I have told this Passage, because it introduces what follows; that after I had had this Discourse with him, I ask'd him how far it was from our Island to the Shore, and whether the Canoes were not often lost; he told me, there was no Danger, no Canoes ever lost; but that after a little way out to the Sea, there was a Current, and Wind, always one way in the Morning, the other in the Afternoon.
This I understood to be no more than the Sets of the Tide, as going out, or coming in; but I afterwards understood, it was occasion'd by the great Draft and Reflux of the
mighty River Oroonooko; in the Mouth, or the Gulph of which River, as I found afterwards, our Island lay; and this Land which I perceiv'd to the W. and N. W. was the great Island Trinidad, on the North Point of the Mouth of the River: I ask'd Friday a thousand Questions about the Country, the Inhabitants, the Sea, the Coast, and what Nation were near; he told me all he knew with the greatest Openness imaginable; I ask'd him the Names of the several Nations of his Sort of People; but could get no other Name than Caribs; from
whence I easily understood, that these were the Caribbees, which our Maps place on the Part of America, which reaches from the Mouth of the River Oroonooko to Guiana, and onwards to St. Martha: He told me that up a great way beyond the Moon, that was, beyond the Setting of the Moon, which must be W. from their Country, there dwelt white bearded Men, like me; and pointed to my great Whiskers, which I mention'd before; and that they had kill'd much Mans, that was his Word; by all which I under stood he meant the Spaniards, whose Cruelties in America had been spread over the whole Countries, and was remember'd by all the Nations from Father to Son.
I enquir'd if he could tell me how I might come from this Island, and get among those white Men; he told me, yes, yes, I might go in two Canoe; I could not understand what he meant, or make him describe to me what he meant by two Canoe, till at last with great Difficulty, I found he meant it must be in a large great Boat, as big as two Canoes.
This Part of Friday's Discourse began to
relish with me very well, and from this Time I entertain'd some Hopes, that one Time or other, I might find an Opportunity to make my Escape from this Place; and that this poor Savage might be a Means to help me to do It.
During the long Time that Friday has now been with me, and that he began to speak to me, and understand me, I was not
wanting to lay a Foundation of religious Knowledge in his Mind; particularly I ask'd him one Time who made him? The poor Creature did not understand me at all, but thought I had ask'd who was his Father; but I took it by another handle, and ask'd him who made the Sea, the Ground we walk'd on, and the Hills, and Woods; he told me it was one old Benamuckee, that liv'd beyond all: He could describe nothing of this great Person, but that he was very old; much older he said than the Sea, or the Land; than the Moon, or the Stars: I ask'd him then, if this old Person had made all Things, why did not all Things worship him; he look'd very grave, and with a perfect Look of Innocence, said, All Things do say O to him: I ask'd him if the People who die in his Country went away any where; he said, yes, they all went to Benamuckee; then I ask'd him whether these they eat up went thither too, he said yes.
From these Things, I began to instruct him in the Know ledge of the true God: I told him that the great Maker of all Things liv'd up there, pointing up towards Heaven: That he governs the World by the same Power and Providence by which he had made it: That he was omnipotent, could do every Thing for us, give every Thing to us, take every Thing from us; and thus by Degrees I open'd his Eyes. He listned with great Attention, and receiv'd with Pleasure the Notion of Jesus Christ being sent to
redeem us, and of the Manner of making our Prayers to God, and his being able to hear us, even into Heaven; he told me one Day, that if our God could hear us up beyond the Sun, he must needs be a greater God than their Benamuckee, who liv'd but a little way off, and yet could not hear, till they went up to the great Mountains where he dwelt, to speak to him; I ask'd him if ever he went thither, to speak to him; he said no, they never went that were young Men; none went thither but the old Men, who he call'd their Oowocakee, that is, as I made him explain it to me, their Religious, or Clergy, and that they went to say O, (so he called
saying Prayers) and then came back, and told them what Benamuckee said: By this I observ'd, That there is Priestcraft, even
amongst the most blinded ignorant Pagans in the World; and the Policy of making a secret Religion, in order to preserve the Veneration of the People to the Clergy, is not only to be found in the Roman, but perhaps among all Religions in the World, even among the most brutish and
barbarous Savages.
