lecture19-第2章

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communities　is　a　little　hard　to　account　for。　　Reaction　against



popery　is　of　course　the　historic　explanation；　for　in　popery



confession　went　with　penances　and　absolution；　and　other



inadmissible　practices。　　But　on　the　　side　of　the　sinner



himself　it　seems　as　if　the　need　ought　to　have　been　too　great　to



accept　so　summary　a　refusal　of　its　satisfaction。　　One　would　think



that　in　more　men　the　shell　of　secrecy　would　have　had　to　open；　the



pent…in　abscess　to　burst　and　gain　relief；　even　though　the　ear



that　heard　the　confession　were　unworthy。　　The　Catholic　church；



for　obvious　utilitarian　reasons；　has　substituted　auricular



confession　to　one　priest　for　the　more　radical　act　of　public



confession。　　We　English…speaking　Protestants；　in　the　general



self…reliance　and　unsociability　of　our　nature；　seem　to　find　it



enough　if　we　take　God　alone　into　our　confidence。＇307＇







＇307＇　A　fuller　discussion　of　confession　is　contained　in　the



excellent　work　by　Frank　Granger：　　The　Soul　of　a　Christian；



London；　1900；　ch。　xii。















The　next　topic　on　which　I　must　comment　is　Prayerand　this　time



it　must　be　less　briefly。　　We　have　heard　much　talk　of　late　against



prayer；　especially　against　prayers　for　better　weather　and　for　the



recovery　of　sick　people。　　As　regards　prayers　for　the　sick；　if　any



medical　fact　can　be　considered　to　stand　firm；　it　is　that　in



certain　environments　prayer　may　contribute　to　recovery；　and



should　be　encouraged　as　a　therapeutic　measure。　　Being　a　normal



factor　of　moral　health　in　the　person；　its　omission　would　be



deleterious。　　The　case　of　the　weather　is　different。　



Notwithstanding　the　recency　of　the　opposite　belief；＇308＇　every



one　now　knows　that　droughts　and　storms　follow　from　physical



antecedents；　and　that　moral　appeals　cannot　avert　them。　　But



petitional　prayer　is　only　one　department　of　prayer；　and　if　we



take　the　word　in　the　wider　sense　as　meaning　every　kind　of　inward



communion　or　conversation　with　the　power　recognized　as　divine；　we



can　easily　see　that　scientific　criticism　leaves　it　untouched。







＇308＇　Example：　　〃The　minister　at　Sudbury；　being　at　the　Thursday



lecture　in　Boston；　heard　the　officiating　clergyman　praying　for



rain。　　As　soon　as　the　service　was　over；　he　went　to　the　petitioner



and　said　'You　Boston　ministers；　as　soon　as　a　tulip　wilts　under



your　windows；　go　to　church　and　pray　for　rain；　until　all　Concord



and　Sudbury　are　under　water。'〃　　R。　W。　Emerson：　　Lectures　and



Biographical　Sketches；　p。　363。















Prayer　in　this　wide　sense　is　the　very　soul　and　essence　of



religion。　　〃Religion；〃　says　a　liberal　French　theologian；　〃is　an



intercourse；　a　conscious　and　voluntary　relation；　entered　into　by



a　soul　in　distress　with　the　mysterious　power　upon　which　it　feels



itself　to　depend；　and　upon　which　its　fate　is　contingent。　　This



intercourse　with　God　is　realized　by　prayer。　　Prayer　is　religion



