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属天的奥秘 第379节

(一滴水译,2018-2023)

379、这些话表示这类事物,这一点从前文和以下事实清楚可知:“受咒诅”就是疏远良善,如前所示(245节)。因为正是罪孽和可憎的事,或仇恨使人疏远,只往下看,也就是只看肉体和世俗事物,因而只看属地狱的事物。当仁被逐出并灭绝时,这种事就会发生,因为在这种情况下,联结主与人的纽带被切断。唯独仁,或爱和怜悯将两者联结起来。无仁之信永远不会进行联结,因为这不是信,而是纯粹的知识;就连地狱团伙也能掌握纯粹的知识,他们能利用这些知识来狡猾地欺骗善人,并伪装成光明天使。极其恶毒的传道人有时也习惯这样做;他们热情讲道,这种热情看似虔诚的表现,但其实只是挂在嘴上而已。谁会如此缺乏判断力,以至于相信唯独记忆中的信,或由此产生的想法能成就什么事?凭亲身经验,谁都知道,如果一个人的话或同意不是出自他的意愿或意图,无论它们是何性质,都没有人会在乎它们。正是意愿或意图使它们成为可悦纳的,并将人与人联结起来。真正为人的,是意愿,而不是他所不愿的想法或言语。人从意愿获得具体的性质和性情,因为打动他的是意愿。如果人的思维是良善,那么信的本质要素,也就是仁爱,就包含在他的思维中,因为行善的意愿就在它里面。但是,如果他声称他的思维是良善,却生活邪恶,那么他的意愿只能是邪恶的意愿,因此信并不存在。

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New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)

[NCE]379. These symbolisms can be seen from the preceding sections [373-377]. The symbolism of a curse as something turned away was also shown before, in 245. Wicked and loathsome acts — that is, acts of hatred — are what turn us away and make us look downward only, toward bodily and earthly concerns, or in other words toward the things of hell. This happens when we send charity into exile and extinguish it, which shatters the bond between the Lord and us. Only charity, which is love and mercy, maintains the bond. Faith without charity is incapable of doing so, since it is no faith but mere knowledge, of a kind that even the Devil's horde can acquire; they are further able to use it for deliberately deceiving the upright and impersonating angels of light. The worst preachers sometimes do the same, with a zeal that seems to spring from piety, although nothing is farther from their minds than what they utter with their lips.
Can there be a person with judgment so unsound as to believe that a memorized faith can have any effect by itself? Or that mere thought based on that faith can have any effect? On the contrary, we all know from our own experience that no one can tell the real value of another's statements and assertions if they do not arise from the will or from genuine intent. It is the will and intention that please us and connect us to one another. Our real identity is whatever we will, not what we think or say without willing it. Our will is what determines our nature and character, because it is the will that has an effect.
If on the other hand our thoughts are good, then the essence of faith, which is charity, lies inside the thought, because goodwill is present. But if we say our thoughts are good, while we live an evil life, we can never desire anything but evil, in which case faith is out of the question.

Potts(1905-1910) 379

379. That these things are signified, is evident from what has gone before; and that to be "cursed" is to be averse to good, has been already shown (n. 245). For iniquities and abominations, or hatreds, are what avert man, so that he looks downward only, that is, to bodily and earthly things, thus to those which are of hell. This takes place when charity is banished and extinguished, for then the bond which connects the Lord with man is severed, since only charity, or love and mercy, are what conjoin us with Him, and never faith without charity, for this is no faith, being mere knowledge, such as the infernal crew themselves may possess, and by which they can craftily deceive the good, and feign themselves angels of light; and as the most wicked preachers are sometimes wont to do, with a zeal like that of piety, although nothing is further from their hearts than that which proceeds from their lips. Can anyone be of judgment so weak as to believe that faith alone in the memory, or the thought thence derived, can be of any avail, when everybody knows from his own experience that no one esteems the words or assenting of another, no matter of what nature, when they do not come from the will or intention? It is this that makes them pleasing, and that conjoins one man with another. The will is the real man, and not the thought or speech which he does not will. A man acquires his nature and disposition from the will, because this affects him. But if anyone thinks what is good, the essence of faith, which is charity, is in the thought, because the will to do what is good is in it. But if he says that he thinks what is good, and yet lives wickedly, he cannot possibly will anything but what is evil, and there is therefore no faith.

Elliott(1983-1999) 379

379. The fact that such things are meant by these statements is clear from what has gone before, and from the fact that 'one who is cursed' means one who became alienated, as also shown already in 245. For it is forms of iniquity and abomination, which are forms of hatred, that alienate a person and cause him to look downwards only, that is, towards bodily and earthly interests, and so to things that belong to hell. This takes place when charity is banished and annihilated. Indeed the bond that exists between the Lord and man is in that case put asunder. Charity alone, or love and compassion, is what joins the two together. Faith without charity never does so, for that is not faith, but mere knowledge such as even the devil's crew is able to possess and by which they are able to deceive and mislead the upright and pretend to be angels of light. Very wicked preachers are sometimes accustomed to act in a similar way; they preach with a zeal that seems to be an expression of inner godliness but is in fact nothing more with them than that which they bear on the lips. Can anyone be so lacking in judgement as to believe that faith alone residing in the memory has the power to achieve anything, or that mere thought from the same source has? Everyone from personal experience knows that nobody places any value on another person's words and assentings if these are not an expression of his will and intention. It is will and intention that make them acceptable and join one person to another. The activity of the will is the real person, not thought and utterance of that which he does not will. From the activity of his will he acquires a particular nature and disposition, for his will is what moves him. If his thoughts are of good, the essential element of faith, which is charity, is contained in his thinking, because it contains the will for good. But if he asserts that his thoughts are of good and yet lives wickedly, the activity of his will cannot possibly be anything else than the will of evil, and as a consequence faith does not exist.

Latin(1748-1756) 379

379. Quod haec significentur, constat a praecedentibus; et quod 'maledictus' significet aversum, etiam prius ostensum est, n. 245; nam iniquitates et abominationes, seu odia, sunt quae avertunt hominem ut spectet solum deorsum, seu ad corporea et terrestria, et sic quae inferni sunt; quod fit cum charitas in exilium mittitur et exstinguitur; tunc enim disrumpitur vinculum inter Dominum et hominem; sola charitas, seu amor et misericordia sunt quae conjungunt; fides nusquam absque charitate, nam nulla fides est, est scientia mera qualem etiam diabolica turba habere potest, per quam fallere possunt dolose probos, et lucis angelos simulare; sicut solent quandoque pessimi praedicatores etiam cum zelo quasi pietatis, tametsi nihil minus apud eos est quam id quod ore ferunt. An quisquam tam infirmi judicii esse potest ut credat solam fidem memoriae afficere posse, aut solam cogitationem inde, cum quisque a propria experientia novit quod nullus aestimet alicujus voces et assensiones qualescumque sunt, cum non ex voluntate seu intentione? Est voluntas et intentio quae faciunt ut placeat, et conjungunt unam alteri; velle est ipse homo, non cogitare et loqui quod non vult; ex velle trahit naturam et indolem, quia illud afficit: at si cogitat bonam, tunc essentia fidei seu charitas est in cogitatione, quia velle bonum inest; at si dicit se cogitare bonum et vivit male, nusquam potest aliud velle quam velle malum, quare est nulla fides.


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