639# 圣言中所说的信仰，并不是指对基督功德的某种归算信仰；这一点很清楚，因为这种信仰在教会中原本并不为人所知，直到尼西亚会议引入了从永恒而来的三个神性位格之后，才出现这种信仰。等这种信仰被引入，并传遍整个基督教世界以后，其他一切信仰都被排斥到黑暗中去了。因此，此后凡读圣言的人，只要看到“信仰”“归算”和“基督的功德”，就会自行落入他所相信的那唯一观念中；这就像一个人只看见一页文字，并停在那里，不再翻页去看别的内容。
又像一个人说服自己，认定某事为真，尽管它是假的，并且只确认这一点；这样，他就会把假看作真，把真看作假。此后，他会对每一个反驳它的人咬牙切齿，口中发出嘘声，并说：“你不明白。”他的整个心智都陷在那里面，周围被一层硬茧包裹着；这层硬茧把一切不符合他所谓正统观念的东西，都当作异端排斥出去。因为他的记忆就像一块板子，上面只写着这一条占支配地位的神学观念；若有别的东西进入，就没有地方可以插入，因此他便把它吐出来，好像口吐白沫一样。
举例来说，你若对一个坚定的自然主义者说，真相与他的看法完全相反——无论他相信自然创造了自身，还是相信上帝是在自然之后才存在的，或相信自然与上帝是一体的——他岂不会把你看作是被神父们的寓言欺骗了的人，或看作是头脑简单的人、愚钝的人，甚至是疯癫的人吗？
凡被说服和确认固定下来的东西，都是如此；到最后，它们看起来就像绘有图案的挂毯，被许多钉子牢牢钉在一堵用陈旧小石子胶合而成的墙上。
639# 圣言没有提到或暗示过归算基督功德的信仰，这一点从以下事实很清楚地看出来：在尼西亚议会引入来自永恒的三个神性位格的教义之前，这种信仰在教会中不人为知。当这种信仰被引入，并渗透到整个基督教界时，其它一切信仰就都被扔进黑暗中，以至于自那时起，无论谁阅读圣言，在那里看到信仰、归算和基督的功德，都会自动陷入这个概念，并以为它是唯一的解释或教导。他就像一个人看到写在一页纸上的字，就停在那里，而不是翻过这一页来看看另一页上写了什么；或像一个人说服自己相信，某件事是真的（尽管它是假的），并只确认这一点，然后视虚假为真理，视真理为虚假，咬牙切齿地对每一个反对它的人发嘘声，说：“你没有智慧。”他的心智完全被这种说服所包裹，并被一层厚厚的茧所覆盖，这层厚茧把与他所谓的正统信仰不一致的一切都当作异端来弃绝。他的记忆就像一块铭牌，上面刻着这唯一掌权的神学信条。当有其它东西进入时，就没有空间可以容纳它了，或说没有它插进来的地方了，因此他会像吐口水一样把它吐出来。例如，如果你对一个坚定的唯物主义者说，他的这种想法是完全错误的，即：要么自然创造了她自己，要么神是在自然之后才存在，要么自然和神为一，而事实恰恰相反，难道他不会把你看作一个被牧师的寓言所迷惑的人，或一个傻瓜、一个蠢人，或一个精神错乱的人吗？通过说服和确认而固定在心智中的一切事物或概念都是如此；最终，它们看起来就像用许多钉子固定在一面用旧碎石砌成的墙上的彩绘挂毯。
639. Nothing in the Word conveys this concept of a faith that assigns us the merit of Christ. This is very clear from the fact that the church had no knowledge of such a faith before the Council of Nicaea introduced the idea of three divine persons from eternity. Once that belief was brought in and it pervaded the entire Christian world, every other concept of faith was sent away into the darkness.
Therefore any who read the Word now, and see anything resembling faith, the concept of assigning, or the merit of Christ, spontaneously fall into that concept and believe it to be the only interpretation. They are like someone who sees the writing on one page and stops there and never turns the page to see anything else in the book.
[2] They are like people who convince themselves that something is true even though it is actually false and who support that point alone. Such people come to see falsity as true and the truth as false. Eventually, when anyone speaks against that point of view, they clench their teeth and hiss, "You don't understand!" By then their whole mind is wrapped up in that belief and is covered with a callus so thick that it rejects as contradictory everything that is not in agreement with their so-called orthodox beliefs. Their memory is like a writing tablet covered with the words of that one dominant theological teaching; if any other thought comes along, their memory has no room to take it in, so they spit it out like foam from their mouth.
[3] For that matter, find convinced materialists (whether they believe that nature created itself or that God came into existence after nature or that nature and God are the same thing) and tell them that the truth is the opposite of what they think. Will they not look at you as someone deluded by the fables of the church elders, or else as a simplistic or thick-headed or demented person?
The same goes for all false concepts that persuasion and conviction have fixed in place. Such concepts eventually look like a painted rug fastened with an abundance of nails to a wall that was slapped together using old broken stones.
639. No faith that imputes Christ's merit is to be understood in the Word, as is perfectly plain from the fact that that faith was quite unknown in the church, until after the Council of Nicaea had introduced the idea of three Divine Persons from eternity. Once this belief had been introduced and spread throughout the Christian world, all other belief was thrown out into darkness. Whoever, therefore, at this time reads the Word and discovers faith, its imputation and Christ's merit, comes of his own accord upon what he believes to be the only thing it says. It is like someone reading the writing on one page and stopping there, without turning the page and seeing something else. Or it is like someone persuading himself of the truth of a proposition, though it is untrue, and proving that alone; then he sees falsity as truth, truth as falsity. And afterwards he would set his teeth and hiss at anyone attacking this view, saying 'You are not intelligent.' His mind is totally committed to this view, being coated with a hard skin, which rejects as heterodox everything which disagrees with his so called orthodox beliefs. For his memory is like a writing tablet inscribed with this one dominant theological idea; if anything else penetrates it, there is no room to take it in, so it is thrown out, like foam from the mouth.
