141.前面说明，圣三一在主里面。这一点等到下文论述三位一体（163－188节）时会进一步予以详述。我在此只想指出一些导致三位一体分裂为几个位格的荒谬之处。这样的三位一体好比一个牧师在讲坛上教导当信什么，当做什么；而另一个牧师站在他旁边附耳低语：“你说得对，再多补充点”；然后，这两个牧师对站在台阶上的第三个牧师说：“下去到教会里去，打开会众的耳朵，把这些事灌到他们心里，同时使他们纯洁、神圣，并给予公义的许诺。”再者，圣三一被分裂为几个位格，每一个都单独为神和主，就好比一个太阳系中有三个太阳，一个在高处，紧挨着的是另一个，而第三个在这二者之下，将它的光芒撒到天使和人类身上，并竭尽全力将另两个太阳的热和光传到他们脑子里、心里和身体里，磨练他们，就象火在蒸馏器中澄清和提炼物质一样。谁都能看出，若发生这种事，人必烧成灰烬。另外，天堂由三个神性位格来统治，就好比一个国家由三个国王来统治；或一支军队由三个同等军衔的将军来率领；确切地说，就像凯撒时代之前的古罗马政府，当时它由执政官、元老院和护民官组成，权力分散在它们当中，以致最高权力同时掌握在所有人手中。谁看不出将这样的政府引入天堂是何等荒谬、愚蠢、疯狂？然而，这就是那些将最高的执政官权力归给父神、将元老院的权力归给儿子、将护民官的权力归给圣灵之人所干的事。这就是每一个都有指定给自己的特殊功能，尤其还声称他们的属性不能共享时所发生的情形。
141. 之前曾說明過, 聖三一在主之中, 在之後章節(163-188)會就此專門詳細論及三一。在這裡, 我只是想指出三一被分為幾個位格後的荒唐。這就好比教會之中, 有一個執事在講臺教導, 身邊的另一位執事在他耳邊嘀咕:"關於這個, 你說的對, 還可以再說多一點"。這兩位執事告訴另一位站在臺階上的執事, 讓他進到教會之中, 打開會眾的耳朵, 把剛才所教訓的內容澆灌到他們的心裡。同時, 這第三位執事還使會眾更純淨,聖潔, 並成為義人的榜樣。
聖三一被劃分為三個位格, 每一位各自都是上帝和主, 就像太陽系中有三個太陽——一個太陽在第二個之上, 第三個太陽在二者下方。第三個太陽的光線沐浴著天人和人類, 將光與熱,以及上面兩個太陽的能力帶進人的思想,心中與身上。就像蒸餾罐下燒著的火, 來增加,淨化和提升裡面的物質。任何人都看得出, 倘若成真, 人將會燒成灰燼。
三位神性位格在天國的治理, 如同一個國家由三位君王治理。又或一隻軍隊由三位同級同權的軍官帶領。或者像凱撒時期之前的羅馬帝國, 由執政官,元老院和護民官分享權力, 但他們同時都有最高的權力。
任何都可以看出, 將這樣的治理方式應用于天國, 是荒唐,可笑,瘋狂的。然而, 有人真的將最高執政官的權柄歸屬給父上帝,元老院的權柄歸給子上帝, 而將護民官的權柄歸給聖靈。各自分配了特有的職能, 甚至聲稱各自職能互不干涉。
141. We have already shown that the divine Trinity exists within the Lord. This will be shown further in the following sections where we will need to deal with this point explicitly. Here I will only add something to show the absurdity of dividing the Trinity into persons.
It would be like a minister in the church teaching from the pulpit what people should believe and practice while another minister stands next to him and whispers in his ear, "You are saying the right thing; say some more about that. " The two of them tell a third minister standing on the pulpit stairs to go down into the church, open the congregations ears, and pour these things into their hearts; the third minister is also told to make the people pure and holy - living examples of justice.
The divine Trinity divided into persons, each of whom is individually God and Lord, is like three suns over one solar system - one sun beside another high up, and a third sun lower down that bathes angels and people and brings the heat, the light, and all the power of the first two suns into human minds, hearts, and bodies and refines them the way fire under a retort sharpens, clarifies, and sublimates substances. If this were the reality, surely we would all be burned to ashes.
A governance in heaven by three divine persons would be like a government of three monarchs in one country. It would be like a leadership of three equally powerful generals over one army. It would be much like the Roman government before the times of the Caesars when there was a consul, a senate, and a tribune for the common people. Power was indeed divided between them, but the ultimate power was held by them all together.
Anyone can see that it would be ridiculous, preposterous, and insane to impose a government like that over heaven. Yet that kind of government would be imposed if power like the supreme consul's were given to God the Father, power like the senates' to the Son, and power like the tribunes to the Holy Spirit. This is what is involved in attributing to each person a function of his own, especially if you add that these activities cannot be shared.
141. It was shown above that the Divine Trinity is in the Lord, and this will be further amplified in a following passage devoted to the subject of the Trinity [163-188]. Here I propose only to point out some of the absurdities which result from dividing that Trinity into persons. It would be as if a minister of the church were to teach from the pulpit what people should believe and do, and have another minister standing next to him whispering in his ear: 'You are right to say that, and add a little more too'; and these then say to, a third standing on the steps: 'Go down into the church, open the ears of the people and pour this out into their hearts, at the same time making them pure, holy and pledges of righteousness.'
A Divine Trinity divided into persons, each of which is by Himself God and Lord, is like having three suns in one world, one up high next to the second, and a third down below bathing angels and men with its radiation, and transmitting the heat and light of the other two in all their power to their minds, hearts and bodies, sharpening them like fire in a retort clarifying and sublimating matter. Anyone can see that, if this happened, man would be burnt to a cinder.
