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We make Him to be an infinite monster!
我们把祂变成了一个无限的怪物!
(Stephen Charnock, 1628-1680, “The Existence and Attributes of God”)
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史蒂芬·查诺克(1628-1680),《上帝的存在与属性》
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If every attribute of the Deity were a distinct member, holiness would be the soul to animate them.
如果神性的每个属性都是一个独特的肢体,圣洁就是赋予它们生命的灵魂。
Without holiness . . .
若没有圣洁……
His patience would be an indulgence to sin,
祂的忍耐将成为对罪的纵容,
His mercy would be a fondness,
祂的怜悯将成为溺爱,
His wrath would be a madness,
祂的愤怒将成为疯狂,
His power would be a tyranny,
祂的能力将成为暴政,
His wisdom would be an unworthy subtlety.
祂的智慧将成为不当的狡诈。
Holiness gives balance to them all.
圣洁使这一切保持平衡。
The holiness of God is His glory and crown.
神的圣洁是祂的荣耀和冠冕。
Holiness is the blessedness of His nature.
圣洁是祂本性的福分。
Holiness renders Him glorious in Himself, and glorious to His creatures.
圣洁使祂在自身显为荣耀,在受造物面前也显为荣耀。
“Holy” is more fixed as an epithet to His name than any other.
“圣洁”比任何其他词都更紧密地作为祂名字的修饰语。
Holiness is His greatest title of honor.
圣洁是祂最崇高的尊号。
He is pure and unmixed light-free from all blemish in His essence, nature and works.
祂是纯净无杂的光,在祂的本质、性情和作为中毫无瑕疵。
He cannot be deformed by any evil.
任何邪恶都不能使祂变形。
The notion of God cannot be entertained without separating from Him whatever is impure and staining. Though He is majestic, eternal, almighty, wise, immutable, merciful, and whatsoever other perfections may dignify so sovereign a being-yet if we conceive Him destitute of this excellent perfection, and imagine Him possessed with the least contagion of evil, we make Him to be an infinite monster, and sully all of His perfections.
对神的概念必须将一切不纯洁和玷污之物从祂分离。虽然祂是威严的、永恒的、全能的、智慧的、不变的、怜悯的,以及其他一切能使如此至高存在显为尊贵的完美品质—但如果我们认为祂缺乏这种卓越的完美,并想象祂沾染了哪怕最轻微的邪恶,我们就把祂变成了一个无限的怪物,玷污了祂所有的完美。
It is a contradiction for Him to be God and to have any darkness mixed with his light. To deny his purity, makes Him no God. He who says God is not holy, speaks much worse than if he said there is no God at all.
对祂而言,作为神却有黑暗掺杂在祂的光中,这是矛盾的。否认祂的纯洁,就是否认祂是神。说神不圣洁的人,比说没有神的人更为糟糕。
Where do we read of the angels crying out Eternal or Faithful Lord God? But we do hear them singing Holy, Holy, Holy!
我们在哪里读到天使呼喊永恒的神或信实的主神?但我们确实听到他们歌唱圣哉,圣哉,圣哉!
God swears by His holiness (Psalm 89:35).
His holiness is a pledge for the assurance of His promises.
神指着祂的圣洁起誓(诗篇89:35)。
祂的圣洁是祂应许的保证。
Power is His hand,
omniscience is His eye,
mercy is His heart,
eternity is His duration,
and holiness is His beauty!
能力是祂的手,
全知是祂的眼,
怜悯是祂的心,
永恒是祂的持续,
圣洁是祂的荣美!
Holiness renders Him lovely and gives beauty to all His attributes.
Every action of His is free from all hints of evil. Holiness is . . .
the crown of all His attributes,
the life of all His decrees, and
the brightness of all His actions.
圣洁使祂可爱并赋予祂所有属性以美善。
祂的每一个行动都远离一切邪恶的痕迹。圣洁是……
祂所有属性的冠冕,
祂所有法令的生命,
祂所有行动的光辉。
Nothing is decreed by Him and nothing is acted by Him, that is not consistent with the beauty of His holiness.
祂所命定的一切,祂所行的一切,无不与祂圣洁的荣美相符。
Thomas Watson, 1620-1686:
“God is intrinsically holy, being holy in His nature without limits.
God is primarily holy, being the perfect and the only true pattern of holiness.
God is efficiently holy, being the cause of all holiness in angels and saints.
God is transcendently holy, being far above the capacity of holy angels and glorified saints to behold, much less fallen man.”
托马斯·沃森,1620-1686:
“神本质上是圣洁的,祂的本性中的圣洁无限无量。
神是首要的圣洁,是圣洁的完美且唯一真实的典范。
神是有效的圣洁,是天使和圣徒一切圣洁的源头。
神是超越性的圣洁,远超圣洁天使和得荣耀圣徒所能看见的程度,更不用说堕落的人了。”