436.以下对比有助于进一步说明这个问题。有人在屋里饲养花豹或黑豹，若不先除去野兽，谁敢靠近他。若有人应邀和国王、王后共进晚餐，谁不得在赴宴前洗脸洗手？在获得精金白银之前，谁不是先熬炼矿物，把它们从矿渣当中提纯和分离出来？麦子收入仓前，谁不先将稗子和麦子分开？在肉能吃、端上餐桌前，谁不先将它们煮熟烹调？谁不会将园中果树叶子上的小虫子抖掉，以免叶子被吃光，结不出果实？若一个女孩身染恶疾，或全身长满疙瘩或疹子，无论她的妆化得有多好看、穿的衣服有多漂亮，说的话有多动听，谁会爱上并打算娶她？
人自己应当从恶中洁净自己，而不是无需自己合作，只等着主来洁净他（参看331节）。否则，他就好比一个满脸满身沾满烟灰或粪便的仆人来到主人面前，说：“我主，请洁净我。”主人岂不如此回应他：“你这个愚蠢的仆人！你在说什么？看，这里有水、肥皂和手巾；难道你自己没有手、没有能力用它们吗？还不快去洗净自己。”所以，主神会说：“洁净的工具，我已经给了你，还赐你意愿和行动的能力。因此，只要运用我赐给你的这些天赋和才能，你就会洁净。”
436. 以下的對比可用來進一步說明:有人在屋內飼養獵豹或美洲豹並與它們住在一起, 除非先除掉野獸, 否則沒哪個敢拜訪此人。 客人應邀與君王和王后共進晚餐, 有哪個客人不在赴宴前洗淨手臉呢？在煉取純金或純銀前, 誰不先用火燒礦, 以除去渣滓呢？麥子入倉前, 誰不會將稗子從麥子分開呢？從生肉中提煉肉汁, 成為上桌的食物, 都要先煮沸生肉。為了葉子不被吞吃, 以及結不了果子, 人們會將葉子上的蛆蟲抖落。一個女孩身染致命疾病或全身起斑或膿包, 卻化濃妝,著靚裝, 並說美言恭維來令自己招人迷, 有哪個會愛上她, 並想辦法娶為妻室呢？
人當從邪惡中潔淨自己, 而不是消極地等著主來為自己做這件事情, 就好比某個僕人滿身油煙屎糞髒兮兮跑進屋, 來到他主人面前, 對主人說:"我主, 請為我潔淨。"主人定會告訴他:"你這個蠢材！你在說什麼？看, 這有水,有皂,有手帕, 你沒手沒力自己洗嗎？它們會自己動手嗎？快自己洗！"
因此, 主上帝會說:"潔淨的工具, 我給了你, 還賜你意志與能力; 因此, 要運用這些恩賜與才能, 就像是你自己的一樣, 你將被潔淨。"
436. This point can be illustrated further by analogies: Suppose someone keeps a leopard and a panther in an apartment and, as the one who feeds them, is able to live safely with them. No one else can visit unless their owner first removes these wild animals. Guests invited to the table of the king and queen would not forget to wash their faces and hands before attending. Anyone must first purify ore with fire and remove slag before getting pure gold or silver. Everyone separates the tares or weeds from the harvested wheat before taking it into the barn. Everyone cooks some of the juice out of raw meat before it becomes edible and is set on the table. Everyone knocks the grubs and caterpillars off the leaves of a tree in the garden to prevent them from devouring the leaves and causing a loss of fruit. Does any man love a young woman and propose to marry her if she is riddled with malignancies or covered all over with pustules and varicose veins, no matter how much she puts makeup on her face, wears gorgeous clothing, and makes an effort to be attractive by saying nice things and paying compliments?
The need for us to purify ourselves from evils, and not to wait for the Lord to do it without our participation, is like a servant coming in with his face and clothes covered in soot or dung, approaching his master and saying, "Lord, wash me. " Surely his master would tell him, "You foolish servant! What are you saying? Look, there is the water, the soap, and a towel. Don't you have hands? Don't they work? Wash yourself!"
