《愛的四百句箴言》
St. Maximus the confessor著
51至100首
《400 sayings about love》
by St. Maximus the confessor
51 – 100
51、當一個沒有覺性的人，受到情欲的左右而不自知，受到怒氣的鼓動而陷入困境時，就會因為內心的無知，排擠自己的兄弟，想要與他們分裂。然而，當他從肉體的欲望中覺醒時，他會悔悟自己的行為，回到兄弟的懷抱中。然而，一個有覺性的人，在面對上述兩種情形時，就會有完全相反的態度。在怒氣升起時，他會切斷混亂的根源，使自己從苦惱之中解脫出來，以平靜心面對他的兄弟；在肉體欲望逼迫之時，他會控制任何不合理的衝動，避免圓滿的關係遭到破壞。
51. When the senseless man who is driven by his passions is moved by anger and becomes troubled, he will be eager to flee foolishly from the brethren. But when again he is aroused by concupiscence, he regrets this and runs back to them. The sensible man does the opposite in both situations. In time of anger he cuts off the causes of disorder and frees himself from grief toward the brethren; in time of concupiscence he controls any irrational impulse and relationship.
52、在我們面臨誘惑時，不要放棄你身心的修道院，而是要拿出勇氣，抵禦各種思緒的波浪，尤其是憂鬱與頹喪。以神的旨意，接受苦難的試煉，你將會在上帝身上找到堅定的希望。然而，如果你遠離上帝的旨意，你就會變成懦弱、心意不堅、墮落的人。
52. In a period of temptations do not abandon your monastery but bear courageously the waves of thoughts, especially those of sadness and discouragement. Being thus tested with tribulations by divine dispensation, you will have a firm hope in God. But if you leave you will be accounted reprobate, unmanly, and unstable.
53、如果你不希望自己遠離神聖的愛，請不要讓你的兄弟，帶著對你的忿怒而就寢，自己也不該帶著對他的不滿而上床。你應該「先去與你的弟兄復和」，然後再以清明的良知，在真誠的祈禱中，為基督獻上愛的禮物。
53. If you desire not to fall away from divine love, do not let your brother go to bed with anger against you, nor should you go to bed angry against him. Rather, “go, be reconciled with your brother, and come offer” to Christ with a clear conscience the gift of love in fervent prayer.
54、如果一個人幾乎得到了聖靈所有恩典，卻沒有得到愛，那麼，他等於是一無所獲，這就如同神聖宗徒的教導一般。仔細想想，我們必須付出多大的熱情與心力，才能夠得到它啊！
54. If one has all the gifts of the Spirit, but not love, it profits him nothing, as the divine Apostle says. How great a zeal should we show to acquire it!
55、「有愛的人，不以惡念害鄰舍」，如果一個人嫉妒他的兄弟，因兄弟的高貴名聲而悶悶不樂，或是以嘲弄的話語玷污兄弟的名譽，以任何惡意的計謀來對兄弟，這樣的一個人，要如何對永恆審判負責呢？要如何才能不遠離愛呢？
55. If “love works no evil to one’s neighbor,” the one who envies his brother and is unhappy over his good name and smears his reputation with scoffing or in any way maliciously contrives against him, how does he not render himself a stranger to love and liable to eternal judgment ?
56、如果「完全遵循律法就是愛」，那麼，一個嫉妒、詛咒自己的兄弟，又在他面前設下陷阱，在他遭遇不幸時幸災樂禍的人，最終怎麼可能不變成一個永遠受罰的罪人呢？
56. If “love is the fullness of the law,” how can the one who keeps a grudge against his brother and sets a trap for him and curses him and rejoices over his misfortune be anything but a transgressor and liable to eternal punishment?
