94.当今基督教会习惯称主为我们的救主，“玛利亚之子”，却很少称祂为神的儿子，除非表达自永恒所生神儿子的意思。这是因为天主教将玛利亚奉为神圣，远胜过其他所有人，并将她高举为在一切圣徒之上的女神或女王。然而，主荣耀了祂的人身后，就脱去了属于其母的一切事物，并披上其父的一切事物。本书随后章节将充分说明这一点（102，103节）。大量谬念通过这种普遍说法流入教会，尤其流入那些不去思考圣言中所论及主的话之人中。如，父与祂为一，祂在父里面，父在祂里面，凡父所有的都是祂的，祂称耶和华为祂的父，耶和华父称主为祂的儿子。这些因主被称为“玛利亚之子”而非神的儿子所导致的谬念充斥教会，其恶果是，有关主的神性观念遭到毁灭，这导致圣言中有关祂是神儿子的所有内容都丧失。而且，这还导致犹太教、阿里乌斯教、索齐尼主义，以及加尔文主义的原型混进来。最终，自然主义也混进来，并伴随以下荒诞观念：即主是玛利亚与约瑟所生的儿子，祂的灵魂来自其母亲，所以祂并非神的儿子，尽管祂被称为神的儿子。每个人，无论神职人员还是平信徒，都应扪心自问，自己是否已孕育并持有主作为玛利亚之子只是一个普通人的观念。
在四世纪，当阿里乌斯教义兴起时，这种观念就开始在基督教界盛行。故尼西亚公会为了维护主的神性，就编出了一个自永恒所生的神的儿子。当时，主的人身因这种编造而被高举到神性的层次，并且如今很多人仍将它高举到神性层次。然而，对那些通过位格合一来理解这二者之间的合一，其中一个在上，另一个在下之人来说，这人身并未被如此高举。这种信念所带来的后果，除了整个基督教会的毁灭外，还能有什么？而基督教会的唯一基石就是对处于人身的耶和华的敬拜，也就是说，它建立在神人的基础上。主在很多经文中都声称没人能看见父，也不认识祂、来到祂面前并信祂，除非通过祂的人身。若祂并非如此被靠近，教会的一切珍贵种子将变得一文不值；橄榄树的种子会变成松树的种子；橘树、柠檬树、苹果树、梨树的种子变成柳树、榆树、菩提树、橡树的种子；葡萄树变成沼泽里的芦苇，大小麦变成谷糠；事实上，一切属灵的食物都变得如同蛇所吃的尘土。因为那时，人里面的属灵之光变得属世，最终变得感官肉体化，就其本身而言，这样的光就是一种幻光；此时，人甚至就像鸟儿飞在高空却失去双翅，因此落到地上，只能在地上行走，在周围查看它脚前的东西。然后，其有关教会属灵之物，就是赞同永生的一切事物，类似于跳梁小丑的胡言乱语。这就是人将主神、救世主和救主仅仅视为玛利亚之子，也就是仅仅视为一个人的后果。
94. 在現今的基督徒教會中, 常稱主拯救者為"瑪利亞之子"。除非想表達從永遠生出的上帝之子的意思, 他們很少稱祂為"上帝之子"。造成這樣結果的原因在於天主教使瑪利亞大過所有其它聖徒, 並將她的職份置於其它聖徒之上, 宛如一個女神或一名王后。
但事實上, 當主已榮耀祂的人身, 祂脫去了從祂母親而來的一切, 並穿上了從祂父親而來的所有; 在本書接下來部分會證明這點(102-103節)。因為"瑪利亞的兒子"這樣習以為常的掛在嘴上, 許多可怕的偽謬流進了教會。特別是那些對聖言中論到主的經文無動於衷的人, 例如:祂在父裡面, 父在祂裡面; 父的一切都是祂的; 祂稱耶和華為父, 耶和華稱祂為子。
我們稱祂為"瑪利亞之子",取代了"上帝之子", 帶給教會的惡果就是:淡化了主的神性, 不再注重聖言中將祂作為"上帝之子"的描述。更有, 這也將猶太教思想,亞流主義,索齊尼主義,以及加爾文主義的源頭, 最終將自然主義依次引入教會之中。這是隨著認祂為瑪利亞和約瑟之子的思想氾濫而發生的, 結果只會口頭上稱祂為"上帝之子", 但其實並不這麼認為。包括神職和平信徒在內的任何人當捫心自問:心裡滋生並培育的"主是瑪麗亞之子"的想法與視祂為常人有什麼分別？
這種概念在基督徒中的逐漸蔓延而變得流行, 並導致第四世紀亞流主義異端的興起, 尼西亞會議為了維護主的神性, 發明了"上帝之子從永遠生出"的教義。這個虛構的發明在當時確實將主的人性升到某種神性地步, 而且仍為現今許多信徒所用。然而, 人若把這樣的神性結合作為一上一下兩個分開實體的結合, 這個教義就毫無意義了。
這樣的概念除了帶來毀滅, 還能為整個基督徒教會帶來什麼呢？基督徒教會的唯一根基就是以人的形式來敬拜耶和華(或者說, 敬拜人身顯現的耶和華), 也就是建立在這個神人(顯為人的上帝)的基礎之上。
主在多處聲明, 沒有人見過父,認識祂,接近祂,相信祂, 除非藉著耶和華的人身顯現。
如是不是這樣, 教會所有的貴重種子就會變成卑賤種子, 橄欖樹種變成松樹種, 柳丁,檸檬,蘋果和梨子的種子變成柳樹,櫟樹,榆樹的種子, 葡萄樹成了沼澤里的蘆葦, 大麥小麥成了糠秕。一切靈糧變成蛇吃的塵土。屬靈之光先是變成屬世之光, 最後變成感官的和肉體之光——就是昏暗的,迷惑的光。我們原本象高飛的小鳥, 突然翅膀折斷而跌落在地, 只能周圍蹦跳,看看自己腳前腳後的東西。於是, 一切關於教會方面,永生方面的屬靈之事, 就變得如同小丑的胡言亂語了。所有這些結果, 都是因為我們將主上帝,我們的救主和救贖主, 只是當作瑪利亞的兒子,僅僅一個人而已。
94. In the Christian churches of today it is common to call the Lord our Savior "the Son of Mary;" it is rare for people to call him "the Son of God" unless they mean the eternally begotten Son of God. This is a result of Roman Catholics putting Mother Mary's sainthood above the rest and setting her up as the goddess or queen of all their saints.
Yet in fact, in the process of being glorified the Lord put off everything from his mother and put on everything from his Father, as we will fully demonstrate later on in this work [102-103]. Because the phrase "the Son of Mary" has become a common expression on everyone's lips, many horrendous things have poured into the church. This is especially true of those who have not taken into consideration things said in the Word about the Lord - for example, that the Father and he are one, that he is in the Father and the Father is in him, that all things belonging to the Father are his, that he called Jehovah his Father, and that Jehovah the Father called him his Son.
