340. 簡言之, 信就是過良善生活,持正當信仰之人被主拯救
人為永生而被造, 任何人都能承受如此生命, 只要他照著聖言中所指的得救之法去生活。任何基督徒會認同這些觀點, 擁有信仰和常理的非基督徒也會認同。有許多得救之法, 但每一種方法, 或者所有的方法都涉及:活出良善的生活,並持正當信仰, 就是義與信; 因為義就是活出良善的生活, 信就是持正當信仰。這兩個普遍原則(義與信)不僅僅列在聖言中作為得救的途徑, 事實上還作為責任被命令如此。
因著這個緣由, 就可得知:藉著如此方式, 一個人能夠憑藉植在他裡面並由上帝賦予的能力來確保他的永生; 只要人運用這樣的能力, 同時注目上帝, 上帝就會堅固他的能力, 直到將人的屬世之義的每一部分轉為屬靈之義,屬世之信轉為屬靈之信。於是, 上帝給死的義與信帶來生命, 同樣給人帶來生命。
[2]當某人被稱為"活出良善的生活以及相信正當的信仰"之前, 有兩樣東西必須要協同合一:在教會中, 這二者被稱為內在人和外在人。當內在人意志良善, 外在人行出良善, 於是二者協同為一。外在人受內在人的驅使, 內在人通過外在人行動。因此, 人也是受上帝的驅使, 上帝通過人行動。另一方面, 倘若內在人意志邪惡, 而外在人行為良善, 儘管如此, 二者皆來自地獄, 因為此人的意志來自地獄, 行為是偽善。惡欲藏在一切偽善之中, 如同蛇藏於草叢或蛆藏於花蕾之中。
[3]如果一個人不僅知道內在人與外在人的存在, 而且知道它們是什麼——二者能(實際上或看起來)協同如一, 並且他還知道人死後, 外在人被埋葬, 內在人仍繼續活下去, 這樣的人已進入天地奧秘的豐富之中。如果哪個人為了良善的緣故將此二者(內在人與外在人)在自己之中聯合如一, 就獲得永遠的喜樂; 但若將此二者分割開來, 甚至為了作惡而聯合, 下場就是永遠的悲苦。
340. 2. Briefly Put, Faith Is Believing That People Who Live Good Lives and Believe the Right Things Are Saved by the Lord
We are created for eternal life. All of us are capable of inheriting it, provided we use in our lives the means of salvation that have been prescribed for us in the Word. On these points all Christians agree, as do all non-Christians who have religion and sound reason.
There are indeed many means of being saved, but each and every one of them relates to living a good life and believing the right things. Therefore they all relate to goodwill and faith, for goodwill is living a good life and faith is believing the right things. These two universal categories of means of being saved - goodwill and faith - are not just prescribed for us in the Word, they are commanded.
From the fact that they are commanded it follows that goodwill and faith give us the capacity of providing ourselves with eternal life through a power that is assigned and given to us by God. The more we use that power and look to God, the more God increases the power until he turns every aspect of our earthly goodwill into spiritual goodwill and every aspect of our earthly faith into spiritual faith. In this way God brings dead goodwill and faith to life, and brings us to life as well.
[2] Two things have to come together before we can be said to be living a good life and believing the right things. In the church these two things are called our inner self and our outer self. When our inner self has good intentions and our outer self has good actions, then the two unite. Our outer self acts from our inner self, and our inner self acts through our outer self; we act from God and God acts through us. On the other hand, if our inner self has evil intentions, but our outer self still has good actions, nonetheless both are acting from hell. Our intentions come from hell and our actions are hypocritical. Our hellish intentions are inside every hypocritical thing we do, like a snake inside a plant or a grub inside a flower.
[3] If people know not only that we have an inner and an outer self but also what they are and that the two can work together either actually or seemingly, and also that our inner self lives on after death but our outer self is buried, they have access to an abundance of secrets about heaven and the world. People who unite these two in themselves for a good purpose become happy forever, but people who divide them, or worse yet if they unite them for an evil purpose, are unhappy forever.