For instance, take a confirmed believer in nature, who thinks either that nature created itself, or that God came into existence after nature, or that nature and God are one and the same thing, and tell him that the exact opposite is the case, and he is bound to regard you as someone deluded by the fables of the clergy, or as simple-minded, or as dense or crazy. The same applies to every idea which has been fixed in the mind by persuasion and proof; and eventually they look like tapestries fixed by many nails to a wall stuck together out of crumbling stones.
639. That no faith imputative of Christ's merit is taught in the Word, is very clear from the fact that this faith was unknown in the church until after the Nicene Council had introduced the doctrine of three Divine persons from eternity. And when this faith had been introduced and had pervaded the whole Christian world, every other faith was cast into the dark, so that whoever since that time reads the Word, and there sees anything about faith and imputation and the merit of Christ, naturally falls into that which he has believed to be the one only thing; like one who sees what is written on one page and there stops, not turning the leaf and seeing what is on the other page; or like one who persuades himself that a certain thing is true (although it is false), and confirms that only, and thereafter sees falsity as truth and truth as falsity, and sets his teeth and hisses at everyone opposing it, saying, "You have no intelligence." Thus the man's whole mind is in it, covered over with a callousness which rejects as heterodox everything that does not agree with his so-called orthodoxy; for his memory is like a tablet upon which is written this single ruling tenet in theology; and when anything else enters there is no place where it may be inserted, and he therefore casts it out as the mouth casts out froth. For example, if you say to a confirmed naturalist who believes that nature created herself, or that God came forth after nature, or that nature and God are one, that the very reverse is the truth, would he not look upon you as one deluded by the fables of the priest, or as a simpleton, or a dullard, or as demented? So it is with all things that are fixed in the mind by persuasion and confirmation; which finally appear like pictured tapestry fastened with many nails to a wall built of old stones.
639. A faith which imputes the merit of Christ is not mentioned or implied in the Word. This is plainly evident from the fact that such a faith was unknown in the Church before the Nicene Council 1 introduced the dogma of three Divine Persons from eternity; and when this faith was introduced and had pervaded the whole Christian world, all other faith was cast into the shade. Whoever, therefore, now reads the Word, and sees faith, imputation and the merit of Christ, of himself perceives these in the light of that which he believes is the only teaching. He is like one who sees what is written on one page and stops there, without turning it over to see what is on the other side; or like one who persuades himself that a certain thing is true, although it is false; and having confirmed that alone, then sees the false as true and the true as false. Such a one would afterwards set his teeth and hiss at every one who opposes it, and say, "You do not understand." His mind is wholly obsessed by that persuasion, enveloped as by an impenetrable covering, and he rejects as heterodox whatever is not in harmony with his, so-called, orthodox views. His memory is like a tablet with this sole dominant theological dogma inscribed on it. If anything else enters there is no room for its reception, and he, therefore, ejects it like spittle from the mouth. For example, if you tell a confirmed materialist that he is quite wrong in believing either that nature created herself, or that God came into existence after nature, or that nature and God are one, he will regard you either as one deluded by the fables of the clergy, or as a simpleton, or dull-witted, or as out of your mind. So it is with all beliefs that are established on persuasion and afterwards confirmed. They appear at length like painted tapestry fastened with many nails over a wall built of worthless rubble.
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.
639. Quod non aliqua Fides imputativa meriti Christi intellecta sit in Verbo, patet clare exinde, quod illa fides in Ecclesia prius non nota fuerit, quam postquam Nicaena Synodus tres Personas Divinas ab aeterno introduxit; et cum haec fides introducta est, et pervasit totum Orbem Christianum, rejecta est omnis alia fides in tenebras; quare quicunque tunc legit Verbum, et videt fidem, imputationem, et meritum Christi, ex se incidit in illud, quod credidit unicum; sicut qui scripturam unius paginae videt, et ibi subsistit, et non vertit illam, et videt aliud.
[2] Aut sicut qui persuadet sibi, quod hoc sit verum, tametsi falsum et id solum confirmat, tunc videt falsum ut verum, et verum ut falsum; hic postea comprimeret dentes, et sibilaret ore ad omnem qui id impugnat, et diceret non intelligens es; mens ejus tota est in illo, circumducta callo, qui sicut heterodoxa rejicit omnia quae cum suis orthodoxis ita vocatis non consonant; est enim memoria ejus sicut tabula, cui unicum hoc Theologicum dominans inscriptum est; si intrat aliquod aliud, non locum habet ubi inseratur, quare id ejicit sicut os spumam.
[3] Pro exemplo, dic ad confirmatum Naturalistam, qui vel credit, quod Natura seipsam creaverit, vel quod post naturam exstiterit Deus, vel quod Natura et Deus unum sint, quod prorsus contrarium sit, numne ille aspiceret te vel sicut a fabulis presbyterorum delusum, vel ut simplicem, vel ut hebetem, vel ut dementem; simile est cum omnibus, quae persuasio et confirmatio fixant, quae apparent demum sicut picti tapetes parieti ex lapillis obsoletis conglutinato multis clavis affixi.