The horrendous things that have poured into the church from our calling him "the Son of Mary" instead of "the Son of God" are that we lose the idea of the Lord's divinity and we lose everything in the Word that is said about him as the Son of God. Furthermore, this concept lets in Judaism, Arianism, Socinianism, Calvinism in its original form, and finally materialist philosophy. Materialist philosophy brings with it the extreme position that the Son of Mary was Josephs child, or that his soul came from his mother, and as a result he is called "the Son of God," but truly he is not. All people, both clergy and laity, should check to see whether the idea they have spawned and nurtured of the Lord as "the Son of Mary" is any different from the idea of him as a mere human being.
Already by the third century a concept like this was becoming prevalent among Christians, as the Arians were on the rise. To salvage divinity for the Lord, the Council of Nicaea made up "the eternally begotten Son of God. " Although it was a fiction, this concept did succeed at the time in elevating the Lord's human nature to something divine; and it still works for many even today. It does not work, however, for those who see the hypostatic union as a union of two separate entities, one of whom is superior to the other.
What other outcome could this concept have but the destruction of the entire Christian church? The church is based entirely on worshiping Jehovah in human form; it is based on the Human God. The Lord states in many places that no one can see the Father, recognize him, come to him, or believe in him except through his human manifestation.
If people do not do this, all the church's precious seeds turn into seeds of little value. Olive seeds turn into pine seeds; seeds from an orange, a lemon, an apple, and a pear turn into seeds from a willow, an elm, a linden, and a holly; seeds from a grapevine turn into seeds from a swamp rush; and wheat and barley turn into chaff. In fact, all forms of spiritual food become like the dust that snakes eat. Our spiritual light then becomes nature's light; and in the long run it becomes the light of our physical senses, which is in reality a faint, deceptive light. Then we become like a bird that used to fly high but then its wings were cut off and it fell to earth; now as it walks around it does not see more than what lies at its own feet. Then when we think about the church's spiritual teachings that are necessary for our eternal life, our thoughts about them are no more than the thoughts of a jester. All this is what happens when we regard the Lord God, the Redeemer and Savior, as no more than the Son of Mary, a mere human being.