I endeavour'd to clear up this Fraud, to my Man Friday, and told him, that the Pretence of their old Men going up the Mountains, to say O to their God Benamuckee, was a Cheat, and their bringing Word from thence what he said, was much more so; that if they met with any Answer, or spake with any one there, it must be with an evil Spirit: And then I entred into a long Discourse with him about the Devil, the Original of him, his Rebellion against God, his Enmity to Man, the Reason of it, his
setting himself up in the dark Parts of the World to be Worship'd instead of God, and as God; and the many Stratagems he made use of to delude Mankind to his Ruine; how he had a secret
access to our Passions, and to our Affections, to adapt his Snares so to our Inclinations, as to cause us even to be our own Tempters, and to run upon our Destruction by our own Choice.
I found it was not so easie to imprint right Notions in his Mind about the Devil, as it was about the Being of a God. Nature assisted all my Arguments to Evidence to him, even the Necessity Of a great first Cause and over-ruling governing Power; a secret directing Providence, and of the Equity, and Justice, of paying Homage to him that made us, and the like. But there appeared nothing of all this in the Notion of an evil Spirit; of his Original, his Being, his Nature, and above all of his Inclination to do Evil, and to draw us in to do so too; and the poor Creature puzzl'd me once in such a manner, by a Question meerly natural and innocent, that I scarce knew what to say to him. I had been talking a great deal to him of the Power of God, his Omnipotence, his dreadful Nature to Sin, his being a consuming Fire to the Workers of Iniquity; how, as he had made us all, he could destroy us and all the World in a Moment; and he listen'd with great Seriousness to me all the while.
After this, I had been telling him how the Devil was God's Enemy in the Hearts of Men, and used all his Malice and Skill to defeat the good Designs of Providence, and to ruine the Kingdom of Christ in the World; and the like. Well, says Friday, but you say, God is so strong, so great, is he not much strong, much might as the Devil? Yes, yes, says I, Friday, God is stronger than the Devil, God is above the Devil, and therefore we pray to God to tread him down under our Feet, and enable us to resist his Temptations and
quench his fiery Darts. But, says he again, if God much strong, much might as the Devil, why God no kill the Devil, so make him no more do wicked?
I was strangely surpriz'd at his Question, and after all, tho' I was now an old Man, yet I was but a young Doctor, and ill enough quallified for a Casuist, or a Solver of Difficulties And at first I could not tell what to say, so I pre tended not to hear him, and ask'd him what he said? But he was too earnest for an Answer to forget his Question; so that he
repeated it in the very same broken Words, as above. By this time I had recovered my self a little, and I said, God will at last punish him
severely; he is reserv'd for the Judgment, and is to be cast into the Bottomless-Pit, to dwell with ever
lasting Fire. This did not satisfie Friday, but he returns upon me, repeating my Words, RESERVE, AT LAST, me no understand; but, Why not kill the Devil now, not kill great ago? You may as well ask me, said I, Why God does not kill you and I, when we do wicked Things here that offend him? We are preserv'd to
repent and be pardon'd: He muses a while at this; mell, All, says he,
mightyaffectionately, that well; so you, I, Devil, all wicked, all preserve,
repent, God pardon all. Here I was run down again by him to the last Degree, and it was a Testimony to me, how the meer Notions of Nature, though they will guide reasonable Creatures to the Know ledge of a God, and of a Worship or Homage due to the supreme Being, of God as the Consequence of our Nature; yet nothing but divine Revelation can form the Knowledge of Jesus Christ, and of a Redemption purchas'd for us, of a Mediator of the new Covenant, and of an Intercessor, at the Foot-stool of God's Throne; I say, nothing but a Revelation from Heaven, can form these in the Soul, and that therefore the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; I mean, the Word of God, and the Spirit of God promis'd for the Guide and Sanctifier of his People, are the absolutely necessary Instructors of the Souls of Men, in the saving Knowledge of God, and the Means of Salvation.
I therefore diverted the present Discourse between me and my Man, rising up hastily, as upon some sudden Occasion of going out; then sending him for something a good way off, I seriously pray'd to God that he would enable me to instruct savingly this poor Savage, assisting by his Spirit the Heart of the poor ignorant Creature, to receive the Light of the Knowledge of God in Christ, reconciling him to himself, and would guide me to speak so to him from the Word of God, as his Conscience might be convinc'd, hid Eyes open'd, and his Soul sav'd. When he came again to me, I entred into a long Discourse with him upon the Subject of the Redemption of Man by the Saviour of the World, and of the Doctrine of the Gospel preach'd from Heaven, viz. of Repentance towards God, and Faith in our Blessed Lord Jesus. I then explain'd to him, as well as I could, why our Blessed Redeemer took not on him the Nature of Angels, but the Seed of Abraham, and how for that Reason the fallen Angels had no Share in the Redemption; that he came only to the lost Sheep of the House of Israel, and the like.