57、如果「一個人若中傷、批判自己的兄弟，就等於是在中傷、批判律法」，而基督的律法就是「愛」。那麼，一個中傷自己兄弟的人，最終怎麼可能不遠離基督的愛呢？他的中傷最後怎麼可能不成為永遠受苦的源頭呢？
57. If “the one who slanders his brother and judges his brother slanders and judges the law,” and the law of Christ is love, how does the slanderer do anything but fall away from the love of Christ and become the cause of his own eternal punishment?
58、不要將你的耳朵，出借給毀謗者的口舌，聽取它對鄰人的詆毀；也不要將你的舌頭，出借給喜好是非的耳朵，為它宣傳鄰人的是非。否則，你將會遠離神性之愛，永遠無法獲致永恆的生命。
58. Do not lend your ear to the slanderer’s tongue nor your tongue to the fault-finder’s ear by readily speaking or listening to anything against your neighbor. Otherwise you will fall away from divine love and be found excluded from eternal life.
59、我們不該聽任別人羞辱自己的父親，以免上帝因你的行為而發怒，完全摧毀你在人間的生活。
59. Do not allow any abuse of your father or encourage anyone who dishonors him, lest the Lord become angry at your deeds and destroy you utterly from the land of the living.
60、如果有人意欲向你毀謗他人，請務必規勸他「沉默」才是正途，否則，你將與他成為共犯：因為你讓自己習慣於道德的淪喪，也因為你沒有出面制止他無知的行為，讓他犯下毀謗的錯誤。
60. Silence the one who is slandering in your hearing lest you commit a double sin with him: by accustoming yourself to this deadly vice and by not restraining him from foolish talk against his neighbor.
61、「但是我告訴你」上帝說，「要愛你們的仇敵，要好待那恨惡你們的，要為那逼迫你們的祈禱。」為什麼上帝下了這樣的命令？因為他能夠讓你從憎恨、悲傷、忿怒、嫉妒中解脫出來，也可以賜予你最高的財富，也就是圓滿的愛，除非一個人可以效法上帝，平等地愛所有的人，否則是不可能得到這個財富的，上帝平等地愛著所有人，並且希望他們得救，並且通達真理的知識。」
61. “But I say to you,” the Lord says, “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who persecute you.” Why did he command these things? So that he might free you from hate, sadness, anger, and grudges, and might grant you the greatest possession of all, perfect love, which is impossible to possess except by the one who loves all men equally in imitation of God, who loves all men equally and “wills that they be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. ”
62、「我卻對你們說：不要抵抗惡人；而且，若有人掌擊你的右頰，你把另一面也轉給他。」為什麼是如此呢？因為，如果你能讓自己超然於嗔恨與悲傷，以安忍心引導對方，就能以「愛」的軛，牽引彼此走向上帝的至善。
62. “But I tell you to resist evil, but should anyone strike you on the right cheek turn the other to him as well. And if anyone wants to go to court with you and take your tunic, offer him your coat as well; and if one forces you to go one mile, go two with him.” Why is this? To keep you free from anger and sadness and to instruct him through your forbearance and to bring you both in his goodness, under the yoke of his love.
63、那些曾經歷過的事，總是在我們心中留下情欲的影像，讓我們緊抓著不放。一個人如果可以徹底地克服這些情欲的影像，就能鄙棄那些不真實的想像。事實上，這場記憶的戰鬥，遠比行為的戰鬥還要困難；思想上的罪，遠比行為上的罪來得容易。
63. We carry along with us the voluptuous images of the things we once experienced. Now the one who overcomes these voluptuous images completely disdains the realities of which they are images. In fact, the battle against memories is more difficult than the battle against deeds, as sinning in thought is easier than sinning in deed.
64、在所有情欲當中，有些屬於肉身，有些則屬於靈魂。那些屬於肉身的情欲，源於身體本身。那些靈魂的情欲，則起於外境。愛與自律，將前者與後者所說的肉身與靈魂的情欲全都斷絕。
64. Some of the passions are of the body, some of the soul. Those of the body take their origin in the body; those of the soul from exterior things. Love and self-control cut away both of them, the former those of the soul, the latter those of the body.
