510. 第1节 悔改是人内教会发展的第一阶段
被称为教会的团契由内有教会的所有人组成, 当人即将重生时, 教会就进入人内。 人皆通过弃绝罪恶, 避之如一群手持火把奋力追赶他, 将他扔到火堆上的恶魔而重生。 人一到成年, 会有很多方法使他为教会做准备, 并被引入教会; 而教会借以在人内建立的方法就是悔改的行为。 悔改的行为是指所有使人不去意愿, 因此不去行悖逆神的罪恶之类的事。 除非这一切发生, 否则人仍站在重生的门外。 如果那时有关永恒救恩的想法进入他的脑海, 他也许倾向于它, 但会很快背离它。 因为它没有更深地进入人里面, 仅止于他的想法, 尽管它由此也许进入言谈, 甚至可能进入某些与言谈一致的举止。 但只有当这类思想进入意愿时, 它才会成为人的一部分, 因为意愿是人本身, 人的爱就居于其中。 思想在人之外, 除非它出于意愿, 果如此, 意愿与思想就会行动如一, 二者一起构成人。 由此可知, 为了使悔改在人内真正奏效, 它必须出于意愿, 以及出于来自意愿的思想, 而不仅仅出于思想。 换句话说, 它必须体现在行动中, 而不是只停留在口头上。 圣言明显证实, 悔改是教会发展的第一阶段。 施洗约翰被提前派去为主即将建立的教会预备人, 他施洗的同时传讲悔改, 因此他的洗礼被称为悔改的洗礼。 由于这个原因, 洗礼意味着属灵的洗礼, 即从罪中洁净。 约翰是在约旦做这一切的, 因为约旦意味着被引入教会, 它是教会所在迦南地的第一个边界。 为了赦罪, 主自己也传讲悔改, 从而教导悔改是教会发展的第一阶段, 并且人悔改到什么程度, 他的罪就远离他到什么程度; 而他的罪远离到什么程度, 就被赦免到什么程度。 主甚至吩咐祂的十二使徒, 和祂派遣的七十个门徒传讲悔改。 这些事实清楚表明, 悔改是教会发展的第一阶段。
510. Repentance Is the Beginning of the Church within Us
The extended community that is known as the church consists of all the people who have the church within them. The church takes hold in us when we are regenerated, and we are all regenerated when we abstain from things that are evil and sinful and run away from them as we would run if we saw hordes of hellish spirits pursuing us with flaming torches, intending to attack us and throw us onto a bonfire.
As we go through the early stages of our lives, there are many things that prepare us for the church and introduce us into it; but acts of repentance are the things that actually produce the church within us. Acts of repentance include any and all actions that result in our not willing, and consequently not doing, evil things that are sins against God.
Before repentance, we stand outside regeneration. In that condition, if any thought of eternal salvation somehow makes its way into us, we at first turn toward it but soon turn away. That thought does not penetrate us any farther than the outer areas where we have ideas; it then goes out into our spoken words and perhaps into a few gestures that go along with those words. When the thought of eternal salvation penetrates our will, however, then it is truly inside us. The will is the real self, because it is where our love dwells; our thoughts are outside us, unless they come from our will, in which case our will and our thought act as one, and together make us who we are. From these points it follows that in order for repentance to be genuine and effective within us, it has to be done both by our will and by thinking that comes from our will. It cannot be done by thought alone. Therefore it has to be a matter of actions, and not of words alone.
[2] The Word makes it obvious that repentance is the beginning of the church. John the Baptist was sent out in advance to prepare people for the church that the Lord was about to establish. At the same time as he was baptizing people he was also preaching repentance; his baptism was therefore called a baptism of repentance. Baptism means a spiritual washing, that is, being cleansed from sins. John baptized in the Jordan river because the Jordan means introduction into the church, since it was the first border of the land of Canaan, where the church was. The Lord himself also preached that people should repent so that their sins would be forgiven. He taught, in effect, that repentance is the beginning of the church; that if we repent, the sins within us will be removed; and that if our sins are removed, they are also forgiven. Furthermore, when the Lord sent out his twelve apostles and also the seventy, he commanded them to preach repentance. From all this it is clear that repentance is the beginning of the church.