I had, God knows, more Sincerity than Knowledge, in all the Methods I took for this poor Creature's Instruction, and must acknowledge what I believe all that act upon the same Principle will find, That in laying Things open to him, I really inform'd and instructed my self in many Things, that either I did not know, or had not fully consider'd before; but which occurr'd naturally to my Mind, upon my searching into them, for the Information of this poor Savage; and I had more Affection in my Enquiry after Things upon this Occasion, than ever I felt before; so that whether this poor wild Wretch was the better for me, or no, I had great Reason to be
thankful that ever he came to me: My Grief set lighter upon me, my Habitation grew comfortable to me beyond Measure; and when I reflected that in this
solitary Life which I had been confin'd to, I had not only been moved my self to look up to Heaven, and to seek to the Hand that had brought me there; but was now to be made an Instrument under Providence to save the Life, and for ought I knew, the Soul of a poor Savage, and bring him to the true Knowledge of Religion, and of the Christian Doctrine, that he might know Christ Jesus, to know whom is Life eternal. I say, when I reflected upon all these Things, a secret Joy run through every Part of my Soul, and I frequently rejoyc'd that ever I was brought to this Place, which I had so often thought the most dreadful of all Afflictions that could possibly have
befallen me.
In this
thankful Frame I continu'd all the Remainder of my Time, and the Conversation which employ'd the Hours between Friday and I, was such, as made the three Years which we liv'd there together
perfectly and compleatly happy, if any such Thing as compleat Happiness can be form'd in a sublunary State. The Savage was now a good Christian, a much better than I; though I have reason to hope, and bless God for it, that we were equally
penitent, and comforted restor'd Penitents; we had here the Word of God to read, and no farther off from his Spirit to instruct, than if we had been in England.
I always apply'd my self in Reading the Scripture, to let him know, as well as I could, the Meaning of what I read; and he again, by his serious Enquiries, and Questionings, made me, as I said before, a much better Scholar in the Scripture Knowledge, than I should ever have been by my own private meer Reading. Another thing I cannot
refrain from observing here also from Experience, in this retir'd Part of my Life,viz. How
infinite and inexpressible a Blessing it is, that the Knowledge of God, and of the Doctrine of Salvation by Christ Jesus, is so plainly laid down in the Word of God; so easy to be receiv'd and understood: That as the bare reading the Scripture made me capable of understanding enough of my Duty, to carry me directly on to the great Work of sincere Repentance for my Sins, and laying hold of a Saviour for Life and Salvation, to a stated Reformation in Practice, and Obedience to all God's Commands, and this without any Teacher or Instructer; I mean,
humane; so the same plain Instruction sufficiently serv'd to the enlightning this Savage Creature, and bringing him to be such a Christian, as I have known few equal to him in my Life.
As to all the Disputes, Wranglings, Strife and Contention, which has happen'd in the World about Religion, whether Niceties in Doctrines, or Schemes of Church Government, they were all
perfectly useless to us; as for ought I can yet see, they have been to all the rest of the World: We had the sure Guide to Heaven, viz. The Word of God; and we had,
blessed be God, comfortable Views of the Spirit of God teaching and instructing us by his Word, leading us into all Truth, and making us both willing and
obedient to the Instruction of his Word; and I cannot see the least Use that the greatest Knowledge of the disputed Points in Religion which have made such Confusions in the World would have been to us, if we could have obtain'd it; but I must go on with the Historical Part of Things, and take every Part in its order.