The Lord God is going to say, "The means of being purified come from me. Your willingness and power come from me. Therefore use these gifts and endowments of mine as your own and you will be purified. "
436. The following comparisons will serve to illustrate this further. There is no approaching someone who keeps a leopard or a panther in his room, and lives safely with them because he feeds them, unless one first gets rid of the wild animals. If anyone is invited to dine with a king and queen, does he not wash his face and hands before coming to table? Does anyone fail to heat minerals to purify them and separate them from slag before he gets pure gold and silver? Is there anyone who does not separate the tares from his wheat crop, before storing it in the granary? Is there anyone who does not boil raw meat to cook it, before it becomes eatable and is served at table? Does anyone fail to shake grubs off the leaves of his garden trees, to prevent the leaves being eaten and the fruit lost? Does anyone love a girl and aim to marry her, if she is tainted with malignant disease or covered in spots or pimples, however much she makes up her face, dresses up in fine clothes, and tries to make herself attractive by paying compliments? A person's duty to cleanse himself from evils is like a servant coming in with his face or clothes filthy with soot or dung, and going to his master and saying: 'Please wash me, Sir.' Would not the master say to him: 'You foolish servant, what is this you say? Look, here are water, soap and a towel; haven't you got hands and the power to use them? Wash yourself.' So the Lord God will say: 'The means of cleansing I have provided; and you have been given by me the power to will and act. So use the gifts and talents I have given you, and you will be cleansed.' 1
Footnotes:
1. This passage is largely repeated from 331.
436. This may be further illustrated by the following comparisons: One cannot visit another who keeps a leopard and a panther shut up in his chamber (living safely with them himself because he feeds them), until these wild beasts have been removed. Who, when invited to the table of a king and queen, does not, before he goes, wash his hands and face? Who does not purify ores by fire and separate the dross before he obtains pure gold and silver? Who does not separate the tares from the wheat, before putting the wheat into his granary? Who does not prepare raw food by cooking it before it is made eatable and placed upon the table? Who does not beat the worms from the foliage of the trees in his garden, so that the leaves may not be devoured and the fruit thereby destroyed? Who loves and seeks to marry a maiden who is full of disease, and covered with pimples and blotches, however she may paint her face, dress finely, and labor by the charms of her conversation to affect him with the enticements of love? Man himself ought to purify himself from evils [and not wait for the Lord to do this without his cooperation, see n. 331. Otherwise he would be like a servant, going to his master, with his face and clothes befouled with soot or dung, and saying, "Master, wash me." Would not his master answer him, "You foolish servant, what are you saying? See, here are water, soap, and a towel; have you not hands of your own and the power to use them? Wash yourself." And so the Lord God will say, "These means of purification are from Me; and your ability to will and do are also from Me; therefore use these My gifts and endowments as your own, and you will be purified."
436. This may be further illustrated by the following comparisons. No one can visit a man who keeps a leopard and a panther in his room, and who lives in safety with them because he feeds them, until those wild beasts are removed. What person, invited to the table of a king and queen, does not wash his face and hands before he presents himself? Who does not refine metallic ores in the fire, separating the dross, before he procures the pure gold and silver? What farmer does not separate the tares from the wheat before he puts it in his barn? Who does not remove impurities in raw food by cooking to make it eatable before being brought to the table? Who does not shake off insects from a tree in his garden, to prevent the leaves from being eaten up and the fruit destroyed? Does anyone love and intend to marry a maiden infected with disease, and covered with pimples and blotches, however she may paint her face, dress elegantly, and seek to exercise the allurements of love by her charming conversation?
A man ought to purify himself from evils. Otherwise he would be like a servant with face and clothes covered with soot and filth, who should go to his master and say, "My lord, wash me." Would not his master say to him, "You foolish servant, what do you mean? See, there are water, soap and a towel; have you not hands of your own and power to use them? Wash yourself." And the Lord God will surely say, "You have from me the means of purification, and also the will, and the power. Therefore, use these my gifts and endowments as your own, and you will be purified."
436. Hoc porro illustrari potest per has comparationes; non potest aliquis adire alterum, qui leopardum et pantheram in conclavi suo custodit, et quia dat illis edere, securus cum illis habitat, nisi prius feras illas removerit. Quis invitatus ad mensam Regis et Reginae non prius laverit faciem et manus, antequam accedit. Quis non per ignem purificat mineras, et secernit a scoriis, antequam aurum et argentum purum accipit. Quis non Zizania separat a messe tritici, antequam hoc infert in horreum. Quis non despumat Carnem crudam in coctione, antequam illa fit edulis, et apponitur super mensa. Quis non excutit vermes ex foliis arboris in horto, ne consumantur folia, et sic pereat fructus. Quis amat virginem, et cum illa nuptias intendit, quae malignis inescata est, ac pustulis et varicibus obsita, utcunque illa infucat faciem, splendide se investit, ac amoris illecebras per blanditias oris inferre studet. Quod homo se ipsum purificare debeat a malis, est 1 comparative sicut servus incedens facie et veste conspurcatis fuligine aut stercore accederet ad herum suum, ac diceret, Domine, ablue me; annon illi herus dicturus est, serve stulte, quid dicis; ecce ibi aqua, sapo, et linteum; suntne tibi manus, et posse in illis; ablue teipsum, et Dominus Deus dicturus est, sunt media purificationis a me, et quoque est tuum velle et posse a Me, quare utere illis meis donis et dotibus ut tuis, et purificaberis.
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