第 2 节
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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