我把这一段谈话叙述出来,是因为它与下面的事情有关。
那就是,在我与他谈过这次话之后,我就问他,小岛离大陆究竟有多远,独木舟是否经常出事?他告诉我没有任何危险,独木舟也从未出过事。但在离小岛不远处,有一股急流和风,上午是一个方向,下午又是一个方向。
起初我还以为这不过是潮水的关系,有时往外流,有时往里流。后来我才弄明白,那是由于那条叫作奥里诺科河的大河倾泻入海,形成回流之故。而我们的岛,刚好是在该河的一处入海口上。我在西面和西北面看到的陆地,正是一个大岛,叫特里尼达岛,正好在河口的北面。我向星期五提出了无数的问题,问到这一带的地形、居民、海洋、海岸,以及附近居住着什么民族。他毫无保留地把他所知道的一切都告诉了我,态度十分坦率。我又问他,他们这个民族分成多少部落,叫什么名字。可问来问去只问出一个名字,就是加勒比人。于是我马上明白,他所说的是加勒比群岛,在我们的地图上,是属于美洲地区;这些群岛从奥里诺科河河口,一直延伸到圭亚那,再延伸到圣马大。他指着我的胡子对我说,在月落的地方,离这儿很远很远,也就是说,在他们国土的西面。住着许多像我这样有胡子的白人。又说,他们在那边杀了很多很多的人。从他的话里,我明白他指的是西班牙人。他们在美洲的杀人暴行在各民族中臭名远扬,并且在这些民族中世代相传。
我问他能不能告诉我怎样才能从这个岛上到那些白人那边去。他对我说:"是的,是的,可以坐两只独木船去。"我不明白"坐两只独木舟去"是什么意思,也无法使他说明"两只独木船"的意思。到最后,费了好大的劲,我才弄清楚他的意思。原来是要用一只很大很大的船,要像两只独木船那样大。
星期五的谈话使我很感兴趣。从那时期,我就抱着一种希望,但愿有一天能有机会从这个荒岛上逃出去,并指望这个可怜的野人能帮助我达到目的。
现在,星期五与我在一起生活了相当长一段时间了,他渐渐会和我谈话了,也渐渐听得懂我的话了。在这段时间里,我经常向他灌输一些宗教知识。特别有一次,我问他:他是谁创造出来的?这可怜的家伙一点也不明白我的意思,以为是我在问他谁是他的父亲。我就换一个方法问他:大海,我们行走的大地、高山、树林,都是谁创造出来的?他告诉我,是一位叫贝纳木基的老人创造出来的,这位老人住在很远很远的地方。但无法告诉我这位伟大的老人究竟是怎么样的一个人,只是说他年纪很大很大,比大海和陆地、月亮和星星年纪都大。我又问他:
"既然这位老人家创造了万物,万物为什么不崇拜他呢?"他脸上马上显出既庄重又天真的神气说:"万物都对他说'哦'。"于是我又问他:在他们国家里,人死之后都到什么地方去了?他说:"是的,都到贝纳木基老人那里去了。"接着我又问他:他们吃掉的人是不是也到那里去了?他说:"是的。"
从这些事情入手,我逐渐教导他,使他认识真正的神是上帝。我指着天空对他说,万物的伟大创造者就住在天上,并告诉他,上帝用神力和神意创造了世界,治理着世界。我还告诉他,上帝是万能的,他能为我们做任何事情,他能把一切都赐予我们,也能把一切从我们手里夺走。就这样,我逐渐使他睁开了眼睛。他专心致志地听我讲,并且很乐意接受我向他灌输的观念:基督是被派来替我们赎罪的。他也乐意学着向上帝祈祷,并知道,上帝在天上能听到他的祈祷。有一天,他对我说,上帝能从比太阳更远的地方听到我们的话,他必然是比贝纳木基更伟大的神。因为贝纳木基住的地方不算太远,可他却听不到他们的话,除非他们到他住的那座山里去向他谈话。我问他:他可曾去过那儿与他谈过话?他说:没有,青年人从来不去,只有那些被称为奥乌卡儿的老人才去。经过他解释,我才知道,所谓奥乌卡儿,就是他们部族的祭司或僧侣。据他说,他们到那儿去说"哦",(他说,这是他们的祈祷。)然后就回来,把贝纳木基的话告诉他们。从星期五的话里,我可以推断,即使是世界上最盲目无知的邪教徒中,也存在着祭司制度;同时,我也发现,把宗教神秘化,从而使人们能敬仰神职人员,这种做法不仅存在于罗马天主教,也存在于世界上一切宗教,甚至也存在于最残忍、最野蛮的野人中间。
