90.人若不知道神性全能照秩序行进和作工，就会被自己的幻觉误导，萌生很多违背正常理智，甚至自相矛盾的想法。例如，神为何不立刻给自己取了人的样式，而无需经历这些成长阶段？为何祂不从这个世界的四方聚集元素来制造一具躯体，以便祂可以作为神人向犹太人，确切地说，向全世界展示祂自己？或者，即便祂想出生，为何祂不将自己全部的神性注入到胚胎里面，或还是孩童时的祂自己里面？又或者，出生后，祂为何不立刻使自己发育到成人阶段，并通过神性智慧说话？那些思考脱离秩序的神性全能之人有可能孕育并生出这些及类似想法，从而以谬论和毫无意义的聒噪充斥教会，这种情形已经出现了。例如，神自永恒就生了一个儿子，然后又安排第三个神从祂自己和这个儿子发出的观念。再如，祂会向人类发怒，定意将其置于毁灭的境地，但因圣子又愿回头怜悯人类，并且祂是通过圣子的代求和十字架受难这样做的。又如，祂能将其儿子的公义放在人里面，将其植入在人心里，就象克里斯提安·沃尔夫的简单物质，照作者本人的话说，它里面包含属于圣子功德的一切事物，但它无法被分割，否则，必化为乌有。或进一步认为祂能仿佛凭一纸教皇诏书那样随意赦免人的罪恶，或将罪孽深重的人从其黑色罪恶中洁净，从而将一个漆黑的魔鬼变成一位闪光的白天使，而人象石头那样无需移动半分，只要如雕像或偶像那样静静站立即可。更不用提那些视神性权力绝对化，不认可或承认其中有任何秩序之人所持有的许多其它疯狂观点了，这些观点就象簸谷机将糠秕吹入空中那样向外散播。在关乎天堂和教会，因而关乎永生的属灵事务上，这种人偏离神圣真理，如同森林里的瞎子，时而跌到石头上，时而前额撞到树上，时而头发缠在树枝上。
90. 人若不知道神性的全能當遵循聖規而行, 就會想像並萌發出許多想法來反對這個正當的解釋。例如, 為什麼上帝不瞬間變成一個人, 何苦像我們凡人那樣經過這長多成長階段？為什麼祂不從世界四方收集元素來製造一個身體, 這樣就能以神人的樣子向以色列人顯現, 甚至向全世界顯現啊？或者, 假若祂想被生出, 為何不在胎兒或孩童時將祂所有的神性澆灌胎兒或孩童裡呢？為什麼不在一出生時, 就長到成年人的身量, 立刻憑著聖智講話呢？人們思考全能而不在乎遵循聖規, 就會構思並產生出以上這些及其它類似的想法, 因而會將這些荒謬和垃圾充滿教會——事實上, 確實已經如此。
例如以下的想法和念頭:上帝能夠從永遠生出兒子, 並且還能從自己和祂兒子發出第三位上帝。上帝能向人類發怒, 並準備毀滅人類, 但後來因著祂兒子的代求和對兒子十字架受難的挽回, 祂又轉而憐憫人類了。不僅如此, 上帝還將祂兒子的義放進人裡面, 種在人心中。甚至, 祂能赫免任何一個祂願意赦免之人的罪, 就像教皇宣詔那樣。以至祂能洗掉任何罪惡滔天之人的污穢邪惡, 因而將黑暗的魔鬼變成光明的天人, 哪怕這人像塊石頭穩絲不動, 只需像個雕像那樣站著就可以了。
只關注於神性絕對的全能, 而沒有認識或承認任何聖規, 這樣的人會到處散播這些類似的荒誕想法, 就像風車把糠秕吹散在空中。這些人在關於天國,教會和永生等屬靈事务方面, 偏離真理的地步就如同一個瞎眼的婦人遊蕩在森林裡, 一時被石頭絆倒, 一時頭碰樹上, 一時頭髮被樹枝纏住。
90. People who do not know that the divine omnipotence follows and works according to the divine design are capable of hatching many concepts from their own imaginations that contradict and oppose sound reason. For example, they might wonder why God did not instantly take on a human manifestation without going through life stages. They might wonder why he did not create or assemble a body for himself from substances from all four directions of the world. If he had, he could have presented himself as a human God before the Jewish people and in fact before the entire world. Or if he had especially wanted to go through the birth process, why did he not pour his whole divinity into that embryo, or else into himself as a baby? Or right after he was born why did he not expand himself to the size of an adult and immediately start speaking divine wisdom? People who think of divine omnipotence without thinking of the divine design are capable of conceiving and giving birth to these thoughts and others like them, and filling the church with craziness and garbage - which, of course, has actually happened.
