基督徒

《愛的四百句箴言》
St. Maximus the confessor著
326 - 350

《400 sayings about love》
by St. Maximus the confessor
326 - 350

26. 不要惡毒的非難那昨天還是屬靈而貞潔的弟兄，因為今天你的恨，乃是從濫用的惡行中升起的。反過來，你應該透過愛所給予的耐心，藉著想起昨天的好，來驅走今 天的恨。
26. Do not, because of the hate which has arisen in you today from the evil one's abuse, judge as bad and vicious the brother who yesterday was spiritual and virtuous. Instead, through the patience that love gives, cast out today's hate by thinking of yesterday's goodness.

27. 不要昨天還讚美一個人的善，尊敬他的德行，今天就因為由愛轉恨，而視他是惡的或品性不端的；不要因為自己內心的恨，就責備你的弟兄。反過來，即使心裡充滿 了痛苦，也要持續的讚揚你的弟兄，只有這樣，你才可以輕易回復那原本的愛。
27. Do not, because you changed from love to hate, disparage today as bad and vicious the one whom yesterday you praised as good and honored as virtuous, and blame your brother for the evil hate within you. Rather, continue in those same praises even though you are still full of hurt, and you will easily return to the same saving love.

28. 與其他弟兄在一起的時候，請不要虛偽地讚美某位弟兄。因為隱藏的傷痛，會在不知不覺中，在話裡加入責難的元素。因此，當大家在一起的時候，你應使用名符其 實的讚美，真誠地為他祈禱，就好像為自己祈禱那樣，很快地你就能幫助自己脫離這種具有破壞性的恨。
28. Do not adulterate a brother's customary praise in the company of the other brothers because of the hidden hurt that you still have toward him by the imperceptible injection of censure into your words. Instead, use only genuine praise in company; pray sincerely for him as for yourself, and you will very swiftly be delivered of this pernicious hate.

29.請不 要說：「其實我根本不把那位弟兄放在眼裡，所以，我並不恨他。」請聽摩西的告誡：「不可心裏恨你的族弟兄；總要指責你的同伴，免得你因他 而擔當罪罰。」（利未記19:17）
29. Do not say, "I do not hate my brother by putting him out of my mind." But listen to Moses who said, "You shall not hate your brother in your heart. Reprove him openly and you will not incur sin through him."

30. 即使你的弟兄不斷批評你，使你身陷誘惑，你也不該暫離仁慈之心，而讓那騷擾你弟兄的、缺德的惡魔有機可乘，進而擾亂你的心。你應該在受辱的時候祝福對方， 受批評的時候保持沉默，受人陷害的時候保持友善，這樣就能夠保護自己的心，這就是基督的智慧。不留意、實踐此智慧的人，就不能算是與基督同在。
30. Even if in temptation your brother should insist on speaking ill of you, you should not be swept away from your charitable disposition and allow the same wicked demon to upset your mind. But you will not be swept away from it if you bless when being reviled, keep silent when spoken ill of, and remain friendly when being conspired against. This is the way of Christ's wisdom, and the one who will not take it is not in his company.

31. 如果有些人喜歡跟你轉述其他弟兄的閒言閒語，引起你心中的痛苦與憤怒，無論這些話是真是假，請不要將這些話當作善意的話語。反之，你應該把這些人視作毒蛇 一般遠離他們，這樣才能讓他們斷絕這些傷害性的話語，並且使自己的救靈魂脫離罪惡。
31. Do not regard as well-meaning those who bring you tales that cause you pain and hate toward your brother, even though they seem to be true. Instead, turn away from such people as deadly serpents in order to cut them off from abusive speech and to deliver your own soul from wickedness.

32. 請不要用的曖昧的言語諷刺你的弟兄，否則，你也會遭受相同的對待，讓你們之間的友誼之愛消失殆盡。反之，你應該以愛心與耐心，去糾正他的過錯，這樣就能化 解痛苦的起因，避免不必要的苦惱和困擾。
32. Do not goad your brother by ambiguous language, lest you receive the same from him in turn and drive away the disposition of love from you both. Instead, go and correct him in loving familiarity, so that you may dissolve the causes of pain and deliver both of you from trouble and pain.

