587. 第5节 新生的第一步就是所谓的改造, 这一过程涉及觉知; 第二步则是所谓的重生, 这一过程涉及意愿, 并由此涉及觉知
由于此处和下文论述改造和重生, 改造被认为属觉知, 重生被认为属意愿, 而知道觉知和意愿之间的区别非常必要, 这些区别在397节已说明, 所以, 建议读者先阅读那一节, 再阅读本节。 在397节, 还说明了人与生俱来的邪恶在属世人的意愿里生成, 这意愿支配觉知作与其一致的思考。 由于这个缘故, 为了人可以重生, 重生藉着为间接原因的觉知来完成是有必要的。 这一切通过觉知接受的各种教导完成, 这些教导首先来自父母和老师, 然后来自阅读圣言, 布道, 书籍和交谈。 觉知从这些来源接受的一切被称为真理, 因此, 无论说改造通过觉知进行, 还是说通过觉知接受的真理进行, 意思都一样。 因为真理指教人当信靠谁, 当相信什么, 以及当做什么, 因而当如何意愿。 无论人做什么, 都是出于意愿按着觉知去做。 既然人的意愿本身生来邪恶, 并且觉知教导何为善与恶, 人既能意愿善也能意愿恶, 那么可知, 人必须经由觉知被改造。 只要人看到和从心理上承认恶就是恶, 善就是善, 并认识到当选择善, 那么他就处于所谓改造的状态。 但当其意愿引导他避恶行善时, 重生的状态就开始了。
587. The First Phase in Our Being Generated Anew Is Called "Reformation"; It Has to Do with Our Intellect. The Second Phase Is Called "Regeneration"; It Has to Do with Our Will and Then Our Intellect
Because this heading and headings to follow concern reformation and regeneration, and reformation pertains to the intellect but regeneration pertains to the will, it is important for you to know the difference between the intellect and the will. The difference between them has been laid out above in 397. Therefore I recommend that you read that section first, and then read what is here.
The evils we are born with are in the will that is part of our earthly self; this earthly will pressures the intellect to agree with it and to have thoughts that harmonize with its desires. Therefore if we are to be regenerated, this has to happen by means of our intellect as an intermediate cause.
This process draws on pieces of information that our intellect receives, first from our parents and teachers, and later from our reading the Word, listening to preaching, reading books, and having conversations. The things that our intellect receives as a result are called truths. Therefore to say that we are reformed by means of our intellect is the same as saying that we are reformed by means of truths that our intellect receives. Truths teach us who to believe in, what to believe, and also what to do and what to will. After all, whatever we do, we do from our will and in accordance with our understanding.
Since our will is evil from the day we are born, and since our intellect teaches us what is evil and what is good and that it is possible for us to will one and not the other, it follows that our intellect is the means by which we have to be reformed. During the phase called our reformation, we come to mentally see and admit that evil is evil and goodness is good, and make the decision to choose what is good. When we actually try to abstain from evil and do what is good, the phase called our regeneration begins.
587. V. The first stage of re-birth is called reformation, a process affecting the understanding; the second stage is called regeneration, a process affecting the will and thus the understanding,
Since this and the following sections deal with reformation and regeneration, reformation being attributed to the understanding and regeneration to the will, the distinctions between the understanding and the will must be known, and these were described above (397). The reader is therefore advised to read what is said there first, and afterwards this section. It was also shown there that the evils a person acquires by birth are embedded in the will of the natural man, and that the will influences the understanding to take its part by thinking in harmony with it. It is therefore necessary, in order that a person may be regenerated, for the process to proceed through the understanding as intermediate cause. This happens through the pieces of information which the understanding receives. These are at first received from parents and teachers, later from reading the Word, from sermons, books and conversations. What the understanding receives from these sources are known as truths. So it means the same whether you say that reformation takes place through the understanding or through the truths the understanding receives. For truths teach the person in whom and what he should believe, and what he should do, so what he should will. For anything a person does is the result of the will acting in accordance with the understanding. Since then a person's will is of itself evil from birth, and because it is the understanding which teaches us what is evil and what is good, and it is possible to will the one and not will the other, it follows that a person must be reformed through the understanding. So long as anyone sees and mentally acknowledges that evil is evil, and good is good, thinking that good ought to be chosen, for so long is his state called reformation. But when his will is to shun evil and do good, that is when his state of regeneration begins.
587. V. THE FIRST ACT IN THE NEW BIRTH IS CALLED REFORMATION, WHICH PERTAINS TO THE UNDERSTANDING, AND THE SECOND IS CALLED REGENERATION, WHICH PERTAINS TO THE WILL AND THEREFROM TO THE UNDERSTANDING.
As reformation and regeneration are treated of here and in what follows, and reformation is ascribed to the understanding and regeneration to the will, it is necessary that the distinctions between the understanding and will should be known, which distinctions are described above (n. 397); therefore it is advisable to read first what is there said, and afterwards this section. It has also been shown there that the evils into which man is born are generated in the will of the natural man, and that the will causes the understanding to favor it by thinking in agreement with it. For this reason, that man may be regenerated, it is necessary that his regeneration be effected by means of the understanding as the mediate cause; and this is done by means of the various kinds of instruction that the understanding receives, first from parents and teachers, afterward by reading the Word, by preaching, books, and conversation.
The things which the understanding receives from these sources are called truths; it is the same, therefore, whether reformation is said to be effected by means of the understanding, or by means of the truths which the understanding receives; for truths teach man in whom he ought to believe, and what he ought to believe, also what he ought to do, thus how he ought to will; for whatever one does he does from the will in accordance with his understanding. Since then, man's will itself is evil by birth and the understanding teaches what good and evil are, and man can will either good or evil, it follows that he must be reformed by means of the understanding; and so long as anyone sees and mentally acknowledges that evil is evil, and good is good, and thinks that the good ought to be chosen, he is in what is called the state of reformation; but when his will leads him to shun evil and do good, the state of regeneration begins.
587. V. THE FIRST ACT OF THE NEW BIRTH, WHICH IS AN ACT OF THE UNDERSTANDING, IS CALLED REFORMATION; AND THE SECOND, WHICH IS AN ACT OF THE WILL AND THENCE OF THE UNDERSTANDING IS CALLED REGENERATION.
Since reformation and regeneration are treated of here and in the following articles, reformation being ascribed to the understanding and regeneration to the will, it is necessary that the distinctions between the understanding and the will should be known. As these have been described above in 397, it is advisable that it should be read over before the contents of this article. It was shown in that number that the evils into which man is born are implanted in the will of the natural man, and that the will induces the understanding to favor it by thinking in agreement with it. Therefore, that man may be regenerated, it is necessary that it be done by means of the understanding, as by a mediate cause; and this is effected by the instruction which the understanding receives, first from teachers and parents, and afterwards from reading the Word, from sermons, books and conversation. What the understanding thus receives are called truths, so that it is the same whether it is said that reformation is effected by means of the understanding or by means of the truths which it receives. For truths instruct a man in whom and in what he ought to believe, and also what he ought to do, as whatever a man does, he does from the will according to the understanding. Since, then, the will of man itself is by birth evil, and the understanding teaches what is evil and what is good, and he has the power to will, or not to will, either the one or the other, it follows that he must be reformed by means of the understanding. So long as he sees and acknowledges in his own mind that evil is evil, and that good is good, and thinks that good ought to be chosen, that state is called reformation; but when he determines to shun evil and do good, then commences the state of regeneration.
587. Quod primus actus novae generationis dicatur Reformatio, qui est intellectus, et quod secundus actus dicatur Regeneratio, qui est voluntatis et inde intellectus.
Quoniam hic et in sequentibus agitur de Reformatione et de Regeneratione, ac Reformatio adscribitur Intellectui, et Regeneratio Voluntati, necessum est ut sciantur discrimina quae sunt inter Intellectum et Voluntatem, et illa descripta sunt supra 397, quare consultum est, ut illa primum legantur, et postea quae in hoc Articulo: Quod mala, in quae nascitur homo, Voluntati naturalis hominis ingenerata sint, et quod Voluntas ferat intellectum ad favendum sibi, cogitando congrue, ibi etiam ostensum est, quapropter ut homo regeneretur, necessarium est, ut hoc fiat per Intellectum, ut per causam mediam, et hoc fit per informationes, quas Intellectus recipit, quae fiunt primum a parentibus et magistris, postea ex lectione Verbi, praedicationibus, libris et colloquiis; illa, quae intellectus inde recipit, vocantur vera; quare idem est, sive dicatur, quod Reformatio fiat per Intellectum, sive dicatur quod fiat per Vera, quae intellectus recipit; vera enim docent hominem, in Quem, et quid credendum, tum quid faciendum, ita quid volendum, nam quod quis facit, hoc ex voluntate secundum intellectum facit. Cum itaque ipsa Voluntas hominis a nativitate mala est, et quia Intellectus docet quid malum et bonum, ac unum potest velle et alterum non velle, sequitur quod homo per Intellectum reformandus sit; sed quamdiu quis videt et agnoscit mente quod malum sit malum, et bonum bonum, et cogitat quod bonum eligendum sit, tamdiu status ille vocatur Reformatio; at quando vult fugere malum et facere bonum, inchoat status Regenerationis.