lectures11-13-第13章

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have　no　control　except　over　the　part　which　I　occupy；　the　instant



I　move；　frost　takes　possession。〃'　　In　sickness　only　would　he



change　for　the　time　his　apartment　and　accept　a　few　comforts。　The



dress　too　that　he　habitually　adopted　was　of　most　inferior



quality；　and　garments　were　constantly　worn　which　the　world　would



call　mean；　though　an　almost　feminine　neatness　preserved　him　from



the　least　appearance　of　neglect。〃＇177＇







＇177＇　Memoirs　of　W。　E。　Channing；　Boston；　1840；　i。　196。















Channing's　asceticism；　such　as　it　was；　was　evidently　a　compound



of　hardihood　and　love　of　purity。　　The　democracy　which　is　an



offshoot　of　the　enthusiasm　of　humanity；　and　of　which　I　will　speak



later　under　the　head　of　the　cult　of　poverty；　doubtless　bore　also



a　share。　　Certainly　there　was　no　pessimistic　element　in　his　case。







In　the　next　case　we　have　a　strongly　pessimistic　element；　so　that



it　belongs　under　head　4。　　John　Cennick　was　Methodism's　first　lay



preacher。　　In　1735　he　was　convicted　of　sin；　while　walking　in



Cheapside







〃And　at　once　left　off　sing…singing；　card…playing；　and　attending



theatres。　　Sometimes　he　wished　to　go　to　a　popish　monastery；　to



spend　his　life　in　devout　retirement。　　At　other　times　he　longed　to



live　in　a　cave；　sleeping　on　fallen　leaves；　and　feeding　on　forest



fruits。　　He　fasted　long　and　often；　and　prayed　nine　times　a　day。　。



。　。　Fancying　dry　bread　too　great　an　indulgence　for　so　great　a



sinner　as　himself；　he　began　to　feed　on　potatoes；　acorns；　crabs；



and　grass；　and　often　wished　that　he　could　live　on　roots　and



herbs。　　At　length；　in　1737；　he　found　peace　with　God；　and　went　on



his　way　rejoicing。〃＇178＇







＇178＇　L。　Tyerman：　　The　Life　and　Times　of　the　Rev。　John　Wesley；　i。



274。















In　this　poor　man　we　have　morbid　melancholy　and　fear；　and　the



sacrifices　made　are　to　purge　out　sin；　and　to　buy　safety。　　The



hopelessness　of　Christian　theology　in　respect　of　the　flesh　and



the　natural　man　generally　has；　in　systematizing　fear；　made　of　it



one　tremendous　incentive　to　self…mortification。　　It　would　be



quite　unfair；　however；　in　spite　of　the　fact　that　this　incentive



has　often　been　worked　in　a　mercenary　way　for　hortatory　purposes；



to　call　it　a　mercenary　incentive。　　The　impulse　to　expiate　and　do



penance　is；　in　its　first　intention；　far　too　immediate　and



spontaneous　an　expression　of　self…despair　and　anxiety　to　be



obnoxious　to　any　such　reproach。　　In　the　form　of　loving　sacrifice；



of　spending　all　we　have　to　show　our　devotion；　ascetic　discipline



of　the　severest　sort　may　be　the　fruit　of　highly　optimistic



religious　feeling。







M。　Vianney；　the　cure　of　Ars；　was　a　French　country　priest；　whose



holiness　was　exemplary。　　We　read　in　his　life　the　following



account　of　his　inner　need　of　sacrifice：







〃'On　this　path；'　M。　Vianney　said；　〃it　is　only　the　first　step



that　costs。　　There　is　in　mortification　a　balm　and　a　savor　without



which　one　cannot　live　when　once　one　has　made　their　acquaintance。



There　is　but　one　way　in　which　to　give　one's　self　to　God　that



is；　to　give　one's　self　entirely；　and　to　keep　nothing　for　one's



self。　　The　little　that　one　keeps　is　only　good　to　trouble　one　and



make　one　suffer。'　　Accordingly　he　imposed　it　on　himself　that　he



should　never　smell　a　flower；　never　drink　when　parched　with



thirst；　never　drive　away　a　fly；　never　show　disgust　before　a



repugnant　object；　never　complain　of　anything　that　had　to　do　with



his　personal　comfort；　never　sit　down；　never　lean　upon　his　elbows



when　he　was　kneeling。　　The　Cure　of　Ars　was　very　sensitive　to



cold；　but　he　would　never　take　means　to　protect　himself　against



it。　　During　a　very　severe　winter；　one　of　his　missionaries



contrived　a　false　floor　to　his　confessional　and　placed　a　metal



case　of　hot　water　beneath。　　The　trick　succeeded；　and　the　Saint



was　deceived：　　'God　is　very　good；'　he　said　with　emotion。　　'This



year；　through　all　the　cold；　my　feet　have　always　been　warm。'



