登陆注册
5214200000245

第245章

But we must further make the admission, that even when these affections are well regulated, and according to God's will, they are peculiar to this life, not to that future life we look for, and that often we yield to them against our will.And thus sometimes we weep in spite of ourselves, being carried beyond ourselves, not indeed by culpable desire; but by praiseworthy charity.In us, therefore, these affections arise from human infirmity; but it was not so with the Lord Jesus, for even His infirmity was the consequence of His power.But so long as we wear the infirmity of this life, we are rather worse men than better if we have none of these emotions at all.For the apostle vituperated and abominated some who, as he said, were "without natural affection."(1) The sacred Psalmist also found fault with those of whom he said, "I looked for some to lament with me, and there was none."(2) For to be quite free from pain while we are in this place of misery is only purchased, as one of this world's literati perceived and remarked,(3) at the price of blunted sensibilities both of mind and body.And therefore that which the Greeks call apaqeia, and what the Latins would call, if their language would allow them, "impassibilitas," if it be taken to mean an impassibility of spirit and not of body, or, in other words, a freedom from those emotions which are contrary to reason and disturb the mind, then it is obviously a good and most desirable quality, but it is not one which is attainable in this life.For the words of the apostle are the confession, not of the common herd, but of the eminently pious, just, and holy men: "If we say we have: no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."(4) When there shall be no sin in a man, then there shall be this apaqeia.At present it is enough if we live without crime; and he who thinks he lives without sin puts aside not sin, but pardon.And if that is to be called apathy, where the mind is the subject of no emotion, then who would not consider this insensibility to be worse than all vices? It may, indeed, reasonably be maintained that the perfect blessedness we hope for shall be free from all sting of fear or sadness; but who thai is not quite lost to truth would say that neither love nor joy shall be experienced there? But if by apathy a condition be meant in which no fear terrifies nor any pain annoys, we must in this life renounce such a state if we would live according to God's will, but may hope to enjoy it in that blessedness which is promised as our eternal condition.

For that fear of which the Apostle John says, "There is no fear in love;but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath torment.He that feareth is not made perfect in love,"(5)--that fear is not of the same kind as the Apostle Paul felt lest the Corinthians should be seduced by the subtlety of the serpent; for love is susceptible of this fear, yea, love alone is capable of it.

But the fear which is not in love is of that kind of which Paul himself says, "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear."(6) But as for that "clean fear which endureth for ever,"(7)if it is to exist in the world to come (and how else can it be said to endure for ever?), it is not a fear deterring us from evil which may happen, but preserving us in the good which cannot be lost.For where the love of acquired good is unchangeable, there certainly the fear that avoids evil is, if I may say so, free from anxiety.For under the name of "clean fear" David signifies that will by which we shall necessarily shrink from sin, and guard against it, not with the anxiety of weakness, which fears that we may strongly sin, but with the tranquillity of perfect love.

Or if no kind of fear at all shall exist in that most imperturbable security of perpetual and blissful delights, then the expression, "The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever," must be taken in the same sense as that other, "The patience of the poor shall not perish for ever"(8) For patience, which is necessary only where ills are to be borne, shall not be eternal, but that which patience leads us to will be eternal.So perhaps this "clean fear"is said to endure for ever, because that to which fear leads shall endure.

And since this is so,--since we must live a good life in order to attain to a blessed life, a good life has all these affections right, a bad life has them wrong.But in the blessed life eternal there will be love and joy, not only right, but also assured; but fear and grief there will be none.Whence it already appears in some sort what manner of persons the citizens of the city of God must be in this their pilgrimage, who live after the spirit, not after the flesh,--that is to say, according to God, not according to man,--and what manner of persons they shall be also in that immortality whither they are journeying.And the city or society of the wicked, who live not according to God, but according to man, and who accept the doctrines of men or devils in the worship of a false and contempt of the true divinity, is shaken with those wicked emotions as by diseases and disturbances.And if there be some of its citizens who seem to restrain and, as it were, temper those passions, they are so elated with ungodly pride, that their disease is as much greater as their pain is less.And if some, with a vanity monstrous in proportion to its rarity, have become enamored of themselves because they can be stimulated and excited by no emotion, moved or bent by no affection, such persons rather lose all humanity than obtain true tranquility.For a thing is not necessarily right because it is inflexible, nor healthy because it is insensible.