65、有一些人的情欲屬於嗔恚，有一些則屬於貪欲。兩者都是起於感官；一但人的靈魂處失去了愛，或者失去了自我控制，這些情欲就會被牽動。
65. Some of the passions belong to the irascible, some to the concupiscible part of the soul. Both are moved by means of the senses; and they are moved whenever the soul is found outside of love and self-control.
66、在我們的靈魂當中，嗔心才是最難對抗的部份，它比身體所引起的情欲更難以克服。因此，上主給了我們更好的對策，就是：愛的誡命。
66. It happens that the passions of the irascible part of the soul are harder to combat than those of the concupiscible. Thus it is that a better remedy for it was given by the Lord: the commandment of love.
67、所有的情欲之中，總離不開嗔恚與貪欲，甚至是理智，例如：健忘或無知。然而，如果你領會了靈魂所有的力量，你就會發現，這些情欲幾乎都是由懶散所造成的。由此可知，懶散是所有情欲當中最麻煩的。上帝也曾教導我們，如何才能治療懶散：「你們務要用你們的堅忍，來擁有住你們的真性命。」
67. All the other passions lay hold of either the irascible or the concupiscible part of the soul only, or even of the rational part, as forgetfulness or ignorance. But sloth, by grasping onto all the soul’s powers, excites nearly all of them together. In this way it is the most troublesome of all the passions. Well, then, did the Lord tell us in giving the remedy against it, “In your patience possess your souls.”
68、對待兄弟們時，絕對不可以拳頭相向，尤其是在毫無理由的狀況下出拳，否則有一天，他一定會無法忍受這樣的考驗而離去。你將永遠無法躲避良心的譴責，在祈禱的時候，你也會感到傷痛，並且失去與上帝的親密感。
68. Never strike any of the brothers, especially not without reason, lest sometime he not endure the trial and go away. For then you will never escape the reproof of your conscience, always bringing you sadness in the time of prayer and excluding your mind from familiarity with God.
69、不可縱容「懷疑心」的滋長，也不該縱容別人向你散佈他人的醜聞。因為那些散佈者，總是有意或無意地在任何事情中製造流言流語。他們不懂「和平之道」，也不懂唯有透過和平與愛，才能為那些渴望上帝的人，帶來上帝的知識。
69. Do not tolerate suspicions or people that would be occasions of scandal for you against anyone. For those who take scandal in any way from things which happen, intentionally or unintentionally, do not know the way of peace, which through love brings those who long for it to the knowledge of God.
70、如果一個人依然受到人類價值的左右，就不算是擁有圓滿的愛。就好像某人因某個理由而愛一個人、恨另一個人，或者，某人因某個理由先愛上一個人，而後又轉而恨他一樣。
70. The one who is still affected by human judgments does not yet have perfect love, as for example when he loves one and hates another for one reason or another; or even when he loves and then hates the same person for the same reasons.
71、圓滿的愛，不會依據人類不同的性情，而分裂人類合一的本性。圓滿的愛，會持續關注這個合一的本性，無論面對的人是熱情如友，或生疏如敵，都會給予對方平等的愛。圓滿的愛是對所有人友善，推崇他人的善行。圓滿的愛不會將惡念加諸於別人身上，不僅如此，如果情勢所需，還會自願為對方受苦，並且盡量與人為友。就算對方不領情，也絕對不會改變初衷，仍然會以平等心，向每個人展現愛的果實。就好像我們的主、我們的上帝，耶穌基督一樣，對我們展現他的愛，為所有人類受苦，平等地賜給每個人復活的希望，讓每個人配得上榮耀或者甘願受罰。
71. Perfect love does not split up the one nature of men on the basis of their various dispositions but ever looking steadfastly at it, it loves all men equally, those who are zealous as friends, those who are negligent as enemies. It is good to them and forbearing and puts up with what they do. It does not think evil at all but rather suffers for them, if occasion requires, in order that it may even make them friends if possible. If not, it does not fall away from its own intentions as it ever manifests the fruits of love equally for all men. In this way also our Lord and God Jesus Christ, manifesting his love for us, suffered for all mankind and granted to all equally the hope of resurrection, though each one renders himself worthy either of glory or of punishment.