〃＇179＇







＇179＇　A。　Mounin：　　Le　Cure　d'Ars；　vie　de　M。　J。　B。　M。　Vianney；



1864；　p。　545；　abridged。















In　this　case　the　spontaneous　impulse　to　make　sacrifices　for　the



pure　love　of　God　was　probably　the　uppermost　conscious　motive。　　We



may　class　it；　then；　under　our　head　3。　　Some　authors　think　that



the　impulse　to　sacrifice　is　the　main　religious　phenomenon。　　It　is



a　prominent；　a　universal　phenomenon　certainly；　and　lies　deeper



than　any　special　creed。　　Here；　for　instance；　is　what　seems　to　be



a　spontaneous　example　of　it；　simply　expressing　what　seemed　right



at　the　time　between　the　individual　and　his　Maker。　　Cotton　Mather；



the　New　England　Puritan　divine；　is　generally　reputed　a　rather



grotesque　pedant；　yet　what　is　more　touchingly　simple　than　his



relation　of　what　happened　when　his　wife　came　to　die？







〃When　I　saw　to　what　a　point　of　resignation　I　was　now　called　of



the　Lord；〃　he　says；　〃I　resolved；　with　his　help；　therein　to



glorify　him。　　So；　two　hours　before　my　lovely　consort　expired；　I



kneeled　by　her　bedside；　and　I　took　into　my　two　hands　a　dear　hand；



the　dearest　in　the　world。　　With　her　thus　in　my　hands；　I　solemnly



and　sincerely　gave　her　up　unto　the　Lord：　　and　in　token　of　my　real



RESIGNATION；　I　gently　put　her　out　of　my　hands；　and　laid　away　a



most　lovely　hand；　resolving　that　I　would　never　touch　it　more。　



This　was　the　hardest；　and　perhaps　the　bravest　action　that　ever　I



did。　　She　。　。　。　told　me　that　she　signed　and　sealed　my　act　of



resignation。　　And　though　before　that　she　called　for　me



continually；　she　after　this　never　asked　for　me　any　more。〃＇180＇







＇180＇　B。　Wendell：　　Cotton　Mather；　New　York；　no　date；　p。　198。















Father　Vianney's　asceticism　taken　in　its　totality　was　simply　the



result　of　a　permanent　flood　of　high　spiritual　enthusiasm；　longing



to　make　proof　of　itself。　　The　Roman　Church　has；　in　its



incomparable　fashion；　collected　all　the　motives　towards



asceticism　together；　and　so　codified　them　that　any　one　wishing　to



pursue　Christian　perfection　may　find　a　practical　system　mapped



out　for　him　in　any　one　of　a　number　of　ready…made　manuals。＇181＇



The　dominant　Church　notion　of　perfection　is　of　course　the



negative　one　of　avoidance　of　sin。　　Sin　proceeds　from



concupiscence；　and　concupiscence　from　our　carnal　passions　and



temptations；　chief　of　which　are　pride；　sensuality　in　all　its



forms；　and　the　loves　of　worldly　excitement　and　possession。　　All



these　sources　of　sin　must　be　resisted；　and　discipline　and



austerities　are　a　most　efficacious　mode　of　meeting　them。　　Hence



there　are　always　in　these　books　chapters　on　self…mortification。　



But　whenever　a　procedure　is　codified；　the　more　delicate　spirit　of



it　evaporates；　and　if　we　wish　the　undiluted　ascetic　spiritthe



passion　of　self…contempt　wreaking　itself　on　the　poor　flesh；　the



divine　irrationality　of　devotion　making　a　sacrificial　gift　of　all



it　has　（its　sensibilities；　namely）　to　the　object　of　its



adorationwe　must　go　to　autobiographies；　or　other　individual



documents。







＇181＇　That　of　the　earlier　Jesuit；　Rodriguez；　which　has　been



translated　into　all　languages；　is　one　of　the　best　known。　　A



convenient　modern　manual；　very　well　put　together；　is　L'Ascetique



Chretienne；　by　M。　J。　Ribet；　Paris；　Poussielgue；　nouvelle　edition；



1898。















Saint　John　of　the　Cross；　a　Spanish　mystic　who　flourishedor



rather　who　existed；　for　there　was　little　that　suggested



flourishing　about　himin　the　sixteenth　century；　will　supply　a



passage　suitable　for　our　purpose。







〃First　of　all；　carefully　excite　in　yourself　an　habitual



a