611. 第10节 人只有重生, 他的罪才能被移走, 这移走就是罪的赦免
人只有重生, 他的罪才能被移走, 原因在于, 重生在于抑制肉欲, 使它不再掌控, 在于制服旧人及其欲望, 使它不会死而复生, 并毁灭觉知官能, 因为若这官能被毁, 人就不再可能被改造。 除非肉欲以上的人之灵接受教导并逐步完善, 否则这种改造不可能发生。 尚保持正常觉知者, 谁不能由此推论出, 这种事不可能瞬间成就, 而只能逐步进行, 就象前文所说人的受孕, 被带入子宫, 出生和养育? 因为属肉欲或旧人的那些特性是人与生俱来的, 它们建造了其心智的最初居所, 欲望在其中有其住所, 就象野兽住在它们的洞穴一样。 它们先是住在前院, 然后渐渐进入房子的地下室, 后来爬上楼梯, 为自己构造居室。 这一切随着孩子成长, 变成少年, 之后长成青年而逐步进行; 然后他开始用自己的觉知思考, 用自己的意愿行动。 谁不明白, 到目前为止, 建在心智里的这所房子里面, 各种欲望象豺狼 (ochim), 鸮鸟 (Tziim) 和萨梯 (注: 希腊及罗马神话中半人半兽的森林之神, 好色之徒) 一样携手共舞, 这房子不可能瞬间被毁掉, 并在其址上建造新房子? 那些手牵手, 自娱自乐的欲望不是必须先被驱逐, 属于善与真的新渴望才能被引入以取代属恶与假的欲望吗? 聪明人仅从这一考虑就能明白, 这些事不可能瞬间完成, 即每种恶都是由不计其数的欲望组成, 它就象表皮下面布满黑头白身蛆虫的水果, 众多邪恶还紧紧联结起来, 如同蜘蛛刚刚孵化出来的后代。 因此, 除非邪恶一个个地被揭露出来, 直到它们的联结被破坏, 否则人不可能被作成新的。 引用这些事是为了清楚表明, 人只有重生, 他的罪才能被移走。
611. The More We Are Regenerated, the More Our Sins Are Laid Aside; This Relocating of Them Is the "Forgiving of Sins"
The more we are regenerated, the more our sins are laid aside, because the process of being regenerated is a matter of restraining our flesh so that it does not control us, and taming our old self and its cravings so that it does not rise up and destroy our intellectual faculty. Once our intellectual faculty is destroyed we can no longer be reformed; this reformation cannot take place unless our spirit, which is above our flesh, is instructed and perfected.
Surely everyone (whose intellect is still intact) can see from what was just stated that this sort of process cannot be completed in a moment. It happens in stages, much the way we are conceived, carried in the womb, born, and brought up, as was presented above. The traits of the flesh or the old self are embedded in us from the day we are born. They build the first home for our mind. Cravings live in that home like predatory animals in their dens. At first they live in the entryways. Then bit by bit they move by stealth into levels of the house that are below ground. Later on they go upstairs and make bedrooms for themselves there. This takes place gradually as we grow up from our childhood through youth to young adulthood, when we begin to have thoughts that come from our own understanding and perform actions that come from our own will.
[2] Surely everyone can see that the home that has been established in our mind to this point - a place where cravings join hands and dance with each other like owls, wild beasts of the desert, and satyrs [Isaiah 13:21; 34:13-15] - cannot be torn down in a single moment and a new home constructed in its place. First the cravings that are holding hands and dancing have to be set to one side, and new healthy desires for what is good and true need to be brought in to replace our unhealthy desires for what is evil and false.
All this cannot happen in a moment. Every wise person can see the truth of this just from the fact that each evil is composed of countless cravings. Every evil is like a piece of fruit that under its skin is full of worms with black heads and white bodies. There are a great number of such evils and they are joined to each other, like a spider's offspring when they first hatch out of its belly. Therefore unless one evil after another is taken away until their confederation is broken up, we cannot become a new person.
These things have been stated to support the point that the more we are regenerated, the more our sins are laid aside.
