484# 人读了上文第 464 节从那本称为《协和信条》的教会书中所引的话，又读了圣言中这里那里的一些经文之后，谁看不出那些话的空虚——我还不愿说是愚昧呢？
他岂不会心里思想说：“若真如其中所教导的，人在属灵之事上没有任何自由意志，那么宗教——宗教就是行善——岂不只是空洞的声音吗？没有宗教的教会，又算什么呢？岂不像包在木头外面的树皮，除了拿去焚烧以外，再没有别的用处吗？”
他还会进一步思想说：“若没有教会，因为没有宗教，那么天堂和地狱又是什么呢？岂不只是教会牧师和主教为笼络百姓、并把自己抬升到更高尊位而编造的寓言吗？”
因此，在许多人口中便出现了那种可憎的说法：“谁能凭自己行善呢？谁能凭自己获得信呢？”于是他们便将这些事弃置不顾，过着异教徒般的生活。
然而，我的朋友啊，你当远避恶，实行善，并要尽心、尽性爱主；主就必爱你，并赐你爱，使你能行善；赐你信，使你能相信。那时，你就会出于爱而行善，并出于信而信主；这信本质上就是信靠。你若如此持守下去，就会形成相互的结合，而且这种结合是永恒的；这正是救恩本身，也是永生。
若人不凭所赐的力量行善，也不从自己的心智信主，那么人又是什么呢？岂不就是孤寂与荒漠，全然像干旱之地，不接受雨水，反倒将其弹回吗？又岂不像沙漠之地，其中有羊却没有草场？他还会像干涸的泉源，或像那里一潭停滞的水，其水脉被堵塞；又像一处居所，没有收成，也没有池塘。人若不立刻逃离那地方，另寻可居之地，便会因饥渴而死。
484# 读了前面（TCR 464节）从名为《协和信条》的神学著作中引用的摘录，然后读了此处和其它地方从圣言引用的一些经文后，谁看不出这些摘录的空洞（我真不愿说愚蠢）？如果这是真的，如那本书所教导的一样，即：人在属灵事物上没有自由意志或自由选择，难道一个人不会认为，宗教，即行善，不就是一句空话吗？没有宗教的教会不就像包着树干的树皮，只适合烧掉吗？此外，他会认为，如果教会实际上不存在，因为宗教不存在，那么天堂和地狱不就是教会的牧师和领袖们用来诱骗普通人，把自己提升到更高荣誉而编造的寓言吗？这就是许多人口中的可憎说法的源头，即：“谁能行善，或谁能凭自己获得信仰？”因此，他们无视这些事，或说不再关注信仰和善行，活得像异教徒。
但我的朋友，要避恶行善，全心、全灵魂地信靠主，主就会爱你，赐给你去遵行的爱和去相信的信仰。然后，你就会出于爱而行善，出于信仰，即信靠而相信。如果你坚持这样做，那么一种相互和永恒的结合就会实现；这就是救赎本身，也是永生。人若不凭赋予他的力量行善，凭自己的心智或聪明信靠主，不就成了旷野和沙漠，或完全就像干地，不吸收雨水，反而吐出雨水，或像沙地平原，有羊却没有牧场吗？他就会像干涸的源泉，或像因河道堵塞而停滞不前的死水，或像既没有庄稼也没有水的家园，除非一个人速速逃离这个地方，到别处寻找可居住的住所，否则他必因饥渴而灭亡。
484. After reading these quotations and others from one end of the Word to the other, who fails to see the emptiness (I would prefer not to say "idiocy") of the quotations given above in 464 from the ecclesiastical book called the Formula of Concord? Would we not think to ourselves, "If what we are taught there is true - that we have no free choice in spiritual matters - wouldn't that make religious practice, which is the doing of what is good, a meaningless expression? And without religious practice, what is the church except the bark from a piece of wood, which is only useful as kindling?" We would also think, "If the church does not really exist, because it has no religious practice, what then are heaven and hell but fables made up by the ministers and leaders of the church to captivate common people and to elevate themselves to high honors?" This is the source of that detestable popular phrase: "Who can do what is good on their own? Who can acquire faith on their own?" Therefore people do not bother and live a hedonistic life.
[2] But, my friend, abstain from evil, and do what is good, and believe in the Lord with your whole heart and your whole soul; and the Lord will love you and give you love for what you do and faith in what you believe. Then you will do what is good because of love and you will believe because you have faith, which is confidence. And if you persevere like this, a reciprocal partnership [with the Lord] will develop and become permanent. This is salvation itself and eternal life.
If we did not use the powers that have been granted to us to do what is good, and we did not use our minds to believe in the Lord, what would we be except a wasteland or a desert, like ground that is so utterly dry that it repels rather than absorbs rain? We would be like a sandy field where there are sheep that have nothing to eat. We would be like a spring that has dried up, or like stagnant water around a spring that is blocked. We would be like a home where there is no harvest and no pond; unless we left there immediately and looked for an inhabitable spot elsewhere, we would die of hunger and thirst.
484. Can anyone fail to see the inanity - I would rather not say folly - of the passages quoted in 464 above from the church's book called the Formula of Concord, once he has read them and then a few passages taken at random from the Word? Would he not think to himself: 'Suppose what is taught there were right, that man has no free will in spiritual matters, what would religion, which is doing good, be but a meaningless term? And what would the church be without religion but like the bark around timber, of no use except for burning?' Then he would go on to think, 'If there were no church because there was no religion, what then would heaven and hell be, but stories invented by ministers and prelates of the church to control the common people and secure their own promotion to higher honours?' It is from this there comes that detestable utterance in many mouths: 'Who can do good by himself, and who can acquire faith by himself?' So they give up the effort and live like heathens.