94. It is common practice in to-day's Christian churches to call the Lord our Saviour the Son of Mary, but only rarely the Son of God, unless that is, they mean the Son of God born from eternity. This is because the Roman Catholics have made Mary, His mother, greater than all the other saints, and set her above all their saints as if she were a goddess or a queen. The truth is that when the Lord glorified His Human, He put off everything of His mother's, and put on everything of His Father's, as will be fully proved in the following sections of this book. This common practice, when His title as Son of Mary is on everyone's tongue, has been responsible for introducing many erroneous notions into the church, especially with those who have not allowed their judgment to be swayed by what the Word says about the Lord; for instance, that the Father and He are one, that He is in the Father and the Father in Him; that all things of the Father's are His; that He called Jehovah His Father, and Jehovah the Father called Him His Son. The erroneous notions, which have invaded the church as the result of calling Him the Son of Mary instead of the Son of God, are that the idea of divinity is destroyed when thinking of the Lord, and this leads to the loss of all the statements in the Word about Him as the Son of God. Also, this leads to the introduction of Judaism, Arianism, Socinianism, and the original form of Calvinism; and finally to nature-worship, accompanied by the fantastic idea that He was the Son of Mary by Joseph, and that His soul came from His mother, so that He is called the Son of God without being so. Everyone, clergy as well as layman, ought to ask himself whether he has formed and fosters any other idea about the Lord as the Son of Mary except as an ordinary man.
[2] Since an idea of this sort had already become prevalent among Christians in the fourth century with the rise of the Arian heresy, the Council of Nicaea, in order to claim divinity for the Lord, invented the dogma of the Son of God born from eternity. This invention at the time raised the Lord's Human to the Divine level, and this still has the same effect for many to-day. It did not, however, have this result for those who understand by hypostatic union a union between two, one of whom is above and the other below. What else can result from such a belief but the destruction of the whole Christian church, the sole foundation of which is the worship of Jehovah in the Human, that is to say, it is based on God-Man? The Lord states in many passages that no one can see the Father, nor know Him, nor come to Him, nor believe in Him, except through His Human. If this is not so, all the noble seed of the church is turned into worthless seed, the seed of the olive into the seed of the pine, the seed of the orange, citron, apple and pear into the seed of the willow, elm, lime and holm-oak, the vine into a marsh reed, wheat and barley into chaff. All spiritual food in fact becomes like the dust that snakes eat. In the case of man, spiritual light becomes first natural, and finally sensual and bodily, a light which regarded in itself is delusive. A person then in fact becomes like a bird which has its wings clipped while flying high, and falls to the ground; once on the ground it can only walk and see around it what lies before its feet. Then a person's thoughts about the spiritual side of the church, all the things that favour everlasting life, resemble the ravings of a clown. All this is the result of a person regarding the Lord God, the Redeemer and Saviour, as only the Son of Mary, that is, nothing but a man.