CHAP.10.--WHETHER IT IS TO BE BELIEVED THAT OUR FIRST PARENTS IN PARADISE, BEFORETHEY SINNED, WERE FREE FROM ALL PERTURBATION.

同类推荐
  • 太上洞玄灵宝天尊说大通经

    太上洞玄灵宝天尊说大通经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 证治汇补

    证治汇补

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 湘学略

    湘学略

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 县笥琐探摘抄

    县笥琐探摘抄

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 圣虚空藏菩萨陀罗尼经

    圣虚空藏菩萨陀罗尼经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 海洋谜底(走进科学)

    海洋谜底(走进科学)

    本文主要内容为海洋是怎样形成的、海水是从哪里来的、深海生命之谜、海洋中是否有“无底洞”、魔海之谜、海流之谜等。
  • 无爱女法医

    无爱女法医

    在二十一世纪,她是一个常和死人打交道的女法医!被一个疯子杀死后,灵魂俯身在了一个无名女子身上。还没搞清楚状况的她,被一个帅哥一脚踹下了万丈悬崖!屡次破掉一宗一宗的悬案,只为帮人打抱不平。为了帮人申冤,上京告御状。结果才得知她就是那个杀了皇帝宠妃的恶毒皇后。火爆王爷小叔子老是动不动就给她来一掌。。皇帝一次又一次的变态行为,最后终是看不过去,给他下了点药。。从此伟大的皇帝就多了一个‘不举’的绰号。。。她真是服了他们这几兄弟了,一个比一个变态,幼稚。。【精彩片段】------------------------------------媚药所致,她强行玷污了一个绝世美男,最后才得知他就是她丈夫皇帝的弟弟,天啊,我居然强了小叔子,你打个响雷劈死我吧!而这小叔子貌似一心只想着把她打死,总是用着仇恨的目光看着她,我说小叔子啊,欺负你的人是以前的朱凤,不是现在的曹梦好不好?你不要总是想着把我打死好不好?------------------------------------妖孽皇帝阴狠的看着她:“缘儿死了,你就当她的替身!你的验尸手法如此厉害,留下你,定会有用!”她愤恨的看着他说到:“呸!老子希望能给你验尸!”“不知死活的东西,来人!掌嘴!”眼里露出的尽是狠毒。脸上不断传来的刺痛,她却连眼睛都没眨一下!君子报仇,十年不晚!------------------------------------“现在你去把凶手找出来,文武大臣都消失了好几个了!”皇帝用着恳求的眼神望着她。“呵呵!现在知道来求我了?不过我告诉你,人命大于天,你不用来求我,我也会自己去查,还有你不要老是出现在我的面前,我看到你就很烦!”她冷漠无情的说到!------------------------------------【前面的可能看着很乏味,不过前面是为了给后面的垫铺的,希望亲们有耐心的看下去!后面的案子里,会出现第一个案子里的人物,当然男主登场都在‘恶贯满盈’里,不喜欢啰嗦的亲们可以从恶贯满盈看起!】另外推存一下小喜自己的文【肥婆皇后】【废弃狼妃】【无爱侧福晋】【黑道女教师】朋友的文文【冷后】【傲风】【试婚记】【十岁宠妃】【冷妃侍君】【王爷奴家有了】连载文【特工老婆混黑道】连载文喜欢的朋友就收藏、投票推存!谢谢你们的支持!
  • 逃婚事变:恋上恶毒皇后

    逃婚事变:恋上恶毒皇后

    她为了躲避一次又一次相亲,她为了忘记那曾经忧伤的眸子,毅然决定作为第一个人类穿越时空的试验品。却不料有去无回,命悬一线,劫后余生,她成了别人眼里的恶毒皇后。
  • 川菜文化研究续编

    川菜文化研究续编

    本书重点就推进成都美食之都建设中的新形势、新问题、新要求进行研讨。
  • 时光许我忘了你

    时光许我忘了你

    他爱她不自知,她爱他胜于天。五年来,他们所有的恩爱全是逢场作戏!只因为那女人一句话,他便将她推进烈火岩浆,从此蚀骨戳心,体无完肤!甚至连死的资格都没有,她要查明真相,换他来受尽这百般折磨!--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 极品哑凰

