124、虔诚在于虔诚地思考和说话，花大量时间来祷告，那时的谦卑行为，还在于定期去教会，专心在那里听讲道，每年常参加主的圣餐礼，以及教会所规定的其它一切宗教仪式。然而，仁爱的生活在于向邻舍意愿并实行良善，在每项工作上都出于公义和公平、良善和真理行事，在每项公职上也一样。简言之，仁爱的生活在于发挥功用，或履行服务。神性敬拜主要在于这种生活，其次在于前者。因此，凡将两者彼此分开的人都过着虔诚的生活，同时没有过仁爱的生活，不敬拜神。他的确思想神，但不是出于神，而是出于他自己来思想，因为他常常思想自己，根本不思想邻舍。即便他思想邻舍，若邻舍不像他自己，他就会把邻舍贬得一文不值。他还认为天堂是一种赏赐。因此，他的头脑充满功德的观念，以及对自己的爱，还有对功用，因而对邻舍的蔑视或忽略，同时又怀有这种信念：他没有任何过错。由此明显可知，脱离仁爱生活的虔诚生活不是存在于神性敬拜中的属灵生活（对比马太福音6:7-8）。
124、虔诚在于虔诚地思考和说话，用心用时虔诚祈祷，按时去教堂并虔诚地倾听讲道，遵守圣餐仪式，按照教会条例履行其它敬拜事项。仁爱的生活在于对他人持善意，行善行。按照公平和正义、良善和真理处事，以及履行所有职务。简而言之，仁爱的生活在于做有用的事。 这样的生活态度是敬拜神的第一要义，其次才是虔诚。因此把两者分开的人，也就是在生活里有虔诚但却没有仁爱的人，他不是在敬拜上帝。他也的确思考上帝，但不是从神出发而是从他自己出发，因为他一直在顾念他自己，而不是他人。当他看待他人时，如果不是自己人，他会轻视他们。他把天堂看成是奖赏，认为自己配得如此奖赏。他自爱且以自我为中心，轻视或无视做有益之事，因而轻视或无视他人。与此同时，他从不认为自己有错。因此可以看到，没有仁爱的虔诚不是属灵生命，而属灵生命是敬拜神所必需的（比较马太福音6:7，8）。
124. Piety is thinking and speaking reverently, giving ample time to prayer, having a humble attitude when we pray, attending church regularly and listening attentively to what is preached, observing the sacrament of the Supper several times a year, and performing the other ceremonial acts the church prescribes.
A life of caring, though, consists of having goodwill toward our neighbors and doing good things for them; basing all of our actions on what is right and fair, and what is good and true; and applying the same principles in all our responsibilities. In a word, a life of caring consists of being useful. This kind of life is the primary way to worship God; a life of piety is only secondary. This means that if we separate the one from the other, if we lead a pious life but not a caring life at the same time, we are not in fact worshiping God. We may be thinking about God, but this comes from ourselves and not from God, because we are constantly thinking about ourselves and not at all about our neighbor. If we do think about our neighbors, we regard them as worthless if they are not like us. Further, we are thinking of heaven as our reward, so our mind is preoccupied with self-love and taking credit. Being actively useful is something we either neglect or regard with contempt; and that is also how we treat our neighbors. Yet at the same time we believe there is nothing wrong with us.
This shows that a pious life apart from a caring life is not the spiritual life that is needed within our worship of God. Compare Matthew 6:7, 8. 1
Footnotes:
1. Matthew 6:7-8 reads: "When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him" (New Revised Standard Version). [GFD]
124. “Religious devotion” means thinking and talking spiritually, taking the time often to pray in a humble way, going to church regularly and listening attentively to the sermons, going to the holy supper many times each year, and following the rest of our religion’s rules about worship.
A life of kindness is wishing well toward other people and doing good things for them, and always acting with fairness and impartiality, out of goodness and truth, in everything we do and in every job we have. In short, a life of kindness means doing useful things.
A life of kindness is the primary meaning of divine worship. Religious devotion is a secondary form of worship. When we separate the two by living a life of religious devotion without being a kind person also, we are not worshipping God. We do think about God, but our thinking comes from ourselves, not from God, since we are constantly thinking about ourselves and never about other people. If we think about other people at all, we look down on them if they are not like us. We think of heaven as a reward, so we have an idea in our minds that we deserve heaven, and we are also self-centered. We belittle and neglect being useful — which means we do not care about other people. Yet at the same time, we do not believe we have done anything wrong.
So you can see that a life of religious devotion without a life of kindness is not a spiritual life, which we must have if we want to worship the divine. (See Matthew 6:7-8.)
