lectures14+15-第11部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！





powerfully　successful　than　force　or　worldly　prudence。　　Force



destroys　enemies；　and　the　best　that　can　be　said　of　prudence　is



that　it　keeps　what　we　already　have　in　safety。　　But



non…resistance；　when　successful；　turns　enemies　into　friends；　and



charity　regenerates　its　objects。　　These　saintly　methods　are；　as　I



said；　creative　energies；　and　genuine　saints　find　in　the　elevated



excitement　with　which　their　faith　endows　them　an　authority　and



impressiveness　which　makes　them　irresistible　in　situations　where



men　of　shallower　nature　cannot　get　on　at　all　without　the　use　of



worldly　prudence。　　This　practical　proof　that　worldly　wisdom　may



be　safely　transcended　is　the　saint's　magic　gift　to　mankind。＇215＇



Not　only　does　his　vision　of　a　better　world　console　us　for　the



generally　prevailing　prose　and　barrenness；　but　even　when　on　the



whole　we　have　to　confess　him　ill　adapted；　he　makes　some　converts；



and　the　environment　gets　better　for　his　ministry。　　He　is　an



effective　ferment　of　goodness；　a　slow　transmuter　of　the　earthly



into　a　more　heavenly　order。







＇215＇　　The　best　missionary　lives　abound　in　the　victorious



combination　of　non…resistance　with　personal　authority。　　John　G。　



Paton；　for　example；　in　the　New　Hebrides；　among　brutish　Melanesian



cannibals；　preserves　a　charmed　life　by　dint　of　it。　　When　it　comes



to　the　point；　no　one　ever　dares　actually　to　strike　him。　　Native



converts；　inspired　by　him；　showed　analogous　virtue。　　〃One　of　our



chiefs；　full　of　the　Christ…kindled　desire　to　seek　and　to　save；



sent　a　message　to　an　inland　chief；　that　he　and　four　attendants



would　come　on　Sabbath　and　tell　them　the　gospel　of　Jehovah　God。　



The　reply　came　back　sternly　forbidding　their　visit；　and



threatening　with　death　any　Christian　that　approached　their



village。　　Our　chief　sent　in　response　a　loving　message；　telling



them　that　Jehovah　had　taught　the　Christians　to　return　good　for



evil；　and　that　they　would　come　unarmed　to　tell　them　the　story　of



how　the　Son　of　God　came　into　the　world　and　died　in　order　to　bless



and　save　his　enemies。　　The　heathen　chief　sent　back　a　stern　and



prompt　reply　once　more：　　'If　you　come；　you　will　be　killed。'　On



Sabbath　morn　the　Christian　chief　and　his　four　companions　were　met



outside　the　village　by　the　heathen　chief；　who　implored　and



threatened　them　once　more。　But　the　former　said：







〃'We　come　to　you　without　weapons　of　war！　We　come　only　to　tell



you　about　Jesus。　　We　believe　that　He　will　protect　us　to…day。'







〃As　they　pressed　steadily　forward　towards　the　village；　spears



began　to　be　thrown　at　them。　　Some　they　evaded；　being　all　except



one　dexterous　warriors；　and　others　they　literally　received　with



their　bare　hands；　and　turned　them　aside　in　an　incredible　manner。　



The　heathen；　apparently　thunderstruck　at　these　men　thus



approaching　them　without　weapons　of　war；　and　not　even　flinging



back　their　own　spears　which　they　had　caught；　after　having　thrown



what　the　old　chief　called　'a　shower　of　spears；'　desisted　from



mere　surprise。　　Our　Christian　chief　called　out；　as　he　and　his



companions　drew　up　in　the　midst　of　them　on　the　village　public



ground：







〃'Jehovah　thus　protects　us。　　He　has　given　us　all　your　spears！



Once　we　would　have　thrown　them　back　at　you　and　killed　you。　　But



now　we　come；　not　to　fight　but　to　tell　you　about　Jesus。　　He　has



changed　our　dark　hearts。　　He　asks　you　now　to　lay　down　all　these



your　other　weapons　of　war；　and　to　hear　what　we　can　tell　you　about



the　love　of　God；　our　great　Father；　the　only　living　God。'







