576. 第2节 主唯独通过仁与信这两种方法, 加上人的合作实现新生或新造
从仁与信的章节所提供的证据可推知, 主通过仁与信带来重生, 尤其通过这一说法, 即主, 仁, 信为一, 如同人的生命, 意愿, 觉知为一, 若它们分开, 各自会象珍珠化为粉末一样消亡。 仁与信这二者就是所谓的方法, 因为它们将人和主联结起来, 并使得仁成为仁, 信成为信。 只有人参与自己的重生, 这一切才有可能, 这就是为什么我们说加上人的合作的原因。 前一章数次提及人与主的合作, 但由于人类心智就是这样的构成, 以至于它不得不觉察人通过自己的能力所产生的这种行为, 所以有必要再次说明这一点。 一切动作, 因而一切行动皆存在主动与被动, 也就是说, 主动行为与来自主动的被动行为, 因此一个行为由这二者产生, 好比磨粉机被轮子驱动, 马车被马拉动, 也好比动作来自努力, 结果来自原因, 惯性来自能量, 大体上好比辅因受主因推动 (as the instrument is moved by the principal。 )。 人皆知, 这二者一起产生一个行为。 在仁与信方面, 主起作用, 人通过主起作用, 因为主的主动行为存在于人的被动行为里, 因此行动正确的能力来自主, 由此行动的意愿好象是人的, 因为人有选择的自由, 他能借以与主行动如一, 从而将自己与祂联结起来, 或他通过在他之外的地狱力量行动, 从而将自己与主分离。 人的行动与主的行动和谐一致, 就是此处合作的含义。 为了更清楚地理解这一点, 我将通过如下对比进一步阐明它。
576. The Lord Alone Generates or Creates Us Anew, Provided We Cooperate; He Uses Both Goodwill and Faith as Means
The chapters on goodwill and faith have already shown that the Lord carries out the process of regenerating us by means of goodwill and faith. See especially the point that the Lord, goodwill, and faith form a unity in the same way our life, our will, and our intellect form a unity; if we separate them, each one crumbles like a pearl that is crushed to powder [362-367].
Both of these things, goodwill and faith, I call means because they forge our partnership with the Lord. Together they ensure that our goodwill is real goodwill and that our faith is real faith. The process of our regeneration cannot occur without our having some part to play in it; for this reason, the heading reads "provided we cooperate. "
In preceding chapters, our cooperation with the Lord has come up several times; it will be illustrated again here, however, because the human mind is by nature unable to rid itself of the sensation that it carries out this process under its own power.
[2] In every motion and every action there is an element that is active and another element that is responsive. The active element acts, and then the responsive element acts in response. As a result, a single action comes forth from the two elements. A mill is activated in this manner by a waterwheel; a carriage by a horse; a motion by a force; an effect by a cause; a dead force by a living force; and in general an instrumental cause by a principal cause. Everyone knows that each pair together completes a single action.
In the case of goodwill and faith, the Lord acts, and we act in response. There is an activity of the Lord that prompts our human response. The power to do good things comes from the Lord. As a result, there is a will to act that seems to be our own, because we have free choice. Either we can take action together with the Lord and by doing so, form a partnership with him; or else we can take action drawing on the power of hell, which is outside the Lord, and by doing so, separate ourselves from him. Actions of ours that are in harmony with the Lord's actions are what I mean here by "cooperation. " To make this even clearer, it will be illustrated with comparisons below [, 578].
576. II. A new birth or creation can only be brought about by the Lord through charity and faith as the two means with the person's co-operation.
It follows from the proofs offered in the chapters on charity and faith that regeneration is brought about by the Lord through charity and faith; in particular, from the statement there that the Lord, charity and faith make one, just as do life, will and understanding; and if they are divided each of them perishes like a pearl collapsing into dust. These two, charity and faith, are called means, because they link a person with the Lord and make charity charity and faith faith. This is only possible if the person plays a part in his regeneration; this is why we say, with the person's co-operation. In previous sections the co-operation of a person with the Lord has been discussed several times. But because the human mind is so constituted that it cannot help perceiving this action as being effected by the person by his own ability, it needs to be illustrated again.
[2] Every motion, and so every action, contains an active and a passive principle. In other words, the agent acts, and the object acts as a result of the agent. So the two together produce an action. This may be compared to a mill driven by a wheel, a carriage pulled by a horse, a movement responding to an effort, an effect to a cause, inertia to energy, in general, an instrumental part responding to a principal one. Everyone knows that the two together perform a single action. In the case of charity and faith the Lord acts, and the person acts in response to the Lord, for the Lord's activity is in the person's passivity. Therefore the ability to act aright is from the Lord, so that the will to act is as if it were the person's. This is because he enjoys free will, so that he can act together with the Lord, and so link himself to Him, or he can act by the power of hell, which is outside him, and so cut himself off from the Lord. It is the person's action in harmony with the Lord's action which is meant here by co-operation. To render this even clearer, further comparisons will be supplied below.
576. II. THE NEW BIRTH OR CREATION IS EFFECTED BY THE LORD ALONE THROUGH CHARITY AND FAITH AS THE TWO MEANS, MAN CO-OPERATING.
That regeneration is effected by the Lord through charity and faith, follows from what was set forth in the chapters on Charity and Faith, especially from this, That the Lord, Charity and Faith make one, like Life, Will and Understanding in man, and if they are divided, each of them perishes like a pearl reduced to powder. These two, charity and faith, are called the means, because they are what conjoin man with the Lord, causing charity to be charity, and faith to be faith; and this conjunction cannot be effected unless man has part in his regeneration; and this is why it is said, man co-operating.
