CHAPTER III.

第三章

OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE DIVINITY WHICH WAS CONFERRED UPON ME, AND OF THE DECREE OF THE CREATION OF THE WORLD.

关于天主赐给我的神性知识，以及创造世界的法则

26. O King, most high and most wise Lord: How incomprehensible are thy judgments, and inscrutable thy ways (Rom. 11, 33)! Invincible God, enduring forever and whose beginning is unknown！

26、王啊！至高而至慧的上主：你的决断是多么不可测量！你的道路是多么不可探查（罗马书11：33）！始不可知而永存。

〔经文：啊，天主的富饶、上智和知识，是多么高深！他的决断是多么不可测量！他的道路是多么不可探察！ (罗 11：33)　〕

Who can understand thy greatness and who can be worthy of thy most magnificent works, or who can tell Thee why Thou hast created them (Rom. 9, 20) ?

谁能理解你的伟大，谁能配得上你最伟大的工作，谁能告诉你为什么要创造它们？

〔经文：人呀！你是谁，竟敢向天主抗辩？制造品岂能对制造者说：你为什么这样制造了我？ (罗马书 9：20)　〕

For Thou art exalted above all of them and our vision cannot reach Thee and our understanding cannot comprehend Thee.

因为你高于一切，我们的视野达不到你，我们的悟性也不能领悟你。

Mayest Thou be blest, magnificent King, because Thou has deigned to show me, thy slave and a vile worm of the earth, great sacraments and most sublime mysteries, exalting my habitation and raising my spirit to a height, in which I saw things unspeakable.

愿你被称颂，崇高的君王，因为你屈尊向我–你的仆人，地球上的微不足道的虫子，指明了伟大圣事和最崇高的奥秘，你高举我的居所，将我的灵提升到高处，使我看见不可言说的事。

I saw the Lord and Creator of all things; I perceived as it were the exaltedness of a Being existing in Itself, before It created any other thing; I do not know the manner in which It showed Itself to me, but I know what I saw and perceived.

我看见了万物的主和创造者；我感受到这是一个在创造任何事物之前，就存在于自身的崇高的存有者；我不知道祂向我展示自己的方式，但我知道我所看见的和感知的。

His Majesty, comprehending all things, is aware that, while I am speaking of his Deity, my thoughts stand still, my soul is troubled, my faculties cease their operations, and the superior part of my being deserts the lower and animal parts, despises that which is of the senses and flies toward its Beloved, leaving lifeless the body which it should keep alive. In these excursions and abandonments of love my eyes flow over in tears and my tongue becomes mute.

荣耀尊威的天主洞悉一切，了解到这一点，当我谈到祂的天主性时，我的思想静止不动，我的灵魂困扰，我的官能停止运作，而我生命中高层的部分舍弃低层的和动物性的部分；舍弃感官的一切，飞向她的至爱，离开本应该保持生机的毫无生气的身体。在这些爱的分离舍弃中，我的眼睛流泪，我的语言变得无声。

O my most high and incomprehensible Lord, infinite Object of my understanding!

哦！我的至高者和不可测度的主，我理解领悟的无限对象。

How am I annihilated at the sight of Thee, the Measureless and the Eternal, and how my being grovels in the dust, scarcely knowing what I am!

我是如何在无量和永恒的你的眼光中被消灭，并且我是如何俯伏在尘土中，几乎不知道我是谁！

How can my insignificance and misery dare to admire thy magnificence and thy great majesty?

我的渺小和痛苦怎敢钦崇你的威荣和你的伟大主权？

Vivify, O Lord, my being; strengthen my vision and give the breath of life to my fear, so that I may be able to describe what I saw and thus obey thy command.

上主，求你使我的生命存活。求你坚固我的神视异象，使我的敬畏有生气，使我能述说我所看见的，从而听从你的命令。

27. I saw the Most High, at the same time understanding how his Majesty is in Himself; I received a clear intelligence and a true perception of what is meant by a God, infinite in his substance and attributes, eternal, exalted above all, being three in Person, and one true God.

27、我看到了至高者，同时也了解了祂的威严如何。我对天主的含义有清楚的认识和真实的认识，天主的本体和属性是无限的、永恒的、高于一切、三个位格，而一个真天主。

Three in Person, because of the three activities of knowing, comprehending and loving each other; one, so as to secure the boon of eternal unity. It is the Trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.

