lecture02-第6章

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of　an　organ；　to　ask　after　its　most　peculiar　and　characteristic



sort　of　performance；　and　to　seek　its　office　in　that　one　of　its



functions　which　no　other　organ　can　possibly　exert。　　Surely　the



same　maxim　holds　good　in　our　present　quest。　　The　essence　of



religious　experiences；　the　thing　by　which　we　finally　must　judge



them；　must　be　that　element　or　quality　in　them　which　we　can　meet



nowhere　else。　　And　such　a　quality　will　be　of　course　most



prominent　and　easy　to　notice　in　those　religious　experiences　which



are　most　one…sided；　exaggerated；　and　intense。







Now　when　we　compare　these　intenser　experiences　with　the



experiences　of　tamer　minds；　so　cool　and　reasonable　that　we　are



tempted　to　call　them　philosophical　rather　than　religious；　we　find



a　character　that　is　perfectly　distinct。　　That　character；　it　seems



to　me；　should　be　regarded　as　the　practically　important



differentia　of　religion　for　our　purpose；　and　just　what　it　is　can



easily　be　brought　out　by　comparing　the　mind　of　an　abstractly



conceived　Christian　with　that　of　a　moralist　similarly　conceived。







A　life　is　manly；　stoical；　moral；　or　philosophical；　we　say；　in



proportion　as　it　is　less　swayed　by　paltry　personal　considerations



and　more　by　objective　ends　that　call　for　energy；　even　though　that



energy　bring　personal　loss　and　pain。　　This　is　the　good　side　of



war；　in　so　far　as　it　calls　for　〃volunteers。〃　　And　for　morality



life　is　a　war；　and　the　service　of　the　highest　is　a　sort　of　cosmic



patriotism　which　also　calls　for　volunteers。　　Even　a　sick　man；



unable　to　be　militant　outwardly；　can　carry　on　the　moral　warfare。　



He　can　willfully　turn　his　attention　away　from　his　own　future；



whether　in　this　world　or　the　next。　　He　can　train　himself　to



indifference　to　his　present　drawbacks　and　immerse　himself　in



whatever　objective　interests　still　remain　accessible。　　He　can



follow　public　news；　and　sympathize　with　other　people's　affairs。　



He　can　cultivate　cheerful　manners；　and　be　silent　about　his



miseries。　He　can　contemplate　whatever　ideal　aspects　of　existence



his　philosophy　is　able　to　present　to　him；　and　practice　whatever



duties；　such　as　patience；　resignation；　trust；　his　ethical　system



requires。　　Such　a　man　lives　on　his　loftiest；　largest　plane。　　He



is　a　high…hearted　freeman　and　no　pining　slave。　　And　yet　he　lacks



something　which　the　Christian　par　excellence；　the　mystic　and



ascetic　saint；　for　example；　has　in　abundant　measure；　and　which



makes　of　him　a　human　being　of　an　altogether　different



denomination。







The　Christian　also　spurns　the　pinched　and　mumping　sick…room



attitude；　and　the　lives　of　saints　are　full　of　a　kind　of



callousness　to　diseased　conditions　of　body　which　probably　no



other　human　records　show。　　But　whereas　the　merely　moralistic



spurning　takes　an　effort　of　volition；　the　Christian　spurning　is



the　result　of　the　excitement　of　a　higher　kind　of　emotion；　in　the



presence　of　which　no　exertion　of　volition　is　required。　　The



moralist　must　hold　his　breath　and　keep　his　muscles　tense；　and　so



long　as　this　athletic　attitude　is　possible　all　goes



wellmorality　suffices。　　But　the　athletic　attitude　tends　ever　to



break　down；　and　it　inevitably　does　break　down　even　in　the　most



stalwart　when　the　organism　begins　to　decay；　or　when　morbid　fears



invade　the　mind。　　To　suggest　personal　will　and　effort　to　one　all



sicklied　o'er　with　the　sense　of　irremediable　impotence　is　to



suggest　the　most　impossible　of　things。　　What　he　craves　is　to　be



consoled　in　his　very　powerlessness；　to　feel　that　the　spirit　of



the　universe　　recognizes　and　secures　him；　all　decaying　and



failing　as　he　is。　　Well；　we　are　all　such　helpless　failures　in　the



last　resort。　　The　sanest　and　best　of　us　are　of　one　clay　with



lunatics　and　prison　inmates；　and　death　finally　runs　the　robustest



