lecture02-第7章

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



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



with　the　entire　field　of　the　soul's　liberation　from　oppressive



moods。







〃The　simplest　functions　of　physiological　life；〃　he　writes　may　be



its　ministers。　　Every　one　who　is　at　all　acquainted　with　the



Persian　mystics　knows　how　wine　may　be　regarded　as　an　instrument



of　religion。　　Indeed；　in　all　countries　and　in　all　ages　some　form



of　physical　enlargementsinging；　dancing；　drinking；　sexual



excitementhas　been　intimately　associated　with　worship。　Even　the



momentary　expansion　of　the　soul　in　laughter　is；　to　however　slight



an　extent；　a　religious　exercise。　。　。　。　Whenever　an　impulse　from



the　world　strikes　against　the　organism；　and　the　resultant　is　not



discomfort　or　pain；　not　even　the　muscular　contraction　of



strenuous　manhood；　but　a　joyous　expansion　or　aspiration　of　the



whole　soulthere　is　religion。　It　is　the　infinite　for　which　we



hunger；　and　we　ride　gladly　on　every　little　wave　that　promises　to



bear　us　towards　it。〃＇19＇







＇19＇　The　New　Spirit；　p。　232。















But　such　a　straight　identification　of　religion　with　any　and　every



form　of　happiness　leaves　the　essential　peculiarity　of　religious



happiness　out。　　The　more　commonplace　happinesses　which　we　get　are



〃reliefs；〃　occasioned　by　our　momentary　escapes　from　evils　either



experienced　or　threatened。　But　in　its　most　characteristic



embodiments；　religious　happiness　is　no　mere　feeling　of　escape。　



It　cares　no　longer　to　escape。　　It　consents　to　the　evil　outwardly



as　a　form　of　sacrificeinwardly　it　knows　it　to　be　permanently



overcome。　If　you　ask　HOW　religion　thus　falls　on　the　thorns　and



faces　death；　and　in　the　very　act　annuls　annihilation；　I　cannot



explain　the　matter；　for　it　is　religion's　secret；　and　to



understand　it　you　must　yourself　have　been　a　religious　man　of　the



extremer　type。　　In　our　future　examples；　even　of　the　simplest　and



healthiest…minded　type　of　religious　consciousness；　we　shall　find



this　complex　sacrificial　constitution；　in　which　a　higher



happiness　holds　a　lower　unhappiness　in　check。　　In　the　Louvre



there　is　a　picture；　by　Guido　Reni；　of　St。　Michael　with　his　foot



on　Satan's　neck。　　The　richness　of　the　picture　is　in　large　part



due　to　the　fiend's　figure　being　there。　　The　richness　of　its



allegorical　meaning　also　is　due　to　his　being　therethat　is；　the



world　is　all　the　richer　for　having　a　devil　in　it；　SO　LONG　AS　WE



KEEP　OUR　FOOT　UPON　HIS　NECK。　　In　the　religious　consciousness；



that　is　just　the　position　in　which　the　fiend；　the　negative　or



tragic　principle；　is　found；　and　for　that　very　reason　the



religious　consciousness　is　so　rich　from　the　emotional　point　of



view。＇20＇　　We　shall　see　how　in　certain　men　and　women　it　takes　on



a　monstrously　ascetic　form。　　There　are　saints　who　have　literally



fed　on　the　negative　principle；　on　humiliation　and　privation；　and



the　thought　of　suffering　and　deaththeir　souls　growing　in



happiness　just　in　proportion　as　their　outward　state　grew　more



intolerable。　　No　other　emotion　than　religious　emotion　can　bring　a



man　to　this　peculiar　pass。　　And　it　is　for　that　reason　that　when



we　ask　our　question　about　the　value　of　religion　for　human　life；　I



think　we　ought　to　look　for　the　answer　among　these　violenter



examples　rather　than　among　those　of　a　more　moderate　hue。







