Thehumanmaterialonwhichthedemonstrationhasbeenmadehassofarbeenratherlimitedand，inpartatleast，eccentric，consistingofunusuallysuggestiblehypnoticsubjects，andofhystericpatients。Yettheelementarymechanismsofourlifearepresumablysouniformthatwhatisshowntobetrueinamarkeddegreeofsomepersonsisprobablytrueinsomedegreeofall，andmayinafewbetrueinanextraordinarilyhighdegree。
Themostimportantconsequenceofhavingastronglydevelopedultra-marginallifeofthissortisthatone’sordinaryfieldsofconsciousnessareliabletoincursionsfromitofwhichthesubjectdoesnotguessthesource，andwhich，therefore，takeforhimtheformofunaccountableimpulsestoact，orinhibitionsofaction，ofobsessiveideas，orevenofhallucinationsofsightorhearing。Theimpulsesmaytakethedirectionofautomaticspeechorwriting，themeaningofwhichthesubjecthimselfmaynotunderstandevenwhileheuttersit；andgeneralizingthisphenomenon，Mr。Myershasgiventhenameofautomatism，sensoryormotor，emotionalorintellectual，tothiswholesphereofeffects，dueto“up-rushes“intotheordinaryconsciousnessofenergiesoriginatinginthesubliminalpartsofthemind。
Thesimplestinstanceofanautomatismisthephenomenonofpost-hypnoticsuggestion，so-called。Yougivetoahypnotizedsubject，adequatelysusceptible，anordertoperformsomedesignatedact——usualoreccentric，itmakesnodifference——
afterhewakesfromhishypnoticsleep。Punctually，whenthesignalcomesorthetimeelapsesuponwhichyouhavetoldhimthattheactmustensue，heperformsit；——butinsodoinghehasnorecollectionofyoursuggestion，andhealwaystrumpsupanimprovisedpretextforhisbehavioriftheactbeofaneccentrickind。Itmayevenbesuggestedtoasubjecttohaveavisionortohearavoiceatacertainintervalafterwaking，andwhenthetimecomesthevisionisseenorthevoiceheard，withnoinklingonthesubject’spartofitssource。
InthewonderfulexplorationsbyBinet，Janet，Breuer，Freud，Mason，Prince，andothers，ofthesubliminalconsciousnessofpatientswithhysteria，wehaverevealedtouswholesystemsofundergroundlife，intheshapeofmemoriesofapainfulsortwhichleadaparasiticexistence，buriedoutsideoftheprimaryfieldsofconsciousness，andmakingirruptionsthereintowithhallucinations，pains，convulsions，paralysesoffeelingandofmotion，andthewholeprocessionofsymptomsofhystericdiseaseofbodyandofmind。Alterorabolishbysuggestionthesesubconsciousmemories，andthepatientimmediatelygetswell。
Hissymptomswereautomatisms，inMr。Myers’ssenseoftheword。
Theseclinicalrecordssoundlikefairy-taleswhenonefirstreadsthem，yetitisimpossibletodoubttheiraccuracy；and，thepathhavingbeenonceopenedbythesefirstobservers，similarobservationshavebeenmadeelsewhere。Theythrow，asI
said，awhollynewlightuponournaturalconstitution。
Anditseemstomethattheymakeafartherstepinevitable。
Interpretingtheunknownaftertheanalogyoftheknown，itseemstomethathereafter，whereverwemeetwithaphenomenonofautomatism，beitmotorimpulses，orobsessiveidea，orunaccountablecaprice，ordelusion，orhallucination，weareboundfirstofalltomakesearchwhetheritbenotanexplosion，intothefieldsofordinaryconsciousness，ofideaselaboratedoutsideofthosefieldsinsubliminalregionsofthemind。Weshouldlook，therefore，foritssourceintheSubject’ssubconsciouslife。Inthehypnoticcases，weourselvescreatethesourcebyoursuggestion，soweknowitdirectly。Inthehystericcases，thelostmemorieswhicharethesourcehavetobeextractedfromthepatient’sSubliminalbyanumberofingeniousmethods，foranaccountofwhichyoumustconsultthebooks。Inotherpathologicalcases，insanedelusions，forexample，orpsychopathicobsessions，thesourceisyettoseek，butbyanalogyitalsoshouldbeinsubliminalregionswhichimprovementsinourmethodsmayyetconceivablyputontap。Thereliesthemechanismlogicallytobeassumed——buttheassumptioninvolvesavastprogramofworktobedoneinthewayofverification，inwhichthereligiousexperiencesofmanmustplaytheirpart。[124]
