518.同样处在这虚伪敬拜里的，是那些执着于现在教会信仰之人，即主通过十字架受难抹去了世界的一切罪恶，从而意味着，只要他们按照赎罪与和解的标准模式祷告，主就会除去每个人的罪。他们中的一些人会在讲坛上用洪亮的声音，满腔热情、滔滔不绝地发表很多有关悔改与仁爱的神圣言论，而同时又认为这些东西无助于救赎。因为他们所理解的悔改是口头上的，仁爱仅适用于公开场合，并且他们这样做是为了获得人望。主的这些话说的就是这类人：
当那日，必有许多人对我说：主啊，主啊，我们不是奉你的名传道，奉你的名赶鬼，奉你的名行许多异能吗？我就明明地告诉他们说：我从来不认识你们，你们这些作恶的人，离开我去吧！（马太福音7:22，23）
在灵界，我曾听一个人这样祷告：“我在母亲子宫时就浑身生疮，长满麻风，充满污秽；从头顶到脚底没有一处完好；我不配举目注视神；死亡与永恒的咒诅是我应得的；为你儿子的缘故怜悯我吧；用祂的血洁净我；一切救赎取决于您的美意；我祈求怜悯。”听他这样祷告，旁观者问道：“你怎么知道你是那样的人？”他回答说：“因为我就是这么听来的。”但此后他被送往检查天人那里，在他们面前说了同样的话，经过检验，天人报告说，关于他自己，他所说的都是事实，然而对自己身上的邪恶，却连一个也未意识到。因为他从不检查自己，反而以为口头忏悔后，邪恶在神眼里不再是邪恶，因为神会将祂的眼目转离它们，也因为祂已经赎了罪。由于这个原因，他逐渐丧失对邪恶的觉察，尽管他是恣意的奸夫，窃贼，狡猾的小人，渴望报复。这就是他的内心与意愿的本质，若不是畏惧法律和害怕丧失名声，他还会表现在言行上。知道他是这类人后，他受到审判，并被发送到地狱的伪君子那里。
518. 同样处在这虚伪敬拜里的, 是那些执着于现在教会信仰之人, 即主通过十字架受难抹去了世界的一切罪恶, 从而意味着, 只要他们按照赎罪与和解的标准模式祷告, 主就会除去每个人的罪。 他们中的一些人会在讲坛上用洪亮的声音, 满腔热情, 滔滔不绝地发表很多有关悔改与仁爱的神圣言论, 而同时又认为这些东西无助于救赎。 因为他们所理解的悔改是口头上的, 仁爱仅适用于公开场合, 并且他们这样做是为了获得人望。 主的这些话说的就是这类人:
当那日, 必有许多人对我说: 主啊, 主啊, 我们不是奉你的名传道, 奉你的名赶鬼, 奉你的名行许多异能吗? 我就明明地告诉他们说: 我从来不认识你们, 你们这些作恶的人, 离开我去吧! (马太福音7:22-23)
在灵界, 我曾听一个人这样祷告: “我在母亲子宫时就浑身生疮, 长满麻风, 充满污秽; 从头顶到脚底没有一处完好; 我不配举目注视神; 死亡与永恒的咒诅是我应得的; 为你儿子的缘故怜悯我吧; 用祂的血洁净我; 一切救赎取决于您的美意; 我祈求怜悯。 ”听他这样祷告, 旁观者问道: “你怎么知道你是那样的人? ”他回答说: “因为我就是这么听来的。 ”但此后他被送往检查天人那里, 在他们面前说了同样的话, 经过检验, 天人报告说, 关于他自己, 他所说的都是事实, 然而对自己身上的邪恶, 却连一个也未意识到。 因为他从不检查自己, 反而以为口头忏悔后, 邪恶在神眼里不再是邪恶, 因为神会将祂的眼目转离它们, 也因为祂已经赎了罪。 由于这个原因, 他逐渐丧失对邪恶的觉察, 尽管他是恣意的奸夫, 窃贼, 狡猾的小人, 渴望报复。 这就是他的内心与意愿的本质, 若不是畏惧法律和害怕丧失名声, 他还会表现在言行上。 知道他是这类人后, 他受到审判, 并被发送到地狱的伪君子那里。
518. A similarly hypocritical form of worship is found among those who have convinced themselves of the modern-day belief that through his suffering on the cross, the Lord took away all the sins of the world, which they take to mean the sins of anyone who utters formulaic prayers about appeasement and mediation. Some such people are indeed capable of standing in the pulpit and, with a loud voice as if they were ablaze with passion, pouring forth one holy thought after another about repentance and goodwill, even though they themselves view repentance and goodwill as having no value for our salvation. They take "repentance" to mean nothing more than oral confession, and "goodwill" to mean nothing more than acts of public charity. But they preach this way merely to win the favor of the crowd. These are the type to which the following words of the Lord refer:
Many will say to me in that day, "Lord, Lord! Haven't we prophesied in your name, and haven't we done a number of miracles in your name?" But then I will declare to them, "I don't know you. Go away from me, you who practice wickedness. " (Matthew 7:22-23)
[2] On one occasion I heard someone in the spiritual world praying like this: "I am covered with skin disease. I am a leper. I have been disgusting from my mother's womb. There is nothing in me that is whole from my head to the sole of my foot. I am unworthy to lift my eyes toward God. I deserve death and eternal damnation. Have mercy on me for the sake of your Son. Purify me in his blood. The salvation of all is up to you. I beg for your mercy. "
People standing nearby who had heard this asked him, "How do you know this is what you are like?"
