lecture08-第7章

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complications；　and　cruelties　of　our　polite　civilization　are



profoundly　unsatisfying；　and　for　whom　the　eternal　veracities　lie



with　more　natural　and　animal　things。　　His　crisis　was　the　getting



of　his　soul　in　order；　the　discovery　of　its　genuine　habitat　and



vocation；　the　escape　from　falsehoods　into　what　for　him　were　ways



of　truth。　　It　was　a　case　of　heterogeneous　personality　tardily　and



slowly　finding　its　unity　and　level。　And　though　not　many　of　us　can



imitate　Tolstoy；　not　having　enough；　perhaps；　of　the　aboriginal



human　marrow　in　our　bones；　most　of　us　may　at　least　feel　as　if　it



might　be　better　for　us　if　we　could。







Bunyan's　recovery　seems　to　have　been　even　slower。　　For　years



together　he　was　alternately　haunted　with　texts　of　Scripture；　now



up　and　now　down；　but　at　last　with　an　ever　growing　relief　in　his



salvation　through　the　blood　of　Christ。







〃My　peace　would　be　in　and　out　twenty　times　a　day；　comfort　now　and



trouble　presently；　peace　now　and　before　I　could　go　a　furlong　as



full　of　guilt　and　fear　as　ever　heart　could　hold。〃　　When　a　good



text　comes　home　to　him；　〃This；〃　he　writes；　〃gave　me　good



encouragement　for　the　space　of　two　or　three　hours〃；　or　〃This　was



a　good　day　to　me；　I　hope　I　shall　not　forget　it〃；　or　〃The　glory　of



these　words　was　then　so　weighty　on　me　that　I　was　ready　to　swoon



as　I　sat；　yet；　not　with　grief　and　trouble；　but　with　solid　joy　and



peace〃；　or　〃This　made　a　strange　seizure　on　my　spirit；　it　brought



light　with　it；　and　commanded　a　silence　in　my　heart　of　all　those



tumultuous　thoughts　that　before　did　use；　like　masterless



hell…hounds；　to　roar　and　bellow　and　make　a　hideous　noise　within



me。　　It　showed　me　that　Jesus　Christ　had　not　quite　forsaken　and



cast　off　my　Soul。〃







Such　periods　accumulate　until　he　can　write：　　〃And　now　remained



only　the　hinder　part　of　the　tempest；　for　the　thunder　was　gone



beyond　me；　only　some　drops　would　still　remain；　that　now　and　then



would　fall　upon　me〃；and　at　last：　　〃Now　did　my　chains　fall　off



my　legs　indeed；　I　was　loosed　from　my　afflictions　and　irons；　my



temptations　also　fled　away；　so　that　from　that　time；　those



dreadful　Scriptures　of　God　left　off　to　trouble　me；　now　went　I



also　home　rejoicing；　for　the　grace　and　love　of　God。　。　。　。　Now



could　I　see　myself　in　Heaven　and　Earth　at　once；　in　Heaven　by　my



Christ；　by　my　Head；　by　my　Righteousness　and　Life；　though　on



Earth　by　my　body　or　person。　。　。　。　　Christ　was　a　precious　Christ



to　my　soul　that　night；　I　could　scarce　lie　in　my　bed　for　joy　and



peace　and　triumph　through　Christ。〃







Bunyan　became　a　minister　of　the　gospel；　and　in　spite　of　his



neurotic　constitution；　and　of　the　twelve　years　he　lay　in　prison



for　his　non…conformity；　his　life　was　turned　to　active　use。　　He



was　a　peacemaker　and　doer　of　good；　and　the　immortal　Allegory



which　he　wrote　has　brought　the　very　spirit　of　religious　patience



home　to　English　hearts。







But　neither　Bunyan　nor　Tolstoy　could　become　what　we　have　called



healthy…minded。　　They　had　drunk　too　deeply　of　the　cup　of



bitterness　ever　to　forget　its　taste；　and　their　redemption　is　into



a　universe　two　stories　deep。　　Each　of　them　realized　a　good　which



broke　the　effective　edge　of　his　sadness；　yet　the　sadness　was



preserved　as　a　minor　ingredient　in　the　heart　of　the　faith　by



which　it　was　overcome。　　The　fact　of　interest　for　us　is　that　as　a



matter　of　fact　they　could　and　did　find　SOMETHING　welling　up　in



the　inner　reaches　of　their　consciousness；　by　which　such　extreme



sadness　could　be　overcome。　　Tolstoy　does　well　to　talk　of　it　as



THAT　BY　WHICH　MEN　LIVE；　for　that　is　exactly　what　it　is；　a



stimulus；　an　excitement；　a　faith；　a　force　that　re…infuses　the



positive　willingness　to　live；　even　in　full　presence　of　the　evil



perceptions　that　erewhile　made　life　seem　unbearable。　　For



Tolstoy's　perceptions　of　evil　appear　within　their　sphere　to　have



remained　unmodified。　　His　later　works　show　him　implacable　to　the



whole　system　of　official　values：　　the　ignobility　of　fashionable



life；　the　infamies　of　empire；　the　spuriousness　of　the　church；　the



vain　conceit　of　the　professions；　the　meannesses　and　cruelties



that　go　with　great　success；　and　every　other　pompous　crime　and



lying　institution　of　this　world。　　To　all　patience　with　such



things　his　experience　has　been　for　him　a　perroanent　ministry　of



death。







Bunyan　also　leaves　this　world　to　the　enemy。







〃I　must　first　pass　a　sentence　of　death；〃　he　says；　〃upon



everything　that　can　properly　be　called　a　thing　of　this　life；　even



to　reckon　myself；　my　wife；　my　children；　my　health；　my　enjoyments；



and　all；　as　dead　to　me；　and　myself　as　dead　to　them；　to　trust　in



God　through　Christ；　as　touching　the　world　to　come；　and　as



touching　this　world；　to　count　the　grave　my　house；　to　make　my　bed



in　darkness；　and　to　say　to　corruption；　Thou　art　my　father　and　to



the　worm；　Thou　art　my　mother　and　sister。　。　。　。　　The　parting　with



my　wife　and　my　poor　children　hath　often　been　to　me　as　the　pulling



of　my　flesh　from　my　bones；　especially　my　poor　blind　child　who　lay



nearer　my　heart　than　all　I　had　besides。　　Poor　child；　thought　I；



what　sorrow　art　thou　like　to　have　for　thy　portion　in　this　world！



Thou　must　be　beaten；　must　beg；　suffer　hunger；　cold；　nakedness；



and　a　thousand　calamities；　though　I　cannot　now　endure　that　the



wind　should　blow　upon　thee。　　But　yet　I　must　venture　you　all　with



God；　though　it　goeth　to　the　quick　to　leave　you。〃＇97＇







＇97＇　In　my　quotations　from　Bunyan　I　have　omitted　certain



intervening　portions　of　the　text。















The　〃hue　of　resolution〃　is　there；　but　the　full　flood　of　ecstatic



liberation　seems　never　to　have　poured　over　poor　John　Bunyan's



soul。







These　examples　may　suffice　to　acquaint　us　in　a　general　way　with



the　phenomenon　technically　called　〃Conversion。〃　　In　the　next



lecture　I　shall　invite　you　to　study　its　peculiarities　and



concomitants　in　some　detail。