第八章 论自由意志
第一节 当今教会定规否认属灵自由意志
463# 在我着手阐明新教会关于自由意志[ 本章所译“自由意志”，原文为 liberum arbitrium，严格言之指自由裁断、自由选择或自由抉择之能，并非单指 voluntas 所表示的“意志”。因神学传统通常将其译为“自由意志”，故标题及一般论述中沿用此译；但在其与 voluntas 并列处，则酌译为“自由抉择”，以显其别 ]的教义之前，必须先陈述当今教会在其教义书中关于此事所教导的内容。因为若不如此，一个具有健全理性与宗教信仰的人，或许会以为：关于自由意志，并无必要再写什么新的东西。
他会自言：“谁不知道人在属灵事务中有自由意志呢？否则，祭司们所宣讲的，要人信上帝、要人悔改归正、要人照圣言中的诫命生活、要人与自己肉体的私欲争战、要人预备自己成为新造的人，以及其他许多类似劝勉，又算什么呢？”
因此，他不能不这样思想：若在关乎救恩的事上并无某种自由意志，那么这些话不过是风中的声音；并且，否认自由意志乃是狂妄之论，因为它违反共同知觉。
然而，当今教会实际却走向相反方向，并把自由意志逐出自己的圣殿之外。此事可由一本名为《协和信条》的书中看出；福音派人士即以此书为誓守准则。以下所列，即取自其中相关论述。
至于改革宗关于自由意志的教义及由此而来的信仰，亦与此相同；因此，在整个基督教世界中，即在德国、瑞典、丹麦、英格兰和荷兰，情形大体相同。这可由他们的教义书看出。
以下内容取自一七五六年莱比锡版《协和信条》。
463# 在新教会关于自由意志或自由选择的教义能得到适当阐述之前，有必要先阐明当今教会在其教义著作中关于这个主题教导了什么。若非如此，一个具有正常理智和宗教信仰的人可能会认为，关于这个问题不值得写任何新东西。因为他可能会说：“谁不知道人在属灵事物上拥有自由意志或自由选择？否则，牧师为什么在讲道时教导说，人们应当信神，归依，照圣言的戒律生活，与肉体的欲望争战，使自己成为新生物呢？”等等。因此，他不能不在自己里面认为，如果在救赎的问题上没有自由意志或自由选择，那么这一切都只是空话，否认自由意志或自由选择是愚蠢、疯狂的，因为这违背常识。然而，当今教会却反对自由意志或自由选择，把它逐出圣殿，这一点可从下面被称为《协和信条》一书的摘录明显看出来，福音派教会宣誓效忠这本书。关于自由意志或自由选择的同样的教义，因而同样的信仰在改革宗，同样在整个基督教界，因而在德国、瑞典、丹麦、英国和荷兰占上风，这一点从他们的教义书籍明显看出来。以下摘录取自《协和信条》（1756年莱比锡版）。
463. Chapter 8: Free Choice
Before even preparing to present what the new church teaches regarding free choice, I must first lay out what the church of today says about it in its doctrinal texts. Otherwise, devout and rational readers may think there is no point in my trying to write something new about it, since they would say to themselves, "Who doesn't know we have free choice in spiritual matters? Why else would ministers preach that we need to believe in God, turn ourselves around, live according to the precepts of the Word, fight against the lusts of our flesh, and prepare ourselves as new creatures, not to mention many other things of the same kind?" They cannot avoid the conclusion that if there were no free choice in matters of salvation, such words would be nothing but hot air; and that it is insane to deny free choice, because such denial goes against common sense.
Nevertheless, the church of today is in fact headed in the opposite direction. It casts the idea of free choice out of its sanctuaries, as is clear from the following teachings taken from the book called the Formula of Concord - a book Lutherans swear to observe. From the religious treatises of the Reformed churches, it is clear that there are similar teachings and a similar belief about free choice throughout the entire Christian world, and thus in Germany, Sweden, Denmark, England, and Holland. The statements just following are copied from the Formula of Concord in the Leipzig edition of 1756:
463. CHAPTER EIGHT
FREE WILL
Before preparing to set down the teaching of the new church on free will, I must preface my remarks with an account of the views on this subject expressed by the present-day church in its theological books. But for this anyone of sound reason and religion might think that it is not worth while writing anything new on the subject. He might say to himself: 'Is there anyone who does not know that man has free will in spiritual matters? What else would be the point of priests preaching that people should believe in God, be converted, live in accordance with the commandments in the Word, fight against the lusts of the flesh, and turn themselves into new creations,' and much more of the same sort. He cannot therefore help thinking that these expressions would be merely empty verbiage, if there were no element of free will in matters affecting salvation, and it would be madness to deny this, as being contrary to common sense. Yet the present-day church goes in the opposite direction and banishes it from its buildings, as is evident from the book called the Formula of Concord, a book the Evangelicals swear to uphold, as the following extracts will show. The Reformed churches have similar teaching and thus belief about free will, so the situation is similar throughout the Christian world, and consequently in Germany, Sweden, Denmark, England and Holland, as is clear from their theological books. The following passages are transcribed from the Formula of Concord, published at Leipzig in 1756.
