On the Contemplative Life 48

Latin original · 6 verses · some words can be tapped for a gloss

48:1

1. Et ideo si in 0 illo esse volumus quod esse debemus, sicut sanctus Joannes apostolus dicit (I, II, 6), quomodo ille ambulavit, et nos spiritualiter ambufe' mus. Quid est ambulare sicut ille ambulavit, nisi contemnere omnia prospera quae contempsit, non timere adversa quæ pertulit, libenter facere quæ fecit, fieri docere quæ p mandavit, sperare quæ promisit, et sequi quo ipse præcessit ?

1. And therefore, if we wish to be in Him what we ought to be, as the holy apostle John says (1 John 2:6), as He walked, so let us also walk spiritually. What is it to walk as He walked, but to despise all the prosperous things which He despised, not to fear the adversities which He endured, gladly to do the things which He did, to teach others to become the things which He commanded, to hope for the things which He promised, and to follow whither He Himself went before?

一、所以，我們若願意在祂裡面成為我們所當成為的，正如使徒聖約翰所說的（約壹二6），祂怎樣行，我們也當怎樣在靈裡行。像祂那樣行是什麼呢？不就是鄙棄祂所鄙棄的一切順境，不懼怕祂所忍受的逆境，甘心去行祂所行的，教導人成為祂所吩咐的，盼望祂所應許的，並跟隨祂自己所先走過的路麼？

48:2

q Quid est enim sequi, nisi praestare beneficia etam ingratis, non retribuere secundum merita sua malevolis, et orare pro inimicis, ainare bonos, misereri perversis,.invitare r aversos, suscipere in caritate s conversos, et æquanimiter pati subdolos ac superbos Ad hoc etiam pertinet quod ait sanctus Paulus apostolus: Si resurrexistis cum Christo, quæ sursum sunt quærite, ubi Christus est in dextera Dei sedens (Colos III, 1). Illi resurgunt cum Christo qui moriuntur sicut ille peccato; ea tamen distinctione servata, quod ille mortuus est peccato, non suo, sed nostro; unusquisque autem nostrum, t non omnium moritur peccato, sed suo. 2.

For what is it to follow, but to bestow benefits even on the ungrateful, not to repay the malevolent according to their deserts, and to pray for enemies, to love the good, to have mercy on the perverse, to invite back those who have turned away, to receive in charity those converted, and to bear patiently the crafty and the proud? To this also belongs what the holy apostle Paul says: 'If you have risen with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God' (Col. 3:1). Those rise with Christ who die as He did to sin; yet with this distinction preserved, that He died to sin, not His own, but ours; whereas each one of us dies, not to the sin of all, but to his own. 2.

因為跟隨是什麼呢？不就是連對忘恩的人也施恩，不照惡意之人的應得報應他們，並為仇敵禱告，愛良善人，憐憫乖僻人，邀請轉離的人回來，以愛接納悔改歸正的人，並心平氣和地容忍狡詐與驕傲的人麼？使徒聖保羅所說的話也屬於此：「你們若與基督一同復活，就當尋求上面的事，那裡有基督坐在神的右邊」（西三1）。那些像祂一樣向罪死了的人，便與基督一同復活；然而要存留這分別，就是祂向罪而死，不是向祂自己的罪，乃是向我們的罪；而我們各人向罪而死，不是向眾人的罪，乃是向自己的罪。二、

48:3

Quid u est peccato mori, nisi damnandis oper ibus omnino non vivere, nihil concupiscerc carnaliter, nihil ambire? Ut Y sicut qui mortuus est carne, nulli jam detrahit, x nullum adversatur aut despicit, nullius pudicitiam callida circumventione corrumpit, nemini violentus exislit, neminem calumniatur aut opprimit; non invidet bonis, aut insultat afflictis, non luxuriae carnis inservit, non vinolentiæ deditus, in se bibendi sitim bibendo magis ac magis accendit; non odiorum facibus inardescit, non compendia injusta sectatur. non Dotentibus a aut divitibus adulatur, non inquieta curiositate raptatur;

What is it to die to sin, but utterly not to live to damnable works, to covet nothing carnally, to crave nothing? So that, just as he who is dead in the flesh now detracts from none, opposes or despises no one, corrupts no one's chastity by crafty circumvention, is violent toward no one, slanders or oppresses no one; envies not the good, nor insults the afflicted; serves not the luxury of the flesh, nor, given to wine-drinking, kindles in himself by drinking more and more the thirst for drinking; burns not with the torches of hatreds, nor pursues unjust gains; flatters not the powerful or the rich, is not carried off by restless curiosity;

向罪死是什麼呢？不就是完全不向那可定罪的行為而活，不照肉體貪戀任何事，不貪求任何事麼？以致正如那在肉身上死了的人，如今不毀謗任何人，不抵擋或鄙視任何人，不以狡詐的圈套敗壞任何人的貞潔，不向任何人施暴，不誣告或欺壓任何人；不嫉妒良善人，也不侮辱受苦的人；不服事肉體的奢華，也不沉溺於飲酒、藉著越飲越多在自己裡面挑旺飲酒的渴望；不被仇恨的火把所燃燒，也不追逐不義之財；不諂媚有權勢或富有的人，不被不安的好奇心所擄掠；