72、一個人在面對毀、譽、富、貧、樂、苦時都不動心，還不能算是擁有真正圓滿的愛。因為，一個人如果擁有真正圓滿的愛，他除了面對毀、譽、富、貧、樂、苦不動心之外，面對無常的生、死也不會動心。
72. The one who does not disdain glory and dishonor, riches and poverty, pleasure and pain, does not yet possess perfect love. For perfect love disdains not only these things but also this very transitory life and death.
73、聽聽那些表現出神聖的愛而高貴的人是怎麼說的：「誰能使我們和基督的愛隔絕呢？難道是苦難嗎？是困迫嗎？是逼迫嗎？是饑餓嗎？是赤身嗎？是危險嗎？是刀劍嗎？是像經上所記：我們為你的緣故，終日被處死，看為將被屠宰的羊嗎？不：在這一切事上，我們藉著那愛了我們的，倒是得勝有餘了。因為我深信，無論是死，是活，是天使，是眾執政的，是現在的事，是將來的事，是一切有權能的，是高處，是低處，或是任何別的被創造之物，都不能使我們跟上帝的愛，那在我們主基督耶穌裡的愛，隔絕。」任何人如果能說出這樣的話，並且行了這上帝的愛，就是聖徒了。
73. Listen to what those who have been rendered worthy of divine love have to say: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or the sword? As it is written, ‘for your sake are we put to death the whole day long.’ We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. But in all these things we more than overcome through the one who has loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” All who say and do this concerning the love of God are saints.
74、當我們思及對兄弟同胞的愛時，讓我們再聽一次他們的說法：「我在基督內說實話，並不說謊， 有我的良心在聖神內與我一同作證：我的憂愁極大，我心中不斷的痛苦； 為救我的弟兄，我血統的同胞，就是被詛咒，與基督隔絕，我也甘心情願。」（羅馬書9：1）摩西與其他的聖徒也曾經如此說。
74. And concerning love of neighbor, listen again to what they say: “I speak the truth in Christ; I do not lie, and my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit. I have great sadness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I would wish to be anathema myself from Christ for my brethren who are my kinsmen according to the flesh and Israelites.” And similarly Moses and other saints.
75、一個無法鄙棄光榮與歡愉，一心想要增長自身名利，做事貪求回報的人，絕對無法獲得斷除嗔心的機會。如果一個人無法斷除嗔心，就無法達到圓滿的愛。
75. The one who does not disdain glory and pleasure and greed which increases them and which is in turn produced by them cannot cut away the occasions of anger. And the one who does not cut them away cannot attain perfect love.
76、謙卑與苦惱使人脫離罪惡，獲得自由。謙卑使人斷除靈魂的情欲，苦惱使人斷除肉身的情欲。受上帝祝福的David，以他所作的其中一首祈禱文，向眾人顯示他的親體實證：「請看我的謙卑與苦惱，並且赦免我的罪過。」
76. Humility and distress free man from every sin, the former by cutting out the passions of the soul, the latter those of the body. The blessed David shows that he did this in one of his prayers to God, “Look upon my humility and my trouble and forgive all my sins.”
77、藉由聖誡，上帝將那些實踐聖誡的人分離出來，藉由神聖的教理，上帝授予那些人開悟的知識。
77. By means of the commandments the Lord renders detached those who carry them out; by means of the divine doctrines he bestows on them the enlightenment of knowledge.
78、一切的教義，不是涉及上帝、感官界、理智界或神意，就是涉及與以上主題相關的審判。
78. All doctrines are concerned either with God or with visible and invisible things or with Providence and judgment about them.