340. II. Faith in brief is this, that a person who lives a good life and holds a proper belief is saved by the Lord.
A human being is created for everlasting life, and any person can inherit that life, so long as he lives in accordance with the means of salvation prescribed in the Word; every Christian, as well as every non-Christian who possesses a religion and sound reason, assents to this proposition. There are many means of salvation, but each and every one concerns living a good life and holding a proper belief, that is, charity and faith; for charity is living a good life, faith is holding a proper belief. These two general principles are not merely laid down for human beings in the Word as the means of salvation, but are actually imposed on them as a duty. Because of this it follows that by their means a person can ensure his everlasting life by the power planted in him and conferred by God; and that so far as a person makes use of that power, at the same time looking to God, so far does God strengthen it and turn every part of natural charity into spiritual charity, and every part of natural faith into spiritual faith. Thus God makes dead charity and dead faith come alive, and at the same time He does the same to the person.
[2] There are two things which must be present at once for a person to be termed 'living a good life and holding a proper belief': in the church these two are known as the internal man and the external man. When the internal man wills good and the external man acts well, then the two become one, the external impelled by the internal, the internal acting through the external. So too man is impelled by God, and God acts through him. On the other hand, if the internal man wills evil, and yet the external man acts well, then nonetheless each of them acts from hell, because this is the source of his willing, and his acts are hypocritical. Every hypocritical act has its will lurking in it, and this is hellish, like a snake in the grass or a worm in the bud.
[3] If a person not only knows of the existence of the internal and external man, but also knows what they are, that they can really act as one, and also appear to do so, and if he knows too that the internal man lives on after death, while the external is buried, such a person is potentially in possession of the secrets of heaven as well as earth, and in abundance. If anyone links those two men in himself with a view to good, he achieves eternal happiness; but if he separates those two, and more so if he links them with a view to evil, his lot is eternal unhappiness.
340. II. THE SUM OF FAITH IS THAT HE WHO LIVES WELL AND BELIEVES RIGHTLY IS SAVED BY THE LORD
That man was created for eternal life, and that every man may inherit it provided he lives according to the means of salvation prescribed in the Word, is admitted by every Christian, and by every heathen who possesses religion and sound reason. Nevertheless, the means of salvation are manifold, although they each and all have relation to living well and believing rightly, thus to charity and faith, for living well is charity, and believing rightly is faith. These two general means of salvation are not only prescribed in the Word but are imposed as commandments, and as they are commanded, it follows that by means of them man can procure for himself eternal life from the power implanted in him and given to him by God; and so far as man uses that power and at the same time looks to God, so far God makes it effective in converting everything of natural charity into spiritual charity, and everything of natural faith into spiritual faith; thus God makes dead charity and faith to be alive, and the man also.
[2] There are two things that must coexist, before man can be said to live well and believe rightly. In the church these two are called the internal and the external man. When the internal man's will is right and the external acts rightly, the two make one, the external [acting] from the internal and the internal through the external, thus man from God and God through man. But on the other hand, if the internal man's will is evil and yet the external acts rightly, they both act none the less from hell; for the man's willing is from hell, and his doing is hypocritical; and in all hypocrisy his willing which is infernal, is interiorly concealed like a snake in the grass or a worm in a flower.
[3] The man who knows that there is an internal and an external man, and who also knows what they are, and that the two can act as one actually, and can also act as one apparently; and who knows, moreover, that the internal man lives after death, and the external is buried, possesses in potency the arcana both of heaven and of the world in abundance. And he who conjoins these two men in himself in good becomes happy to eternity; while he who divides them, and still more he who conjoins them in evil, becomes unhappy to eternity.
