lectures16+17- 第9部分

of　Henry　Thomas　Butterworth；〃　Lebanon；　Ohio；　1886。















Similarly　with　Saint　Teresa。　　〃One　day；　being　in　orison；〃　she



writes；　〃it　was　granted　me　to　perceive　in　one　instant　how　all



things　are　seen　and　contained　in　God。　　I　did　not　perceive　them　in



their　proper　form；　and　nevertheless　the　view　I　had　of　them　was　of



a　sovereign　clearness；　and　has　remained　vividly　impressed　upon　my



soul。　　It　is　one　of　the　most　signal　of　all　the　graces　which　the



Lord　has　granted　me。　。　。　。　　The　view　was　so　subtile　and　delicate



that　the　understanding　cannot　grasp　it。〃＇256＇







＇256＇　Vie；　pp。　581；　582。















She　goes　on　to　tell　how　it　was　as　if　the　Deity　were　an　enormous



and　sovereignly　limpid　diamond；　in　which　all　our　actions　were



contained　in　such　a　way　that　their　full　sinfulness　appeared



evident　as　never　before。　　On　another　day；　she　relates；　while　she



was　reciting　the　Athanasian　Creed







〃Our　Lord　made　me　comprehend　in　what　way　it　is　that　one　God　can



be　in　three　persons。　　He　made　me　see　it　so　clearly　that　I



remained　as　extremely　surprised　as　I　was　comforted；　。　。　。　and



now；　when　I　think　of　the　holy　Trinity；　or　hear　It　spoken　of；　I



understand　how　the　three　adorable　Persons　form　only　one　God　and　I



experience　an　unspeakable　happiness。〃







On　still　another　occasion；　it　was　given　to　Saint　Teresa　to　see



and　understand　in　what　wise　the　Mother　of　God　had　been　assumed



into　her　place　in　Heaven。＇257＇







＇257＇　Loc。　cit。；　p。　574















The　deliciousness　of　some　of　these　states　seems　to　be　beyond



anything　known　in　ordinary　consciousness。　　It　evidently　involves



organic　sensibilities；　for　it　is　spoken　of　as　something　too



extreme　to　be　borne；　and　as　verging　on　bodily　pain。＇258＇　　But　it



is　too　subtle　and　piercing　a　delight　for　ordinary　words　to



denote。　　God's　touches；　the　wounds　of　his　spear；　references　to



ebriety　and　to　nuptial　union　have　to　figure　in　the　phraseology　by



which　it　is　shadowed　forth。　　Intellect　and　senses　both　swoon　away



in　these　highest　states　of　ecstasy。　　〃If　our　understanding



comprehends；〃　says　Saint　Teresa；　〃it　is　in　a　mode　which　remains



unknown　to　it；　and　it　can　understand　nothing　of　what　it



comprehends。　　For　my　own　part；　I　do　not　believe　that　it　does



comprehend；　because；　as　I　said；　it　does　not　understand　itself　to



do　so。　　I　confess　that　it　is　all　a　mystery　in　which　I　am



lost。〃＇259＇　In　the　condition　called　raptus　or　ravishment　by



theologians；　breathing　and　circulation　are　so　depressed　that　it



is　a　question　among　the　doctors　whether　the　soul　be　or　be　not



temporarily　dissevered　from　the　body。　　One　must　read　Saint



Teresa's　descriptions　and　the　very　exact　distinctions　which　she



makes；　to　persuade　one's　self　that　one　is　dealing；　not　with



imaginary　experiences；　but　with　phenomena　which；　however　rare；



follow　perfectly　definite　psychological　types。







＇258＇　Saint　Teresa　discriminates　between　pain　in　which　the　body



has　a　part　and　pure　spiritual　pain　（Interior　Castle；　6th　Abode；



ch。　xi。）。　　As　for　the　bodily　part　in　these　celestial　joys；　she



speaks　of　it　as　〃penetrating　to　the　marrow　of　the　bones；　whilst



earthly　pleasures　affect　only　the　surface　of　the　senses。　　I



think；〃　she　adds；　〃that　this　is　a　just　description；　and　I　cannot



make　it　better。〃　　　Ibid。；　5th　Abode；　ch。　i。







＇259＇　Vie；　p。　198。















To　the　medical　mind　these　ecstasies　signify　nothing　but　suggested



and　imitated　hypnoid　states；　on　an　intellectual　basis　of



superstition；　and　a　corporeal　one　of　degeneration　and　hysteria。　



Undoubtedly　these　pathological　conditions　have　existed　in　many



and　possibly　in　all　the　cases；　but　that　fact　tells　us　nothing



about　the　value　for　knowledge　of　the　consciousness　which　they



induce。　　To　pass　a　spiritual　judgment　upon　these　states；　we　must



not　content　ourselves　with　superficial　medical　talk；　but　inquire



into　their　fruits　for　life。







Their　fruits　appear　to　have　been　various。　　Stupefaction；　for　one



thing；　seems　not　to　have　been　altogether　absent　as　a　result。　You



may　remember　the　helplessness　in　the　kitchen　and　schoolroom　of



poor　Margaret　Mary　Alacoque。　　Many　other　ecstatics　would　have



perished　but　for　the　care　taken　of　them　by　admiring　followers。　



The　〃other…worldliness〃　encouraged　by　the　mystical　consciousness



makes　this　over…abstraction　from　practical　life　peculiarly　liable



to　befall　mystics　in　whom　the　character　is　naturally　passive　and



the　intellect　feeble；　but　in　natively　strong　minds　and　characters



we　find　quite　opposite　results。　　The　great　Spanish　mystics；　who



carried　the　habit　of　ecstasy　as　far　as　it　has　often　been　carried；



appear　for　the　most　part　to　have　shown　indomitable　spirit　and