＇20＇　I　owe　this　allegorical　illustration　to　my　lamented　colleague



and　Friend；　Charles　Carroll　Everett。















Having　the　phenomenon　of　our　study　in　its　acutest　possible　form



to　start　with；　we　can　shade　down　as　much　as　we　please　later。　　And



if　in　these　cases；　repulsive　as　they　are　to　our　ordinary　worldly



way　of　judging；　we　find　ourselves　compelled　to　acknowledge



religion's　value　and　treat　it　with　respect；　it　will　have　proved



in　some　way　its　value　for　life　at　large。　　By　subtracting　and



toning　down　extravagances　we　may　thereupon　proceed　to　trace　the



boundaries　of　its　legitimate　sway。







To　be　sure；　it　makes　our　task　difficult　to　have　to　deal　so　muck



with　eccentricities　and　extremes。　　〃How　CAN　religion　on　the　whole



be　the　most　important　of　all　human　functions；〃　you　may　ask；　〃if



every　several　manifestation　of　it　in　turn　have　to　be　corrected



and　sobered　down　and　pruned　away？〃　　







Such　a　thesis　seems　a　paradox　impossible　to　sustain



reasonablyyet　I　believe　that　something　like　it　will　have　to　be



our　final　contention。　　That　personal　attitude　which　the



individual　finds　himself　impelled　to　take　up　towards　what　he



apprehends　to　be　the　divineand　you　will　remember　that　this　was



our　definitionwill　prove　to　be　both　a　helpless　and　a



sacrificial　attitude。　　That　is；　we　shall　have　to　confess　to　at



least　some　amount　of　dependence　on　sheer　mercy；　and　to　practice



some　amount　of　renunciation；　great　or　small；　to　save　our　souls



alive。　　The　constitution　of　the　world　we　live　in　requires　it：







　　　　　　　　　　〃Entbehren　sollst　du！　sollst　entbehren！



　　　　　　　　　　　Das　ist　der　ewige　Gesang



　　　　　　　　　　　Der　jedem　an　die　Ohren　klingt；



　　　　　　　　　　　Den；　unser　ganzes　Leben　lang



　　　　　　　　　　　Uns　heiser　jede　Stunde　singt。〃







For　when　all　is　said　and　done；　we　are　in　the　end　absolutely



dependent　on　the　universe；　and　into　sacrifices　and　surrenders　of



some　sort；　deliberately　looked　at　and　accepted；　we　are　drawn　and



pressed　as　into　our　only　permanent　positions　of　repose。　　Now　in



those　states　of　mind　which　fall　short　of　religion；　the　surrender



is　submitted　to　as　an　imposition　of　necessity；　and　the　sacrifice



is　undergone　at　the　very　best　without　complaint。　　In　the



religious　life；　on　the　contrary；　surrender　and　sacrifice　are



positively　espoused：　　even　unnecessary　givings…up　are　added　in



order　that　the　happiness　may　increase。　　Religion　thus　makes　easy



and　felicitous　what　in　any　case　is　necessary；　and　if　it　be　the



only　agency　that　can　accomplish　this　result；　its　vital　importance



as　a　human　faculty　stands　vindicated　beyond　dispute。　　It　becomes



an　essential　organ　of　our　life；　performing　a　function　which　no



other　portion　of　our　nature　can　so　successfully　fulfill。　　From



the　merely　biological　point　of　view；　so　to　call　it；　this　is　a



conclusion　to　which；　so　far　as　I　can　now　see；　we　shall　inevitably



be　led；　and　led　moreover　by　following　the　purely　empirical　method



of　demonstration　which　I　sketched　to　you　in　the　first　lecture。　



Of　the　farther　office　of　religion　as　a　metaphysical　revelation　I



will　say　nothing　now。







But　to　foreshadow　the　terminus　of　one's　investigations　is　one



thing；　and　to　arrive　there　safely　is　another。　　In　the　next



lecture；　abandoning　the　extreme　generalities　which　have　engrossed



us　hitherto；　I　propose　that　we　begin　our　actual　journey　by



addressing　ourselves　directly　to　the　concrete　facts。