485. 第6节 人若在属灵事物上没有选择自由, 就没有办法建立与主的相互结合。 结果也没有归算, 而只有可憎的预定论
若没有属灵事物上的选择自由, 那么人既无仁, 也无信, 更谈不上这二者的结合, 这些内容在关于信的那一章已充分说明。 由此可知, 如果没有属灵事物上的选择自由, 那么人里面就没有主借以将祂自己与人结合起来的任何东西; 可没有相互结合, 就没有更新或重生, 因而得救是不可能的。 若没有人与主, 主与人的相互结合, 也不会有归算, 这是不可辨驳的结果。 “没有属灵事物上的选择自由, 也会有善与恶的归算”, 倘若这种观点被确认, 那么由此会得出数不清的结论, 本书后面部分会探讨源自当今教会之信 (这信将主神, 救主的功与义归到人身上) 的异端, 悖论和矛盾, 这些荒谬的结论将被揭露出来。
485. If We Had No Free Choice in Spiritual Matters, There Would Be Nothing in Us That Would Allow Us to Forge a Partnership with the Lord, and Therefore [There Would Be] No Ascribing [of Goodness to Us], Only Mere Predestination, Which Is Detestable
As was fully demonstrated in the chapter on faith [336-391], without free choice in spiritual matters no one would have any goodwill or faith, still less a partnership between those two things. From the points made there it follows that if we had no free choice in spiritual matters there would be nothing in us that would allow the Lord to form a bond with us. Without a reciprocal partnership [with the Lord] reformation and regeneration would be impossible, and therefore there would be no salvation.
An irrefutable result of this is that without a reciprocal partnership of the Lord with us and us with the Lord, there would be no ascribing [of goodness to us]. Convincing ourselves that [after death] there is no assigning of spiritual credit for goodness or blame for evil (because we lack free choice in spiritual matters) has many consequences, and they are severe. They will have to be unveiled in the last part of this book, where we will explore the heresies, absurdities, and contradictions that flow forth from today's belief that the merit and justice of the Lord God the Savior are assigned to us.
485. VI. Without free will in spiritual matters man would have no means of establishing a mutual link with the Lord. The result would be not imputation, but complete predestination, which is a detestable doctrine.
It was fully shown in the chapter on faith that without free will in spiritual matters no one could possibly possess either charity or faith, much less the two linked together. From this it follows that without free will in spiritual matters man would have nothing by which the Lord could link Himself to him; yet without a reciprocal link there could be no reformation or regeneration, and consequently salvation would be impossible. It is an irrefutable consequence that without a reciprocal link of man with the Lord and of the Lord with man there could be no imputation. Many things have followed from the attempt to prove that without free will in spiritual matters there can be no imputation of good and evil. These aberrant doctrines will be discussed in the last part of this book [Chapter 11] dealing with the heresies, paradoxes and contradictions which stem from the present-day belief that the merit and righteousness of the Lord God the Saviour is imputed to man.
485. VII. WITHOUT FREEDOM OF CHOICE IN SPIRITUAL THINGS, THERE WOULD BE NOTHING IN MAN WHEREBY HE COULD IN TURN CONJOIN HIMSELF WITH THE LORD; CONSEQUENTLY THERE WOULD BE NO IMPUTATION, BUT MERE PREDESTINATION, WHICH IS DETESTABLE.
That without freedom of choice in spiritual things there would be neither charity nor faith in any man, still less a conjunction of the two, has been fully shown in the chapter on Faith. From this it follows, that without freedom of choice in spiritual things there would be nothing in man whereby the Lord could conjoin Himself to him, and yet, without reciprocal conjunction, no reformation or regeneration, and thus no salvation is possible. That without a reciprocal conjunction of man with the Lord, and of the Lord with man, there would be no imputation, is an irrefragable consequence. The conclusions that follow from confirming the idea that there is any imputation of good and evil without freedom of choice in spiritual things, are numerous, and in the latter part of this work, where it treats of the heresies, paradoxes, and contradictions flowing from the faith of the present day, which imputes to man the merit and righteousness of the Lord God the Savior, these preposterous conclusions will be exposed.
485. VI. WITHOUT FREE WILL IN SPIRITUAL THINGS A MAN WOULD HAVE NOTHING WHEREWITH TO ENTER INTO RECIPROCAL CONJUNCTION WITH THE LORD; AND CONSEQUENTLY THERE WOULD BE NO IMPUTATION, BUT MERE PREDESTINATION, WHICH IS A DETESTABLE DOCTRINE.
Without free will in spiritual things a man would have neither charity nor faith, much less these two in conjunction, as was fully shown in the Chapter on Faith. From this it follows that without free will in spiritual things man would have nothing by which the Lord might effect conjunction with him; and yet without reciprocal conjunction there could be no reformation and regeneration, and consequently no salvation. It is undeniable that, without the reciprocal conjunction of man with God and God with man, there would be no imputation. The consequences that result from the conviction that there is no imputation of good and evil 1 without free will in spiritual things are many. Their dreadful nature will be explained in the last part of this work, 2 where there are discussed the heresies, paradoxes and contradictions which flow from the faith prevailing at this day, imputing the merits and righteousness of the Lord God the Savior to man.
Footnotes:
1. "there would be no imputation [of good and evil]," non foret aliqua Imputatio. Unless it is definitely stated it is not always clear, even from the context, which is meant, Imputation of good and evil, or, Imputation of the merit and righteousness of the Lord. In cases of ambiguity the necessary qualifying words are added.
2. This would have formed a section of the CORONIS or Appendix to this work, part of which has been lost.
485. Quod absque Libero Arbitrio in spiritualibus, non foret aliquid hominis, per quod se vicissim conjungat Domino, et inde non Imputatio, sed mera Praedestinatio, quae 1 detestabilis est.
Quod absque Libero Arbitrio in spiritualibus non foret charitas nec fides apud ullum hominem, minus conjunctio duarum illarum, in Capite de Fide, plene ostensum est; ex his sequitur, quod absque Libero Arbitrio in spiritualibus, non foret aliquid hominis, per quod Dominus se conjungeret illi, et tamen absque conjunctione reciproca nulla reformatio et regeneratio, et inde nec salvatio dabilis est. Quod absque reciproca conjunctione hominis cum Domino, ac Domini cum homine, non foret aliqua Imputatio est consequens irrefragabile. Sequelae ex confirmatione, quod nulla sit imputatio boni et mali, absque Libero Arbitrio in spiritualibus, sunt plures, et illae enormes, in ultima Parte hujus Operis, ubi de haeresibus, paradoxis et contradictionibus, promanantibus ex hodierna Fide imputativa meriti et justitiae Domini Dei Salvatoris, agendum est, aperiendae sunt.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: quoe.