325、⑵因此，按照圣治，人人都能得救；凡承认神，并过着良善生活的人都会得救。从刚才的说明清楚可知，人人都能得救。有些人认为主的教会只存在于基督教界，因为唯独在那里，主为人所知，圣言也唯独在那里。然而，仍有许多人相信主的教会是普遍的，也就是传遍并分散在世界各地，甚至存在于那些不知道主，没有圣言的人当中。他们说，这不是那些人的过错，他们没有办法克服自己的无知。既然所有人都是一样的人，如果有人为地狱而生，那么就违背了神的爱和怜悯。
既然许多基督徒（尽管不是全部）相信被称为“大公教会”的广泛教会是存在的，那么可推知，这个广泛教会必有某些基本原则，这些基本原则进入一切宗教，并构成一个大公教会。按下列顺序可以看出，这些基本原则就是对神的承认和生活的良善：
①对神的承认带来神与人并人与神的结合，对神的否认带来分离。
②每个人都是照其生活的良善而承认神并与祂结合。
③生活的良善，或正确的生活，就是避开邪恶，因为它们反对宗教，因而反对神。
④这些就是所有宗教的基本原则，通过它们，每个人都能得救。
325. (2) It is owing to Divine providence, therefore, that every person can be saved, and that those are saved who acknowledge God and live rightly. That every person can be saved is apparent from points demonstrated above.
Some people suppose that the Lord's church exists only in the Christian world, because only there is the Lord known, and only there is the Word found. But at the same time there are many who believe that God's church is universal, or extended and spread throughout the whole world, existing thus also among people who are ignorant of the Lord and do not have the Word. This they believe, saying that it is not the others' fault, that the others possess an insuperable ignorance, and that it is contrary to God's love and mercy that any should be born for hell, when in fact they are equally human beings.
[2] Now because Christians - if not all, still many - have the belief that the church is universal, calling it also a communion, it follows that there are universal elements of the church that enter into all religions and form that communion. These universal elements are an acknowledgment of God and goodness of life, as we will see under the following series of headings:
1. An acknowledgment of God produces a conjunction of God with a person and of the person with God, while a denial of God produces a disjunction.
2. Everyone acknowledges God and is conjoined with Him in accordance with the goodness of his life.
3. Goodness of life, or living rightly, means refraining from evils because they are contrary to religion, thus contrary to God.
4. These are the universal elements in all religions, by which everyone can be saved.
325. 2. Consequently, under divine providence everyone can be saved; and everyone is saved who believes in God and lives a good life. What has just been presented shows that everyone can be saved. There are people who think that the Lord's church exists only in the Christian world because only there is the Lord known and only there is the Word found. Still, there are a good many people who believe that the church of God is wider, spread out and scattered through all regions of the world, even among people who do not know about the Lord and do not have the Word. They say that it is not these people's fault and that they cannot help being ignorant. It would fly in the face of God's love and mercy if anyone were born for hell when we are all equally human.
[2] Since many Christians (though not all) have a belief that there is a wider church called "a communion," it follows that there must be some very general principles of this wider church that comprises all religions, so that they do make up one communion. We shall see that these most general principles are belief in God and living a good life, in the following sequence. (a) Belief in God brings about God's union with us and our union with God; and denial of God brings about severance. (b) Our belief in God and union with him depend on our living a good life. (c) A good life, or living rightly, is abstaining from evils because they are against our religion and therefore against God. (d) These are the general principles of all religions, through which everyone can be saved.
325. II. THEREFORE IT IS FROM THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE THAT EVERY MAN CAN BE SAVED AND THAT THOSE ARE SAVED WHO ACKNOWLEDGE GOD AND LIVE WELL. It is clear from what has been shown above that every man can be saved. Some are of the opinion that the Church of the Lord is only in the Christian world, because there alone the Lord is known and there alone is the Word. Still, however, many believe that the Church of the Lord is general, that is, spread and dispersed throughout the whole world, thus existing also with some who are ignorant of the Lord and who do not have the Word. They maintain that it is not the fault of those men that they cannot overcome their ignorance, and that it is contrary to the love and mercy of God that some should be born for hell when yet they also are equally men.
[2] Now since many if not all Christians believe that the Church is general, being called indeed a communion, it follows that there are fundamental general principles of the Church which enter into all religions and constitute that communion. That these fundamental general principles are the acknowledgment of God and the good of life will be seen in the following order:
1. The acknowledgment of God brings about the conjunction of God with man and of man with God, and the denial of God causes their separation.
2. Everyone acknowledges God and is conjoined to Him according to the good of his life.
3. The good of life, that is, living well, is shunning evils because they are contrary to religion, thus contrary to God.
4. These are the general principles of all religions by which everyone can be saved.
325. (2) Therefore it is of the Divine providence that every man can be saved, and that those are saved who acknowledge God and live well. It is clear from what has been shown above that every man can be saved. Some hold the opinion that the Lord's church is only in the Christian world, because there alone is the Lord known, and there alone is the Word. Nevertheless there are many who believe that the church of God is general, that is, is spread and dispersed throughout the world, and thus exists with such as are ignorant of the Lord and do not have the Word; and they claim that this is not the fault of such, and that they have no means of overcoming their ignorance, and that it is contrary to God's love and mercy that any should be born for hell who equally with others are men.
[2] Since, then, many, if not all, Christians believe that the church, which is also called a communion, is general, it follows that there are most general principles of the church which enter into all religions and constitute that communion. That these most general principles are the acknowledgment of God and good of life will be seen in the following order: (1) The acknowledgment of God causes a conjunction of God with man and of man with God; and the denial of God causes disjunction. (2) Every one acknowledges God and is conjoined with Him according to his good of life. (3) Good of life, or living rightly, is shunning evils because they are against religion, thus against God. (4) These are the general principles of all religions, whereby every one can be saved.
325. II. Quod inde ex Divina Providentia 1sit, quod unusquisque homo possit salvari, et quod salventur qui Deum agnoscunt et bene vivunt. Quod unusquisque homo possit salvari, ex supra demonstratis patet. Quidam opinantur, quod Ecclesia Domini sit solum in Christiano Orbe, quia Dominus ibi solum notus est, et ibi solum est Verbum: sed usque sunt multi qui credunt, quod Ecclesia Dei sit communis, seu extensa et sparsa per universum terrarum orbem, ita etiam apud illos qui Dominum ignorant, et non Verbum habent, dicentes, quod hoc non eorum culpa sit, et quod illis ignorantia invincibilis sit; et quod contra Amorem et Misericordiam Dei sit, quod aliqui ad infernum nascantur, cum tamen aeque sunt homines.
[2] Nunc quia Christianis, si non omnibus, usque multis est fides, quod Ecclesia communis sit, quae etiam Communio vocatur, sequitur quod dentur communissima Ecclesiae, quae omnes religiones ingrediuntur, et faciunt Communionem illam: quod communissima illa sint agnitio Dei et bonum vitae, videbitur in sequenti ordine. 1. Quod agnitio Dei faciat conjunctionem Dei cum homine, et hominis cum Deo, et quod negatio Dei faciat disjunctionem. 2. Quod quisque agnoscat Deum, et conjungatur Ipsi secundum bonum vitae suae. 3. Quod bonum vitae, seu bene vivere, sit fugere mala quia sunt contra religionem, ita contra Deum. 4. Quod haec sint communia omnium religionum, per quae unusquisque potest salvari.
Footnotes:
1 Prima editio: Prouidentia