    极品哑凰

    玄幻宫和精武学院势不两立!可是她偏偏是玄武双修!当一个在世人眼中哑巴,无能的都统小姐重生之后,会发生什么样的事情?霸中土,尊玄幻,平海渊,渡虚空!时空三界都是她的身影,从无颠覆!从天入海传诵她的传奇,创世战绩!她说:重新活一次就是机会,我要享受那至高绝顶处的尊荣!*都统四小姐,在这个以武为傲的世界里,孱弱无用。琴棋书画样样不会,针织女红件件不懂,受尽了欺压和嘲笑!新的灵魂附身之后,未婚夫殷勤来访,她淡淡说一句:“想见我,精武学院入学考试见。”姐姐气急败坏来挑战,她消失的无影无踪:“本小姐没空。”*生存是为了什么?为了复仇,为了自由,还是为了追求力量?她笑笑:于我,生存是给我一个机会,活出另外一种精彩!报仇,力量---从来不会是人生的主题!*推荐丝古武新文:《凤转乾坤》——高贵公主逆转乾坤将灵魂送到了一个奴隶的身体里,昔日的公主如今变身奴隶!血腥!暴力!低泯的人性!蛮荒的社会!残酷的欲望!睁眼便是血腥,抬手就是杀戮!古武天下!且看她如何突破重重难关,晋级武道的巅峰,超越古武之最!九霄至尊!且看她如何漫步在血腥中,踏过暴力的漩涡,踏上尊者之路!*推荐维丝完结文:《都市花神》——《极品哑凰》是花神后代的故事……续写玄幻的传奇……*推荐好友新文:紫橄榄:《魅世邪仙》——也是玄幻的文文哦。紫月怡:《邪煞》——新文开,看过《魅尊》的千万不要错过哦。迹沧澜:《蓝菲印章》——新文开!******领养名单第一个出现的南扶苏,由冥夏汐领养。……领养进行中——
  • 中国人的人格

    中国人的人格

    本书是对胡适先生关于人生、社会、文艺、教育等方面的散文、演讲及论文的收集和整理,展示了他以人的启蒙为中心的思想发展轨迹,体现了他治学、为人、处世的大师风范。大半个世纪里,胡适一直备受争议,但这并不妨碍他作为一个伟大的学者、思想家的历史地位。作为影响后世国人的先行者,胡适先生更多的是真诚劝告和谆谆教诲。他面向未来,深信如果每人都多做小事,多研究问题,这个世界会一点点变好。如果为个人多争一些自由。就会为国家争到自由。他曾对我们寄予厚望。
  • 与系统的异界生活

    与系统的异界生活

    这是一个不正经的主角,带着一个不正经的系统,在异界的不正经的故事。
  • 我心目中的黄如论

    我心目中的黄如论

    《我心目中的黄如论》通过对黄如论的描写和评述,为我们揭示出了一条真正能通向成功的经商之道。黄如论出身寒门又无靠山,为何能在不可胜数的民营企业家中脱颖而出?他的企业为什么能持续地一而再、再而三地实现跨越式发展?为什么经历那么多风浪他都能越做越强?他为什么能多次名列“中国大陆慈善家排行榜”的榜首?书中写得很实在也很清楚。黄如论的这种经商之道,如王朝柱评述的那样,它既弘扬了民族传统文化的精华,又吸收了当代世界经营管理与文明发展的新鲜经验,更是在他长期经商实践中形成和验证的。
  • 30年文学典藏散文卷

    30年文学典藏散文卷

    为了纪念《百花洲》创刊三十周年,隆重推出《30年文学典藏》四卷本,众多名家倾力打造,三十年的沉淀,三十年的精粹,凸显出《百花洲》的流变轨迹,也折射出三十年社会生活和文化的变迁。这些让人熟知和亲近的文字在当下与历史间建立了一种恒久的联系,对于今天的文学阅读与写作而言,无疑是心灵不可复制的参照。