79、布施治療了靈魂中暴怒的部分，禁食撲滅了欲望的部分，祈禱則淨化了我們的心，讓它準備好進行實相的靜觀。因為上帝賜予靈魂大能，也賜予我們他的聖誡。
79. Almsgiving heals the irascible part of the soul; fasting extinguishes the concupiscible part, and prayer purifies the mind and prepares it for the contemplation of reality. For the powers of the soul the Lord has granted us the commandments as well.
80、他說：「跟我學吧! 因為我是良善心謙的。」良善使性情穩定，謙卑使心靈解脫驕傲與自大。
80. “Learn of me,” he says, “because I am meek and humble of heart.” Meekness keeps the temper steady, and humility frees the mind from conceit and vainglory.
81、對上主的敬畏有兩個面向。第一個面向的敬畏，是我們內心創造的，我們認為上主的懲罰威脅著我們，因此，我們學會自律和耐心，並且對上帝滿懷希望，超脫情欲，這些作為讓「愛」在我們心中升起。第二個面向的敬畏，是要讓我們在「愛」的同時，持續在靈魂中創造敬意，否則，我們很容易在熟悉了「愛」之後，在上帝面前升起傲慢心。
81. The fear of the Lord is twofold. The first type is produced in us from threats of punishment, and from it arise in proper order self-control, patience, hope in God, and detachment, from which comes love. The second is coupled with love itself and constantly produces reverence in the soul, lest through the familiarity of love it become presumptuous of God.
82、圓滿的愛將驅逐靈魂中的第一層畏懼，擁有圓滿的愛的人，將不再害怕遭受懲罰。正如同我們之前說過的，此時，圓滿的愛往往保有第二層畏懼。下面兩段文字，可以讓我們瞭解第一層敬畏的作用：「藉著對上主的敬畏，眾人遠離罪惡」；「對上主的敬畏，是智慧的開端」。而以下兩段文字，則是告訴我們第二層敬畏的作用：「敬畏永恆主的道理是潔淨的，它立定到永遠」，「你們要敬畏永恆主，因為敬畏他的一無所缺」。
82. Perfect love casts out the first fear from the soul which by possessing it no longer fears punishment. The second fear it has always joined to it, as was said. The following passages apply to the first fear: “By the fear of the Lord everyone turns away from evil”; and, “The beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord.” And to the second fear: “The fear of the Lord is pure and remains forever and ever,” and, “There is no want in those who fear him.”
83、「所以你們要處死在塵世的肢體：就如淫亂，污穢，邪情，惡欲，和貪婪。」他把對肉體的煩惱牽掛稱作「塵世」；把真正的罪惡稱作「淫亂」；把對情欲的贊同稱作「污穢」，把充滿情欲的思想稱作「邪情」， 把唯獨接受貪欲思想稱作「惡欲」，把維持生命並助長情欲的事物稱作「貪婪」。這所有的事，都被視為賢人的「肢體」，神聖的宗徒命令我們要將它們處死。
83. “Put to death your members which are on earth: fornication, uncleanness, lust, evil concupiscence, and greed.” He names the care of the flesh “earth”; he speaks of actual sinning as “fornication”; consent he calls “uncleanness”; passionate thoughts he names “lust”; the mere acceptance of a lustful thought is “evil concupiscence”; the matter which gives life and growth to passion he calls “greed.” All of these things as members of the wisdom of the flesh the divine Apostle ordered us to put to death.