in　act；　that　is；　prayer　is　real　religion。　　It　is　prayer　that



distinguishes　the　religious　phenomenon　from　such　similar　or



neighboring　phenomena　as　purely　moral　or　aesthetic　sentiment。　



Religion　is　nothing　if　it　be　not　the　vital　act　by　which　the



entire　mind　seeks　to　save　itself　by　clinging　to　the　principle



from　which　it　draws　its　life。　　This　act　is　prayer；　by　which　term



I　understand　no　vain　exercise　of　words；　no　mere　repetition　of



certain　sacred　formula；　but　the　very　movement　itself　of　the　soul；



putting　itself　in　a　personal　relation　of　contact　with　the



mysterious　power　of　which　it　feels　the　presenceit　may　be　even



before　it　has　a　name　by　which　to　call　it。　　Wherever　this　interior



prayer　is　lacking；　there　is　no　religion；　wherever；　on　the　other



hand；　this　prayer　rises　and　stirs　the　soul；　even　in　the　absence



of　forms　or　of　doctrines；　we　have　living　religion。　　One　sees　from



this　why　〃natural　religion；　so…called；　is　not　properly　a



religion。　　It　cuts　man　off　from　prayer。　　It　leaves　him　and　God　in



mutual　remoteness；　with　no　intimate　commerce；　no　interior



dialogue；　no　interchange；　no　action　of　God　in　man；　no　return　of



man　to　God。　　At　bottom　this　pretended　religion　is　only　a



philosophy。　　Born　at　epochs　of　rationalism；　of　critical



investigations；　it　never　was　anything　but　an　abstraction。　　An



artificial　and　dead　creation；　it　reveals　to　its　examiner　hardly



one　of　the　characters　proper　to　religion。〃＇309＇







＇309＇　Auguste　Sabatier：　　Esquisse　d'une　Philosophie　de　la



Religion。　2me　ed。；　1897；　pp。　24…26；　abridged。















It　seems　to　me　that　the　entire　series　of　our　lectures　proves　the



truth　of　M。　Sabatier's　contention。　　The　religious　phenomenon；



studied　as　in　Inner　fact；　and　apart　from　ecclesiastical　or



theological　complications；　has　shown　itself　to　consist



everywhere；　and　at　all　its　stages；　in　the　consciousness　which



individuals　have　of　an　intercourse　between　themselves　and　higher



powers　with　which　they　feel　themselves　to　be　related。　This



intercourse　is　realized　at　the　time　as　being　both　active　and



mutual。　　If　it　be　not　effective；　if　it　be　not　a　give　and　take



relation；　if　nothing　be　really　transacted　while　it　lasts；　if　the



world　is　in　no　whit　different　for　its　having　taken　place；　then



prayer；　taken　in　this　wide　meaning　of　a　sense　that　SOMETHING　IS



TRANSACTING；　is　of　course　a　feeling　of　what　is　illusory；　and



religion　must　on　the　whole　be　classed；　not　simply　as　containing



elements　of　delusionthese　undoubtedly　everywhere　existbut　as



being　rooted　in　delusion　altogether；　just　as　materialists　and



atheists　have　always　said　it　was。　　At　most　there　might　remain；



when　the　direct　experiences　of　prayer　were　ruled　out　as　false



witnesses；　some　inferential　belief　that　the　whole　order　of



existence　must　have　a　divine　cause。　　But　this　way　of



contemplating　nature；　pleasing　as　it　would　doubtless　be　to



persons　of　a　pious　taste；　would　leave　to　them　but　the　spectators'



