lectures14+15-第7部分

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fellowship　with　any　church。　　The　writer　found　her　living　alone　in



a　little　room　on　the　top　story　of　a　cheap　boarding…house　quite



out　of　touch　with　all　human　relations；　but　apparently　happy　in



the　enjoyment　of　her　own　spiritual　blessings。　　Her　time　was



occupied　in　writing　booklets　on　sanctificationpage　after　page



of　dreamy　rhapsody。　　She　proved　to　be　one　of　a　small　group　of



persons　who　claim　that　entire　salvation　involves　three　steps



instead　of　two；　not　only　must　there　be　conversion　and



sanctification；　but　a　third；　which　they　call　'crucifixion'　or



'perfect　redemption；'　and　which　seems　to　bear　the　same　relation



to　sanctification　that　this　bears　to　conversion。　　She　related　how



the　Spirit　had　said　to　her；　'Stop　going　to　church。　　Stop　going　to



holiness　meetings。　　Go　to　your　own　room　and　I　will　teach　you。'



She　professes　to　care　nothing　for　colleges；　or　preachers；　or



churches；　but　only　cares　to　listen　to　what　God　says　to　her。　　Her



description　of　her　experience　seemed　entirely　consistent；　she　is



happy　and　contented；　and　her　life　is　entirely　satisfactory　to



herself。　　While　listening　to　her　own　story；　one　was　tempted　to



forget　that　it　was　from　the　life　of　a　person　who　could　not　live



by　it　in　conjunction　with　her　fellows。〃







Our　final　judgment　of　the　worth　of　such　a　life　as　this　will



depend　largely　on　our　conception　of　God；　and　of　the　sort　of



conduct　he　is　best　pleased　with　in　his　creatures。　　The



Catholicism　of　the　sixteenth　century　paid　little　heed　to　social



righteousness；　and　to　leave　the　world　to　the　devil　whilst　saving



one's　own　soul　was　then　accounted　no　discreditable　scheme。　



To…day；　rightly　or　wrongly；　helpfulness　in　general　human　affairs



is；　in　consequence　of　one　of　those　secular　mutations　in　moral



sentiment　of　which　I　spoke；　deemed　an　essential　element　of　worth



in　character；　and　to　be　of　some　public　or　private　use　is　also



reckoned　as　a　species　of　divine　service。　　Other　early　Jesuits；



especially　the　missionaries　among　them；　the　Xaviers；　Brebeufs；



Jogues；　were　objective　minds；　and　fought　in　their　way　for　the



world's　welfare；　so　their　lives　to…day　inspire　us。　　But　when　the



intellect；　as　in　this　Louis；　is　originally　no　larger　than　a　pin's



head；　and　cherishes　ideas　of　God　of　corresponding　smallness；　the



result；　notwithstanding　the　heroism　put　forth；　is　on　the　whole



repulsive。　　Purity；　we　see　in　the　object…lesson；　is　NOT　the　one



thing　needful；　and　it　is　better　that　a　life　should　contract　many



a　dirt…mark；　than　forfeit　usefulness　in　its　efforts　to　remain



unspotted。







Proceeding　onwards　in　our　search　of　religious　extravagance；　we



next　come　upon　excesses　of　Tenderness　and　Charity。　　Here



saintliness　has　to　face　the　charge　of　preserving　the　unfit；　and



breeding　parasites　and　beggars。　　〃Resist　not　evil；〃　〃Love　your



enemies；〃　these　are　saintly　maxims　of　which　men　of　this　world



find　it　hard　to　speak　without　impatience。　Are　the　men　of　this



world　right；　or　are　the　saints　in　possession　of　the　deeper　range



of　truth？







No　simple　answer　is　possible。　　Here；　if　anywhere；　one　feels　the



complexity　of　the　moral　life；　and　the　mysteriousness　of　the　way



in　which　facts　and　ideals　are　interwoven。







Perfect　conduct　is　a　relation　between　three　terms：　　the　actor；



the　objects　for　which　he　acts；　and　the　recipients　of　the　action。　



In　order　that　conduct　should　be　abstractly　perfect；　all　three



terms；　intention；　execution；　and　reception；　should　be　suited　to



one　another。　　The　best　intention　will　fail　if　it　either　work　by



false　means　or　address　itself　to　the　wrong　recipient。　　Thus　no



critic　or　estimator　of　the　value　of　conduct　can　confine　himself



to　the　actor's　animus　alone；　apart　from　the　other　elements　of　the



performance。　　As　there　is　no　worse　lie　than　a　truth　misunderstood



by　those　who　hear　it；　so　reasonable　arguments；　challenges　to



magnanimity；　and　appeals　to　sympathy　or　justice；　are　folly　when



we　are　dealing　with　human　crocodiles　and　boa…constrictors。　　The



saint　may　simply　give　the　universe　into　the　hands　of　the　enemy　by



his　trustfulness。　　He　may　by　non…resistance　cut　off　his　own



survival。







Herbert　Spencer　tells　us　that　the　perfect　man's　conduct　will



appear　perfect　only　when　the　environment　is　perfect：　　to　no



inferior　environment　is　it　suitably　adapted。　　We　may　paraphrase



this　by　cordially　admitting　that　saintly　conduct　would　be　the



most　perfect　conduct　conceivable　in　an　environment　where　all　were



saints　already；　but　by　adding　that　in　an　environment　where　few



are　saints；　and　many　the　exact　reverse　of　saints；　it　must　be　ill



adapted。　　We　must　frankly　confess；　then；　using　our　empirical



common　sense　and　ordinary　practical　prejudices；　that　in　the　world