94. In the Christian churches of the present day it is customary to call the Lord our Savior the son of Mary, and rarely the Son of God, except when a Son of God born from eternity is meant. This is because the Roman Catholics have made Mary the mother more holy than all others, and have exalted her as a goddess or queen over all their saints. When, however, the Lord glorified His Human He put off everything belonging to His mother, and put on everything belonging to His Father. This shall be fully shown in subsequent pages of this work. From this saying, so common with all, that the Lord is the son of Mary, many enormities have flowed into the church; especially with those who have not taken into consideration what is said of the Lord in the Word; as that the Father and He are one, that He is in the Father and the Father in Him, that all things of the Father are His, that He called Jehovah His Father, and that Jehovah the Father called Him His Son. These enormities that have flowed into the church as a result of His being called the son of Mary, and not the Son of God, are, that the idea of Divinity in respect to the Lord perishes, and with it all that is said of Him in the Word as the Son of God; also that through this, Judaism, Arianism, Socinianism, Calvinism, as it was at its beginning, gain entrance, and at length Naturalism, and with it the insane notion that He was the son of Mary by Joseph, and that His soul was from the mother; and therefore that He is not the Son of God, although He is so called. Let everyone, whether clergyman or layman, question himself whether he has conceived and cherishes any other idea of the Lord as the son of Mary than that He was merely man. Because even in the third century, when Arianism arose, such an idea had begun to prevail among Christians, the Nicene Council, for the purpose of maintaining the Divinity of the Lord, fabricated a Son of God born from eternity. By this fiction the Human of the Lord was then exalted, and with many is still exalted, to Divinity; but it is not so exalted with those who by the hypostatic union understand a union like that between two beings, one of whom is superior and the other inferior. Yet what else results from this than the destruction of the entire Christian church, which was founded solely upon the worship of Jehovah in the Human, consequently upon the God-Man? That no one can see the Father, or can know Him, or come to Him, or believe in Him, except through His Human, the Lord declares in many places. If He is not thus approached all the noble seed of the church is changed into ignoble, the seed of the olive into the seed of the pine, the seed of the orange, lemon, apple, and pear, into the seed of the willow, the elm, the linden, and the oak; the vine into the bulrush of the swamp, wheat and barley into chaff; in fact, all spiritual food becomes like dust on which serpents feed; for the spiritual light in man then becomes natural, and at length sensual-corporeal, which viewed in itself is a delusive light; man then becomes even like a bird that while flying on high, being deprived of its wings, falls to the ground, and walking there sees around it only what lies at its feet; and he then thinks about the spiritual things of the church, which should make for life eternal, no otherwise than as a soothsayer thinks. Such are the results, when man regards the Lord God, the Redeemer and Savior, as a mere son of Mary, that is, as a mere man.
94. It is customary in the Christian Churches at the present time to call the Lord our Savior the Son of Mary, and seldom the Son of God, unless by this is meant the Son of God born from eternity. The reason of this is that the Roman Catholic Church has regarded the mother Mary as above all others in sanctity, and has exalted her above all its saints as a goddess or queen; notwithstanding the fact that the Lord, when He glorified His Human, put off everything derived from the mother, and put on everything belonging to the Father, as will be clearly shown in the following pages of this work. From this common mode of speaking of the Lord as the Son of Mary many baleful opinions have entered the Church, especially with those who have not given due consideration to what is said in the Word about the Lord; as that the Father and He are one, that He is in the Father and the Father in Him, that all things belonging to the Father are His, that He called Jehovah His Father and Jehovah the Father called Him His Son. Some of the pernicious consequences to the Church resulting from the Lord being called the Son of Mary and not the Son of God are that the idea of His Divinity is lost, and with it all that is said of Him in the Lord as the Son of God. This gave entry to Judaism, Arianism, Socinianism, 1 Calvinism, 2 such as it was at first, and at length Naturalism, with the delusion that He was the Son of Mary to Joseph, and that His soul was from the mother, and consequently that He is called the Son of God when in reality He is not so. Let each one, clergyman and layman alike, seriously consider whether he has formed and continues to maintain any opinion of the Lord as the Son of Mary other than as of a mere man. As this idea began to prevail among Christians as early as the third century, when Arianism arose, the Nicene Council, in order to vindicate the Divinity of the Lord, invented the dogma of a Son born from eternity. By this means indeed the Human of the Lord was exalted to Divinity at that time, and still is with many, but it is not so exalted with those who regard the consequent union as hypostatic, like that between two persons, one of whom is superior to the other. What results from this but that the whole Christian Church should perish, which was founded solely upon the worship of Jehovah in His Human, consequently upon God-Man?
The Lord declares in many places that no one can see the Father, or know Him, or come to Him, or believe on Him, except through His Human. If this declaration is disregarded, all the precious seed of the Church is changed into what is of less esteem: the seed of the olive becomes that of the pine; the seeds of the orange, the citron, the apple and the pear become those of the willow, the elm, the linden, and the oak; the vine becomes a marsh reed, and wheat and barley become mere chaff. Indeed all spiritual food becomes like dust, or food such as serpents eat, for spiritual light in man becomes natural (the light of his natural intelligence), and at length becomes sensual corporeal, which regarded in itself is a delusive light. Man in fact becomes like a bird which, attempting to fly when its wings are clipped, falls to the ground, and walking about sees nothing more around it than what lies at its feet. Then with respect to the spiritual things of the Church which would benefit his eternal life, his ideas are as worthless as the forecasts of a soothsayer. Such are the results when man regards the Lord God, the Redeemer and Savior, as merely the Son of Mary, that is, as a mere man.
