Читать книгу Centuries of Meditations - Thomas Traherne - Страница 26

expression, or greater force of persuasiveness ? Yet if we analyse the passage we shall find that it is made up of simple and common words, put together seemingly without art or contrivance, and with no attempt to do anything save to write down as rapidly as might be the thoughts that surged through the author's brain, and imperatively demanded utterance. Throughout the work indeed the author, it appears to me, was writing at high pressure, urged on by a belief that he had a duty to perform, which perhaps he feared that death might prevent him from accomplishing. Shall we say even that there is some trace of feverishness, or of the over-excitement of the enthusiast in his work ? Possibly it may be so ; but Traherne's enthusiasm was the source of his power, and the motive-force of his spirit. It was not in his nature to balance between two opinions, or act upon motives of expediency. A positive faith, admitting of no doubts or misgivings, was a necessity of his existence. It was easier for him to understand how men could be absolute unbelievers, than how they could be mere indifferent conformists. I am almost tempted to assert that he was the truest Christian that ever lived,—by which I mean that he was the one who believed most entirely in the faith, and ruled his conduct most strictly in accordance with its precepts. Of course this may be disputed by all those Christians who are not members of the Church of England ; but all who look to the essentials of the faith, and disregard the minor differences of its various sects, will, I am sure, allow that a more perfect Christian xxviii