57.当今流行的观点是，神的全能就像世上国王的绝对权力，他行事可以随心所欲：随意赦免或定罪、让有罪的成为无罪、将不忠的判为忠诚、提拔不配和不够格的在配得和有资格者的头顶上，甚至任意掠夺其臣民的财物，判他们死刑等等。由于有关神性全能的这种荒谬的观点、信念和教导，故如洪水一样涌入教会的虚假、谬论、妄想与那里信仰的变化、区别、派生一样多。然而，可能涌入的数量相当于大湖里的水所能装满的罐子的数量，或相当于爬出洞穴、在阿拉伯沙漠中晒太阳的毒蛇的数量。除了宣扬全能和信仰这两个词，然后在普通百姓当中散布诸如迎合身体感官的猜测、传说和废话外，还有什么需要呢？因为这两个词驱逐了理性，理性若被逐出，人的思维比头上飞鸟的理性能好到哪里去呢？这时，使人有别于动物的灵性不就成了兽窝里的臭气吗？这臭气适合野兽，不适合人类，除非他们变得象野兽。
倘若神的全能延伸到行恶如同行善，那神和魔鬼还有什么分别？其分别不就象两位统治者之间的分别吗？其中一位既是国王，也是暴君，而另一位则是暴君，只是他的权力受到限制，以至于不能被称为一个国王。其分别还象被允许既引领绵羊，也扮演狼的牧人和不允许这样做的牧人之间的分别。谁看不出善与恶是对立面？若神出于祂的全能拥有意愿这二者的能力和通过意愿行出这二者的能力，祂根本就不能意愿和行出任何事，因而不会有任何能力，更不用说全能了。这就象是两个轮子朝相反的方向旋转，结果就是使这两个轮子都停下来，并造成一种静止不动的状态；或象一艘船逆强流而上，若不抛锚将它固定，它就会被水流卷走并毁掉；或象一个人有两个相互矛盾的意志，以致若一个是活跃的，另一个必是不活跃的；若二者同时起作用，他的心智就会陷入精神错乱或头晕眼花的状态。
57. 當今流行的觀念認為, 上帝的全能就像世上君王的絕對權勢與能力, 心血來潮可以做任何想做的事情:按己意去定人罪或赦免,讓有罪的成為無罪,宣告不忠的為忠心,將不值和不稱之人提升至值得和相稱的人之上,可以用任何藉口來掠奪百姓財產或致人死地等等。
藉著這些荒謬的關於全能的觀點,信念和教導, 同樣多的偽謬,虛謊,荒唐怪物就川流不息地湧入教會之中, 特別是在信仰的運動,分裂和新宗派產生期間。多如牛毛的荒謬之物侵入教會, 多到如同阿拉伯沙漠中爬出來曬太陽的毒蛇數量。所有人需要開始一個新的運動,分裂和宗派時, 只需要"全能"和"信"這兩個小小的詞語, 以及一個散佈足夠的猜測,謠傳和荒謬的計畫, 就足夠了。
這兩個詞的任何一個都可將理性推開。我們的理性一旦脫離, 我們的思維比頭上的飛鳥強到哪兒去呢？區分人和動物的靈性將成什麼呢？豈不成了獸窩裡的臭味, 適合那裡的野獸, 但並不適合人, 除非人變得像頭野獸？
倘若上帝的全能可以延伸到行惡如同行善, 那上帝和魔鬼之間還有什麼分別呢？他們的分別頂多如同兩位統治者, 其中一位是帝王,同時是個暴君, 而另一位則是為了不讓他稱帝而被剝奪能力的暴君。他們的分別頂多像一個牧人被允許同時放牧羔羊和獵豹, 而另一個牧人不允許這樣做而已。任何人可以明顯看出, 善與惡是對立的。如果上帝以祂的全能可以既去思想並行出善來,又去思想並行出惡來, 那麼祂就什麼都做不了。祂就根本毫無能力可言, 更別說全能了。
這樣的情形就好比兩個車輪往相反的方向,相互反作用, 都想令對方停止。或者像一艘船逆著強烈的水流而行, 如果不放錨停下, 就是自尋末路了。或者像一個人有兩個互不相干且有分歧的意志, 當其中一個處於活動狀態時, 另一個必是非活動狀態的, 但若兩者同時活動, 錯亂的抓狂必會攻擊頭腦。
57. The dominant opinion nowadays is that the omnipotence of God is like the absolute power of a monarch in the world, who can do whatever she or he wishes on a whim: absolve and condemn at will, make the guilty innocent, declare the unfaithful to be faithful, promote undeserving and unworthy people above those who are worthy and deserving. Under any pretext whatever, he or she can even seize citizens' assets, sentence them to death, and so on.