84、起初，回憶只在心中引起一個單純的想法，但是，如果它在心中徘徊不去，就會引起欲望。如果我們沒有去除心中的欲望，它就會動搖我們的心智，此時，真正的罪就形成了。因此，智慧俱足的宗徒，在寫給原本為異教徒，之後改信基督教的人的信中，首先要求他們，追溯至以往最早的罪，盡力去除罪在心中的一切影響，以求在根源上完全斷絕罪惡。正如前文中所提到的，罪的根源是「貪」，它使人心生欲望。我想，這裡有必要特別強調口腹之欲，它滋養了性欲的生成。一切涉及佔有欲和口腹之欲的貪，沒有不「惡」的。同樣的，面對佔有欲和口腹之欲時，如果還能夠保持自律，就是一種「善」。
84. First the memory brings up a simple thought to the mind, and when it lingers about it arouses passion. When it is not removed it sways the mind to consent, and when this happens the actual sinning finally takes place. Thus the all-wise Apostle, in writing to Gentile converts, bids them to remove first of all the effect of the sin, then to backtrack in order to end up at the cause. As previously mentioned, the cause is greed which gives life and growth to passion. And I think that here it signifies gluttony, which is the mother and nurse of fornication. Now greed is evil not only in regard to possessions but also in regard to food, in the same way that self-control is good not only in regard to food but also in regard to possessions.
85、就好像一隻腳被綁住的小麻雀，當他試著飛向天空時，它就會被腳上的線拉回地面，這就好像一個人的心，如果尚未超脫情欲，那麼當它想要飛向天堂的知識時，就會被拉回塵世。
85. As a little sparrow whose foot is tied tries to fly but is pulled to earth by the cord to which it is bound, so does the mind which does not yet possess detachment get pulled down and dragged to earth when it flies to the knowledge of heavenly things.
86、當一個人的心靈完全的從情欲中解脫出來，就能開始靜觀一切受造物的旅程，並使自己通向聖三位一體的真理。
86. When the mind is completely freed from the passions, it journeys straight ahead to the contemplation of created things and makes its way to the knowledge of the Holy Trinity.
87、一顆純淨的心靈，單純地呈現出事物的概念時，就開始轉向靈性的靜觀了。然而，如果因為疏忽，讓心靈受到染汙時，心靈就會想著其它事物，進而接受人類的概念，變回那種充滿羞愧與邪惡思想的狀態。
87. When the mind is pure and takes on ideas of things it is moved to a spiritual contemplation. But when it has become impure by carelessness, it imagines mere ideas of other things, so that receiving human ideas it turns back to shameful and evil thoughts.
88、在祈禱的時候，沒有任何世俗概念可以擾亂我們的心靈。如果心靈受到世俗概念的擾亂，就是尚未達到完全超然的境界。
88. When in time of prayer no ideas of the world ever disturb the mind, then know that you are not outside the limits of detachment.
89、當靈魂開始感覺到自己的圓滿時，它是如此的單純，且完全不受夢境中的影像所干擾。
89. When the soul begins to feel its own good health, then does it regard as simple and undisturbing the imaginings which take place in dreams.
90、就好像那些肉眼可見的美麗事物，吸引著眼睛去感知，就好像那些超越感官的事物，也吸引著我們純淨的靈魂。所謂超越感知的事物，我指的乃是沒有形體的事物。
90. Just as the beauty of visible things attracts the eye of sense, so also the knowledge of invisible things attracts the pure mind to itself; by invisible things I mean those without a body.
91、不受事物的影響是一件了不起的事，然而，能夠保持這種超脫的態度，更是了不起。由此可知，惡魔藉由思想對我們進行的攻擊遠比行為還要來得猛烈。
91. It is a great thing not to be affected by things; but it is much greater to remain detached from the thought of them. Therefore, the demons’ battle against us through thoughts is more severe than that through deeds.
92、一個成功的人如果擁有美德又學富五車，能夠透過本性來辨別事物，依循正確的道理來思考事物，終究不會走錯路。這是因為我們在運用事物的時候，如果不合於天理，就會變得缺德，如果合於天理，就會貞潔。
92. The one who has had success with the virtues and has become rich in knowledge as at last discerning things by their nature does and considers everything according to right reason and is in no way misled. For it is on the basis of whether we make use of things rationally or irrationally that we become either virtuous or wicked.
