634# 然而，真理将被昭明：当对三位上帝的信仰被引入基督教会时——此事自尼西亚会议之时即已发生——一切仁义之善与一切信仰之真皆被放逐；因为这二者绝不能与心智上敬拜三位上帝、同时口头上敬拜一位上帝并存。心智否认口所言，口亦否认心智所思；由此遂成既无对三位上帝的信仰，也无对一位上帝的信仰。由此可见，自那时以来，基督教圣殿不仅出现裂缝，而且已坍塌为废墟；并且自那时以来，无底坑便被开启，从其中升起烟来，如同大火炉的烟，日头和空气都因之昏暗，又有蝗虫从烟中出来，到了地上（启9:2，3）。关于这些经文的解释，可参见《揭秘启示录》。
甚至，自那时以来，但以理所预言的荒凉便开始并日益加增（太24:15）；并且，鹰也聚集到此信仰及其归算那里（同章28节）。其中“鹰”是指教会中的首领，他们眼目敏锐如猞猁。
若有人说：那次会议中坐着如此众多的主教与戴桂冠之人，并且他们以一致票决作出了此项决议；然而，会议又有什么可信呢？罗马天主教各会议也曾以一致票决断定教皇代理权、圣徒代求、圣像与遗骨崇敬、圣餐分授、炼狱、赎罪券，以及更多诸如此类的事。又有什么会议可信呢？多特会议也曾以一致票决断定那可憎的预定论，并将其高举为宗教的护符。
但是，我的读者啊，不要信靠会议，而要信靠圣言，并且趋近主，你就必得光照；因为祂就是圣言，也就是其中的神性真理本身。
634# 但真相必须公开。当对三位神的信仰被引入基督教会时（这发生在尼西亚议会期间），他们就驱逐了一切仁之良善和一切信之真理，因为这两者与心理上敬拜三位神，嘴上敬拜一位神完全格格不入。事实上，这时心智否认嘴上所说的，而嘴否认心智所想的；最终既不相信三位神，也不相信一位神。由此清楚可知，自那时起，基督教的圣殿不仅裂开，而且已经沦为废墟；自那时起，无底坑的口就开了，便有烟从坑里往上冒，好像大火炉的烟，日头和天空昏暗了，有蝗虫从烟中出来，到了地上（启示录 9:2，3；参看《揭秘启示录》对这些事的解释）。自那时起，但以理所预言的荒凉开始并增加了（马太福音24:15），鹰围着那信仰及其归算而聚集（马太福音24:28，“鹰”在那里是指目光锐利的教会领袖）。可能有人会说，这种信仰毕竟是在一次由众多主教和学者组成的议会上通过一致投票确立的；但当罗马天主教议会也通过一致投票确立了教宗代牧权、呼求圣徒、拜圣像和骨头、圣体分擘礼、炼狱、赎罪券等等时，人们还能信赖议会吗？当多特议会亦通过一致投票确立了可憎的预定论，把它誉为宗教守护神时，人们还能信赖议会吗？但我的读者，不要相信议会，而是相信圣言；转向主，你就会被光照；因为祂就是圣言，也就是说，是圣言中的神性真理。
634. The truth should be made public: When a faith in three gods was introduced into the Christian churches, which happened from the time of the Council of Nicaea, all the goodness related to goodwill and all the truth related to faith were sent into exile, because goodwill and faith are incompatible with mental worship of three gods mixed with oral worship of one God. The mind in that case denies what the mouth is saying, and the mouth denies what the mind is thinking. The result is that there is no real faith in three gods and no real faith in one God either.
Clearly, then, from that time on, the Christian temple did not just develop cracks; it collapsed into a pile of rubble. From that time on, the pit of the abyss was opened, and smoke arose from it like the smoke of a great furnace, darkening the sun and the air, and locusts came out of it onto the ground (Revelation 9:2-3; see the explanation of these verses in Apocalypse Revealed 422-425). In fact, from that time on, the desolation foretold by Daniel [Daniel 9:2, 26-27; 11:31; 12:11] began and increased (Matthew 24:15). The eagles gathered around that faith and its idea that merit can be assigned to us (Matthew 24:28); the eagles in that passage mean the sharp-sighted leaders of the church.