Through this ridiculous opinion, belief, and teaching about divine omnipotence, the same number of falsities, errors, and fabled monsters have poured into the church as there are movements, branches, and new sects of the faith. There is still room for more - as many more as the jars you could fill with water from a great lake, or as many as the snakes in an Arabian desert that could crawl out of their caves to enjoy basking in the sunshine. All you would need [to start a new movement, branch, or sect] are those two little words, "omnipotence" and "faith," and a program to spread enough conjectures, fables, and blithering to be physically stimulating.
Each of those two words pushes reason aside. Once our reason is disengaged, our thought process is no better than that of a bird flying overhead. What then becomes of the spiritual aspect that we have but animals lack? It becomes like the smell in a zoo: it suits the wild animals that are there but does not suit people unless they are particularly beastly.
If divine omnipotence extended to doing evil as well as good, what difference would there be between God and the Devil? They would be no different than two rulers, one of whom is a monarch and also a tyrant, while the other is a tyrant whose power has been curtailed so that he or she cannot be called a monarch anymore. They would be no different than a shepherd who is allowed to keep a sheep and a leopard, and another shepherd who is not allowed to do the same. Surely anyone can see that good and evil are opposites, and that if God by his omnipotence were able to will and do both good and evil, he could do absolutely nothing. He would have no power at all, much less omnipotence.
This situation would be much like the way two wheels going in opposite directions act against one another, causing each wheel to come to a stop. It would be like a ship whose course ran against a strong current in the opposite direction. If the ship did not drop anchor and stay still, it would be carried off to its doom. It would be like a human being with two wills that disagreed with each other. When one of them acted, the other would have to be still. Otherwise, if both acted at once, a dizzying madness would assault the mind.
57. The prevalent opinion today is that God's omnipotence resembles the absolute power of a king in this world, who can act at his pleasure however he wishes: acquit or condemn whom he will, make the guilty innocent, pronounce the traitor loyal, promote the unworthy and undeserving over the heads of the worthy and deserving, even on any pretext snatch away his subjects' goods, condemn them to death, and do other similar things. As a result of this absurd opinion, belief and teaching about the Divine omnipotence, as many falsities, fallacies and chimeras have invaded the church, as there are nuances, systems and derivations of belief there. As many more can invade too, as jars can be filled with water from a large lake, or as snakes can crawl out of their holes and lie basking in the sunshine of the Arabian desert. It takes only the two words 'omnipotence' and 'faith', and then one can scatter among the common people as many guesses, fictions and rubbish as occur to the bodily senses. Both of these terms banish reason,- but if reason is banished, how is human thought superior to the reason of the birds that fly overhead? What then is the spiritual side, which distinguishes man from animals, but like the stench of zoos, which is agreeable to wild beasts, but not to human beings, unless they are like beasts?
[2] If the Divine omnipotence extended as much to doing evil as to doing good, what would be the distinction between God and the devil? It would surely be like that between two rulers, one of whom is both king and tyrant, the other a tyrant whose power is limited, so he cannot properly be called a king. Or between a shepherd who is allowed to keep leopards as well as sheep, and one who is not allowed to do this. Anyone can know that good and evil are opposites, and that if God by His omnipotence could will both at once and by willing them do them, He could in fact do nothing. This so far from being omnipotence would be a negation of His power. It would be like two wheels turning in opposite directions; the effect would be to stop both wheels and produce a stationary state. Or like a ship sailing against a strong current, which without an anchor to hold it would be swept away and wrecked. Or like a person with two inconsistent wills, so that when one is active the other must necessarily be inactive; if both were to act at the same time, his mind would be a prey to delirium and dizziness.
57. It is a prevailing opinion at this day that God's omnipotence is like the absolute power of a king in the world, who can at his pleasure do whatever he will, pardon or condemn whom he will, make the guilty innocent, declare the unfaithful faithful, exalt the unworthy and undeserving above the worthy and deserving, and even take away the property of his subjects under any pretext whatsoever, and condemn them to death, and so on. From this absurd opinion, belief, and doctrine respecting the Divine omnipotence, as many falsities, fallacies, and chimeras have flooded the church as there are changes, distinctions, and generations of faith in it; and the number that may yet flow in may equal the number of urns that might be filled from a great lake, or the number of serpents that might creep from their holes and bask in the sunshine in the desert of Arabia. What need is there except to pronounce these two words, omnipotence and faith, and then circulate among the common people conjectures and fables and nonsense such as will appeal to the bodily senses? For these two words banish reason; and when reason has been banished what better is man's thought than the reason of the birds that fly over his head? Or what then is the spirituality that man possesses over and above the beasts but like the stench in the dens of beasts, which to them indeed is agreeable, but not to a man unless he is like them? If the Divine omnipotence were so extended as to do evil as well as good, what difference would there be between God and the devil? Would there be any but such as that between two monarchs, one of whom is both a king and a tyrant, while the other is a tyrant whose power is so restrained that he cannot be called a king; or such as that between a shepherd who is allowed to lead the sheep and also to act the wolf, and one who is not? Who cannot see that good and evil are opposites, and that if God from His omnipotence had the power to will both, and from will to do both, He would be able to will and do nothing at all? Thus He would have no power, much less all power. It would be like two wheels acting against each other by turning in opposite directions, by which opposition both wheels would be stopped and be perfectly at rest; or like a vessel in a rushing stream driving it contrary to its course, so that if not held by the anchor it would be carried away and destroyed; or like a man with two opposing wills, one of which must needs be quiescent when the other is acting, for if both should act at the same time delirium or giddiness would invade his mind.
