第 2 节
作者:猜火车      更新:2021-02-19 20:29      字数:9321
  connects itself with the life of the subconscious self;
  so…called; of which we must erelong speak more directly。
  '90' Smith Baker; in Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases;
  September; 1893。
  Now in all of us; however constituted; but to a degree the
  greater in proportion as we are intense and sensitive and subject
  to diversified temptations; and to the greatest possible degree
  if we are decidedly psychopathic; does the normal evolution of
  character chiefly consist in the straightening out and unifying
  of the inner self。  The higher and the lower feelings; the useful
  and the erring impulses; begin by being a comparative chaos
  within usthey must end by forming a stable system of functions
  in right subordination。  Unhappiness is apt to characterize the
  period of order…making and struggle。  If the individual be of
  tender conscience and religiously quickened; the unhappiness will
  take the form of moral remorse and compunction; of feeling
  inwardly vile and wrong; and of standing in false relations to
  the author of one's being and appointer of one's spiritual fate。
  This is the religious melancholy and 〃conviction of sin〃 that
  have played so large a part in the history of Protestant
  Christianity。  The man's interior is a battle…ground for what he
  feels to be two deadly hostile selves; one actual; the other
  ideal。  As Victor Hugo makes his Mahomet say:
  〃Je suis le champ vil des sublimes combats:
  Tantot l'homme d'en haut; et tantot l'homme d'en bas;
  Et le mal dans ma bouche avec le bien alterne;
  Comme dans le desert le sable et la citerne。〃
  Wrong living; impotent aspirations; 〃What I would; that do I not;
  but what I hate; that do I;〃 as Saint Paul says; self…loathing;
  self…despair; an unintelligible and intolerable burden to which
  one is mysteriously the heir。
  Let me quote from some typical cases of discordant personality;
  with melancholy in the form of self…condemnation and sense of
  sin。  Saint Augustine's case is a classic example。  You all
  remember his half…pagan; half…Christian bringing up at Carthage;
  his emigration to Rome and Milan; his adoption of Manicheism and
  subsequent skepticism; and his restless search for truth and
  purity of life; and finally how; distracted by the struggle
  between the two souls in his breast and ashamed of his own
  weakness of will; when so many others whom he knew and knew of
  had thrown off the shackles of sensuality and dedicated
  themselves to chastity and the higher life; he heard a voice in
  the garden say; 〃Sume; lege〃 (take and read); and opening the
  Bible at random; saw the text; 〃not in chambering and
  wantonness;〃 etc。; which seemed directly sent to his address; and
  laid the inner storm to rest forever。'91' Augustine's
  psychological genius has given an account of the trouble of
  having a divided self which has never been surpassed。
  '91' Louis Gourdon (Essai sur la Conversion de Saint Augustine;
  Paris; Fischbacher; 1900) has shown by an analysis of Augustine's
  writings immediately after the date of his conversion (A。 D。 386)
  that the account he gives in the Confessions is premature。  The
  crisis in the garden marked a definitive conversion from his
  former life; but it was to the neo…platonic spiritualism and only
  a halfway stage toward Christianity。  The latter he appears not
  fully and radically to have embraced until four years more had
  passed。
  〃The new will which I began to have was not yet strong enough to
  overcome that other will; strengthened by long indulgence。 So
  these two wills; one old; one new; one carnal; the other
  spiritual; contended with each other and disturbed my soul。  I
  understood by my own experience what I had read; 'flesh lusteth
  against spirit; and spirit against flesh。' It was myself indeed
  in both the wills; yet more myself in that which I approved in
  myself than in that which I disapproved in myself。  Yet it was
  through myself that habit had attained so fierce a mastery over
  me; because I had willingly come whither I willed not。  Still
  bound to earth; I refused; O God; to fight on thy side; as much
  afraid to be freed from all bonds; as I ought to have feared
  being trammeled by them。
  〃Thus the thoughts by which I meditated upon thee were like the
  efforts of one who would awake; but being overpowered with
  sleepiness is soon asleep again。  Often does a man when heavy
  sleepiness is on his limbs defer to shake it off; and though not
  approving it; encourage it; even so I was sure it was better to
  surrender to thy love than to yield to my own lusts; yet though
  the former course convinced me; the latter pleased and held me
  bound。  There was naught in me to answer thy call 'Awake; thou
  sleeper;' but only drawling; drowsy words; 'Presently; yes;
  presently; wait a little while。'  But the 'presently' had no
  'present;' and the 'little while' grew long。 。 。 。  For I was
  afraid thou wouldst hear me too soon; and heal me at once of my
  disease of lust; which I wished to satiate rather than to see
  extinguished。  With what lashes of words did I not scourge my own
  soul。  Yet it shrank back; it refused; though it had no excuse to
  offer。 。 。 。 I said within myself:  'Come; let it be done now;'
  and as I said it; I was on the point of the resolve。  I all but
  did it; yet I did not do it。  And I made another effort; and
  almost succeeded; yet I did not reach it; and did not grasp it;
  hesitating to die to death; and live to life; and the evil to
  which I was so wonted held me more than the better life I had not
  tried。〃'92'
  '92' Confessions; Book VIII。; Chaps。 v。; vii。; xi。; abridged。
  There could be no more perfect description of the divided will;
  when the higher wishes lack just that last acuteness; that touch
  of explosive intensity; of dynamogenic quality (to use the slang
  of the psychologists); that enables them to burst their shell;
  and make irruption efficaciously into life and quell the lower
  tendencies forever。  In a later lecture we shall have much to say
  about this higher excitability。
  I find another good description of the divided will in the
  autobiography of Henry Alline; the Nova Scotian evangelist; of
  whose melancholy I read a brief account in my last lecture。  The
  poor youth's sins were; as you will see; of the most harmless
  order; yet they interfered with what proved to be his truest
  vocation; so they gave him great distress。
  〃I was now very moral in my life; but found no rest of
  conscience。  I now began to be esteemed in young company; who
  knew nothing of my mind all this while; and their esteem began to
  be a snare to my soul; for I soon began to be fond of carnal
  mirth; though I still flattered myself that if I did not get
  drunk; nor curse; nor swear; there would be no sin in frolicking
  and carnal mirth; and I thought God would indulge young people
  with some (what I called simple or civil) recreation。  I still
  kept a round of duties; and would not suffer myself to run into
  any open vices; and so got along very well in time of health and
  prosperity; but when I was distressed or threatened by sickness;
  death; or heavy storms of thunder; my religion would not do; and
  I found there was something wanting; and would begin to repent my
  going so much to frolics; but when the distress was over; the
  devil and my own wicked heart; with the solicitations of my
  associates; and my fondness for young company; were such strong
  allurements; I would again give way; and thus I got to be very
  wild and rude; at the same time kept up my rounds of secret
  prayer and reading; but God; not willing I should destroy myself;
  still followed me with his calls; and moved with such power upon
  my conscience; that I could not satisfy myself with my
  diversions; and in the midst of my mirth sometimes would have
  such a sense of my lost and undone condition; that I would wish
  myself from the company; and after it was over; when I went home;
  would make many promises that I would attend no more on these
  frolics; and would beg forgiveness for hours and hours; but when
  I came to have the temptation again; I would give way:  no
  sooner would I hear the music and drink a glass of wine; but I
  would find my mind elevated and soon proceed to any sort of
  merriment or diversion; that I thought was not debauched or
  openly vicious; but when I returned