638.由于使徒教会敬拜主神耶稣基督，同时敬拜祂里面的父，所以它好比神的花园，而那时兴起的阿里乌斯，则好比地狱派来的大蛇，尼西亚公会好比亚当的妻子，她把果子给了她丈夫，并劝他吃下，做了这事后，他们发觉自己赤身露体，就用无花果叶遮蔽下体。其“裸体”表他们以前的纯真无邪，“无花果叶”表逐渐被歪曲的属世人的真理。早期教会还好比黎明和拂晓，日子从黎明行进到下午四点后，密云升起，密云下的日子又行进到傍晚，然后到了晚上，这时，有些人看见月亮升起。他们借助这暗淡的月光从圣言看到某种东西，而剩下的人则深深陷入夜晚的黑暗，以至于他们在主的人性中看不到任何神性，尽管保罗说，神本性一切的丰盛，都有形有体地居住在基督里面（歌罗西书2:9），约翰也说，被派到世上的神儿子是真神，也是永生（约翰福音1:5：20，21）。早期或使徒教会从未想到之后的教会心里敬拜三个神，口头上敬拜一个；也没想到会将仁从信分离，将罪的赦免从悔改和对新生活的追求分离，还引入人在属灵的事上完全无能为力的教义，万没想到阿里乌斯派会抬头，并在他死后死灰复燃，秘密统治教会直到其终结。
638. 由于使徒教会敬拜主神耶稣基督, 同时敬拜祂里面的父, 所以它好比神的花园, 而那时兴起的阿里乌斯, 则好比地狱派来的大蛇, 尼西亚公会好比亚当的妻子, 她把果子给了她丈夫, 并劝他吃下, 做了这事后, 他们发觉自己赤身露体, 就用无花果叶遮蔽下体。 其“裸体”表他们以前的纯真无邪, “无花果叶”表逐渐被歪曲的属世人的真理。 早期教会还好比黎明和拂晓, 日子从黎明行进到下午四点后, 密云升起, 密云下的日子又行进到傍晚, 然后到了晚上, 这时, 有些人看见月亮升起。 他们借助这暗淡的月光从圣言看到某种东西, 而剩下的人则深深陷入夜晚的黑暗, 以至于他们在主的人性中看不到任何神性, 尽管保罗说, 神本性一切的丰盛, 都有形有体地居住在基督里面 (歌罗西书2:9), 约翰也说, 被派到世上的神儿子是真神, 也是永生 (约翰一书5:20-21)。 早期或使徒教会从未想到之后的教会心里敬拜三个神, 口头上敬拜一个; 也没想到会将仁从信分离, 将罪的赦免从悔改和对新生活的追求分离, 还引入人在属灵的事上完全无能为力的教义, 万没想到阿里乌斯派会抬头, 并在他死后死灰复燃, 秘密统治教会直到其终结。
638. The apostolic church, which worshiped the Lord God Jesus Christ, and at the same time God the Father in him, can be compared to the garden of God. Arius, who arose then, is like the serpent sent in from hell. The Council of Nicaea is like Adam's wife, who offered fruit to her husband and persuaded him to eat it. After eating the fruit, they appeared naked to themselves, so they covered their nakedness with fig leaves. Their nakedness symbolizes the innocence they had before that point. The fig leaves symbolize the truths belonging to their earthly self, which were falsified more and more.
That early church can also be compared to the twilight before dawn and the early morning, and on through the day until late afternoon. Then dark clouds came up, lasting until evening and continuing into the night. During the night, some places saw the moon rise. Some of the people in those places saw something in the Word in the light of the moon, but the rest continued on into such thick darkness of night that they could no longer see anything of divinity in the Lord's humanity, even though Paul says that "all the fullness of divinity dwells physically in Jesus Christ" (Colossians 2:9), and John says that "the Son of God who was sent into the world is the true God and eternal life" (1 John 5:20).
[2] The early or apostolic church could never have guessed that a church was yet to come that would say there is one God but worship three gods at heart; separate goodwill from faith; separate forgiveness of sins from repentance and the effort to lead a new life; and conclude we are completely powerless in spiritual matters. Least of all would they have guessed that some Arius would raise his head, and once dead, would rise again and secretly rule the church to the bitter end.
638. Since the Apostolic church worshipped the Lord God Jesus Christ, together with God the Father in Him, it can be likened to the garden of God. Arius, who arose at that time, can be likened to the serpent sent from hell; and the Council of Nicaea to Adam's wife, who held out the fruit to her husband and persuaded him to eat it; after which they became aware of their nakedness, and covered it with figleaves. Their nakedness means their previous state of innocence, figleaves the truths of the natural man, which in the process of time were falsified. That earliest church can also be equated with twilight and dawn, from which the day advanced to the tenth hour 1 ; but then a thick cloud came up, beneath which the day advanced to evening and then to night, when some people saw the moon rise. By its light a few people saw something from the Word, while the rest plunged so deep into the darkness of night that they could see no trace of divinity in the Lord's Humanity. And this despite Paul's saying that in Jesus Christ the whole fulness of the Godhead dwells bodily (Colossians 2:9), and John's saying that the Son of God sent into the world is the true God and everlasting life (1 John 5:20-21).
The earliest or Apostolic church could never have guessed that a church would follow it which worshipped several Gods at heart and one with its lips; one which would separate charity from faith, and the forgiveness of sins from repentance and a keen desire for a new life; one which would introduce the idea of total impotence in spiritual matters; least of all, that an Arius would raise his head, and after his death rise again to dominate the church secretly until it reached its end.
