453# 死仁义存在于那些信仰已死的人中，因为信仰如何，仁义也如何；二者构成一体，这一点已在“论信仰”一章中说明。没有行为的人，其信仰是死的，这从雅各书可以清楚看出：
“信心若没有行为就是死的。……虚浮的人哪，你愿意知道没有行为的信心是死的吗？” （雅2:17，20）
此外，那些不信上帝，却信活人和死人，并且敬拜偶像，好像偶像本身是神性的——如同古时外邦人那样——他们的信仰也是死的。处在这种信仰中的人，为得救而献给所谓“神迹圣像”的礼物，并把这些礼物列入仁义行为；这些礼物无非就像投入死人骨灰罐和墓碑中的金银，甚至像给刻耳柏洛斯的小肉块，以及交给卡戎的船钱，好让他们被渡到极乐原野。
至于那些相信没有上帝、而以自然为上帝的人，他们的仁义并不是假仁义，也不是伪仁义，也不是死仁义，而是无仁义；因为它没有附属于任何信仰。它不能称为仁义，因为仁义的性质是由信仰来规定的。从天堂观看这些人的仁义，就像由灰烬作成的饼、由鱼鳞作成的眼药，又像蜡制的果子。
453# 而死的仁爱是那些其信仰是死的之人的仁爱；因为仁爱的性质取决于信仰的性质。关于信仰那一章（TCR 336，362-367节）已经说明，它们构成一体。那些没有作为或行为之人的信仰是死的，这一点从雅各书（2:17，20）明显看出来。此外，对那些不信神，却信活人和死人，把偶像当作神圣或圣物本身来敬拜，如以前的外邦人所行的那样的人来说，信仰是死的。那些处于这种信仰之人的供物，就是他们为了拯救而献给所谓的行奇迹的圣像，并视之为仁爱作为或行为的供物，就像放在死人的骨灰盒和棺材里的金银；它们甚至像献给冥府守门狗的一块食物或肉，或为了摆渡到至福乐土或极乐世界而支付给冥府渡神的渡河钱。但那些相信没有神，只相信自然之人的仁爱既不是虚假的，也不是虚伪的，亦不是死的；它根本就不是仁爱，因为它没有依附于任何信仰，不能被称为仁爱，因为仁爱的品质取决于信仰。从天上观之，这种仁爱就像骨灰做的饼，鱼鳞做的烙饼，或蜡做的水果。
XVII. 恶人之间的爱之友谊实际上是一种深深的相互仇恨
453. Dead goodwill is what people have when their faith is dead. The nature of the faith determines the nature of the goodwill. (In the chapter on faith I showed that the two become one [336, 362-367].) It is clear from the Epistle of James (James 2:17, 20) that faith is dead in people who do no works.
Faith is also dead in people who do not believe in God but who do believe in people who are alive or dead, or who worship idols as being intrinsically holy, as non-Christians used to do. When people have this kind of faith, the religious offerings they make to miraculous statues (as they call them) for the sake of salvation, counting these donations as acts of goodwill, are no different than pieces of gold and silver put in the urns and coffins of the dead; in fact, these donations are like the morsels offered to Cerberus and the coin paid to Charon for passage to the Elysian fields.
The goodwill that people have when they believe there is no God other than nature is not illegitimate, hypocritical, or dead. It is nonexistent because it is not attached to any faith. The term goodwill does not apply, because goodwill derives its quality from faith. From heavens point of view, these people's goodwill is like bread made out of ashes, a cake made out of fish scales, or a piece of fruit made out of wax.