Take for example the idea that God could procreate a Son from eternity and could arrange that a third God would then emanate from himself and his Son. Or the idea that God could be enraged at the human race and schedule it for destruction, but then be willing to be brought back to compassion by the Son through the Son's intercession and the Father's recollection of the cross. Not only that, but God could put his Son's justice into people and insert it into their hearts like Wolff's "simple substance," in which, as that author himself says, everything of the Son's merit exists, even though that substance cannot be divided, since divided it would collapse into nothing. Then there is the idea that through a Papal bull God could forgive the sins of anyone he felt like forgiving and could purify utterly godless people of their black sins, thereby making dark devils shine like angels of light, while the godless people changed and developed no more than a stone would, but instead stayed as still as a statue or an idol.
People who fixate on divine, absolute power without recognizing or acknowledging any divine design are capable of scattering abroad these and many other insane ideas the way a winnower scatters chaff on the wind. On spiritual topics having to do with heaven, the church, and eternal life, people like this are prone to wander far from divine truths like a blind man in a forest who one moment trips over stones, the next knocks his head against a tree, and the next catches his hair in the branches.
90. People who are not aware that Divine omnipotence proceeds and works in accordance with order can be led by their imagination to form many ideas contrary to sound reason, and even contradictory ones. For instance, why did God not take upon Himself human form immediately, without advancing through these stages? Why did He not gather the elements from the four quarters of the world to create and make up a body, so that He could display Himself as God-Man to the Jewish people, or rather to the whole world? Or, if He wished to be born, why did He not pour His whole divinity into the embryo or Himself as a child; or why did He not at once after being born raise Himself to adult stature, and speak from Divine Wisdom? Those who think about Divine omnipotence devoid of order, may conceive and bring forth these and similar ideas, and so fill the church with nonsense and rubbish; which is what has happened. For instance, the idea that God could have fathered a Son from eternity, and arranged for a third God to proceed even at that point in time from Himself and His Son. Or that He could become angry with the human race, consign it to destruction, and be willing to be brought back to pitying it through the Son, and to do this through His intercession and the memory of His crucifixion;
[2] and then go on to put His Son's righteousness into a person, and plant it in his heart like Wolff's 1 simple substance, in which according to that author all the Son's merits are present, but which cannot be divided, since if it were, it would collapse to nothing. Or further that He can remit anyone's sins He wishes, as it were by a Papal bull, or cleanse the worst sinner from his black wickedness, and thus turn a swarthy devil into a shining angel of light, without a person shifting himself any more than a stone, but standing still like a statue or an idol. Not to mention many other crazy notions, which those who set up Divine power as absolute, unhindered by the knowledge or acknowledgment of any order, may toss out like a winnower tossing chaff into the air. These people may in spiritual matters, those, that is, which concern heaven, the church and so everlasting life, stray from Divine truths like a blind man in a wood, who at one time stumbles over rocks, at another hits his forehead on a tree, at another gets his hair entangled in its branches.
Footnotes:
1. Christian Wolff (1679-1754), a follower of Leibnitz.
90. Those who do not know that the Divine omnipotence proceeds and operates in accordance with order, may hatch from their fancies many things that are opposed to and in conflict with sound reason; as why God did not assume the Human immediately without such stages of development; why He did not create or bring together a body for Himself out of elements drawn from the four quarters of the world, and thus exhibit Himself as the God-Man to the bodily vision of the Jewish people, and even of the whole world; or if He wished to be born, why He did not infuse His entire Divinity into the embryo itself, or into the infant itself; or why He did not, after His birth, at once raise Himself up to the stature of manhood, and speak from Divine wisdom. Those who think of the Divine omnipotence as being apart from order may conceive and bring forth these and like things, and thus fill the church with absurdities and trifles, as has indeed been done; for example, that God could beget a Son from eternity, and then cause a third God to proceed from Himself and the Son; again, that He could be angry at the human race, and devote it to destruction, and be willing to be brought back to mercy by the Son, and this by intercession and through remembrance of His cross; and again, that He could put into man the righteousness of His Son, and insert it in man's heart, like the "simple substance" of Wolff, which contains, as that author himself says, all things belonging to the merit of the Son, but which cannot be divided, for if it were divided it would become naught; still again, that He is able to remit sins to whomsoever He will, as if by a papal bull, or cleanse the most impious person from his black evils, and thus make a man who is as black as a devil as white as an angel of light, without the man's moving himself any more than a stone, or while he is standing still like a statue or an idol; with many other insane notions which those who maintain that the Divine power is absolute, with no recognition or acknowledgment of any order therein, may scatter abroad as a fanning machine blows chaff into the air. In spiritual matters, which pertain to heaven and the church, and thus to eternal life, such may wander away from Divine truths like a blind man in the woods, who now falls over stones, now strikes his forehead against a tree, and now entangles his hair in its branches.
