lecture02-第5章

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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



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　wh