340. II. THE SUM AND SUBSTANCE OF FAITH IS, THAT HE WHO LIVES WELL AND BELIEVES ARIGHT, IS SAVED BY THE LORD.
Every Christian agrees that man was created for eternal life, and that every man may inherit it provided he lives according to the means of salvation prescribed in the Word; and so does every heathen who has religion and sound reason. The means of salvation, however, are manifold, and yet they all, in general and in particular, have relation to living well and believing aright, consequently to charity and faith; for to live well is charity, and to believe aright is faith. These two general means of salvation are not only prescribed to man in the Word, but are also commanded. It follows, therefore, that man can obtain for himself eternal life from power appointed and granted to him by God. So far as man uses this power, and at the same time looks to God, God increases it, so that all that was merely natural charity is transformed into spiritual charity, and all that was merely natural faith into spiritual faith. In this way does God give life to dead charity and faith, and at the same time, to man himself.
[2] There are two things which must be united before it can be said that a man lives well and believes aright: these two are called in the Church the internal man and the external man. When the internal man wills what is good, and the external man does what is good, they become one, the external man acting from the internal, and the internal through the external. It is in this way that man acts from God, and God acts through man. On the other hand, if the internal man wills what is evil, and yet the external man does what is good, nevertheless both act from hell, because the man's willing is from hell, and his doing is hypocritical; and in every hypocritical deed lurks his infernal will, like a snake in the grass, or like a worm in a flower.
[3] That man is rich in knowledge of the profound truths of heaven and the world who knows that there is an internal man, and an external man; and who also knows what they are, and that they can act as one in reality, as well as in appearance; and moreover that the internal man lives after death, but that the external man is buried in the grave. Such a man has it within him to acquire abundantly the hidden truths of heaven and also of the world. He who unites his own internal and external man in good becomes happy to eternity; while he who separates them, or still worse, who unites them in evil, is miserable to eternity.
340. II.
Quod Fides in summa sit, quod qui bene vivit, et rite credit, a Domino salvetur.
Quod homo ad vitam aeternam creatus sit, et quod omnis homo possit haereditare illam, modo secundum media salutis, quae praescripta sunt in Verbo, vivat, omnis Christianus et quoque Ethnicus, cui religio et sana ratio est, adstipulatur; verum media salutis sunt plura, sed omnia et singula se referunt ad bene vivere, et rite credere; ita ad Charitatem et Fidem, Charitas enim est bene vivere, et Fides est rite credere. Haec duo Communia mediorum salutis, homini non modo praescripta sunt in Verbo, sed etiam mandata, et quia mandata sunt, sequitur, quod homo per illa possit sibi providere vitam aeternam ex potentia illi indita et data a Deo, et quod quantum homo illa potentia utitur, et simul spectat ad Deum, tantum Deus corroboret illam, ut faciat omne id quod Charitatis naturalis est ut sit charitatis Spiritualis, ac omne id quod Fidei naturalis est ut sit Fidei spiritualis, sic Deus mortuam Charitatem et Fidem facit vivas, et simul hominem.
[2] Sunt duo quae simul erunt, ut dici queat, quod homo bene vivat et rite credat; haec duo vocantur in Ecclesia Internus homo et Externus homo; quando Internus homo bene vult, et Externus bene agit, tunc uterque unum faciunt, Externus ex Interno, ac Internus per Externum, ita homo ex Deo, et Deus per hominem: vicissim autem si Internus homo male vult, et usque Externus bene agit, tunc nihilominus uterque agit ex Inferno, velle enim ejus inde est, et facere ejus est hypocriticum, et in omni hypocritico latet intus velle ejus, quod est infernale, sicut serpens in herba, et sicut vermis in flore.
[3] Homo qui non modo scit quod sint Internus et Externus homo, sed etiam quid sunt, et quod possint unum agere actualiter, et quoque unum agere apparenter, et insuper quod Internus homo vivat post mortem, et Externus sepeliatur, ille in potentia possidet arcana Coeli et quoque Mundi in copia; et qui conjungit duos illos homines apud se in bonum, fit felix in aeternum, at qui dividit illos, et plus qui conjungit illos in malum, sit 1 infelix in aeternum.
Footnotes:
1. Nisi legeris fit, sic Worcester.