453. Dead charity is characteristic of those whose faith is dead, since the nature of charity is like the nature of faith. It was shown in the chapter on faith, that faith and charity make a single whole. Faith is dead in the case of those who perform no deeds, as is clear from the Epistle of James (James 2:17, 20). Moreover faith is dead in the case of those who do not believe in God, but in men, either alive or dead, and worship images as holy in themselves, as the pagans once did. The offerings of those of this faith which are given to images that work miracles, as they call them, in order to gain salvation, and are counted by them as charitable deeds, are nothing but gold and silver thrown into the urns and caskets containing the dead; or rather, like the sops given to Cerberus 1 , and the fare paid to Charon 2 to ferry souls across to the Elysian fields. However the charity of those who believe that God does not exist, but take Nature to be God, is neither spurious, nor hypocritical nor dead, but non-existent, since it is not attached to any faith. It cannot be called charity, for it is faith which determines its nature. When viewed from heaven charity on the part of such people is like bread made of ashes, pate made of fish-scales, or fruit made of wax.
Footnotes:
1. The three-headed dog of Greek mythology who guarded the gate of the under-world.
2. The ferryman of Greek mythology who took souls to the underworld.
453. But dead charity is the charity of those whose faith is dead; since the charity is such as the faith is. That they make one, has been shown in the chapter on Faith. That the faith of those who are without works is dead, appears from the Epistle of James (2:17, 20). Furthermore, faith is dead in those who do not believe in God; but believe in living and dead men, and who worship images as holy in themselves, as the gentiles formerly did. The offerings of those who are in such a faith, which for the sake of salvation they bestow upon their miracle-working images, as they call them, including these offerings among works of charity, are precisely like the gold and silver that are put in the urns and monuments of the dead; they are even like the meat given to Cerberus, or the fee paid to Charon for ferriage to the Elysian fields. But the charity of those who believe that there is no God, but only nature instead, is neither spurious, hypocritical, nor dead; it is no charity at all, because it is not joined to any faith, and cannot be called charity, since the quality of charity is determined by faith. Such charity, viewed from heaven, is like bread made of ashes, a cake made of fishes' scales, or fruit made of wax.
453. Charity is dead with those whose faith is dead; for the nature of charity depends on that of the faith; in the chapter on Faith it was shown that they make one. That faith is dead with those who are without works is evident from the Epistle of James 2:17, 20. Moreover, faith is dead with those who do not believe in God but in men, living and dead, and who worship idols as things holy in themselves, just as the Gentiles of old did. The offerings of those who are in this faith, which they make to so-called miracle-working images, and which they reckon as works of charity, are like the gold and silver placed in the burial urns of the dead; or like sops to Cerberus, 1 or the fare paid to Charon 2 for being ferried across to the Elysian fields. But the charity of those who believe that there is no God, and who regard nature as God, is neither spurious, nor hypocritical, nor dead. It is not charity at all, because it is not adjoined to any faith; and it cannot be called charity, since the essential nature of charity is derived from faith. When viewed from heaven the charity of such persons is like bread made of ashes, or a cake made of fish scales, or fruit made of wax.
Footnotes:
1. Cerberus, the three-headed dog at the gate of Tartarus.
2. Charon, the ferry-man of the lower regions.
453. Charitas autem MORTUA est apud illos, quibus Fides mortua est, quoniam qualis est Fides talis est Charitas; quod unum faciant, in Capite de FIDE ostensum est; quod Fides mortua sit illis, qui absque operibus sunt, constat ex Epistola Jacobi 2:17, 20. 1 Praeterea Fides mortua est illis, qui non credunt in Deum, sed in homines vivos et mortuos, et colunt Idola ut in se sancta, sicut olim Gentiles; Donaria illorum, qui in hac fide sunt, quae salutis causa impendunt Simulacris miraculosis, ut illa vocant, et illa adnumerant inter Charitatis opera, non aliud sunt quam sicut aurum et argentum immissum urnis et cippis mortuorum, imo sicut offulae datae Cerbero, et pensa Charonti, ut in Campos Elysios transferantur. Charitas autem illorum, qui credunt quod Deus non sit, sed pro Deo Natura, non est Spuria, nec hypocritica, nec mortua, sed NULLA, quia non est alicui fidei adjuncta, non enim nominari potest Charitas, quia ejus qualitas praedicatur ex fide: Charitas horum e Coelo spectata, est sicut panis ex cinere, collyra ex squamis piscis, et sicut fructus ex cera.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: III.