參．記號二５

信仰中的情感
第三部，記號二５（3.02.7）

24(3.02.7)

況且這種人的想法如何，他們所說的話也如何，因為心裡所充滿的，口裡就說出來。他們的情感既然激昂，他們就將眼目放在自身經驗的美妙，與他們成就的偉大上，所以他們滔滔不絕地談論自己的事。當真聖徒因心裡的豐富而身處極大的屬靈情感時，他們乃是極力述說　神的偉大、祂榮耀的完美與工作，基督的美麗與可親l，以及福音的榮耀；但當假冒為善者情感激昂時，他們談論他們發現d的過程，比他們所發現d的事物更多；他們滿口全是他們遇到的偉大奇事，他們得到的美妙開啟d，　神對他們的愛是如何確切，他們的處境是何等穩妥，與他們如何知道他們應該進入天國，等等。

And as the thoughts of this sort of persons are, so is their talk; for out of the abundance of their heart their mouth speaketh. As in their high affections they keep their eye upon the beauty of their experiences, and greatness of their attainments; so they are great talkers about themselves. The true saint, when under great spiritual affections, from the fulness of his heart, is ready to be speaking much of God and his glorious perfections and works, and of the beauty and amiableness of Christ, and the glorious things of the gospel: but hypocrites, in their high affections, talk more of the discovery than they do of the thing discovered; they are full of talk about the great things they have met with, the wonderful discoveries they have had, how sure they are of the love of God to them, how safe their condition is, and how they know they shall go to heaven, &c.

25

當真聖徒身處基督與　神的甜蜜榮耀，當他真正發現d並享受這甜蜜榮耀時，他的心m見識到自身以外的事物，這些事物使他如此傾心，以致他無法停下來看他自己與自己的屬靈成就。若要把他的眼目從他注視陶醉的目標移開，去審視他的經歷，並花時間自己想著「這是多高的成就，這是多好的故事啊，我現在一定要告訴別人」，這分心與損失是他無法承受的。他心m中當時的喜樂與甜蜜，主要也不是來自於想到他的景況穩妥，或任何與他自己的資格、條件、經歷，或處境有關的考慮；而是來自於他直接在他身外注視的對象所展現出的聖潔與至美，他好像在品嚐這聖潔與至美，深覺甘甜，他的心m也被它們牢牢抓住。

A true saint, when in the enjoyment of true discoveries of the sweet glory of God and Christ, has his mind too much captivated and engaged by what he views without himself, to stand at that time to view himself and his own attainments. It would be a diversion and loss which he could not bear, to take his eye off from the ravishing object of his contemplation, to survey his own experience, and to spend time in thinking with himself, what a high attainment this is, and what a good story I now have to tell others. Nor does the pleasure and sweetness of his mind at that time chiefly arise from the consideration of the safety of his state, or any thing he has in view of his own qualifications, experiences, or circumstances; but from the divine and supreme beauty of what is the object of his direct view, without himself; which sweetly entertains and strongly holds his mind.

26

正如假冒為善者的愛與喜樂全都是以愛自己s-l為源頭；照樣，假冒為善者其它的情感也是如此，例如他們因罪而悔恨，他們的謙卑與順服，他們對信仰的渴慕與火熱。194這一切都可說是　神因為十分看重他們，大大抬舉他們，充分滿足他們愛自己的心態s-l和他們的私慾，而讓他們有這些虛有其表、名實不符的行為，因為這些都只是出於他們的想像。人的天性n既已墮落到這地步，加上「他們已經是天國中最受寵愛的人，並且他們雖在罪中，　神仍保護並偏袒他們」的觀念，所以要他們去愛這樣一位想像中如此令他們滿意的　神，並去讚美祂、順服祂，對祂狂熱積極，是很容易的。許多人的激昂情感完全是建立在「他們自己是傑出的聖徒」這樣的假設上。若他們對於自己的看法被拿走，若他們以為自己是聖徒中較為低下的（但仍然應該相信自己是真聖徒），則他們的激昂情感將落至谷底。即使只讓他們在他們最好的服事與最好的情感當中，看到一點點自己內心的罪惡與卑劣、自己的扭曲，這就要成為他們情感上的當頭一擊；因為他們的情感是建造在自我之上，所以一旦認識了自己的本相，他們的情感就要被摧毀了。

As the love and joy of hypocrites are all from the source of self-love; so it is with their other affections, their sorrow for sin, their humiliation and submission, their religious desires and zeal: 194 every thing is, as it were, paid for tail for beforehand, in God’s highly gratifying their self-love and their lusts, by making so much of them, and exalting them so highly, as things are in their imagination. It is easy for nature, as corrupt as it is, under a notion of being already some of the highest favourites of heaven, and having a God who does so protect them and favour them in their sins, to love this imaginary God that suits them so well, and to extol him, and submit to him, and to be fierce and zealous for him. The high affections of many are all built on the supposition of their being eminent saints. If that opinion which they have of themselves were taken away, if they thought they were some of the lower form of saints (though they should yet suppose themselves to be real saints) their high affections would fall to the ground. If they only saw a little of the sinfulness and vileness of their own hearts, and their deformity in the midst of their best duties and their best affections, it would knock their affections on the head; because their affections are built upon self, therefore self-knowledge would destroy them.

26a

但是對真正出於恩典的情感來說，它乃是建基於其它地方：他們將情感的基礎放在自身之外，就是在　神與耶穌基督裡，因此他們發現自己的扭曲，他們經歷的平庸，雖會煉淨他們的情感，卻不會摧毀它們，反而會在某種程度上使它們甜蜜與升高。
But as to truly gracious affections, they are built elsewhere; they have their foundation out of self in God and Jesus Christ; and therefore a discovery of themselves, of their own deformity, and the meanness of their experiences, though it will purify their affections, yet it will not destroy them, but in some respects sweeten and heighten them.