of　us　down。　　And　whenever　we　feel　this；　such　a　sense　of　the



vanity　and　provisionality　of　our　voluntary　career　comes　over　us



that　all　our　morality　appears　but　as　a　plaster　hiding　a　sore　it



can　never　cure；　and　all　our　well…doing　as　the　hollowest



substitute　for　that　well…BEING　that　our　lives　ought　to　be



grounded　in；　but；　alas！　are　not。







And　here　religion　comes　to　our　rescue　and　takes　our　fate　into　her



hands。　　There　is　a　state　of　mind；　known　to　religious　men；　but　to



no　others；　in　which　the　will　to　assert　ourselves　and　hold　our　own



has　been　displaced　by　a　willingness　to　close　our　mouths　and　be　as



nothing　in　the　floods　and　waterspouts　of　God。　　In　this　state　of



mind；　what　we　most　dreaded　has　become　the　habitation　of　our



safety；　and　the　hour　of　our　moral　death　has　turned　into　our



spiritual　birthday。　　The　time　for　tension　in　our　soul　is　over；



and　that　of　happy　relaxation；　of　calm　deep　breathing；　of　an



eternal　present；　with　no　discordant　future　to　be　anxious　about；



has　arrived。　　Fear　is　not　held　in　abeyance　as　it　is　by　mere



morality；　it　is　positively　expunged　and　washed　away。







We　shall　see　abundant　examples　of　this　happy　state　of　mind　in



later　lectures　of　this　course。　　We　shall　see　how　infinitely



passionate　a　thing　religion　at　its　highest　flights　can　be。　　Like



love；　like　wrath；　like　hope；　ambition；　jealousy；　like　every　other



instinctive　eagerness　and　impulse；　it　adds　to　life　an　enchantment



which　is　not　rationally　or　logically　deducible　from　anything



else。　　This　enchantment；　coming　as　a　gift　when　it　does　comea



gift　of　our　organism；　the　physiologists　will　tell　us；　a　gift　of



God's　grace；　the　theologians　say　is　either　there　or　not　there



for　us；　and　there　are　persons　who　can　no　more　become　possessed　by



it　than　they　can　fall　in　love　with　a　given　woman　by　mere　word　of



command。　　Religious　feeling　is　thus　an　absolute　addition　to　the



Subject's　range　of　life。　　It　gives　him　a　new　sphere　of　power。



When　the　outward　battle　is　lost；　and　the　outer　world　disowns　him；



it　redeems　and　vivifies　an　interior　world　which　otherwise　would



be　an　empty　waste。







If　religion　is　to　mean　anything　definite　for　us；　it　seems　to　me



that　we　ought　to　take　it　as　meaning　this　added　dimension　of



emotion；　this　enthusiastic　temper　of　espousal；　in　regions　where



morality　strictly　so　called　can　at　best　but　bow　its　head　and



acquiesce。　　It　ought　to　mean　nothing　short　of　this　new　reach　of



freedom　for　us；　with　the　struggle　over；　the　keynote　of　the



universe　sounding　in　our　ears；　and　everlasting　possession　spread



before　our　eyes。＇18＇







＇18＇　Once　more；　there　are　plenty　of　men；　constitutionally　sombre



men；　in　whose　religious　life　this　rapturousness　is　lacking。　　They



are　religious　in　the　wider　sense；　yet　in　this　acutest　of　all



senses　they　are　not　so；　and　it　is　religion　in　the　acutest　sense



that　I　wish；　without　disputing　about　words；　to　study　first；　so　as



to　get　at　its　typical　differentia。















This　sort　of　happiness　in　the　absolute　and　everlasting　is　what　we



find　nowhere　but　in　religion。　　It　is　parted　off　from　all　mere



animal　happiness；　all　mere　enjoyment　of　the　present；　by　that



element　of　solemnity　of　which　I　have　already　made　so　much



account。　　Solemnity　is　a　hard　thing　to　define　abstractly；　but



certain　of　its　marks　are　patent　enough。　A　solemn　state　of　mind　is



never　crude　or　simpleit　seems　to　contain　a　certain　measure　of



its　own　opposite　in　solution。　A　solemn　joy　preserves　a　sort　of



bitter　in　its　sweetness；　a　solemn　sorrow　is　one　to　which　we



intimately　consent。　　But　there　are　writers　who；　realizing　that



happiness　of　a　supreme　sort　is　the　prerogative　of　religion；



forget　this　complication；　and　call　all　happiness；　as　such；



religious。　　Mr。　Havelock　Ellis；　for　example；　identifies　religion