[2] Ah, my friend, shun evil and do good, and believe in the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul, and the Lord will love you, and give you love so that you can act, and faith so that you can believe. Then you will be impelled by love to do good, and by faith, which is trust, to believe. And if you persevere in this, you will be linked with Him and He with you, and this for ever; and this is the essence of salvation and everlasting life. If a person were not to use the strength he has been given to do good, and use his mind to believe in the Lord, what would man be but a wilderness and a desert, and exactly like dried up ground, which does not absorb rain, but makes it bounce off; or like a sandy heath, where sheep can find no pasture. He would also be like a dried up spring; or like the stagnant pool there, when the source is obstructed, or like a dwelling where there is no harvest nor any pool - if he does not flee from such a place at once, and look for a place to live elsewhere, he would die of hunger and thirst.
484. Who does not see the emptiness (I do not wish to say the foolishness) of the extracts quoted above (n. 464) from the ecclesiastical work entitled Formula Concordiae, when he has read them, together with some passages quoted here and elsewhere from the Word? Would he not think to himself: If it were as there taught, that man has no freedom of choice in spiritual things, what but an idle word would religion be, which is doing good? And what is the church apart from religion but like a bark about a stick which is fit for nothing but to be burned? And he would think, moreover, If there is no church because no religion, what are heaven and hell but the fables of ministers and rulers of the church to ensnare the people, and elevate themselves to higher honors? And this is the source of that detestable saying on the lips of many: Who can do good, or acquire faith of himself? Consequently they disregard these things, and live like pagans.
But my friend, shun evil and do good and believe in the Lord from all your heart and in all your soul, and the Lord will love you, and will give you a love of doing and faith to believe. Then from love you will do good, and from faith, which is trust, you will believe; and if you persevere in so doing, a reciprocal conjunction will be effected, which will be perpetual, and this is salvation itself and eternal life. If man from the powers given him should fail to do good, and from his mind should fail to believe in the Lord, what would he be but a wilderness and a desert, or altogether like dry ground, which does not receive the rain, but throws it off or like a sandy plain where there are sheep without pasture? And he would be like a dried-up fountain, or like stagnant water therein, its course being obstructed; or like an abode where there is neither harvest nor water, where, unless he quickly fled from the place and sought a habitable abode elsewhere, he would perish with hunger and thirst.
484. Who does not see the emptiness, not to say the folly, of the passages quoted above in 464 from the theological book entitled Formula Concordiae, 1 after reading them and then reading passages from various parts of the Word? If it were true, as is taught in that book, that man has no free will in spiritual things, one must conclude that the voice of religion, which consists in doing good, is but an empty sound; and that the Church without religion is like the bark round the tree trunk fit only for burning. One would also suppose that the Church has no reality, because religion has no existence; and that heaven and hell are but fables invented by the ministers and priests of the Church to ensnare the people and raise themselves to high honors. Hence has arisen that detestable saying repeated by many men, "Who can do good and who can acquire faith of himself?" They, therefore, cease to have any regard for faith and good works, and live like pagans.
But, my friend, shun evil and do good, and believe on the Lord with your whole heart and your whole soul. The Lord will then love you, and bestow upon you the love to do and the faith to believe. If you persevere in this course, reciprocal and perpetual conjunction will then be effected between you and the Lord; and this is salvation itself and eternal life. If a man, from the strength given him, were not to do good, and from his own intellect were to believe on the Lord, he would be but a desert waste, and like parched ground which does not absorb rain but throws it off; or like a sandy plain where there are sheep, but no pasture for them; or like a fountain whose spring has dried up; or like water rendered stagnant by the blocking of its channel; or like a homestead where there is neither crop nor water, from which a man must instantly depart and seek a habitable abode elsewhere, or perish of hunger and thirst.
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.
484. Quis non videt inanitatem, non volo dicere fatuitatem, in illis, quae supra 464, 1 ex Libro Ecclesiastico FORMULA CONCORDIAE vocato, adducta sunt, postquam legit illa, et insuper aliqua hinc et illinc in Verbo; numne cogitaret secum, si foret sicut ibi docetur, quod homini nullum Liberum Arbitrium in spiritualibus sit, quid foret religio, quae est facere bonum, nisi vana vox, et quid Ecclesia absque religione, nisi sicut cortex circum lignum, qui non inservit alii usui, quam ut comburatur; et insuper cogitaret, si non Ecclesia, quia non religio, quid tunc Coelum et Infernum, nisi fabulae ministrorum et praesulum Ecclesiae ad captandum plebem, et ad se elevandum ad honores superiores: inde est detestabile illud enuntiatum oris apud plures, quis potest bonum facere a se, et quis potest fidem captare a se, et inde omittunt illa, et paganice vivunt.
[2] At mi amice, fuge malum, et fac bonum, et crede in Dominum ex toto corde tuo, et in tota anima tua, et Dominus amabit te, et dabit amorem ad faciendum, et fidem ad credendum, et tunc ex amore facies bonum, et ex fide, quae est fiducia, credes, et si perseveras ita, fiet conjunctio reciproca, et haec perpetua, quae est ipsa salus et vita aeterna. Si homo ex datis viribus non faceret bonum, et ex sua mente crederet in Dominum, quid foret homo nisi solitudo et desertum, et prorsus sicut terra sicca, quae pluviam non recipit, sed repercutit. Aut sicut arenarius 2 campus, ubi oves, quibus non pascuum. Ac foret sicut fons exsiccatus; aut ibi sicut aqua stagnata, obstructa vena; aut sicut habitatio, ubi nulla messis, nec ullus lacus, a quo loco nisi actutum fugeret, et quaereret sedem habitabilem alibi, fame et siti moreretur.
Footnotes: