55.谁都能看出，没有哪个帝国、王国、公国、共和体、城市或家庭缺乏法律保障，这些法律构成它的秩序，因而构成它的管理形式。其中，公义法居首位，政治法居第二位，经济法居第三位。若拿人作对比，公义法就是头，政治法是身体，而经济法则是衣服。这就是为何经济法象衣服那样能更换的原因。至于神为教会所确立的秩序，情况是这样：神必在于教会的每一个事物中，秩序所针对的目标也必是邻舍。该秩序的律法和圣言中的真理一样多；涉及神的律法构成头，涉及邻舍的律法构成身体，而它的仪式构成衣服。因为若没有这些仪式将前面的律法保持在它们的适当秩序中，这就象是被剥光了衣服的身体暴露于夏日的炎热与冬日的严寒之中；或象是圣殿的墙和天花板被拿走，导致圣所、祭坛和讲坛成了露天的，并暴露于各种极端天气。
55. 正如所有人都能看出, 但凡完善的帝國,國家,郡州,共和體,城市和家庭, 都有構成它們體制之定規形式的法則。在每一個舞臺中, 公義的法則居首, 政治的法則次之, 而商業法則第三。如果將些法則與一個人相比, 公義的法則構成頭的部分, 政治的法則構成身體部分, 而商業法則構成衣服部分。這就是為什麼商業法則可以像換衣服那樣隨意更換。
至於上帝放入教會的定規, 上帝溶入到教會的方方面面, 這樣成了我們的鄰舍, 我們因此當遵循這定規。有非常多的屬於教會的,關於定規的法則, 如同聖言中的真理之多。涉及上帝的法則構成頭的部分, 關於鄰舍的法則構成身體的部分, 而關於儀式的構成衣服。
倘若教會較高級的法則(涉及上帝和鄰舍)不能實現於其儀式之中, 教會就好比被剝光衣服的身體, 暴露於夏日炎熱與冬天寒冷之中。這就如同推倒教堂建築四周的牆,掀開屋頂, 讓至聖所,祭壇和講壇敞開並遭受各樣強風的蹂躪。
55. As everyone can see, all well-established empires, countries, counties, republics, cities, and homes have laws that constitute the design and form of their government. In each of those arenas, the laws of justice are at the top, political laws are in second place, and business laws are in third place. If these laws are compared with a human being, the laws of justice constitute the head, political laws the body, and business laws the clothes. This is why business laws can be changed like clothes.
As for the design that God incorporated into the church, it is that God is part of every aspect of the church, and so is our neighbor, for whose sake we are to follow the design. There are as many laws of the design belonging to the church as there are truths in the Word. Laws related to God are to constitute its head, laws related to our neighbor its body, and rituals its clothing.
If the church's higher laws were not embodied in its rituals, the church would be like a body stripped naked, exposed to the heat in summer and the cold in winter. This would be like taking the walls and vaulted ceilings away from a church building so that the sanctuary, altar, and pulpit stood in the open air exposed to violent forces of different kinds.
55. Anyone can see that there is no empire, kingdom, duchy, republic, city or house which lacks the support of laws, to impose order and so control the form of its government. In each case the laws of righteousness occupy the highest place, political laws the second place, and the laws governing the economy the third. If we make a comparison with a man, the laws of righteousness are the head, those of politics the body, those of the economy the clothes. That is why these last can be changed, like clothes. As for the order which God established for the church, this consists in having God in every single part of it, and having the neighbour as the object towards which order should be directed. The laws of this order are as many as the truths in the Word; the laws which relate to God make up the head, those which relate to the neighbour the body, and its ceremonies make the clothes. For if the ceremonies were not there to contain the other things in their proper order, it would be like stripping the body and exposing it to heat in summer and cold in winter; or like taking away the walls and roof of a church, so that the chancel, altar and pulpit were in the open air exposed to all the various extremes of the weather.
55. Who does not see that there cannot be found an empire, kingdom, dukedom, republic, state, or household, that is not established by laws which constitute its order and thus the form of its government? In each one of them the laws of justice are in the highest place, political laws in the second, and economical laws in the third; or in comparison with a man, the laws of justice constitute the head, political laws the body, and economic laws the garments; and thus these last, like garments, may be changed. But in respect to the order in which the church has been established by God, it is this: That God must be in each thing and all things of it, and the neighbor also towards whom order must be practiced. The laws of that order are as many as the truths in the Word, the laws relating to God constituting its head, the laws relating to the neighbor constituting its body, and ceremonies its garments; for unless there were these last to hold the former together in their order it would be as if the body were naked and exposed to the heat in summer and the cold in winter; or as if the walls and ceilings of a temple were taken away, and its sanctuary and altar and pulpit should thus stand unsheltered and exposed to many kinds of violence.
55. Every one knows that there is not an empire, kingdom, dukedom, republic, state or house which is not established by laws, constituting the order and thus the form of its government. In every one of these the laws of justice hold the first place, political laws the second, and economic laws the third. If these legal systems are compared with a man, the laws of justice form the head, the political laws the body, and the economic laws the dress; and therefore these economic laws can be changed like garments. The main concern of the order in which the Church has been established by God is that God, and also the neighbor towards whom order is to be practiced, should be in everything pertaining to it. The laws of this order are the truths contained in the Word. The laws relating to God form the head of the Church, those relating to the neighbor form the body, and the ceremonial laws form the dress; for if the former were not arrayed in an orderly ritual, it would be as if the body were stripped naked and exposed to the heat of summer and the cold of winter; or as if the walls and roof were removed from a temple, to expose in full daylight the shrine, the altar, and the pulpit to all manner of sacrilege.
55. Quis non videt, quod non detur Imperium, Regnum, Ducatus, Respublica, Civitas, Domus, quae non constabiliuntur per leges, quae faciunt Ordinem, et sic formam regiminis ejus; in singulis illis Leges justitiae sunt supremo loco, Leges politicae secundo, et Leges Oeconomicae 1 tertio, quae si comparantur cum Homine, Leges justitiae faciunt Caput ejus, Leges politicae Corpus ejus, et Leges Oeconomicae Vestes, quare etiam hae sicut vestes mutari possunt. Quod autem concernit Ordinem, in quem Ecclesia a Deo instaurata est, est ille, ut Deus sit in omnibus et singulis ejus, et proximus erga quem Ordo exercendus est; Leges illius ordinis sunt totidem quot Veritates in Verbo, Leges quae spectant Deum, facient Caput ejus, Leges quae spectant proximum, facient Corpus ejus, ac Ceremoniae facient Vestes, nam nisi hae continerent illas in suo Ordine, foret sicut nudaretur Corpus, ac exponeretur aestui in aestate, et frigori in hyeme; aut sicut e Templo auferrentur parietes et lacunaria, et sic Adytum, Ara, et Pulpitum sub diu variis exposita violentiis prostarent.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: �conomicae.