三个位格是因为认识、理解和爱，这三种彼此间的活动；以确保永远合一的恩惠。祂是圣父、圣子和圣神的天主圣三。

The Father is not made, nor created, nor begotten, nor can He be generated or have a beginning.

父不是被制造出来的，也不是被创造出来的，也不是受生的，祂也不能被生成或者有一个开始。

I perceived, that the Son derives his origin from the Father alone by eternal generation; and that They are equal in their duration from eternity; and that He is begotten by the fecundity of the intelligence of the Father.

我认识到，子单单是从父而来，直到永远；从永恒开始，祂们的存续是相等的；祂是由父丰富的智慧所生。

The Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son through love.

圣神通过爱，从父和子而来。

In their indivisible Trinity there is nothing which can be called first or last, greater or smaller: all three Persons are equally eternal and eternally equal; there is unity of essence in a trinity of persons.

在他们不可分割的天主圣三中，没有什么可以称为第一或最后、更大或更小的：所有三个位格都是同样永恒的，永远平等的；在三个位格当中存在着本质的统一。

Nor are the Persons mingled in order to form one God, nor the divine substance separated or divided in order to form three Persons, being distinct as the Father, as the Son and as the Holy Ghost.

位格也不是为了形成一个天主而混杂在一起，天主的本体也不是为了形成三个位格而被分开或被分裂，分别作为父，子和圣神。

They are nevertheless one and the same Divinity, equal in Each is the glory, and majesty, the power, the eternity, the immensity, the wisdom and sanctity, and all the attributes.

然而，祂们是同一个天主性，“每一位”的荣耀、威严、力量、永恒、不可测度性、智慧和圣洁以及所有属性都是平等的。

And though there are three Persons, in whom these infinite perfections subsist, He is the one and true God, the Holy, the Just, the Powerful, the Eternal and the Measureless.

这种无限的完美存在于三个“位格”上，但祂是唯一的真天主，是圣洁的、公正的、有能力的、永恒的、无限的。

28. I also obtained an understanding of the manner in which this Trinity comprehends Itself by simple vision, so that no new or distinct cognition is necessary: the Father knows that, which is known to the Son, and the Son and the Holy Ghost know that which is in the intelligence of the Father.

28、我也以单纯的神视异象对天主圣三理解祂们自己的方式有了一个了解，因此不需要新的或不同的认识：父知道的那是子所知道的，而子和圣神知道的那是在父的智慧里。

I understood how they love One another with one and the same immense and eternal love; how there is a single, indivisible and equal oneness of intelligence, love and action, how there is one simple, incorporeal and indivisible nature, a divine essence of the true God, in which are joined and united all the perfections in their highest and in an infinite degree.

我明白他们是如何彼此相爱的，有着同样的广大和永恒的爱；智慧、爱和行动是如何成为单一的、不可分割的、平等的一体的，如何有一个简单的、无形的和不可分割的本性，一个真天主的神圣本质，在其中，所有的完美在祂们的最高和无限程度上结合和统一。

29. I learnt also to understand the quality of these perfections of the highest Lord: that He is beautiful without a blemish, great without quantity, good without need of qualification, eternal without the duration of time, strong without any weakness, living without touch of decay, true without deceit, present in all places, filling them without occupying them, existing in all things without occupying any space.

29、我也学会了理解至高上主的这些完美的品质：祂美丽无瑕，伟大无量，善良而不被限制，永恒而无时间的限制，强壮而无任何软弱，活而无涉腐朽，真实而无欺骗，无处不在，充满而不占据，存在于万物中而不占据任何空间。

There is no contradiction in his kindness, nor any defect in his wisdom. In his wisdom He is inscrutable, in his decrees He is terrible, in his judgments just, in his thoughts most hidden, in his words most true, in his works holy, in his riches affluent.

祂的良善没有矛盾，祂的智慧也没有任何缺陷。祂的智慧是难以测度的，祂的命令是可畏的，祂的判断是公正的，祂的思想是最隐秘的，祂的言语是最真实的，祂的行为是圣洁的，祂的财富是丰富的。

To Him no space is too wide, no narrowness causes restraint, his will does not vary, the sorrowful does not cause Him pain, the past has not passed for Him, nor does the future happen in regard to Him.

