639.圣言从未教导过转嫁基督功德的信，这一点从以下事实清楚可知，即在尼西亚公会引入永恒的三个神性身位之前，这信在教会闻所未闻。当这信被引入，并充斥整个基督教界时，所有其它信仰都被扔进黑暗中，以至于自那时起，不管谁阅读圣言，并看到信、报应与基督功德，都自然落入他信仰的唯信中。这就象有人看见纸上的字，就停在那里，而不是翻页去看其它内容；或象有人说服自己说，某个命题是真的（尽管它是假的），还证明唯有它是真的，此后便视假为真，视真为假，对一切反对它的人皱起眉头，并报以嘘声，说：“你没有智慧。”因而他的心智完全沉浸其中，被覆上一层硬皮，这硬皮将与其所谓的正统信仰不相符的一切弃为异端。因为他的记忆就象一块石板，上面只刻有这一个占统治地位的神学信条，若有其它东西进入，就没有容纳它的空间了，因此它就被扔了出去，就象嘴里吐出的唾沫一样。以一个坚定的自然主义者为例，他认为要么大自然创造她自己，要么有了大自然之后神才存在，要么大自然和神为一体，是一回事，若你告诉他，事实恰恰相反，那么他会不会视你为被牧师的神话传说迷惑了的人，或头脑简单者、傻瓜、神经病呢？这同样适用于通过说服和证据固化在头脑中的一切观念，最终他们看上去就象用很多钉子固定在石墙上的画毯。
639. 圣言从未教导过转嫁基督功德的信, 这一点从以下事实清楚可知, 即在尼西亚公会引入永恒的三个神性身位之前, 这信在教会闻所未闻。 当这信被引入, 并充斥整个基督教界时, 所有其它信仰都被扔进黑暗中, 以至于自那时起, 不管谁阅读圣言, 并看到信, 归算与基督功德, 都自然落入他信仰的唯信中。 这就象有人看见纸上的字, 就停在那里, 而不是翻页去看其它内容; 或象有人说服自己说, 某个命题是真的 (尽管它是假的), 还证明唯有它是真的, 此后便视假为真, 视真为假, 对一切反对它的人皱起眉头, 并报以嘘声, 说: “你没有智慧。 ”因而他的心智完全沉浸其中, 被覆上一层硬皮, 这硬皮将与其所谓的正统信仰不相符的一切弃为异端。 因为他的记忆就象一块石板, 上面只刻有这一个占统治地位的神学信条, 若有其它东西进入, 就没有容纳它的空间了, 因此它就被扔了出去, 就象嘴里吐出的唾沫一样。 以一个坚定的自然主义者为例, 他认为要么大自然创造她自己, 要么有了大自然之后神才存在, 要么大自然和神为一体, 是一回事, 若你告诉他, 事实恰恰相反, 那么他会不会视你为被牧师的神话传说迷惑了的人, 或头脑简单者, 傻瓜, 神经病呢? 这同样适用于通过说服和证据固化在头脑中的一切观念, 最终他们看上去就象用很多钉子固定在石墙上的画毯。
639. Nothing in the Word conveys this concept of a faith that assigns us the merit of Christ. This is very clear from the fact that the church had no knowledge of such a faith before the Council of Nicaea introduced the idea of three divine persons from eternity. Once that belief was brought in and it pervaded the entire Christian world, every other concept of faith was sent away into the darkness.
Therefore any who read the Word now, and see anything resembling faith, the concept of assigning, or the merit of Christ, spontaneously fall into that concept and believe it to be the only interpretation. They are like someone who sees the writing on one page and stops there and never turns the page to see anything else in the book.
[2] They are like people who convince themselves that something is true even though it is actually false and who support that point alone. Such people come to see falsity as true and the truth as false. Eventually, when anyone speaks against that point of view, they clench their teeth and hiss, "You don't understand!" By then their whole mind is wrapped up in that belief and is covered with a callus so thick that it rejects as contradictory everything that is not in agreement with their so-called orthodox beliefs. Their memory is like a writing tablet covered with the words of that one dominant theological teaching; if any other thought comes along, their memory has no room to take it in, so they spit it out like foam from their mouth.
[3] For that matter, find convinced materialists (whether they believe that nature created itself or that God came into existence after nature or that nature and God are the same thing) and tell them that the truth is the opposite of what they think. Will they not look at you as someone deluded by the fables of the church elders, or else as a simplistic or thick-headed or demented person?
The same goes for all false concepts that persuasion and conviction have fixed in place. Such concepts eventually look like a painted rug fastened with an abundance of nails to a wall that was slapped together using old broken stones.
639. No faith that imputes Christ's merit is to be understood in the Word, as is perfectly plain from the fact that that faith was quite unknown in the church, until after the Council of Nicaea had introduced the idea of three Divine Persons from eternity. Once this belief had been introduced and spread throughout the Christian world, all other belief was thrown out into darkness. Whoever, therefore, at this time reads the Word and discovers faith, its imputation and Christ's merit, comes of his own accord upon what he believes to be the only thing it says. It is like someone reading the writing on one page and stopping there, without turning the page and seeing something else. Or it is like someone persuading himself of the truth of a proposition, though it is untrue, and proving that alone; then he sees falsity as truth, truth as falsity. And afterwards he would set his teeth and hiss at anyone attacking this view, saying 'You are not intelligent.' His mind is totally committed to this view, being coated with a hard skin, which rejects as heterodox everything which disagrees with his so called orthodox beliefs. For his memory is like a writing tablet inscribed with this one dominant theological idea; if anything else penetrates it, there is no room to take it in, so it is thrown out, like foam from the mouth.