510. I. Repentance is the first stage in the development of the church in a person.
The communion known as a church is composed of as many people as have the church in them; and the church enters into a person when he is being regenerated. Everyone is regenerated by abstaining from sinful evils, and shunning them as anyone would on seeing the hordes of hell seeking with torches in their hands to attack him and to throw him upon a pyre. As a person advances into early manhood there are many ways in which he is prepared for the church and brought into it; but it is acts of repentance which really bring this about in him. By acts of repentance are meant all that prevent him from willing and so from doing the evil actions which are sins against God. For until this happens, he stands outside the process of regeneration. If at that time any thought about everlasting salvation occurs to him, he may incline towards it, but very soon he turns his back on it. It does not reach further into him than the ideas he is thinking about, though from these it may emerge as spoken words, possibly also as gestures in keeping with what he says. On the other hand, when it enters the will, it becomes a part of the person, for the will is the real person, because it is where his love resides. Thought lies outside him, unless it comes out of his will. If so, will and thought act as one and together make up the person. The consequence of this is that for repentance to be genuine and effective in a person, it must come from the will, and from thought coming from the will, not from thought alone. In other words, it must be expressed in action, not merely on the lips.
[2] The Word establishes plainly that repentance is the first stage in the development of the church. John the Baptist, who was sent beforehand to prepare people for the church the Lord was to found, preached repentance at the same time as he was baptising. His baptism was therefore called a baptism of repentance, because baptism means spiritual washing, or being cleansed from sins. He did this in the Jordan, because the Jordan meant being brought into the church, since it was the first boundary of the land of Canaan, which was where the church was. The Lord Himself too preached repentance for the forgiveness of sins. By this He taught that repentance is the first stage in the development of the church, and that to the extent that a person repents, his sins are distanced from him; and to the extent they are distanced, they are forgiven. Moreover, the Lord laid upon the twelve Apostles, as well as the seventy He sent out, the duty of preaching repentance. These facts clearly show that repentance is the first stage in the development of the church.
510. I. REPENTANCE IS THE FIRST THING OF THE CHURCH IN MAN.
The communion called the church consists of all men in whom the church is, and the church enters into man when he is becoming regenerate, and everyone becomes regenerate by abstaining from the evils of sin, and shunning them as one would an infernal horde with torches in hand, endeavoring to overtake him and throw him upon a burning pile. There are many means by which man, as he progresses in his early years, is prepared for the church and introduced into it; but the means whereby the church is established in man are acts of repentance. Acts of repentance are all such things as cause man not to will and consequently not to commit evils, which are sins against God; for until this takes place man stands outside of regeneration, and if any thought respecting eternal salvation should then creep into his mind, he turns toward it, but immediately turns away from it; for it enters the man no further than into the ideas of his thought, and from that goes forth into the words of his speech, and also, it may be, into some gestures conformable to speech. But when such thought enters the will, it is in the man; for the will is the man himself, because in it his love resides, while thought is outside of the man, except when it proceeds from his will, and then will and thought act as one, and both together constitute the man.
From this it follows, that, for repentance to be repentance, and to be effective in man, it must be a repentance of the will and from that of the thought, and not of the thought only; therefore that it should be actual repentance, and not merely verbal. That repentance is the first thing of the church, is very evident from the Word. John the Baptist, who was sent beforehand to prepare men for the church which the Lord was about to establish, when he baptized preached at the same time repentance; and therefore his baptism was called the baptism of repentance, for the reason that baptism signified spiritual washing, which is a cleansing from sin. This John did in Jordan, because Jordan signified introduction into the church, for it was the first boundary of the land of Canaan where the church was. The Lord Himself also preached repentance for the forgiveness of sins, teaching thereby that repentance is the first thing of the church, and that so far as man repents his sins are put away, and so far as they are put away, they are forgiven. And still further, the Lord commanded His twelve apostles, and also the seventy whom He sent forth, to preach repentance. From all this it is clear that the first thing of the church is repentance.
