396.然而，为了使本章以下内容，以及接下来的各章（关于选择自由、改造和重生）清晰明白地呈现在理性之光中，有必要对一些概念预先加以说明，如意愿和理解力，良善和真理；总体的爱，具体的尘世之爱和自我之爱，外在人和内在人，纯属世和感官之人。
这些概念必须弄清楚，以便理性人在深入理解下面的内容时，不至于陷入迷雾，就象一个人在大雾笼罩的城市街道穿越奔跑，最终找不到回家的路一样。若不理解，神学有何用处？读圣言时，人的理解力若得不到启示，不就像手持一盏没有灯的灯笼，诸如那五个愚拙的童女手里所拿的无油灯一样没有任何用处吗？所以，我将逐一解释每个主题。
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396. 然而, 為了讓本章接下來的觀點, 以及接下來各章(關於自由選擇,改造和更新)更加清晰易懂, 有些名詞需要先行解釋, 諸如什麼是意志與認知, 良善與真理; 總體上的愛是什麼, 對世界的愛和對自己的愛具體指什麼; 外在人與內在人指什麼, 什麼是純粹屬世與肉欲之人。
將這些要點先行闡明, 為了讓讀者看到後文這些方面的內容時, 他們的理性視野不至於墮入迷霧之中, 就像在濃霧迷漫的街道上奔跑, 最終找不到回家的路。若不理解, 神學有何用處呢？讀聖言時, 人的理解若不被啟示, 這就像手持一盞沒有燈的燈籠, 就像五個愚笨的童女手持無油的燈盞。因此, 我將按順序逐一解釋。
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396. To present the points that follow in this chapter in such a way that they can be seen clearly (not to mention the points in chapters to follow on free choice [463-508], reformation and regeneration [571-625], and so on), I first need to present some points on the will and the intellect; goodness and truth; love in general; love for the world and love for ourselves in specific; our outer and inner selves; and people who are merely earthly and sense-oriented.
These points will be brought to light so that when readers see the things that come later, their rational sight will not feel as if it were in a fog, rushing along city streets until it had no idea of the way home. What is theology without understanding or with an intellect that remains unenlightened while we read the Word? It is like having a lamp in our hand but not lighting the candle inside it, like the lamps held by the five foolish young women who had no oil. Therefore these individual topics will be taken up in sequence.
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396. However, in order to cast the light of reason on and so make clear what follows in this chapter, and the next chapters on free will, reformation and regeneration, etc., some preliminary remarks are needed, dealing with the will and the understanding, good and truth, love in general, the love of the world and self-love in particular, the external and internal man, and the purely natural and sensual man. This revelation is needed to prevent a rational person from having his ability to perceive the more remote consequences taken away as if by a fog, and as it were wrapped in fog running through the streets of a city, until he does not know his way home. For what use is theology without understanding? If the understanding is not enlightened when one is reading the Word, is it any more use than holding a lantern in the hand without the lamp lit, such as those in the hands of the five foolish virgins, who had no oil? So I will take up each subject in turn.
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396. But in order that what follows in this and the succeeding chapters on Freedom of choice, on Reformation, on Regeneration, and so forth, may be so presented in the light of reason as to be clearly seen, it is necessary to premise something respecting the will and understanding, good and truth, love in general, the love of the world and love of self in particular, the external and internal man, and the merely natural and sensual man. These things must be made clear, that the rational sight of man, in his perception of what follows further on, may not be as it were in a dense fog, and in that state be like one wandering through the streets of a city until he knows not the way home. For what is theology separated from the understanding, or with the understanding not enlightened when the Word is read, but like a lamp in the hand giving no light, such as were those of the five foolish virgins who had no oil? On each of these subjects, then, in their order.
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396. In order, however, that the contents of the present chapter, and of those that follow on Free Will, Reformation and Regeneration, and related subjects, may be presented clearly in the light of reason, something must first be said on the following subjects:
1 The Will and the Understanding,
2 Good and Truth,
3 Love in general,
4 The Love of the World and the Love of Self in particular,
5 The External and the Internal Man, and
6 The Merely Natural and Sensual Man.
These subjects will be fully treated, otherwise one's mental vision in attempting to understand what follows would be like a man wandering in a thick fog through the streets of a city, and unable to find the way home. For what is theology without understanding? If the understanding is not enlightened when the Word is being read, it is but as an unlit lamp in the hand, such as was carried by the five foolish virgins who had no oil. We now proceed to the consideration of each subject in its order.
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396. Verum enim vero, ut illa quae sequuntur in hoc Capite, et in succedentibus de Libero Arbitrio, deque Reformatione et Regeneratione, etc. in luce rationis sistantur clare videnda, necessum est, ut praemittantur aliqua de VOLUNTATE ET INTELLECTU; de BONO et VERO: DE AMORE IN GENERE: DE AMORE MUNDI ET AMORE SUI IN SPECIE; DE EXTERNO ET INTERNO HOMINE; ET DE MERE NATURALI ET SENSUALI HOMINE; Haec detegentur, ne Visus rationalis hominis in percipiendis illis, quae ulterius sequuntur, sit velut in nimbo, et in illo quasi currat per plateas Urbis, usque dum non scit viam ad domum; nam quid Theologicum absque intellectu, et nisi hic illustretur dum legitur Verbum, quam sicut Lampas in manu absque accensa candela, qualis fuit in manibus quinque Virginum stultarum, quae non habebant Oleum. De singulis itaque in suo ordine.