[124]Thereaderwillherepleasenoticethatinmyexclusiverelianceinthelastlectureonthesubconscious“incubation“ofmotivesdepositedbyagrowingexperience，Ifollowedthemethodofemployingacceptedprinciplesofexplanationasfarasonecan。Thesubliminalregion，whateverelseitmaybe，isatanyrateaplacenowadmittedbypsychologiststoexistfortheaccumulationofvestigesofsensibleexperiencewhetherinattentivelyorattentivelyregistered，andfortheirelaborationaccordingtoordinarypsychologicalorlogicallawsintoresultsthatendbyattainingsucha“tension“thattheymayattimesenterconsciousnesswithsomethinglikeaburst。Itthusis“scientific“tointerpretallotherwiseunaccountableinvasivealterationsofconsciousnessasresultsofthetensionofsubliminalmemoriesreachingthebursting-point。Butcandorobligesmetoconfessthatthereareoccasionalburstsintoconsciousnessofresultsofwhichitisnoteasytodemonstrateanyprolongedsubconsciousincubation。SomeofthecasesIusedtoillustratethesenseofpresenceoftheunseeninLectureIII
wereofthisordercomparepages59，60，61，66；andweshallseeotherexperiencesofthekindwhenwecometothesubjectofmysticism。ThecaseofMr。Bradley，thatofM。
Ratisbonne，possiblythatofColonelGardiner，possiblythatofsaintPaul，mightnotbesoeasilyexplainedinthissimpleway。
Theresult，then，wouldhavetobeascribedeithertoamerelyphysiologicalnervestorm，a“discharginglesion“likethatofepilepsy；or，incaseitwereusefulandrational，asinthetwolattercasesnamed，tosomemoremysticalortheologicalhypothesis。Imakethisremarkinorderthatthereadermayrealizethatthesubjectisreallycomplex。ButIshallkeepmyselfasfaraspossibleatpresenttothemore“scientific“
view；andonlyastheplotthickensinsubsequentlecturesshallIconsiderthequestionofitsabsolutesufficiencyasanexplanationofallthefacts。Thatsubconsciousincubationexplainsagreatnumberofthem，therecanbenodoubt。
AndthusIreturntoourownspecificsubjectofinstantaneousconversions。YourememberthecasesofAlline，Bradley，Brainerd，andthegraduateofOxfordconvertedatthreeintheafternoon。Similaroccurrencesabound，somewithandsomewithoutluminousvisions，allwithasenseofastonishedhappiness，andofbeingwroughtonbyahighercontrol。If，abstractingaltogetherfromthequestionoftheirvalueforthefuturespirituallifeoftheindividual，wetakethemontheirpsychologicalsideexclusively，somanypeculiaritiesinthemremindusofwhatwefindoutsideofconversionthatwearetemptedtoclassthemalongwithotherautomatisms，andtosuspectthatwhatmakesthedifferencebetweenasuddenandagradualconvertisnotnecessarilythepresenceofdivinemiracleinthecaseofoneandofsomethinglessdivineinthatoftheother，butratherasimplepsychologicalpeculiarity，thefact，namely，thatintherecipientofthemoreinstantaneousgracewehaveoneofthoseSubjectswhoareinpossessionofalargeregioninwhichmentalworkcangoonsubliminally，andfromwhichinvasiveexperiences，abruptlyupsettingtheequilibriumoftheprimaryconsciousness，maycome。
IdonotseewhyMethodistsneedobjecttosuchaview。PraygobackandrecollectoneoftheconclusionstowhichIsoughttoleadyouinmyveryfirstlecture。YoumayrememberhowItherearguedagainstthenotionthattheworthofathingcanbedecidedbyitsorigin。Ourspiritualjudgment，Isaid，ouropinionofthesignificanceandvalueofahumaneventorcondition，mustbedecidedonempiricalgroundsexclusively。Ifthefruitsforlifeofthestateofconversionaregood，weoughttoidealizeandvenerateit，eventhoughitbeapieceofnaturalpsychology；ifnot，weoughttomakeshortworkwithit，nomatterwhatsupernaturalbeingmayhaveinfusedit。
Well，howisitwiththesefruits？Ifweexcepttheclassofpreeminentsaintsofwhomthenamesilluminehistory，andconsideronlytheusualrunof“saints。”theshopkeepingchurch-membersandordinaryyouthfulormiddle-agedrecipientsofinstantaneousconversion，whetheratrevivalsorinthespontaneouscourseofmethodisticgrowth，youwillprobablyagreethatnosplendorworthyofawhollysupernaturalcreaturefulguratesfromthem，orsetsthemapartfromthemortalswhohaveneverexperiencedthatfavor。Wereittruethatasuddenlyconvertedmanassuchis，asEdwardssays，[125]ofanentirelydifferentkindfromanaturalman，partakingashedoesdirectlyofChrist’ssubstance，theresurelyoughttobesomeexquisiteclass-mark，somedistinctiveradianceattachingeventothelowliestspecimenofthisgenus，towhichnooneofuscouldremaininsensible，andwhich，sofarasitwent，wouldprovehimmoreexcellentthaneverthemosthighlygiftedamongmerenaturalmen。Butnotoriouslythereisnosuchradiance。