对祂来说，任何空间都不会太宽，任何狭窄都不会使祂受到限制，祂的旨意不会改变，悲伤也不会使祂痛苦，对于祂来说，过去没有真正过去，未来对祂也非未来。

O eternal Immensity, what illimitable expansion have I seen in Thee? What vastness do I see in thy infinite Being?

永恒的无限啊，我在你身上看到了何等无限的扩张？在你的无限存在中，我看见了何等的广大？

Vision does not terminate, nor ever exhaust itself in thy abyss of being.

神视异象不会终止，只要有人存在，神视就不会耗尽自己。

This is the unchangeable Essence, the Being above all other beings, the most perfect sanctity, the most constant truth; this is the infinite, the length, the breadth, the height and the depth, glory and its cause, rest without fatigue, goodness immeasurable.

这就是不变的本质，高于一切存在的存在，最完美的圣洁，最永恒的真理；这就是无限的长，阔，高和深的荣耀和事业，安息而没有疲乏，良善而不可测度。

All this I saw at the same time, but the power to describe it more fully fails me.

这一切我都是同时看到的，但我无法更完整地描述它。

30.   I saw the Lord as He was before He had created anything and with great astonishment I looked to see where was the throne of the Most High, for the empyrean heavens were not, nor the lower ones, nor did the sun exist, nor the moon, nor the other stars, nor the elements, only the Creator was, without any of his creatures. All was void, without presence of angels, or men or animals.

我看到上主还没有创造任何东西时候的样子，我惊奇地看着至高者的宝座，那时至高之天尚不存在，下界之天也不存在，月亮也不存在，其他星星也不存在，元素也不存在，只有创造者，而没有其它任何受造物。所有一切都是虚空，没有天使的存在，或者人或者动物的存在。

I saw how of necessity it must be admitted, that God has his being in Himself, and that He stands in want or need of none of the created things.

我看到了必须承认的事实：天主存在于祂自己之中，祂并不缺少或需要任何被造的事物。

For He is as infinite in his attributes before as He is after creating them, and He will possess and hold these attributes during the whole of eternity, because they exist in Him as in an independent increated Essence.

祂以前的属性和创造之后的属性一样无限，祂将在整个永恒中拥有并保持这些属性，因为它们（这些属性）以一个独立的非被创造的本质存在于祂身上。

No perfection which is in itself purely and essentially such, can be wanting to his Divinity: for the Godhead is the only thing that is, and contains all the perfection of created beings in an eminent and ineffable manner.

任何一种纯粹的、本质上的完美，都不可能缺少祂的天主性：因为天主是唯一存在，祂以一种卓越的、不可言喻的方式，包含着被创造的存在的所有完美。

All the other beings, in so far as they exist, have their existence solely in that infinite Being, as effects in their cause.

所有其它的存在，就它们的存在而言，它们的存在只存在于那个无限的存在中，如同结果在原因里。

31.   I understood, that the Most High was in the quiescent state of his own being, when the three Persons(according to our way of understanding things), decreed to communicate his perfections as a free gift.

31、我明白，当三个位格（根据我们理解事物的方式）命令把祂的成全，作为一种白白的礼物来供给，那至高者处于祂自己的宁静状态。

For greater clearness, I must remark, that God comprehends in Himself all things by one indivisible, most simple and instantaneous act.

为了更清晰，我必须指出，天主通过一个不可分割的、最简单和瞬间的行动，来理解自己里面所有的东西。

He does not go on from the understanding of one thing to the understanding of another like we do, distinguishing and perceiving first one thing by an act of the understanding, and after that proceeding to the knowledge of others by their connection with those already known.

祂不会像我们一样，从对一件事的理解到对另一件事的理解，首先通过一种理解的行为来区分和感知一件事，然后通过与已知事物的联系来获得其它的知识。

God knows them conjointly all at once, without before or after, since all are together and at once contained in the divine and uncreated knowledge and science, just as they are comprehended and enclosed in his infinite Being, as in their first beginning.