Footnotes:
1. Socinians, members of a religious sect taking their name from Faustus Socinus, A.D. 1539-1604, and his uncle Laelius Socinus. They are antitrinitarians, denying the personality of the Holy Ghost and the Divinity of Christ. Early Socians believed in the miraculous conception and that Christ was entitled to Divine worship; but modern Socinians, chiefly Unitarians, deny both.
2. Calvin, John, A.D. 1509-1564, was called by Melanchthon "The theologian of the sixteenth century." He studied law as well as theology, became a Protestant and induced the authorities of Geneva to renounce Popery. The friend of John Knox, he exercised a powerful influence on Scottish Protestantism. His views may be summarized thus: particular election; particular redemption; moral inability in a fallen state; free grace; and ultimate salvation for the elect, notwithstanding many failings and aberrations on the part of the believer. In its leading features his theology is that of Augustine.
94. In hodiernis Ecclesiis Christianis commune est vocare Dominum Salvatorem nostrum Filium Mariae, et raro Filium Dei, nisi tunc intelligant Filium Dei natum ab aeterno; hoc inde est, quia Romano-Catholici Mariam Matrem super reliquos sanctificaverunt, 1 et illam sicut Deam seu Reginam omnibus Sanctis suis praefecerunt; 2 cum tamen Dominus, cum glorificavit Humanum suum, omne Matris suae exuit, et omne Patris induit, quod in sequentibus hujus Operis plene demonstrabitur. Ex communi hoc in omnium Ore, quod dicatur Filius Mariae, plures enormitates influxerunt in Ecclesiam, imprimis apud illos, qui non in judicium suum admiserunt illa, quae in Verbo de Domino dicta sunt, ut quod Pater et Ipse unum sint, quod Ipse in Patre, et Pater in Ipso sit, quod omnia Patris sint Ipsius, quod Ipse Jehovam vocaverit Patrem suum, et Jehovah Pater Ipsum Filium suum. Enormitates, quae in Ecclesiam influxerunt ex eo quod nominent Ipsum Filium Mariae et non Filium Dei, sunt, quod de Domino pereat idea Divinitatis, et cum hac omne id quod in Verbo de Ipso ut Filio Dei dictum est; 3 tum quod per id intret Judaismus, Arianismus, Socinianismus, Calvinismus qualis hic fuit in principio, et tandem Naturalismus, et cum hoc Fanatismus, quod Filius Mariae ex Josepho fuerit, tum quod Anima ei fuerit ex Matre, et inde quod dicatur Filius Dei et non sit; consulat se quisque, tam Clericus quam Laicus, num aliam ideam de Domino ut Filio Mariae, quam ut de mero homine, conceperit et foveat.
[2] Quoniam talis idea jamdum Saeculo tertio, quando surrexerunt Ariani, inter Christianos incepit praevalere, ideo Concilium Nicaenum ad vindicandum Divinitatem Domino, finxerunt Filium Dei natum ab aeterno, sed per hoc figmentum elevabatur quidem tunc, et apud plures etiam hodie elevatur Humanum Domini ad Divinum; verum non apud illos, qui per Unionem hypostaticam intelligunt unionem sicut inter duos, quorum unus est supra et alter est infra. Sed quid aliud inde resultat, quam quod Universa Ecclesia Christiana pereat, quae unice super cultu Jehovae in Humano fundata est, proinde super Deo Homine; quod nemo possit videre Patrem, nec cognoscere Ipsum, nec venire ad Ipsum, nec credere in Ipsum, nisi per Humanum Ipsius, Dominus multis in locis declarat; si hoc non fit, vertitur omne semen Ecclesiae nobile in semen ignobile, semen oleae in semen pinus, semen aurantii, citri, pomi, pyri, in semen salicis, ulmi, tiliae, ilicis, vitis in juncum palustrem, triticum et hordeum in paleas, imo omnis cibus spiritualis fit sicut pulvis, quo serpentes vescuntur; nam in homine lux spiritualis fit naturalis, et tandem sensualis corporea, quae in se spectata est lux fatua; imo fit homo tunc sicut avis, quae dum volat in alto, abscissis alis decidit in terram, ubi gradiens non plus videt circum se, quam quod ante pedes jacet; et tunc de spiritualibus Ecclesiae, quae erunt pro vita aeterna, non aliter ac quam hariolus cogitat; haec fiunt, dum homo Dominum Deum Redemptorem et Salvatorem spectat ut merum Filium Mariae, ita ut merum hominem.
Footnotes: