Page 10 - 預言系列
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from the records of the past as we see the        的結局。希臘智者辛奈迦看到人類的愚
same blunders committed in successive             蠢,不禁嘆曰:「多麼愚蠢的人啊?」莎士
generations with exactly the same dire            比亞也在「仲夏夜之夢」中有同樣的慨嘆。
results. The noble Greek, Seneca, viewing         我們看到傲慢、情慾與罪惡,充塞在世界
the stupidities of humanity exclaimed             上每一個角落的時候,清醒的心靈不免感
“what fools these mortals be!”                    慨:「我們是何等的愚笨啊!」每一個時代
Shakespeare repeated the same observation         的人,都莫不氣勢凌人地自以為聰明絕
in “Mid-summer Night’s Dream.” Viewing            頂,自以為可以與神的戒律相抗衡,甚至
the shambles that pride and lust and sin of all   自信能逃避前人所曾接受過的那些失敗的
kinds have made out of our world the sober        懲罰。不論在那一個國家,罪惡總是與神
mind must echo the words “What fools we           的公義成反比的。這是一個不變的定則。
mortals be?” Each generation is so reeking        智者所羅門曾說過:「公義使一個國盛極一
with conceit that it thinks it is clever enough   時,惟有罪惡,萬民都應當遠避。」大衛
to defy and bread the moral laws of a Holy        王也曾說:「惡人將被投入地獄,不顧天國
God and still escape the penalties that have      的人也將一樣地受咒詛。」
come upon previous generations and have
toppled them from the from the pinnacle of
power into the ashes of defeat. It is an
immutable law that collective sin and
wickedness in any nation is in inverse
proportion to a public consciousness of a
God of holiness, love and power. Solomon
the Wise said, “Righteousness exalteth a
nation but sin is reproach to any people.”
And David the King said, “The wicked shall
be turned into Hell and all the nations that
forget God.”

How, then, is a collective God-consciousness      然則,一國上下如何才能使之對神有集體
in any nation to be achieved? To which the        的意識呢?這個問題的正確答案該是:「在
obvious answer is “By inculcating it into the     青年求學時代,加強他們的宗教教育。」
youth in the impressionable years of school       當然,這必須同時輔以教堂的陶冶和主日
live.” This should be supplemented by             學的教學,以及嚴格的家教。不過,學生
what they learn in church and Sunday              生活大部份是在學校中渡過,因此,如果
School and in the basic instruction of the        他們的心靈遠離神與公義,而僅僅教授些
home. But the school is where they spend          唯物論或社會主義思想,那麼勢必要完全
the greater part of their time, so if their       抵消了家庭和教會對學生的影響。
minds are turned away from God and
righteousness there and they are taught only
materialism and secularism there, the
influences of both and church can be
completely destroyed.

Our Founding Fathers greatly feared this,         美國開國的祖先最憂慮這種後果,這就是
and that is why for the first fifty years of the  何以美國初期五十年中,全國各級學府,
history of the United States all school from      自小學制大學,都是私立的或是教會籌劃
the elementary to the universities were           的緣故了。國家的基礎既然如此奠立,而
private and religiously-slanted. The bed-rock     基於其上的上層結構,亦是如此地堅實,
of the nation that was thus laid and the          以致於腐蝕性的影響與破壞性的哲學思
superstructure erected thereon were so            想,雖然有如洪水猛獸,迄今尚不能使之

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