[2] If someone responds by pointing out that all the bishops and celebrated men at that council made this decision by a unanimous vote, I would counter by asking whether we should have any faith in councils. Was it not also by a unanimous vote that the Roman Catholic councils decided the pope is the vicar of Christ, saints ought to be invoked, relics and bones should be venerated, and the elements in the Holy Eucharist should be separated? Is this not how they came up with purgatory, indulgences, and so on? Why should we have confidence in councils, when the Synod of Dort, again with a unanimous vote, decided on the detestable notion of predestination and erected it as a central religious icon?
O reader of mine, put your trust in the holy Word rather than in councils, and turn to the Lord and you will be enlightened. The Lord is the Word. That is, the divine truth itself is there.
634. But I shall make the truth known. When belief in three Gods was introduced into the Christian churches, something which happened from the time of the Council of Nicaea on, all the good of charity and all the truth of faith were banished. For these two are in no way compatible with worshipping three Gods in the mind while worshipping one God with the lips. For the mind denies what the lips speak, and the lips deny what the mind thinks. As a result neither is there belief in three Gods, nor in one. This makes it plain that the structure of the Christian church from that time began not merely to crack, but to collapse into rubble. From that time on the pit of the abyss was opened, and from it went up smoke as from a mighty furnace, the sun and the air were darkened, and from the smoke there came forth locusts upon the earth (Revelation 9:2-3). See the explanation of these verses in Apocalypse Revealed. In fact it was from this time that the desolation predicted by Daniel began and increased (Matthew 24:15); and it was that faith and its imputing that caused the eagles to gather (Matthew 24:28); eagles there stand for the leaders of the church with their sharp sight.
[2] If anyone says that this was decreed by the unanimous vote of the Council, in which so many bishops and distinguished scholars took part, how can one trust Councils, when Roman-Catholic Councils also unanimously arrived at the conclusions that the Pope is the vicar of Christ, that saints are to be invoked, images and bones venerated, the Holy Eucharist divided, that purgatory and indulgences and more besides exist? How can one trust councils, when that of Dort, also unanimously, voted in favour of predestination, a detestable heresy, and exalted it as the supreme object of religious veneration? Do not, reader, put your trust in Councils, but in the Holy Word. Approach the Lord and you will be enlightened. For He is the Word, that is to say, the very Divine truth in it.
634. But the truth must be told. When a belief in three Gods was introduced into Christian churches, which was done at the time of the Nicene Council, they banished every good of charity and every truth of faith, because these two are wholly inconsistent with a mental worship of three Gods and a simultaneous oral worship of one God; for the mind then denies what the mouth utters, and the mouth denies what the mind thinks; and the result is that there is neither a belief in three Gods nor a belief in one God. From this it is clear that since that time the Christian temple has not only cracked open but has fallen to ruins; and since that time the mouth of the abyss, from which ascends a smoke like that of a great furnace, has been opened, the sun and air have been darkened, and locusts have gone out therefrom upon the earth (Revelation 9:2-3). (See the explanation of these things in the Apocalypse Revealed.) And from that time also has the desolation foretold by Daniel commenced and increased (Matthew 24:15), and to that faith and the imputation thereof the eagles have gathered together (Matthew 24:28, "eagles" there meaning the lynx-eyed leaders of the church). It may be said that a council in which so many bishops and learned men sat together, established this faith by a unanimous vote; but what confidence can be placed in councils, when Roman Catholic councils have also by a unanimous vote established the vicarship of the pope, the invocation of saints, the worship of images and bones, the division of the holy eucharist, purgatory, indulgences, and the like? And what confidence can be placed in councils when the council of Dort has also by a unanimous vote established a detestable predestination, and set it forth as the palladium of religion? But, my reader, believe not in councils, but in the Holy Word; and go to the Lord, and you will be enlightened; for He is the Word, that is, the Divine Truth in the Word.