天主认识它们（事情），没有前后，因为它们都是一起的，同时包含在神圣的、自存的知识和科学里，正如它们最初被理解和包含在天主的无限存在里一样。

32.  In this knowledge of God, which primarily is called the knowledge of pure intelligence (scientia sim-plicis intelligentiae), we must, according to the natural precedence of the intelligence before the will, not overlook a certain succession, not indeed of time, but of nature.

在这种天主的知识中，它主要被称为纯粹智慧的知识，我们必须按照智慧先于意志的自然优先顺序，不要忽视某种连续性，实际上不是关于时间的延续，而是关于天然本质的延续。

Hence we perceive that the act of intelligence preceded by its nature the act of the will for in our way of reflecting on things, we think of the act of intelligence by itself, abstractedly from the decree of wishing to create anything.

因此，我们认为智力活动在其性质上先于意志活动，因为在我们反思事物的方式中，我们认为智力活动本身的作为，抽象地成为想要创造任何东西的命令。

33.   Though I am unworthy to know the order which He followed, or which we, as men, are enabled to perceive in the decree of creation, his Majesty nevertheless deigned to take notice of a request, which I made in this regard.

虽然我不配知道祂所遵循的法则，或者我们作为人，能够觉知祂创造的命令，但荣耀尊威的天主还是屈尊注意到我在这方面提出的请求。

I petitioned Him to make known to me the place which was held by the Mother of God and our Queen in the divine intelligence; and, as well as I can, I will state what He answered me and manifested to me and I will also say something of the order which I perceived by the help of God in these ideas.

我恳请祂让我知道天主之母和我们的元后在神圣智慧中所占的地位；我会尽我所能地陈述祂回答我并向我显现的内容；我也会说到一些我在天主的帮助下，在这些原则中感受到的秩序。

I divide them according to moments or instants, for it is impossible to accommodate the knowledge of this divine science to our capacity in any other way.

我根据时刻或瞬间来划分它们，因为不可能以任何其它方式将这一神圣学问的知识容纳于我们的能力。

This science is called the science of vision, constituting the divine ideas or images of the creatures, which God decreed to call into existence and which are a production of his mind.

这学问被称为神见的知，构成了天主的理念或受造物的肖像，这些是天主命令召唤而存在的，是祂心灵的产物。

By them He knows creatures with an infinitely more precise knowledge, than we can ever have of them.

通过它们（神见的知），天主以无限精确的知识认识了受造物，比我们所能获得的更多。

34.   Although this divine knowledge is one, most simple and indivisible, nevertheless, since the things which I see are many, and since there is a certain order, by which some are first and some come after, it is necessary to divide the knowledge of God’s intelligence and the knowledge of his will into many instants, or into many different acts, according as they correspond to the diverse orders of created things.

34、虽然这神圣的知识是一体的，最简单和不可分割的，然而，由于我所看到的事物有许多，并且由于有一个特定的顺序，有些是先来的，有些是后来的，所以有必要将天主的智慧的知识和祂的意志的知识分成许多时刻，或分成许多不同的行动，因为它们对应于被创造事物的不同顺序。

For as some of the creatures hold their existence because of others, there is a dependence of one upon the other.

有些受造物是为了其它受造物而存在的，它们之间存在着相互依存的关系。

Accordingly we say that God intended and decreed this before that, the one on account of the other; and that if He had not desired or included in the science of vision the one, He would not have desired the other.

因此，我们说天主安排和命定这一个先于那一个，一个为了另一个，如果祂不想要这一个，或者不把它纳入天主神见的知，天主就不会想要另一个。

But by this way of speaking, we must not try to convey the meaning that God placed many acts of intelligence, or of the will; rather we must intend merely to indicate, that the creatures are dependent on each other and that they succeed one another.

但若按照这样说法，我们又绝不能试图說，天主（刻意）做了许多智力的或意志的行动；相反地，我们必须只能表明，一切受造物彼此相互依赖，彼此相成相济。

In order to be able to comprehend the manner of creation more easily, we apply the order of things as we see them objectively, to the acts of the divine intelligence and will in creating them.

为了能更容易理解创造的方式，我们将客观看待事物的顺序，用于创造它们（事物）的神圣智慧和神圣意志的行动。