　to　spread　the　knowledge　of　them。　　He　thereupon　took　out



her　mortal　heart；　placed　it　inside　of　his　own　and　inflamed　it；



and　then　replaced　it　in　her　breast；　adding：　　〃Hitherto　thou　hast



taken　the　name　of　my　slave；　hereafter　thou　shalt　be　called　the



well…beloved　disciple　of　my　Sacred　Heart。〃







In　a　later　vision　the　Saviour　revealed　to　her　in　detail　the



〃great　design〃　which　he　wished　to　establish　through　her



instrumentality。　　〃I　ask　of　thee　to　bring　it　about　that　every



first　Friday　after　the　week　of　holy　Sacrament　shall　be　made　into



a　special　holy　day　for　honoring　my　Heart　by　a　general　communion



and　by　services　intended　to　make　honorable　amends　for　the



indignities　which　it　has　received。　　And　I　promise　thee　that　my



Heart　will　dilate　to　shed　with　abundance　the　influences　of　its



love　upon　all　those　who　pay　to　it　these　honors；　or　who　bring　it



about　that　others　do　the　same。〃







〃This　revelation；〃　says　Mgr。　Bougaud；　〃is　unquestionably　the　most



important　of　all　the　revelations　which　have　illumined　the　Church



since　that　of　the　Incarnation　and　of　the　Lord's　Supper。　。　。　。　



After　the　Eucharist；　the　supreme　effort　of　the　Sacred



Heart。〃＇203＇　　Well；　what　were　its　good　fruits　for　Margaret　Mary's



life？　　Apparently　little　else　but　sufferings　and　prayers　and



absences　of　mind　and　swoons　and　ecstasies。　　She　became



increasingly　useless　about　the　convent；　her　absorption　in



Christ's　love







〃which　grew　upon　her　daily；　rendering　her　more　and　more　incapable



of　attending　to　external　duties。　　They　tried　her　in　the



infirmary；　but　without　much　success；　although　her　kindness；　zeal；



and　devotion　were　without　bounds；　and　her　charity　rose　to　acts　of



such　a　heroism　that　our　readers　would　not　bear　the　recital　of



them。　　They　tried　her　in　the　kitchen；　but　were　forced　to　give　it



up　as　hopelesseverything　dropped　out　of　her　hands。　　The



admirable　humility　with　which　she　made　amends　for　her　clumsiness



could　not　prevent　this　from　being　prejudicial　to　the　order　and



regularity　which　must　always　reign　in　a　community。　They　put　her



in　the　school；　where　the　little　girls　cherished　her；　and　cut



pieces　out　of　her　clothes　＇for　relics＇　as　if　she　were　already　a



saint；　but　where　she　was　too　absorbed　inwardly　to　pay　the



necessary　attention。　　Poor　dear　sister；　even　less　after　her



visions　than　before　them　was　she　a　denizen　of　earth；　and　they　had



to　leave　her　in　her　heaven。〃＇204＇







＇203＇　Bougaud：　　Hist。　de　la　bienheureuse　Marguerite　Marie；



Paris；　1894；　pp。　365；　241。







＇204＇　Bougaud：　　Op。　cit。；　p。　267。















Poor　dear　sister；　indeed！　Amiable　and　good；　but　so　feeble　of



intel