that　actually　is；　the　virtues　of　sympathy；　charity；　and



non…resistance　may　be；　and　often　have　been；　manifested　in　excess。







The　powers　of　darkness　have　systematically　taken　advantage　of



them。　　The　whole　modern　scientific　organization　of　charity　is　a



consequence　of　the　failure　of　simply　giving　alms。　　The　whole



history　of　constitutional　government　is　a　commentary　on　the



excellence　of　resisting　evil；　and　when　one　cheek　is　smitten；　of



smiting　back　and　not　turning　the　other　cheek　also。







You　will　agree　to　this　in　general；　for　in　spite　of　the　Gospel；　in



spite　of　Quakerism；　in　spite　of　Tolstoi；　you　believe　in　fighting



fire　with　fire；　in　shooting　down　usurpers；　locking　up　thieves；



and　freezing　out　vagabonds　and　swindlers。







And　yet　you　are　sure；　as　I　am　sure；　that　were　the　world　confined



to　these　hard…headed；　hard…hearted；　and　hard…fisted　methods



exclusively；　were　there　no　one　prompt　to　help　a　brother　first；



and　find　out　afterwards　whether　he　were　worthy；　no　one　willing　to



drown　his　private　wrongs　in　pity　for　the　wronger's　person；　no　one



ready　to　be　duped　many　a　time　rather　than　live　always　on



suspicion；　no　one　glad　to　treat　individuals　passionately　and



impulsively　rather　than　by　general　rules　of　prudence；　the　world



would　be　an　infinitely　worse　place　than　it　is　now　to　live　in。　



The　tender　grace；　not　of　a　day　that　is　dead；　but　of　a　day　yet　to



be　born　somehow；　with　the　golden　rule　grown　natural；　would　be　cut



out　from　the　perspective　of　our　imaginations。







The　saints；　existing　in　this　way；　may；　with　their　extravagances



of　human　tenderness；　be　prophetic。　　Nay；　innumerable　times　they



have　proved　themselves　prophetic。　　Treating　those　whom　they　met；



in　spite　of　the　past；　in　spite　of　all　appearances；　as　worthy；



they　have　stimulated　them　to　BE　worthy；　miraculously　transformed



them　by　their　radiant　example　and　by　the　challenge　of　their



expectation。







From　this　point　of　view　we　may　admit　the　human　charity　which　we



find　in　all　saints；　and　the　great　excess　of　it　which　we　find　in



some　saints；　to　be　a　genuinely　creative　social　force；　tending　to



make　real　a　degree　of　virtue　which　it　alone　is　ready　to　assume　as



possible。　　The　saints　are　authors；　auctores；　increasers；　of



goodness。　　The　potentialities　of　development　in　human　souls　are



unfathomable。　　So　many　who　seemed　irretrievably　hardened　have　in



point　of　fact　been　softened；　converted；　regenerated；　in　ways　that



amazed　the　subjects　even　more　than　they　surprised　the　spectators；



that　we　never　can　be　sure　in　advance　of　any　man　that　his



salvation　by　the　way　of　love　is　hopeless。　　We　have　no　right　to



speak　of　human　crocodiles　and　boa…constrictors　as　of　fixedly



incurable　beings。　　We　know　not　the　complexities　of　personality；



the　smouldering　emotional　fires；　the　other　facets　of　the



character…polyhedron；　the　resources　of　the　subliminal　region。　



St。　Paul　long　ago　made　our　ancestors　familiar　with　the　idea　that



every　soul　is　virtually　sacred。　　Since　Christ　died　for　us　all



without　exception；　St。　Paul　said；　we　must　despair　of　no　one。　



This　belief　in　the　essential　sacredness　of　every　one　expresses



itself　to…day　in　all　sorts　of　humane　customs　and　reformatory



institutions；　and　in　a　growing　aversion　to　the　death　penalty　and



to　brutality　in　punishment。　　The　saints；　with　their　extravagance



of　human　tenderness；　are　the　great　torch…bearers　of　this　belief；



the　tip　of　the　wedge；　the　clearers　of　the　darkness。　　Like　the



single　drops　which　sparkle　in　the　sun　as　they　are　flung　far　ahead



of　the　advancing　edge　of　a　wave…crest　or　of　a　flood；　they　show



the　way　and　are　forerunners。　　The　world　is　not　yet　with　them；　so



they　often　seem　in　the　midst　of　the　world's　affairs　to　be



preposterous。　　Yet　they　are　impregnators　of　the　world；　vivifiers



and　animaters　of　potentialities　of　goodness　which　but　for　them



would　lie　forever　dormant。　　It　is　not　possible　to　be　quite　as



mean　as　we　naturally　are；　when　they　have　passed　before　us。　　One



fire　kindles　another；　and　without　that　over…trust　in　human　worth



which　they　show；　the　rest　of　us　would　lie　in　spiritual　stagnancy。







Momentarily　considered；　then；　the　saint　may　waste　his　tenderness



and　be　the　dupe　and　victim　of　his　charitable　fever；　but　the



general　function　of　his　charity　in　social　evolution　is　vital　and



essential。　　If　things　are　ever　to　move　upward；　some　one　must　be



ready　to　take　the　first　step；　and　assume　the　risk　of　it。　　No　one



who　is　not　willing　to　try　charity；　to　try　non…resistance　as　the



saint　is　always　willing；　can　tell　whether　these　methods　will　or



will　not　succeed。　　When　they　do　succeed；　they　are　far　more



powerfully　successful　than　force　or　worldly　prudence。　　Force



destroys　enemies；　and　the　best　that