"I know this," he replied, "because that is what I have been told. "
Then he was sent to exploratory angels. In their presence he said similar things.
After conducting their investigation they gave their report: "Everything he said about himself is true. Nevertheless, he does not recognize a single evil in himself, because he has never examined himself. He had the belief that after making an oral confession, any evil he had done would no longer be evil in the sight of God, for two reasons: God would turn his eyes away from it, and he would be appeased. Therefore even though this person was a deliberate adulterer and robber, a lying slanderer, and an ardently vengeful person, he did not recover from any of his evils. This is what he was like in his will and his heart, and this is what he would have been like in word and deed if fear of the law and of losing his reputation had not held him back. "
After the discovery that this was what he was like, he was judged and sent off to join other hypocrites in hell.
518. Those who have convinced themselves of the present-day belief, that the Lord by His passion on the cross took away all the sins of the world, engage in the same sort of hypocritical worship. They mean by this that anyone's sins are taken away, so long as he recites the formulas for propitiation and mediation. Some of these people can get up in pulpits and in an excited voice as if burning with enthusiasm pour out a lot of holy thoughts on repentance and charity, while considering neither of them any use for salvation. For by repentance they do not mean anything but verbal confession, and by charity nothing but its public display. They do this to obtain popularity. These are the people meant by these words of the Lord: Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name and performed many feats in your name? But then I shall admit to them, I do not know you; depart from me, you workers of iniquity, Matthew 7:22-23.
[2] Once in the spiritual world I heard someone praying like this: 'I am full of sores, leprous, foul from my mother's womb. There is nothing sound in me from my head to the sole of my foot. I am not worthy to lift up my gaze to God. I am guilty of offences deserving death and eternal damnation. Have mercy on me for the sake of your Son; purify me by His blood. The salvation of all is at your good pleasure. I beg for mercy.'
On hearing this the bystanders asked: 'How do you know you are like that?' 'I know,' he replied, 'because I have been told so.' But he was then sent to the examining angels, and said similar things in their presence. After enquiry they reported that he had told the truth about himself, but he was still not aware of even one of his evils, since he had never examined himself. He had believed that after a verbal confession evils were no longer evils in the sight of God, both because God turns His gaze away from them, and because He has been propitiated. For this reason he had not thought better of any evil he had committed, although he was deliberately committing adultery, theft, and deceitful slander and was desperate to take revenge. This was his nature in will and heart; and he would have been shown so by his utterances and deeds, if not restrained by fear of the law and of losing his good name. When it became known what sort of person he was, he was submitted to judgment and sent away to join the hypocrites in hell.
518. In a like hypocritical worship are those who have confirmed in themselves the faith of the present church, that the Lord by the passion of the cross took away all the sins of the world, meaning thereby the sins of every man, if only they pray according to the formularies about propitiation and mediation. Some of them can pour forth from the pulpit, with loud voices and apparently burning zeal, many holy utterances about repentance and charity, while they deem both of these useless in respect to salvation; for by repentance they mean no other than lip-confession, and by charity that charity only that pertains to public life; but this they do to please the people. It is such who are meant by these words of the Lord:
Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied by Thy name? and in Thy name done many mighty works? But then will I profess unto them, I know you not; depart from Me, ye that work iniquity (Matthew 7:22, 23).
In the spiritual world I once heard a man praying after this manner: "I am full of sores, leprous, unclean from my mother's womb; there is not a sound spot in me from my head to the sole of my foot; I am not worthy to raise my eyes towards God; I am deserving of death and eternal damnation; have mercy upon me for the sake of Thy Son; purify me in His blood; on Thy good pleasure depends the salvation of all; I implore mercy."
Hearing him pray thus, the bystanders asked, "How do you know that you are such?"
He replied, "I know it because I have heard so."