part　at　a　play；　whereas　in　experimental　religion　and　the



prayerful　life；　we　seem　ourselves　to　be　actors；　and　not　in　a



play；　but　in　a　very　serious　reality。







The　genuineness　of　religion　is　thus　indissolubly　bound　up　with



the　question　whether　the　prayerful　consciousness　be　or　be　not



deceitful。　　The　conviction　that　something　is　genuinely　transacted



in　this　consciousness　is　the　very　core　of　living　religion。　　As　to



what　is　transacted；　great　differences　of　opinion　have　prevailed。　



The　unseen　powers　have　been　supposed；　and　are　yet　supposed；　to　do



things　which　no　enlightened　man　can　nowadays　believe　in。　　It　may



well　prove　that　the　sphere　of　influence　in　prayer　is　subjective



exclusively；　and　that　what　is　immediately　changed　is　only　the



mind　of　the　praying　person。　　But　however　our　opinion　of　prayer's



effects　may　come　to　be　limited　by　criticism；　religion；　in　the



vital　sense　in　which　these　lectures　study　it；　must　stand　or　fall



by　the　persuasion　that　effects　of　some　sort　genuinely　do　occur。　



Through　prayer；　religion　insists；　things　which　cannot　be　realized



in　any　other　manner　come　about：　　energy　which　but　for　prayer



would　be　bound　is　by　prayer　set　free　and　operates　in　some　part；



be　it　objective　or　subjective；　of　the　world　of　facts。







This　postulate　is　strikingly　expressed　in　a　letter　written　by　the



late　Frederic　W。　H。　Myers　to　a　friend；　who　allows　me　to　quote



from　it。　　It　shows　how　independent　the　prayer…instinct　is　of



usual　doctrinal　complications。　　Mr。　Myers　writes：







〃I　am　glad　that　you　have　asked　me　about　prayer；　because　I　have



rather　strong　ideas　on　the　subject。　　First　consider　what　are　the



facts。　　There　exists　around　us　a　spiritual　universe；　and　that



universe　is　in　actual　relation　with　the　material。　　From　the



spiritual　universe　comes　the　energy　which　maintains　the　material；



the　energy　which　makes　the　life　of　each　individual　spirit。　　Our



spirits　are　supported　by　a　perpetual　indrawal　of　this　energy；　and



the　vigor　of　that　indrawal　is　perpetually　changing；　much　as　the



vigor　of　our　absorption　of　material　nutriment　changes　from　hour



to　hour。







〃I　call　these　'facts'　because　I　think　that　some　scheme　of　this



kind　is　the　only　one　consistent　with　our　actual　evidence；　too



complex　to　summarize　here。　　How；　then；　should　we　ACT　on　these



facts？　　Plainly　we　must　endeavor　to　draw　in　as　much　spiritual



life　as　possible；　and　we　must　place　our　minds　in　any　attitude



which　experience　shows　to　be　favorable　to　such　indrawal。　　PRAYER



is　the　general　name　for　that　attitude　of　open　and　earnest



expectancy。　　If　we　then　ask　to　whom　to　pray；　the　answer



（strangely　enough）　must　be　that　THAT　does　not　much　matter。　　The



prayer　is　not　indeed　a　purely　subjective　thing；it　means　a　real



increase　in　intensity　of　absorption　of　spiritual　power　or



grace；but　we　do　not　know　enough　of　what　takes　place　in　the



spiritual　world　to　know　how　the　prayer　operates；WHO　is



cognizant　of　it；　or　through　what　channel　the　grace　is　given。　



Better　let　children　pray　to　Christ；　who　is　at　any　rate　the



highest　individual　spirit　of　whom　we　have　any　knowledge。　　But　it



would　be　rash　to　say　that　Christ　himself　HEARS　US；　while　to　say



that　GOD　hears　us　is　merely　to　restate　the　first　principlethat



grace　flows　in　from　the　infinite　spiritual　world。〃







Let　us　reserve　the　question　of　the　truth　or　falsehood　of　the



belief　that　power　is　absorbed　until　the　next　lecture；　when　our



dogmatic　conclusions；　if　we　have　any；　must　be　reached。　Let　this



lecture　still　confine　itself　to　the　description　of　phenomena；　and



as　a　concrete　example　of　an　extreme　sort；　of　the　way　in　which　the



prayerful　life　may　still　be　led；　let　me　take　a　case　with　which



most　of　you　must　be　acquainted；　that　of　George　Muller　of　Bristol；



who　died　in　1898。　　Muller's　prayers　were　of　the　crassest



petitional　order。　　Early　in　life　he　resolved　on　taking　certain



Bible　promises　in　literal　sincerity；　and　on　letting　himself　be



fed；　not　by　his　own　worldly　foresight；　but　by　the　Lord's　hand。　



He　had　an　extraordinarily　active　and　successful　career；　among　the



fruits　of　which　were　the　distribution　of　over　two　million　copies



of　the　Scripture　text；　in　different　languages；　the　equipment　of



several　hundred　missionaries；　the　circulation　of　more　than　a



hundred　and　eleven　million　of　scriptural　books；　pamphlets；　and



tracts；　the　building　of　five　large　orphanages；　and　the　keeping



and　educating　of　thousands　of　orphans；　finally；　the　establishment



of　schools　in　which　over　a　hundred　and　twenty…one　thousand