510. I. REPENTANCE IS THE FIRST ESSENTIAL OF THE CHURCH IN MAN.
The communion called the Church consists of all those who have the Church in them; and the Church with man enters when he is being regenerated. Every one becomes regenerate as he abstains from the evils of sin and shuns them as he would hosts of infernal spirits whom he sees with fire brands in their hands threatening to attack him and cast him on a burning pile. There are many things which in early life prepare a man for the Church, and introduce him into it; but acts of repentance cause the Church to be in him. Such acts are all those which lead a man not to will, and consequently not to do, those evils which are sins against God. Before this happens the man is not concerned about regeneration; and should any thought enter his mind about eternal salvation, he may indeed favor it; but presently he turns away from it, for it affects him no more deeply than mere thoughts do, finding expression in words and even in deeds conformable to his words. When, however, such a thought enters his will it then gains a place in him, for the will is the man himself, because his love dwells there. But the thought is no part of the man, unless it proceeds from the will; if it does, then will and thought act as one, and together constitute the man. Hence it follows that repentance, to be truly repentance and efficacious in a man, must be of the will and thence of the thought, and not a matter of thought alone; it must consequently be practical, and not merely oral.
That repentance is the first essential of the Church is plainly evident from the Word. John the Baptist was sent on before to prepare man for the Church which the Lord was about to establish; and when he baptized, he preached at the same time, repentance. His baptism was called the baptism of repentance, because baptism signified spiritual washing, or cleansing from sin. He baptized in Jordan, because Jordan signified introduction into the Church; for it was the boundary of the land of Canaan, where the Church was established. The Lord Himself also preached repentance for the remission of sins, thus teaching that repentance is the first essential of the Church, and that so far as a man repents, his sins are removed, and so far as they are removed, they are remitted. Moreover, the Lord commanded twelve Apostles, and also the seventy whom He sent forth, to preach repentance. It is, therefore, evident that repentance is the first essential of the Church.
510. Quod Poenitentia sit Primum Ecclesiae apud hominem.
Communio, quae vocatur Ecclesia, consistit ex totidem hominibus in quibus est Ecclesia; et Ecclesia apud hominem intrat quando regeneratur, et quisque regeneratur per quod abstineat a malis peccati, ac fugiat illa sicut quis dum videt turmas infernales cum facibus in conatu illum adoriendi et super pyram conjiciendi. Sunt plura, quae hominem progredientem in primas aetates praeparant ad Ecclesiam, et introducunt in illam; sed quae efficiunt illam apud hominem, sunt actus poenitentiae; actus poenitentiae sunt omnes illi, qui efficiunt quod Mala, quae peccata contra Deum sunt, non velit, et inde non faciat, nam antequam hoc fit, homo stat extra regenerationem, et tunc si aliqua cogitatio subintrat de salute aeterna, vertit se ad illam, sed mox se avertit ab illa, non enim ulterius in hominem intrat quam in ideas ejus cogitationis, et inde exit in voces loquelae, et forte etiam in aliquos gestus loquelae conformes; at vero dum in voluntatem intrat, tunc in homine est, voluntas enim est ipse homo, quia amor ejus ibi habitat, at cogitatio est extra hominem, nisi haec ex Voluntate ejus procedit; si hoc fit, tunc voluntas et cogitatio unum agunt, et simul faciunt hominem: ex his sequitur, quod poenitentia ut sit poenitentia, et efficiens in homine, oporteat ut sit Voluntatis et inde cogitationis, et non solius cogitationis, proinde ut sit actualis, et non duntaxat oralis.
[2] Quod Poenitentia sit Primum Ecclesiae, constat manifeste ex Verbo; Johannes Baptista, qui fuit praemissus ad praeparandum homines ad Ecclesiam, quam Dominus instauraturus erat, dum baptizavit, simul praedicavit poenitentiam, quare ejus Baptisma vocabatur Baptisma poenitentiae, ex causa quia per Baptisma significabatur Lavatio spiritualis, quae est ablutio a peccatis; hoc fecit in Jordane, quia Jordanes significabat introductionem in Ecclesiam, erat enim primus terminus terrae Canaanis ubi Ecclesia: Ipse Dominus etiam praedicavit Poenitentiam in remissionem peccatorum, per quod docuit, quod Poenitentia sit Primum Ecclesiae, et quod quantum homo illam agit, tantum apud illum removeantur peccata, [tum] quod quantum haec removentur, tantum remittantur: et insuper Dominus duodecim Apostolis, et quoque Septuaginta quos emisit, mandavit, ut praedicarent Poenitentiam: ex quibus patet, quod primum Ecclesiae sit Poenitentia.