〃The　heathen　were　perfectly　overawed。　　They　manifestly　looked　on



these　Christians　as　protected　by　some　Invisible　One。　　They



listened　for　the　first　time　to　the　story　of　the　Gospel　and　of　the



Cross。　　We　lived　to　see　that　chief　and　all　his　tribe　sitting　in



the　school　of　Christ。　　And　there　is　perhaps　not　an　island　in



these　southern　seas；　amongst　all　those　won　for　Christ；　where



similar　acts　of　heroism　on　the　part　of　converts　cannot　be



recited。〃　　　John　G。　Paton；　Missionary　to　the　New　Hebrides；　An



Autobiography；　second　part；　London；　1890；　p。　243。















In　this　respect　the　Utopian　dreams　of　social　justice　in　which



many　contemporary　socialists　and　anarchists　indulge　are；　in　spite



of　their　impracticability　and　non…adaptation　to　present



environmental　conditions；　analogous　to　the　saint's　belief　in　an



existent　kingdom　of　heaven。　　They　help　to　break　the　edge　of　the



general　reign　of　hardness　and　are　slow　leavens　of　a　better　order。







The　next　topic　in　order　is　Asceticism；　which　I　fancy　you　are　all



ready　to　consider　without　argument　a　virtue　liable　to



extravagance　and　excess。　　The　optimism　and　refinement　of　the



modern　imagination　has；　as　I　have　already　said　elsewhere；　changed



the　attitude　of　the　church　towards　corporeal　mortification；　and　a



Suso　or　a　Saint　Peter　of　Alcantara＇216＇　appear　to　us　to…day



rather　in　the　light　of　tragic　mountebanks　than　of　sane　men



inspiring　us　with　respect。　　If　the　inner　dispositions　are　right；



we　ask；　what　need　of　all　this　torment；　this　violation　of　the



outer　nature？　　It　keeps　the　outer　nature　too　important。　　Any　one



who　is　genuinely　emancipated　from　the　flesh　will　look　on



pleasures　and　pains；　abundance　and　privation；　as　alike　irrelevant



and　indifferent。　　He　can　engage　in　actions　and　experience



enjoyments　without　fear　of　corruption　or　enslavement。　　As　the



Bhagavad…Gita　says；　only　those　need　renounce　worldly　actions　who



are　still　inwardly　attached　thereto。　　If　one　be　really　unattached



to　the　fruits　of　action；　one　may　mix　in　the　world　with



equanimity。　　I　quoted　in　a　former　lecture　Saint　Augustine's



antinomian　saying：　　If　you　only　love　God　enough；　you　may　safely



follow　all　your　inclinations。　　〃He　needs　no　devotional



practices；〃　is　one　of　Ramakrishna's　maxims；　〃whose　heart　is　moved



to　tears　at　the　mere　mention　of　the　name　of　　Hari。〃＇217＇　



And　the　Buddha；　in　pointing　out　what　he　called　〃the　middle　way〃



to　his　disciples；　told　them　to　abstain　from　both　extremes；



excessive　mortification　being　as　unreal　and　unworthy　as　mere



desire　and　pleasure。　　The　only　perfect　life；　he　said；　is　that　of



inner　wisdom；　which　makes　one　thing　as　indifferent　to　us　as



another；　and　thus　leads　to　rest；　to　peace；　and　to　Nirvana。＇218＇















＇216＇　Saint　Peter；　Saint　Teresa　tells　us　in　her　autobiography



（French　translation；　p。　333）；　〃had　passed　forty　years　without



ever　sleeping　more　than　an　hour　and　a　half　a　day。　　Of　all　his



mortifications；　this　was　the　one　that　had　cost　him　the　most。　　To



compass　it；　he　kept　always　on　his　knees　or　on　his　feet。　　The



little　sleep　he　allowed　nature　to　take　was　snatched　in