48:4

non domesticæ sollicitudinis cura distenditur, non officiosis occurrentium salutationibus delectatur, nec superborum injuriis fatigatur; non eum superbia inflat, non ambitio ventosa præcipitat, non vana gloria turpiter jactat, non desiderium b gloriosæ opinionis inflammat, non c distentio alieni actus illaqueat, non ad societatem turpium turpitudinis amor invitat; non rabies insani furoris exagitat, d non sumptuosarum deliciarum studium mactat, non ardor animosae contentionis exanimat;

is not distended by the care of domestic anxiety, is not delighted by the obsequious greetings of those who meet him, nor wearied by the injuries of the proud; pride does not puff him up, windy ambition does not hurl him headlong, vainglory does not basely boast in him, the desire of a glorious reputation does not inflame him, preoccupation with another's affairs does not ensnare him, the love of baseness does not invite him to fellowship with the base; the frenzy of mad fury does not agitate him, zeal for sumptuous delicacies does not slay him, the ardor of spirited contention does not exhaust him;

他不因家務憂慮的纏累而脹大，不因迎面而來之人諂諛的問安而欣喜，也不因驕傲人的傷害而疲乏；驕傲不使他自高，虛浮的野心不使他傾覆，虛榮不在他裡面卑鄙地誇口，貪求榮耀名聲的慾望不點燃他，干涉他人之事不羅住他，對卑污的喜愛不引他與卑污的人相交；瘋狂暴怒的狂亂不攪動他，對奢華佳餚的熱衷不殺害他，激烈爭競的火熱不使他喪命；

48:5

non facit impudentem audacia, iniquum injustitia, ferum inclementia,varium inconstantia, pertinacem contumacia, insanum vesania, deliciosum gula, rebellem inobedientia, vanum jactantia, infidelem perfidia, levem facilitas, e sævum crudelitas, f manducatorem turpis edacitas, impatienlem mobilitas, g mobilem instabilitas, vagum spiritualis infirmitas, iracundum animositas, suspiciosum perversitas, verbosum vanitas, h injuriosum malignilas;

audacity does not make him shameless, injustice unjust, harshness savage, inconstancy fickle, contumacy obstinate, madness insane, gluttony self-indulgent, disobedience rebellious, boastfulness vain, perfidy unfaithful, laxity frivolous, cruelty fierce, base voracity a glutton, fickleness impatient, instability unstable, spiritual infirmity wandering, animosity wrathful, perversity suspicious, vanity wordy, malignity injurious;

放肆不使他無恥，不公不使他不義，刻薄不使他兇暴，反覆不使他善變，頑梗不使他固執，狂亂不使他發瘋，貪食不使他放縱，悖逆不使他叛逆，自誇不使他虛浮，背信不使他不忠，鬆懈不使他輕浮，殘忍不使他兇狠，可恥的貪饕不使他成為饕餮之徒，浮躁不使他急躁，不穩定不使他飄忽，屬靈的軟弱不使他游蕩，惱怒不使他易怒，乖僻不使他多疑，虛妄不使他多言，惡毒不使他傷人；

48:6

qui remotus est prorsus a saecularibus illecebris, remotus ab i immunditiis et inimicitils, remotus ab insidiis alienis, remotus a rapinis vel occultioribus vel apertis, remotus a mendaciis sive perjuriis, postremo remotus ab omni genere flagitiorum i atque faciNorum, quibus carnaliter viventes Deum offendunt, et mortui k peccato non serviunt. Sicut, inquam, carne morImus nee facere potest Ista quæ dixi, nec pati; ita et his et talibus vitiis omnino non vivunt, qui 1 viventes Deo carnem suam cum vitiis et concupiscentiis crucifigunt.

who is altogether removed from worldly enticements, removed from uncleannesses and enmities, removed from others' snares, removed from robberies whether more hidden or open, removed from lies or perjuries, finally removed from every kind of disgraceful deeds and crimes, by which those living carnally offend God; and being dead to sin, they do not serve it. As, I say, one dead in the flesh can neither do nor suffer those things which I have spoken of; so also they live not at all to these and such vices, who, living to God, crucify their flesh with its vices and concupiscences.

這人是全然遠離世俗誘惑的，遠離污穢與仇恨，遠離他人的圈套，遠離或較隱密或公然的搶奪，遠離謊言或假誓，總之遠離一切種類的醜行與罪惡——肉體而活的人正是藉這些得罪神；而他們既向罪死了，就不服事罪。我說，正如在肉身上死了的人，既不能行也不能受我所說的那些事；照樣，那些向神而活、將自己的肉體連同其惡習與私慾一同釘十字架的人，也全然不向這些以及這類的惡習而活。

← ch. 47ch. 49 →

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