611. X. In so far as a person is regenerated, so far are his sins removed; this removal is the forgiveness of sins.
The reason why so far as a person is regenerated, so far are his sins removed, is that regeneration consists in controlling the flesh so that it does not take control, in taming the former man and his lusts so that he cannot rise again and destroy the faculty of understanding; for if this is destroyed, there is no further possibility of the person being reformed. This reformation cannot occur, unless the person's spirit, which is above the flesh, is instructed and advanced towards perfection. No one, whose understanding is still unimpaired, can fail to conclude from this that such events cannot take place in an instant, but do so one after another, just as a person is conceived, carried in the womb, born and brought up, in the sequence demonstrated above. The properties belonging to the flesh or the former man are inherent from birth. They build the first home for his mind, the dwelling-place of lusts, which are like wild beasts in their cages. They live at first in the forecourts, and little by little creep into the rooms of that house below ground level, and afterwards climb the stairs and make rooms for themselves. This happens by stages as the child grows, becomes a boy and then a youth; then he begins to use his own understanding to think and his own will to act.
[2] Anyone can see that a house built thus far in the mind, where lusts like ochim, ghoim 1 and satyrs hold hands to dance, cannot be destroyed in a moment, and a new house built in its place. Of course the lusts holding hands and so disporting themselves must first be banished, and new desires for good and truth be brought in to replace the lusts for evil and falsity. Any wise person can see that such things cannot take place in an instant from the single consideration, that every evil is the product of countless lusts, resembling a fruit that below the surface is full of maggots with black heads and white bodies. Evils too, he will realise, are numerous and closely linked, like the offspring of a spider just hatched from its belly. So unless one evil after another is brought out, and the process continues until the link is broken, a person cannot become new. These considerations have been presented in order to make it known that in so far as anyone is regenerated, so far are his sins removed.
Footnotes:
1. This word is obscure, but a reference to Isaiah 13:22 seems intended; perhaps iyim should be read, as there.
611. X. SO FAR AS MAN IS REGENERATED SINS ARE REMOVED, AND THIS REMOVAL IS THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS.
So far as man is regenerated sins are removed, because regeneration is the restraining of the flesh that it may not rule, and the subjugating of the old man with its lusts, that it may not rise up and destroy the intellectual faculty, for that would render man incapable of reformation, reformation being impossible unless man's spirit, which is above the flesh, is instructed and perfected. Who, if he still retains a sound understanding, can fail to see from all this that such a work cannot be effected in a moment but only gradually, just as man is conceived, carried in the womb, born, and educated, according to what has been shown above? For those things which pertain to the flesh or the old man are inherent in man from his birth, and build the first habitation of his mind, in which lusts have their abode like wild beasts in their caves, dwelling first in the outer courts, then by turns entering into the underground rooms, as it were, of the house, and finally ascending by steps and forming for themselves chambers. This takes place gradually, as an infant grows, becomes a boy, afterwards a youth, and then begins to think from his own understanding, and to act from his own will. Who cannot see that this house in the mind thus far built in which lusts dance with joined hands, like the ochim, tziim and satyrs, cannot be destroyed in a moment and a new house built in its place? Must not those lusts with clasped hands and so sporting themselves be first removed, and new desires, which belong to good and truth, be introduced in the place of the cupidities which belong to evil and falsity? That these things cannot be done in a moment every wise man sees from this alone, that every evil is composed of innumerable lusts, and is like a fruit which beneath the surface is full of worms with white bodies and black heads; also, that evils are numerous and joined together like the progeny of a spider when first hatched; wherefore unless one evil is brought out after another, and this until their connection is broken up, man cannot be made new. These things have been cited to make clear that so far as anyone is regenerated sins are removed.
