第十一节 重生有赖属灵自由
615# 若无属灵事上的自由选择，重生便无从发生。
除愚顽者外，谁不能看出：人若无属灵事上的自由选择，便不能重生？若无此自由，人岂能就近主，承认祂为救赎主与救主，并承认祂为天地之神，如祂亲自所教导的那样（太28:18）？若无此自由，谁能信祂，也就是凭信仰仰望并敬拜祂；又使自己转向并适合接受从祂而来的救恩方法与恩惠，并与祂合作，好从祂接受这些？若无自由选择，谁能向邻舍行任何良善，实行仁义，并将许多属于信仰与仁义的事纳入思想与意志，又将其表出，发为行动？
否则，所谓重生还是什么呢？岂不只是从主口中说出的一句空言（约3章）吗？这话或停留于耳中，或从邻近言语的思想滑入口中，成为一个仅由十一个字母组成的分节声音；此声音若无任何意义，便不能被提升至心智较高的区域，只会坠入空气，并在那里消散。
615# 除了蠢人外，谁看不出，没有在属灵事物上的自由意志或自由选择，人不能重生？没有自由意志或自由选择，他能靠近主，承认祂是救赎主和救主，是天地之神，如祂自己所教导的（马太福音28:18）那样吗？没有自由意志或自由选择，谁能信主，也就是说，出于信仰仰望祂、敬拜祂，使自己适合接受来自祂的救赎的方法和恩惠，并在接受它们时从祂那里合作？没有自由意志或自由选择，谁能向邻舍行任何良善、践行仁爱，或将其它与信仰和仁爱有关的东西吸收到思维和意愿中，把它们带出来，并付诸实践？否则，重生不就只是从主口里（约翰福音3章）滴落的一个词吗？它要么留在耳朵里，要么来自与言语接壤的思维区域或落到嘴唇上，在重复它的口里变成十二字母的声音，而这声音无论如何都不能被提升到心智的任何更高区域，而是会飘到空中并消散。
615. Regeneration Would Be Impossible without Free Choice in Spiritual Matters
Without free choice in spiritual matters we could not be regenerated - surely no one is so stupid as to be unable to see that. Without free choice, would we be able to turn to the Lord and acknowledge him as the Redeemer and the Savior and as the God of heaven and earth, as he himself teaches in Matthew 28:18? Without that kind of free choice, how could we believe in him, that is, turn to him in faith, and worship him? How could we work on receiving the means and the benefits of salvation from him? How could we cooperate in receiving those things from him? Without free choice, how could we do anything good for our neighbors or practice goodwill toward them? How could we introduce teachings related to faith and goodwill into our thinking and willing, and bring them forth and put them into action?
Without free choice, regeneration would be nothing but a word the Lord once used (John 3), which either sticks in our ear or moves down from our thought that is closest to speech into our mouth as the sound of a twelve-letter word - a sound that no meaning can lift into any higher region of the mind, so it falls into the air and is gone.
615. XI. Regeneration is impossible without free will in spiritual matters.
Anyone who is not stupid can see that without free will in spiritual matters no one can be regenerated. Without that he could not approach the Lord and acknowledge Him as Redeemer and Saviour, and as the God of heaven and earth, as He Himself teaches (Matthew 28:18). Can anyone without that free will believe, that is, look to and worship Him from faith, devoting himself to receiving from Him the means to and benefits of salvation, and co-operating in receiving them from Him? Can anyone without free will do any good to his neighbour and show charity, not to mention absorbing into thought and will many other features of faith and charity, and drawing upon them to put them into effect? Otherwise regeneration would be nothing but a meaningless expression which dropped from the Lord's lips (John chapter 3), something which penetrates no further than the ear, or if it falls from the lips as the result of the thought which is closest to speech, is merely an articulate sound composed of eleven letters 1 . This sound has no meaning by which it can be raised to any higher level in the mind, but it falls upon empty air and is lost.
Footnotes:
1. The Latin word regeneratio, 'being born again' or 'regeneration' has eleven letters.
615. XI. WITHOUT FREEDOM OF CHOICE IN SPIRITUAL THINGS REGENERATION IS IMPOSSIBLE.
Who, except a stupid person, cannot see that without freedom of choice in spiritual things man cannot be regenerated? Can he without this approach the Lord, acknowledge Him as the Redeemer and Savior and the God of heaven and earth, as He himself teaches (Matthew 28:18)? Without that freedom of choice who can believe in the Lord, that is, from faith look to Him and worship Him, and adapt himself to receiving the means and benefits of salvation from Him, and from Him cooperate in the reception of them? Who without freedom of choice can do any good to the neighbor, can practice charity, or take into his thought and will other things pertaining to faith and charity, bring them forth, and put them into acts? Otherwise, what is regeneration but a mere word dropped from the lips of the Lord (John 3), which either remains in the ear, or having dropped upon the lips from the thought nearest to speech, becomes merely an articulated sound of twelve letters, which sound cannot by any meaning be raised into any higher region of the mind, but falls upon the air and is dissipated?
615. XI. REGENERATION CANNOT TAKE PLACE WITHOUT FREE WILL IN SPIRITUAL THINGS.
He must be dull indeed who does not see that a man cannot be regenerated without free will in spiritual things. Without free will a man cannot approach the Lord and acknowledge Him to be the Redeemer and Savior, and the God of heaven and earth, as He Himself teaches, Matthew 28:18. Without free will no one can believe, that is, from faith look to and worship Him, and apply himself to receive the means and benefits of salvation from Him, and from Him co-operate in their reception. Without free will no one can do anything that is good to the neighbor, exercise charity, and further, bring into his thought and will much that has relation to faith and charity, and give expression to this and carry it into effect. Otherwise regeneration is but a word falling from the mouth of the Lord, John 2; and it either remains in the ear that hears it, or else, coming from the region of thought that borders on speech, it becomes in the mouth that repeats it a sound of so many letters, which cannot by any sense be elevated into any higher region of the mind, but falls into the air and fades away.
615. Quod Regeneratio non dabilis sit absque Libero arbitrio in spiritualibus.
Quis praeter stupidum non potest videre, quod homo absque Libero arbitrio in spiritualibus non possit regenerari; num absque illo potest Dominum adire, et Ipsum agnoscere Redemptorem et Salvatorem, et pro Deo Coeli et Terrae, sicut Ipse docet, Matthaeus 28:18. Quis absque Libero Arbitrio illo potest Credere, hoc est, ex fide aspicere et colere Ipsum, et se applicare ad recipienda media et beneficia salutis ab Ipso, et ad illa recipienda ex Ipso cooperari: quis absque Libero arbitrio potest facere aliquod bonum proximo, et exercere Charitatem, praeter plura, quae Fidei et Charitatis sunt, inferre in cogitationem et voluntatem, et expromere illa, et emittere in actum; quid alioquin Regeneratio nisi mera vox elapsa ex ore Domini, Johannes 3; quae vel in aure subsistit, vel in ore ex cogitatione proxima loquelae elapsa fit sonus articulatus ex solis undecim literis, qui sonus per aliquem sensum non potest in aliquam superiorem mentis regionem elevari, sed cadit in aerem ubi dissipatur.