But he was then sent to angelic examiners, before whom he spoke in the same way; and these, after examination, reported that he had spoken the truth about himself, and yet without knowing a single evil in himself, because he had never examined himself, but had believed that after lip-confession evils were no longer evils in the sight of God, both because God turns His eyes away from them, and because He has been propitiated. In consequence of this he had not come to a sense of any evil, although he was a willful adulterer, a thief, a wily detractor, and intensely revengeful; such he was in heart and will, and therefore would be such in word and deed did not the fear of the law and of the loss of reputation restrain him. After he was found to be such, he was judged and sent away to the hypocrites in hell.
518. Similar hypocritical worship is practiced by those who have confirmed themselves in the faith of the present day, that the Lord, by the passion of the cross, took away all the sins of the world. By this is meant the sins of all men, provided that they use the formal prayers on propitiation and mediation. Some of them from the pulpit, in loud voice and with burning zeal, can utter many pious reflections on repentance and charity, and yet believe that neither is of any avail to salvation; for by repentance they mean only oral confession, and by charity the good works of the merit-seeker; 1 but this they do to gain the favor of the people. These are meant by the Lord's words:
"Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?... and in thy name have done many wonderful works? And then I will confess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" Matthew 7:22-23.
Once in the spiritual world I heard a certain person praying thus: "I am full of sores, leprous, unclean from my birth. There is nothing sound in me from my head to the sole of my foot. I am not worthy to lift up my eyes to God; I am deserving of death and eternal damnation. Have mercy on me for the sake of thy Son; purify me by His blood. The salvation of all is in thy good pleasure; I implore thy mercy." Those who stood by and heard him asked: "How do you know that you are such?" He replied, "I know it because I have been told." He was then sent to the examining angels, to whom he repeated the same statements. After examination they reported that what he had said of himself was true; but that he was not conscious of a single evil in himself, because he had never examined himself, and believed that evils, after an oral confession, were no longer evils in the sight of God, both because He turns away His eyes from them, and because He has been propitiated. On this account he had never repented of any evil, although he was a deliberate adulterer, a robber, and a deceitful slanderer, burning with revenge; and because he was such in will and heart, he would, therefore, have been the same in word and deed had he not been restrained by fear of the law and loss of reputation. After this disclosure of his real character, judgment was passed upon him and he was sent to join the hypocrites in hell.
Footnotes:
1. Charitatem non aliam quam forensem. Forensis, forensic, of the law courts; or as here, public, of the market-place.
518. In simili hypocritico cultu sunt illi qui apud se confirmaverunt Fidem hodiernam, quod Dominus per Passionem crucis sustulerit omnia peccata Mundi, et per id intelligunt cujusvis, modo orent formulas de Propitiatione et Mediatione; quidam ex his possunt super Suggestis elata voce et sicut ardente zelo, effundere multa sancta de Poenitentia et de Charitate, ac utramque opinantur vanam ad salutem, nam poenitentiam non aliam intelligunt, quam Confessionem oralem, et Charitatem non aliam quam forensem; sed illud faciunt populi gratia. Hi sunt, qui per haec Domini verba intelliguntur, "Multi dicent Mihi in illo die, Domine, Domine, nonne per Nomen tuum prophetavimus et in Nomine tuo virtutes multas fecimus, sed tunc confitebor illis, non novi vos, discedite a Me operarii iniquitatis," Matthaeus 7:22-23. 1
[2] Quondam in Mundo Spirituali audivi aliquem orantem ita: Sum plenus scabie, leprosus, foedus ab utero matris; non apud me integrum est a capite ad volam pedis; non dignus sum levare oculos sursum ad Deum; sum reus mortis et damnationis aeternae; miserere mei propter Filium tuum; sanguine Ejus purifica me; in beneplacito tuo est salus omnium; imploro misericordiam. Adstantes his auditis quaesiverunt, unde scis quod talis sis; respondit, scio quia audivi; sed tunc missus est ad Angelos exploratores, coram quibus similia loquutus est, et hi post inquisitionem factam, retulerunt, quod veritates de se loquutus sit; sed quod usque non sciat unum malum apud se, quia nusquam exploraverat se, et crediderat, quod mala post oralem confessionem non essent amplius mala coram Deo, tam quia Deus avertit oculos ab illis, quam quia propitiatus est, et quod propterea non resipuerit ab ullo, tametsi esset adulter ex proposito, praedo, dolosus obtrectator, et ardens vindicator, et quod talis esset voluntate et corde, et inde talis foret loquelis et factis, nisi timor legis et jacturae famae illum inde retraheret; postquam compertum est, quod talis esset, judicatus est, et ad hypocritas 2 in Inferno rejectus.
Footnotes: