440 JOURNAL OF THE PLYMOUTH INSTITUTION. 
the extremes of luxury or of violence. The asceticism of the 
hermits was a protest against the shameless luxury of the later 
Empire ; the asceticism of the monks was a protest against the 
rude violence of the early mediaeval life ; and isolated cases of 
extreme asceticism have generally been provoked in a similar way. 
It would not be difficult, I think, to prove that the benefits ren- 
dered to society even in these extreme cases more than counter- 
balanced any harm that may have been done. But the principle 
of asceticism is simple and, one would think ; innocent enough. 
It is the conquest of self — the exercise of the will in overcoming 
all distracting passions and desires, and in concentrating itself upon 
what it perceives to be " the first Good, first Perfect, and first Fair." 
I can see nothing narrow in this, nor any tendency to cramp or 
dwarf the nature. Mr. Mill himself allows that a restraint may 
be put upon the selfish part of our nature for the sake of others 
(p. 37) ; and why not for our own sake? The restraint put upon 
us for the sake of others may be against our will ; but the very 
essence of our submission to restraint for our own good is that it 
should be voluntary ; not ex necessitate, but ex caritate. And its 
object is not the crushing of our affections, but their right direc- 
tion. It is not the clipping of trees into pollards, to which Mr. 
Mill compares it, but the removal of what hinders their free 
growth in obedience to the true laws of their nature. The 
doctrine of asceticism is not peculiar to the Christian faith. It 
has found a place in all religions that have been lasting or wide- 
spread. It is not even peculiar to religion. It is the doctrine of 
Plato as well as of St. Paul. It is an intellectual as well as a 
moral discipline, and its object is not to cramp, but to enlarge the 
faculties ; not to enslave, but to liberate the intellect ; not to 
extinguish, but to elevate the affections. Seen from without, like 
some high- walled mediaeval city, it may appear dark, cold, and for- 
bidding ; but to those who are within, its walls are strength, and 
its dwellings are homes of peace. Let me read to you (I hope I 
need not apologise for reading it) one of the most exquisite lyric 
poems in the English language. It is a picture of the ascetic life 
by one who has lived it : 
'* Unveil, O Lord, and on us shine 
In glory and in grace ; 
This gaudy world grows pale before 
The beauty of Thy face. 