In the preceding chapters man's co-operation with the Lord has been several times treated of; but as the human mind is such as to be incapable of perceiving otherwise than that man effects this by his own power, the subject shall be illustrated again. In all motion, and consequently in all action, there is an active and a passive; that is to say, the active acts, and the passive acts from the active, so that from both one action arises; comparatively as a mill is moved by its wheel, a carriage by its horse, as motion is from effect, an effect from its cause, a dead force from a living force, and in general, as the instrument is moved by the principal. Everyone knows that these two together produce one action. As to charity and faith, the Lord acts and man acts from the Lord, for the Lord's active is in man's passive; therefore the power to act aright is from the Lord, and the will to act therefrom is as if it were man's, because he has the freedom of choice, whereby he is able to act as one with the Lord and thus conjoin himself with Him, or to act from the power of hell which is an extraneous power, and thus to separate himself from the Lord. It is man's action in harmony with the Lord's action that is here meant by co-operation. To give a clearer perception of this, it shall be still further illustrated by comparisons which follow.
576. II. THE NEW BIRTH OR CREATION IS EFFECTED BY THE LORD ALONE, THROUGH CHARITY AND FAITH AS THE TWO MEANS, WITH THE CO-OPERATION 1 OF MAN.
That regeneration is effected by the Lord by means of charity and faith, follows from what was proved in the chapters on Charity and Faith, and especially from this article, "The Lord, charity and faith make one, like life, will and understanding; and if they are divided, each perishes like a pearl reduced to powder." [No. 382.] These two, charity and faith, are called means, because they conjoin man with the Lord, and so cause charity to be charity and faith to be faith. This co-operation could not take place unless man took some part in regeneration; and, therefore, it is said that this work is effected with man's co-operation. In the preceding chapters man's co-operation with the Lord has occasionally been mentioned; but man's mind is so conditioned that he fancies that he performs this work by his own power alone, and therefore this subject will be further illustrated.
In all motion, and consequently in every action, there is an active and a passive, that is, something which acts as an agent, and something which reacts in response to the activity of the agent, the two combining to constitute one single action. Thus the mill is set in motion by the mill-wheel, the carriage by the horse, motion is set up by effort, an effect is produced by its cause, inertia is overcome by energy, and, in general, the instrumental is actuated by the principal. In all these examples it is clear that the two together produce a single action. As regards charity and faith, the Lord acts and man acts from the Lord, for the active of the Lord is present in the passive of man. The power of acting aright, therefore, is from the Lord, but the desire to act appears to be man's own, because he enjoys free will. From this he has the power to act together with the Lord, and thus to be conjoined to Him; but he can also act from the power of hell, which is outside the Divine sphere, and thus to be separated from Him. Man's action, when it is in harmony with that of the Lord, is what is here meant by co-operation; but in order that the reader may have a clearer idea of the subject, it will be illustrated by additional comparisons.
Footnotes:
1. Cooperatio. Reaction is properly the reflex action, automatic or involuntary, of a passive object. Co-operation is the activity of what is at first a passive object. When, however, the first reflex response has been made, the object has the capacity to continue working in harmony with the motivating agent. In the case of man he has the capacity to continue voluntarily such work. Reaction may imply continued action not in voluntary harmony. It would appear to be better to translate cooperatio by co-operation and not by reaction.
576. Quod nova Generatio seu Creatio fiat a Solo Domino per Charitatem et Fidem, ut duo Media, cooperante homine.
Quod Regeneratio fiat a Domino per Charitatem et Fidem, sequitur ex demonstratis in Capp. de Charitate et de Fide, et in specie ab hoc ibi, Quod Dominus, Charitas et Fides unum faciant, sicut vita, voluntas et intellectus, et quod si dividuntur, unumquodvis ex illis pereat, sicut unio dilapsa in pollinem. Haec duo, Charitas et Fides, vocantur media, quia conjungunt hominem cum Domino, et faciunt quod charitas sit charitas, et quod fides sit fides, et hoc fieri non potest, nisi homo etiam partem habeat in Regeneratione, quare dicitur cooperante homine. In Transactionibus, quae praecedunt, 1 aliquoties de cooperatione hominis cum Domino, actum est; sed quia Mens humana talis est, ut non aliter percipiat id, quam quod homo ex suamet potentia id efficiat, quare id iterum illustrabitur.
[2] In omni motu, et inde in omni actione, est activum et passivum; hoc est, quod agens agat, ac patiens agat ex agente, inde ex utroque fit una actio; comparative sicut mola a rota, currus ab equo, motus a conatu, effectus a causa, vis mortua a viva, in genere, sicut instrumentale a principali; quod haec duo simul faciant unam actionem, quisque novit: quoad Charitatem et Fidem, Dominus agit, et homo agit ex Domino, est enim activum Domini in passivo hominis; quare potentia bene agendi est a Domino, ac inde voluntas agendi est sicut hominis, quia est in libero arbitrio, ex quo potest una agere cum Domino, et sic se conjungere, et potest ex potentia inferni, quae est extra, agere, et sic se separare. Actio hominis concors cum actione Domini est quae hic intelligitur per Cooperationem; ut hoc evidentius percipiatur, illustrabitur adhuc per comparationes infra.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: ptaecedunt.