Page 6 - 預言系列

Near East, Egypt, Assyria, Babylon and 羅馬時代為最久，但到了後期也是四分五
Medo-Persia waxed and waned only a few 裂，國勢日衰，先前的偉大事業盡失，甚
hundred years before the birth of Christ, and 至到後來，竟被北方的蠻族所征服。從上
the great civilizations of Greece and Rome 述國家的歷史背景來看，更根據本文所探
followed them. Of these six powers the 討的宗教與教育的關係、以及就其中某些
Roman was of the longest duration, though 國家直到目前仍存在這一點來看，我們可
in its later stages and after the division of the 以明顯地看出以下兩項結論：一、古西歐
empire it lost its pristine glory and became 或近東諸國家存在的歷史，如與東方的中
so weak that it was conquered by the 國或日本相比，雖然它們曾經產生過轟轟
barbarian hordes from the North. Viewing 烈烈的偉大武功，但終嫌歷史短暫了些，
these nations from the perspective of history 就是巴比倫帝國的黃金時代，也不足百年
and in the light of our study of the relation 而逝。二、前述各帝國，莫不重視宗教制
between religion and culture-and-education 度的存在，甚至它們的文學與文化，也與
and the effect on the survival of nations, two 宗教息息相關。但有一點尤引人發省者，
observations clearly emerge: (1) The 乃為他們都是多神教制度；它的宗教充滿
existence of these nations by comparison 着荒謬的神話與迷信，它們的神趾，也難
with that of the nation of the Orient, notably 免於各種不道德的罪的，所有這些國家的
China and Japan, was brief, despite the 宗教，絲毫沒有中國、猶太、以及後來的
tremendous military power by which they 基督文化等所有的那種嚴肅而高超的倫理
came to their position of ascendancy. Even 教訓。
the golden Kingdom of Babylon fell in less
than a century. (2) All of these empires laid
great emphasis upon their religious systems,
much of which was interwoven with their
literature and culture. But the deeply
significant thing about it all is that they were
all polytheistic systems, replete with absurd
mythologies and superstitions, their
numerous gods themselves guilty of all sorts
of immoralities. All of this was without the
stern ethical teaching which the ancient
Chinese, Jewish and later Christian cultures
have contained in such abundant measure.

Without these deterrents to moral decay, the 缺乏防止道德衰敗的倫理教誨，文化將會
processes of decomposition were greatly 被更加速地瓦解，而人類的行為與人格，
accelerated and the character and behavior of 也就隨之敗壞，甚至文學、科學、藝術、
the peoples, even in the midst of a high order 雕刻、建築、哲學、辯術等卓越的水準，
of learning in literature and science and 也會逐漸地發生頹敗的現象，一個淫佚確
notable attainments in art, sculpture, 醉的文明，往往像海浪沖擊海邊的沙堆一
architecture, philosophy and oratory, rapidly 樣，很快的便消失無踪，甚至連一點過去
deteriorated. Those civilizations by 光榮的遺跡也不會殘留。故而歷史有一個
drunkenness and profligacy were eroded as 不變的定則，無論那個國家，只要人民忽
rapidly as sand-piles on the seashore by the 視或遺忘了薰陶人類行為的神的誡律 －
rising waves, often never even leaving any 道德，被毀滅的惡運將必很快地降臨，國
ruins to suggest their former greatness. It 家亦必從此一蹶不振。一個人心目中若有
has been the consistent testimony of history 性犯罪的慾念，正如花園中有野草一樣，
that where the primal laws of God governing 除非把這慾念從心中除去，或以堅貞的真
human conduct are despised and discarded, 理教訓加以約束，否則後果當不堪設想。
ruin comes on apace and nations go crashing 國家瓦解的過程亦與此相似，往往導致倫

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