90. Those who do not know that the Divine omnipotence proceeds and operates according to order may form many contradictory and fanciful ideas that are opposed to sound reason. Thus they may ask why God did not instantly assume the Human without such progression. Why He did not create or compose for Himself a body out of elements from the four quarters of the earth, and so present Himself as God-Man visible to the Jewish people, nay, to the whole world. Or if it was His will to be born, why He did not infuse His whole Divinity into Himself in the embryonic state, or as an infant. Or why, after birth, he did not at once become an adult and forthwith speak from the Divine Wisdom. Such are the ideas that may be conceived and expressed by those who think of Divine omnipotence apart from order, and who thus fill the Church with wild and groundless absurdities.
This in fact has been done. It has been declared that God could beget a Son from eternity, and then cause a third God to proceed from Himself and the Son. Also that He could be angry with the human race, put them under a curse, and then be willing to show them mercy through the Son, by the Son's intercession and the remembrance of His cross. Further that He can impart His Son's righteousness to man, and implant it in his heart like the simple substance of Wolff, 1 in which, as this author says, is all the merit of the Son that cannot be divided, since if it were divided it would come to nothing. Moreover that He can, as by a Papal Bull, remit sin to whomsoever He will, or cleanse the most impious sinner from his dark evils, making a man, who is as black as a devil, as white as angel of light; and this while he remains inert as a stone, and inactive as a statue or an idol. Many are the other inane notions which those may spread abroad, as the winnower's fan scatters chaff into the air, who with no knowledge and acknowledgment of any order, suppose the Divine Power to be absolute. Such men, in respect to spiritual matters which belong to heaven, the Church, and therefore to eternal life, may wander from Divine truths as a blind man in a wood, who now stumbles over stones, now dashes his forehead against a tree, and now entangles his hair in its branches.
Footnotes:
1. Wolff, Johann Christian, A.D. 1679-1754, a German philosopher of little originality or depth. His leading ideas are taken from Leibnitz.
90. Qui non sciunt, quod Divina Omnipotentia procedat et operetur secundum ordinem, illi possunt plura sanae rationi opposita, et contradictoria ex phantasia excludere, sicut cur Deus non immediate sine tali progressione assumsit Humanum; cur non ex Elementis e quatuor plagis Mundi sibi creavit aut composuit corpus, et sic ut Deum Hominem coram populo 1 Judaico, imo coram Universo Mundo, se exhibuerit videndum; aut si voluit nasci, cur non ipsi embryoni, aut sibi infanti infudit omne Divinum suum; aut cur non post partum se erexit in staturam adulti, et ex Divina Sapientia illico loquutus est; talia et similia possunt illi, qui de Divina Omnipotentia absque ordine cogitant, concipere et parere, et sic deliriis et nugis implere Ecclesiam; sicut etiam factum est: quemadmodum quod Deus potuerit gignere Filium ab aeterno, ac facere ut Tertius Deus a Se et Filio etiam tunc procederet; tum quod potuerit irasci Generi humano, illud devotioni dare, et velle per Filium reduci in misericordiam, et hoc per intercessionem, 2 et recordationem crucis Ipsius;
[2] et insuper Filii sui justitiam in hominem immittere, et indere hanc in cor ejus sicut substantiam simplicem Wolffianam, in qua, sicut ipse Auctor dicit, omnia meriti Filii sunt, sed quod dividi nequeat, quoniam si dividatur cadit in nihilum; et insuper quod possit sicut per Bullam Papalem remittere 3 peccata cuicunque vult, seu purificare maxime impium ab atris ejus malis, et sic nigrum sicut diabolum facere candidum sicut Angelum lucis, praeter quod homo se moveat plus quam lapis, aut dum stat ut statua, vel ut idolum; praeter plures alias insanias, quas illi, qui Divinam Potentiam absolutam absque cognitione et agnitione alicujus ordinis statuunt, possunt spargere sicut ventilator 4 paleas in aerem: hi possunt in spiritualibus, quae Coeli et Ecclesiae, et inde vitae aeternae sunt, a veris Divinis aberrare, sicut caecus in silva, qui nunc cadit super lapides, nunc impingit frontem in arborem, nunc intricat crines ramis ejus.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: popuIo.
2. Prima editio: intercessionum.
3. Prima editio: reremittere.
4. Sic Errores Typographici.