33. 先以最誠實的態度檢視自己的良知，然後再慎重考慮，之所以和你的弟兄不合，是不是自己的錯。千萬不可欺瞞自己的良知，因為它通曉你一切秘密，它會在不經意 的時候，譴責你的錯誤，使你無法專心祈禱。
33. Examine your conscience with all honesty to determine whether it is your fault that your brother is not reconciled. Do not be dishonest with it since it knows your hidden secrets, accuses you at the time of your passing, and becomes an obstacle in time of prayer.

34. 不要在和睦的時候，回想你弟兄在創傷中所說的話，即使這話是當著你的面而說的，或是他向別人說，事後才被你得知的，以免在你回想起這怨恨的同時，又引起當 初對弟兄的憎恨心情。
34. Do not recall in time of peace what your brother said in time of hurt, even though the offensive things were said to your face, or were said to another about you and you heard them afterward, lest in retaining grudges you revert to pernicious hate for your brother.

35. 一個理性的靈魂，若對他人懷抱著恨，就無法與上帝和好。上帝的誡命告訴我們：「你們若不饒恕人的過犯，你們的父也必不饒恕你們的過犯。」（馬太福音 6:15）因此，如果他人並不想獲得上帝的平安，那麼，也請為你虔誠地為他祈禱，不要向任何人說他的壞話，這樣才能使自己遠離恨。
35. A rational soul that nourishes hate for a person cannot be at peace with God, who gives us the commandments. "For if," he says, "you will not forgive men their offenses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you your offenses." But if he does not want to be at peace, still keep yourself away from hate by praying sincerely for him and by not speaking ill of him to anyone.

36. 藉著「對上帝的愛」以及「對他人的愛」這兩種天性，可以讓我們獲得聖天使那不可言喻的安詳與寂靜。聖徒在一開始修道的時候，也是如此。因此，救世主也已經 清楚地告訴我們：「全部法律和先知，都繫於這兩條誡命。」（馬太福音22:40）。
36. The unutterable peace of the holy angels is attained by these two dispositions: love for God and love for one another. This holds true as well for all the saints from the beginning. Thus we have been beautifully told by the Savior that "on these two commandments depend the whole law and the prophets."

37. 不要讓自己變成「自我的取悅者」，這樣一來，你就不會怨恨你的弟兄。不要讓自己變成「自我的寵愛者」，這樣你就會愛上帝。
37. Do not be a pleaser of self and you will not hate your brother. Do not be a lover of self and you will love God.

38. 如果你已經下定決心，要與充滿靈性的弟兄一起生活；請從一開始就放棄你的自我意志，因為除此之外，沒有其它的方法可以讓你與上帝以及那些與你共同居住的人 和好。
38. If you have determined to live with spiritual brothers, renounce your will at the outset, for in no other way will you be able to be at peace either with God or with those you are living with.

39. 一個已能夠獲得「完美的愛」，又能讓這個愛完全地掌控自己生命的人，就能夠在聖靈降臨時說：「主耶穌」。反之亦是。
39. The one who has been able to acquire perfect love and who has let it control his whole life can say, " 'Lord Jesus,' in the Holy Spirit." In the contrary case, the opposite will, of course, be true.

40. 愛上帝，就是時時喜愛與祂保持交談；愛你的鄰舍，可以讓我們的心，能夠、也願意永遠只想著他人的好。
40. Love of God is always fond of flying off to hold converse with him; love of neighbor prepares the mind to think always well of him.

41 一個喜愛虛名，或是喜愛物質事物的人所具有的特徵就是，他們會為了已經逝去的事物而對他人發脾氣、或者是對他人感到不滿、或者是憎恨他人、或者是成為邪見 的奴隸。然而，對於靈魂來說，它是喜愛上帝的，這些特徵都是外來的，都與之無關。
41. It is characteristic of the one who still loves empty glory or who is attached to some material thing to take offense at men for the sake of passing things, or to bear them resentment or to have hate for them or to be a slave to shameful thoughts. To the soul that loves God, however, all these things are altogether foreign.

42. 如果你已經不會故意去說不道德的話，也不會做不道德的事，不會對傷害你、說你壞話的人懷有惡意，並且在祈禱的時候，總是可以讓自己的心靈擺脫任何的物質與 形式，那麼，你可以知道，在這個時候，你已經完全的超然，且達到完美的愛了。
42. When you neither say nor do anything intentionally shameful, nor bear any grudge against the one who has harmed you or spoken ill of you, and when in time of prayer you always keep your mind free of matter and form, then know that you have reached the full measure of detachment and of perfect love.

