453.死仁爱是这些人的特征：他们的信是死的，因为信如何，仁就如何。在信那一章已说明，它们构成一体。没有行为之人的信是死的，这可从雅各书（2:17，20）清楚看出来。而且，不信神，却信人，无论活人还是死人，并敬拜形像本身如神圣之人的信是死的，如外邦人惯常所行的。有这种信之人的祭品被拿来供奉给能施行神迹的形像，如他们所称呼的那样，是为了得救，被他们视为仁爱行为。然而，这些祭品就像扔进死人骨灰盒和棺材里的金银；确切地说，它们就像献给冥府守门狗的肉，或为了被摆渡到极乐世界而付给冥府渡神的费用。但是，那些不信神，只信自然之人的仁爱既不是不正当的，也不是伪的，而是死的，根本就不存在，因为它没有依附于任何信。它无法被称为仁，因为仁的性质取决于信的性质。从天上观之，这种人所具有的仁就像骨灰做成的面包，鱼鳞制成的饼，或蜡塑成的水果。
453. 有些人的信死了, 他們的義便是無生命之義, 因為信的性質決定義的性質。(在關於信的第六章, 我已說明信與義成為一個整體336, 362-367。)對行不出善的人而言, 信是死的, 在(雅各書2:17, 20)明顯看出。
此外, 不信上帝卻信人(死人或活人), 或者拜偶像本身為神聖, 非基督徒慣常如此, 這些人的信也是死的。獻給這些"神像"(他們如此稱呼這些偶像)宗教供品來換取拯救, 並且視捐贈為慈善行為來逐一計算數目, 這無異于置放金銀錢幣在死人的棺材與墳墓裡。事實上, 這些捐贈就好比為的是達到極樂世界而供給冥府看門狗的食物, 或者付給冥府渡神的工錢。
然而, 那些不相信上帝的存在, 卻視自然為上帝者, 他們的義既不是非法, 也不是虛偽和無生命之義。這是不存在之義, 因為它不依附於任何信。甚至不能稱之為義, 因為是信決定義的性質。從天上看這類人的義, 就如同灰燼做成的餅, 魚鱗製成的蛋糕, 或蠟製成的水果。
453. Dead goodwill is what people have when their faith is dead. The nature of the faith determines the nature of the goodwill. (In the chapter on faith I showed that the two become one [336, 362-367].) It is clear from the Epistle of James (James 2:17, 20) that faith is dead in people who do no works.
Faith is also dead in people who do not believe in God but who do believe in people who are alive or dead, or who worship idols as being intrinsically holy, as non-Christians used to do. When people have this kind of faith, the religious offerings they make to miraculous statues (as they call them) for the sake of salvation, counting these donations as acts of goodwill, are no different than pieces of gold and silver put in the urns and coffins of the dead; in fact, these donations are like the morsels offered to Cerberus and the coin paid to Charon for passage to the Elysian fields.
The goodwill that people have when they believe there is no God other than nature is not illegitimate, hypocritical, or dead. It is nonexistent because it is not attached to any faith. The term goodwill does not apply, because goodwill derives its quality from faith. From heavens point of view, these people's goodwill is like bread made out of ashes, a cake made out of fish scales, or a piece of fruit made out of wax.
453. Dead charity is characteristic of those whose faith is dead, since the nature of charity is like the nature of faith. It was shown in the chapter on faith, that faith and charity make a single whole. Faith is dead in the case of those who perform no deeds, as is clear from the Epistle of James (James 2:17, 20). Moreover faith is dead in the case of those who do not believe in God, but in men, either alive or dead, and worship images as holy in themselves, as the pagans once did. The offerings of those of this faith which are given to images that work miracles, as they call them, in order to gain salvation, and are counted by them as charitable deeds, are nothing but gold and silver thrown into the urns and caskets containing the dead; or rather, like the sops given to Cerberus 1 , and the fare paid to Charon 2 to ferry souls across to the Elysian fields. However the charity of those who believe that God does not exist, but take Nature to be God, is neither spurious, nor hypocritical nor dead, but non-existent, since it is not attached to any faith. It cannot be called charity, for it is faith which determines its nature. When viewed from heaven charity on the part of such people is like bread made of ashes, pate made of fish-scales, or fruit made of wax.
Footnotes:
1. The three-headed dog of Greek mythology who guarded the gate of the under-world.
2. The ferryman of Greek mythology who took souls to the underworld.
453. But dead charity is the charity of those whose faith is dead; since the charity is such as the faith is. That they make one, has been shown in the chapter on Faith. That the faith of those who are without works is dead, appears from the Epistle of James (2:17, 20). Furthermore, faith is dead in those who do not believe in God; but believe in living and dead men, and who worship images as holy in themselves, as the gentiles formerly did. The offerings of those who are in such a faith, which for the sake of salvation they bestow upon their miracle-working images, as they call them, including these offerings among works of charity, are precisely like the gold and silver that are put in the urns and monuments of the dead; they are even like the meat given to Cerberus, or the fee paid to Charon for ferriage to the Elysian fields. But the charity of those who believe that there is no God, but only nature instead, is neither spurious, hypocritical, nor dead; it is no charity at all, because it is not joined to any faith, and cannot be called charity, since the quality of charity is determined by faith. Such charity, viewed from heaven, is like bread made of ashes, a cake made of fishes' scales, or fruit made of wax.
453. Charity is dead with those whose faith is dead; for the nature of charity depends on that of the faith; in the chapter on Faith it was shown that they make one. That faith is dead with those who are without works is evident from the Epistle of James 2:17, 20. Moreover, faith is dead with those who do not believe in God but in men, living and dead, and who worship idols as things holy in themselves, just as the Gentiles of old did. The offerings of those who are in this faith, which they make to so-called miracle-working images, and which they reckon as works of charity, are like the gold and silver placed in the burial urns of the dead; or like sops to Cerberus, 1 or the fare paid to Charon 2 for being ferried across to the Elysian fields. But the charity of those who believe that there is no God, and who regard nature as God, is neither spurious, nor hypocritical, nor dead. It is not charity at all, because it is not adjoined to any faith; and it cannot be called charity, since the essential nature of charity is derived from faith. When viewed from heaven the charity of such persons is like bread made of ashes, or a cake made of fish scales, or fruit made of wax.
Footnotes:
1. Cerberus, the three-headed dog at the gate of Tartarus.
2. Charon, the ferry-man of the lower regions.
453. Charitas autem MORTUA est apud illos, quibus Fides mortua est, quoniam qualis est Fides talis est Charitas; quod unum faciant, in Capite de FIDE ostensum est; quod Fides mortua sit illis, qui absque operibus sunt, constat ex Epistola Jacobi 2:17, 20. 1 Praeterea Fides mortua est illis, qui non credunt in Deum, sed in homines vivos et mortuos, et colunt Idola ut in se sancta, sicut olim Gentiles; Donaria illorum, qui in hac fide sunt, quae salutis causa impendunt Simulacris miraculosis, ut illa vocant, et illa adnumerant inter Charitatis opera, non aliud sunt quam sicut aurum et argentum immissum urnis et cippis mortuorum, imo sicut offulae datae Cerbero, et pensa Charonti, ut in Campos Elysios transferantur. Charitas autem illorum, qui credunt quod Deus non sit, sed pro Deo Natura, non est Spuria, nec hypocritica, nec mortua, sed NULLA, quia non est alicui fidei adjuncta, non enim nominari potest Charitas, quia ejus qualitas praedicatur ex fide: Charitas horum e Coelo spectata, est sicut panis ex cinere, collyra ex squamis piscis, et sicut fructus ex cera.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: III.