121、许多人以为，仅仅通过相信教会所教导的，人就会从恶中洁净；有的以为通过行善；有的以为通过知道、谈论并教导教会事物；有的以为通过阅读圣言和虔诚的书卷；有的以为通过去教会，听讲道，尤其领受圣餐；有的以为通过放弃尘世，追求虔诚的生活；有的以为通过承认自己罪孽深重，等等。然而，这些活动没有一样能使人洁净，除非他检查自己，看见自己的罪，承认它们，为之自责，并通过停止邪恶而悔改；他必须貌似凭自己做到这一点，但从心里承认他如此行是靠着主。
在做到这一点之前，刚才所列举的这些事根本没有任何帮助，因为它们要么是邀功的，要么是虚伪的。在天上的天使面前，这种人看上去就像散发疾病臭味的漂亮妓女，或打扮得妖艳迷人的畸形妇人，或舞台上戴面具的演员和小丑，或穿着人类衣服的猿人。一旦邪恶被移走，那么前面所列举的那些行为就充满爱；在天上的天使看来，这些人就像他们自己的朋友和同伴。
121. Many people think that simply believing what the church teaches purifies a person of his evils. Others believe that doing good is what purifies; others, that it is knowing, speaking and teaching such matters as have to do with the church; others, that it is reading the Word and books of piety; others, that it is going often to church, hearing sermons, and especially partaking of the Holy Supper; others, that it is renouncing the world and pursuing a life of piety; others, that it is confessing oneself guilty of all sins; and so on.
None of these, however, purifies a person at all unless he examines himself, sees his sins, acknowledges them, condemns himself on account of them, and repents by desisting from them. Moreover, all of this he must do as though of himself, and yet with an acknowledgment at heart that he does so from the Lord.
[2] Before a person does this, the aforementioned undertakings are of no help, being either merit-seeking or hypocritical, and the people who do them appear to angels in heaven either as beautiful harlots smelling bad because of their pulmonary consumption or as ugly women made up with rouge to look pretty. Or they appear as clowns and mimics entertaining on theater stages. Or as apes in human clothing.
But when people's evils have been put away, then the aforementioned undertakings become ones of their love, and they appear to angels in heaven as handsome human beings, and as the angels' partners and comrades.
121. Many people believe that simply believing what the church teaches cleanses us from our evils; some believe that this is achieved by doing good, some that what is needed is knowing, discussing, and teaching about churchly matters; some opt for reading the Word and devotional literature, some for going to church and listening to sermons and especially taking Communion, some for renouncing the world and being resolutely devout, some for confessing themselves guilty of all sins--the list goes on and on. However, none of these activities cleanses us unless we examine ourselves, see our sins, admit them, accept responsibility for them, and repent by not committing them any more, doing all this apparently on our own but at heart acknowledging that it comes from the Lord.
[2] Until this happens, none of the things I just listed helps. They are being done either for credit or hypocritically. To angels in heaven, people of this sort look either like beautiful harlots with the rank smell of disease, or like misshapen women made up to look attractive. Or again, they may look like actors playing their roles, like mimes on stage, or like apes dressed up in human clothes.
Once the evils have been banished, though, then the behaviors I have listed become filled with love, and these individuals look beautifully human to angels in heaven, like their own friends and companions.
121. Many believe that man is purified from evils by merely believing what the Church teaches; some, that man is purified by doing good; others, that it is by knowing, speaking and teaching such things as pertain to the Church; others, by reading the Word and books of piety; others, by attending churches, listening to sermons, and especially by approaching the Holy Supper; others, by renouncing the world and devoting oneself to piety; and others, by confessing oneself guilty of sins of all kinds; and so on. Nevertheless, man is in no wise purified by all these works unless he examines himself, recognises his sins, acknowledges them, condemns himself for them and does the work of repentance by desisting from them; and unless he does all these things as of himself but still in acknowledgment from the heart that he does them from the Lord.
[2] Until he does these things, the actions just mentioned avail nothing, for they are merit-seeking or hypocritical; and those who do them appear in heaven in the sight of angels like beautiful courtesans giving forth the offensive odour of their defilement; or like ill-favoured women made to appear handsome by the application of paint; or like clowns and actors wearing masks on the stage; or like apes in human clothing. When, however, men have removed their evils then the actions mentioned above are acts of their love, and they appear as beautiful men in heaven in the sight of angels and as their associates and companions.
121. Many believe that man is cleansed from evils by merely believing what the church teaches; others by his doing good; others by his knowing, talking about, and teaching the things of the church; others by his reading the Word and pious books; others by his attending churches, listening to sermons, and especially by coming to the Holy Supper; others by his renouncing the world and devoting himself to piety; and others by his confessing himself guilty of all sins; and so on. Yet none of these cleanse man in the least unless he examines himself, sees his sins, acknowledges them, condemns himself for them, and repents by refraining from them; and all this he must do as if of himself, but with acknowledgment from the heart that he does it from the Lord.
[2] Until this is done the things that have been mentioned above do not help at all, for they are either meritorious or hypocritical; and those who do them appear in heaven before angels like beautiful harlots, smelling badly from their corruption, or like ill-favored women so painted as to appear handsome, or like masked actors and mimics on the stage, or like apes in human clothing. But when evils have been put away the things enumerated above belong to the love of those who do them; and such appear in heaven before the angels as beautiful human beings, and partners and companions of the angels.
121. Creditur a multis, quod solum credere id quod Ecclesia docet, purificet hominem a malis, et creditur a quibusdam quod facere bonum purificet, a quibusdam quod scire, loqui et docere talia quae Ecclesiae sunt, a quibusdam quod legere Verbum ac libros pietatis, a quibusdam frequentare templa, auscultare praedicationes, et imprimis obire sanctam Coenam, a quibusdam abdicare mundum, ac studere pietati, a quibusdam confiteri se reum omnium peccatorum, et sic porro. At usque omnia haec nihil purificant hominem, nisi ille exploret se, videat sua peccata, agnoscat illa, condemnet se propter illa, ac poenitentiam agat desistendo ab illis; et haec omnia faciet sicut a se, sed usque ex cordis agnitione quod a Domino.
[2] Antequam haec fiunt, supradicta nihil juvant, sunt enim vel meritoria vel hypocritica; ac illi apparent in coelo coram Angelis aut sicut meretrices pulchrae ex tabe sua male olentes; 1aut sicut mulieres deformes ex inducto fuco apparentes formosae; aut sicut personati harioli et mimi super theatris; aut sicut simiae in vestibus humanis. Sed quando mala remota sunt, tunc supramemorata fiunt amoris eorum, et illi apparent in coelo coram angelis ut homines pulchri, ac ut consortes et consocii eorum.
Footnotes:
1 Prima editio: olenres;