Footnotes:
1. In the ancient reckoning the time between sunrise and sunset was divided into twelve hours.
638. That Apostolic church, since it worshiped the Lord God Jesus Christ, and at the same time God the Father in Him, may be likened to the garden of God, and Arius who then arose, to the serpent sent from hell, and the Nicene Council to Adam's wife, who offered the fruit to her husband and persuaded him to eat of it, after doing which they appeared to themselves to be naked, and covered their nakedness with fig-leaves. Their "nakedness" means their former innocence, and "fig-leaves" the truths of the natural man which were gradually falsified. That primitive church may also be likened to the dawn and morning and from that the day advanced to the tenth hour, and then a dense cloud intervened, under which the day advanced to evening, and afterward to night, in which the moon arose for some, by the dim light of which they saw something from the Word, while others went on so far into the nocturnal darkness that they saw no Divinity in the Lord's Humanity, although Paul says that,
In Jesus Christ dwells all the fullness of Divinity bodily (Colossians 2:9;
and John, that,
The Son of God sent into the world is the true God and eternal life (1 John 5:20, 21).
The primitive or Apostolic church never could have divined that a church was to follow which would worship several Gods in heart, and one with the lips; which would separate charity from faith, and the forgiveness of sins from repentance and the pursuit of a new life; which would introduce the doctrine of man's utter impotence in spiritual things; and least of all, that an Arius would lift up his head, and when he was dead would rise again, and secretly rule even to the end.
638. That Apostolic Church, because it worshiped the Lord God Jesus Christ, and at the same time God the Father in Him, may be compared to the Garden of God, and Arius, 1 who arose at that time, to the serpent sent from hell; and the Council of Nice, 2 to Adam's wife, who offered the fruit to her husband and persuaded him to eat. After eating it they appeared to themselves to be naked, and they covered their nakedness with fig-leaves. Their nakedness signifies their previous innocence, and the fig-leaves, the truths of the natural man, which were successively falsified. That primitive Church may also be compared to the dawn of day and early morning in its progression to the tenth hour. Then a thick cloud intervened, under which the day advanced to evening and then to night, when for some the moon arose and its light gave them some enlightenment from the Word; but the rest went on to the darkness of night, till they saw nothing of Divinity in the Lord's Humanity, although Paul declares:
"In Jesus Christ (A.V., Him) dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" Colossians 2:9;
and John says:
That the Son of God sent into the world is the true God and eternal life, 1 John 5:20-21.
This primitive or Apostolic Church never could have conceived that there would succeed it a Church which would worship several Gods with the heart and one with the lips; which would separate charity from faith, and the remission of sins from repentance and the pursuit of a new life; and which would introduce the idea of complete impotence in spiritual things. Least of all could they have conceived that an Arius would lift up his head, and that he, after his death, would rise again and continue secretly to exercise his dominant influence.
Footnotes:
1. Arius, theologian of Alexandria, A.D 256-336; founder of Arianism, affirming that Christ was an originated Being. Excommunicated by bishops of Egypt for denying that Christ was made of the same substance (homo-ousion) of any previously existing substance. To settle the consequent dispute Constantine called the Council of Nicaea, A.D. 325. Athanasius successfully led the opposition to Arius; and Arius, with Eusebius, who also refused to accept the Athanasian position, was banished.
2. Nice (Nicaea), city of Asia Minor, in Bithynia. In A.D. 325 it was the seat of a Council summoned to settle the Arian controversy. The creed there adopted is known as the Nicene Creed.
638. Ecclesia illa Apostolica, quia coluit Dominum Deum Jesum Christum, et simul tunc in Ipso Deum Patrem, potest assimilari Horto Dei, et Arius, qui tunc surrexit, serpenti emisso ex Inferno, et Concilium Nicaenum Uxori Adami quae porrexit fructum marito suo et persuasit, post cujus esum apparuerunt sibi nudi, et texerunt nuditatem foliis ficus; per nuditatem illorum intelligitur innocentia in qua prius fuerunt, et per folia ficus vera naturalis hominis, quae successive falsificata sunt. Primitiva illa Ecclesia etiam aequiparari potest diluculo et matutae, ex qua dies processit ad decimam horam, sed tunc densa nubes intervenit, sub qua dies processit ad vesperam, et post hanc in noctem, in qua pro quibusdam exorta est Luna, ex cujus lumine aliqui aliquid viderunt ex Verbo, et reliqui in caliginem nocturnam progressi sunt eo usque, ut nihil Divinitatis in Humanitate Domini viderent, tametsi Paulus dicit, quod in Jesu Christo omnis plenitudo Divinitatis habitet corporaliter, Colossenses 2:9 et Johannes, quod Filius Dei missus in Mundum sit verus Deus et vita aeterna, I Epist. 5:20. 1
[2] Ecclesia primitiva seu Apostolica, nusquam potuit ominari, quod successura sit Ecclesia, quae plures Deos corde, et unum ore coleret; quae separaret charitatem a fide; remissionem peccatorum a poenitentia et studio novae vitae; quaeque induceret totalem impotentiam in spiritualibus; et minime, quod aliquis Arius elevaret caput, et quando est mortuus, resurgeret, et dominaretur clanculum usque ad finem.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: 5:20, 21.