463. CHAPTER 8.
FREEDOM OF CHOICE.
I.
Before the doctrine of the New Church respecting freedom of choice can be properly set forth, it is necessary to premise what the present church teaches on that subject in its dogmatic books, for unless this is done a man who has sound sense and religion may believe that it is not worth while to write anything new about it. For he would say to himself, "Who does not know that man has freedom of choice in spiritual things? Otherwise, why should priests preach that men should believe in God, should be converted, should live according to the precepts in the Word, should fight against the lusts of the flesh, and should make themselves new creatures?" and so on. Thus he cannot but think within himself that all this would be mere empty words, if there were no freedom of choice in matters of salvation, and that to deny it would be folly, because contrary to common sense. Nevertheless that the present church stands opposed to freedom of choice and banishes it from its temples, may be seen from the following extracts from the book called the Formula Concordiae, which the evangelical churches swear allegiance to. That a like teaching and therefore a like belief respecting freedom of choice prevails with the Reformed, and likewise throughout the entire Christian world, and thus in Germany, Sweden, Denmark, England and Holland, is evident from their dogmatic books. The extracts that follow are taken from the Formula Concordiae, the Leipsic edition of 1756.
463. CHAPTER VIII
FREE WILL
Before I proceed to state the doctrine of the New Church on Free Will, it is necessary to premise what the present Church teaches in its dogmatic works on that subject. If this were not done a person of sound sense and principled in religion might suppose that it is not worth while to write anything new on the matter. For he might say: "Everybody knows that man has free will in spiritual things. Otherwise why should ministers teach in their sermons that men should believe on God, be converted, live according to the precepts of the Word, fight against the lusts of the flesh, and create themselves anew, and so on?" He must, therefore, suppose that those injunctions are only empty sound if there were no free will in matters of salvation, and that it would be madness to deny it, because it would be contrary to common sense. Yet the present Church falls into that contradiction, and banishes the doctrine of free will from its temples, as may be evident from the work entitled Formula Concordiae, 1 which the Evangelicals 2 swear by, and from which the following extracts are taken. The same doctrine and faith thence derived in regard to free will prevail amongst the Reformed throughout the whole Christian world, thus in Germany, Sweden, Denmark, England and Holland, as is evident from their dogmatic books. The quotations that follow are from the Formula Concordiae, Leipzig 3 edition, 1758.
Footnotes:
1. Form of Concord, Formula Concordiae, designed to effect an amicable adjustment of the differences among the Lutherans, by drawing them more closely to their principal standard, the Augsburg or Augustan Confession. Most of the Lutheran Churches add this Formula to their standard creeds.
2. Evangelicals, Low Church Protestants who profess evangelical principles, especially the doctrine that salvation is by faith in the Atonement.
2. Leipzig, capital of province of same name, seat of highest court of justice in Germany.
463. CAPUT OCTAVUM
DE LIBERO ARBITRIO.
Antequam accinctus accedo ad tradendum Doctrinale Novae Ecclesiae de LIBERO ARBITRIO, necessum est ut praemittantur illa quae Hodierna Ecclesia in Libris suis dogmaticis de illo tradit, quoniam nisi hoc fiat, potest homo, cui sana ratio et religio est, credere, quod non operis pretium sit de illo aliquod novum scribere, diceret enim secum, quis non scit, 1 quod homini Liberum Arbitrium in spiritualibus sit; quid alioquin foret, quod Sacerdotes praedicarent, ut credant in Deum, ut convertant se, ut vivant secundum praecepta in Verbo, ut pugnent contra concupiscentias carnis suae, utque se parent novam Creaturam, praeter similia plura; quare secum non potest aliter cogitare, quam quod illa modo voces venti essent, si non aliquod Liberum Arbitrium in rebus salutis foret, et quod illud negare esset delirum quia contra sensum communem: at quod usque hodierna Ecclesia in contrarium eat, et illud extra Templa sua ejiciat, constare potest ex Libro FORMULA CONCORDIAE 2 appellato, in quem Evangelici jurant, ex illis ibi quae sequuntur; quod similis Doctrina et inde fides de Libero Arbitrio sit apud Reformatos, ita similis in Universo Christiano Orbe, proinde in Germania, Suecia, 3 Dania, Anglia et 4 Hollandia, constat ex Libris dogmaticis illorum. Haec itaque sunt Transumpta ex FORMULA CONCORDIAE, Editionis Lipsiensis Anno 1756.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: fcit.
2. Hoc est, Concordia Pia et Unanimi Consensu Repetita Confessio et Doctrinae Electorum, Principum et Ordinum Imperii.
3. Prima editio: Svecia.
4. Prima editio: Anglia et [symbol].