For instance, take a confirmed believer in nature, who thinks either that nature created itself, or that God came into existence after nature, or that nature and God are one and the same thing, and tell him that the exact opposite is the case, and he is bound to regard you as someone deluded by the fables of the clergy, or as simple-minded, or as dense or crazy. The same applies to every idea which has been fixed in the mind by persuasion and proof; and eventually they look like tapestries fixed by many nails to a wall stuck together out of crumbling stones.
639. That no faith imputative of Christ's merit is taught in the Word, is very clear from the fact that this faith was unknown in the church until after the Nicene Council had introduced the doctrine of three Divine persons from eternity. And when this faith had been introduced and had pervaded the whole Christian world, every other faith was cast into the dark, so that whoever since that time reads the Word, and there sees anything about faith and imputation and the merit of Christ, naturally falls into that which he has believed to be the one only thing; like one who sees what is written on one page and there stops, not turning the leaf and seeing what is on the other page; or like one who persuades himself that a certain thing is true (although it is false), and confirms that only, and thereafter sees falsity as truth and truth as falsity, and sets his teeth and hisses at everyone opposing it, saying, "You have no intelligence." Thus the man's whole mind is in it, covered over with a callousness which rejects as heterodox everything that does not agree with his so-called orthodoxy; for his memory is like a tablet upon which is written this single ruling tenet in theology; and when anything else enters there is no place where it may be inserted, and he therefore casts it out as the mouth casts out froth. For example, if you say to a confirmed naturalist who believes that nature created herself, or that God came forth after nature, or that nature and God are one, that the very reverse is the truth, would he not look upon you as one deluded by the fables of the priest, or as a simpleton, or a dullard, or as demented? So it is with all things that are fixed in the mind by persuasion and confirmation; which finally appear like pictured tapestry fastened with many nails to a wall built of old stones.
639. A faith which imputes the merit of Christ is not mentioned or implied in the Word. This is plainly evident from the fact that such a faith was unknown in the Church before the Nicene Council 1 introduced the dogma of three Divine Persons from eternity; and when this faith was introduced and had pervaded the whole Christian world, all other faith was cast into the shade. Whoever, therefore, now reads the Word, and sees faith, imputation and the merit of Christ, of himself perceives these in the light of that which he believes is the only teaching. He is like one who sees what is written on one page and stops there, without turning it over to see what is on the other side; or like one who persuades himself that a certain thing is true, although it is false; and having confirmed that alone, then sees the false as true and the true as false. Such a one would afterwards set his teeth and hiss at every one who opposes it, and say, "You do not understand." His mind is wholly obsessed by that persuasion, enveloped as by an impenetrable covering, and he rejects as heterodox whatever is not in harmony with his, so-called, orthodox views. His memory is like a tablet with this sole dominant theological dogma inscribed on it. If anything else enters there is no room for its reception, and he, therefore, ejects it like spittle from the mouth. For example, if you tell a confirmed materialist that he is quite wrong in believing either that nature created herself, or that God came into existence after nature, or that nature and God are one, he will regard you either as one deluded by the fables of the clergy, or as a simpleton, or dull-witted, or as out of your mind. So it is with all beliefs that are established on persuasion and afterwards confirmed. They appear at length like painted tapestry fastened with many nails over a wall built of worthless rubble.
Footnotes:
1. 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.
639. Quod non aliqua Fides imputativa meriti Christi intellecta sit in Verbo, patet clare exinde, quod illa fides in Ecclesia prius non nota fuerit, quam postquam Nicaena Synodus tres Personas Divinas ab aeterno introduxit; et cum haec fides introducta est, et pervasit totum Orbem Christianum, rejecta est omnis alia fides in tenebras; quare quicunque tunc legit Verbum, et videt fidem, imputationem, et meritum Christi, ex se incidit in illud, quod credidit unicum; sicut qui scripturam unius paginae videt, et ibi subsistit, et non vertit illam, et videt aliud.
[2] Aut sicut qui persuadet sibi, quod hoc sit verum, tametsi falsum et id solum confirmat, tunc videt falsum ut verum, et verum ut falsum; hic postea comprimeret dentes, et sibilaret ore ad omnem qui id impugnat, et diceret non intelligens es; mens ejus tota est in illo, circumducta callo, qui sicut heterodoxa rejicit omnia quae cum suis orthodoxis ita vocatis non consonant; est enim memoria ejus sicut tabula, cui unicum hoc Theologicum dominans inscriptum est; si intrat aliquod aliud, non locum habet ubi inseratur, quare id ejicit sicut os spumam.
[3] Pro exemplo, dic ad confirmatum Naturalistam, qui vel credit, quod Natura seipsam creaverit, vel quod post naturam exstiterit Deus, vel quod Natura et Deus unum sint, quod prorsus contrarium sit, numne ille aspiceret te vel sicut a fabulis presbyterorum delusum, vel ut simplicem, vel ut hebetem, vel ut dementem; simile est cum omnibus, quae persuasio et confirmatio fixant, quae apparent demum sicut picti tapetes parieti ex lapillis obsoletis conglutinato multis clavis affixi.