645.令人震惊的是，尽管圣言自始至终尽是证据和例证，证实被报应给他的，是人自己的善与恶，然而基督教的神学家们好象耳屎塞满了耳朵，药水弄瞎了双眼，既听不见，也看不见，除了上面所描述的信外，他们的确听不见、看不到任何其它报应。然而，这信正好比被称为黑朦的眼病，事实上，它完全可以如此命名，因为它的症状就是，眼睛因视神经梗阻而完全失明，尽管眼睛仍看似完好。同样，执着于这信者，好象睁着眼睛走路，在别人看来似乎能看见所有事物，然而他们什么也看不见，因为当这信进入人时，由于那时他就象一块木头，所以对它一无所知，甚至不知道这信到底在不在他里面，或其中有什么东西没有。后来他们貌似清楚地看到，这信经历艰难的分娩阵痛，生出公义的高贵后代，即对罪的赦免、复活、更新、重生与成圣，然而事实上，他们根本没有看到这些事物的任何迹象，也不可能看到。
645. 令人震惊的是, 尽管圣言自始至终尽是证据和例证, 证实被归算给他的, 是人自己的善与恶, 然而基督教的神学家们好象耳屎塞满了耳朵, 药水弄瞎了双眼, 既听不见, 也看不见, 除了上面所描述的信外, 他们的确听不见, 看不到任何其它归算。 然而, 这信正好比被称为黑朦的眼病, 事实上, 它完全可以如此命名, 因为它的症状就是, 眼睛因视神经梗阻而完全失明, 尽管眼睛仍看似完好。 同样, 执着于这信者, 好象睁着眼睛走路, 在别人看来似乎能看见所有事物, 然而他们什么也看不见, 因为当这信进入人时, 由于那时他就象一块木头, 所以对它一无所知, 甚至不知道这信到底在不在他里面, 或其中有什么东西没有。 后来他们貌似清楚地看到, 这信经历艰难的分娩阵痛, 生出公义的高贵后代, 即对罪的赦免, 复活, 更新, 重生与成圣, 然而事实上, 他们根本没有看到这些事物的任何迹象, 也不可能看到。
645. The Word from beginning to end is full of things that bear witness to and reinforce the idea that the basis upon which we are all assigned spiritual credit or blame [after death] is whether our actions were good or evil. Christian theologians must be blocking their ears with a kind of wax and smearing their eyes with a kind of ointment to prevent themselves from ever hearing or seeing anything but the idea that their faith is the basis of salvation.
Their faith is exactly like an eye disease; it is called "transparent blockage," and it deserves to be called that, because it is a total blindness caused by an obstruction in the optic nerve, and yet the eye appears fully able to see. In a similar way, those who are devoted to that concept of faith walk around with their eyes wide open, seeming as though they can see perfectly well, and yet they cannot see a thing. They say we know nothing about that faith when it enters us, for we are like a log at the time. When we have received it we supposedly have no idea whether that faith is in us, and whether it contains anything or not. Again, they claim to see clearly that that faith then conceives and gives birth to the noble offspring of being justified: namely, having sins forgiven, being brought to life, being renewed, being regenerated, and being sanctified - and yet they say they do not see, and would not be able to see, a single sign of any of those results.
645. It is astonishing that although the Word is from beginning to end full of evidences and proofs that everyone has his good or evil imputed to him, the theologians of the Christian religion have stopped their ears as if with wax, and plastered their eyes as if with ointment, so that they have not heard or seen, nor do they now hear or see, any kind of imputation other than that of their faith as described above. Yet that faith can properly be compared with the eye-disease called gutta serena; indeed it might well be so named, since it is total blindness in the eye resulting from the obstruction of the optic nerve, though the eye appears to be capable of full vision. Likewise those whose faith is of this kind walk as if with their eyes open, appearing to others to see everything, though they see nothing, since a person is completely unaware of that faith entering into him, being then like a block of wood. Nor does he subsequently know whether that faith is in him, nor whether it has anything in it. Afterwards the same people see as if with clear eyesight that faith giving birth and bringing forth the noble offspring of justification, namely, the forgiveness of sins, quickening, renewal, regeneration and sanctification, when in fact they have not seen a sign of any of these, nor could they do so.
645. It is wonderful, that although the Word from beginning to end is full of testimonies and proofs that everyone's own good and evil is imputed to him, the dogmatists of the Christian religion have, nevertheless, so closed their ears as if with wax, and besmeared their eyes as if with salve, that they have neither heard nor seen, nor do they hear or see any other imputation than that of their own faith mentioned above. And yet that faith may be justly compared to the disease of the eye called gutta serena, (and in fact deserves to be so named), which disease is an absolute blindness of the eye, arising from an obstruction of the optic nerve, although the eye appears to retain its sight perfectly. In like manner those who adhere to that faith walk as if with open eyes, and seem to others to see all things, when yet they see nothing; for when that faith enters man, since he is then like a stock, he knows nothing about it, not even knowing whether that faith is in him, or whether there is anything in it. Afterwards with eyes apparently clear they behold that faith in the pains of travail and giving birth to those noble offsprings of justification, namely, forgiveness of sins, vivification, renewal, regeneration, and sanctification, and yet they have not seen and cannot see any sign of anyone of them.
645. The Word from beginning to end is full of proofs and confirmations that every man has his own good or evil imputed to him. It is remarkable, therefore, that the teachers of the Christian religion have, as it were, closed their ears with wax and besmeared their eyes with ointment so that they have neither heard nor seen, and do not now either hear or see, any other imputation than that of their own faith, as just described. Yet that faith may be justly compared to the disease of the eye called gutta serena; indeed it might properly be called by that name. For in this disease there is an absolute blindness of the eye, caused by an obstruction of the optic nerve, while the eye appears quite normal. In like manner those who are in that faith walk as if with open eyes and seem to others to see everything. Yet they see nothing; for a man knows nothing of this faith when it enters him, being like the stock of a tree; nor does he know afterwards whether it really is in him, or whether there is anything at all in it. Later, however, they clearly see this faith in travail, and bringing forth the noble offspring of justification, namely, remission of sins, vivification, renewal, regeneration and sanctification; when yet they neither have seen nor can they see any sign of one of those graces.
645. Mirabile est, quod tametsi Verbum a principio ad finem plenum est testimoniis et confirmationibus, quod cuivis imputetur ejus bonum aut malum, usque dogmatici Religionis Christianae obturaverint sicut cera aures, ac inunxerint sicut collyrio oculos, ut non audiverint aut viderint, nec audiant aut videant aliam Imputationem quam suae Fidei supra memoratae; et tamen Fides illa rite comparari potest cum Morbo oculi, qui vocatur GUTTA SERENA, imo merito nominanda ita, quae est absoluta oculi caecitas, oriunda ex obstructione Nervi optici, et tamen Oculus apparet sicut plenarie videns; similiter illi qui in fide ista sunt, vadunt sicut apertis oculis, et apparent coram aliis sicut omnia videant, cum tamen nihil vident, quoniam homo nihil scit de illa dum intrat, est enim tunc sicut truncus, nec deinde scit Numeri inest, neque scit num aliquid in illa est; ac postea illi quoque sicut claris oculis vident Fidem illam parturientem et gignentem nobiles foetus Justificationis, videlicet Remissionem peccatorum, Vivificationem, Innovationem, Regenerationem, Sanctificationem, cum tamen non ullius illarum signum viderunt, nec videre possunt.