The rule of three Divine persons in heaven again would be like having three kings ruling in one kingdom; or having three generals of equal rank controlling one army; or better, like the Roman government before imperial times, when they had a consul, the senate and a tribune of the people, with power so divided between them that supreme authority was in the hands of all at once. Anyone can see that it is absurd, ridiculous and crazy to introduce that sort of government into heaven. Yet this is what those do who attribute the power of the supreme consul to God the Father, the power of the senate to the Son, and the power of the tribune of the people to the Holy Spirit. This is what happens if each is assigned his own peculiar office, and even more so if it is also asserted that these peculiar characteristics cannot be shared.
141. That the Divine trinity is in the Lord has been shown above, and will be shown more fully hereafter when that subject is treated of in detail. Here only some inconsistencies resulting from a division of the trinity into persons will be pointed out. Such a trinity would be like one minister of a church teaching from the pulpit what must be believed and what must be done, with another minister standing by him, whispering in his ear, "You say truly, add something more;" and these saying to a third, standing on the steps of the pulpit, "Go down into the church, open the ears of the people, and pour these things into their hearts, and cause them to be pure, holy, and pledges of righteousness." Again, a Divine trinity divided into persons, each one of whom singly is God and Lord, is like three suns in a single solar system, one near to another on high, and below these a third, which pours forth its rays upon angels and men, conveying the heat and light of the other two with all power to their minds, hearts, and bodies; enkindling, clarifying, and refining them, as fire does with substances in a retort. Who cannot see that if this were done men would be burned to a cinder? Again, the rule of three Divine persons in heaven would be like the rule of three kings in one kingdom; or of three commanders having equal authority over one army; or rather like the Roman government before the times of the Caesars, which was composed of a consulate, a senate, and a tribunate of the commons, among whom the power was distributed, but with the supreme authority residing in all together. Who does not see the absurdity, folly, and madness of introducing such a form of government into heaven? But this is done when an authority like that of the higher consulate is ascribed to God the Father, an authority like that of the senate to the Son, and an authority like that of the tribunate of the commons to the Holy Spirit. This is done when a function peculiar to Himself is attributed to each; and especially when, in addition to this, their attributes are not communicable.
141. It was proved above, and will be shown more fully in the following numbers devoted specially to the subject, that the Divine Trinity is in the Lord. At this point we shall merely mention certain absurdities arising from the division of the Trinity into Persons. It would be as if a minister of the Church should teach from the pulpit what ought to be believed and practiced, and another should stand at his side and whisper in his ear: "You say truly, continue;" and they should say to a third, standing on the steps of the pulpit: "Go down into the church, open the ears of the people, and put these things into their hearts; and at the same time make them pure, holy and subjects of righteousness." Again, the Divine Trinity divided into Persons, each of Whom singly is God and Lord, would be like three suns in one solar system, one placed on high, the second near it, and the third below them both, encompassing angels and men, and conveying the heat and light of the other two with all their power to their minds, hearts and bodies; and as fire acts upon material substances in retorts, rousing, purifying and refining them. Anyone may see that if this were to happen, men would be reduced to ashes. The government, of three Divine Persons in heaven may also be compared to the government of three kings in one kingdom, or of three generals of equal authority over one army; or rather to the Roman government before the time of the Caesars, when there were consuls, a senate and tribunes of the people, amongst whom power was indeed divided, yet all had supreme power at the same time. Anyone may see the incongruity, the absurdity and the folly of introducing such a government into heaven; and yet this happens when there is ascribed to the Father a power like that of the supreme consul, to the Son a power like that of the senate, and to the Holy Spirit a power like that of a tribune of the people, especially when a peculiar function is attributed to each, and it is added that those functions are not communicable.
141. Quod Divina Trinitas sit in Domino, supra demonstratum est, et amplius in sequentibus ubi de illa ex professo agendum est, demonstrabitur; hic solum aliqua absona ex Trinitate illa divisa in Personas sequentia, adducentur; hoc foret, sicut quis Ecclesiae Minister e suggesto docet quid credendum et quid faciendum est, et juxta illum alius Minister stat, et immurmurat auri ejus, hoc recte dicis, et insuper aliquid adhuc; et dicunt tertio, qui in scala stat, descende in Templum, aperi aures eorum, et infunde illa cordibus illorum, et simul fac ut sint puritates, sanctitates, et justitiae pignora. Divina Trinitas divisa in Personas, quarum unaquaevis singulatim est Deus et Dominus, similis etiam est tribus Solibus in uno Mundo, in alto unus juxta alterum, et tertius infra, qui circumfundit angelos et homines, ac infert duorum calorem et lucem cum omni potentia in mentes, corda et corpora illorum, et illos sicut ignis in retortis acuit, clarificat et sublimat materias; quis non videt, si ita fieret, quod homo combureretur usque in cinerem. Regimen trium Divinarum Personarum in Coelo, etiam simile foret regimini trium Regum in uno Regno; aut regimini trium Ducum ejusdem potestatis super uno Exercitu; 1 aut potius Regimini Romano ante Caesarum tempora, quando fuerunt Consul, Senatus, et Tribunus plebis, inter quos quidem divisa est potestas, at usque summa apud omnes simul; quis non videt absonum, ludicrum, et delirum, tale Regimen introducere in Coelum, ac introducitur cum potestas sicut summi Consulis addicitur Deo Patri, potestas sicut Senatus Filio, et potestas sicut Tribuni plebis Spiritui Sancto, quod fit cum functio propria attribuitur cuivis, et plus si additur, quod proprietates illae non communicabiles sint.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: Excercitu.