93、無論身體是醒著或是沉睡，那些由心而生的種種事物，都不過是一種思想罷了。而這就是心靈達到崇高的超然狀態的徵兆。
93. A sign of lofty detachment is that the ideas of the things which are always arising in the heart are just mere thoughts, whether the body is awake or asleep.
94、透過用心的持守誡命，心靈就會擺脫情欲。透過靈性靜觀來洞察感官界的事物，一個人就能擺脫激起情欲的思維。透過非感官界的知識，就可以放下對感官界的靈性靜觀。最終，透過聖三位一體的知識，就可以放下非感官界的知識。
94. Through the working out of the commandments the mind puts off the passions. Through the spiritual contemplation of visible realities it puts off impassioned thoughts of things. Through the knowledge of invisible realities it puts off contemplation of visible things. And finally this it puts off through the knowledge of the Holy Trinity.
95、那公正無私的太陽，從純淨的心靈中升起，不但照亮了自己，也照亮了藉由它而存在的法則，這就好像在清晨升起的太陽，點亮了這個世界，不但照亮了自己，也照亮了萬物。
95. Just as the sun in rising and lighting up the world manifests both itself and the things which it lights up, so the sun of justice in rising on a pure mind manifests both itself and the principles which have been and will be brought to existence by it.
96、我們無法從上帝的存有本身認識上帝，而是要從他在受造物身上展現的神意和無與倫比的作用，來認識上帝。就好像透過鏡子，我們可以照見他的至善，還有無限的智慧與權能。
96. We do not know God from his being but from his magnificent works and his Providence for beings. Through these as through mirrors we perceive his infinite goodness and wisdom and power.
97、除了在人性的單純思想中，可以找到純淨心靈之外，在對感知界或理性界的自然靜觀中，或是在聖三位一體的光芒中，也可以找到純淨心靈。
97. The pure mind is found either in simple ideas of human things or in the natural contemplation of visible realities, or in that of invisible realities, or in the light of the Holy Trinity.
98、在對感官界的靜觀當中，心靈尋求事物的自然「因」，以及它所代表的的意義，心靈也尋求它們的「果」。
98. The mind which is settled in the contemplation of visible realities searches out either the natural reasons of things or those which are signified by them, or else it seeks the cause itself.
99、住於靜觀的人，不但看到了自然界一切事物的「理」，一切他們所行之事的「因」，也看到了這一切事的「果」，更看到了他們與天意和審判的關係。
99. Dwelling in the contemplation of the invisible it seeks both the natural reasons of these things, the cause of their production, and whatever is consequent upon them, and also what is the Providence and judgment concerning them.
100、靈魂一旦處於上帝之內，就會受到渴望的鼓舞，去尋求上帝存在的至高真理，然而，靈魂往往找不到足以形容上帝的話語。由此可知，上帝是不可能，也無法以任何受造的自然事物來加以比擬的。而靈魂卻會被屬靈的事物所鼓舞，也就是說，透過上帝的創造、主宰和審判，靈魂經驗到關於上帝的永恆、無限和廣大無邊，還有上帝的善，智慧、和大能；「除了上帝之外，一無所知」的真正涵義，指的是要超越心智的力量去認識上帝，就好像神學家Gregory與Dionysius都曾在某處提出同樣的說法。
100. Once it is in God, it is inflamed with desire and seeks first of all the principles of his being but finds no satisfaction in what is proper to himself, for that is impossible and forbidden to every created nature alike. But it does receive encouragement from his attributes, that is, from what concerns his eternity, infinity, and immensity, as well as from his goodness, wisdom, and power by which he creates, governs, and judges beings. “And this alone is thoroughly understandable in him, infinity”; and the very fact of knowing nothing about him is to know beyond the mind’s power, as the theologians Gregory and Dionysius have both said somewhere.