Convertedmenasaclassareindistinguishablefromnaturalmen；
somenaturalmenevenexcelsomeconvertedmenintheirfruits；
andnooneignorantofdoctrinaltheologycouldguessbymereevery-dayinspectionofthe“accidents“ofthetwogroupsofpersonsbeforehim，thattheirsubstancedifferedasmuchasdivinediffersfromhumansubstance。
[125]Edwardssayselsewhere：“IamboldtosaythattheworkofGodintheconversionofonesoul，consideredtogetherwiththesourcefoundation，andpurchaseofit，andalsothebenefit，end，andeternalissueofit，isamoregloriousworkofGodthanthecreationofthewholematerialuniverse。”
Thebelieversinthenon-naturalcharacterofsuddenconversionhavehadpracticallytoadmitthatthereisnounmistakableclass-markdistinctiveofalltrueconverts。Thesuper-normalincidents，suchasvoicesandvisionsandoverpoweringimpressionsofthemeaningofsuddenlypresentedscripturetexts，themeltingemotionsandtumultuousaffectionsconnectedwiththecrisisofchange，mayallcomebywayofnature，orworsestill，becounterfeitedbySatan。TherealwitnessofthespirittothesecondbirthistobefoundonlyinthedispositionofthegenuinechildofGod，thepermanentlypatientheart，theloveofselferadicated。Andthis，ithastobeadmitted，isalsofoundinthosewhopassnocrisis，andmayevenbefoundoutsideofChristianityaltogether。
ThroughoutJonathanEdwards’sadmirablyrichanddelicatedescriptionofthesupernaturallyinfusedcondition，inhisTreatiseonReligiousAffections，thereisnotonedecisivetrait，notonemark，thatunmistakablypartsitofffromwhatmaypossiblybeonlyanexceptionallyhighdegreeofnaturalgoodness。Infact，onecouldhardlyreadaclearerargumentthanthisbookunwittinglyoffersinfavorofthethesisthatnochasmexistsbetweentheordersofhumanexcellence，butthathereaselsewhere，natureshowscontinuousdifferences，andgenerationandregenerationaremattersofdegree。
Allwhichdenialoftwoobjectiveclassesofhumanbeingsseparatedbyachasmmustnotleaveusblindtotheextraordinarymomentousnessofthefactofhisconversiontotheindividualhimselfwhogetsconverted。Therearehigherandlowerlimitsofpossibilitysettoeachpersonallife。Ifafloodbutgoesaboveone’shead，itsabsoluteelevationbecomesamatterofsmallimportance；andwhenwetouchourownupperlimitandliveinourownhighestcentreofenergy，wemaycallourselvessaved，nomatterhowmuchhighersomeoneelse’scentremaybe。Asmallman’ssalvationwillalwaysbeagreatsalvationandthegreatestofallfactsFORHIM，andweshouldrememberthiswhenthefruitsofourordinaryevangelicismlookdiscouraging。Whoknowshowmuchlessidealstillthelivesofthesespiritualgrubsandearthworms，theseCrumpsandStigginses，mighthavebeen，ifsuchpoorgraceastheyhavereceivedhadnevertouchedthematall？[126]
[126]Emersonwrites：“Whenweseeasoulwhoseactsareregal，gracefulandpleasantasroses，wemustthankGodthatsuchthingscanbeandare，andnotturnsourlyontheangelandsay：
Crumpisabetterman，withhisgruntingresistancetoallhisnativedevils。”Trueenough。YetCrumpmayreallybethebetterCRUMP，forhisinnerdiscordsandsecondbirth；andyouronce-born“regal“characterthoughindeedalwaysbetterthanpoorCrump，mayfallfarshortofwhatheindividuallymightbehadheonlysomeCrump-likecapacityforcompunctionoverhisownpeculiardiabolisms，gracefulandpleasantandinvariablygentlemanlyasthesemaybe。
Ifweroughlyarrangehumanbeingsinclasses，eachclassstandingforagradeofspiritualexcellence，Ibelieveweshallfindnaturalmenandconvertsbothsuddenandgradualinalltheclasses。Theformswhichregenerativechangeeffectshave，then，nogeneralspiritualsignificance，butonlyapsychologicalsignificance。WehaveseenhowStarbuck’slaboriousstatisticalstudiestendtoassimilateconversiontoordinaryspiritualgrowth。AnotherAmericanpsychologist，Prof。GeorgeA。Coe，[127]