我竭力向我的仆人星期五揭发这一骗局。我告诉他,那些老人假装到山里去对贝纳木基说"哦",完全是骗人的把戏。
他们说他们把贝纳木基的话带回来,更是骗人的诡计。我对他说,假如他们在那儿真的听到什么,真的在那边同什么人谈过话,那也一定是魔鬼。然后,我用很长的时间跟他谈魔鬼的问题:魔鬼的来历,他对上帝的反叛,他对人类的仇恨及其原因,他怎样统治着世界最黑暗的地方,叫人像礼拜上帝一样礼拜他,以及他
怎样用种种阴谋诡计诱惑人类走上绝路,又怎样偷偷潜入我们的情欲和感情,迎合着我们的心理来安排他的陷阱,使我们自己诱惑自己,甘心走上灭亡的道路。
我发现,让他对上帝的存在获得正确的观念还算容易,但要使他对魔鬼有正确的认识,就不那么容易了。我可以根据许多自然现象向他证明,天地间必须要有一个最高的主宰,一种统治一切的力量,一种冥冥中的引导者,并向他证明,崇敬我们自己的创造者,是完全公正合理的,如此等等,不一而足。可是,关于魔鬼的观念,他的起源,他的存在,他的本性,特别是他一心作恶并引诱人类作恶的意图等等,我却找不出现成的证明。因此,有一次,这可怜的家伙向我提出了一个又自然又天真的问题,就一下子把我难住了,简直不知怎样回答他才好。在此以前,我一直跟他谈关于上帝的问题:上帝的权威,上帝的全知全能,上帝嫉恶如仇的本性,以及他
怎样用烈火烧死那些奸恶不义之徒。关于这些问题,我同他谈得很多。我还向他谈到,上帝既然创造了万物,他也可以在一刹那间把全世界和我们全人类都毁灭。在我谈话的时候,他总是非常认真地听着。
然后,我又告诉他,在人们心里,魔鬼是上帝的敌人。他一贯心存恶意,使尽阴谋诡计来破坏上帝善良的计划,试图毁灭世界上的基督天国等等。于是,星期五说:"你说,上帝是强大的,伟大的,他不是比魔鬼更强大、更有力吗?""是的,是的,"我说,"星期五,上帝比魔鬼更强大,上帝高于魔鬼。因此,我们应该祈祷上帝,使我们有力量把魔鬼踩在我们的脚下,并使我们有力量抵制他的诱惑,扑灭他的火箭。""可是,""星期五又问,"既然上帝比魔鬼更强大、更有力,为什么上帝不把魔鬼杀死,免得他再作恶事呢?"他这个问题大大出乎我意料之外。因为,尽管我现在年纪已很大了,但作为一个教导别人的老师,却资历很浅,我不善于解决道德良心的问题,也不够资格辩难决疑。我一时不知怎么回答他才好,就只好装作没听清他的话,问他说的是什么。可是,星期五是十分认真的,当然不会忘记他的问题,所以又把刚才提的问题用英语结结巴巴地重复了一遍。这时,我已略略恢复了镇静,就回答他说:"上帝最终将严惩魔鬼,魔鬼必定受到审判,并将被投入无底的深渊,经受地狱之火的熬炼,永世不得翻身。"这个回答当然不能使星期五满意,他用我的话回问我:"最终、必定,我不懂。但是,为什么不现在就把魔鬼杀掉?为什么不老早就把魔鬼杀掉?"我回答说:"你这样问我,就等于问为什么上帝不把你和我杀掉,因为,我们也犯了罪,得罪了上帝。上帝留着我们,是让我们自己有机会忏悔,有机会获得赦免。"他把我的话想了好半天,最后,他显得很激动,并对我说:"对啦,对啦,你、我、魔鬼都有罪,上帝留着我们,是让我们忏悔,让我们都获得赦免。"谈到这里,我又被他弄得十分尴尬。他的这些话使我充分认识到,虽然天赋的观念可以使一般有理性的人认识上帝,可以使他们自然而然地对至高无上的上帝表示崇拜和敬礼,然而,要认识到耶稣基督,要认识到他曾经替我们赎罪,认识到他是我们同上帝之间所立的新约的中间人,认识到他是我们在上帝宝座前的仲裁者,那就非要神的启示不可。这就是说,只有神的启示,才能使我们在灵魂里形成这些认识。
因此,只有救主耶稣的普渡众生的福音,只有上帝的语言和上帝的圣灵,才能成为人类灵魂绝对不可少的引导者,帮助我们认识上帝拯救人类的道理,以及我们获救的方法。