57. The idea is prevalent today that the omnipotence of God is like the absolute power of a king in the world, who can, at his pleasure, do whatever he wills, pardon and condemn whom he pleases, make the guilty innocent, declare the unfaithful faithful, exalt the unworthy and the undeserving above the worthy and the deserving; in fact that he can, under any pretext whatever, deprive his subjects of their goods, condemn them to death, and so on. From this absurd idea, faith and doctrine concerning the Divine omnipotence there have arisen in the Church as many falsities, fallacies, and chimaeras as there are movements, divisions, and successive variations of faith; and as many more may yet arise as would equal in number the pitchers that could be filled from a great lake, or the serpents that creep from their holes and bask in the sunshine of the Arabian desert. The mere mention of the two words omnipotence and faith is enough to spread among the people as many conjectures, fables, and absurdities as appeal to the senses of the body; for reason is banished when omnipotence and faith are under consideration; and when reason goes, in what respect does a man's thought excel that of the bird that flies over his head? Or in such a case what is the spirituality which a man has beyond the beasts but as the odorous vapor in the dens of wild beasts, agreeable to the beasts there but not to man, unless he is like them?
If the Divine omnipotence went out equally to do evil as well as good, what difference would there be between God and the devil? The difference would be like that between two monarchs, one of whom is both king and tyrant, and the other only a tyrant whose power is so constricted that he cannot exercise the beneficent functions of a king; or like that between two shepherds, one of whom may tend both sheep and the leopard, while the other may not exercise this choice. Any one can see that good and evil are opposites, and if God from His omnipotence could will both, and could carry out His will, He would in fact be able to accomplish nothing, and would have no power, much less omnipotence. It would be as if two wheels were to act against each other, turning in opposite directions, so that each wheel would consequently stop, and remain completely at rest. Or it would be as if a ship were to be caught in a current running contrary to its course: it would be carried away and lost if its anchor did not bring it to rest. Or it would be as if a man had two wills at variance with one another, one of which was forced to remain dormant while the other was active; but if each were active at the same time, a raging madness would seize hold of his mind.
57. Opinio hodie regnans est, quod Omnipotentia Dei sit qualis est absoluta potentia Regis in Mundo, qui potest ex lubitu facere quicquid vult, absolvere et condemnare quem vult, sontem facere insontem, infidelem declarare fidelem, indignum et immeritum evehere supra dignum et merentem, imo quod possit sub quocunque praetextu subditis sua bona eripere, tum adjudicare morti, praeter similia alia. Ex hac fatua opinione, fide et doctrina de Omnipotentia Divina, tot falsitates, fallaciae, et chimaerae 1 in Ecclesiam influxerunt, quot sunt momenta, articulationes et generationes fidei ibi, et adhuc possunt influere, quot possunt urnae impleri aquis e magno lacu, aut quot serpentes e cavernis suis subrepere, et in aprico solis jucundari in deserto Arabiae; quid opus est nisi duobus vocabulis, OMNIPOTENTIA et FIDES, et tunc coram vulgo spargere conjecturas, fabulas et nugas, quot in sensus corporis incidunt, ab utraque enim ejicitur ratio; at quid ejecta ratione cogitatio hominis praestat rationi avis supra caput volantis; aut quid tunc Spirituale, quod homini est prae bestiis, nisi qualis est nidor in bestiariis, 2 qui feris ibi congruit, et non homini nisi similis sit.
[2] Si extensio Omnipotentiae Divinae aeque foret ad faciendum malum sicut bonum, quodnam discrimen inter Deum et diabolum foret, num aliud quam quale inter duos Monarchas, quorum unus est Rex et simul tyrannus, et alter Tyrannus, cujus potestas ligata est, unde non Rex dicendus est; aut inter Pastorem, cui permissum est agere ovem et quoque pardum, et inter pastorem cui hoc non permissum est. Quis non potest scire, quod Bonum et Malum sint opposita, et quod si Deus ex Omnipotentia sua posset unum et alterum velle, et ex velle facere, prorsus nihil posset, ita ei nulla potentia, minus Omnipotentia foret; esset hoc sicut binae rotae in contrario versu in se mutuo agerent, ex qua reactione utraque rota subsisteret, et omnimode quiescerent; aut sicut Navis in torrente contra viam ejus agente, quae nisi super anchora quiesceret, abriperetur et periret: aut sicut homo cui binae voluntates inter se dissentientes sunt, quarum una dum agit, altera necessario quiescet, at si utraque simul ageret, mentem ejus delirium aut vertigo invaderet.
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