611. X. AS FAR AS A MAN IS REGENERATED, HIS SINS ARE REMOVED; AND THIS REMOVAL IS THE REMISSION OF SINS.
Sins are removed so far as a man is regenerated. For regeneration consists in restraining the flesh so that it may not rule, and in subduing the old man with its lusts that it may not rise and destroy the intellectual principle; because if this were destroyed a man would no longer be capable of reformation. For reformation cannot take place unless a man's spirit, which is above the flesh, is instructed and perfected. Any one whose understanding is still sound, may, therefore, conclude that these things cannot take place in a moment, but must proceed gradually, just as a man is conceived, carried in the womb, born and educated, according to what was shown above. For the things of the flesh, or of the old man, are inherent from birth, and form the first habitation of his mind, in which dwell lusts, like wild beasts in their dens. These first take up their abode in the outer courts, from which they gradually enter, as it were, underground rooms of the house, and afterwards ascend the stairs and form rooms for themselves. This takes place gradually as the infant grows up, becomes a boy and at length a young man, when he begins to think from his own understanding and to act from his own will.
It must be evident that this house of the mind, thus far advanced in the building, where lusts like lewd spirits of the wood (ochim), harpies of the desert (tziim), and satyrs join hands in sportive dance, cannot be destroyed in a moment, and a new house built in its place. The lusts, like revelers sporting hand in hand, must first be expelled and new desires of good and truth be introduced in place of those which belong to evil and falsity. These things cannot be done in a moment as every wise man may see from merely considering that every evil consists of innumerable lusts, and is like fruit which, underneath the surface, is full of worms with white bodies and black heads; and that evils are manifold, and linked together like the newly hatched progeny of a spider. Unless, therefore, evils are expelled one after another, and every tie that would hold them together is broken, it is impossible for a man to be made new. These things have keen recorded that it may be evident that so far as a man is regenerated his sins are removed.
611. Quod quantum Homo regeneratur, tantum removeantur peccata, et quod remotio illa sit Remissio peccatorum.
Quod quantum homo regeneratur, tantum peccata removeantur, est quia regeneratio est compescere carnem ne dominetur, ac veterem hominem cum ejus concupiscentiis 1 domare ne exsurgat, et intellectuale perdat, quo deperdito homo non amplius est reformabilis; quae reformatio non potest fieri, nisi spiritus hominis, qui supra carnem est, instruatur et perficiatur. Quis, cui intellectus adhuc integer est, ex illis non potest concludere, quod talia non possint uno momento fieri, sed 2 quod successive, sicut homo concipitur, gestatur in utero, nascitur et educatur, secundum illa quae supra ostensa sunt; nam illa, quae carnis seu veteris hominis sunt, inhaerent a nativitate, et construunt primam ejus mentis domum, in qua concupiscentiae 3 habitant, sicut ferae in suis caveis, ac inhabitant primum in atriis, ac subintrant per vices sicut in istius domus mansiones sub terra, et postea per scalas assurgunt, et cameras sibi formant; quod fit successive sicut infans crescit, fit puer, et dein adolescens, et tunc ex proprio intellectu 4 incipit cogitare, et ex propria voluntate agere: quis non videt, quod haec domus in mente huc usque exstructa, in qua concupiscentiae, ut ochim, ghoim et satyri junctis manibus ludunt 5 choreas, [non] possit uno momento destrui, et nova domus loco ejus exstrui; numne concupiscentiae tenentes se manibus, et sic ludentes, prius removendae sunt, ac nova desideria quae sunt boni et veri, loco cupiditatum, quae sunt mali et falsi, introducenda sunt; quod haec non possint momento fieri, potest omnis sapiens videre, ex hoc solo, quod omne malum conflatum sit ex innumeris concupiscentiis, et quod sit sicut fructus intra superficiem plenus vermibus 6 corpore albis ac capite nigris, et quoque quod mala sint numerosa, et inter se conjuncta, sicut est progenies araneae ex ventre ejus primum exclusa, quare nisi unum malum post alterum educitur, et hoc usque dum liga perrupta est, homo non potest novus fieri. Haec allata sunt ob causam, ut sciatur, quod quantum quis regeneratur, tantum removeantur peccata.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: concupiscientiis.
2. Prima editio: fed.
3. Prima editio: concupiscentae.
4. Prima editio: intellecta.
5. Prima editio: ludunr.
6. Prima editio: vermibur.