energy；　and　all　the　more　so　for　the　trances　in　which　they



indulged。







Saint　Ignatius　was　a　mystic；　but　his　mysticism　made　him　assuredly



one　of　the　most　powerfully　practical　human　engines　that　ever



lived。　　Saint　John　of　the　Cross；　writing　of　the　intuitions　and



〃touches〃　by　which　God　reaches　the　substance　of　the　soul；　tells



us　that







〃They　enrich　it　marvelously。　　A　single　one　of　them　may　be



sufficient　to　abolish　at　a　stroke　certain　imperfections　of　which



the　soul　during　its　whole　life　had　vainly　tried　to　rid　itself；



and　to　leave　it　adorned　with　virtues　and　loaded　with　supernatural



gifts。　　A　single　one　of　these　intoxicating　consolations　may



reward　it　for　all　the　labors　undergone　in　its　lifeeven　were



they　numberless。　　Invested　with　an　invincible　courage；　filled



with　an　impassioned　desire　to　suffer　for　its　God；　the　soul　then



is　seized　with　a　strange　tormentthat　of　not　being　allowed　to



suffer　enough。〃＇260＇







＇260＇　Oeuvres；　ii。　320。















Saint　Teresa　is　as　emphatic；　and　much　more　detailed。　You　may



perhaps　remember　a　passage　I　quoted　from　her　in　my　first



lecture。＇261＇　There　are　many　similar　pages　in　her　autobiography。　



Where　in　literature　is　a　more　evidently　veracious　account　of　the



formation　of　a　new　centre　of　spiritual　energy；　than　is　given　in



her　description　of　the　effects　of　certain　ecstasies　which　in



departing　leave　the　soul　upon　a　higher　level　of　emotional



excitement？







＇261＇　Above；　p。　22。















〃Often；　infirm　and　wrought　upon　with　dreadful　pains　before　the



ecstasy；　the　soul　emerges　from　it　full　of　health　and　admirably



disposed　for　action　。　。　。　as　if　God　had　willed　that　the　body



itself；　already　obedient　to　the　soul's　desires；　should　share　in



the　soul's　happiness。　。　。　。　The　soul　after　such　a　favor　is



animated　with　a　degree　of　courage　so　great　that　if　at　that　moment



its　body　should　be　torn　to　pieces　for　the　cause　of　God；　it　would



feel　nothing　but　the　liveliest　comfort。　　Then　it　is　that　promises



and　heroic　resolutions　spring　up　in　profusion　in　us；　soaring



desires；　horror　of　the　world；　and　the　clear　perception　of　our



proper　nothingness。　。　。　。　　What　empire　is　comparable　to　that　of　a



soul　who；　from　this　sublime　summit　to　which　God　has　raised　her；



sees　all　the　things　of　earth　beneath　her　feet；　and　is　captivated



by　no　one　of　them？　　How　ashamed　she　is　of　her　former　attachments！



How　amazed　at　her　blindness！　What　lively　pity　she　feels　for　those



whom　she　recognizes　still　shrouded　in　the　darkness！　。　。　。　She



groans　at　having　ever　been　sensitive　to　points　of　honor；　at　the



illusion　that　made　her　ever　see　as　honor　what　the　world　calls　by



that　name。　　Now　she　sees　in　this　name　nothing　more　than　an



immense　lie　of　which　the　world　remains　a　victim。　　She　discovers；



in　the　new　light　from　above；　that　in　genuine　honor　there　is



nothing　spurious；　that　to　be　faithful　to　this　honor　is　to　give



our　respect　to　what　deserves　to　be　respected　really；　and　to



consider　as　nothing；　or　as　less　than　nothing；　whatsoever　perishes



and　is　not　agreeable　to　God。　。　。　。　She　laughs　when　she　sees



grave　persons；　persons　of　orison；　caring　for　points　of　honor　for



which　she　now　feels　profoundest　contempt。　　It　is　suitable　to　the



dignity　of　their　rank　to　act　thus；　they　pretend；　and　it　makes



them　more　useful　to　others。　　But　she　knows　that　in　despising　the



dignity　of　their　rank　for　the　pure　love　of　God　they　would　do　more



good　in　a　single　day　than　they　would　effect　in　ten　years　by



preserving　it。　。　。　。　She　laughs　at　herself　that　there　should



ever　have　been　a　time　in　her　life　when　she　made　any　case　of



money；　when　she　ever　desired　it。　。　。　。　　Oh！　if　human　beings　might



only　agree　together　to　regard　it　as　so　much　useless　mud；　what



harmony　would　then　reign　in　the　world！　With　what　friendship　we



would　all　treat　each　other　if　our　interest　in　honor　and　in　money



could　but　disappear　from　earth！　　For　my　own　part；　I　feel　as　if　it



would　be　a　remedy　for　all　our　ills。〃＇262＇







＇262＇　Vie；　pp。　229；　230；　231…233；　243。















Mystical　conditions　may；　therefore；　render　the　soul　more



energetic　in　the　lines　which　their　inspiration　favors。　　But　this



could　be　reckoned　an　advantage　only　in　case　the　inspiration　were



a　true　one。　　If　the　inspiration　were　erroneous；　the　energy　would



be　all　the　more　mistaken　and　misbegotten。　So　we　stand　once　more



before　that　problem　of　truth　which　confronted　us　at　the　end　of



the　lectures　on　saintliness。　　You　will　remember　that　we　turned　to



mysticism　precisely　to　get　some　light　on　truth。　　Do　mystical



states　establish　the　truth　of　those　theological　affections　in



which　the　saintly　life　has　its　root？