43. 想要從虛榮之中解脫出來，並不是隨隨便便就可以辦得到。然而，只要透過對美德謹慎的練習以及不斷的祈禱，就可以從中獲得解脫。獲得這種解脫的徵候，就是不 再對任何攻擊我們的人，或是過去曾攻擊過我們的人懷有惡意。
43. It is no small struggle to be delivered from vainglory; however, one is delivered by the discreet practice of virtue and more frequent prayer. An indication of this deliverance is to bear no more grudges against anyone who offends us now or has offended us in the past.

44. 如果你想要變得正直，就得賦予你內在的每一個部分（也就是身體與靈魂），他們應得的事物。對於靈魂中理性的部分，你應該賦予它神聖的讀本、冥想和祈禱。對 於性情中急躁的部分，就要賦予它屬靈的愛，這愛是與恨相反的。對於感情的部分，就需要節制與自制。對於身體的部分，就需要食物和衣服，但只能夠在最低的限 度上滿足他們。
44. If you want to be just, assign to each part within you what it deserves, that is, to body and soul. To the rational part of the soul give spiritual reading and meditation and prayer. To the irascible part give spiritual love, which is opposed to hate. To the affective part give temperance and self-mastery. To the bodily part give food and clothing, and only what is necessary.

45. 當心靈讓情欲成為主體的時候，當心靈沉思存在的法則的時候，或者，當心靈住在上帝之內的時候，它都會依據不同的情形來而運作。
45. The mind functions according to nature when it keeps the passions subject, when it contemplates the principles of beings, and when it dwells in God's presence.

46. 就像健康、疾病與肉體有關，亮、暗與眼睛有關，所以美德、惡行與靈魂有關，博學、無知與心靈有關。
46. As health and sickness have to do with the body of an animal and light and darkness with the eye, so do virtue and vice have to do with the soul and knowledge and ignorance with the mind.

47. 在這三件事上，基督徒是明智的：即「誡命」、「教導」、「信仰」。「誡命」使心靈遠離情欲，「教導」引導心靈瞭解知識，「信仰」將心靈帶入對聖靈的默觀之 中。
47. The Christian is wise in these three things: in the commandments, in instruction, and in faith. The commandments separate the mind from the passions, instruction introduces it to the knowledge of beings, and faith brings it to the contemplation of the Holy Trinity.

48. 有些人努力戰勝情欲，有些人則切除情欲。有些人用讚美詩、祈禱或振奮心神…等適當的方法來打擊情欲。然而，有些人卻藉由「輕視那些使他產生情 欲的事物」來切斷情欲。
48. Some of those who contend only beat back passionate thoughts, while others excise the passions themselves. One beats back passionate thoughts, for example, by psalmody, prayer, or uplifting of the mind, or by some other suitable occupation. But another excises the passions by despising the things for which he acquired the passions.

49. 養成情欲的事物有：女人、金錢、名聲…等。人們可以藉著隱修的助力，透過自律來削弱身體的欲望，進而使自己漠視女人。人們可以說服自己的心靈，使它感到滿 足，進而使自己漠視金錢。一個人可以想辦法讓自己喜愛在暗中行善，不使人知，唯獨讓上帝知道，進而使自己漠視名聲。一個人如果能夠漠視這些事物，就永遠不 會對任何人產生憎恨心。
49. The things for which we have acquired the passions are these: women, money, fame, and so forth. And one is able to despise women when with the help of solitude he weakens the body as he should through self-mastery. He despises money when he persuades the mind to be content in everything with just enough, and fame when he loves the secret practice of the virtues known only to God, and similarly for the rest. The one who despises these will never come to hate anyone.

50. 一個捨棄了女人、財富…等的人，從外表看來，已經算是一位修道士了，然而，從內在而論，卻還不算是一位修道士。一個捨棄了情欲的人，從內在（也就是心靈） 而論，才能真正成為一位修道士。任何人只要願意的話，都可以簡單的在外表上變成一位修道士。但想要在內在徹底成為一名修道士，就不是輕易可以辦到的。
50. The one who has renounced things such as a woman, wealth, and so forth, has made a monk of the outer man but not yet of the inner. The one who renounces the passionate representations of these things makes a monk of the inner man, that is, of the mind. Anyone can easily make a monk of the outer man if he really wishes to, but it is no small struggle to make a monk of the inner man.