因此,我马上把我和星期五之间的谈话岔到别的事情上去。我匆匆忙忙站起来,仿佛突然想到一件什么要紧的事情,必须出去一下。同时,我又找了一个借口,把他差到一个相当远的地方去办件什么事。等他走后,我就十分挚诚地祷告上帝,祈求他赐予我教导这个可怜的野人的好方法,祈求他用他的圣灵帮助这可怜无知的人从基督身上接受上帝的真理,和基督结合在一起;同时期求他指导我用上帝的语言同这个野人谈话,以便使这可怜的家伙心悦诚服,睁开眼睛,灵魂得救。当星期五从外面回来时,我又同他进行了长时间的谈话,谈到救世主耶稣代人赎罪的事,谈到从天上来的福音的道理,也就是说,谈到向上帝忏悔、信仰救主耶稣等这一类事情。然后,我又尽可能向他解释,为什么我们的救主不以天使的身份出现,而降世为亚伯拉罕的后代,为什么那些被贬谪的天使不能替人类赎罪,以及耶稣的降生是为了挽救迷途的以色列人等等道理。
事实上,在教导他的时候,我所采用的方法,诚意多于知识。同时,我也必须承认,在向他说明这些道理时,我自己在不少问题上也获得了很多知识;这些问题有的我过去自己也不了解,有的我过去思考得不多,现在因为要教导星期五,自然而然地进行了深入的思考。我想,凡是诚心帮助别人的人,都会有这种边教边学的体会。我感到自己现在探讨这些问题的热情比以前更大了。所以,不管这个可怜的野人将来对我是否有帮助,我也应该感谢他的出现。现在,我不再像以前那样整日愁眉苦脸了,生活也逐渐愉快起来。每当我想到,在这种孤寂的生活中,我不但自己靠近了上帝,靠近了造物主,而且还受到了上帝的启示,去挽救一个可怜的野人的生命和灵魂,使他认识了基督教这一唯一正宗的宗教和基督教义的真谛,使他认识了耶稣基督,而认识耶稣基督就意味着获得永生。每当想到这里,我的灵魂便充满快乐,这是一种真正内心感觉到的欢愉。现在我觉得我能流落到这荒岛上来,实在是一件值得庆幸的事,而在此之前,我却认为是我生平最大的灾难呢!
我怀着这种感恩的心情,度过了我在岛上的最后几年。在我和星期五相处的三年中,因为有许多时间同他谈话,日子过得完满幸福,如果在尘世生活中真有
"完满幸福"的话。这野人现在已成了一个虔诚的基督徒,甚至比我自己还要虔诚。
当然,我完全有理由希望,并为此我要感谢上帝,我们两人都能成为真正悔罪的人,并从悔罪中得到安慰,彻底洗心革面,改过自新。在这里,我们有《圣经》可读,这就意味着我们离圣灵不远,可以获得他的教导,就像在英国一样。
我经常诵读《圣经》,并尽量向他解释《圣经》中那些词句的意义。星期五也认真钻研,积极提问。这使我对《圣经》的知识比一个人阅读时钻研得更深,了解得更多了。这一点我前面也已提到。此外,根据我在岛上这段隐居生活的经历,我还不得不提出一点自己的体会。我觉得关于对上帝的认识和耶稣救人的道理,在《圣经》中写得这样明明白白,这样容易接受,容易理解,这对人类实在是一种无限的、难以言喻的幸福。因为,仅仅阅读《圣经》,就能使自己认识到自己的责任,并勇往直前地去担负起这样一个重大的任务:真诚地忏悔自己的罪行,依靠救主耶稣来拯救自己,在实践中改造自己,服从上帝的一切指示;而所有这些认识,都是在没有别人的帮助和教导下获得的(这儿的"别人",我是指自己的同类--人类),而只要自己阅读《圣经》就能无师自通。
而且,这种浅显明白的教导,还能启发这个野人,使他成为我生平所少见的虔诚的基督徒。
至于世界上所发生的一切有关宗教的争执、纠缠、斗争和辩论,无论是教义上微细的分别,还是教会行政上的种种计谋,对我们来说,都毫无用处。并且,在我看来,对世界上其他人也毫无用处。我们走向天堂最可靠的指南就是《圣经》--上帝的语言。感谢上帝,上帝的圣灵用上帝的语言教导我们,引导我们认识真理,使我们心悦诚服地服从上帝的指示。所以,即使我们十分了解造成世界上巨大混乱的那些宗教上的争执,在我看来对我们也毫无用处。现在,我还是把一些重要的事情,按发生的先后顺序,继续讲下去吧。
关键字:
鲁宾逊漂流记生词表: