615. 除非是蠢人, 否则谁不明白, 在属灵的事上若没有选择自由, 没人能重生? 若没有这选择自由, 他能靠近主, 承认祂是救世主和救主, 天地之神, 如祂自己所教导的那样 (马太福音28:18) 吗? 若没有选择自由, 谁能信靠主, 即出于信注目于祂, 敬拜祂, 专心从祂接受拯救的方法和恩惠, 并在接受的过程中通过祂配合?
若没有选择自由, 谁能对邻行善, 践行仁爱, 更别提将信与仁的很多其它特征吸收到思维和意愿中, 把它们显明出来, 化成行动? 否则, 重生无非是从主口里 (约翰3章) 传下来的一个毫无意义的单词而已, 它要么仍在耳边, 要么由于离言语最近的思维而落到嘴唇上, 因而只不过是由十一字母组成的清晰声音。 这声音决无可能被提升至心智的更高区域, 而是会落到空中并消失。
615. Regeneration Would Be Impossible without Free Choice in Spiritual Matters
Without free choice in spiritual matters we could not be regenerated - surely no one is so stupid as to be unable to see that. Without free choice, would we be able to turn to the Lord and acknowledge him as the Redeemer and the Savior and as the God of heaven and earth, as he himself teaches in Matthew 28:18? Without that kind of free choice, how could we believe in him, that is, turn to him in faith, and worship him? How could we work on receiving the means and the benefits of salvation from him? How could we cooperate in receiving those things from him? Without free choice, how could we do anything good for our neighbors or practice goodwill toward them? How could we introduce teachings related to faith and goodwill into our thinking and willing, and bring them forth and put them into action?
Without free choice, regeneration would be nothing but a word the Lord once used (John 3), which either sticks in our ear or moves down from our thought that is closest to speech into our mouth as the sound of a twelve-letter word - a sound that no meaning can lift into any higher region of the mind, so it falls into the air and is gone.
615. XI. Regeneration is impossible without free will in spiritual matters.
Anyone who is not stupid can see that without free will in spiritual matters no one can be regenerated. Without that he could not approach the Lord and acknowledge Him as Redeemer and Saviour, and as the God of heaven and earth, as He Himself teaches (Matthew 28:18). Can anyone without that free will believe, that is, look to and worship Him from faith, devoting himself to receiving from Him the means to and benefits of salvation, and co-operating in receiving them from Him? Can anyone without free will do any good to his neighbour and show charity, not to mention absorbing into thought and will many other features of faith and charity, and drawing upon them to put them into effect? Otherwise regeneration would be nothing but a meaningless expression which dropped from the Lord's lips (John chapter 3), something which penetrates no further than the ear, or if it falls from the lips as the result of the thought which is closest to speech, is merely an articulate sound composed of eleven letters 1 . This sound has no meaning by which it can be raised to any higher level in the mind, but it falls upon empty air and is lost.
Footnotes:
1. The Latin word regeneratio, 'being born again' or 'regeneration' has eleven letters.
615. XI. WITHOUT FREEDOM OF CHOICE IN SPIRITUAL THINGS REGENERATION IS IMPOSSIBLE.
Who, except a stupid person, cannot see that without freedom of choice in spiritual things man cannot be regenerated? Can he without this approach the Lord, acknowledge Him as the Redeemer and Savior and the God of heaven and earth, as He himself teaches (Matthew 28:18)? Without that freedom of choice who can believe in the Lord, that is, from faith look to Him and worship Him, and adapt himself to receiving the means and benefits of salvation from Him, and from Him cooperate in the reception of them? Who without freedom of choice can do any good to the neighbor, can practice charity, or take into his thought and will other things pertaining to faith and charity, bring them forth, and put them into acts? Otherwise, what is regeneration but a mere word dropped from the lips of the Lord (John 3), which either remains in the ear, or having dropped upon the lips from the thought nearest to speech, becomes merely an articulated sound of twelve letters, which sound cannot by any meaning be raised into any higher region of the mind, but falls upon the air and is dissipated?
615. XI. REGENERATION CANNOT TAKE PLACE WITHOUT FREE WILL IN SPIRITUAL THINGS.
He must be dull indeed who does not see that a man cannot be regenerated without free will in spiritual things. Without free will a man cannot approach the Lord and acknowledge Him to be the Redeemer and Savior, and the God of heaven and earth, as He Himself teaches, Matthew 28:18. Without free will no one can believe, that is, from faith look to and worship Him, and apply himself to receive the means and benefits of salvation from Him, and from Him co-operate in their reception. Without free will no one can do anything that is good to the neighbor, exercise charity, and further, bring into his thought and will much that has relation to faith and charity, and give expression to this and carry it into effect. Otherwise regeneration is but a word falling from the mouth of the Lord, John 2; and it either remains in the ear that hears it, or else, coming from the region of thought that borders on speech, it becomes in the mouth that repeats it a sound of so many letters, which cannot by any sense be elevated into any higher region of the mind, but falls into the air and fades away.
615. Quod Regeneratio non dabilis sit absque Libero arbitrio in spiritualibus.
Quis praeter stupidum non potest videre, quod homo absque Libero arbitrio in spiritualibus non possit regenerari; num absque illo potest Dominum adire, et Ipsum agnoscere Redemptorem et Salvatorem, et pro Deo Coeli et Terrae, sicut Ipse docet, Matthaeus 28:18. Quis absque Libero Arbitrio illo potest Credere, hoc est, ex fide aspicere et colere Ipsum, et se applicare ad recipienda media et beneficia salutis ab Ipso, et ad illa recipienda ex Ipso cooperari: quis absque Libero arbitrio potest facere aliquod bonum proximo, et exercere Charitatem, praeter plura, quae Fidei et Charitatis sunt, inferre in cogitationem et voluntatem, et expromere illa, et emittere in actum; quid alioquin Regeneratio nisi mera vox elapsa ex ore Domini, Johannes 3; quae vel in aure subsistit, vel in ore ex cogitatione proxima loquelae elapsa fit sonus articulatus ex solis undecim literis, qui sonus per aliquem sensum non potest in aliquam superiorem mentis regionem elevari, sed cadit in aerem ubi dissipatur.