124. Piety is thinking and speaking piously, giving a lot of time to prayer, also behaving humbly, going regularly to church and listening devoutly to sermons there, frequently each year attending the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, and all the other religious observances prescribed by the church. A life of charity, however, is willing and doing good to the neighbour, acting in every task out of justice and equity, out of good and truth, and likewise in every public office. In short, a life of charity consists in performing services.
In such a life the worship of God takes first place, but in the former one second place. Consequently everyone who separates one from the other, living a life of piety and not a life of charity at the same time, does not worship God. He may think about God, yet not be inspired by God, but by himself, for he constantly thinks about himself and gives no thought to the neighbour. If he thinks about the neighbour, he disparages him, if he is not also such as he is. He also thinks of heaven as a reward. As a result his mind is full of the idea of merit, and also self-love, and a contempt for or neglect of performing services, and so of the neighbour, and at the same time a confident belief that he is without guilt. From this it can be established that a life of piety divorced from a life of charity is not a spiritual life, such as should be present in the worship of God. (Compare Matthew 6:7-8).
124. Piety consists in thinking and speaking piously; in praying assiduously, and in behaving then with humility; in attending churches, and in devoutly listening to the preaching there; in partaking frequently during the year of the Holy Supper; and in observing in like manner the other acts of Divine worship, according to the ordinances of the Church. But the life of charity consists in willing and doing good to the neighbour; and in acting from a principle of what is just and fair, and good and true, in every work and in every office; in a word, the life of charity consists in the practice of uses. Divine worship consists primarily in the life of charity, and secondarily in piety. Wherefore, he who separates the one from the other, that is, he who leads a life of piety, and not at the same time a life of charity, does not worship God. It is true, he thinks of God, yet he does not think from God, but from himself; for he constantly thinks of himself, and not at all of the neighbour; and if he does think of the neighbour, he has no respect for him, unless he is of alike quality. He also thinks of heaven as a reward; and for this reason there is in his mind the idea of merit, and also the love of self, as well as a contempt or disregard for uses, and thus of the neighbour; at the same time also there is present with him a faith in his own guiltlessness. From this it may appear, that a life of piety separated from a life of charity, is not the spiritual life which ought to be in Divine worship. (See Matthew 6:7-8.)
124. Piety consists in thinking and speaking piously, in devoting much time to prayers, in behaving humbly at that time, in frequenting temples and harkening devoutly to the preaching there, in frequently every year receiving the Sacrament of the Supper, and in performing the other parts of worship according to the ordinances of the church. But the life of charity consists in willing well and doing well to the neighbor, in acting in every work from justice and equity, from good and truth, and in like manner in every office; in a word, the life of charity consists in performing uses. Divine worship primarily consists in this life, but secondarily in the former; wherefore he who separates one from the other, that is, who lives the life of piety, and not at the same time the life of charity, does not worship God. He thinks indeed of God, but not from God but from himself, for he thinks continually of himself, and nothing of the neighbor; and if he thinks of the neighbor, he holds him in low estimation, if he be not also such as himself. And likewise he thinks of heaven as a reward, thence in his mind there is merit, and also the love of self, as also contempt or neglect of uses, and thus of the neighbor, and at the same time he cherishes a belief that he is blameless. Hence it may appear that the life of piety, separate from the life of charity, is not the spiritual life which should be in Divine worship. (Compare Matt. 6:7-8.)
124. Pietas est pie cogitare et loqui, multum vacare precibus, humiliter se tunc gerere, frequentare templa, et ibi praedicationes devote auscultare, et saepe quotannis obire Sacramentum Cenae, et similiter reliqua cultus secundum ecclesiae statuta. Vita autem charitatis est bene velle et bene facere proximo, in omni opere agere ex justo et aequo, ex bono et vero, similiter in omni functione; verbo, vita charitatis consistit in usibus praestandis. In hac vita primario consistit cultus Divinus, in illa autem secundario. Quapropter qui separat unam ab altera, nempe, qui vitam pietatis agit, et non simul vitam charitatis, non colit Deum. Cogitat quidem de Deo, verum non ex Deo sed ex se, nam de se cogitat jugiter, et nihil de proximo; et si de proximo, eum vilipendit si non etiam talis sit: et quoque cogitat de caelo ut mercede; inde in animo ejus est meritum, et quoque amor sui, ut et contemptus aut neglectus usuum, et sic proximi, et simul est fides inculpati. Inde constare potest, quod pietatis vita separata a charitatis vita non sit vita spiritualis, quae erit in cultu Divino. (Confer Matthaeus 6:7-8.)