634. The truth on this subject, however, will now be made known. When a belief in three Gods was introduced into the Christian Churches, which was done at the time of the Nicene Council, 1 they banished all the good of charity and all the truth of faith. These two are wholly inconsistent with the mental worship of three Gods and the lip worship of one God at the same time; for then the mind denies what the mouth speaks, and the mouth denies what the mind thinks, so that at length there is no belief either in three Gods or in one. Hence it is manifest that the Christian temple has, since that time, not merely developed fissures, but has fallen in ruins; and from that time the well of the bottomless pit has been opened, from which smoke like that of a great furnace has ascended, darkening the sun and air, and from which locusts have come upon the earth, Revelation 9:2-3. An explanation of these things may be seen in The Apocalypse Revealed. Indeed from that time the desolation foretold by Daniel has begun and increased, Matthew 24:15; and to that faith, and the imputation of it, the eagles have been gathered together, verse 28 of the same chapter. Eagles in that passage mean the keen-sighted leaders of the Church.
It may be urged that the Nicene Council, which was composed of so many bishops and distinguished scholars, passed its decree by unanimous vote; but what confidence can be placed in councils when Roman Catholic councils, also by unanimous vote, established the Pope's vicarship, the invocation of saints, the worship of images and bones, the division of the Holy Eucharist, 2 purgatory, indulgences, and so on? What confidence can be placed in councils when the Council of Dort, 3 also by unanimous vote, decreed the abominable doctrine of predestination, and extolled it as the palladium of religion? But, my reader, do not put your trust in councils, but in the Holy Word, and go to the Lord, and you will be enlightened, for He is the Word, that is, the Divine Truth itself therein.
Footnotes:
1. Nice (Nicaea), city of Asia Minor, in Bithynia. In A.D. 325 it was the seat of a Council summoned to settle the Arian controversy. The creed there adopted is known as the Nicene Creed.
2. Eucharist, Holy Supper, thanksgiving.
3. Dortdrecht or Dort, Synod of. This was held in 1618-19 to settle the disputes between the Arminians or "Remonstrants" who called in question the theory of Predestination, and the Calvinists. The Synod condemned the tenets of the Arminians.
634. Sed propalabitur veritas; quando Fides in tres Deos in Christianas Ecclesias introducta est, quod factum est a tempore Synodi Nicenae, omne bonum charitatis et omne verum fidei exulaverunt, illa duo enim nullatenus consistunt cum cultu mentali trium deorum, et simul cum cultu orali unius Dei, Mens enim negat quod os loquitur, et os negat quod mens cogitat, inde fit, quod nec sit fides trium Deorum, neque fides Unius. Ex hoc patet, quod Templum Christianum ab eo tempore non modo rimas duxerit, sed collapsum sit in rudera; 1 et quod ab eo tempore apertus sit puteus abyssi, ex quo ascendit fumus sicut fornacis magnae, et obscuratus est Sol et aer, et e quo locustae exiverunt in terram, Apocalypsis 9:2-3; videatur Explicatio illorum in APOCALYPSI REVELATA;
[2] imo ab illo tempore incepta est et increvit Desolatio praedicta a Daniele, Matthaeus 24:15, et ad fidem illam et ejus imputationem congregatae sunt aquilae, Vers. 28, ejusdem Capitis; per aquilas ibi intelliguntur Primores Ecclesiae sicut lyncei. Si dicitur, quod Concilium, in quo consederunt tot Episcopi ac viri laureati, unanimis suffragiis illud decreverint, sed quid fidendum est Conciliis, cum Concilia Romano Catholica etiam unanimis suffragiis concluserunt Vicariatum Papalem, invocationem sanctorum, venerationem simulachrorum et ossium, divisionem Sanctae Eucharistiae, purgatorium, indulgentias, et plura. Et quid fidendum est Conciliis, cum Dodrectanum etiam unanimis suffragiis decrevit detestabilem Praedestinationem, et extulit illam ut Palladium religionis. Sed mi Lector! ne crede Conciliis, sed sancto Verbo, et adi Dominum, et illustraberis; Ille enim est Verbum, hoc est, Ipsum Divinum Verum ibi.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: ruder.